Paul Holmgren goes into this weekends NHL draft at CONSOL Energy Center with three-alarm chili swirling in his gut.
Chris Pronger has likely played his last NHL game because of post-concussion syndrome.
Kimmo Timonen turns 38 next season and his back and legs might be even older.
Matt Carle, who still hasnt agreed to a contract, could get close to 5 million in free agency.
There's three reasons why the Flyers need to worry about what they do between now and July 1, when free agency opens, if they want to remain competitively ahead in a very tough Atlantic Division next season.
No matter how the Flyers try to spin it, they are neither as deep nor as talented on the back end if you remove any of the above players without replacement. Or if injury -- as it always does -- strikes them again.
For that reason, Holmgren, perhaps the leagues most proactive general manager at the draft, needs to do something substantial in the days and weeks ahead.
NHL
Its impossible to imagine that Nashville GM David Poile will leave Pittsburgh without having solved at least one of his problems with unrestricted free agent Ryan Suter and restricted free agent Shea Weber.
He cant lose Suter to free agency for nothing, and admitted this week Suter is, indeed, headed for free agency. While Suters agent Neil Sheehy says he hasnt eliminated having his client play for any club, sources say that Suter wants to remain in the Western Conference.
If Poile concedes on Suter, he has more dollars to retain Weber down the road. Keeping both on a club that draws help from revenue sharing would be very difficult with an uncertain CBA and salary cap that may go to 70 million on July 1 and then get sliced back with a new CBA next fall, assuming we dont have a full lockout in 2012-13.
There is always activity at the draft, Holmgren said. Everybody is together and it is easier to make deals this time of year than it is during the year, because of salary cap constraints.
Right now, everybody has, I don't want to say money to play with, but nothing is really set. You sort of know what the cap is being set at and we don't know what it is going to be when the new CBA is set.
You have a little more freedom to play with your roster at this time of year. I think that is why there is so much activity at the draft.
Holmgren said the Flyers would remain bullish at the draft, regardless of the economic uncertainty of the next CBA. The club has approximately 64 million committed to salaries next season, according to assistant GM Barry Hanrahan, the Flyers capologist.
Assuming Chris can't play, those are big shoes to fill, Holmgren said. It's hard to
find Chris Prongers. I don't know if he's out there. Having said that, we are
continuing to look to improve our team.
I think getting Nicklas Grossman signed when we did was a positive step for us. If we can get Matt Carle signed I think that will help us long-term, and now we still have Brayden Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, and Kimmo's still under contract for one more year.
He's doing great, by the way, following his surgeries. We're still in decent shape there, Kimmo's getting older so we have to look toward the future here to make plans to improve that area.
Thats another thing. Meszaros is rehabbing off herniated disk surgeryanother potential problem given the nature of the sport, let alone the injury.
There are other options if the WeberSuter sweepstakes dont fall the Flyers ways.
Dennis Wideman, a first-time All-Star last season, is a good offensive-defenseman option in free agency, though not an imposing defensive force like Suter. Wideman would be cheaper and could be obtained early if the Flyers traded for his rights.
He has a right-hand shot, too, but the concern is that he has bounced around.
An even better, tougher choice might be Floridas Jason Garrison, who is set to become unrestricted as well in July. Panthers GM Dale Tallon wont let Garrison go easily and is trying hard to re-sign him. Again, a rights trade would seem a good option to get a jump on the field.
While the Flyers may be tempted to take a run at Zach Parise, Rick Nash or work a deal for Bobby Ryan, they would be doing themselves an injustice. This team doesnt need a 5 million cap hit at forwardit needs to first sure up its defense, then add depth on the wing with money that remains.
The Flyers' 264 goals were third-best in the NHL last season. Their 232 goals against were the third-worst among the 16 playoff entries. That is an obvious disparity that has to change.
Interestingly, Holmgren, who had traded for players rights with regularity at or before the draft, isnt sure thats the way to go this time around. If you buy that.
Some think the two players Holmgren lost in such rights deals, Evgeni Nabokov and Dan Hamhuis, might have soured him on such trades.
Does it really save you money? I dont know, Holmgren said. You can make an argument. I look back and Im not sure if we just waited if we couldnt have gotten the player for the same price.
Hes bluffing.
Holmgren is a gambler. And the draft is a high-stakes poker game in his mind. Hell call someones bluff, if the cards are right.
Will the Flyers be proactive at this draft?
Generalizing, yeah, we will, Holmgren conceded. Well try to improve our team.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net