The second day of free agency is reaching it’s twilight, and the first two days have provided plenty of fireworks in both the NHL & the NBA. At 12 PM yesterday afternoon, the NHL free agency period began, and players were permitted to officially put pen to paper and sign the contract. When that clock struck noon, the fireworks shot off. The signings came together so fast because of the negotiating period that took place before hand. In total, 96 players signed yesterday for a mind-blowing total of well-over $500 million. Let us take a look at the action (or lack thereof…) from our beloved Flyers yesterday.
The Flyers were never really in much of a position to do anything with this free-agent crop, due to past contracts given out (and taken away) by former GM Paul Holmgren. Many contracts had come back to bite new GM Ron Hextall in the butt. Vinny Lecavailer’s $4.5 Million Cap Hit, Mark Streit’s $5.5 Million Cap Hit, Andrew MacDonald’s $5 Million Cap Hit, and most importantly Claude Giroux’s $8.275 Million Cap Hit. These cap hits, partnered with the buyout of Daniel Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov left the Flyers $236,000 over the cap.
The lack of cap space available on “Overpay Day”, handcuffed Hextall, and forced the Flyers to stand pat on day 1. Boy, was it an overpay day. Many of the Flyers rumored targets had signed quickly into day 1 of free agency, and were paid handsomely. Matt Moulson returned to the Buffalo Sabres for 5 Years, $25 Million, Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen landed with the Capitals for a combined $65 Million, both on 5 year deals. In a day of major moves, the Flyers shifted their focus towards depth (surprisingly…), signing former German goalie Rob Zepp, former Calgary Flame Blair Jones, former Columbus Blue Jacket Nick Schultz, re-signing goalie Ray Emery and most recently trading Tye McGinn to San Jose for a 2015 3rd Rd Pick. In the coming days, one player I see on the Flyers radar is defender Michael Del Zotto. Del Zotto never truly got the chance to show off his two-way skills in New York or Nashville, but a thinned-out Flyers blue-line would provide the ultimate chance for that.
Now, let’s move onto the Sixers. NBA free agency unofficially began yesterday. While teams can “officially” sign contracts until July 10th, players have already verbally agreed to contracts with teams. Players like Shaun Livingstion (Golden St.), CJ Miles (Indiana), and Jodie Meeks (Detroit). While the big story still surrounds LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony…..there is plenty of talent to go around.
While the Sixers haven’t made a move yet, there is one in the works. Chris Broussard and Marc Stein of ESPN both reported this afternoon that the Sixers and Rockets are “natural” trade partners when it comes to the services of guard Jeremy Lin. Broussard even went as far as saying that because of Sam Hinkie’s relationship with Houston, Philly is “probably” where Linsanity will land. Due to the fact that Houston is pursuing Carmelo Anthony and needs to clear cap space, the return won’t be a player. It’ll be draft picks. I could see it being a 1st round pick, or a pair of 2nd round picks and a trade exception. While the return is unknown, one thing for sure is that Linsanity would create a media buzz for the Sixers.
There are many names on the open-market that can make an instant impact. LeBron, Melo, Bosh, Gasol…the list can go on and on. But, there is one name in particular that I’m hearing the Sixers really like and plan to aggressively pursue. Chandler Parsons. Parsons is another player that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie is familiar with. Parsons is very good player, with a good two-way game. Shooting is his specialty….something that the Sixers need. However, there will be a long list of suitors for the 25 year old Parsons, so the Sixers will need to make their offer a strong one.
2 days of free agency are just about in the books, and with 2+ months left, one has to believe that neither team is done making moves. It will be interesting to see what approach each team takes in their respective free agency periods. All I know is that both GMs Ron Hextall and Sam Hinkie will make it entertaining in some way. On that note, I have one question…..is it football season yet?
Tags: Flyers News, NHL Free Agency, Philly news, Philly Sports Fans, Philly Sports Talk, Ryan Waterman, South Philly Sports, South Philly Sports News, TalkSportsPhilly.com
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