PHILADELPHIA, Pa – With less than a month away from the NHL trade deadline, the Philadelphia Flyers are a team caught between a rock and a hard place. With a team awaiting the return of Daniel Briere from various injuries, the Flyers have one eye on what to do at the deadline, and one eye on the current roster. The problem is, in order to do anything that will make an impact on the team, getting under the salary cap will be the major hurdle for General Manager Paul Holmgren. The Flyers salary cap hit is currently 53.9 million, while the leagues salary cap is $56.7 million. Briere’s cap hit is $6.5 million, which means some moves will have to be made in order to not only get Briere back into the lineup, but stay under the cap. The interesting part is the Flyers want to upgrade the team, especially on defense. To do so it, will mean taking on a player making more than just a couple of pennies. With only $2.8 million dollars worth of wiggle room, you can bet a trade or two will come. In the meantime, Holmgren might want to contact magician Criss Angel and see if he can make the salary cap disappear. Today, we look at the Flyers strengths and weaknesses, and see who they might target come trade deadline. (Most salaries are listed in the millions and all statistics are as of February 9, 2009). Offense Cap numbers in US$ millions): Daniel Briere $6.5 Mike Richards $5.75 Simon Gagne $5.25 Jeff Carter $5 Scott Hartnell $4.2 Mike Knuble $2.8 Joffrey Lupol $2,311,667 (2009 only), $4.2 through 2013 Scottie Upshall $1.225 Glen Metropolit $1 Aarron Asham $0.640 Riley Cote $0.550 Josh Gratton $0.550 Claude Giroux $0.821 Trade bait Briere’s cap number are what stands out most among Flyers fans, but unfortunately with every intention by the fans to trade Briere, they keep forgetting he has a no trade clause. I hear such wonderful trade proposals such as moving him to Atlanta for ILya Kovalchuk. Sounds lovely, but why would Briere leave a legitimate cup contender for a team heading into the NHL Draft lottery? If you have to think for more than a second on this one, your thinking just a little too much. Despite his high salary, Briere is not going anywhere. Fans keep forgetting he was second on the team in points last season, and was the teams leading scorer in the playoffs. Briere had 5 goals in 9 games before getting hurt earlier this season so let’s put this one to rest. The Flyers are the only team in the NHL to have six players with 16 or more goals. Knuble is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, he has 18 goals, he turns 37 in July, and he doesn’t have a huge cap number at $2.8. Still, the Flyers would have to give up on some of that balanced scoring in order to fill a hole on defense. Scott Upshall is an RFA at the end of the season and he’s underachieving with only six goals in 45 games, but he can play both wings, plus his $1.225 cap hit is modest. Claude Giroux is the type of hot prospect other teams covet, but with the leagues salary cap expected to go down in the next few years, having Giroux take over for Knuble on right wing would make him virtually, but not impossible to move from the Flyers standpoint. Lupol’s current salary is respectable, but his cap number goes up starting next season. Still, he has 16 goals and appears to have his offense in tune since coming to Philly. For a team looking for offense, he could become part of a package deal. Asham serves the same role as Cote in the enforcer department, but Asham has some skill that is attractive to other teams. His 640,000 salary isn’t much but if it means getting Briere under the cap, he might have to be moved. Prospects Besides Giroux, the only other offensive prospect with any kind of market value is James Van Riemsdyk. JVR is in the same mold as Bobby Ryan in Anaheim, but the Flyers are not as patient with their prospects as the Ducks are. They should be if they want to have a future. Ryan and the Ducks patience is paying off. Ryan is a candidate to win the Calder for rookie-of-the-year. Trading JVR would be a major mistake on the Flyers part, but if another team insists on having him, the Flyers just might be “forced” to part with him. The verdict Knuble will most likely stay, but it’s not a given. Upshall most likely will be moved. That would help but it won’t be enough. Despite his cap number going up next season, Lupol will be a name other teams will bring up in a trade. Our gut feeling is he won’t be moved, so it looks like Upshall could be the odd man out. Defense Cap numbers (in US $ millions): Kimmo Timonen $6.333 Matt Carle $3.437,500 Randy Jones $2.7 Braydon Coburn $1.3 Andrew Alberts $1.25 Ossi Vaananan $1 Luca Sbisa $0.875 Ryan Parent $0.855 Trade bait As you can tell Timonen is making Briere like money, but in some ways is more valuable to the team since you can carry only six defensemen. Timonen is going no where but could be moved in the off-season for some cheaper and less experienced prospects. Coburn, like Timonen is too valuable to the blueline to move. Look for the Flyers to lock him up longer term. Alberts and Vaananan are replaceable. Alberts was brought in originally due to injuries to Jones and Parent at the beginning of the season. He is a plus 9, which will make him tough to move from the Flyers standpoint, but if it means adding an All-Star defenseman he might be moved to make room. The name of the list that will garner attention will be Jones. Since coming back from injuries Jones has looked like the player that was a solid performer in the playoffs. His play will tempt the Flyers into keeping him, but in order to add an All-Star defenseman he will most likely be part of the package. Prospects If there is a position in the Flyers organization that is filled with quality prospects it is on defense. The Flyers have anywhere from 5-7 defensive prospects that could make an NHL roster within three years. Ryan Parent is a name that is sure to come up at the deadline. With a low salary and a resume that includes being a part of Team Canada during the World Juniors back in 2006 and 2007, makes Parent a very coveted prospect. The Flyers see him as part of their blueline for years to come, not someone else’s, but with Sbisa turning heads, he could become expendable. The Flyers also have R.J. Anderson, Kevin Mitchell, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Michael Ratchuk, and Russian prospect Denis Bodrov. Anderson is a four year season at the University of Minnesota. Mitchell hits like former Flyer Denis Gauthier. Ratchuk is by far the fastest of the Flyers prospects. Bourdon might be the best overall defenseman, and is clearly the best offensive-defenseman the Flyers have. Bodrov is a problem child, but appears to be NHL ready and was tabbed to make the Flyers roster this year, but stayed in Russia one more season. The verdict Jones looks like he is the top candidate to be moved, along with Carle, that’s if they can find a taker for Carle’s high salary. Vaananan will be moved for a draft pick in order to get the Flyers under the salary cap. Parent could be a deal breaker so don’t be shocked if he is moved. Goalies Cap numbers (in US $ millions): Martin Biron $3.5 Antero Niittymaki $1.225 Both Biron and Niitty are UFA’s at the end of the season, but Biron could be moved if a team Niitty continues to play well, or if both falter and the Flyers get desperate enough to make a major trade for a goaltender. Don’t look for it to happen. Either one or both of them will get offers in the summer from another team so the Flyers most likely wont keep both next season. That said, the Flyers need to finally put an end to the goaltender merry-go-round. Prospects The Flyers have none worth trading or moving up the ladder at this time. So who will the Flyers target at the trade deadline? One look at the bottom of the league standings and you can get a pretty good idea of who will be a potential trade partner. The New York Islanders, Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the St. Louis Blues will be sellers. That much we know for sure. The Blues have fought there way back into contention, so there is a chance they might turn into buyers. The Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks. and the Edmonton Oilers are still fighting for a playoff spot so it’s a guess what those teams will be, but once the Flyers start dumping some of their high salaried players, so you can bet those teams will look to play vultures and take from the Flyers. Here is who we think the Flyers will target come the trade deadline. 1) Any of the bottom five teams in the league. The Islanders will surely look to move Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, or Doug Weight, but they all have high salaries, but if Briere cant come back from his injuries, getting someone like Weight will be made a lot easier. Still, don’t look for it to happen. Other than Brendan Witt who’s cap hit is $3 mill after this season, but is $2,766,667 this season might be an option for the Flyers, otherwise look for the orange and black to steer clear of the Islanders. Atlanta doesnt have much to work with but Erik Christiansen might be worth the $750,000. Other than Kovalchuk,your can take the Thrashers off your wish list. The only player the Sens might be looking to move at the deadline is Jason Spezza, but his $7 mill cap his is out of the Flyers cap space. One player the Flyers might target is defenseman Chris Phillips, who’s cap hit is $3.5, plus he is signed for the next two years which makes him attractive, but Ottawa has very few solid defensemen and might look to keept Phillips and move Filip Kuba who is a UFA at the end of the season. Tampa is intriguing, but most of the players the Flyers would covet make over $5 mill. Still, a veteran who can provide leadership, and can play defense like Gary Roberts could perk the Flyers interest, but he makes $2,420,000 so chances are he’s out of the Flyers cap range. Still, a defenseman like Paul Ranger might be worth a look, but the Bolts need all of the defensive help they can get and his under $1 mill cap hit is more to Tampa’s liking with the teams financial issues. If there is a trade partner to be had it will most likely to be with the Maple Leafs. Brian Burke is about to have a fire sale. Burke will look to not only getting younger, but better at the same time. He is not the type of GM that will get fleeced in a deal, and the Flyers know him well so whatever happens in a trade will be with both teams best interest, but Burke is also as shroud as they come. The Flyers have coveted Tomas Kaberle for years going back to the Eric Lindros era. Despite getting hurt recently, Kaberle’s $4.25 cap it over the next two seasons is within the Flyers price range. The Leafs will want a defenseman on the Flyers roster, as well as a defensive prospect, and a high draft pick. Since the Flyers look down upon the draft as a way to build a team, that won’t be a problem. Kaberle wont be the only person of interest from the Flyers. Dominic Moore and Matt Stajan are both very good on face-offs (18th and 30th overall), and since the Flyers need people who can win a face-off. The Flyers have no one over 50 percent while both Moore and Stajan are. Nik Antropov might be another option as well. Still, Kaberle is the favorite out of all of the players in the league that could get traded to the Flyers. 2) Jay Bouwmeester – Long been rumored to be moved, and possibly dealt to the Flyers, but the Panthers are only one point out of a playoff spot. You can bet the Panthers wont trade him to a team that they could potentially play in the playoffs, so if Jay-Bo is going anywhere its out west, not east. The Flyers can push all they want, this trade is not happening, despite the words and wisdom of so-called anonymous hockey bloogers. 3) Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer – Like the Panthers, the Ducks are in the midst of a playoff hunt. The Ducks are tied for 5th in the conference, but are only three points away from missing the playoffs. Niedermayer is a UFA at the end of the season and will most likely retire. Pronger has one more year left on his contract at $6.25, while Nieds is at $6.75. Pronger might get moved in the off-season, but not now. Nieds might get traded if the Ducks fall flat right before trade deadline. Pronger could be a flyers in the off-season, but not now. Same goes for Nieds. Their cap hit is way too big for the Flyers. 4) The Los Angeles Kings – Part of the class of 1967, the Kings are in need of making the playoffs. GM Dean Lombardi is building his team through the draft and free agency so don’t look for any major trades, but if it looks like the Kings will once again miss the playoffs, then all bets are off for the veterans. Lombardi wont trade any of his young players, but the Flyers do need a goaltending prospect. Remember the name Jeff Zatkoff. With Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier already ahead of Zatkoff on the depth chart, Zatkoff could be the odd man out. The former third round pick of the Kings in 2006 is a prospect worth making a trade for. Zatkoff has never had a goals against average above 2.55, and his save percentage has never been lower than .914. Lombardi might make him part of a package if the Kings can land a winger who can score either now (Upshall, Lupol, or both) or in the future (JVR). The Kings have plenty of young defenseman to choose from, but a veteran like Tom Preissing and his $2.75 cap hit might be enough to get a deal done with the Kings should the Flyers not be able to get Kaberle, Pronger, or Jay-Bo. Well, there you have it sports fans. March 4th is coming, ready or not. For the Flyers, it will once again be an eventful time, even if they don’t make a trade. Still, some of the names being thrown out there is more than enough reason to stay tuned. Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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