Will the Flyers Move Simon Gagne?
The Philadelphia Flyers currently sit $2.5 million above the National Hockey League salary cap and are going to have to make a move before the beginning of the season in October. The Flyers recently awarded forward Dan Carcillo nearly a $1.5 million contract, and signed winger Nikolai Zherdev to a one year $2 million deal. These signings have all but cemented the fact that Simon Gagne will be moved before the puck drops in the 2010-11 season.
Where the Flyers Find Themselves
The Flyers find themselves in a tough spot, sitting above the NHL’s imposed salary cap with one more everyday player to sign and in need of a true number one goaltender. The Flyers own perhaps the best forward group in the entire league and trading away one of them looks to be their best option. The recent signing of Zherdev shows that general manager Paul Holmgren is prepared for such a decision.
Next off-season, the Flyers are once again going to have a tough time keeping together their prized offensive unit, as Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux come up as Restricted Free Agents (RFA’s), while Simon Gagne’s contract expired and he becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). This makes a move this off-season all the more important.
Is Moving Gagne the Decision?
Moving Gagne looks to be one of the best decisions for Holmgren. Gagne is 30 years-old and his career is coming to an end, he has suffered injury problems and has not been able to play a full season in some time. He also earns the third most among Flyers forwards at $5.2 million. Therefore, getting him off the books would clear up a great deal of space, giving Holmgren the leeway to sign Powe and perhaps a goaltender.
If the Flyers do move Gagne, it may be difficult as the winger has a no-trade-clause in his contract. It has been reported that he is willing to wave the clause but it is not certain where he will allow Philadelphia to trade him.
Montreal will always be on people’s minds as Gagne is a native of Sainte-Foy, Quebec. However, the Canadiens do not have enough cap space, and it is doubtful that Holmgren would want what they have to offer.
Other options for the Flyers may be the Columbus Blue Jackets or the Buffalo Sabers. It is hard to tell how much these two teams are willing to spend, as they generally do not spend right to the cap. However, they both have the cap space and possibly the players to make a deal possible. Acquiring Gagne would go a long way for the Blue Jackets, who with the left winger would have a legitimate first line, and perhaps, finally own a player able to keep up with the talented Rick Nash. The Sabers are constantly a team without star power and are forced to overpay players in order to keep them. Nevertheless, they do have a good team and adding another scoring winger with playoff experience may help them advance a little further in next year’s finals.
Do the Flyers Have Other Options?
Moving Gagne is not without its difficulties. He has a no-trade clause and carries an expensive salary. Not every team is going to be able to carry such a player and those that can may have the upper hand in negotiations. The Flyers do have another option, which is trading Carter. Carter is young and talented but is also an RFA next season and may be looking for a slight raise on his already $5 million salary. He does not own a no-trade clause and his services would be in higher demand.
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