INSIDE HOCKEY

Editor's Note: Please see all Flyers contract information below...

Forwards: GM Paul Holmgren has outwardly said that he wants to re-sign Mike Knuble, and from what it sounds, Knuble is happy to stay in Philadelphia. The only problem is the salary number. Knuble made $2.8 million last year, and had about the same stats as Hartnell or Lupul, both of whom are making upwards of $4 million per year. If Holmer can convince Knuble to stay for $2.8 million or less, Knuble will absolutely be back in Philly. However, that could be a big if.

Lupul’s extension kicks in starting in the 2009-10 season, so that adds about $2 million in cap hit to the Flyers’ payroll.

Assuming no one is traded this summer (and of course, that is never a good assumption, but it’s the only way to write an analysis), expect Boyd Kane to be back on the Phantoms, and Nodl and Ross to be jumping back and forth between Phantoms and Flyers, barring injuries on the NHL roster. Also, barring a bad training camp/preseason, expect James van Riemsdyk to be up on the Flyers’ roster. That may not happen, though, seeing as he did not perform too well in his short time on the Phantoms’ AHL roster.

The Flyers are set at forward, and should be able to keep their depth that was unmatched by most of the teams in the NHL this season. Having six 25-goal scorers on your roster is something that every team would love. The Flyers have it, and they are going to keep it.

Defense: Defense has always been a problem for the Flyers, who have a few free agents to re-sign on the blueline. One major player that was already gone, but will officially be leaving (as a player) is Derian Hatcher, whose long, expensive contract is finally up. Hatcher, though, has been involved in talks to become a player development coach for the team, so he will be back; just not against the salary cap. Danny Syvret will be back as well, but whether he starts on the Flyers or Phantoms’ roster is still to be determined.

When asked about Andrew Alberts, Holmgren explained, “We want to try to re-sign him.” Once again, though, the only problem with this may be the salary cap number.

Sbisa will be a full time player on the NHL roster next season on defense, while you may be able to expect one other player to be moved to make room for Luca (perhaps Randy Jones?). With a salary hit of $2.75 million, Jones has not played up to money that he was given in his recent contract extension. With salary cap troubles and the possibility of the salary cap decreasing in the next year or two, look for Jones to be someplace else come training camp in September.

The Flyers need some additions in the summer. It has been suggested that Mike Komisarek would be a good signing for the Flyers this summer if they can get him cheap enough. If not, there are plenty of other defensive free agents this summer, including Francois Beauchemin ($1.65 million in ’09), Steve Montador ($0.800 million in ’09), Johnny Oduya ($0.600 million in ’09), and more. If the Flyers can sign a defensive defenseman or two for a fairly cheap amount this summer, they will be sitting pretty next season.

Goaltending: All three potential NHL goalies in the Flyers’ organization are free agents this summer. It is assumed that one of the NHL goalies from this year will be let go (Niittymaki or Biron), and Biron seems like the most likely candidate. Although he makes more than $2 million more than Antero “Frank” Niittymaki, he has proven himself again and again throughout his few years in Philadelphia.

In the 2008 playoffs, he led this team with his superb play in the crease. In the 2009 playoffs, he played very well, also, although he and the rest of the team were unable to dethrone the defending Conference Champions.

The New York Islanders have two young goaltenders, Yann Danis and Joey MacDonald, one of which will probably not be re-signed. Both of these goalies seem like potential NHL starters in the near future, as they showed sparks of brilliance on the league’s worst team this season.

However, the Flyers’ management has expressed confidence in their organization’s goalies, in both Scott Munroe, the Phantoms’ starter this season and Johan Backlund, their Swedish prospect who was signed late in the season. Both of them would have cheap price tags, and are currently the most likely candidates to be on the bench at the start of the 2009-10 season.

Salary Cap Analysis (assuming salary cap does not change):

(Note: the aforementioned salary total does not include Andreas Nodl, who may start the season with the Phantoms).

With about $6.3 million in cap room, the Flyers have a bit of leeway, but for the most part are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Knuble and Biron need to be re-signed, and assuming you can negotiate with their agents enough to keep their salaries the save, that equals $6.3 million, which puts you at the salary cap right there. Munroe or Backlund also need to be put on the payroll, and even making the NHL minimum, the Flyers cannot afford either of them.

I would not expect either Biron or Knuble to take a pay cut, but I do expect that both of them desire to remain in Philadelphia. Therefore, a trade is most likely to occur this offseason, possibly at the draft in an attempt to move up like they did last season when they traded RJ Umberger to Columbus to draft Luca Sbisa. The team may not have enough room to sign Andrew Alberts who made just over a million dollars this season. They also need to re-sign Danny Syvret who looks to be NHL-ready.

The salary cap is one of the toughest things to maneuver around in pro sports. Teams that are able to get around it are the ones who come out on top (see Patriots, New England and Red Wings, Detroit). The Flyers are right at the ceiling and do not have much room to move.

However, GM Paul Holmgren has proven in his few years as the man that he knows what he is doing, so I would have no problem putting my trust into his hands (which is good, because I don’t really have a choice). Holmer knows how to build a team, having learned as an assistant GM for numerous years. Expect him to make some minor moves this season that will have a big impact on the team and have Philadelphia screaming again for a Stanley Cup championship.

2009-10 committed salaries

Sorted by position, then cap hit
Numbers are listed in $US

Forwards: $34.361 million
Defensemen: $15.551 Million
Goalie: N/A
Total: $49.912 million
Cap Space (using 2008-2009 salary cap): $6.388 million

Forwards

Daniel Briere: 6.5 million
Mike Richards: 5.75 million
Simon Gagne: 5.25 million
Jeff Carter: 5 million
Joffrey Lupul: 4.25 million
Scott Hartnell: 4.2 million
Daniel Carcillo: 0.894 million
Andreas Nodl: 0.850 million (pro-rated contract)
Claude Giroux: 0.822 million
Arron Asham: 0.625 million
Riley Cote: 0.550 million
Darroll Powe: 0.520 million

Defensemen

Kimmo Timonen: 6.333 million
Matt Carle: 3.438 million
Randy Jones: 2.75 million
Braydon Coburn: 1.3 million
Luca Sbisa: 0.875 million
Ryan Parent: 0.855 million

Potential Free Agents (Sorted by position, then 08-09 salary)

UFA:
Mike Knuble (2.8)
Boyd Kane (0.500, minors)

Derian Hatcher (3.5, LTIR)
Andrew Alberts (1.25)
Nate Guenin (0.550, minors)

Martin Biron (3.5)
Antero Niittymaki (1.225)
Scott Munroe (0.475, minors)

RFA:
Nate Raduns (0.555, minors)
Danny Syvret (0.550, minors)
Jared Ross (0.500, minors)