Jeremy Laura: Seravalli top 20 Free Agents has some options, but avoid toxic shock

FIRST! Garland, DeBrusk, Rienhart, Dunn, Driedger, Foegal, and Niku should all be looked at. Rienhart might be an expensive add, but good centers are expensive....Center and LD have to be the priority, and giving money or picks (not #6OA) to acquire them is more desirable than giving up a young player.

Its Frank Seravalli.

We learned in Philly long ago when he wrote about the Flyers that he has no clue about hockey.

I would be interested in Foegle, Carolina’s bottom 6 contributed last season. Maybe pick up some Centers in the system with Foegle, like Vasil Ponomarev and David Cotton?
As it gets closer to draft time you have to wonder who’s on Stevie’s list? Stevie did a nice job in Tampa, i can’t give credit to the existing GM.

I would be interested in Foegle, Carolina’s bottom 6 contributed last season. Maybe pick up some Centers in the system with Foegle, like Vasil Ponomarev and David Cotton?
As it gets closer to draft time you have to wonder who’s on Stevie’s list? Stevie did a nice job in Tampa, i can’t give credit to the existing GM.
- Tee56

BB did find a way to "keep the band together" by cap manipulation and did find the 4 pieces that made TB much harder to play against. That 3rd line of Gourde, Goodrow and Coleman is the hardest line in hockey to play against with their skill and tenacious in your face style of play. That was a stroke of genius to add BG and BC! Yes Stevie baked the cake, but BB frosted it with much skill and artistry!

who the hell is offering Hamilton $10 million+ in today's market?

I love the guy but that's insanity.

I will revisit the Nolan Patrick situation that isn't included in his list. The kid wants a fresh start. The flyers are trying to win. Could be a match...Fabbri+.


I do like the buy low on Niku.

Chris Driedger is the goalie I would target on a short term deal, no more than 2 years.

Rickard Rakell is a name I would also look at if the price is right.

I do like the idea of Debrusk, but not sure Boston would send him to Detroit.

who the hell is offering Hamilton $10 million+ in today's market?

I love the guy but that's insanity.
- BINGO!

who the hell is offering Hamilton $10 million+ in today's market?

I love the guy but that's insanity.
- BINGO!

Seattle. Have to get to the cap floor. Get him for 8 years and counts as Carolina's pick. Win Win

Seattle. Have to get to the cap floor. Get him for 8 years and counts as Carolina's pick. Win Win
- DRW1991

But if we're losing dougie I still want them to take Gardiner or Skjei anyway

I will revisit the Nolan Patrick situation that isn't included in his list. The kid wants a fresh start. The flyers are trying to win. Could be a match...Fabbri+.


I do like the buy low on Niku.

Chris Driedger is the goalie I would target on a short term deal, no more than 2 years.

Rickard Rakell is a name I would also look at if the price is right.

I do like the idea of Debrusk, but not sure Boston would send him to Detroit.
- DRW1991

Just get Patrick for picks, or maybe a Ghost (retain $.5M)+ Patrick for Cholo + Oiler's 2nd

But if we're losing dougie I still want them to take Gardiner or Skjei anyway
- BINGO!

Wasn't a first round pick traded for him? That bad of a deal?

Just get Patrick for picks, or maybe a Ghost (retain $.5M)+ Patrick for Cholo + Oiler's 2nd
- HenryHockey

I'd think the Flyers would want some proven talent to try to win with their veratrin core. That is why I went Fabbri. As much as I have liked him, with his injury history I would take the risk on Patrick's history and upside.

Wasn't a first round pick traded for him? That bad of a deal?
- DRW1991

I have not heard of Brady being on the trade block, but Stevie needs a good LD and he would not be a bad choice for say a late 2nd....he gets only this if he is a cap dump a well....

BB did find a way to "keep the band together" by cap manipulation and did find the 4 pieces that made TB much harder to play against. That 3rd line of Gourde, Goodrow and Coleman is the hardest line in hockey to play against with their skill and tenacious in your face style of play. That was a stroke of genius to add BG and BC! Yes Stevie baked the cake, but BB frosted it with much skill and artistry!

- HenryHockey

I agree with you but often thought Stevie knew he needed players like that to get to the next level but was denied further spending at one time.

Friedman didn’t elaborate but it’s not surprising the Flyers would look at Jones to fill their glaring need for a top-pairing, right-side blueliner. They have the assets to make a competitive pitch, but they’ll have to shed salary to squeeze in his $5.4 million cap hit for next season. Cap Friendly shows them with $13.08 in projected cap space. Carter Hart and Travis Sanheim are due for new contracts plus they need to find a suitable backup for Hart.

Maybe we can pluck a LD from Philly for cheap now!
But that would be Ghost, more than likely......Ghost and Patrick for Cholo and a 3rd now!

Friedman also heard Nashville Predators winger Viktor Arvidsson could be available. The hard-working winger has three years remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $4.25 million.
A healthy Arvidsson would attract considerable interest. However, he’s been hampered by injuries the past three seasons, which would explain why the Predators could be willing to move him.

I like this guy, but , yes, he is seemingly injury prone.

I honestly dont understand all the Reinhart hype. Good center yes, but I would put him in the category of Monahan and B.Sutter. I know, different age groups and style of play. 1 scores 30ish goals a year but nothing more than a 60 point guy. Sutter was overhyped when he was in Pittsburgh. He is a poor teams Bergeron. Solid 2 way center but doesnt add much offensively. All I am saying is there is too much overhype. To pay 2x 1sts for the guy is way to high.

I honestly dont understand all the Reinhart hype. Good center yes, but I would put him in the category of Monahan and B.Sutter. I know, different age groups and style of play. 1 scores 30ish goals a year but nothing more than a 60 point guy. Sutter was overhyped when he was in Pittsburgh. He is a poor teams Bergeron. Solid 2 way center but doesnt add much offensively. All I am saying is there is too much overhype. To pay 2x 1sts for the guy is way to high.
- M*A*S*H

brandon sutter is barely an NHL player.

He'snever been a good center. Right from the start he should have been a scoring winger in the mould of Simon Gagne but instead everyone wanted him to be a two-way C because of his name.

RNH just got 8 year $41m

OK, so here goes:
All of those names, forwards, d-men....good players, could have an impact on the rebuild and even going forward on a longer-term contract. But......I didn't see any goalie names. You referenced "CBJ netminders, but no names. Everyone kicks my teeth in when I say take Wallstedt at #6 because we have NO goalies developing in our system.

So, my question is; if we don't draft, don't trade or sign....how the hell do we get a goalie? There's no aisle in Meijer where we can just grab one, guys. At some point something needs to be done. Otherwise the Zamboni driver becomes the back-up to the pilot of Red Wing 1. I seriously think that attention needs to be paid to those areas where we are the most-lacking, and the G spot (see what I did there?!?!?!?! ) is a glaring hole, especially if Petro floors it (you're welcome), and heads outta the Wing's system.

RNH just got 8 year $41m
- DRW1991

Hmm, Good for him and Kenny's team. Now make him a 3C and roll 3 scoring lines and they will have a real team!

OK, so here goes:
All of those names, forwards, d-men....good players, could have an impact on the rebuild and even going forward on a longer-term contract. But......I didn't see any goalie names. You referenced "CBJ netminders, but no names. Everyone kicks my teeth in when I say take Wallstedt at #6 because we have NO goalies developing in our system.

So, my question is; if we don't draft, don't trade or sign....how the hell do we get a goalie? There's no aisle in Meijer where we can just grab one, guys. At some point something needs to be done. Otherwise the Zamboni driver becomes the back-up to the pilot of Red Wing 1. I seriously think that attention needs to be paid to those areas where we are the most-lacking, and the G spot (see what I did there?!?!?!?! ) is a glaring hole, especially if Petro floors it (you're welcome), and heads outta the Wing's system.
- mcmastermike1968

FA is overflowing with goalies, no need to panic. There are 6 other top 101 ranked goalies other than Wally and Cossa in the draft. (Corey Pronman's ranking). There is no need to panic!

RNH just got 8 year $41m
- DRW1991

That's a pretty reasonable gamble to make IMO. The last couple of years on the back end might be not so hot, and obviously any deal that long is a risk (especially with an NMC). But if RNH has a pretty typical career curve over the next eight years this should work out to be pretty good value -- especially during the primest of the prime McDavid years.

Fun comparison:

Justin Abelkader's 7-year megadeal kicked in at age 29 and represented 5.8% of the salary cap during the first season it was in effect.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkin's 8-year megadeal kicks in at age 28 and represents 6.3% of the salary cap next season.

Kenny still likes his long-term deals, but it really helps a lot when you sign good players to team-friendly deals, rather than bad players to bad deals.

OK, so here goes:
All of those names, forwards, d-men....good players, could have an impact on the rebuild and even going forward on a longer-term contract. But......I didn't see any goalie names. You referenced "CBJ netminders, but no names. Everyone kicks my teeth in when I say take Wallstedt at #6 because we have NO goalies developing in our system.

So, my question is; if we don't draft, don't trade or sign....how the hell do we get a goalie? There's no aisle in Meijer where we can just grab one, guys. At some point something needs to be done. Otherwise the Zamboni driver becomes the back-up to the pilot of Red Wing 1. I seriously think that attention needs to be paid to those areas where we are the most-lacking, and the G spot (see what I did there?!?!?!?! ) is a glaring hole, especially if Petro floors it (you're welcome), and heads outta the Wing's system.
- mcmastermike1968

Greiss is still under contract one more year.

Bernier seems like he might be interested in returning.

If no Bernier, there are a ton of competent guys potentially on the market either due to expansion draft squeezing or just plain UFA. Grubauer, Andersen, Rittich, Rinne, Driedger, Reimer/Mrazek, Raanta, Halak ... I mean probably some of these guys will re-sign before getting to UFA, but even that should open up some trade options.

I'm honestly not all that concerned about the goaltending. IMO it's relatively easy to get competent (or at least projected-to-be competent) goaltending. If you get lucky and manage to find a Price or a Vasilevskiy or a Lundqvist early on, great, but otherwise short term stopgaps will get the job done.