The 2013 Philadelphia Flyers are in a tailspin that show little signs of turning their season around. They’ve lost three of their first 10 games, they’re not scoring, their defense has been average, and they have a cap situation that leaves them zero room to improve the roster. The logical move for Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren is to do one thing, blow up the roster and start over.
(Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)
According to Gap Geek’s Flyers page, they have 10 players signed to deals that will pay them over $3million per-year through the 2015-16 season. That is $54million tied up in contracts with a salary cap that as of now is at $64million.
Out of those 10 players six of them are filling up an offensive front that have averaged less than two goals per game. The first of these contracts to come off of their payroll is Jakub Voracek’s $4.25million salary after the 2015-16 season. After that, Philadelphia has $25.125million tied up in five offensive players contracts that will all be over the age of 30 by the time their deals are done starting in the 2017-18 season.
Holmgren will have to do some convincing with his overpriced talent as the Flyers are locked into seven players—Scott Hartnell, Vincen Lecavalier, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Luke Schenn, Nicklas Grossmann and Wayne Simmonds—with some form of a no movement clause in their contracts.
However, if those seven players would agree to a deal it could free up $30.825million in their cap. The only player that is coming off of their payroll after the season is Timonen and his $6million contract.
There is some hope for a Flyers team looking to get some cap relief. They have Andrej Meszaros’ $4million contract that expires after this season, and it doesn’t have a no movement clause. He could easily be shipped to a team that’s desperate for defense.
On top of that contract, the Flyers could move some of their smaller role player deals. Maxime Talbot, who’s making $1.75million until 2015-16, Hall Gill has a one-year $700thousand deal, and they could move one of their goalies—Ray Emery or Steve Mason who make $1.65 and $1.5million.
Holmgren’s fingerprints are all over this disaster of a roster. He has been there to sign all of these terrible contracts that have produced one division crown, one Eastern Conference championship, zero stanley cups and a team that missed the playoffs last season.
He has to do something during the season to give him a fighting chance to repair the damage that’s been done. Or else they will be stuck in the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with no space to correct past mistakes.