Could any unsigned free agents make sense for the Flyers?

One of the best days of every hockey fan's calendar is July 1, when the free agency market opens up and fans from all across the world can marvel at the flurry of activity while furiously refreshing their Twitter feeds. It's a nice way for fans to openly bash Team A for ridiculously overpaying Player B, or laud Player Y for taking a hometown discount to stay with Team Z.

Some teams will load up for a Stanley Cup run, salary cap be damned. Others will pick up older veterans, and address significant team needs. Then there are teams like the Flyers, who will essentially address depth while also stacking up their American League cupboard in Allentown.

Of course, despite the bedlam that comes with the start of the new league year, there are still players that find themselves unsigned as the dog days of summer continue to move along. Some players could find themselves signed within the first few days of the market opening, while other fates will hang in the balance for several more weeks. 

Currently, the Flyers have 44 players signed, with the max limit being 50. There's a crop of free-agent talent that is still available, but would it make sense for Ron Hextall and Co. to take a chance on any of them?

Among the biggest names that are still available are Jiri Hudler, Brandon Pirri, Patrik Elias, Matt Cullen, Kris Russell, James Wisniewski and Matt Bartkowski. Not exactly a murderer's row, but players that could still be of service.

Let's go ahead and scratch two of those names off the list right away — Cullen and Elias. The 39-year-old Cullen goes entirely against the youth movement that Hextall has worked hard to cultivate, as does Elias, the 40-year-old longtime Flyer killer. On principle, Elias doesn't belong anywhere outside of the New Jersey organization — but given the NHL's nature as a business first, he's liable to end up anywhere a team thinks he'll fit.

Russell, Wisniewski and Bartkowski are also names that could be ruled out, as the Flyers currently have seven defensemen under contract. An eighth contract is currently being hammered out, as the Orange and Black are working on terms with Brandon Manning.

Hudler and Pirri are two names that could provide secondary scoring depth for the Orange and Black, but it's tough to see Hudler dropping too far from his $4 million cap hit last season with Calgary and Florida. Additionally, he's 32-years-old, and his best days seem to be behind him — reflected in a 30-point drop-off in production from 2014-15 to 2015-16. 

Pirri's a player that was purportedly linked to the Flyers in the days leading up to the free agency period, but ultimately, a deal was not struck. At 25-years-old, his offensive game has not fully developed — though he has yet to play a full 82-game season. With Anaheim and the Panthers last season, he combined for 14 goals and 29 points — an interesting step from his 22-goal, 24-point campaign the year prior. He'd also come cheap on a shorter-term deal, as his previous deal counted for $925,000 against the cap.

The Flyers can't make any further free agency moves, though, until they figure out the Brayden Schenn situation. As our own Kevin Durso pointed out before, Schenn could expect to earn anywhere between $4.75 million and $5 million. Considering where the Flyers are at right now in terms of cap space ($7.353 million), a Schenn deal could leave them with between $2.35 and $2.603 million in available space.

As the NHL's offseason continues to drag on, several players remain unsigned, some of which could potentially fit in with the Orange and Black. But the priority for now is signing Brayden Schenn to a long-term deal, which will leave these players on the back-burner. Just because the Flyers could target these free agents doesn't necessarily mean they should.

Rob Riches is a contributor to Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61

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