Chuck Fletcher is wheeling and dealing, though I’m not sure if his moves are any good. Radko Gudas for Matt Niskanen? Seven million dollars a year for seven years of Kevin Hayes?

Anthony and Russ discussed all of that on this morning’s Snow the Goalie podcast.

Here’s some of the national reaction to what the Flyers are doing:

A handful of the guys in the same range as Hayes:

  • Ryan O’Reilly – $7,500,000 AAV
  • Evgeny Kuznetsov – $7,800,00 AAV
  • Ryan Kesler – $6,875,000 AAV
  • Patrice Bergeron – $6,875,000 AAV

All four of those dudes have posted multiple 50-point seasons. Bergeron is 33 and Kesler is 34, but O’Reilly is 28 and Kuznetsov is 27, so they’re more comparable in age to Hayes.

More after the jump:

Key words that jump out to me here:

“…term looks lengthy and the team didn’t get a discount for it.”

Sounds pretty bad when you lump it all together and present it in this fashion.

Puts things in perspective for Toronto fans, or maybe it just makes them feel slightly better. Nylander had 61 point seasons at age 20 and 21, though he played only 54 games this season following a lengthy contract dispute and slow start once he did return. He’s the third highest paid player on the Leafs roster and Hayes is now #3 on the Flyers, just ahead of JVR.

Those are some monster contracts. What an offseason to be an unrestricted free agent in the National Hockey League.

Ant and Russ takes here