PHILADELPHIA, Pa – With the Stanley Cup playoffs officially over, the Philadelphia Flyers must now look forward to the off-season that fortunately for the team has fewer questions than answers this time around. Upper management, AKA, General Manager Paul Holmgren and his scouting staff, must evaluate what the team needs are in order to improve upon a season that came within two wins of winning the Stanley Cup.
Team needs (In order of preference: Goaltender, Defenseman, right winger, left winger) 
The Flyers are solid up front but they need to settle their goaltending issue once and for all. This is where the team will most likely make a trade for one either at the draft or sign a free agent. The Flyers have a glaring need for another defenseman as the playoffs proved out. If the Flyers trade Carter and move Briere and/or Giroux to center the need for a right winger will go up dramatically. Unless Gagne resigns for a long term contract a left winger will be a major need considering that Hartnell is trade bait and Van Riemsdyk is not ready to take on a first liner scorer’s role. Patience is the key with him, but that is something the Flyers have never had but need to learn.
Trade bait
Hartnell, Van Riemsdyk, Carter, and Gagne will be dangled out there with Carter being the favorite to be moved. One of their goaltending prospects will also be moved as part of a larger package if it’s for a goaltender of the future. Don’t be surprised if Timonen gets brought up as well since he has three years left on his contract at $6.333 cap hit. More on Timonen in a few. Also, don’t be surprised if Carle’s name gets brought up as well. The bottom line is that the Flyers also have to get younger one defense since their two best defensemen are going to be 36 in the same season and the Chicago series proved they need speed on the blueline. The team was consistently outshot this season and that was not the goaltenders fault. 
The draft: Because of the Pronger trade the Flyers don’t have a draft pick until the third round. Unless the Flyers make a major trade, which I think they will, the Flyers won’t be moving up to help themselves this season. Unfortunately for Flyers fans the draft is not a priority with the team. Don’t believe me? Just look at their draft record ever since Holmgren took over as GM. Last season the Flyers didn’t draft until the third round also because of the Pronger trade, their top pick in 2008 Luca Sbisa also went to Anaheim in the Pronger deal, therefore they didn’t draft a pick until the third round that year, in 2007 they took JVR second overall and if they decide to trade him that draft will be a bust considering no one else is on the roster and might not make it. Oh the bad news doesn’t stop their but that’s another article for another day.
What the Flyers should do
The Flyers should settle their goaltending issue once and for all. The list of available free agents is poor this year and will most likely cost the team more money than they can spend. That said don’t be surprised of one of them just asks for a one or two year deal just to play on a team like the Flyers to have a shot at the cup. What the Flyers should do is get a promising young prospect on another team if they are convinced they don’t already have one in their system. Most of the names already being thrown out there are Jonathan Bernier (Kings), Cory Schneider (Canucks), and Josh Harding (Wild). If you’ve been a regular reader of these pages, you might recall that these the same three names I threw out their last year, aren’t they? Yep, they are, an d if you will recall the name that I said that they should get is Bernier, who is a former first round pick and if you’ve seen him in the AHL, which I have on more than one occasion, this would be the guy for me. The problem is you will only be able to get him if the Kings feel that Jonathan Quick is your guy. Not to mention Carter would be the only guy that could nab him in a trade.
The Kings also have something else the Flyers need, which is some good young defenseman. Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert are two that make people drool and could be had as part of the trade. Hickey has more of an offensive upside and he has more speed, so in my world he is the man. All of that sounds great but keep in mind the Flyers need to get up on the draft and Carter could do that for you. I will give you two teams that could use Carter and are in a position that can help the Flyers: The Florida Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The top two players in the draft are both forwards which means that the top two defensemen in the draft will be sitting there waiting for the Panthers, who pick third overall, and the Jackets who pick fourth. Cam Fowler and Eric Gundbranson will be ripe for the pickings and both are the only two defensemen who are considered to be NHL ready. Folwer has more of an offensive upside but Gundbranson is a monster who no one wants to mess with. Think Pronger only an inch or two shorter. The Flyers would love to get their hands on either player, but to do so they’d probably have to get to third but they’d settle for whoever is sitting at four.
The Panthers and Jackets might do the deal for one simple reason: The playoffs. Both teams need to make it badly and the last thing both franchises want to do is go back to their fan base and ask them to wait 2-3 years on another prospect no matter how good he is. Here are the trade offers I’m proposing for all of the above mentioned teams in order of preference.
My first proposal would be with the Kings Carter, Marshall, De Serres, and a second round pick in 2011 for Bernier, Hickey, and the Kings first round pick (19th overall) in 2010. At 19 the Flyers might also get a shot at either Jack Campbell or Calvin Pickard. Both goaltenders are expected to go in the first round.
My second proposal is with the Panthers Carter, Marshall, De Serres, and a second round pick in 2011 for goaltender Jocab Markstrom, and the third overall pick in the draft and draft Fowler or Gundbranson. This trade will be hard to pull off only because the Panthers see Markstrom as their future. Another proposal for the Panthers would be for the following: Carter and a second round pick in 2011 for Nathan Horton and the third overall pick in the draft so the Flyers could draft Fowler or Gundbranson.
My third proposal is with the Blue Jackets Carter, Marshall, and a second round pick in 2011 for Nikita Filatov and the fourth overall pick in the draft so the Flyers can draft Fowler or Gundbranson, which depends on who Florida will take at number three.
My fourth proposal is with the Canucks
JVR, Marshall, and a second round pick in 2011 for goaltender Cory Schneider and the Canucks first round pick in 2010 (25th overall).
Other moves the Flyers should make Move Hartnell and do not resign any of their pending free agents. With the cap space left to play with sign defenseman Dan Hamhuis (Nashville) who made $2 million last season so it would probably take $3.5 to $4 to sign him. I’d only trade Hartnell for draft picks so I can move up on the draft.
What the Flyers will do
The Flyers will most likely resign Carcillo, Powe, Coburn, and Parent. Hartnell will stay but the Flyers will most likely trade Carter who has one year left on his contact ($5 million) and will surely get a raise when it runs out, which means the Flyers can’t afford to keep him unless they move Hartnell and some other cap casualty types like Timonen, Gagne, and Carle.
The Flyers will not sign any of the UFA free agent goalies and will trade for one. Most of the rumors thankfully involved the ones mentioned in my trade proposals so good to hear someone in Voorhees is finally listening to me.
The bottom line
Regardless of how the off season shakes out, the Flyers must settle their goaltending situation once and for all or its business as usual next season. They will just be another team that’s good but never good enough to get over the top. As much as I’d hate to see Carter leave it just might take that to happen for the Flyers to solve their never ending goaltending saga. It should be a fun off-season no matter how you slice it and dice it.
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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