Philadelphia Flyers: 5 Free Agents Who Could Soon Be Wearing Orange and Black

Few teams have been more active this summer than the Philadelphia Flyers.  General manager Paul Holmgren has been racking up cell phone charges putting together a team with a whole new look, from acquiring a reliable net presence to getting rid of the team's struggling captain.

It would appear that the new Flyers are beginning to take shape, but don't be surprised if Holmgren still has another trick or two up his sleeve.  Here are five free agents that the Flyers should give serious consideration for a spot on the roster.

Bryan McCabe

The Upside:  McCabe is arguably the most capable free agent still on the market, a strong defenseman who is still capable of putting up 40 or more points in a full season.  Throughout his career, McCabe has seen time on both the power play and penalty killing units, and he is a strong anchor on teams that have needed a defensive leader throughout his career.  The former Maple Leaf can put up impressive offensive numbers without sacrificing defensive responsibilities, and his size makes him a reliable bulldozer in front of his own crease.

The Downside:  McCabe may be a strong defenseman, but the Flyers are already a strong defensive team.  Thanks to the impending free agency of Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle and the long-term deals inked by Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen and Andrej Meszaros, there isn’t a whole lot of space for the Flyers to sink money into any defensemen, even one as impressive as McCabe.

He’ll be a Flyer if… Paul Holmgren feels that Pronger’s injury may keep him out most of the year.  If Pronger winds up on IR and McCabe is still available, he is an ideal replacement.  However, the deal would likely be a short-term one, or Flyers fans can bet that both Carle and Coburn will be gone next season.

Ray Emery

The Upside:  The former Flyer appears to have solidified himself as a backup goaltender that can start in a pinch, much the way Brian Boucher performed for the Flyers the past two years.  In a defined backup role, Emery would be a good choice in case starter Ilya Bryzgalov were injured during a critical point in the season.  Emery kept Anaheim in a tight Western Conference playoff race last season while Jonas Hiller nursed an injury, and it appears that the former bad boy understands his new role in the NHL.

The Downside:  Emery is all but useless to the Flyers as long as last year’s starter Sergei Bobrovsky is in the mix.  Bobrovsky has a bright future in the NHL and despite lacking Emery’s playoff experience, it seems unlikely that Emery would have a place in the crease as long as both Bryzgalov and Bobrovsky play for the team.  Furthermore, Emery’s first stint with the Flyers ended in injury and there is little reason for Flyers fans to believe he is any more durable than either Russian playing in front of him.

He’ll be a Flyer if… Bobrovsky is traded.  With Johan Backlund fast becoming a bust and Niko Hovinen unproven despite his massive frame, the Flyers are gambling on their two NHL-caliber netminders while simultaneously entertaining offers for one of them.  Bobrovsky’s future as a Philly starter essentially ended when Bryzgalov signed his deal, and Paul Holmgren will set Bob free if the price is right.  Should that happen, the Flyers will need a plan B for a playoff run.  Then and only then, Ray Emery becomes an ideal candidate.

John Madden

The Upside:  The former Devil would bring a veteran presence at a bargain price (think Jim Dowd).  With the loss of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Darroll Powe, the Flyers’ penalty kill units may go from solid and threatening to passive and disorganized next season; Blair Betts and Claude Giroux are the only players who have consistently seen PK time for the team.  Madden would provide a needed boost to the penalty kill and forechecking on the fourth line that may have left with Powe.

The Downside:  At 38, no hockey fan would expect Madden to perform the way he did during his years in New Jersey.  He would be primarily a specialist player and put up forgettable numbers, with his only foreseeable strength being defensive reliability.  Even Madden’s physicality could come into question at his age, and those concerns could lead one to believe that Jody Shelley (who is making $1.1 million per year) might provide more use in that fourth line role.

He’ll be a Flyer if… no one steps up on the PK during training camp.  Scott Hartnell has played the PK before, Brayden Schenn is believed to be a multi-tool player who can kill penalties and Wayne Simmonds has the skills set to play on that unit.  However, for the first time in years, the Flyers have a question mark in this area of their game.  At the right price, Madden can be a contingency plan to use on nights when Shelley isn’t needed to ensure that Hartnell’s inevitable penalties don’t come back to haunt the team.

Sergei Samsonov

The Upside:  Samsonov is a brilliant, flashy player who has displayed impressive improvisational skills on the ice.  Coming off a disappointing year with the Panthers and Hurricanes, he will likely need to take a reduction in his $2.5 million salary, so the Flyers could get an experienced winger with the potential to score 40-50 at a better price than they got Jaromir Jagr or Nikolay Zherdev the last two seasons.  Samsonov could be a presence on the second or third line and could be a scoring threat for a playmaking center like Claude Giroux or Brayden Schenn.

The Downside:  Despite his talents, Samsonov has underperformed consistently for the last decade.  He might be able to help the Flyers make up for the points they lost when Richards, Carter and Leino left town, but the team won’t be able to rely on him to score goals in crunch time, when they mean the most.  He’s unlikely to garner enough defensive attention to open the ice up for players like Briere or Jakub Voracek on a regular basis.

He’ll be a Flyer if… the front office doesn’t believe they will get enough scoring from the first two lines to compete offensively.  Samsonov’s most sensible role would be as a third-line player who can occasionally surprise the defense.  If Schenn doesn’t make the team and one or more of the role players is sent to the Adirondack Phantoms, Samsonov might be a safe player to sign in the hopes of getting fifteen extra goals in 2011-12.

Chris Drury

The Upside:  The veteran center has been a recognizable name in the NHL for years, and despite struggles and injuries in recent season, few hockey fans can forget his clutch contributions that made him a fan favorite in both Colorado and Buffalo.  If Drury donned the Orange and Black, he would likely find himself as a third or fourth line center and would play second fiddle to stars Danny Briere and Claude Giroux.  Nonetheless, the American-made former All-Star is capable of scoring power play goals and has a reputation for putting up points in clutch situations, something that a young offense like Philadelphia’s may lack this season.

The Downside:  Drury’s veteran experience and potential leadership may be redundant traits for a team that just signed Jaromir Jagr and a locker room that consists of Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen and Danny Briere.  Most of the intangibles that Drury typically brings to a team are not intangibles that the Flyers appear to need.  Committing time and money to a player like Chris Drury could stifle the development of future stars Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier, and it seems unlikely that an offense heavily invested in the youth movement would want to start battling the salary cap thanks to the addition of a veteran who appears to be in his twilight years in the NHL.

He’ll be a Flyer if… the team can bring him in on a relatively inexpensive, one-year deal.  The Flyers have a plethora of depth at center on the team and in the system, and Drury will prove useful only if Schenn appears unready for the NHL.  This young offensive corps wouldn’t necessarily be hurt by Drury’s veteran leadership, but the former Ranger does not have a long-term future with the Flyers.