The Philadelphia Flyers will look to shake up their roster this offseason in the hopes of being in the mix for a playoff spot in 2022-23. General manager (GM) Chuck Fletcher and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Comcast Spectacor Dave Scott believe undergoing a rebuild is unnecessary and that better health on the roster during the regular season coupled with the right transactions made during the summer will provide them with a boost. Even with the return of Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis, plus Kevin Hayes, Joel Farabee, Scott Laughton, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Carter Hart remaining relatively healthy over the course of an 82-game season, it is debatable how improved they are.
After a successful 2019-20, their inconsistent goaltending and offense, along with their underwhelming team defense and special teams, have plagued the Flyers during the last two seasons. GM Fletcher has a lot of work to do this summer to improve the roster in addition to finding a new head coach. Here are three free agent forwards the Flyers should target this offseason.
Johnny Gaudreau
The Calgary Flames forward is a native of Salem County, New Jersey, and has been on the wish list of Flyers fans for some time. He is coming off of an outstanding regular season in which he played all 82 games and finished with 40 goals and 75 assists. Gaudreau has managed to be durable through his career, and the organization would benefit from his presence coming off of a year with injuries to several star players.
Gaudreau struggled to score during the playoffs but is one of the leading offensive players for the Flames. They have many roster members who will be seeking new contracts, including restricted free agents (RFA) Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane, UFAs Calle Jarnkrok, and Nikita Zadorov, to name a few. If GM Brad Treliving and Gaudreau are unable to agree on a new contract, the South Jersey native will be one of the top free agents on the market, and Fletcher should make an offer to him with the hope he can be a significant addition to help turn the club around.
Gaudreau commented on how much he enjoys being with the Flames, “If (GM Brad Treliving) and the owners are happy with the way I’ve played here in the past six to seven years and it’s something we can figure out. I would love to do that. I love the city of Calgary. I love playing here. I don’t think I’ve ever once said I haven’t wanted to be here.”