Flyers Free Agent Possibilities

According to Tim Pinaccio of csnphilly.com, the Flyers will not submit an offer sheet to restricted free agent Steven Stamkos. So with the exciting Stamkos sweepstakes over, the Flyers will have to turn their attention to unrestricted free agents to help fill the void left by Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. Here are some possibilities.

Brad Richards C: Richards may be a little too expensive for the Flyers who may be asking for a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 55 mil over 8 years or an almost 7 M cap hit. The Flyers may shy away from Richards as they still have to sign Simmonds, Voracek and possibly Leino.

Simon Gagne RW: Why not? He would have a cap hit of just under 6 which is similar to Carter and Richards and they would still have money available to sign Simmonds and Voracek. Plus Gagne is still just 30 years old and it would be great for him to come back to Philadelphia to finish out his career. But if the Flyers did sign Gagne they would have to forget about Leino.

Michael Handzus C: Another former Flyer here but at a little bit cheaper price. Handzus would have a cap hit around 4M and if the Flyers decided to go with Handzus they could also sign Leino which is a plus.

Michael Ryder LW: From Boston, Ryder scored 18 goals last year and would have a cap hit around 4 M. He is a forward which definitely gives him an advantage over Handzus. Ryder is 30 while Zuse is 33 another reason the Flyers may sign Ryder.

Erik Cole LW: Cole is from Carolina and would be relatively cheap at around 3 M. Cole scored 26 goals last year and at age 31 could be a great possibility. The Flyers would have a ton of wiggle room to sign other guys as well.

Scottie Upshall RW: Yet another former Flyer Upshall would be welcomed back in Philly. The speedy winger scored 34 goals last year splitting time with Phoenix and Columbus.

Jamie Langenbrunner RW: The 35 year old from Dallas would expect to make around 3-4M. Langenbrunner scored 9 goals last year splitting time with New Jersey and Dallas but could play better on a great team like the Flyers. Plus he is a veteran who knows how to win and would have a great presence in the locker room.

Steve Sullivan LW: He is small but he is also cheap with an expected cap hit around 3M. Sullivan only scored 10 goals last year but could improve on a better team.

Mike Knuble RW: Very interesting possibility. Knuble is another former Flyer and has an expected cap hit of around 3M. Knuble is relatively old at age 34, but at the same time he is a veteran leader and he put up 24 goals last year for the Capitals.

Alex Kovalev RW: Another veteran, Kovalev is 37 years old but at the same time brings veteran leadership. Kovalev scored 16 goals last year for Ottawa and Pittsburgh. Kovalev has an estimated cap hit around 5M which the Flyers may shy away from.

Marcel Goc C: Goc is young at age 26 and made under a million last year. Goc is bursting with potential and could be a definite possibility as the Flyers could go out and sign other free agents as well. The only downside to Goc is that he is coming off an injury that sidelined him for second half of last season.

Jeff Halpern C: Halpern made just 600,000 last year and is another veteran who could be a good fit. Halpern is 35 years old.

This is just an extended list of unrestricted free agents the Flyers may be targeting. I would love for the Flyers to get Knuble or Handzus but we will see how it plays out in regards to the Flyers' desire to resign Philly Leino. Leino is good but is he 3M good? He is 26 and has a definite upside but I think the Flyers should focus on getting veteran guys who know how to win and win now. Tomorrow will definitely be a busy day for the Flyers so make sure you stay updated to Broad Street Marching for all your Flyers free agency news.