MELTZER'S MUSINGS: MAY 1, 2016
1) Former Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov recently declared his intentions to leave the KHL and return to the NHL for a third stint. Several Flyers fans have asked me if I think the team will have interest in the 29-year-old winger, who has world-class hands and significant question marks about his character.
The character issues stem from Radulov's repeated contract jumping and, perhaps most memorably, getting suspended by the Predators along with Andrei Kostitsyn for violating team rules during Nashville's 2012 playoff series with the Coyotes. He was also periodically a controversial figure in Russia.
I do not think the Flyers are a likely destination for Radulov. However, I would not totally rule out the idea. Radulov does play a position of need and brings two specific skills -- wing scoring and strength on the puck -- that are areas of need.
As for the risks, it was the Flyers, after all, that brought the troubled Nikolay Zherdev back from the KHL for a one-season stint in Philadelphia. Although under different circumstances because the stature of the player, the Flyers were also the first destination for living legend Jaromir Jagr after he spent three years in the KHL.
In both cases, the Flyers were not listed by the pundits among the favorites to sign the player. Zherdev scored some goals but the signing was not a success. Jagr's time in Philadelphia benefited both sides.
Radulov will likely generate varying degrees of interest among NHL teams, although some offers may be of the lowball variety and/or one-year deals (which he may prefer). At the end of the day, I do not think he'd be the right fit in Philadelphia, either from his point of view or the team's. However, I also think the Flyers will do their due diligence on every possible avenue of upgrading the forward corps within their budget.
2) Undrafted free agent forward Drake Caggiula, who won the Frozen Four championship this season with the University of North Dakota, is expected to announce his decision over the next week of which NHL team he will sign with for next season. The Flyers are said to be among the favorites, both because Caggiula played his first three collegiate seasons under Dave Hakstol and also because he visited the Flyers before and during Game 3 of their first-round playoff series with the Washington Capitals. He then visited other clubs; most recently the Vancouver Canucks. UND teammate Troy Stecher recently signed with Vancouver.
The "UND connection" alone is not going to be the sole lure if Caggiula signs with Philadelphia. It would be the opportunity to step right into an NHL lineup for a team that made the playoffs this season. Likewise, the bracelet-throwing incident at the Wells Fargo Center involving roughly 100 attendees among 19,500-plus in the crowd will not have frightened the player away if he did not sign.
Fans come in low among the factors most players consider among their signing priorities. When it is considered, it's more in terms of fan support/ attention to the team as a whole. It's not whether there's a segment of boors in their ranks, which would eliminate every team, starting with the big-market ones.
As is often the case with the more prominent collegiate UFAs, the hype train has gotten a little out of hand for Caggiula, who turns 22 on June 20. While he could be a nice signing for whichever team gets him, he's not a franchise-changer. He's projects around the third-line range and is a smaller forward at a listed 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. The Flyers could use more prospect forwards in the system with a combination of size and skill, but Caggiula would still be a good get.
The Flyers have also been mentioned among the many suitors for Hobey Baker Award winning Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey, who spurned the Nashville Predators (the Preds drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft) and will eligible to sign with any team as a free agent on August 15. Vesey's father, Jim, is a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and younger brother Nolan (University of Maine) was drafted by the Leafs in 2014.
Last month, Philadelphia signed Yale goaltender Alex Lyon; the most sought after goalie coming out of the collegiate ranks this season.
3) Hockeyweb.DE
reported reported that former Flyers head coach Craig Berube is a top candidate for the head coaching job with Alder Mannheim of Germany's DEL. Former Flyers assistant coach Keith Action is also mentioned as a candidate for the post.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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