The Philadelphia Flyers had quite the 2023-24 campaign. On one hand, it was rather successful given the circumstances. Philadelphia competed for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs almost out of nowhere. Many expected the team to be near the bottom of the standings. And yet, they were in a playoff spot nearly all season long.
On the other hand, though, the season ended in bitter disappointment. Philadelphia missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite their great form for most of the year. The Flyers collapsed late into the campaign and were unable to salvage a spot in the postseason. Missing the playoffs was expected, sure. But to get this close and miss out entirely certainly stings.
Philadelphia has an interesting summer ahead. They have every reason to try and build on the success they had in NHL Free Agency. At the same time, their late-season collapse showed that the Flyers simply aren't ready for a playoff push quite yet.
General manager Daniel Briere has interesting decisions to make this offseason. But what moves should he be making this summer? Here are two movies the Flyers should make via trade and NHL Free Agency.
Flyers must dump bad contracts
One challenge facing Briere this summer is the salary cap. The good news is that the cap — $88 million this summer — is slightly more than the previously projected $87.7 million. However, the bad news is that the Flyers don't have a ton of cap space even with the unexpected bump. In fact, they currently have less than a million in salary cap space.
The Flyers can create more cap space though. They have a few bad contracts on their books. For instance, veteran forward Cam Atkinson makes nearly $6 million. But Atkinson certainly didn't play up to that lofty salary. In 70 games this season, the veteran forward scored 13 goals and 28 points. These are respectable totals, but not enough for $6 million a year.
Atkinson is just one player that could be moved to create cap space. Philadelphia could take advantage of a few teams who need to reach the salary floor this summer. Teams like the Utah Hockey Club and San Jose Sharks could agree to take on bad contracts so they can meet the minimum required spending threshold.
Furthermore, they could go the buyout route with a few players. An example here would be Ryan Johansen. Johansen was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche around the NHL Trade Deadline. However, he never played a game for the Flyers, and appears unlikely to ever play for them. Buying out the remaining year of his contract could certainly give them added cap flexibility.
Improve the middle-six
With additional cap space, Philadelphia could take care of another item on their offseason docket. The Flyers need to improve the middle six of their forward core. Especially if Atkinson is heading out of town somehow this summer. Either way, they need additional scoring beyond their first line.
Edmonton Oilers forward Warren Foegele would be a smart target. He enjoyed a bit of a breakout season with Edmonton in 2023-24. Playing all 82 regular season games, he scored 20 goals and 41 points. Foegele would provide needed scoring and a bit of grittiness that the Flyers always covet.
Foegele is simply one option for them to explore. In any event, if they can add depth to the spine of their lineup, it could give them a needed boost moving forward. And it may help prevent another crushing late-season collapse like the one they experienced in 2023-24.
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