It looks like the Flyers will have to find a goalie at auction.
According to Pierre LeBrun and E.J. Hradek of ESPN, the Flyers received permission to negotiate with Dallas goaltender Marty Turco, only to feel the familiar burn of being sent away.
Per LeBrun’s twitter …
“Traded texts with Turco this morning who confirmed the Flyers’ offer but said he wanted to see what was on the market Thursday.”
Just like 34-year old San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov did to Philly just a day earlier, Turco, 34, has opted to decline the Flyers offer and test unrestricted free agency in hopes to land that one final, potentially big, contract when the market opens up on Thursday, July 1.
Turco, who spent the last 10 years with the Stars, has 262 career wins. He earned a 22-20-11 record last season with a 2.72 goals against and .913% save percentage. He is coming off a four-year deal with a salary cap hit of $5.7.
Although the “rights acquiring” tactic has seemingly gone the way of the dinosaurs, the Flyers will still have a decent shot to land a decorated backstop during free agency. However, limited cap space means limited say in who lands with them so it likely won’t be their first choice.
Because the supply and demand on veteran goaltenders favors the buyers, very few of the ‘tenders will receive the big money they seek, leaving the others in the Flyers’ wheel house.
At this point, it’s just a matter of who.
Phila.Bright 