Rumor: Things Not Left Unsaid: Flyers Rumors & Media Mentions

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bennysflyers16

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Jan 26, 2004
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Hi guys, Stars fan coming in peace, always loved the Flyers as an Eastern team but I haven't kept up with the team in a while.

In the event that Walker or Seeler are traded, could you tell me:
A) is Seeler reliable defensively? Like would be be a really solid 5-6 with some grit? We have Hakanpaa and he might be the lowest hockey IQ big body in the league and I would love to replace him with a guy like Seeler
B) Dallas could use another RHD, I know Walker has some offensive flash, but how is his defensive game?
C) What is a realistic cost you guys are looking for either of them?
I will answer "A", anyone of you 3 top central teams who add Seeler for your 3rd pair will be so happy.
Good defensively, tough, will block shots with his face, he's the exact guy the Jets should be getting.

Seeler and Tanev on the PK may never get scored on. lol
 

Ghosts Beer

I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
Feb 10, 2014
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Is he though..or just having a year where he is playing above his norm
There's a chance it's a fluke.

I tend to think he's an under-the-radar good RH defenseman who simply doesn't have name recognition.

Wasn't drafted. Played four years of college. Had a very good college career but Bowling Green doesn't get a ton of attention. He isn't a big defenseman, so he's already up against it.

Spends 1.5 yrs in the AHL. Makes the NHL at age 24.

Very solid 2nd NHL season in 2019/20 averaging over 18 mins/game and 24 points in 70 games.

Very solid 3rd NHL season in 2020/21, again avg over 18 mins and 18 pts in 47 games. But his season is cut short by COVID and the Kings stink, so again gains no recognition.

Then he blows his knee out 6 games into his 21/22 season, misses the entire rest of the season. Should've been hitting his prime; instead a huge setback and obviously becomes an afterthought because he's not playing.

Comes back in 22/23 but clearly not back to full strength for a player who relies on his skating. Not a big part of the Kings' D.

Gets thrown in the Flyers trade last summer.

Now he's back to full strength and picks up where his career was headed before the knee injury.

22 pts in 60 games, averaging over 19 mins/game and a huge part of why the Flyers are a surprise playoff contender.

I don't think it's really above his norm. I just think he's back on his former trajectory.
 

bennysflyers16

Registered User
Jan 26, 2004
86,655
64,994
There's a chance it's a fluke.

I tend to think he's an under-the-radar good RH defenseman who simply doesn't have name recognition.

Wasn't drafted. Played four years of college. Had a very good college career but Bowling Green doesn't get a ton of attention. He isn't a big defenseman, so he's already up against it.

Spends 1.5 yrs in the AHL. Makes the NHL at age 24.

Very solid 2nd NHL season in 2019/20 averaging over 18 mins/game and 24 points in 70 games.

Very solid 3rd NHL season in 2020/21, again avg over 18 mins and 18 pts in 47 games. But his season is cut short by COVID and the Kings stink, so again gains no recognition.

Then he blows his knee out 6 games into his 21/22 season, misses the entire rest of the season. Should've been hitting his prime; instead a huge setback and obviously becomes an afterthought because he's not playing.

Comes back in 22/23 but clearly not back to full strength for a player who relies on his skating. Not a big part of the Kings' D.

Gets thrown in the Flyers trade last summer.

Now he's back to full strength and picks up where his career was headed before the knee injury.

22 pts in 60 games, averaging over 19 mins/game and a huge part of why the Flyers are a surprise playoff contender.

I don't think it's really above his norm. I just think he's back on his former trajectory.
But you can accept him at 30 yrs old doesn't fit our trajectory and can net us some ammo.

We should not be committing long term to 30 yr old depth D men.
 

Ghosts Beer

I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
Feb 10, 2014
22,804
16,541
Hi guys, Stars fan coming in peace, always loved the Flyers as an Eastern team but I haven't kept up with the team in a while.

In the event that Walker or Seeler are traded, could you tell me:
A) is Seeler reliable defensively? Like would be be a really solid 5-6 with some grit? We have Hakanpaa and he might be the lowest hockey IQ big body in the league and I would love to replace him with a guy like Seeler
B) Dallas could use another RHD, I know Walker has some offensive flash, but how is his defensive game?
C) What is a realistic cost you guys are looking for either of them?
Yes, Seeler is reliable defensively. If you don't expect him to do too much, he's a very effective 3rd pairing blueliner. Skates pretty well, blocks everything, usually in good position, makes simple plays and executes them well.

I think Seeler is worth a 2nd rd pick.

Walker is pretty good defensively due to his anticipation and fact that he keeps his feet moving. He breaks up a lot of plays and is competitive. He'll make the occasional turnover, and not at his best if the team is hemmed in their own zone, but his positives outweigh his negatives defensively.

I think Walker is worth a late 1st rd pick.
 
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BiggE

SELL THE DAMN TEAM
Jan 4, 2019
25,298
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Somewhere, FL
They could try that. They may. It's a gamble.

If you have a bird in hand & can get Walker to agree to a palatable extension, is it worth, say, a late 2nd rd pick to trade him, and then have to compete with other teams to sign him in the summer, at possibly a significantly increased cost to the team if you can even get him at all?

I think that's what they have to weigh. And it will depend on what Walker is willing to agree to on an extension vs. what trade offers the Flyers are receiving.


Why are we presuming the Flyers can get "a 1st round pick +" for Walker?

Tanev didn't get a 1st.
Tanev is 34 and probably not in their future plans. Walker is 4 years younger and might be a guy that a contender will want to extend.
 

Ghosts Beer

I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
Feb 10, 2014
22,804
16,541
But you can accept him at 30 yrs old doesn't fit our trajectory and can net us some ammo.

We should not be committing long term to 30 yr old depth D men.
All depends on the ammo he can net.

It's not a case where I just dump him for whatever I can get. Screw that. I'm not in the business of gifting good players to other teams for cheap and alerting other GMs that they can lowball me in the future.

Walker doesn't turn 30 until next November. If he signs a 4 yr extension, he'll be 33 when it ends. Walker is a smart player with good wheels and low NHL mileage. I see no reason he won't be an effective defenseman through age 33.
 

FromOyVey2Matvei

Registered User
Jul 15, 2023
1,025
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Philadelphia
And with the Kevin Hayes comp, we also saw that interest at the deadline does not translate to interest in the offseason. We weren't able to rely on Columbus bailing us out in the summer like that might have at the deadline.

Simply relying on interest in Risto to remain static while we re-sign Walker is a risk itself. It takes one coach/GM firing or one separate trade for a potential Risto suitor to no longer be a fit.

Trade Walker now, get the premium asset.
If someone is interested in Risto now to the point where they’d be willing to make a “handshake deal” on a summer framework, I’d think they’d rather just have him right now, I mean all indications are he’ll be back well before the playoffs. We have plenty of space for max retention, and could even take a bad expiring deal back, so that’s not an issue.

If we sign Walker and Risto is still here too, we can basically assume there really isn’t much interest in Risto and we’ll be max retaining this summer on Risto and getting next to nothing back.
 
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Ghosts Beer

I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
Feb 10, 2014
22,804
16,541
If someone is interested in Risto now to the point where they’d be willing to make a “handshake deal” on a summer framework, I’d think they’d rather just have him right now, I mean all indications are he’ll be back well before the playoffs. We have plenty of space for max retention, and could even take a bad expiring deal back, so that’s not an issue.

If we sign Walker and Risto is still here too, we can basically assume there really isn’t much interest in Risto and we’ll be max retaining this summer on Risto and getting next to nothing back.
Trading Risto will not be a problem.
 
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FromOyVey2Matvei

Registered User
Jul 15, 2023
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Philadelphia
All depends on the ammo he can net.

It's not a case where I just dump him for whatever I can get. Screw that. I'm not in the business of gifting good players to other teams for cheap and alerting other GMs that they can lowball me in the future.

Walker doesn't turn 30 until next November. If he signs a 4 yr extension, he'll be 33 when it ends. Walker is a smart player with good wheels and low NHL mileage. I see no reason he won't be an effective defenseman through age 33.
See, you’re looking at it in a vacuum and there’s so many other factors at play:

-the loss of a premium draft asset we could’ve gotten from trading him
-the 2.5MM+ we’ll have to retain on each year of Risto’s contract because other GMs see the desperation
-the 5MM+ in cap space now tied up in Walker that we’ll be unable to use if a legit 1D or 1C shakes lose.

I love the way Walker has played for us. Might even say he’s been our best defenseman, but our window to win a cup is not now. And it’s not next year either. And it’s extremely unlikely the year after that (Michkov could theoretically join the team for the playoff push that year). So, are we really gonna sign a middle pair defender, pass up draft assets and tie up cap hoping maybe that we’ll be legit contenders for the back half of his deal?

That’s poor roster/cap/asset management.
 
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Ghosts Beer

I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
Feb 10, 2014
22,804
16,541
See, you’re looking at it in a vacuum and there’s so many other factors at play:

-the loss of a premium draft asset we could’ve gotten from trading him
-the 2.5MM+ we’ll have to retain on each year of Risto’s contract because other GMs see the desperation
-the 5MM+ in cap space now tied up in Walker that we’ll be unable to use if a legit 1D or 1C shakes lose.

I love the way Walker has played for us. Might even has he’s been our best defenseman, but our window to win a cup is not now. And it’s not next year either. And it’s extremely unlikely the year after that (Michkov could theoretically join the team for the playoff push that year). So, are we really gonna sign a middle pair defender, pass up draft assets and tie up cap hoping maybe that we’ll be legit contenders for the back half of his deal?

That’s poor roster/cap/asset management.
Again, why are you presuming that Walker = "a premium draft asset"?

Do you consider anything that Calgary got for Tanev "a premium asset"?

I sure don't.

Yeah, they'll probably have to retain on Risto. They're going to have to retain on Walker, too.

Walker's AAV will be lower than Risto's. So even if you retain on Risto, you aren't paying much more for an improvement in Walker.

Edit: And you'll probably get the same asset for Risto w/ retention that you'll get for an expiring Walker w/ retention.
 
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BiggE

SELL THE DAMN TEAM
Jan 4, 2019
25,298
66,370
Somewhere, FL
See, you’re looking at it in a vacuum and there’s so many other factors at play:

-the loss of a premium draft asset we could’ve gotten from trading him
-the 2.5MM+ we’ll have to retain on each year of Risto’s contract because other GMs see the desperation
-the 5MM+ in cap space now tied up in Walker that we’ll be unable to use if a legit 1D or 1C shakes lose.

I love the way Walker has played for us. Might even say he’s been our best defenseman, but our window to win a cup is not now. And it’s not next year either. And it’s extremely unlikely the year after that (Michkov could theoretically join the team for the playoff push that year). So, are we really gonna sign a middle pair defender, pass up draft assets and tie up cap hoping maybe that we’ll be legit contenders for the back half of his deal?

That’s poor roster/cap/asset management.
Sadly, the Flyers have been masters of poor roster/cap/asset management for quite a few years.
 

FromOyVey2Matvei

Registered User
Jul 15, 2023
1,025
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Philadelphia
Again, why are you presuming that Walker = "a premium draft asset"?

Do you consider anything that Calgary got for Tanev "a premium asset"?

I sure don't.

Yeah, they'll probably have to retain on Risto. They're going to have to retain on Walker, too.

Walker's AAV will be lower than Risto's. So even if you retain on Risto, you aren't paying much more for an improvement in Walker.

I think Tanev is having a down year and offers next to zero offense. He made a lot of sense for Dallas, but a lot of the other contenders are looking for more of a 2 way guy and Walker’s really the only game in town. Quality drops off big time after him. Calgary was also rumored to be offered a late 1st, but they would’ve had to take on a contract that isn’t expiring (perhaps it was Edmonton and Ceci?) . One of the pundits also claimed Calgary preferred Grushnikov to a late 1st. I think that’s dumb, but it’s out there and wouldn’t surprise me.

I’m happy to retain on Walker because he’s a pending free agent. I’d retain 100% if i could. This year’s cap means nothing. We’re not making any big acquisitions before the deadline. Next year’s cap? 25-26 cap? That’s when we need space to make big moves. If you retain on risto, you’re retaining until the summer of 2027.
 

Ghosts Beer

I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
Feb 10, 2014
22,804
16,541
I think Tanev is having a down year and offers next to zero offense. He made a lot of sense for Dallas, but a lot of the other contenders are looking for more of a 2 way guy and Walker’s really the only game in town. Quality drops off big time after him. Calgary was also rumored to be offered a late 1st, but they would’ve had to take on a contract that isn’t expiring (perhaps it was Edmonton and Ceci?) . One of the pundits also claimed Calgary preferred Grushnikov to a late 1st. I think that’s dumb, but it’s out there and wouldn’t surprise me.

I’m happy to retain on Walker because he’s a pending free agent. I’d retain 100% if i could. This year’s cap means nothing. We’re not making any big acquisitions before the deadline. Next year’s cap? 25-26 cap? That’s when we need space to make big moves. If you retain on risto, you’re retaining until the summer of 2027.
I bet you get the same asset for Risto w/ retention that you'd get for an expiring Walker w/ retention.
 

FromOyVey2Matvei

Registered User
Jul 15, 2023
1,025
1,276
Philadelphia
I bet you get the same asset for Risto w/ retention that you'd get for an expiring Walker w/ retention.
Risto with retention is basically Nick Seeler, but signed for 3 additional years. And honestly, that comp might be slightly insulting to Seeler.

I know the Flyers like to do things differently, but most other teams actually prefer not to have defense-only bottom pairing defenseman locked up for multiple years. They usually figure they can find one on the cheap, and always hope they’ll actually be able to do better.
 
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Ghosts Beer

I saw Goody Fletcher with the Devil!
Feb 10, 2014
22,804
16,541
Risto with retention is basically Nick Seeler, but signed for 3 additional years. And honestly, that comp might be slightly insulting to Seeler.

I know the Flyers like to do things differently, but most other teams actually prefer not to have defense-only bottom pairing defenseman locked up for multiple years. They usually figure they can find one on the cheap, and always hope they’ll actually be able to do better.
Risto with retention will get you at least a late 2nd, most likely along the lines of what teams are offering for an expiring Walker with retention.
 

mwit20

Registered User
Aug 19, 2018
17
30

Emily Kaplan:

“Sean Walker is likely the next man up. Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere told me he'd like to re-sign both Walker and his defense partner, Nick Seeler, but he didn't know if it would be possible. With little traction for new contracts, it appears they're poised to be moved -- especially Walker.”

Also mentioned steep price tag for Laughton, Flyers taking calls but not shopping him.
 
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