The excitement surrounding the news that the Flyers had acquired the rights to speak to San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov (soon to be free agent) has died down recently, as it has become clear from Nabokov’s agent that the pair intend to test free agency.  Nothing is lost in the deal for the Flyers, so the situation is not that dire. CSN is reporting that during the NHL draft this past weekend, the Flyers also reached a similar agreement with Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk to gain negotiating rights with Stars goaltender (also soon to be free agent) Marty Turco.
Turco has been with the Stars since the 2001-2002 season and has been the starter for seven years.  Early on in his career with the Stars, Turco was posting impressive goals-against-average (GAA) stats as low as 1.72 for the season.  Over the last several seasons, however, his play has dropped noticeably, and he finished the past season with a GAA of 2.72.
The Flyers threw a low-ball offer at Turco: $6 million over three years.  The case for the Flyers is that Turco is getting up there in years (like Nabokov, he will turn 35 this summer) and his most recent play does not make him look favorable as the savior of Philadelphia.  Turco declined the offer and will also test free agency.  I finished my most recent post, “It’s refreshing knowing the Flyers may finally have an elite goaltender in between the pipes next season, isn’t it?”  Apparently, I was drinking the Draft Kool-Aid.
Unless the Flyers make a trade for Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, the organization will likely dip into the feeding frenzy that is free agency, which begins at noon on Thursday.  It’s possible that the Flyers could extend an offer to Michael Leighton prior to July 1 as a safety net, but with the current market, they may hold out till free agency.  Based on the offer given to Turco, it still looks like the Flyers are looking to sign a goalie on the cheap.
Look out for the Flyers to also make bold moves towards free agent defensemen now that defenseman Dan Hamhuis’s rights have been traded.
