What was already a frustrating summer for the Philadelphia Flyers got worse on Tuesday when the team announced that defenseman Andrej Meszaros will be out indefinitely after tearing his Achilles tendon. Making things worse, the Flyers could have a hard time making the sort of move that general manager Paul Holmgren would like to, given their current salary cap situation.
According to CapGeek.com, the Flyers have just over $66.6 million committed for the 2012-13 season to 13 forwards, eight defensemen and a goaltender. The only problem is that two of those defensemen - Meszaros and Chris Pronger - are out indefinitely, and Philadelphia wasn't enamored of the makeup of its blueline corps even before Meszaros' injury. The Flyers made that perfectly clear when they signed Shea Weber to a big-money offer sheet (later matched by the Nashville Predators), and the injury to Meszaros will only increase the sense of urgency for the Flyers to make a move.
There are a couple of serviceable defensemen on the free agent market who could fit into Philadelphia's hands, among them Carlo Colaiacovo of the St. Louis Blues and Matt Gilroy of the Ottawa Senators (either of whom could likely fit under the salary cap given their salary history), but there isn't a home-run signing out there to be had, and Philadelphia has been swinging for the fences this summer by going after the likes of Weber, Zach Parise and Rick Nash. This could also wind up being the moment for Erik Gustafsson to prove himself as an NHLer - the Northern Michigan Unviersity product has a goal and four assists in 30 games last year - but again, Philadelphia was looking for outside help even before Meszaros got hurt. Given both Philadelphia's cap situation an the need to make a splash, expect to see the Flyers look for a trade.
Flames defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has been the subject of trade talks for over a month, as the big ticket free agents on the blueline were snapped up pretty quickly. The Detroit Red Wings have been linked to Bouwmeester, as have the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, and while he carries a big price tag ($6.6 million per year), there aren't a whole lot of other options left out there.
Keith Yandle could also be a target, although trade talks cooled off quickly for the Phoenix Coyotes' top defenseman. General manager Don Maloney has said he'd want something "very special" for Yandle, and while that hasn't come yet, the current situation in Philadelphia might entice the Flyers to give it up.
Of course, Philadelphia is hoping that the injury to Meszaros is a temporary problem, and temporary problems generally don't require long-term solutions, but given that the Flyers were already looking for a big move, don't be surprised to see Meszaros' injury put them over the edge.