NHL free agency: A tiered look at 21 UFA forwards the Flyers could target to sign

With free agency set to begin on Wednesday at noon, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher is preparing to dig between couch cushions to find loose change he can use to sign players on the open market.

According to CapFriendly, the Flyers have around $3.5 million in available salary-cap space after signing defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year, $10 million deal and buying out forward Oskar Lindblom. (This number is not exact, as it is based on a roster projection that includes players like Ronnie Attard and Ivan Fedotov who are unlikely to be on the opening-night roster.) While the Flyers are currently tight up against the cap, Fletcher could still explore the trade market to see if he can move a contract or two.

» READ MORE: Could Johnny Gaudreau to the Flyers actually happen? There’s still a chance.

Who is expected to be available in free agency, and how much would they cost? Given that the Flyers look relatively set on defense, let’s take a look at some forwards Fletcher could peruse when free agency opens.

Let’s start with the top player set to hit the market who should be in a tier of his own: Calgary Flames left winger and South Jersey native Johnny Gaudreau. After putting up 40 goals and 115 points and finishing fourth in the Hart Trophy voting, the 28-year-old is due a major payday. According to TSN, the Flames have offered a deal in the eight-year, $9.5 million average annual value neighborhood. Perhaps Gaudreau would take a pay cut to play closer to home, but he would have to agree to a T.J. Maxx clearance rack-type discount for the Flyers to fit him under the cap at present.

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri, 31, probably leads the best of the rest after putting up a career-high 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) in just 71 games. The power forward was just as productive in the playoffs, posting 15 points in 16 games to help the Avalanche hoist the Stanley Cup. He will be in line for a pay raise, too, and could garner between $8 million and $9 million AAV.

Former Flyers captain Claude Giroux (21 goals, 65 points in 75 games) at age 34 is nearing the end of his career, but remains an All-Star caliber player. Giroux will command far less than his current cap hit of $8.275 million, but his price point still may be out of reach for the Flyers. Plus, Giroux left Philadelphia so he could compete for a Cup with Florida in the first place, and the Flyers aren’t exactly poised to be champions next season. Sorry, Flyers fans, he’s not coming back.

This tier was decimated in the days leading up to the opening of free agency as Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Evander Kane (Edmonton Oilers) all re-signed with their respective teams.

Ultimately, if the Flyers decided they wanted to acquire one of the remaining top forwards — Gaudreau or Kadri — they would need to do some serious cap gymnastics and offload a contract or two to make it work. That could also involve sacrificing draft capital, just as the Flyers did when they sent defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to the Arizona Coyotes last offseason. While it may behoove the Flyers in the long term to refrain from pursuing anyone from this category, signing a big-name free agent would be in line with Fletcher’s plan for an “aggressive retool.”

The next stratosphere of players encompasses a younger bunch of forwards — mostly centers — with strong two-way capabilities. Two of them come from the Flyers’ division rival New York Rangers, 28-year-old Andrew Copp and 29-year-old Ryan Strome. Copp was highly sought at the trade deadline and contributed offensively and defensively after joining the Rangers from Winnipeg for their playoff run. Meanwhile, Strome ranked fifth on the team in regular-season scoring as their second-line center and will likely see an upgrade over his previous two-year, $4.5 million AAV deal.

» READ MORE: How the 1992 draft-day trade for Philly icon Eric Lindros revived the Flyers

Similarly, Avalanche winger André Burakovsky put up a career-high 61 points (22 goals) at age 27 this past season. According to Evolving-Hockey’s contract projection model, Burakovsky could garner a long-term, $6.9 million AAV deal.

Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck, 29, had 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in the final year of his six-year, $4.75 million AAV contract. The gritty Trocheck, according to Evolving-Hockey, could command four years at around $6 million AAV on the open market.

On paper, the Flyers should be set with their top two centers in Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes, who account for nearly $15 million in cap space. If the Flyers feel confident that both players are back to 100%, then they shouldn’t shell out for players like Strome, Copp, or Trocheck. Burakovsky is going to be incredibly expensive, but if Fletcher has his heart set on making the Flyers competitive next season and he’s able to free up cap room, then he might consider the gifted winger.

This group is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of the projected term and value of their next contracts. Hurricanes right winger Nino Niederreiter, 29, posted 44 points this season playing on the third line. Evolving-Hockey projects that he could command $5.724 million AAV at a term of seven years.

St. Louis Blues left winger David Perron, 34, and Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Ondrej Palat, 31, were even more productive than their younger counterparts this season. Perron reached 57 points in 67 games with the Blues, while playoff ace Palat had 49. Because of their ages, both are likely to command closer to three years on their next contract, still at a hefty price tag.

Florida Panthers forward Mason Marchment, 27, boasts the best value in this tier. Marchment had a breakout season with the Panthers, registering 47 points in 54 games on a one-year, $800,000 contract. His next contract should be in the neighborhood of three years, $2.456 million AAV, according to Evolving-Hockey, which could make him a high-upside bargain for his next team.

This is another relatively pricey tier, but unlike Tier 2, these players are likely to slot in slightly lower in the lineup. The Flyers could certainly use the depth, namely at left wing, but at what price? If the Flyers end up adding any of these players, they likely will have moved on from Travis Konecny or James van Riemsdyk.

Now we’re getting into a more realistic category for the cap-strapped Flyers — depth scoring. These aren’t your nightly stars, but they have the potential to bolster a team’s bottom-six production. This is an area that the Flyers lacked in last season, seeing as seven players (including Giroux, who departed at the trade deadline) accounted for more than half of the team’s points.

The heaviest hitter in this category is Toronto Maple Leafs winger Ilya Mikheyev, 27, who put up 32 points (21 goals, 11 assists) in just 53 games in the final season of his two-year, $1.645 million deal. According to The Athletic, Mikheyev is looking for a multiyear deal in the range of $4.75 million to $5.5 million AAV. Evolving-Hockey estimates the term of his next contract to be six years.

After Mikheyev, this tier sees a drop-off in projected term and value. Hurricanes streaky left winger Max Domi, 27, scored 39 points in 72 games and is expected to come in at around four years, $4.489 million AAV on his next contract. Rangers left winger Frank Vatrano (32 points in 71 games, 28 years old), Penguins winger Evan Rodrigues (43 points in 82 games, soon to be 29), and Chicago Blackhawks left winger Dominik Kubalík (32 points in 78 games, 26 years old) are each expected to fall in the 3-4 year range at between $3 million and $4 million AAV.

Fletcher would not need to make as many moves to add someone from this tier, except for Mikheyev, and they could prove to be decent, shorter-term depth investments.

Someone has to do the dirty work. According to new Flyers coach John Tortorella, “someone” could be swapped out with “everyone,” but undoubtedly, most NHL fourth lines are comprised of sound forecheckers. Plenty of those types of players will be available in the free-agent market, and the Flyers might look to pick one up to solidify a fourth line that featured too many different faces last season.

Players like Minnesota Wild left winger Nicolas Deslauriers, Boston Bruins center Curtis Lazar, Washington Capitals forward Johan Larsson, and Penguins center Brian Boyle (who has a history with Tortorella) are each likely to command short-term contracts between $1 million and $2 million (except for Boyle, who at 37 would probably warrant less). Deslauriers, given his size, toughness, and underrated skating, would seem to be an ideal fit under Tortorella. Finally, Rangers pest Tyler Motte, 27, would also be a nice addition but could be a bit more expensive.

» READ MORE: Wrong guy. Wrong time. Wrong reasons. Flyers’ trade for Tony DeAngelo is a mistake in every way.