In this flat cap era, NHL teams’ general managers will have to get creative in the off season in order to better their team. The Flyers specifically have a large number of both restricted free agents (RFA) and unrestricted free agents (UFA) whom they will have to make the decision of whether or not to re-sign. Some of those RFA’s that are due a new contract are coming off (essentially) rookie-type deals like goaltender Carter Hart and former number two-overall pick Nolan Patrick (who the Flyers decided to bring back this year on a one-year, “prove it” deal after missing all of last season due to injury). Both of these players are going to require quite the hefty raise. Then you have pending-RFA Flyers’ defensemen Travis Sanheim who currently makes $3.25 million a season and will also be looking for a raise and a long-term deal. That’s not to mention the UFA’s who the team must make a decision on as well.
Two of these players are the topic of this article. Utility men Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl both have been in the Flyers’ lineup for an incredible eight seasons now, and they will both be unrestricted free agents at this season’s end. Over the course of the last eight seasons with the Flyers Laughton and Raffl have equally become integral parts to the team’s penalty killing units and interchangeable pieces that can move up and down the lineup providing secondary scoring wherever needed when injuries occur. A player that can do this is extremely valuable (especially in today’s NHL), and is one that every team’s GM covets for their roster.
With the Seattle Kraken set to make their big splash into the league really soon via their expansion draft, you have to think that when it comes time to pilfer through the unprotected players on the Flyers’ roster that a player like the incredibly underrated 26-year-old Scott Laughton may just be the one the Kraken choose to wrap their tentacles around- even though his contract is set to expire. Who could blame Laughton if he decided to sign with Seattle after being selected? I mean, a chance to play a larger role (possibly one with leadership responsibilities) on a new team who could offer him more money than the Flyers have available does sound enticing! Even if it’s not the Kraken who poach Laughton from the Flyers’ roster, what’s stopping the rest of the NHL teams from trying to secure this soon to be unrestricted free agent once free agency begins?
Then, there’s the other guy we mentioned: The now 32-year-old Michael Raffl, who the Flyers will have to decide if they want to re-sign at the seasons end. Is this aging 4th liner who is making $1.6 million this season still as vital to the team as he once was? Or could his yearly stipend be better used to re-secure the previously mentioned youth who are just starting to come into their prime? Just think, it has been seven years since he flourished (netting 21 goals in the 2014-2015 season) while getting the chance to play on the first line with the team’s captain Claude Giroux (due to an injury).
The Flyers maybe lucky enough to find a replacement for one of these players from within the team’s system who is ready to advance his play to the next level next season but they should also keep a close eye on a couple of other teams’ unrestricted free agents just in case they lose or have to let go of one or both of Alain Vigneault’s chess pieces.
One such player who finds themselves meeting requirements that are enticing to the Flyers is Tampa Bay’s 28-year-old Barclay Goodrow, a 6 foot-2 center/wing that weighs in at 215 pounds and is only making $925,000 this year. The Lightning were lucky enough to be able to acquire Goodrow from the San Jose Sharks last season at the deadline for their Stanley Cup-winning run. Barclay (who Tampa was thought to have overpaid for when giving up a 1st round pick and a prospect to the Sharks in order to acquire his services) is just the type of player that the Flyers need! Much like the Lightning back in the 2018-2019 season (the year before they won the Cup), the Flyers find themselves able to put many points on the stat sheet but lack physicality. That year, the Lightning had scoring depth for days having three players who were able to net 40 goals, and three who had over 90 points on the season. This helped them secure the league’s President’s Trophy (which is given to the league’s best team) totaling 62 wins on the season, but they had no one to come to the aid of a teammate after they were dealt a vicious check by the opposition. Also, they have very few players with any grit or toughness within their locker room. Because of this, Tampa Bay found themselves man-handled and bounced from the playoffs in just 4 games by the number eight seed Columbus Blue Jackets. Forced to then take a look at the reality of what happened, they came back the next season with some much-needed muscle with names like Zach Bogosian and Patrick Maroon, on top of adding Barclay at the deadline- which then made their run to the finals much easier. Does this bring back any memories for any of you from the Flyers’ post-season last year where Philadelphia barely got by Montreal, just to be beaten down by the likes of Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck of the Islanders?
This is where Barclay would help. Goodrow has all the same intangibles as Scott Laughton- from his ability to seamlessly switch from center to wing when needed, to Barclay proving he is more than capable to produce points on any line while being moved up and down the lineup. Goodrow may not score 20 goals a season but he tends to pick when to light the lamp wisely. Like Laughton, Barclay also can be counted on when the pressure is on, like in this highlight when he made a beautiful play to score an OT winning goal to advance the Sharks past the Golden Knights in the playoffs.
The main difference between the two is that Goodrow is also able and quite willing to lay some devasting hits while in the offensive zone, the neutral zone, or his defensive zone- and he totaled more hits last season than any Flyers player! To go along with that, Barclay does not fear any retribution for those hits; rather, he is more likely the one who will be handing out the repercussions for others’ actions, i.e., after a dirty play occurs on one of his teammates or when a star player from his team is in imminent danger from the opposition’s goon. Indeed, he has proved time and time again that he is willing to square off against any and all contenders. Some of his past sparring partners would include heavy weights like Matt Martin, Brett Ritchie, Milan Lucic, Will Carrier, and Scott Mayfield to name a few.
Who knows how this off season will play out. With a flat cap and the expansion draft looming, the Flyers could lose some critical pieces to their lineup. With Philadelphia having to open their check book in order to retain some of their younger talent they may be forced to say goodbye to others who have been there for a number of years. With that being said, the Flyers should keep their options open and look around the NHL to find players like Goodrow who could be brought in next season relatively cheaply to replace others whom they might lose. Philadelphia has a good chance at Goodrow because he plays for the Lightning-a team that is already $3.5 million over the salary cap for next season and will mostly likely not be able to re-sign him let alone give him a slight raise that he deserves. It’s high time that the Flyers regain a little respect in the eastern conference and Goodrow would be an inexpensive, yet effective, acquisition that could help them do just that.
