Flyers in talks with free agent Brendan Shanahan

After a slow start to the season, the Flyers have righted the ship and gotten back to .500. Of course, after last seasons playoff run, .500 isn't good enough.

Apparently, GM Paul Holmgren agrees, and that's why he has met with free agent Brendan Shanahan about the possibility of joining the Flyers. Shanahan is almost 40, but he still notched 23 goals for the Rangers last season. Of course, the Flyers aren't pursuing Shanahan for offense, they want him because he is a sound defensive forward. Holmgren has been dissatisfied with how the forwards have been playing defensively, so that is why he is in pursuit of the veteran winger.

The Flyers are only $700,000 under the cap, so signing Shanahan would probably require the team to move someone out to make room. Shanahan will likely take a bit of a discount to play in Philly but I doubt he would sign for much less than a million. Other teams are also interested in Shanahan, so the Flyers will have some heavy competition for his services.

I always thought that Shanahan would look great in the orange and black, but of course ideally that would have happened about 10 years ago. If he can still be an effective player, I am all for the Flyers bringing him in at a discounted rate. If he wants anything close to a multi-million dollar deal, then the Flyers better stay away.