The Flyers have already done some of their offseason heavy lifting, but there may still be room for one more move - the kind that doesn’t change the whole picture, yet could help in a very specific area.
With Jamie Drysdale agreed to and Nikita Grebenkin hopefully next, plus Trevor Zegras already signed, the roster is mostly in place. That leaves Philadelphia with a little extra flexibility, and the question becomes whether there’s a veteran free agent out there who can add depth and give the power play a real boost.
Three names stand out: Patrik Laine, Vladamir Tarasenko and John Klingberg.
Laine is no longer the 40-goal force he once was, but it’s tough to buy the idea that he’s completely out of gas. He appeared in only five games for Montreal last season, yet the year before he posted 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points in 52 games, while shooting 17%.
That kind of finishing touch still matters, especially for a Flyers team that needs more help with the man advantage. Laine has never shot below 12% in his career and has reached as high as 18%, which is why he still looks like one of the purest snipers available.
The downside is obvious: he’s defensively limited, so his even-strength minutes would need to be managed carefully. But if the priority is improving the power play, he brings exactly the sort of weapon that can matter.
Tarasenko brings a similar scoring profile, but with a stronger recent season behind him. He finished last year with Minnesota at 47 points, including 23 goals and 24 assists.
He’s not going back to the 70- or 80-point seasons, but he remains useful at even strength and on the power play. He also grades well in play-driving numbers and would deepen the Flyers’ wing group in a major way.
On top of that, he could slide onto any of the top three lines, and the idea of having a seasoned Russian veteran around for Michkov to learn from makes sense if the Flyers are looking for another move.
Then there’s Klingberg, a different kind of fit but one that could still help. He skated 20 minutes a night for the San Jose Sharks last season, though that workload wouldn’t be necessary in Philadelphia.
In a more sheltered offensive role, he could be a useful veteran specialist. He already has 169 career power-play points and 82 games of playoff experience, so the track record is there.
If he’s willing to take on a reduced role, he could ease some of the pressure on the Flyers and help avoid rushing a prospect like Oliver Bonk.
If Philadelphia wants to squeeze more out of its power play, these are the kinds of low-cost bets that could make a difference.
In Other News...
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For Philadelphia, though, the attention-grabber is the possibility that Connor McDavid could one day be part of the conversation, even if the idea is still floating more as speculation than anything concrete. Flyers fans have heard enough big-name whispers over the years to know how quickly they can take on a life of their own, and this latest one is no different: intriguing, combustible, and still missing the one piece that would make it real. [Read more 🡒]
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Trevor Zegras landing a four-year deal at a $9.125 million cap hit and Jamie Drysdale re-upping for four years at $6.5 million, which made him the Flyers highest-paid defenseman, are the kinds of numbers that help frame the market without fully defining it. The bigger point for the Flyers is that their aggressive approach has not permanently reset the price tag for every young star, and the leagues recent deals suggest teams are still drawing their own lines rather than simply following Philadelphias lead. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Offer Sheet Fallout Just Reached Connor Bedard
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Even with the salary landscape shifting around him, Bedards camp said he stayed committed to his original contract position, rather than chasing a new benchmark in the wake of Chicagos own offseason turbulence. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson praised the extension and Bedards importance to the franchise, but the larger takeaway for Philadelphia is hard to miss: one aggressive offer sheet can send echoes far beyond the player it targeted. [Read more 🡒]