With the NHL Draft over and Free Agency around the corner, there are lots of emerging NHL rumours. Teams are looking at how they can acquire assets for a rebuild, or get great players to help their playoff chances. Some teams are looking to trade players to open up valuable salary-cap space to sign free agents. The need for cap space has a star Philadelphia Flyers winger in trade rumours.
Philadelphia Flyers Looking to Move Winger
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are looking to move James van Riemsdyk to open up some salary cap space for free agency. He also indicates that the Flyers will need to attach a sweetener.
Friedman writes on the Sportsnet website that the Flyers may have to attach a sweetener to move James van Riemsdyk. Arizona, Buffalo and Seattle have been linked to him.
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) July 12, 2022
James van Riemsdyk is in the last year of a five-year $35 million dollar contract he signed back in 2018. This is his second sting with the Flyers after they drafted him in 2007. In between, he played six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 33-year-old is a big body that is usually a safe bet to score 20 goals a season.
Flyers Looking to Make a Splash
The Flyers have been heavily linked to prized free agent Johnny Gaudreau who is likely to command north of $9 million dollars a year. So they are looking to create some extra salary cap space in order to make a splash this off-season. It already started with the buyout of defenceman Oskar Lindblom which created just over $3 million in cap space.
Moving van Riemsdyk would create another $7 million in space giving the Flyers around $17 million to make a run a Gaudreau and other free agents. From an actual cash standpoint, the Flyers have already paid a $1 million dollar bonus to van Riemsdyk (his 2022-23 salary is $5 million) so teams would only have to pay $4 million of actual money. Friedman says the Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, and Seattle Kraken as potential destinations for the winger. Still, the Flyers will likely have to sweeten the deal a bit for a team to take on van Riemsdyk.
BREAKING: According to TSN Senior Hockey Reporter @frank_seravalli, pending UFA James van Riemsdyk is expected to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers https://t.co/WSY43Rodx9 #TSNHockey #FreeAgentFrenzy pic.twitter.com/n0d0fZxxRV
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) July 1, 2018
