Goodbye Gagne? Flyers winger waives no trade clause

With the Flyers sitting less than a million dollars from the salary cap and still needing to sign a forward or two, you knew someone had to go. That someone might turn out to be Simon Gagne, who, according to Anthony SanFilippo on Twitter, has been asked by the Flyers and agreed to waive his no trade clause. While no trade appears to be imminent, moving Gagne would help the Flyers clear up some cap space so they could fill out their remaining roster and still have some money left over to pursue a goalie.

While he is a fan favorite, Gagne, who was drafted by the Flyers back in 1998 and has played 10 years in the Orange and Black, is the perfect target for the Flyers to trade. With a contract that will pay him 5.25 million for just one more year before making him an unrestricted free agent, the best time to move Gagne is now, especially considering Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux also have one year left in their deals and will be looking for contract extensions next offseason. While some think Carter, who doesn't have a no trade clause, should be the one to be moved, you have to factor in that Carter is 5 years younger than Gagne and hasn't had the injury history.

As a fan who has enjoyed rooting for him for the last decade, part of me hopes Gagne stays in Philly. As a fan of the Flyers team, however, it makes too much sense not to trade Gagne while the Flyers can still get a decent package for him and then fill in the remaining holes on the roster.

Parting with Gagne will be such sweet sorrow. While I would hate to see him go, if they make the right deal, the Flyers will be better off in the long run.