On the Philadelphia Flyers …
Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Don’t expect the Flyers to be signing any big named free agents. Flyers GM Ron Hextall will be looking for bargain free agent forwards.
David Backes, Andrew Ladd, and Mikkel Boedker will be too expensive for the Flyers, so they could be looking at Jamie McGinn and Troy Brouwer.
Other free agents that might fit into their price point include: Shawn Matthias, Frans Nielsen, David Perron, Darren Helm, Dale Weise, P.A. Parenteau, Teddy Purcell, and Matt Martin.
The Flyers have about $11.9 million in salary cap space with five RFAs to sign, including Brayden Schenn.
Hextall figures he’ll have $3 to $4 million in free agent spending money, leaving $2 million for emergencies.
The Flyers are watching the Jimmy Vesey situation.
On David Backes …
David Pagnotta: Have been told that there has been considerable interest in David Backes
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch: David Backes didn’t want to discuss anything to do with his pending free agency yesterday. He’s believed to have turned down a three year, $15 million dollar offer earlier in the year and could be looking for more than $6 million in free agency. TSN analyst Darren Dreger.
“No question about it,” Dreger said. “There seems to be a push from NHL clubs against that type of player in terms of term and money. That doesn’t have to anything to do with the quality of the player or the character. He’s going to be highly sought after, there’s no doubt about that. If you’re a contending team, or you think you’re close to being a contending team, you have to look at David Backes for everything that he brings on ice, and leadership and community work and everything else.
“But there definitely seems to be a focus from NHL clubs to push back against those 31-, 32-, 33-year-old pending unrestricted free agents. I don’t know what Backes is going to command. But just based on age, and the fact the salary cap went up marginally, teams are really, really sensitive to paying that 30-plus (player) in term more than three, four years. That’s what hurts him.”