The girl you want to take to prom just broke up with her boyfriend. She's single, you need both need a date, you both find each other attractive; it's a match made in heaven. So what do you do? You bring out the big guns and make sure she never even has to think about her ex again. You pull every stop you can to ask this girl and offer her the prom of a lifetime. She says yes.
The entire time leading up to prom is filled with excitement and wonder as to what the magical night will hold for the two of you. Then disaster strikes. The day before prom she gets back together with her ex boyfriend and leaves you empty handed, dateless and heartbroken.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world of Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren.
With the Nashville Predators matching offer sheet given to Shea Weber, the Predators will have their captain for another 14 years and Holmgren is left without a
So what do Flyers do now? More importantly, what options do they even have left?
Analysis after the jump...
UPDATE: I have removed Alex Semin's name from this list. He signed with the Hurricanes.
There are many reasons the Flyers put all their eggs in a basket called Weber. First off, it's Shea "is that a caveman or a hockey player" Weber. This is a 26 year old defenseman who is a perennial Norris Trophy candidate. He is quite arguably one of (if not the) best defenseman in the NHL today. Weber is also arguably the most well rounded NHL defenseman as he'll hit, score, defend, lead, block shots, you name it. He is "the package"; what every general manager dreams about adding to their team.
Obviously when a player of that caliber becomes available, every GM in the league makes a phone call and finds out how they could acquire said player.
Besides doing his due dilligence, Holmgren was hoping Weber would be a Flyer next season because of a 6'6, 220 lb hole in his defense corps. The hole I speak of is injured Flyers captain, Chris Pronger, who is still sidelined with recurring concussion like symptoms. He will not be healthy in time for the season to start (if it starts on time) and is a question mark for the entire year. At 37 years of age, Pronger's time is winding down if it hasn't run out already.
Philadelphia needed a player of Pronger's caliber to replace him; enter Weber.
Now that Weber will be a Predator for at least the next year (he cannot be traded until one calendar year has passed), Holmgren will have to turn his attention elsewhere to shore up his team.
Where should he be looking?
Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks:
If I said Weber and the Flyers was a match made in heaven, Ryan and the Flyers would be...well...even more perfect together. When reports surfaced this summer that Ryan had requested a trade from Anaheim, the only team that he specifically named as an option was Philadelphia.
Ryan might not fill their needs defensively but he would absolutely help make up for the departures of Jaromir Jagr and James Van Riemsdyk. Last season Jagr scored 54 points (19G 35A) while Van Riemsdyk scored 24 points (11G 13A) in an injury shortened season which limited him to 43 games. Ryan on the other hand tallied 57 points while scoring 30+ goals for the fourth consecutive season.
Keep in mind that the Flyers finished 2nd in the league in goals per game (3.17) compared to the Ducks who finished 23rd (2.45). Therefore, inserting Ryan into a lineup that has been flourishing offensively would increase his output. Ryan's current center, Ryan Getzlaf, is a great hockey player but he does not have the play making ability that Claude Giroux has.
Things got ugly between the Ducks and Ryan this summer when Ryan threw his hands in the air and yelled uncle:
"I take things personally," Ryan said. "Anaheim to me has been a team over the past year that really has shown me nothing to prove that they want me here, unfortunately. Obviously, it's not the ideal situation. When you get drafted, you want to win championships with that team and every time they look to add a piece to the puzzle, I'm the piece going the other way. I gotta be honest with you. At this point, I don't care. Move me ... because it's just tough going to the rink every day knowing that if something goes wrong, you're going to be the guy moved."Anaheim needs to move Ryan. It is clear that the two sides are not on the same page nor are they in the same book. Ryan wants to be a core member of the Ducks where they see him as trade bait. What is essential is Anaheim's asking price. If speculation is accurate, any deal involving Bobby Ryan needs to have a second line center/potential second line center going to the Ducks.
The Flyers have the players (Read, Couturier, Schenn, Briere) to make a deal like that happen, it just boils down to whether or not Philadelphia is willing to pay that steep of a price.
Shane Doan, UFA:
I've listed Doan here for more than one reason. The first is that we know Doan visited the Flyers. His agent reiterated Shane's desire to remain in Phoenix but he just went to see the organization and what they have to offer. Other teams we know he has visited with or plans on visiting are the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens.
We also know that as many as 16 teams have contacted Doan while six have made formal offers (including the Vancouver Canucks); I'm sure the Flyers are one of them. Doan would not visit these teams unless he was seriously contemplating joining them.
Doan would add valuable experience to a relatively young team. His secondary scoring would also be a welcomed addition as would his veteran leadership. Keep in mind that while the Flyers are looking for an established defenseman to replace Pronger, they are also looking for leadership to replace their captain - which Doan would provide.
Keith Yandle, Phoenix Coyotes:
Yandle is an interesting option because it seems like just yesterday he seemed almost untouchable. Being a core member of Phoenix's talented defensive corps, Yandle seemed like a lock to be patrolling the blue line in Arizona for a long time coming.
With ownership issues ripping the Coyotes apart, Yandle and his $5.25 million cap hit (signed until 2016-2017) could be on the move.
One of Phoenix's strength is their defensive depth. Their blueline features Keith Yandle, Zbynek Michalek, Rotislav Klesla, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Derek Morris. That is an extremely well rounded defense group that I would feel confident icing night after night. While dealing Yandle might hurt the Coyotes for a short period of time, blue chip prospects David Rundblad and Brandon Gormley will both be ready to make the jump to the NHL sooner rather than later.
Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary Flames:
Bouwmeester would more than sufficiently replace Pronger's presence on the Flyers blue line. There are few defensemen who can eat up as much ice time as Bouwmeester can. Averaging roughly 26 minutes of ice time per game, the Edmonton native would provide a steadying presence. While his point totals have faltered since joining the Flames, I could very well see him returning to form with an offensive juggernaut like the Flyers.
The catch with Bouwmeester is his $6.8 million cap hit. Not only is it a big pill to swallow, the Flyers would need to determine what is to come of Pronger's $4.9 million cap hit.
In my opinion, Bouwmeester seems like a great fit for the Flames because not only would he be able to play 25+ minutes per game, the asking price is sure to be reasonable. Calgary would need a forward and possibly a defenseman to bolster their bottom pairing.
-----
If you were Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, who would you target on this list? Share your thoughts and reasoning in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment