Now that the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared, it’s time to assess the trades that have rocked all of Flyerdom today.
Losing Jeff Carter and Mike Richards will cost the team about 60 goals next season. They’ve been replaced with promising young players, but none of the new crop have shown that they are able to contribute as effectively yet.
Wayne Simmonds, 23, tallied 30 goals and 40 assists over the last two seasons with the L.A. Kings. Simmonds should fit in as a quality third line right winger who can be juggled on the second line as needed.
Jakub Voracek, 22, has 30 goals and 66 assists over the last two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and has the potential to be a second line right winger.
Brayden Schenn, the true gem of today’s trades, was the MVP of the most recent World Juniors Championship. Despite Team Canada’s epic (and I mean EPIC) collapse to Team Russia, Schenn notched an impressive 8 goals and 18 points over the course of the tournament. At just 20 years old, he has the potential to be a top six center in the NHL.
Simmonds and Voracek are restricted free agents, meaning that they still need to be signed by the Flyers and will probably earn $4-$4.5million between them. Schenn’s cap hit is $3.11 million if he earns his bonuses; otherwise, it’s just over $1 million.
Long story short, unless Schenn pulls a JVR and impresses the heck out of the Flyers organization this summer, the team is currently lacking a third line center. Without signing Ville Leino (who apparently now wants $4 million by some reports), the team will be lacking in true depth next season.
You can agree to disagree if you’d like, but the Flyers are in full rebuild mode. It’s shocking considering how good they were at the beginning of last season, but it became clear by the time the playoffs rolled around that something had to change. The team needed fresh blood and they acquired it. They just might take a year or two to be as competitive as they were in the past, especially when you consider how pivotal Carter and Richards were as defensive-minded players.
Depending on whether the team makes any further trades or dips into free agency, they may no longer keep both of Andreas Nodl and Darroll Powe, both of whom are favorite grinders of mine. Nodl is better all around than Powe, but Powe has a lot of character and tends to lead the team in hits.
For the sake of brevity, I will collect my thoughts on the defense, goaltending, captaincy and overall image of the Flyers organization post-trades in a subsequent post.
For the latest Flyers news and updates, you can follow me on twitter (@JoshJanet).
Still too early to judge jj, i believe that they arent done yet. Vorachek didnt have a capable center around him and still improved last year. Schenn is definitely the gem of this deal.
They’re definitely not done yet. If all the rumors are true, Versteeg, & Timmonen are next to be lopped off. Good riddance. Time for change. Tell you what, I admire the beanbag on Homer. Leino is delusional if he thinks he is getting $4 million a year. He has had 4-5 good months his entire career. Don’t let the door spank you in the a$$ on the way out. Sign Cole, Weber. Trade Versteeg & Timmonen for more high picks & good young prospects. Retool, & reload for another cup run. The downfall to having all of this young talent is age & experience. Needs to be done though.
Where did you hear about kimmo, thats the first i have heard of him moving.
I can’t imagine that the Flyers are planning for a few down years when their best player is a 38 year old defenseman. I think a big trade is coming, the Flyers LOVE trading draft picks and now they have a few to use in a deal.
If they trade Timmonen, then they are definitely rebuilding because he is their most consistent dman because of Prongers injuries. Do they have money to sign Cole or Brad Richards after they sign their new restricted free agents?
I agree with DD about Leino. He has moments, but he is a 1-2 mil a year player.
Paul, I told you when the season ended that both carter and richards had to get traded and that pronger needs the C and would probably get it, you said no he wouldn’t because he’s at the end of his career and this and that, but as I said reports show that pronger will be offered the C and I know he ll accept… honestly he was the captain of the team last yr but the drunk richards didn’t want to accept that fact so he acted like a baby all yr long… the other things that I seen that told me a change needed to be made was 1st how there season ended wjen the team at one point had the best record in the nhl…2nd was the lack of leadership from our socalled captain mike “the drunk” richards and effort, he seemed to have slowed down speed wise and sometimes looked at times as if he’s checked out mentally and I hated that… it seemed like this year there was a power struggle in the lockeroom… Carter didn’t contribute much at all this year, it just has the feel that they just couldn’t get it done with these guys, they had enough years to try now they forced Holmgrens hand and now from the looks added great prospects and the goalie they never had… I don’t see the flyers taking steps back I still see them being contenders for years esp now that they have their goalie…
My cousin & her husband called me yesterday, & said in the Detroit news papers & talk radio were talking about trading multiple draft picks for an offensive defensemen, to replace Rafalski. Timmonen was one of the names that came up. I like Timmonen, but for $6.8 million a year, he doesn’t do nearly enough. He’s old, small & injury proned, & does nothing on offense anymore. There is at least 7 younger free agent defensemen they can sign for that money. Cole won’t cost as much as Brad Richards. I think alot of cool s#!t is gonna go down 2night & the weekend.
I agree it’s time to move Timomen,, Metzaros is now the Flyers Best Defensemen and with Pronger, they need to get younger and more athletic along the Blue LIne..
moving Carter and Richards were GREAT moves that do not hurt the short term….Schenn is a superstar and will be a better player than Carter and Richards ever were… JVR will step into the limelight and Giroux will get better… they now actually have a #1 goalie who can win games for us in the clutch…
NOW, the only missing piece is adding to the defense… take the $$$ and add young, athletic defenseman
Emphasis is Schenn WILL be. He’ll probably be our “Tyler Seguin” this season. I don’t see the Flyers moving Timonen when he’s so close to retirement, but who knows. I think they are going to draft a defenseman with the #8 overall to eventually restock the defense when he retires.