mcefalu

"Flyers and Hawks"

I never back-read, IL • United States • 28 Years Old • Male

Flyers Add Versteeg

By now, you've most likely heard about a rather bold move that was made last night by Paul Holmgren in order to add even more forward depth to a skilled Flyers lineup.
Homer has been known to make these kinds of moves, which Flyers fans can certainly appreciate as it's obvious how serious management is about winning the cup this year.

Flyers acquire Kris Versteeg from Toronto in exchange for a 1st and 3rd round pick. I agree with Bill Meltzer that though this is obviously an upgrade in the short term, especially since management has figure out how to play the cap game where none of the starters need to be moved (with the possible exception of Zherdev, if you consider him a starter at this point, but it remains to be seen whether he'll be dealt).

In the end, I like the deal because it essentially gives the Flyers a better version of Zherdev, in essence. Zherdev is, without a doubt, very skilled. However, he doesn't have much of a defensive game and rarely, if ever, plays with an edge. Versteeg brings an all-around game to the Flyers, thus contributing in so many ways.

If the Flyers decide to dump salary, it will very likely involve Zherdev, or possibly Carcillo. Zherdev actually has a decent chance of clearing waivers if teams are too reluctant to take a gamble on the ambivalent russian sniper, clearing 2 mill of cap space. But with low seeded teams trying to stay in the playoff race or teams on the brink of a spot, Zherdev might find buyers willing to take a risk on him along the waiver wire and force the Flyers to compensate a portion of his salary.

It's also tough to say who Versteeg will play with, since he could theoretically find success on multiple lines. He's the type of player that finds his offensive success from other players around him. He can still score to an extent without such a catalyst, though his other qualities as a player are then much more obvious - i.e. defense, penalty killing, forechecking, etc.

He arrives at a good time when the Flyers look to gain retribution from a talented Lightning team on their home turf. Here's to hoping such an addition will give the Flyers the spark they need to put this game away for another 2 points.

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