Examining big name free agents is always fun, For example, Steven Stamkos, Jake Guentzel, and Sam Reinhart are set to be UFAs this offseason if their respective teams fail to sign them to an extension or facilitate a trade. Instead let’s take a look at cheap options for the bottom six, and maybe bottom pair defensemen.
Dakota Joshua (LW)
Dakota Joshua is 27 years old, a guy who’s been on a few teams, and bounced between the NHL and the AHL after four years at Ohio State. Dakota seems to have found his footing this year with the Vancouver Canucks, with 21 points and a +13 in just about games played this season. His 6.2 frame and physical style of play, paired with a low $850K cap hit could prove to be a bargain for the Flyers.
Vincent Desharnais (RHD)
On the defensive side of the puck, a player like Vincent Desharnais could be cheap bottom pair guy, or 7th D-man. His cap hit comes in at $762.5K and could be a cost effective option to replace a guy like Nick Seeler, or fill in a gap if the Flyers were to trade another defenseman, like Sean Walker. Desharnais is mostly a stay-at-home defenseman, with just a handful of points and a +1 with roughly 15 minutes of average ice time in around 40 games played.
Tyler Motte (C)
A final option for your consideration is Tyler Motte, with a low cap hit of $800K. Motte isn’t a scorer by any means, with only 5 points and a -4 in about 35 games played, but could be an asset on the second penalty kill unit or a tough presence on the fourth line. A solid bottom six is a key part of having true depth, and that’s something present in all truly good teams. Depth can never be ignored, and a tough guy who’s willing to give up the body and block shots could be just the guy for the job.
By: Ryan Novalski (https://twitter.com/c0ld__soul)
Photos courtesy of nhl.com / stltoday.com
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