More Work for Holmgren
May 21st, 2008 by Jason ChenDespite the Flyers’ success this season, come October the Flyers’ squad may once again be looking quite different. Due to cap reasons, Paul Holmgren will have to make significant player moves, and the most hotly mentioned name these days, and during the trade deadline, are Jeff Carter and RJ Umberger.
Chuck Kobasew will be earning $2.5m next year, and since all contracts in the NHL are relative, it is not inconceivable that Carter command at least $5m, and Umberger at least the same as Kobasew. Unfortunately, the Flyers’ cap hit is already at $49.52m, and even if the cap is raised to $56m, it won’t be enough to keep both players under contract. Carter’s contract alone will push the Flyers close to the cap. Even if Vaclav Prospal’s $1.9m and Jason Smith’s $1.976m cap hits come off the books, Simon Gagne is eligible to return from LTI come October, along with his $5.25m contract.
And that’s just maintaining the current roster. Holmgren has noted that he needs to shore up the team’s defense, and that will be particularly difficult. If Holmgren chooses to retain both Umberger and Carter, he leaves himself with very little room to sign an impact defenseman, not to mention Randy Jones deserves a substantial raise from his $525k salary. I believe Derian Hatcher’s $3.5m salary comes off the books if he retires this summer, but even then most of the salary will be set aside for emergencies.
Carter, Umberger, Jones are all RFAs, and may potentially lose all 3 to offer sheets. Of course, letting Carter go will bring the most returns, either in trade or draft picks, but he is by far the best player of the three. Many teams will be after the budding star, and I think it will be ill-advised to let him go. Sure, Umberger had a great playoff run, but I think he has still yet to prove himself an able top-6 player, considering the offensive depth on the Flyers’ roster. Mike Richards, Dan Briere, and Carter are the key pieces to the Flyers’ offense.
Teams in dire need offensive depth: Atlanta, Columbus, Florida, New Jersey, NY Islanders, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver
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