Welcome to the next edition of NHL Rumours! The buzz is generating so much that the frenzy is going to be exciting. With the amount of trade candidates and free agents, fireworks are bound to happen. The other key element is buyout candidates and if teams opt to go that route. That leads us to our latest rumour swirling around the Philadelphia Flyers.
NHL Rumours
Rumour: Darren Dreger discusses the future of forward Cam Atkinson
It feels like a lifetime ago that the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets made the trade. Cam Atkinson went to the Flyers in exchange for forward Jakob Voracek. Now, it appears that the Flyers are looking at what to do with the players.
Atkinson currently has one year left on his contract and has a salary cap hit of $5.8 million. He’s 35 years old, so the clock could be ticking on his playing career. With the Flyers still in rebuild mode and planning accordingly for the future, assessing what to do with him makes sense. Dreger laid out options that the Flyers have been exploring so let’s take a look.
Trade Him For Assets
According to Dreger, the San Jose Sharks had trade interest for Atkinson. However, Atkinson was not keen on moving over there. At the stage of his career, going to a rebuilding team isn’t enticing. Although, he would be a great role model and veteran presence in that locker room.
$5.8 million is a hefty price tag but the Flyers are willing to eat a chunk of the money to make a move work. The price tag may not be super high, so a team looking for added depth should call Daniel Briere.
Buyout the Contract
There are a few Flyers that are buyout candidates. One of those candidates is Atkinson. Buying him out would free up $3.5 million, which is money that can be put towards another upgrade on the roster. Thats huge, as the Flyers currently have only $803k in available salary cap space. Briere has done a good job this season trying to be competitive and also staying on the path of building for the future. If the team opts to do neither, they could simply keep him.
Keep Him
The latest NHL Rumours suggest he is gone but keeping him is also an option. What’s one more year? And worst comes to worst, trade him at the deadline.
Atkinson is a good depth player and can be that extra layer of scoring. Despite taking a step back production wise, he’s someone who has been consistent in his career. Throughout his career, he’s been a consistent 20 goal scorer. Even during the 2022-23 season Atkinson had 50 points for the Flyers. It may seem like doom and gloom, but Atkinson is a good presence and keeping him isn’t the worst thing.
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