The more I think about the rumor that the Flyers have interest in trading for Rick Nash and James van Riemsdyk's hip issue and delayed surgery being what is holding up a deal, the less sense it makes to me.
First of all, the notion that van Riemsdyk would delay having surgery to avoid being traded is laughable. No player is going to intentionally harm his own career in the long run by not getting a medical problem fixed specifically to interfere with club management's plans (which are not shared with him in the first place).
Secondly, it has not been a secret to anyone that JVR has not had the surgery yet. As noted in my
May 31 blog the player himself told me the previous day that he had not yet had the procedure.
In retrospect, I should have asked JVR to comment on the reason for the delay. At the time he told me, I simply figured it was a pretty mundane matter (and I still firmly believe that to be the case). Planned surgeries frequently get delayed for a host of medical and non-medical reasons, sometimes by the patient, but just as often by the doctor or the medical facility.
While all surgery involves an element of risk, the one that JVR needs is a pretty common one for pro athletes and would not necessarily scare a team away from trading for him. It should also be noted that the completion of ANY trade is subject to the players involved passing a physical. If the player fails, the team can negate the transaction.
The surgery for JVR was originally announced by the team on May 19 to be scheduled for the following week with a recovery time frame of six weeks. Even if JVR had the surgery according to the originally announced timetable and the rehab was going perfectly with no setbacks, he would still be several weeks away from getting a totally clean bill of health. However, a delay of a few weeks on the surgery is not all that huge of a deal in preventing the player from being ready to start next season on time.
As for the hockey aspects of a potential deal involving van Riemsdyk, I do not feel that now is the right time for the Flyers to move him. His value is down after an injury-plagued third NHL season, and the team would be selling low on his individual value.
I also don't think Rick Nash is the player the Flyers ought to be targeting right now. Three reasons:
1) Nash's $7.8 million cap hit is astronomical. As good of an offensive forward as he can be (a bankable 30-40 goals every year), he's not worth that cap hit. On those nights where the Flyers run into strong defensive teams that shut down their offense, Nash is unlikely to be the shining exception.
2) Goal scoring forwards are not what the Flyers lack. Their biggest need is long-term blueline planning to adequately replace Chris Pronger and prepare for the potential retirement or departure of Kimmo Timonen after next season. Spending $7.8 million on the cap and trading off a variety of assets to further improve an already strong area -- and weaken the chance of addressing a more pressing need via trade or free agency-- makes zero sense from either a hockey or financial standpoint.
3) While Nash could form a deadly duo with Claude Giroux, the Flyers already have options for effective combinations with Giroux. For one thing, they could simply keep what was in place this past season and worked well up through the end of the Pittsburgh series.
Listen, anything is possible. The Flyers are a club that is not afraid to make bold moves. But a move to acquire Nash would largely be a reversal of the course the club set out on last season. Besides, I think a healthy JVR could flirt with 30 goals in a full season as soon as next year. He was on that pace early this past season before all the injuries.
I still think if the club is going to make a big trade move that involves some combination of JVR, other promising young players, a defensive starter (Andrej Meszaros?) and/or draft picks, the target will be a franchise defenseman in his prime. Acquiring a first-line winger in his prime would be a wonderful luxury but not a necessity for the current Flyers.
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