As the 2023-24 NHL season breaks on the horizon, teams are hosting training camps for their players, new and old, to mingle in anticipation for the start of the campaign. But for a few teams, they still have unfinished offseason business to take care of in the form of restricted free agents. The Ottawa Senators and 22-year-old forward Shane Pinto do not have a contract in place for the season, thanks to a cap crunch faced by the Sens. It’s left the organization scrambling for answers as they attempt to carve out enough cash to sign their breakout forward.
Of the many rumors surrounding Ottawa, the main one revolves around 26-year-old forward Mathieu Joseph, who is entering his second full season with the Senators. He was one of the many depth players who won Cups with Tampa Bay to cash in on a big contract with a new team. He signed a four-year, $11.8 million ($2.95 million aav) contract with the Senators in 2022, just a few months after he was acquired at the trade deadline. He posted three goals and 18 points in 56 games last season for the Sens, with a career total of 100 points in 288 NHL games.
He’s got three years left at a $2.95 million cap hit, which is a number the Flyers could eat once Ryan Ellis and his $6.25 million cap hit goes on LTIR when the season starts. The rumored asking price is either a first round pick, or a second round pick and a prospect for taking the totality of Joseph’s deal so the team can re-signe Pinto, who the Flyers were also rumored to be in on at one point.
Even though potentially adding a first round pick for taking on a contract should be considered as the Flyers are still technically rebuilding, they also need to be careful adding even more money so freely. During the offseason, they acquired Cal Petersen from LA, and his $5 million cap hit for this season and next, plus retained nearly $3.6 million of Kevin Hayes’ contract and bought out Tony DeAngelo at a $1.7 cost to themselves through next season. Not to mentions Ryan Ellis, who is still taking residency on IR for another four years and, in general, a roster filled with overpriced, underproducing players.
The salary cap is expected to finally rise from its pandemic flat state next summer, but the Flyers still have to consider their in-house expenses like extensions for Owen Tippett and Carter Hart, it’s not like they’re rolling in cap space and an additional $2.95 million won’t need to be dealt with.
Not to mention, Joseph is a bottom six right wing, the absolute last thing the Flyers need on the roster right now. With prospects Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink knocking at the door and the main roster plenty crowded with the returning Cam Atkinson, new guy Garnet Hathaway and vets like Travis Konecny and Wade Allison, they really don’t need anybody else to take up space on the wings.
Could the Flyers acquired him and send him to the AHL? They could, but more than half of his salary would still count against the Flyers’ (or Senators if they attempted the same maneuver) salary cap. He’s also not waiver exempt, but that probably wouldn’t have an impact in this scenario as team’s would be unlikely to claim him. Considering the Flyers are already on the hook for a large chunk of change if Petersen starts the season in the AHL, it’s just more money dead cap on the books.
The idea of acquiring another first round pick is an intriguing one for the Flyers. They have their own, plus Florida’s top-ten protected first entering the 2024 draft. The Senators are a playoff-bubble team who will more than likely pick in the late teens or early 20’s, though if they miss the postseason, it’s an extra shot at the draft lottery, despite low odds. It’s not a bad addition, especially if the Panthers fall apart, and a team in the situation of the Flyers should consider all options when it comes to acquiring first round picks.
In a way, it’s nice to see Danny Briere and the Flyers scoping out scenarios where they can weaponize their cap space. But after the 2023 offseason didn’t go as smoothly as hoped, adding more long-term money, and more importantly, more random bodies without defined roles, even with a first round pick thrown in, just may not be the smartest play at the moment. Unless the Flyers clear house on their own roster, which clearly isn’t in their plans, making Joseph their target instead of waiting to see what unfolds across the league at the trade deadline is a gamble.
On the positive note, it’s quite possible the Flyers are aware of the roster and financial mess a Joseph acquisition could cause. They’ve been linked with the Senators in trade rumors for the last few weeks, first with Pinto and now Joseph, so if there was an easy avenue for a transaction to occur, maybe one would have by now. It’s a situation worth keeping an eye on as training camp and the preseason continue on and the Senators become more and more desperate to sign Pinto. If the meet a high asking price to get the deal done, it may be worth the short term confusion, but it may just be best if the Flyers avoid this one altogether.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: sportsnet.ca
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