Flyers Weekly Mailbag: Free agency targets

Watching playoff hockey is tough this year. There is no pressure watching it this year with the Flyers missing the playoffs, your palms aren't getting sweaty, your heart is beating out of your chest, you're calm as a cucumber.

Nevertheless, it's tough watching playoff hockey this year because the orange and black aren't in it. For the past 7 or 8 seasons the Flyers have made the playoffs one year, and the next season they kick the bucket. They have to become a consistent hockey team next season, it's a must. The fans want a parade down Broad Street sooner rather than later, so let's pray the Flyers to become consistent next season. Without further delay, here are our answers to your questions.

The Flyers knew before the Kate Smith controversy that fans were growing impatient with the front office. This is the most critical off-seasons in recent memory, get it right and they could become contenders possibly within a year, get it wrong and this could set them back for about 5 years.

Fortunately, the orange and black have cap space to add, and make some solid splashes via free agency or trade. They will do exactly that, “We would like a veteran defenseman, more scoring forwards, and a goalie for Hart," Fletcher stated at the exit interviews." We will be active to improve the team. Everyone is tradeable." One way to ease the tension is building a contender, and Fletcher intends to do just that this off-season. The Flyers will make this right, as they know the proud orange-clad fans support them through thick and thin. They hear you loud and clear, and the Flyers will make this right in the end.

Good coaching leads to Championships. A good coach's system if bought into by the players can lead you to glory. Really how many people thought the Islanders would make the playoffs, let alone the second round of the playoffs, exactly one season after losing their best player in John Tavares? Not many that's for sure, but the Islanders bought into to Barry Trotz's system and look at them now.

The Flyers have to buy into Alain Vigneault's system, or some players won't play. He will sit the stars if he has to. Vigneault changes the culture of the team. He's giddy when he has to be, but the guy means business and commands respect from his players.

"You look, in my mind, at three things," Vigneault said at his press conference. "There’s some solid youth with a lot of upside here that is coming into its own. There’s great goaltending, being one of those youth pieces. There’s as solid core group that in my mind needs the right direction. And you’ve got the combination also of some solid veteran players that have been in the league a few years, that can still contribute at a high level in this league. There are some solid pieces that in my mind and after discussing it with a lot of people that I respect their opinion in the NHL I feel that the Flyers are a very good team that with the proper direction, proper mindset, proper culture and people working together will be a very good team in the near future."

Vigneault continued, "The job that Barry did in Long Island is an incredible job. An experienced coach that went in there with a definite mindset on what he felt needed to be done. Got to give him full credit and full marks for what he did. I believe that I know what it takes for a team to have success on a consistent basis and that’s what I intend to do here with the Flyers. I believe that with the proper direction, proper coaching staff, a coaching staff working with management, that the Flyers with the potential that is on this team will be a very good team in the near future."

Believe me better days are ahead, and Vigneault is the right guy for the job. He will make the locker room vocal once again, and get the leadership the Flyers lacked last season.

Continued on the pages below.

Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

I'm going to give this one a guess, and I will go with Bill Barber. He has tallied the most goals in Flyers Regular Season play with 420, and is also tied for the most playoff goals with 53.

This is a great team photo of the Leafs. The Flyers did some team bonding during training camp. They went on a white water rafting trip in Colorado I believe. During the season they were missing that vocal piece, and it was quite evident on the ice. There was so much that happened this past year, that Vigneault will instill positivity in the locker room moving forward. When Scott Gordon took over there was a breath of fresh air in the locker room. The players were having fun, and there was life back in the locker room:

This is the type of atmosphere that will be instilled into the culture of the locker room with Vigneault. When the Flyers won a game from the end of January till the end of the season 9 times out of 10, "All Night Long," was being played throughout the locker room. Team bonding will be a major focus for Vigneault.

Matt Duchene wants to get paid that is for sure. He will break the bank somewhere, will it be in Philly? Who knows, although Fletcher will be interested in his services. There is also no guarantee he actually hits the market. Duchene is having a good post-season, so the Columbus Blue Jackets may resign him. He is going to get paid one way or the other. For these reasons, I do not believe he signs in Philly, rather he resigns in Columbus.

Potential LW/RW Free Agent Targets:

Michael Ferland

Carl Hagelin

Justin Williams

Gustav Nyquist

Jeff Skinner

Jordan Eberle

I don't think the Flyers will be interested to sign Wayne Simmonds, although he will be available via free agency.

One Forward that could be available for trade is Kasperi Kapanen. The Toronto Maple Leafs will have their hands full trying to resign Mitch Marner, who is a restricted free agent. Moreover, with previous contracts paid to William Nylander and Auston Matthews, this more than makes him available via trade. Kapanen like Marner, is a restricted free agent.

Fletcher has hinted at submitting offer sheets for pending restricted free agents, but I don't think this is for Marner. Marner will be better or equal to Auston Matthews, and there is just no way the Leafs don't resign him. The Flyers could drive up the price, but that would kill future dealings with the Leafs for years to come.

Brayden Point may very well be given an offer sheet by Fletcher. I think Tampa Bay would match that offer however, but Fletcher I'm sure will do his due diligence before submitting this offer. Tampa Bay may be pressed against the cap, so anything is possible.

The Flyers knew before the Kate Smith controversy that fans were growing impatient with the front office. This is the most critical off-seasons in recent memory, get it right and they could become contenders possibly within a year, get it wrong and this could set them back for about 5 years.

Fortunately, the orange and black have cap space to add, and make some solid splashes via free agency or trade. They will do exactly that, “We would like a veteran defenseman, more scoring forwards, and a goalie for Hart," Fletcher stated at the exit interviews." We will be active to improve the team. Everyone is tradeable." One way to ease the tension is building a contender, and Fletcher intends to do just that this off-season. The Flyers will make this right, as they know the proud orange clad fans support them through thick and thin. They hear you loud and clear, and the Flyers will make this right in the end.

Terry Murray will more than likely figure into his Assistant role somewhere. He has a ton of experience as a Defensive coach, so adding him as a coach of the Penalty Killing unit wouldn't be out of the question.

Scott Gordon. Yes, Fletcher did say he is more than welcome of being the Head Coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but Gordon did a remarkable job of fixing the penalty killing unit of the Flyers. Moreover, Gordon had a great PK with the Phantoms, as well. This doesn't seem like a long shot by any means.

Kjell Samuelsson may also figure into the mix, as well. Samuelsson is a Player Development Coach, and may want to eventually become a Head Coach or a reliable Assistant Coach in the NHL.

Another coach that would fit Vigneault's system is Scott Arniel. He served as an Assistant for Vigneault for 5 years with the New York Rangers. Arniel is fantastic at grooming Forwards. Of course, he is currently serving as an Assistant Coach for the Washington Capitals, but anything could happen if the Flyers ask for permission.

Kevin Dineen would also be an interesting candidate. He was fired along with Joel Quenneville with the Chicago Blackhawks. Of course, Coach Q may want his services in Florida, but Dineen also has previous ties to the Flyers.

Lastly, I would love for Joey Mullen to come back as Head of the Power Play Unit. It's a long shot, and one that may be unlikely but it would be neat. Mullen, in my opinion, shouldn't have been terminated anyways.

The answer to your question is "Hell's Yea." Michael Ferland would be the big body player the Flyers need and Matt Duchene with his crafty playmaking skills. Not to mention Jacob Trouba and his Defensive prowess. This would make all Flyers fans happy for sure, and would hopefully bring a parade down Broad Street in the future.

By the time Fletcher extends our six restricted free agents in Justin Bailey, Ryan Hartman, Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, and Scott Laughton. This would leave the Flyers with approximately $14 million worth of cap space top add some UFA's. Of course, the Flyers would start with approximately $35 million worth of cap space before extending the RFA's.

I have information from my source that Provorov will resign before the World Championships begin. However, I have not heard anything on the remaining 5 RFA's that the orange and black have.

I think Kevin Hayes will be our next 2C. He is familiar with a Vigneault system, and he played well under him. Hayes provides a big body down the middle, and Nolan Patrick would then slot as a 3C. Hayes would be able to win board battles, as well, as this was one area the Flyers really struggled in this past season with maintaining possession in both the Offensive and Defensive Zone.

The Flyers will add a top-four defenseman this off-season. Whether that's via trade or free agency, Fletcher will definitely add one. Fletcher stated that he's not a fan of buyouts, so to me that signaled that Andrew MacDonald will not be bought out. I think he will be stashed with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, much like the way Matt Read was.

I do believe that one of Robert Hagg or Ghost will be traded. They may be traded to acquire a top-four defenseman. The backend is kind of crowded right now, so something has to give. Samuel Morin will be given every opportunity to slide into an everyday role, so let's hope he comes to Camp prepared. The Flyers haven't given up on him, and he hasn't given up on them.

Jacob Trouba would be an excellent addition to this club. I do believe that Fletcher would trade for his rights, rather than submit an offer sheet. Trouba is a defenseman the Flyers could use now, and he provides stability to a back-end that could use it until the youth take over.

I do believe this was the first time in NHL history that the two former Stanley Cup teams from the year prior, were ousted in Game 7 of Overtime the following playoff season. I do not recall this happening in my 28 years of watching the NHL religiously.

Fletcher I believe will trade for the rights of Jacob Trouba, who is a Restricted Free Agent with the Winnipeg Jets. I think this is the exact player that Fletcher hinted at with possibly submitting an offer sheet for. Brayden Point, Patrick Laine, and Mitch Marner will all be resigned by their respective clubs.

The last Restricted Free Agent to keep your eye's on is Kasperi Kapanen. Fletcher could trade for his rights, as the Toronto Maple Leafs cannot resign everyone. Kapanen is the likeliest of all the Forward-Restricted Free Agents throughout the league to end up with the orange and black.

Targets for 2C:

Brock Nelson

Kevin Hayes

Joe Pavelski

Targets For Defense:

Tyler Myers

Anton Stralman

Erik Karlsson

Marc Methot

Jacob Trouba- Make an offer sheet as he’s an RFA

Jared Spurgeon- To acquire via trade

I believe the Flyers will dismiss "Lappy" and Kris Knoblauch of their duties. Terry Murray, Scott Arniel, Kjell Samuelsson, Scott Gordon, Kevin Dineen, and Joey Mullen are good candidates to replace them. Arniel has worked under Vigneault in the past, so there is familiarity there. Now the Flyers need to ask permission from the Washington Capitals to speak with Arniel, but he isn't out of the question. Mullen shouldn't have been terminated in my opinion when he was coaching the Power Play Unit, and Dineen might want to coach for Coach Q. However, until Dineen signs with the Florida Panthers, he is fair game in my opinion.

According to Jay O'Brien, he did say the Flyers were ok with his departure from Providence. O'Brien said in a Conference Call earlier this week that Philly was "OK" with his decision. He still would have 3 years of NCAA eligibility left, in case O'Brien wants to return to school at some point.

The only logical rationale I could see is that he is either unhappy with the coach, or it's about playing time. Providence is a well-known hockey school, and a good one at that. This move shocks me, and I'm concerned about this for sure. I just don't understand why a player would leave a renown hockey school to play elsewhere unless he or she was unhappy with the coach, or not getting enough playing time. This is all speculation at this point on my behalf, but I promise I will get the answer at Developmental Camp, when I can interview him one-on-one.

If you would like to see your questions submitted in our weekly mailbag. Just submit your question on our Facebook page or on Twitter using #Flyersmail. Thanks to all the fans for another great mailbag, and Let’s go Flyers. Without your support, we wouldn’t be here today.

Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports