Flyers Buy Out Oskar Lindblom; Can They Make Space To Snag Gaudreau?

On the eve of unrestricted free agency, the Philadelphia Flyers made a difficult decision.

In order to free up salary-cap space to go shopping on Wednesday, general manager Chuck Fletcher announced that the club has elected to buy out the final year of Oskar Lindblom‘s contract.

Lindblom, 25, signed a three-year pact in the summer of 2020. At that time, he was making his way back to game action after undergoing chemotherapy to treat Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Lindblom’s contract carried a cap hit of $3 million per season and was set to pay him $4 million in 2022-23.

Because he is under 26, Lindblom will now receive just one-third of that money. That’s a total of $1.33 million, spread evenly over the next two years.

The backloaded structure of the contract benefits the Flyers. They’ll receive a total cap saving of $3.33 million for next season. Then, they’ll take a hit of $666,667 against the cap in 2023-24.

A Difficult Day

Lindblom’s successful cancer battle was inspiring. He was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2020 and the winner in 2021, as “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

But the right-winger has not yet rediscovered the offensive punch that had made him one of the NHL’s breakout stars in the 2019-20 season.

Prior to his cancer diagnosis, Lindblom had posted 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games, and carved out a spot in the Flyers’ top six as he averaged 17:37 of ice time per game. In his return to action, his ice time fell to 13:11 in 50 games in the 2020-21 season. He tallied eight goals and 14 points. Last year, he hit 12 goals and 26 points in 79 games, averaging 13:48.

In recognition of his impact on the Flyers and the city of Philadelphia, the organization announced Tuesday that Flyers Charities will make a donation of $100,000 in Oskar’s name to a local organization that supports families impacted by cancer.

“This was a very difficult decision to make and one that we spent a lot of time examining,” said Fletcher in a media statement. “No one can question the desire, will and strength to overcome all that Oskar has been through off the ice in order to return to the game he loves. Further, Oskar’s commitment to his teammates and impact in our room has been immeasurable. He is truly an inspiration to us all and he will always remain a special part of the Philadelphia Flyers family. We wish him all the best as he continues his NHL career.”

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Courting Gaudreau?

Of course, the Flyers’ top rumored free-agent target is left winger Johnny Gaudreau . The 28-year-old scoring machine from South Jersey hit a career-high with 115 points last season. As of Tuesday afternoon, he has yet to re-up with the Calgary Flames, even with a record-setting offer reportedly on the table.

Based in Philadelphia, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff identifies the Flyers, the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils as potential suitors for Gaudreau.

The five-day “discussion period” ahead of free agency was abolished when the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement was updated in 2020. Officially, no team can approach an impending UFA until free agency opens at noon E.T. on Wednesday.

The Flames’ opportunity to sign Gaudreau to an eight-year extension expires at midnight ET on Tuesday. After that, their maximum term length reverts to seven years. It’s the same for all other teams.

On Monday, the Flyers officially inked newly acquired defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $5 million per season. That leaves the club with less than $3.5 million in available cap space on their books, according to CapFriendly. That’s after Lindblom’s buyout and assumes that both Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis come off long-term injured reserve and are ready to re-join the main roster next season.

A JVR Trade?

The Flyers would need another $7 million in cap space in order to take a run at Gaudreau. That just happens to be the cap hit for the final year of James van Riemsdyk‘s contract.

With 24 goals, the 33-year-old led the Flyers in scoring last season and is known for his strong character. But his lack of footspeed is becoming more of an issue as the game evolves. He’s more of a static, stand-in-front-of-the-net kind of scorer.

After he receives a $1 million signing bonus, van Riemsdyk will only have $4 million in base salary owed to him next season. That could make him an appealing trade target for a team looking to reach the cap floor. But as the flat-cap era drags on, the price tag for those roster spots has ballooned.

Hip Injury Knocks Brink Out Of Development Camp

While Fletcher and his staff do their best to prepare for what Wednesday brings, director of player development Kjell Samuelsson and senior advisor to the GM/player development Mike O’Connell are putting the Flyers prospects through their paces. Development camp runs this week at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ.

Thirty-five players are taking part in the camp. That includes new first-round draft pick Cutter Gauthier and his U.S. National Team Development Program teammate Devin Kaplan, who was selected in the third round in Montreal last Friday.

One notable absence is right winger Bobby Brink. The 34th pick from 2019 played in 10 games for the Flyers last season after completing his junior year at Denver. But a hip injury suffered during training will keep the 20-year-old away from development camp. At this point, his recovery path is uncertain.