Return Game: Which Free Agents Should the Flyers Keep?

One tradition we know all too well here in Philly is the disappointing-playoff-loss-
aftermath free agent speculation. With the Flyers ready to hit the links, fans are wondering which players should be retained and which allowed to sign elsewhere in order to ensure a contender takes the ice in the salary cap era. Leaving aside trade talks and free agent signings from other teams for now, the Flyers have some tough decisions to make on their own FAs.

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Vinny Prospal: As we filed out of Game 3 of the Flyers-Caps opening round series, we were toasting the top line and saying the Flyers needed to re-sign Prospal, who had on that evening contributed 3 assists, 2 of which were on Danny Briere goals. After Vinny's acquisition at the trade deadline, Briere finally looked like the player the Flyers were hoping for when they signed him, and that's a trend we need to continue next year. But after the Caps series, Prospal was decreasingly a positive factor, and the top lines were ultimately shuffled to break the offensive slump. With Prospal set to command a nice payday, his late playoff woes may have signed his ticket out of town. If that's the case, Simon Gagne's health will again be a huge element of the Flyers' success.

Jason Smith: Gator was a great pickup last year and a solid transition-season captain for the Flyers. But with Mike Richards all but wearing a C on his golf shirt, and rumors of Smith's desire to head back to New Jersey to wind down his career, we've probably seen the end of him in Orange & Black. With the salary cap in place, some veteran players will have to be calculated losses, and Smith and Prospal will probably fall into that category. Ryan Parent will see a lot more time on the big club, if not the entire season, and the Flyers will likely at least look for a top-4 defenseman. UFA Brian Campbell is at the top of every fan's wishlist, but the Flyers won't be his only suitors, and they might not have the loot given their other re-signing needs. (pic via)

Jim Dowd: Jim Dowd was born to travel the NHL, but considering that he'll cost little, play solidly on the fourth line, and have an interesting playoff beard again next season, the Flyers will probably try to re-sign him.

Jaroslav Modry: "Slowdry" isn't a nickname that screams of fan riots in the event you're not re-signed, and neither is finishing the regular season at -11 after being a +2 the day you joined the team just 19 games before. Modry, the oldest player on the Flyers roster, came from a terrible Kings team, so his relatively precipitous drop upon joining a deeper scoring club was telling.

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Here's where it gets interesting.

Jeff Carter: One of the best young players on the team, all signs (and Al Morganti) point to the Flyers re-signing Carter with a quickness, or matching any offer he receives. Potential problems: unless Danny Briere moves to a wing, Carter could likely be stuck on the third line for the foreseeable future, and that will limit his point scoring and potentially his future paychecks. He may not be down with that. Secondly, as the DN's Flyers playoff blog points out, if  you and I know the Flyers want to do pretty much whatever it takes to bring Cartsy back, then so do the other teams in the conference, and they might try to pitch high offers in the hopes of getting the Flyers to creep closer to their cap number, possibly at the expense of signing another player.

R.J. Umberger: Another potential stud, Umberger should see a nice pay increase, but the questions are how much will the market dictate, and how much will the Flyers be willing to match? The Umburglar's astounding numbers in the Montreal series will inflate his value, and teams will need to look at whether those numbers are predictors of potential or just statistical outliers. His 10 playoff goals got the Flyers to the conference finals, but that total was just 3 shy of the 13 he scored all season. Consistently playing on a higher line, in Philly or elsewhere, would in all likelihood boost his totals next season. We'd like to see the fan favorite/food inspiration back of course, but it will be tough to criticize Paul Holmgren if his price soars and he can't be retained. Greg Wysh also links speculation that Umberger could even be dealt.

Randy Jones: When James Mirtle asked us for the names of some unsung heroes from this Flyers playoff run, Jones was one that came to mind. Kimmo Timonen is the club's All-Star on D, and he'll soon be joined by Braydon Coburn in those ranks, but Jones quietly put together a +8 season, followed by a +6 postseason. When you're talking about a d-man who wasn't in your top 4, you can't ask for much more than that. Jones is also just 26 years old.

Riley Cote: Despite losing quite a few of his battles this year, Cote was a fan favorite and an excellent team player. He'd take on anyone, even if he was clearly outmatched. Cote improved quite a bit (possibly the MMA training), earning the respect of Georges Laraque, who said he was the NHL's toughest player pound for pound. Sure, it'd be great to have a top-3 fighter, but Cote's won us over and won't cost much.

Patrick Thoresen: A healthy scratch for several playoff games, and an extremely unhealthy scratch for a few others, Thoresen will be part of Flyers lore for years to come. Whether he'll be part of the team is another thing. Thor put in a great effort every time he took the ice, but depending on which other players are on the market, he's probably pretty replaceable.

In short, things could be a lot worse. Sure, Carter and Umberger will cost quite a bit, but not nearly as much as some of the premier talent that other teams will need to decide on. There's a decent chance both are back, but that could of course impact the potential for other signings. For some insights from the expert, here is Al's take from CSN:

What do you think the priorities are, both regarding these players and those the Flyers might look at from other clubs?

Comments

[Mike H]

I absolutely think the Flyers top priorities need to be Jeff Carter and RJ Umberger. I hope they sign Jason Smith too but I just don't foresee that happening.

[BillyPenn]

Whatever it takes....bring Carter and Umberger back! And I think we have enough of Slowdry

[Mike L.]

See i was gonna post an entire paragraph on each of those guys then i saw how short mike h went with it and i figured hell with it. I second what he said except jason smith. And snag Iron-Ballz(whoever came up with that nice one) too.

[Not a fan of five]

carter, umberger, jones.

[Alex P.]

Try to get Carter, Umberger, and Jones. Thoreson can be replaced by Downie. Dowd and his beard should stay. Although a fan favorite, Smith is a defensive liability. Prospal is gone. I dont see any room for Cote on the fourth line with Giroux waiting in the wings.

[Walklett]

Nice Kerlin Street exit capture of Cote.

Of all the players mentioned, the only one I'd genuinely be disappointed if he didn't return is Carter. I like Umberger, but wouldn't mind if he was packaged together for a defenseman. Even before the untimely injuries of our best two blue-liners prior (Coburn barely played) to the Pens series, I honestly thought this was a glaring weakness for this Flyers team. The defensive zone turnovers were a pretty big problem long before the playoffs started.

A puck-handling defenseman is top on my list - Campbell. Hell, dump everyone's salary for all I care. IMPROVE THE DEFENSE.

[Greg]

Carter, I can haz, Jones, and go get Campbell.

[Justin]

Carter/Jones first, then sign Umberger if he cannot be traded for an effective d-man.

Or if someone is going to give us a boatload of picks for Carter or Umberger, take them and sign Steve Avery.

All the UFAs can leave and I will shed a single tear. Even the captain, I like his grit, but let's face it, his defense regressed substantially throughout the year.

Do not go after Brian Campbell. Defensively, he is far too overrated for his price tag.

[Justin]

Unless Hatch retires, that'll free up some cap space.

[TH]

Let all the unrestricted FAs walk, especially Prospal who disappeared after the Washington series.

Keep Carter, Thoresen and Jones. Umberger only if you can afford him and get a Bryan Campbell or someone of similar caliber as well.

[Tony]

Dear Hockey Santa,
Here's what I want from the offseason

FREE AGENTS TO KEEP
Carter - #1 priority
Umberger - must re-sign if he fits under the cap
Jones - very solid, we need D depth
Cote - cheap scrapper
Dowd - cheap 4th liner who excels on face-offs

FREE AGENTS TO LET GO
Prospal - melted under playoff pressure, won't come cheap enough
Modry - yeah, he's Slowdry all right.
Smith - damaged goods, too slow, don't need his leadership anymore

PROBABLE RETIREMENTS
Hatcher - If he stays around and takes a pay cut, keep him as a 6th defenseman. Otherwise, thanks for the gritty playoff performance.
Kapanen - his only remaining asset (his speed) is a distant memory. Let one of the young kids break his way into the lineup instead.

OTHER MOVES
Everyone keeps talking about Brian Campbell, but I wouldn't mind seeing them go after Mark Streit from Montreal instead. He tied Campbell for 3rd among defensemen in points, but his current salary is less than 1/3 of Campbell's, and people aren't talking about him as much. Rather than breaking the bank for Campbell, they should at least give Streit a look.

Here's the team I want next year:
C: Richards, Briere, Carter, Dowd
LW: Gagne*, Hartnell, Upshall, Cote
RW: Umberger, Lupul, Downie, Giroux#
D: Timonen, Coburn, Streit+, Jones, Parent, Kukkonen
G: Biron, Niitty

* If he's healthy. Keep Thoresen.
# Get this guy to the NHL *now*. He's ready.
+ Or Campbell, or any other FA D-man.

I'd also like to see James van Riemsdyk in camp this year, but he won't make the club yet.

All in all, we're in GREAT shape. The best we've been in any offseason in recent memory. Just a couple of tweaks, several million in raises for the key players, and we should be good.

[Loqiel]

Lost in all of this is Hatcher's status, yeah. I know he was playing on one leg really, but even when he's healthy, he ain't exactly SamiKap. I'm not sure how much room there's left in the NHL for D-men who can't skate that well, especially with the recent changes. I love Hatch, don't get me wrong, he's my favorite impromptu dentist (see Crosby, Sidney) but I'm starting to think his time may have come to hang it up.

I resign Carter, Umberger, and Jones from the bigger names we have. Cote and Dowd would be nice. And yeah, wave goodbye to Jason Smith, because Richards is wearing the C for the next, oh, decade.

[Pete]

Obviously Carter and Umberger need to be re-signed. I was very disappointed that Carter was nearly traded away at the deadline. Smith I can take or leave. Hatcher and Cote seem rather redundant, so I say go with Cote on youth alone. I am not a big Jones fan. I seem to remember too many redirected shots going off of him in front of our own net during the regular season. On top of that his wristshot on the powerplay is embarassing. Perhaps if he weren't on the powerplay unit.

As far as acquisitions go I'd like to echo the need for deeper defensemen. Campbell would be nice but we need to be mindful of the cap.

[PJ]

Streit would be a good pickup but don't let his stats fool you. Carbonneau moved him to forward periodically throughout the season and thats when he picked up a majority of his points. I'm sure he will be asking a ton but you could add Wade Redden to the UFA D-man wishlist with Campbell. Another guy who would be cheaper for the Flyers to get is Steve Montador. He is under 30 years old, had 23 points in 73 games, and managed to stay + on the second line of a not-so-deep Panthers team. Oh, and he played the powerplay throughout the season so if we have our #1 and 2 go down deep in the playoffs again we'd at least have someone as a backup blueliner who knows what they are doing.

[DSD]

Carter and Umberger are the obvious priority. I find it really hard to believe that they'll let Carter go, but Umberger has the potential to have a big payday from another team due to his good playoffs, but I still think the Flyers will sign him. I think the Flyers priority to keep the forward lines intact because they have 3 really solid lines. A big thing is Gagne. If the team feels he's healthy, they can let Prospal go with no regrets. If Gagne isn't healthy, a first line goal scorer is needed, but I think Gagne will be fine. The teams real focus should be the defense. If Hatcher comes back, that's fine and let him play 5 or 6th defensemen. They need another puck-moving defensemen. Go for Campbell or any of the other names that posters have mentioned. Sign Randi Jones and let Jason Smith walk. Bring up Parent and give him a regular starting job. And keep in mind Giroux and the Van Riemsdyk kid are getting close to having a job on the big team. All reports on the Van Riemsdyk kid is that he's a stud and a real blue-chip player. This team is really, really close. You've heard it here....the Flyers will win the Cup within the next 5 years.

[Bob]

The only two names I would sign here are Carter and Umberger. All other players on this list are replaceable. Outside of replacing Prospal and Smith, I do not believe that two fourth line players, a fifth and sixth defender will be a hardship. Though I believe Smith was strong, we have Parent on the wings waiting. Since Parent is a respectable possible number 1 defenseman, I do not have a problem with the loss of Smith. I believe that Grouix is waiting on the wing to play on the NHL club. I foresee that Umberger will replace Prospal's place and that Grouix will replace Umberger's role. I have no problem with Carter being a third line center. 60-70 points from a third line center will still produce a large boatload of money for Carter in the future. In addition, his many roles, such as penalty kill and defense +/- cannot be replaced. I always tell people that Carter reminds me of Primeau or Brindamour. Neither of whom were number one centers. Though I do not like Kukonen, I believe he is a suitable replacement for Modry. Unless Jones costs nothing, a sixth defenseman is replaceable. As for Cote, I have never liked Cote and I never will. The Flyers have numerous goon types to take over for Cote - Denis Tolpeko is one waiting for that role. As for Dowd, unless he is the minimum, I believe the Flyers can replace an 8 minute a night player with another minumum paid player. There are numerous journeymen players that could come in here at that price and play the same game. In addition, I believe Ryan Poltuny is waiting to make the big squad. I think he would make a capable replacement. As such, the only people who need to be signed are Umberger and Carter. Otherwise, I think the only other need for the Flyers is a defenseman.

[Big D]

The Flyers can part ways with RJ Umberger. Remember Freddie Mitchell with 4th and 26, one good performance in the post season and he was the toast of Philadelphia. I can guarantee that Claude Giroux has enough talent to score 13 regular season goals like Umberger did this year. They can also afford to lose Smith, let's face it, he was like a construction cone on the ice, everyone skated around him. As for the offseason, they don't need brian campbell, holmgren showed you don't need high priced free agents to build a contender. they need two average or above average defenseman this year and they'll be solid.

[Sanganoski]

One thing I feel is certain, "Homer" won't impersonate his predecessor Clarke with getting "grey beard" players and try and convince everyone that the signing would improve the team with "experience". The game has changed drasticly in both rule changes and "opportunistic" players. Derien Hatcher is a G.F.E. and the "lazy man" player that he has become with all the incipid hooking calls only makes it more obvious. What's out there??, I don't know, but "Hatch" is, in all actuality, only one more "ding" from hanging them up. The best chefs will tell you, "You can't make a tasty "chicken salad", if all you have is "chicken shit."