I’m curious as to the long-term plan for your proposed fix.
Are we talking 1 year deals to fix these couple glaring holes? If so, what sort of player do you think you’ll get on a 1 year, $4.5M (or whatever amount you’re comfortable with) deal? Is it a player that actually fixes said glaring hole, or just another place holder?
As for the cap increase, are you hoping that Zegras poops the bed? Because if he plays up to the hopes the Flyers have for him, I can’t imagine he’ll take a deal for less than the $6.5M he’s making this year. Is that a scenario that has been planned for, if the Flyers let him walk should he asks for market (assuming he’s what they hope he will be), and if so, what’s the plan for a top 6 center now? And this doesn’t even consider Matvei Michkov, who will be eligible for an extension at the end of next season, and will most likely be getting paid as well (guessing in the neighborhood of that “going away dead space,” if not more).
What I’m seeing in your post is more kicking the can down the road instead of having a long-term plan for success. And no, I’m not suggesting they become a playoff team this year (or the year after, for that matter), but if you improve the record slightly, you’re in a worse position in the next draft, and you end up repeating the cycle, just as the Flyers have done for over a decade now. Is repeating the same old mistakes acceptable?
Depends on the guy. Will his leaving after 25-26 create a hole they’ll have to refill again next summer? I don’t think there’s a goalie out there I’d be confident enough in to go beyond 2-3 years. A lot of guys, RFA and UFA have gotten taken off the block through trading and resigning. I’d go 4-5 years on either the right Dman or goalie but I’m not sure either of those guys is available. I was a little off on my dead space number. It’s $6-7M. So basically, if Zegras delivers in 25-26, you can reup him with what is dead money this year and have what his current cap hit is, which is $5.75M, to do other things. Think about that. How is that an issue? The Flyers have cap money to play with this year and I’ll start thinking more deeply about next off season if and when they fall out of playoff contention. When you’re building, starting with the foundation, then doing the framing and so on isn’t kicking the can down the road. It’s how that happens.
