Thanks For Everything Gags, Now Pack
Depending on who you believe, the Flyers have either convinced Simon Gagne to drop his no trade clause already, or it's just a matter of time before he does. In either case, it's pretty much guaranteed that he's leaving now that Nikolai Zherdev has been brought back from the KHL to play in Philly.
Rumor had it that the Kings were really interested in Gags, however I think they are waiting to see what happens with Ilya Kovalchuk in their on again, off again conversations. Originally, I thought that the Kings were gonna be the lone option, but with the Flyers now having the worst cap situation in the NHL (-1.4 million), he must be moved somewhere.
I'm thinking that the teams in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes are the teams most likely to land Gagne. You're looking first and foremost at the New York Islanders. On their current roster, there are only three players at 30 or older. This is a great place for a veteran leader to drop in and make an impact. This is a good fit for New York also. They are $28 million under the cap, and ownership is working hard to make the Islanders respectable in their efforts to get a new arena and/or possibly relocate the team to Kansas City.
Now, on to you, the Flyer fans. Alot of you are unhappy about moving the longest tenured athlete in Philly sports right now, but looking at it objectively, there isn't a better time than now. Despite his numerous injuries, he still has value. Another significant injury or concussion, that may not be the case. If Zherdev comes as advertised, he has a better skill set than Gagne does regardless. And then, of course, there's that cap issue. The Flyers are still looking to sign Darroll Powe, Dan Carcillo, possibly Arron Asham and they are still evaluating goaltenders. None of this happens if he stays.
Moral of the story. The man had a good run here, but it's time to let go. It's a new opportunity for him, and for the Flyers.
Rumor had it that the Kings were really interested in Gags, however I think they are waiting to see what happens with Ilya Kovalchuk in their on again, off again conversations. Originally, I thought that the Kings were gonna be the lone option, but with the Flyers now having the worst cap situation in the NHL (-1.4 million), he must be moved somewhere.
I'm thinking that the teams in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes are the teams most likely to land Gagne. You're looking first and foremost at the New York Islanders. On their current roster, there are only three players at 30 or older. This is a great place for a veteran leader to drop in and make an impact. This is a good fit for New York also. They are $28 million under the cap, and ownership is working hard to make the Islanders respectable in their efforts to get a new arena and/or possibly relocate the team to Kansas City.
Now, on to you, the Flyer fans. Alot of you are unhappy about moving the longest tenured athlete in Philly sports right now, but looking at it objectively, there isn't a better time than now. Despite his numerous injuries, he still has value. Another significant injury or concussion, that may not be the case. If Zherdev comes as advertised, he has a better skill set than Gagne does regardless. And then, of course, there's that cap issue. The Flyers are still looking to sign Darroll Powe, Dan Carcillo, possibly Arron Asham and they are still evaluating goaltenders. None of this happens if he stays.
Moral of the story. The man had a good run here, but it's time to let go. It's a new opportunity for him, and for the Flyers.
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