Could Flyers Sign Star NCAA Free Agent?
The Philadelphia Flyers need to have an influx of talent at some point in their rebuild in order to take the next step.
Scoring some of the NCAA’s best free agents as soon as possible would certainly help the Flyers achieve that.
This year, there are perhaps none better than Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf, who’s scored 108 points in his last 75 NCAA games.
Graf, 21, is an undrafted center who’s scored 20 goals in each of the last two seasons, on top of being well over a point per game in both. Graf scored 22 goals, 27 assists, and 49 points this season, and 21 goals, 38 assists, and 59 points last season.
That’s the kind of guy the Flyers want and need to land.
The challenge? The Flyers are up against virtually the entire NHL.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported Monday that Graf is likely “sticking in the East,” and The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported on Tuesday morning that roughly 25 teams are/were interested in Graf and that the player has narrowed his choices down to six teams.
For all intents and purposes, the Flyers are more than likely one of the 25 inquiring teams.
One thing to note is that whether Graf signs with the Flyers or not, the Flyers have 49 out of the maximum 50 contracts on their books. This means that if the Flyers want to conduct any additional business, such as signing a player on their reserve list, they will need to move some players or let some players walk.
Bryce Brodzinski, for example, has not signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers. If the team intends on getting that deal done before the offseason, that will mean no Graf.
My belief is that the Flyers could make a good pitch to bring Graf aboard, but they are likely in a much worse position right now than whoever the finalists are.
