Quick Hits: June 23, 2019
1) After the sixth round of the 2019 Draft, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher met with reporters to discuss the team's second-day picks in rounds two through six (assistant GM Brent Flahr spoke with reporters after the end of the Draft to go into a bit more detail about each of the picks, including 7th rounder Bryce Brodzinski). Fletcher also provided some updates on the team's restricted free agents and upcoming areas of focus with "free agent courting season" starting on Monday and the UFA signing season set to begin on July 1.
2) Fletcher said that, while in Vancouver, he met with the agents for all of the Flyers' primary restricted free agents. He said that things are progressing rapidly with Travis Sanheim ("we're on the same page") and that a deal could get soon. With Travis Konecny, according to Fletcher, things are just at the routine and preliminary stages of talks and there was "nothing positive or negative" to take from it at this point, but he did not anticipate significant problems getting on the same page. Fletcher also noted that Scott Laughton is arbitration eligible this offseason and he'd like to get something done soon with the player. Ryan Hartman is also eligible for arbitration.
3) Fletcher did not initially mention the status of talks with Ivan Provorov, so it was asked as a follow-up question. The GM said that he anticipates the Provorov negotiations to take awhile over the summer but there is nothing alarming or unanticipated that has happened. He still expects to get a deal done this offseason.
Fletcher noted that, at present, things are still in a wait-and-see holding pattern with Provorov while other first-time RFA defensemen of note (such as Zach Werenski) are also waiting to see who sets the market price first. Until the market is set, the ball won't really start rolling on the negotiations.
The GM said a few weeks ago that he'd be willing to consider either a bridge deal or longer-term deals of varying lengths (with a corresponding upward cap hit) for all the RFAs but things are still at the beginning stage until there are price point comparables for each. Previously, Fletcher described the leaguewide RFA market as "aggressively priced" on the player agents' side when initial ideas were discussed.
From what I have heard, Provorov's agent Mark Gandler-- who reportedly declined to discuss an extension last summer with then-GM Ron Hextall and also later expressed to Fletcher a preference to wait until after the 2018-19 season -- initially wants the framework for a Provorov contract extension in the range of what Aaron Ekblad received from Florida on his current deal that runs through 2024-25.
One would suspect that the Flyers would love to use Seth Jones ($5.4 million on a deal that expires with UFA rights after three more seasons) as a price point because Jones is presently a better player than Provorov; hardly an insult. However, because the six-season Jones extension in Columbus was signed three years ago and ahead of Jones becoming his team's undisputed No. 1 defenseman, that won't fly. Provorov has been the Flyers' No. 1 defenseman since his rookie season, leading the team in ice time (and not missing a single game) each year.
With the salary cap ceiling now officially set at $81.5 million for 2019-20, it would be problematic to sign Provorov to an ultra-long term contract that ties him through UFA years at a cap hit of $7.5 million or above (the Ekblad range). The Flyers would still have the cap space to sign their other RFAs this offseason but they still also need to sign a goaltender. While a bridge deal that ends while Provorov is an arbitration-eligible RFA would reduce his cap hit considerably in the short-term, the price tag on the other end could be higher in the long-term. A deal that ends in Provorov's first UFA season is also a risky option long-term but would carry a lower price tag than something that has the player commit beyond that point.
Thus, the Flyers want to see first what other rising young D-men get in value and term. But the agents and other GMs, for the same negotiating strategy reasons as Philly, want the Flyers and Provorov to be the ones to set the market scale this summer. From all indications, the process with Provorov has not turned ugly, but it's going to take some doing to find a mutually agreeable combination of cap hit and term.
4) Fletcher said that he would continue to monitor both the trade markets and free agent markets for potential ways to provide further upgrades to the NHL roster. He said that nothing ever came close to happening for the Flyers on the player trade front this weekend. All of the Flyers' moves were Draft pick swaps.
5) For a rundown of the Flyers' second-round through seventh-round picks, and their respective scouting reports,
click here. For an in-depth look at first-round pick Cam York,
click here.
Alternatively, if you prefer to hear a rundown of each pick in audio format, you may want to check out of the post-draft wrapup edition of the
FlyerBuzz show on Flyers Radio 24/7 with Brian Smith and me.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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