Should Philadelphia Pursue A #1 Goaltender? Even if it costs them Carter?


Now, before the Flyer fans crucify me for such an absurd statement, let me explain to you why there is a grain of truth hidden in there.

The fact is that the Philadelphia Flyers are in an interesting spot.

With 16 roster players signed through for the 2010-11 season, Philadelphia currently only has $8.8 million dollars in cap space. Add an extra $2 million onto that total, as the salary cap is expected to rise as high as $58.8 million, and you certainly get a little bit more breathing room on the Flyers roster, but it still makes things ridiculously tight.

The fortune of the Flyers situation lies in the fact that they have most of their core players signed through next season(Pronger, Timonen, Richards, Gagne, Briere, Hartnell, JVR, Giroux and Carter). Add in Matt Carle and Ville Leino for their superb efforts in the playoffs and the poise and promise they have shown and it’s clear to see that Philly still has the foundation of a solid core to their team.

The down-side of that roster lies in the fact that, with 7 roster spots needed to be filled, Philly GM, Paul Homgren, might have to get a little creative when formulating the Flyers roster for next season,

This is where the thoughts of Jeff Carter becoming possible trade bait gets really interesting.

First, a few things to keep in mind when it comes to the Flyers.

As great as they have been in their run to the Finals, the truth is that they have a lot of money tied up in just a few players.

Mainly Danny Briere, Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Carter, Hartnell, Pronger and Timonen(might as well throw in Carle as well as he will make $3.4 over the next 2 seasons).

Combining those salaries together, the Flyers wind up paying $26.7 million on 5 forwards and $14,692,262 on 3 defensemen.

That’s 9 of their 23 roster spots for the 2010-11 season eating up $41,392,262 million dollars of the team budget and 72.8% of their cap-space, based on a cap of $56.8 mil(or 70.4% of their cap-space, based on a cap of $58.8 mil).

The fact that so much of their cap space is tied up in so few players is a rather alarming consideration, especially when you consider that, of the remaining 7 players signed to the Flyers roster for next season, 5 of them make under $1 million a year.

Another item of interest is the fact that it will be Claude Giroux’s and Ville Leino’s final year of their contracts. Giroux, a pending RFA, won’t hurt the Flyers cap too much if he has an average season next year, but given the way this young man is developing, it seems less and less likely that he won’t become a star in this league one day soon. In the case of Ville Leino, who will become a UFA after next season, it’s become clear that the Flyers got a heck of a steal from the Red Wings when they landed him. Another rookie sensation on this Philly team, Leino was a driving force behind the teams success in the playoffs and is looking like another player who may be due a big raise in 2011-12.

On top of the pending costs of Giroux and Leino’s salaries, there is then the impact of James Van Riemsdyk’s eventual new deal which would follow the year after, affecting Philly’s cap for 2012-13.

Finally, there is the matter of filling out the goaltending and the defense.

Although the Flyers reached the Cup Finals on the backs of a pair of ‘run-of-the-mill’ goaltenders, only Brian Boucher is set to return next season.

Obviously Michael Leighton should be given a great look, but chances are that he will have earned himself a new home elsewhere due to his work in these playoffs.

There is also Ray Emery. He of the comeback fallen short. Emery showed a lot of promise before his injury and one has to wonder where he will fit into the Flyers picture for 2010-11.

Needless to say, the demand for strong goaltending will be the most pressing issue in Philadelphia this summer.

With the likeliness of only a handful of UFA/RFA’s coming back to the Flyers(let’s assume Asham, Coburn and Carcillo), Philly would still have the need for a true #1 goaltender, a pair of third string D-men and some backup for the bottom 6 on offense.

With the idea that at least one of the defensive or offensive positions can be filled with cheap additions, that likely leaves the Flyers with around $4-5 million to play with this summer.

If carefully done, chances are the Flyers could solve all of their issues without having to part with too much of their current roster of Cup Finalists, but, having come so close to the Cup and with a demand to address the areas of the team that need strengthening, chances are Paul Holmgren would be open to trades.

All of this brings us back, full-circle, to the beginning of this post.

Is Jeff Carter Trade Bait?

The truth of the matter is that, when it comes to looking at the Flyers and their goal of addressing the need to have a true #1 goaltender, one that is young enough that the franchise can build itself around, they likely aren’t going to find it on the open market.

Yes, there are a few goaltenders available.

Dan Ellis springs to mind(so does Nittymaki, sorry Flyers fans).

But those aren’t the type of goaltenders that Flyers management truly believe will be able to be the final piece of their team puzzle.

Management knows that they must find a way to grab one of the young stud goaltenders that many teams are hanging onto.

Goaltenders like Jaroslav Halak, Carey Price, Cory Schneider, Jonathan Bernier and Michael Neuvirth are exactly the type of netminders that the Flyers have in mind.

So, if I am not completely wrong by taking this line of thought, it only makes sense that the Flyers will be eyeing a franchise goaltender via a trade. And if they are, then they also have to realize that they will need the cap-space to retain him long-term.

Considering that, Holmgren and company are likely considering parting with some of their higher salaried players.

Let’s go over that list:

Briere. Too expensive.

Richards. Captain, untouchable.

Gagne. Possible trade candidate, but older.

Carter. Young star with heavy cap-hit.

Hartnell. Expensive but draws attention for the way he plays his game.

The rest of the young guns, JVR, Leino and Giroux are also untouchables.

Looking at the defense, it doesn’t make sense for the Flyers to part with any of their 3 top paid defensemen, or for them to let go of pending RFA, Braydon Coburn.

Essentially, it seems to come down to a debate between Gagne and Carter.

Simon is older, therefore is not a top priority on a teams wish list.

Carter, on the other hand, offers what Simon Gagne brings to the table, plus more. His youth being the most enticing factor.

And that is where the difficulty lies.

Gagne and Carter are both up for new deals following next season.

Simon is a UFA. Jeff is an RFA.

Simon’s contract and cap-hit will likely get shorter and smaller.

Jeff’s contract and cap-hit will likely get longer and larger.

So what do the Flyers do?

Do they try to move other pieces in order to keep Carter around long-term, like Mike Richards?

Or do they consider the fact that, with a crop of 3 future stars due contracts over the next 2 years, it might be in their best interest to pursue a top flight goaltender via a trade that would see them free up some cap-space?

It’s a tough situation to be in, but, fortunately for the Flyers, with the cap likely going up, this may not necessarily be a situation that they will be forced to address this summer.

There is definitely a clear path that Holmgren can take that will save the Flyers from shedding any of their major stars. But, with the prevailing sentiment being that there will be a lot of action on the trade market this summer, then it just might be in Philly’s best interest to get into the mix.

The cap space for next season isn’t much to play with, but it clears up over the following years. Yet, while the extra cap space in the future looks promising, it will all but certainly go towards retaining whatever young stars they have.

So, while the Flyers are definitely not in the same boat as the Cup champion Blackhawks, they don’t have much room to maneuver.

It’s clear that if they want to seriously address their goaltending that they’re going to have to consider parting with some of their high priced talent or getting very creative.

What say you?

Is Jeff Carter a candidate to be trade bait? Is he worth parting with for a top tier goaltender?

Or do you do everything you can to upgrade between the pipes without parting with Carter?

It’s a tough question, one that can ultimately be avoided…but we all know that it’s something that’s floating through the minds of Flyers management.

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