RALEIGH, N.C. _ The rumor mill says the slow-starting Calgary Flames could soon put left winger Johnny Gaudreau on the trade block.
If so, the Flyers should be first in line.
Gaudreau, 26, whose Flames will play at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, has deep roots in South Jersey and has said he would like to play for the Flyers some day. He would be a perfect fit for the Flyers, whose core has grown stale and needs a change, needs to be reenergized.
Gaudreau has a manageable cap hit ($6.75 million until the end of the 2021-22 season) and would give the Flyers some much-needed speed and scoring. He's not off to the best start of his career (five goals, 18 points in 24 games), but he's a natural scorer _ he set career highs with 36 goals and 99 points last season _ and hasn't reached his prime.
He would cost a lot, obviously, but he is the type of player worth sacrificing some high draft picks.
The Flyers also would have to deal salary to make Gaudreau fit in their cap, and maybe sending Jake Voracek ($8.25 million salary cap until the end of 2023-24) to Calgary would help everyone.
A change of scenery might be good for Voracek, who quietly has been the league's fourth-highest-scoring right winger (518 points) since he joined the Flyers in 2011-12. James van Riemsdyk, who has averaged more than 30 goals over the last three seasons, is another trade option, and his cap hit ($7 million per season until the end of 2022-23) matches better with Gaudreau's.
The Flyers are getting great production from their young players, but little from their veterans.
