Flyers free-agent target: LW Erik Cole

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Each day from now until July 1, the day free agency begins, Tom Dougherty and Tim Riday will profile some of the NHL's top impending free agents and project their likelihood of signing with the Flyers.

Erik Cole, left wing
Age: 36
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
Last team: Detroit Red Wings
2014-15 cap hit: $4.5 million

Scouting report
Owning a strong work ethic, Cole has been an effective power for in the NHL for years, but his body has taken a toll from the way he plays the game. He's a gritty forward who will throw his body around often. He has good instincts and knows how to score. At 36, his body is no longer going to allow him to play a full 82-game season, however.

A third-round pick in the 1998 NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, Cole has played for five teams in his 13-year career. He won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2005-06, and spent seven seasons in Carolina before the 'Canes traded him to Edmonton in 2008 for Joni Pitkanen. He spent one year with the Oilers before being traded back to Carolina.

After two more years with Carolina, Cole left the Canes to sign with the Canadiens in 2011 on a four-year contract. He spent just one-plus season in Montreal and was traded to Dallas in his second year of his contract. He had 35 goals and 61 points in 82 games his first year with the Habs, but just six points in 19 games before going to Dallas.

Cole spent two-plus seasons with the Stars before Detroit acquired the veteran winger last year for a playoff push. The Red Wings aren't planning on bringing him back next year.

In all, Cole has 265 goals and 532 points in 892 career games.

Dougherty's projection
I'm a no on Cole. I don't see the Flyers going after him. I like his game, and he has experience. But he still has value and I see him catching on somewhere else. He's valuable to a playoff team, which the Flyers are not. They might be a fringe playoff team — maybe get in but not do much damage. Cole's not going to take the Flyers to the next level.

Riday's projection
Cole a proven scorer who could be a nice complement to Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, but I don't see the Flyers targeting him. His play is on the decline and he would probably be better suited to latch on with a contender as a depth signing, as Tom noted above. He's not in a position to ask for more than the $4.5 million he earned last season, so there's a chance GM Ron Hextall will sniff around. But the Flyers are looking to get younger and develop from within. They'd be better off giving either Scott Laughton or Nick Cousins to earn a roster spot at camp instead of bringing in an aging veteran with consistency issues.

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