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The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to upgrade their blue line this summer, but who are some defensemen that they NEED to avoid? There are some big names in here.
READ the article here: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/4-defensemen-the-flyers-need-to-avoid-this-summer/
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0:03
Philadelphia Flyers want to get better
0:04
on their blue line this summer. Whether
0:06
it's an upgrade on Rasmus Ristolainen by
0:08
trading away, get a little draft pick,
0:10
trade it for maybe a younger player that
0:12
has more potential. Um
0:15
trading away Emil Andrae, letting the
0:17
prospects like Egor Zamula or David
0:19
JiΕΓΔek really develop and see where
0:20
that takes them and see how the AHL
0:23
development has gone under Riley
0:25
Armstrong and Johnson and Johnson and
0:27
everything like that, but um they they
0:29
want to get better. It's a it's a point
0:31
of attention that's like, "Okay, we need
0:32
just generally
0:34
there's the upgrades with York and
0:36
Ristolainen and and Sanheim establishing
0:39
as a top pairing defenseman just isn't
0:41
good enough. It's it's not good enough
0:42
to potentially repeat in the playoffs.
0:44
It's not good enough to compete with the
0:47
Carolina Hurricanes of the world. So,
0:50
it's going to be a point of attention
0:51
that Danny Brière kind of sets his
0:53
sights on um
0:54
that along with his owner, but that's
0:55
not this video. Um
0:57
so,
0:58
in doing this, there are certain
1:00
defensemen that are available this
1:01
summer that could be targeted by the
1:04
Flyers, but ultimately there are
1:06
four that we can come up with that they
1:08
should really, really, really do all
1:11
they can to desperately avoid signing or
1:15
trading for this summer. The first
1:16
person I really want to name here is
1:17
Morgan Rielly, the Toronto Maple Leafs
1:19
defenseman, the longest tenured Toronto
1:21
Maple Leaf right now since they've had a
1:22
massive overturn with their roster. Um
1:25
he was once a very like suitable
1:28
like a fake number one defenseman. The
1:31
it's he was a number one during those
1:32
good Toronto years with like Matthews,
1:34
Marner, and Nylander all all and Tavares
1:36
all humming on the same kind of
1:38
wavelength. Um
1:39
and he was their number one, but he was
1:41
not good enough to be a number one
1:42
basically and thrust thrust into that
1:45
role. He's had a couple good um
1:48
seasons. He he's hit like a regular 50
1:51
points. He's had 70 point seasons. He's
1:54
He's just like really done super well at
1:56
times, but lately it's just like his
1:59
legs have gone out from under him. He's
2:01
seen as not a real like strong candidate
2:04
to lead a blue line. So, the appeal
2:06
could be from the Flyers perspective is
2:08
like, "Oh, here's this guy that has
2:09
basically no trade value." Like like
2:11
right now, he's on a four year He has
2:13
four years left on his contract at 7 and
2:15
1/2 million
2:16
per. He's 32 years old. So, you like
2:19
make all the equation be like, "And he's
2:21
at the center of the hockey universe."
2:23
So, he has so much attention paid to him
2:25
that his value could basically has
2:27
dropped to not a whole lot. And he has a
2:29
no movement clause, but he's reportedly
2:32
um with Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston
2:33
reporting recently that he's willing to
2:34
move or wave that no movement clause to
2:37
see a destination. And I don't know.
2:39
Like the Flyers are building something,
2:41
so it could be interesting. And we'll
2:42
see if he even waves here, but um it it
2:46
I would ultimately
2:48
suggest to not target Morgan Rielly just
2:51
because he doesn't really answer a whole
2:52
lot. He's only 6 ft 1. And he's If he
2:54
doesn't he's not skating as well as Leon
2:56
Draisaitl. What is he really doing?
2:57
Being a left-handed shot like
3:00
Okay, sure. Like theoretically, he could
3:02
play the top pairing if Sanheim goes to
3:04
the right side. And let's say they trade
3:05
Ristolainen in a similar deal or like
3:08
maybe as part of the con- the deal and
3:10
they get so- and the you there's a
3:12
second and Rielly gets back for
3:14
Ristolainen or so- something like that.
3:16
I don't know. I'm just spitballing here,
3:17
but
3:18
it it it doesn't really There's not a
3:20
spot here cuz it's like
3:22
if you're putting him on that top
3:23
pairing, then you're putting him in the
3:25
same position that he was in Toronto and
3:26
that didn't work. So, what is the is the
3:29
point really? And and sure like at one
3:31
point he was a real good power play guy,
3:34
but it's also like how much of that
3:35
power play success was because of having
3:38
Auston Matthews on that same power play
3:40
and Mitch Marner. And yeah, we're seeing
3:42
Mitch Marner strive in the playoffs
3:43
right now. So, I I just don't see Rielly
3:47
one
3:49
being so gung-ho accepting a deal to
3:51
Philly, but also I would try it like I
3:54
was
3:55
really hope that Briere doesn't really
3:57
target Riley in the first place as like
3:59
a cheap
4:01
potential like oh, if we were to
4:04
add someone like Riley in in free
4:06
agency, we'd be paying more for him. So
4:08
if we're getting 4 years and 7.5 and say
4:11
even if the lease retained to make it
4:12
six or something to make it more
4:13
palatable and him
4:15
being paid less or or counting against
4:17
the Flyers cap hit for less than
4:19
Sanheim. All this kind of mental
4:20
gymnastics, it just doesn't make sense.
4:22
So I I I I I I just do I can't see it
4:24
happen with Riley.
4:26
Um and it just doesn't seem like
4:30
there's a fit there and it wouldn't
4:33
really work in the Flyers anyways. The
4:35
next name I I I think
4:37
is is a much more
4:39
interesting name. Um it's Rasmus
4:42
Andersson from Vegas and of course he's
4:44
a free agent and there were reports
4:45
earlier even when back when he was
4:47
playing for the Calgary Flames that he
4:49
was only going to be signing for Vegas.
4:51
So if that's true now and if Vegas say
4:53
like trades a Pavel Dorofeyev or trades
4:56
a William Karlsson or a Tomas Hertl,
4:58
then to fit in Andersson, then it's a
5:00
point that we don't even have to make
5:01
anymore, but
5:03
it it it is going to be interesting to
5:04
see if he reaches free agency and if
5:07
the Flyers are going to be interested
5:08
because theoretically, he's like someone
5:11
that they could really use. So he's he's
5:13
again, he's not the biggest guy. He's
5:15
also 6'1, same with Riley.
5:18
Um right-handed though, but he's going
5:20
to be he's 30 going to be 30 years old
5:23
this fall and he's capped out at like a
5:26
solid
5:28
performance in Calgary. He's been he's
5:30
had solid numbers and everything like
5:31
that and and has put in good
5:33
performances, but it just comes to a
5:35
point where it's like
5:37
if you're signing this guy for say six
5:39
or seven years,
5:41
then
5:42
you're really locking into this top four
5:44
of like uh Sanheim, Andersson,
5:47
York, Drysdale and then like what is
5:49
really the ceiling of that? Is that
5:51
something that you could see a
5:52
championship team having on their blue
5:54
line? Probably not.
5:56
Um if you're signing him then it kind of
5:58
like locks out Bonk and Yurchak into
6:01
more of like a depth role and rotating
6:03
the on the bottom pairing.
6:05
It it's just like it complicates things
6:07
and it's it's a
6:09
a target that feels like the Flyers
6:11
would sign
6:13
if they're just trying to get scrape by.
6:15
Like like the Palm Holmgren eras or like
6:18
or even like with the Giroux and Voracek
6:20
era. Like if there's someone like
6:21
Anderson hanging around, it feels like
6:23
someone that would get a max term deal
6:25
with in Philly just because it makes
6:27
sense or just because it is
6:29
a a fit somehow. Like it's it's just
6:33
because it's like there's something
6:35
going on. So
6:37
ultimately it just doesn't really make
6:38
sense.
6:39
Um
6:40
and he probably doesn't want to sign for
6:42
the Flyers anyways. I don't know. Maybe
6:44
he does, but like it's
6:47
there's a world where Anderson is the
6:50
final piece on the blue line of a team.
6:52
Like say if he goes to San Jose, like
6:54
then he could be a solid kind of number
6:56
one guy there as the young players
6:58
develop around him. Um there's just I
7:01
think better fits elsewhere and but
7:02
again like just with Riley it it seems
7:04
like
7:05
it's really really
7:08
hard to imagine or even like
7:12
think that Briere would be best suited
7:14
targeting someone like that. Now we're
7:16
getting into like a little bit of like
7:17
territory with like someone like
7:20
Anderson, but
7:21
does not have the same track record at
7:23
all and that is of course Darren
7:25
Raddysh. He's the talk of the town. He's
7:28
he's hanging out. He's
7:31
scoring goals. Like 22 goals this season
7:34
from the blue line which is crazy. But
7:37
like the a lot of his success has been
7:39
found on the power play. Um and if say
7:43
like
7:44
if Jamie Drysdale was on the Tampa power
7:47
play
7:48
with Nikita Kucherov, I bet he would
7:50
have a point per game.
7:52
If
7:54
Oliver Bonk right now, maybe 50 points
7:57
you could say.
7:58
It just feels like it's so much of that
8:01
was created
8:02
from
8:04
the environment that Radish was in. And
8:07
again, we're talking about a guy that is
8:09
already 30 years old. Um, 6'1. He scored
8:13
70 points this season. So like obviously
8:15
he's like yeah, he's the talk of the
8:17
town. He's like the one number one
8:19
defenseman that a lot of people are
8:20
looking at and just seeing like, oh, we
8:22
could maybe use some of that.
8:25
But it's also so
8:27
worrisome cuz it feels like a
8:30
a crash out that's about to happen. Like
8:32
you could just totally imagine him
8:33
signing like for like a 7-year,
8:34
8-million, 7-year, 8-million-dollar deal
8:36
somewhere
8:38
as like, okay, this here's his our
8:39
defenseman. He scored 70 points like in
8:41
his contract year, this is perfect. And
8:43
then he just crashes out. He scores 30
8:45
points
8:45
a year for like the next 5 years until
8:48
he's bought out or something like that.
8:49
Like it just you could just see the
8:51
writing on the wall. He's only get He's
8:53
already like hit his prime. He's already
8:54
past his prime.
8:56
So you're not really even getting like
8:57
the good years of him. Like it just
8:59
feels like it's a a wasted point. And
9:01
I've seen Flyers fans and and media and
9:03
and articles talk about Radish as
9:06
potentially signing with the Flyers.
9:08
And yeah, like sure if
9:10
there's a world where like they trade
9:11
Risto
9:13
they move Drysdale up to that top
9:15
pairing with Sanheim and then it's like,
9:16
okay, York and Radish is not a crazy
9:20
like if Radish is what he is and keeps
9:23
staying competitive and keeps on scoring
9:25
like even if we're saying 50 points,
9:27
like lead the lead the Flyers blue line
9:29
in points next season.
9:30
That's not crazy to think. And that's
9:33
not crazy to like
9:35
maybe you get the most out of it. And
9:37
the could be said for said for Anderson.
9:39
Like it's not crazy, but I feel like
9:41
they're both two defensemen that are
9:42
looking for paydays. And that's just so
9:44
dangerous. Um so it's just like
9:47
you that's like nightmare stuff that you
9:50
just want Danny Briere to avoid as much
9:52
as possible because there is going to be
9:54
the
9:55
threat or there's going to be the draw
9:58
of getting that like top defenseman and
10:00
making like a a statement, be like, "The
10:02
Flyers are back. The Flyers are making
10:04
the playoffs again because we got this
10:06
key piece then because we traded Risto
10:08
for a good prospect that's 2 years away
10:10
and or a good first-round pick for next
10:13
year or something like that. And and
10:14
we're stocking the pile like we're
10:15
stocking our cupboards full of assets
10:18
and and and we got the good free agent."
10:20
Um
10:21
it just feels like there's like a
10:22
potential for them to get a little too
10:26
I just want to say too confident, but
10:27
it's like it's like to accelerate this a
10:29
little bit further. Like there were
10:30
there reports of like of course like
10:32
Briere's like saying like, "Oh, we're
10:34
not saying playoffs are a goal. We're
10:36
we're keeping it easy." Even when like
10:37
it was hot, even when their
10:39
season was uh
10:41
rolling into that at the end of the
10:43
season.
10:44
Um
10:46
but like behind the scenes of course
10:48
they're like, "Yeah, you better make the
10:49
playoffs." Like playoffs are the goal
10:50
right now.
10:51
Um so it seems like it could be like a
10:54
scenario where
10:56
it's
10:58
if the Flyers want to accelerate this
11:00
thing and just like
11:02
nudge it a little bit forward,
11:04
then you could see Anderson and Raddysh
11:06
being the targets, but I feel like
11:08
that's just like two defensemen that are
11:09
so
11:12
risky
11:13
it's probably the best word to use
11:15
that it just feels like it's just going
11:17
to be like a nightmare in a couple
11:18
years.
11:19
The last guy is another trade. Um it's
11:21
one defenseman that I feel like is going
11:23
to be traded and has been rumored and
11:25
everything like that and is some seems
11:27
like just someone that some team is
11:29
going to pay a crazy high amount for and
11:31
that's Darnell Nurse from the Edmonton
11:33
Oilers. Of course, you get that
11:34
pedigree, like a minute muncher on a
11:36
Stanley Cup finalist for 2 years in a
11:38
row, fell short a little bit this year,
11:40
but it's just like
11:41
you get that guy and and you're you're
11:44
set or whatever. There's like that kind
11:46
of idea.
11:48
That feels like a giant mistake,
11:49
especially with that contract. He has 4
11:50
more years
11:51
with an AAV of 9.25 left. And he has
11:55
never really been a high offense guy.
11:59
He's coming off a 24-point campaign and
12:02
his hot career high was 43. Um so again,
12:06
not a whole lot of offense coming from
12:08
him. And then defensively, it's like
12:10
sure, he's 6'4, 215. That's a big boy.
12:14
That's a
12:15
some decent size. But how mobile is he?
12:18
Not very. So, it's just like what
12:20
purpose does he have on a blue line? And
12:22
it feels like at this point that the
12:24
Flyers specifically
12:27
I there is a world where they could use
12:28
him, but it's like you already have Nick
12:30
Seeler and if you don't trade Risto,
12:32
then what's like they're adding Nurse to
12:34
that. It's just so messy and then you're
12:36
competing like you're basically if you
12:38
trade Risto and then get Nurse in a
12:40
separate deal, you're basically like
12:41
recommitting to Nurse recommitting to
12:43
Ristolainen and hopefully to like
12:47
recoup assets later on, like pull off a
12:50
like buy low, sell high thing on Darnell
12:52
Nurse, but then it's like
12:53
is now the time for Philly to do that?
12:56
Is now the time for to
12:58
take that like pressure and then move
13:02
forward. Um
13:05
in like a future-looking deal, probably
13:07
not.
13:08
Um
13:09
There there is of course a world where
13:11
like you could see a Seth Jones kind of
13:13
thing that happened for him. So, Seth
13:14
Jones was traded from Chicago to Florida
13:16
and then in Florida, people were like,
13:17
"Oh, what the hell?" Like Seth Jones is
13:18
like the worst defenseman in the world.
13:20
And then he gets to Florida, right
13:22
situation,
13:24
uh a less cap hit a lesser cap hit cuz
13:26
he gets
13:27
retained a little bit
13:29
in the trade
13:30
and then the pressure is a little bit
13:32
off in Florida.
13:33
You see him kind of blossom into this
13:35
like second pairing guy and then win a
13:37
cup. So, it's just like
13:39
you could
13:40
There is a world where that happens with
13:42
Darnell Nurse. There's a world. It's not
13:44
impossible to think that even in Philly,
13:47
there's not there's a world where
13:49
Darnell Nurse is acquired for like a
13:51
second round pick and they or like say
13:53
like a second and
13:55
I don't know. Like Alex Sherneck or
13:57
something. I don't know. Um
13:59
and and you they're retained a little
14:01
bit. I don't know what the value is. I'm
14:02
sure Oilers fans would not like that. Um
14:06
They're retained a little bit to make it
14:07
like 7 million or something.
14:09
And then he like blossoms into this like
14:11
all situations, not a power play guy,
14:13
but like a power kill penalty kill guy.
14:17
Just like all situations kind of minute
14:18
muncher can
14:20
either play up with Sandheim and
14:21
Sandheim goes to the right or like York
14:23
is there and then like it's York and I
14:27
don't know. Like Nurse and Drysdale and
14:30
York and Sandheim are re-reunited. Um
14:34
There's just There's It's not impossible
14:35
to think of that working in a situation,
14:38
but is that the right time to do it and
14:39
is four more years of that Are you
14:42
willing to commit to that? Cuz again,
14:43
he's 31.
14:45
Hasn't been really good offensively. And
14:47
it's just like
14:49
again, what's the point? If you're
14:50
trying to upgrade your blue line, there
14:51
are other roads to take that I feel like
14:54
would just be more feasible, more
14:56
attainable, and just like
14:58
sure, you might not be able to get the
14:59
6'4 215 guy
15:02
so easily,
15:03
but like
15:05
I feel like you would just hurt your
15:06
team more no matter what.
15:09
So, I just feel like in the end like
15:10
those are four defensemen that just the
15:12
Flyers should just desperately avoid and
15:14
try to not
15:18
like not attempt to acquire anyway, sign
15:20
or trade or whatever. Like give up any
15:23
value. I feel like the best path forward
15:25
is like to like either do a short-term
15:26
thing with John Klingberg and like let's
15:27
try this. Let's get a power play guy.
15:29
See if that can work. Fix our power
15:31
play. Oh, look, we're winning again. If
15:33
that works or like just stay the course
15:35
and like hope Bonk and your check
15:36
develop. You have uh like underrated
15:40
guys like Ty Murchison coming up. You
15:42
have like a Spencer Gill, really raw
15:44
guy.
15:45
Um there's just like so many like
15:48
potential guys coming up that is like
15:51
I feel like they're going to be more
15:52
patient and they shouldn't just like oh,
15:54
here's Morgan Rielly come in like do
15:55
your thing quickly. We need help.
15:58
Um so yeah, I I I think that's where
16:00
we're at.
16:02
Flyers just not do anything if like
16:05
these names come up. Just don't don't do
16:06
anything. Just a big X. X X X X. Like
16:09
big X honking sound. Um that's it from
16:12
us today.
16:14
Um
16:14
Read and subscribe. We're brought to you
16:16
by hockey.com. There's an article going
16:18
over all this that I wrote just earlier.
16:20
Um and and going through in a deeper
16:22
detailed fashion of why the Flyers
16:24
should avoid these players. But um yeah.
16:27
Like and subscribe. Comment down below
16:28
if you agree or anything like that and
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BSH forever.
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