What are the chances Johnny Gaudreau signs in Philly this off-season? — @iwilldanceyou
The links between Gaudreau and the Philadelphia Flyers are obvious. He was born in Salem, New Jersey, about 40 miles south of Philadelphia, and grew up a Flyers fan, and general manager Chuck Fletcher has said adding high-end offensive skill this offseason is a must. Gaudreau, a pending unrestricted free agent forward who tied for second in the NHL with 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) this season, certainly checks that box.
The reality for the Flyers, however, is they have a lack of NHL salary cap flexibility and other areas they need to improve, which makes signing the unrestricted free agent a difficult task.
It also doesn’t help that Gaudreau said over the weekend he is hoping to re-sign with the Calgary Flames, with whom he has played his entire NHL career.
Philadelphia was 31st in the NHL in goals per game (2.56) and 32nd on the power play (12.6 percent). Having centers Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes healthy for a full season will help, but the Flyers need more than one player to fix those issues.
They also need to improve defensively after allowing 3.59 goals per game (27th). Adding a top-four defenseman could be a priority, as could a backup goalie if they elect not to re-sign Martin Jones.
I’m sure Fletcher and the front office will try to be creative with how they attempt to get the Flyers back into playoff contention, but I’m not sure Gaudreau will be part of the equation.
Who do you consider the European prospect with the most potential? And which of the players looks like the hockey player who will need the least amount of time to move to the NHL level — @tristan_ak
Juraj Slafkovsky, the left wing for TPS in Liiga, the top league in Finland, looks like he’s got the right blend of size (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) and skill to jump right into the NHL next season.
We had Goran Stubb, director of NHL European Scouting, on a recent episode of the “NHL Draft Class” podcast…
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