Report: Flyers preparing to ditch pair of veterans

The Philadelphia Flyers nearly made a dramatic return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, but fell just short. The sight of Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie scoring into the vacated net in the final regular season game back in April in a matchup the Flyers had to win in regulation has left a sour taste in the mouths of fans that will last all summer. 

The work for Flyers general manager Danny Briere has begun, and according to the former Flyers forward, a pair of veteran players very well may not be back with the franchise next season. Forward Cam Atkinson, who managed only 28 points in 70 games and was designated a healthy scratch in 11 of the final 17 games, along with struggling goaltender Cal Petersen, are candidates to have their respective contracts bought out.

Briere stated the following: 

"We're looking at every option," Briere said. "Because we're tight on [NHL salary] cap space, we're still looking at every possible option in that direction. Both Cam Atkinson and Cal Petersen want to prove that they can still play in the NHL. So we're evaluating all of that, but we haven't made a final decision yet."

"We're looking at every option," he continued. "It gives us the chance to maybe be open-minded to being creative with something different."

Both players have one year left on their respective contracts. Atkinson's AAV is $5,875,000, while Petersen's cap hit is $5 million. 

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