Flyers Free Agency Thoughts / Giroux Being an Ass (Get it?)
Posted 11:41 AM ET | Comments 0
Happy Independence Day! Here we are, a few days into Free Agency 2014, and guess what? The Flyers have not made any crazy big trade, or signed an aging free agent past his prime to a deal worth too much money. What is going on here!? This is what happens when the salary cap limit works against a team. We have not been used to seeing anything like this in a few years. Sure, the Hartnell for Umberger and a draft pick trade shook up the team a little bit, but so far, that may just be all of the excitement that we get this offseason. Although he was a fan favorite, I am a fan of the McGinn to the Sharks for a 3rd rounder trade. I felt like maybe McGinn hit his prime as a Flyer so early, and a change of scenery was just what he needed. So far, the Flyers signed their new Hal Gill, Nick Schultz, for cheap, and signed a couple of depth forwards for the Phantoms. I like the Blair Jones and Andrew Gorgon signings, as they seems to be AHL scorers who could be called up to the NHL to assist on the fourth line occasionally. The Stortini signing just shows that the Phantoms still need to have that enforcer on the team. I don't believe FitzGerald will be wearing a Phantoms uniform next season. Although they did qualify Brandon Manning, I look for him to take on a different role than being the fighter he was last season if he is actually signed and assigned to the Phantoms again in 14-15. Look for some of our defensive prospects like Manning, Lauridsen, Alt, Hagg, and maybe Ghost (unless he can crack the Flyers' roster) to give the Phantoms an interesting look on D this upcoming season. I like that Hextall hasn't done anything too crazy this offseason, and showed us Flyers fans what patience is during free agency. I mean, look at some of those contracts that were handed out! I still say Hexy has a chance to trade Vinny, but if he is going to be on the team next season, maybe he'll click somehow on the top line with Giroux and Voracek? Lastly, I will write one short piece on Giroux's arrest on Canada Day. He had a bit too much to drink, and did something a lot more annoying than anything. The only reason it was even a big deal to begin with is because of the high-profile athlete he is, and the fact that it was a police officer that he annoyed. Giroux just has to make a splash somehow in the offseason, but at least he didn't slice his wrist with a golf club like last offseason (yet). Look for Giroux to increase his point totals slightly this upcoming season if he plays the full 82 again! He learned a life lesson on being more professional when you're in the spotlight, and someday, we (Giroux included) will all look back on this incident and laugh. Until something else Flyers-related happens, I will go back to enjoying my summer and continuing to get everything set up in my new house that I recently moved into.