Photo Credit: NHL.com
The NHL playoffs are coming to a climax as the final four teams look to close out their series and make the Stanley Cup Finals. However, in the background things around the league are quickly heating up as big names have been circulating the rumor mill, for what will most likely, will be an exciting summer. Players such as Seth Jones, Matthew Dumba, Dougie Hamilton, and Jack Eichel have all found themselves in the news of late and all potentially involved with the orange and black. It’s no secret that Chuck Fletcher will be looking to make a splash this summer and without a doubt he is hard at work looking to prepare for the Expansion Draft, the Entry Draft, and Free Agency, which all will be pivotal moments for the team to improve. Having said that, will Fletcher be looking at the same players that are roaming around the media headlines or will he be looking to catch fans by surprise by improving his NHL roster without fighting for the most popular names available?
Something this podcast has mentioned over and over again is that players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson could be available for the right price. Philadelphia has been in heavy conversations with the Arizona Coyotes since early parts of 2020 where the team saw, valuable veteran, Matt Niskanen leave the club. OEL does come with a high cap hit for several years, but a wealthy organization like the Flyers could manage that financial risk, better than the financially insecure Coyotes. Could there be a deal to be had there for the Flyers? Could a package of JVR or Ghost make things tenable for the Coyotes to save money and gain other assets in the process? Could a swap of Voracek, who has a much shorter contract term, benefit a team like the Coyotes who have financial insecurity? The Flyers have plenty of options and more leverage in these negotiations than meets the eye. They were very patient in a season where they could have lost their patience and it could pay off as they roll into one of the wildest offseason in years. Look for Fletcher to be more aggressive than last season and yet go for the unpredictable more than the headline leaning decisions.
On this episode of Gettin Gritty Wit It, I welcome back friend of the show, from the Steel Flyers Network, Pearlo Wisdom. Pearlo runs his own hockey show and is a big contributor and member of the Steel Flyers website. With a measured yet creative approach Pearlo brings in wisdom, pun intended, from an Edmonton city rife with intelligent hockey fans and content creators. Check out this latest episode as we go through the Flyers offseason risks and rewards and what it takes to make the aggressive, yet appropriate moves in the crazy season. In this one we try to put our emotions aside and look at what the team can build upon, not replace.
Like and subscribe if you want more of this content!
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Team Store!
The best option for the Flyers is for Comcast to sell the franchise to an owner that actually gives a f***.
We need right shot d, so why even talk about lefties like Ekman Larsson!?
Stupidest shit I ever read