Western Michigan University defenseman Dan DeKeyser is likely to be a highly sought after college free agent by NHL clubs.
"It's not unfathomable to think Danny DeKeyser could get an offer from every team," Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said recently. "He could be the complete package." The mobile blueliner registered 17 points and 42 penalty minutes in 41 games during his sophomore year with the Broncos in 2011-12. The Detroit Red Wings are believed to have the inside track on him services, but that won't stop teams like Philadelphia from trying to sign him as well.
The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly still talking to Columbus about the possibility of a Rick Nash trade.
That being said, the Flyers and Blue Jackets talks haven't gotten serious yet. We wouldn't classify Philadelphia as the most likely destination for Nash, but they certainly have the pieces to make something happen if they decide to get him. That being said, Nash's $7.8 million annual cap hit could be particularly hard for Philadelphia to absorb in the long run. The San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers are also believed to be in the mix.
The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly listening to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the possibility of a trade involving Rick Nash.
There's a lot of arguments against the Philadelphia Flyers going after Rick Nash, one of them being that it might lead to cap complications down the road. After all, Philadelphia already has nine players that are scheduled to come with a cap hit of $4 million or above next season and then you'd have to add Nash's $7,800,000 annual cap hit on top of that. Another argument against is that a scoring winger isn't among Philadelphia's bigger needs. GMs Scott Howson and Paul Holmgren are expected to meet, but Nash might not be the only or even top item on their agenda.
Luke Schenn's name has been coming up in popular trade rumors.
One popular rumor involves Schenn going to Philadelphia in a deal involving James van Riemsdyk. Such a trade would unite Luke with his younger brother Brayden. Rumors like this are bound to pop up as we approach the trade deadline and while some of them might prove to be true, many of them won't. For his part, Schenn isn't buying into the speculation. "I’m happy being here in Toronto," Schenn said. "They’re just rumours and it doesn’t really mean much to me."
Claude Giroux opened the scoring with his second goal of season, and it was enough, as the Flyers blanked the Devils 3-0.
Giroux has scored in back to back games, and is more than capable of being a 90 point scorer in the NHL. He is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, but with so many new faces on this years team, Giroux will be called upon to do it all for the Flyers. Matt Read and Wayne Simmons also scored for the Flyers.
Sun, Oct 9, 2011 12:08:00 AM
Two players who played with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010-11, speaking anonymously, suggested that the Flyers front office was concerned about Jeff Carter and Mike Richards drinking and disappointed by their partying.
Carter and Richards were traded in separate blockbuster deals, but Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said it was "preposterous" to suggest that drinking or partying were factors in the trades. The unnamed players said that Flyers coach Peter Laviolette had a policy called the "Dry Island." Basically, he was asking players to go a month without drinking and write their number on a locker room board to signify their pledge. Richards and Carter didn't choose to participate in the initial Dry Island or any of the times it was subsequently instituted, but Holmgren said that they weren't the only ones. Holmgren also feels that "someone's crossing a line here," by publicly talking about the Dry Island. Regardless, we don't anticipate this impacting Richards' or Carter's fantasy value.
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 10:43:00 AM
The Florida Panthers have acquired Kris Versteeg from the Philadelphia Flyers for a second round pick in 2012 or 2013 and a 2012 third round pick.
Chicago traded Versteeg to Toronto about a year ago to free up some much needed cap space, in large part because of the situation that former Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon created. With that in mind, it's kind of funny that Tallon, now the Panthers GM, acquired Versteeg as he tries to get the Panthers' cap hit above the 2011-12 salary floor. Of all the moves Tallon has made recently to add salary, we like this one the most. First off, Versteeg's contract expires in 2012, so they don't have to worry about circumstances changing in the long run. Secondly, Versteeg is still young and he is capable of developing into a solid top-six forward. He had 21 goals and 46 points in 80 games last season, but we wouldn't be surprised if he ends up with 50-60 points in 2011-12.
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 04:10:00 PM
The Philadelphia Flyers could present Erik Cole with a serious offer when the free agency period begins on Friday.
Cole would play on the Flyers second line and fill the void left by Ville Leino, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. Philadelphia might also consider signing Simon Gagne, who spent his entire career within the Flyers' organization before he was traded to Tampa Bay last summer.
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 10:43:00 AM
Steve Stamkos is expected to become a restricted free agent on Friday.
Stamkos will be free to accept another team's offer, but the Tampa Bay Lightning have the right to match any offer that Stamkos accepts. In the unlikely event that the Lightning decide not to match an offer sheet, Stamkos will play in a new uniform and the Lightning will be compensated with draft picks. For a player of Stamkos' caliber, the team getting Stamkos will almost certainly have to give Tampa Bay their next four first round draft picks. Their were rumors circulating that the Philadelphia Flyers would offer Stamkos a monster contract, but Flyers GM Paul Holmgren decided not to pursue him. Stay tuned.
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 10:08:00 AM
Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli admitted that he explored the possibility of trading Tim Thomas before the start of the 2010-11 season.
That really shouldn't come as a shock as, at the time, it looked like Tuukka Rask would serve as the team's starting goaltender and Thomas comes with a $5 million annual cap hit. "There were some calls in that and they kept him in the loop at all times," Chiarelli said. "He kept stressing he didn’t want to leave. And I said ‘I know. . . let’s just look at this very briefly.’ I know there are a lot of stories that flowed from it, but I can’t stress enough the fact that Tim never wanted to leave." It is believed that Philadelphia was one of the top destinations for Thomas, if he was to be traded, but the two sides couldn't agree on fair value. That turned out to be particularly unfortunate for the Flyers, given their goaltending woes during the 2011 playoffs, but of course hindsight is 20/20.
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 04:56:00 PM
The Philadelphia Flyers might attempt to acquire Evgeni Nabokov from the New York Islanders if they are unable to sign Ilya Bryzgalov.
Unlike Bryzgalov, Nabokov's cap hit borders on non-existent, which means they can acquire him without shuffling around their roster. Nabokov signed with Detroit during the 2010-11 season, but he had to clear through waivers before he could play with them. Nabokov was claimed off waivers by the New York Islanders, who he refused to play for because he didn't feel they were a good enough team. The Islanders decided to suspend Nabokov and then toll his contract, which allowed them to retain his rights for the 2011-12 season. It remains to be seen if Nabokov will be more willing to play for the Islanders next season, but they might simply trade him during the off-season. Stay tuned.
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 10:59:00 AM
Before the Philadelphia Flyers acquired the negotiating rights to goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, they were reportedly interested in Blue Jackets netminder Steve Mason.
That's quite a surprise, if the report is true. Philadelphia's problem isn't that they lack a good young goaltender. Sergei Bobrovsky fits that bill. The issue in Philadelphia is that when the playoffs started, their goaltenders vanished. You could argue that Bryzgalov might not be the answer after a poor showing against Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, but at least he's a veteran with a track record of regular season success. Mason is talented, but he has struggled for the last two years. He would just be another question mark in Philadelphia, as he currently is in Columbus. If the choice was between Bryzgalov and Mason, then Philadelphia made the right call given their situation.
Mon, Jun 13, 2011 01:38:00 PM
