Photo Credit: Getty Images/Len Redkoles
Despite the Flyers winning the past couple of games before the All-Star break, Philadelphia is headed towards still darker days if they can’t find a way to bring in more fresh blood to the organization. As good as Cam Atkinson has been since the team acquired him back in July in a trade that involved Jakub Voracek, he simply won’t be able to do it all by himself if the team decides to move on from their long-time captain Claude Giroux come the trade deadline. In fact, if the team fails to bring in someone next season to replace him in the lineup, they most certainly will fall deeper than they already are into the pit of despair.
While some may think that the Flyers will be fine next season because they will have plenty of capital to spend in free agency if Giroux doesn’t come back, they would be sadly mistaken. Like I explained in great detail in this article provided below (back in December), both Joel Farabee and Sean Couturier signed multi-million dollar extensions this past off season that come next year will pay them millions of dollars more than their current deals. When you combine their raises, they will take up roughly $7.5 million of Giroux’s $8,275,000 salary from this season.
This is why, in order to be able to get an unrestricted free agent this offseason that could come in and provide the kind of production that Giroux has over the last fifteen years, they will have to find a way to shed salary. One way to do that is through using one of their buyout options that will once again be at the Flyers’ disposal just 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is handed out to the league’s latest victors this year. If Philadelphia choose to do this, who might they choose to utilize it on you may be asking? Well, as much as the Flyers would like to rid themselves of one of their injury-prone players (center Kevin Hayes or defenseman Ryan Ellis- who both carry massive cap hits for the foreseeable future), the amount of time left on both their contracts may not make it cost effective to do so.
Instead, the player that would make the most sense to buy out would be the now 32-year-old winger James van Riemsdyk. This streaky scorer has only one year remaining on his current contract after this season and, given his age, the team would then only have to pay two-thirds of his salary over the course of the next two seasons. When broken down it will look something like this: His initial cap hit ($7,000,000) and sign-on bonus ($1,000,000) become irrelevant when determining a buyout price. His base salary for next year is used to calculate his buyout and is $4,000,000. Based on being older than 26, he would be entitled to 2/3 of his remaining salary which is then to be divided over two seasons. This leaves him with a total buyout cost of roughly $2.6 million or $1.3 million per year. Which with the post buy out earnings being factored in the first year it would leave the Flyers with a $4,333,334 cap hit (instead of the $7 million cap hit) for van Riemsdyk for next season and a $1,333,334 cap hit for the season after. Providing the team with a saving of $2,666,666 of cap relief next season.
While a buy out of James van Riemsdyk should be used as a last resort, the reality of it all is that in order for the club not to have to resort to such drastic measures they would have to find a team that not only could take on JVR’s $7 million cap hit but one that would be willing to, given van Riemsdyk’s inconsistent offensive production. Yes, it’s true that James is a former 36 goal scorer, but he hasn’t been able to output that kind of goal totals since his last year in Toronto some five seasons ago now. Teams who are in search of help for the post season this year are going to be looking for a player with a lot more consistency, given the fact that they could potentially be knocked out of the playoffs in just four games. van Riemsdyk’s inconsistencies since he re-signed with Philadelphia in 2018 may scare most potential trade partners away. Take this season for example: There’s been multiple times this year where van Riemsdyk has gone five or more games without scoring a goal. Heck, there was one point this year where he went eleven games without even scoring a point! But that’s not even the worst part. His unrefined skating ability not only makes him look like he is out there skating with concrete blocks for skates, but it represses his ability to get back into his own defensive zone to help out, hence his -21 plus minus rating on the season thus far.
If the Flyers decided to buy out van Riemsdyk after this season in order to try and free up some much-needed cap space in order to sign a replacement for Giroux, there is quite the lengthy list of players that will be available this off season who could do just that.
Johnny Gaudreau
New Jersey-native Johnny Gaudreau, who plays left wing for the Calgary Flames, is just 28-years-old and is still performing at an amazingly high level this season. Through 42 games played Gaudreau has 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points while maintaining a defensively responsible +30 average on the year so far. Currently, Gaudreau has a cap hit of $6,750,000 that is sure to go up but, luckily for the Flyers, this Garden State native might take a reduced rate to join the team he grew up a fan of and has (in the past) expressed an interest in playing for.
Ondrej Palat
Palat is another name that will be an unrestricted free agent this off season. This now two-time Stanley Cup winner is a 30-year-old left winger who has 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points in 41 games played so far this season. Although, most people know the name when they hear it on the telecast Palat, in this writer’s mind, is still very much underrated. Ondrej is a strong two-way player who over the course of his career has racked up an impressive plus/minus rating of +141. This means that not only can he score goals (where seven times in his career he has amassed at least 15 goals) he can be counted on to prevent them as well. Palat is coming off a five-year contract which paid him an average of $5.3 million a season over the course of the deal, and with the Lightning winning back-to-back championships there just might not be enough money to go around this summer in order to retain him.
Filip Forsberg
Next up is Nashville’s 27-year old impending free agent, left winger Filip Forsberg who this season already has 24 goals and 14 assists for 38 points despite him playing in only 33 games this season. A scoring threat since arriving in Music City from Washington (the city that drafted him), Forsberg will surely be a player that multiple teams take a long look at this off season. Hopefully, one of those teams might be Philadelphia if they can rid themselves of van Riemsdyk’s albatross-like contract. The Flyers would be wise to try their hand at obtaining this offensive virtuoso who currently holds a $6 million dollar cap hit.
Max Domi
Lastly, a player that may not be quite on the same level as the ones previously mentioned but one who embodies what is expected of a player who dons the orange and black nonetheless, is Columbus’ left wing/center Max Domi. Son of former heavy weight Tie Domi, Max’s inherited grit and toughness allows this now 26-year-old grinder to still produce although he is already playing for his third franchise. While playing in Montreal, this versatile forward achieved career highs of 28 goals, 44 assists, and 72 points, but sadly has not been able to reach the same plateaus since joining the Blue Jackets just two seasons ago. Stuck playing on the third line in Columbus, Max may just be willing to move on from playing in the hockey hotbed of Ohio next season and sign elsewhere. Question is, will the Flyers want to shell out a contract anywhere close to the one that currently pays Max an average of $5.3 million a year?
Regardless of who they may choose, one thing is for certain: the Flyers must not trust the process when it comes to Giroux any longer. The Flyers don’t have enough, if any, skilled prospects in the system to replace his production. So, with that being said, it’s time to cut their losses with not only Giroux but van Riemsdyk as well in order to increase their chances at landing one of these game-changing unrestricted free agent’s next season.
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