Live NHL Free agency tracker: Will the Flyers go for broke and sign Johnny Gaudreau?

UPDATE [10:38 a.m.] – At least one homecoming might be in the making today as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Ottawa is the frontrunner to land former Flyers captain Claude Giroux.

NHL Network correspondent Renaud Lavoie is also saying that the Flyers are still looking to shed van Riemsdyk’s cap hit, but, as rumored yesterday, teams are asking for a high draft pick to take that salary on. 

Things are going nowhere. 

UPDATE [9:58 a.m.] — Those Johnny Hockey dreams don’t look like they’re coming to fruition…

EARLIER…

The Flyers have made a series of moves that seem to imply they are intending to be players in free agency this offseason, potentially when it kicks off at noon Wednesday.

It all started last summer, when the team chose to go hard for veteran mercenaries, trading for Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen to shore up their blue line, shedding younger players and draft picks to do so. On draft day, Philadelphia did more of the same, trading a series of future picks for controversial defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

These moves only really make sense (at least in theory) if they are trying to build a team that can win now — though doing so with the players they’ve brought in is far from an assurance of contention. 

Should they blow it up and try to rebuild in earnest? Possibly. But yesterday the team wiggled its way to just over $3 million in cap space by saying goodbye to fan-favorite Oskar Lindblom. The makings are there for fans to see more moves to make cap space and then a big signing — potentially former Flames star Johnny Gaudreau.

The Jersey native became a free agent and wants to explore his market, turning down a deal in the eight figure per season range. Will the Flyers make a desperate push to bring in the star and become relevant again?

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