With Matt Niskanen reportedly retiring from hockey, this affects the entire off-season for Chuck Fletcher and his team.
With a cap hit of 5.75M, Niskanen’s retirement removes that from the books for the upcoming season. Meaning the Flyers now have well over 11M to spend.
With reports of Niskanen leaving, this may close some doors in the way of trading as now it would seem less likely that Shayne Gostisbehere gets moved barring any trade involving him for a certain 22 year old Right Winger from Winnipeg.
With the cap space available, the Flyers are also rumored to be signing UFA Justin Braun because they do not want to lose 2 big penalty killers this off-season. (UPDATE: Frank Seravalli is reporting Braun is closing in on signing for 1.8m for 2 years.)
#Flyers are closing in on an extension with D Justin Braun. Expecting a two-year deal with $1.8 million AAV.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 5, 2020
Niskanen played 949 games in his career and this came as a huge surprise as he seemed to be playing up to top four pairing level and was ready to play next season whenever that may be.
His time was short with the Flyers but he had a huge impact on the defensive core around him and guided Ivan Provorov with his veteran presence on and off the ice.
The Laine trade rumors seemed a mere fantasy this morning but now even with the presumptive signings of Braun, Myers, Patrick and Tyler Pitlick, the Flyers would now have at least $4,000,000-$5,000,000 in the bank, helping to aid whatever trade may come with Winnipeg.
This could also help GM Chuck Fletcher to acquire some potent players in Free Agency.
While his contract was up next season anyway, this provides the confirmation of extra cap space for a big Carter Hart extension and (if this dream happens) for Laine.
Who fills Niskanen’s role is another issue as the Flyers have many options. One is to use your depth internally. Guys like Friedman and even Zamula could fill in a spot but you’d have to see someone step up to the first line role which I could see Myers do if he has a good season.
Another option is to trade for that defenseman. If a Laine trade falls through then we have multiple assets on the forward end that could help us get a top 4 defenseman and solve the issue.
The other option is to use that extra cap space to sign a bigger free agent. Someone like Radko Gudas could fit, and there are also bigger names that could make an elite top pairing with Provorov.
What I think the Flyers should do is wait for free agency. With the stagnant cap, older defenseman will want less money on a contract. Use this retirement as an advantage for next season and the future.
I wish you nothing but the best Nisky and I hope this past season was one to remember!
Follow me on Twitter @thebasicbryce
Photo Credit: Amy Irvin/ The Hockey Writers
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