Newly crowned, or not so newly crowned General Manager Chuck Fletcher cannot put down the phone this offseason. The Flyers had many holes to fill to hopefully become contenders once again, as well as some house cleaning of their own with RFA’s in Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov, Scott Laughton, Justin Bailey, and Ryan Hartman. Of course, Hartman and Bailey are out of the equation, and Sanheim re-signed earlier in the offseason. However, Fletcher still has to tie down Konecny, Provorov, and Laughton. So are there any other moves that Fletcher will make, or can make this offseason to bolster their roster?
Fletcher did state to the media last week, “I don’t foresee another move as we get closer to camp, but again, there are a lot of teams that are going to have significant challenges this summer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many teams over the cap or at the cap.”
Fletcher continues, “That’s when you factor in future signings that they have to make here with their RFAs and to fill out their roster. There could be opportunity. If we can find a clear upgrade, we will.“
With that being said, here are three targets that might be of interest for the Flyers. These players currently play for the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning, to which both of these teams are cap strapped.
Nikita Gusev (VGK)
It is rumored he wants $4 million per season, well the Flyers could have $4 million in cap space after re-signing their RFA’s. Gusev obliterated the KHL this past season as he potted 17 goals, to go along with 65 apples for the SKA St. Petersburg squad.
This Left Winger has a lethal shot, and his vision of the ice is impeccable. Gusev would instantly make the Flyers better, and the orange and black would finally be able to roll 4 consistent lines on a nightly basis.
Ryan Reaves (VGK)
The Flyers could use his toughness and grit as well as his ability to pot a goal or two here and there. Ryan Hartman was traded a few weeks ago, and there went the Flyers toughness. Who better than to replace Hartman than Reaves?
Reaves scored 9 goals, and added 11 assists for the 2018-19 season. He can drop the mitts with the best of them but can score a big goal as well. Losing Simmonds was one thing, Hartman another, but the Flyers have to find that tenacity from somewhere.
Alex Killorn (TBL)
A real solid two-way player that can provide a big goal. At 29-years-old he is still in the prime of his career. He is a fantastic Penalty Killer, and Flyers fans know all too well that the orange and black could use some help on the PK.
Killorn could fill a need on the third or fourth lines and could provide a bit of scoring touch to either. Will Killorn ever score 20 goals? Who knows, but he put together another solid year for the Lightning in 2018-19. For the season, Killorn tallied 18 goals, and chipped in 22 assists for a total of 40 points.
The Flyers may make another splash this off-season, and it may come from a cap-strapped team. This organization knows what a loyal fanbase they have, and the orange and black want nothing more than to win. One thing is certain Flyers fans, the future is bright in Flyer land.
