Tuesday was an unusual day for the NHL world, as the Philadelphia Flyers and other teams stood by as the St. Louis Blues signed Edmonton Oilers youngsters Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets as part of an ambitious retool attempt.
It’s unlikely the Flyers, Oilers, or other NHL teams would even touch the reported AAV of $4,580,917 that Broberg received, and while Holloway’s offer sheet was more palatable, St. Louis’s move on Broberg indicates that they are attempting to get the young defenseman at a price nobody else would match.
And, that move comes after the news that veteran defenseman Torey Krug could potentially miss the entire 2024-25 season in order to correct a significant issue with his left ankle.
So, how can the Flyers follow the Blues’ lead and get creative to address some of the squad’s biggest short- and long-term needs?
No. 3: C Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets
After setting career-highs in goals, points, and regular season games played in 2023-24, Winnipeg Jets center Cole Perfetti remains without a contract through the first half of August.
Perfetti, 22, scored 19 goals, 19 assists, and 38 points in 71 games last season in a depth role for Winnipeg, but generally took a step back offensively after managing 30 points through only 51 games in the season prior.
Perfetti was drafted 10th overall by the Jets in the 2020 NHL Draft, and though he was regarded as a slightly below-average skater, Perfetti boasts elite puck skills and a hard, accurate shot.
Aside from being a center, the other appeal to bringing aboard the Whitby, Ontario, native on an offer sheet is the fact that he and current Flyers forward Owen Tippett were linemates on the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL during the 2018-19 season.
Perfetti and Tippett remain close and have been training together this offseason; maybe Tippett, who signed a massive eight-year extension with the Flyers in January, can put in a good word for his old pal.
The Flyers have plenty of draft compensation to burn through, so if Perfetti is again pegged in for a depth role in Winnipeg, the Jets may not be willing to spend their money to match whatever the Flyers might put on the table.
No. 2: F Dawson Mercer, New Jersey Devils
Heading back out east into familiar territory, it’s a bit surprising that New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer remains a restricted free agent without a contract given how big of a piece he is for that team.
Mercer, 22, is an average skater who is coming off a career-worst 33-point season, though it’s worth noting that be crossed the 20-goal threshold for the second year in a row. Mercer has played all 82 regular season games in all three of his NHL seasons and is only one year removed from a 27-goal, 29-assist, 56-point campaign complete with seven points in 12 playoff games.
The Carbonear, Newfoundland, native is a versatile forward who kills penalties, plays the power play, and can shift between right wing and center at the drop of a hat. The benefit for the Flyers here is that Mercer would allow them to avoid committing to unproven, aging, or inconsistent players such as Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, and Scott Laughton.
The Flyers also have plenty of speedsters to help unlock Mercer’s full potential offensively and in transition. Players like Tippett and Travis Konecny would benefit greatly from playing with a jack-of-all-trades forward like Mercer.
No. 1: C Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken
Last but certainly not least, we turn to who was once the hopes and dreams of the Seattle Kraken franchise.
Drafted No. 2 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Matty Beniers was thought to be the No. 1 two-way center of Seattle’s future, but the 21-year-old just hasn’t put all the pieces together yet on a Kraken team devoid of top-tier offensive talent.
After scoring 24 goals, 33 assists, and 57 points in 80 games in his first NHL season in 2022-23, Beniers took a major step back last season, finishing the year with only 15 goals, 22 assists, and 37 points in 77 games after being tasked with tough minutes offensively and defensively.
Beniers is a decent enough skater whose shot is still coming along, but he has outstanding defensive instincts and is a willing and efficient creator of offense. Beniers’ main issue offensively is that he can’t do it all by himself, but on a Flyers team that flaunts talents like Tippett, Konecny, Matvei Michkov, that won’t be an issue.
Beniers is likely to cost the Flyers an arm and a leg, but if the Kraken choose not to match a potential offer sheet, it could pay off in spades down the road.
