Do the Flyers Want to Trade?

Today, South Jersey's Courier-Post took a look at some of the options the Philadelphia Flyers may have in goal moving forward and the possibilities are all over the board. Both of the Flyers' goalies are unrestricted free agents this summer, so it's no surprise that one option is to acquire Panthers' goaltender Craig Anderson.

Philly already has one option in simply re-signing Martin Biron, but so far, they haven't gotten around to it. Maybe they won't.

Biron's regular season numbers were nothing special: a 2.76 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage aren't top-15 in either category and big saves weren't always made when the Flyers needed to get them. Marty Biron's salary isn't bad compared to some around the league, but for a team pressed up against the cap, that shouldn't cost them $3.5M.

The Flyers have had to work hard to stay below the upper limit this year, and if the cap were to go down in a year or two - Biron being middle-of-the-pack at $3.5M just isn't ideal for Philadelphia moving forward. And as the article writes, even if you offer Biron a lesser salary, it's probably not a deal that gets accepted unless it's a multi-year deal. Teams always have to be mindful of the future, and two years from now, that might not be in the Flyers' best interest.

So, it's no surprise that rumors are abound over Philadelphia's potential interest in the UFA goalie market.

Last week, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that the team is even throwing some consideration Ray Emery's way. Whether it's true or not, statements like that generally aren't made when a team has already got a goaltender for the following season.

But beyond Biron and Antero Niittymäki and a plethora of generally run-of-the-mill free agents, the Flyers can always look at the options they have via trade. With a potential cap hit to dump, the Flyers can probably offer the Panthers more for a UFA's rights than any other team would be comfortable, or willing. It doesn't hurt that Philadelphia's large cap hits come from their offense.

The Courier-Post article suggests trading any combination of forwards Joffrey Lupul, Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk, defenseman Ryan Parent and a first-round draft pick, for the rights to Jay Bouwmeester and Craig Anderson.

Briere's salary next season would be second only to Pavel Bure in the Panthers' history, though, and based on the layoffs and moves within Sunrise Sports & Entertainment this past season, I don't think the Panthers would be willing to take on a player who struggled with injuries all year - and will make $8M next year. No matter what, someone is going to want an advance on negotiations with Jay Bouwmeester, and the Cats just may be able to come away with a nice return for a player that they would otherwise lose for nothing.

Still, Philadelphia seems like a realistic trade partner and all things considered, a deal between the two clubs seems like it could work well for both teams. The Flyers have made no secret of their interest in Jay Bouwmeester and more recently, Craig Anderson - and Cats GM Jacques Martin stopped in at the Wachovia Center in February to catch a pair of Flyers games just prior to the trade deadline. Then, when the Flyers reportedly made an offer for the defenseman on deadline day, Jacques Martin passed on the deal - presumably because the offer helped the Panthers "in the future" but only at the expense of their playoff push (which didn't end well).

So we know there's already something there, and it's been there for months. If Florida's willing to take a big salary, Philadelphia has the offensive depth to help the Panthers, and if a prospect with the potential that James van Riemsdyk has were to come to the Panthers, it'd be hard not to get excited for his development.

Of course, they could just be cool and give us Jeff Carter. I wouldn't mind.