Gostisbehere needs a fresh start, and I wouldn't be opposed to moving Voracek.
Start there.
This is a bad taek, because it is not thought out. Ghost needing a fresh start is folly, because the objective of this conversation is how to improve the Flyers, not the well being of a soon-to-be-departed player. If trading Ghost makes the Flyers better, then so be it. However, no one has been able to offer a reasonable idea of how removing Ghost from the team makes the Flyers better/more competitive moving forward.
The same critique of trading Ghost for ??? applies to Voracek.
If, and this is hyperbole, the Flyers were able to trade Ghost for Seth Jones, and Voracek for Mitch Marner- both straight up, then yes, both players should be traded tomorrow/asap. However, neither of those are realistic because the other teams would never agree to that. Ergo, this response is more noise than substance.
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To the actual post-
Players-
Obvious moves are kicking the tires of Karlsson and Panarin. I think it's an uphill battle for either, but I'd make sure the Flyers name made it to the press about being interested with credible leaks to the Canadian media (because our beats are garbage.)
Short of getting one of those guys, I next go to Dallas and attempt to pry away either Seguin or Benn in a quantity for quality trade. I'm unsure who I'd give up, a non-advanced-lotto pick is on the table, maybe Farabee, not Frost. (Ideally, it's Ratcliffe, Hoggberg, Sandstrom, maybe Lindblom, and a 2020 2nd/1st, whatever's the minimum it takes. I'd be willing to take back a cap dump for 2 or fewer years.)
Rinse, wash, repeat for guys that are clear second line players at a minimum, i.e. Jason Zucker. Akin to the Vegas model, a lot of 2nd lines can be a winning formula. Something
@Captain Dave Poulin alluded to with the '87 team.
In house, bury AMac in the AHL. Tell his agent they can ask around for a trade, that the Flyers would be willing to eat half the contract, but he is not playing on the Flyers in 2019-20.
To whomever is the coach, at the beginning of the season, Hagg is the #7, Morin is the #6. After the 30 game mark, you can figure it out with rotations or whatever is necessary.
Philadelphia Flyers - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps
(Gudas, Myers, Lindblom and Patrick are due contracts the following season)
Scott Laughton (RFA) - 3 yrs, $6.1 m
Travis Konecny (RFA) - 6 yrs, $25.5 m ($4.5/per)
Ryan Hartman (RFA) - 2 yrs, $3.75 m
Justin Bailey (RFA) - 2 yrs, $2 m (Phantoms special)
Corbin Knight (UFA) - 1 yr, $1 m (Phantoms special)
Philip Varone (UFA) - 3 yrs, $4.5 m (Phantoms special)
Ivan Provorov (RFA) - 6 yrs, $32 m ($5.3/per)
Travis Sanheim (RFA) - 7 yrs, $36.75 m ($5.25/per)
When it comes to resigning the Flyers' players, I'm at a loss for goalie. I think I throw a contract at the Rangers' Alexandar Georgiev just to be a dick. I have no answer for goalie, would like to see the actual market. I'm not in love with Talbot, his friendship with Hart be damned. Elliott I'd actually bring back on a bargain basement contract, so he doesn't have to move his family kinda reasoning.
I never got around to posting this elsewhere when people were bitching about needing a back-up in case Hart bombs, because of expected workload.
Here are his season WHL totals, playoffs included: 2015-16- 69 gp; 2016-17- 64 gp; 2017-18 63 gp (had mono this year, or would've been more games)
That's right around the number he'd be playing at most as the starter on an NHL squad. A capable backup, and shave about 10 games off those totals for reasonable usage. Vasilevskiy- 51 gp; Dubnyk - 66 gp; Price - 64 gp; Holtby - 58 gp. Just to say, he's right around the norm of having an experience of games played during a junior season, as can be expected from him in an NHL regular season. If he falls apart as the starter, the Flyers are f***ed regardless of their back-up (FELIX SANDSTROM TO THE RESCUE- GOALIE CONTROVERSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1).
Prospects-
Sign those prospects that are willing, filter into the AHL and ECHL. I make it a goal to be the youngest AHL & NHL combo in the leauge. Sink or swim time. There's an obvious need for veterans, especially at the AHL level. Hextall was correct about starting a winning culture down in Lehigh, but the development for the Flyers always comes first and foremost.
I'd be more assertive toward some of the Sweedish folks (anti-Flahr), the D prospects specifically. I put NAK on the Flyers, he, Hartman, and Raffl are playing for forward spots 11 & 12. I bring up Frost as the #3, and pray. I'm inclined not to get a safety net, because if needed that's Giroux. Psychologically, people react differently when another player is looming (player), or the option for something else is present (coach). I want it to work, through good times and bad. If it is a complete cluster, Giroux moves back to center with a hopefully advantageous workload.
Coaches-
Obligatory, fire everyone (maybe keep Wilson). Aim for Q. If not, target Keefe. McClellan is a fall-back of sorts. I liked Marc Crawford for unexplainable reasons, but he was hired by the Sens. I'm not afraid of the non-conventional. Conventional hires would be Hitchcock, Tippett, Ruff, Hartley, etc. Those guys aren't interesting.
I'd not go so far as a John Madden (coached football and has been retired for so long), or Todd Nelson. My unconventional pick would be
Rikard Gronborg. A Swedish trained coach who has been behind the bench for Sweden at the Olympics, IIHF Worlds, WJC, u-18 Worlds.
Since Lavi, he'd be the first guy that appears to have a conscious thought about systems, utilizing talent, and being progressive to attack the current landscape instead of reacting. If nothing else, I want a coach who will attempt to exert their/Flyers' will on a game instead of counterpunching. The past several seasons has been extraordinarily boring as an entertainment product.
Hire the head coach. Maybe Wilson sticks around, maybe he doesn't, whatever, that's tossing a bone to Fletcher. When the NHL staff is completed, have the headcoach part of the search committee to find the new Phantoms coach and ensure the two can work togetehr with a shared philosophy that the AHL will implement the same system as the NHL club, results be damned, the players will know what to do, even if they can't always accomplish it in the AHL (obvious tweaks are obvious.)
