Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher has preached patience this offseason, and he stated this past Saturday in a conference call with reporters. Patient, as in being patient with the market until things die down a bit, then the Flyers can make the right move. With that being said, who’s left on the free agent market to fill Matt Niskanen’s void if Fletcher wants to open his wallet in free agency?
Sami Vatanen
Travis Hamonic
Vatanen, a Right-Handed Defenseman would be a great fill in for Niskanen. Unfortunately, he will cost and it may be too rich for Fletcher’s blood. Vatanen made $4.875 million last season, and at 29 years of age he might be looking for some term. However, he would fill Niskanen’s shoes nicely.
This Right-Handed Defenceman in Vatanen can play in any situation the coaching staff asks of him. Vatanen could provide veteran leadership for the youth, as well. He logged 21:45 of ice time per night, and tallied five goals to go along with 18 helpers last season.
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Hamonic is a steady Right-Handed Defenseman who made $3.875 million last season. He is not the most offensive Defenseman as he only tallied three goals, and registered nine assists in 50 games played last season. But, Hamonic is a Defenseman who does his job and he provides size on the backend, as well, as he stands at 6’2 weighing 205 pounds. Hamonic is more than capable of filling Niskanen’s shoes.
When will Fletcher strike? It’s only a matter of time, however, time is dwindling in the free agency market Defensemen wise. In the coming days, Fletcher will have no other choice but to look solely at the trade market as a means to obtain a quality top 4 Defenseman, especially with the Vegas Golden Knights trying to offload some salary with the likes of Alec Martinez and Nate Schmidt.
Sanheim and ghost and 2 Nd round pick to jets for Laine and 1st rd pick them sign peterangelo and myers