Flyers Could Find Veteran Help in Free Agents Stastny, Green

By Mike Witmer, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

The excitement of the offseason is starting to pick with the Draft completed and free agency set to begin on July 1.

Flyers GM Ron Hextall will be busy trying to find the best players possible that can help improve the team. Whether it is through previous draft picks, free agency, or a possible trade, Hextall will be trying to make moves that better the team now.

Hextall said recently that the Flyers are looking to add a veteran with a short-term deal. There have been players rumored as whom the Flyers may have some interest in signing. With Hextall not being certain on re-signing Valtteri Filppula, there are a couple players he can target that can help the Flyers going forward to fill that veteran need.

A player the Flyers could make an offer is Paul Stastny. The 32-year-old center put up 16 goals and 37 assists for 53 points last season with both the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.

While Stastny’s price may be a little high for the Flyers liking, it is at least worth inquiring. He can be a solid third-line center for the Flyers with Wayne Simmonds and Jordan Weal as linemates. Stastny could be a key part in helping them improve their production. He has shown in Winnipeg that when playing with good linemates, he can be a very productive player as well, as he was in the playoffs with 15 points in 17 games.

Another player that can be helpful for the Flyers is Mike Green. The 32-year-old right-handed defensemen can help bring veteran leadership to the blue line and fill the right-handed defenseman need Hextall eluded to in his comments.

Green can also help the second power play. This unit struggled for the most of last season trying to get any zone time and providing production. For a young unit, Green could be a great mentor for this group.

If Hextall can give him a reasonable offer that doesn't bog them down against the cap in the long-term, it's worth a look as well.

These two players would be suitable replacements over Filppula and Brandon Manning in similar roles. If Hextall can get the right deal for either one of these players, he should be in on trying to sign them.

The Flyers need help depth-wise offensively and could also use some more veteran presence that can help the younger players overall. Both would fill the role well.