Jun 15, 2021
For the Love of God, Dougie Hamilton and Seth Jones are Available…
June 15th, 2021
It’s funny when someone you’ve always liked either personally or because of their play becomes available. You clamoured for weeks, maybe even months on different ways to acquire such a player, whether trade or free agency. Then you star rummaging through different roster moves to coordinate the acquisition. When that player actually becomes available, for some reason the rhetoric changes. Now it’s not worth it, it’s not worth their time, and it would be a gross overpayment. That’s essentially the life of a Flyers fan (other teams as well but this one is specific) during every trade deadline and free agent frenzy.
The Philadelphia Flyers had an inordinate amount of issues this past season, which led to an overwhelmingly disastrous result. The defense was in tatters after the departure of Matt Niskanen and it seemed like everyone that was supposed to take that next step forward, took a giant step back. It was common knowledge that their defense needed a gargantuan fix, not a patchwork move that we’ve been so used to over the years. One name that floated around, maybe as a fantasy, was Dougie Hamilton. Defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes was set to become an unrestricted free agent and no one knew if he was gonna commit or not. It just so happens that now, shortly after being eliminated, his negotiating rights are available for a trade. Exciting!
Weeks before this news came to the forefront, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones, informed his club that he will likely test free agency. Which really only means one thing and that he is ready to move on from Columbus and settle elsewhere. With only one year left on his contract, he becomes a very intriguing rental piece. A player lauded for years for his play, skill, ceiling, and defensive acumen, being so readily available was like a present landing in the laps of defenseman-hungry GMs. All of a sudden many people, fans and media alike, think that he’s overrated and not worth acquiring. Interesting…
So where do we go from here? At the end of the season, the odds of acquiring a top tier defenseman were somewhat bleak. Having to go through a bidding war on the opening day of free agency for the services of Dougie Hamilton would’ve been a fruitless endeavour. Nashville defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis are most likely no longer available. Then you’re left with potentially inquiring for the services of Oliver Ekman Larsson who is expensive and no longer worth the price tag. Now the Flyers have the opportunity to acquire Seth Jones and/or the negotiating rights for Hamilton.
Seth Jones’ price tag is going to be somewhat expensive in terms of rental pieces. However, he will be worth everything they give up and then some. It doesn’t help that there will be a bidding war of sorts for his services but the Flyers have the pieces that are required for such a trade. Off the bat the Flyers would give them their first round pick in the upcoming draft (13th overall), a roster piece like Nolan Patrick, and probably another prospect. Columbus is in need of a center and Patrick is still extremely young and in need of a change of scenery (ala Patrick Laine). If that doesn’t work then Phil Myers could be of value as well.
Trading for negotiating rights is always a risk but it still gives you the upper hand to get a deal done well before free agency begins. Chuck Fletcher acquired the rights to Kevin Hayes a few years ago for a fifth round pick and then later signed him long term. Usually compensation for the rights to a free agent is a low-end draft pick but Dougie is going to reign in a crowd of thirsty GMs, so they might have to reach in this case. I would not be opposed to giving the Hurricanes a third or fourth round pick. A player of Hamilton’s ilk is rarely available.
Seems like an easy solution, whether they go for one or the other, it is going to be a massive upgrade to what they had at the end of the season. The Flyers desperately need a top pair defenseman to play with Provorov. It was evident this year that he isn’t at that level yet and the rest of the d-corps didn’t come close to their potential. The cost to acquire either player isn’t as bad as some people are making it seem.
You can’t clamour for a star player or a really talented player for ages and then complain that the price is too high or the player is no longer worth it. You can’t go from stating that the rebuild is done and that picks don’t matter anymore, then when the price is revealed or the media hedges towards one side of the spectrum, you change your mind and think hoarding onto picks is absolutely necessary for the betterment of success. As crazy as it sounds, sometimes you have to give up a lot to get a lot in return. Some teams are rebuilding and are in need of picks and prospects, while other teams are gearing for an important shift in team philosophy. The Flyers have held onto picks and prospects for long enough and the time is ripe to finally make a “win-now” move.
The Flyers have more than enough prospects and picks to satiate any trade they want to make. If they wanted to go full Armageddon, they could acquire both players. They wouldn’t have much draft capital left for the 2021 draft but at this stage that’s not as important. The core is aging and has been aging for quite some time. They took a giant leap forward and then an even bigger leap backwards this year. The market, the fans, and the media will no longer tolerate mediocrity. Claude Giroux needs a chance to win a cup before he retires and I think everyone would love to see that in Philadelphia.
Maneuvering around the cap will always be tough but it’s not impossible. If you can sweeten the pot so that Seattle takes James van Riemsdyk, great. If you can then pull off a Marc Staal type trade with a team like Detroit or Ottawa for Gostisbehere and/or Voracek to get those contracts off the books, even better. Not easy deals to hammer down but still very plausible and possible.
If you can somehow acquire the services of both, your defense goes from middle-lower end of the pack to top 10 in the NHL. Both is a reach but just one of the two is extremely possible and it is now Chuck Fletcher’s job to be as aggressive as possible and swing a trade for their services. It is not something that can be overlooked, it is not something that can be fixed with patchwork players, and it is not something that can be taken lightly.
These are stars in our league that can make all the difference in the world, and they are readily available. If you’re too worried about the future, gut the core completely and go for the full rebuild. There is no need in holding onto your players anymore if that’s the case. Jones and/or Hamilton need to be Philadelphia Flyers by the beginning of the season. You know it and we know it so go big and go nuts because the Flyers need it.
