The NHL offseason has seemed very short after the Flyers’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals. We’re not exactly used to the Orange and Black making a deep postseason run of that sort (had not happened since ’97), so it is surprising how quickly the NHL Draft and free agency period approach when your team is actually playing up until the very last game.

Change has come quickly to the Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. Game 6 of the Finals was on June 10, three weeks ago. Since then, the Blackhawks traded one of their biggest playoff contributors, Dustin Byfuglien, to Atlanta along with Brent Sopel and Ben Eager in a cap-clearing move, and the Flyers acquired and traded away the rights to Dan Hamhuis (sending Ryan Parent to Nashville, receiving a third-round pick from Pittsburgh) and have received permission to speak with both Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco. The NHL Draft also came and went, with lots of trade talks but nothing major coming together.

With free agency less than 24 hours away, the Flyers have $49.4 million dollars tied up in 17 players (16, really, because Riley Cote doesn’t count). That leaves them with roughly $10.6 million in cap space, with the salary cap rising to $59.4 million.

The Flyers have three restricted free agents: Braydon Coburn, Dan Carcillo and Darroll Powe. All three are expected to sign, Carcillo and Powe for marginal cap hits and Coburn for a decent sized chunk.

After those three sign, the Flyers will likely lose about $4.5-5 million of that cap space. Is that enough to add a Hamhuis-type defenseman or Nabokov-ilk goaltender? Not without moving a major salary.

Goaltender

Well, we haven’t seen the last of Michael Leighton in Philadelphia. Leighton signed a two-year deal with the Flyers Wednesday, but the team is expected to add another goalie to compete for the starting gig.

Bring up any one of the pending free agent goalies and the Flyers have been linked to them in some way. Paul Holmgren has had talks with Evgeni Nabokov, who is heading to the wide pastures of free agency, and Marty Turco, who may or may not have turned down a contract that may or may not have been offered by the Flyers.

Dan Ellis, a personal favorite to be signed, was traded from Nashville to Montreal on Tuesday. He has not signed with the Habs yet, however, and if he doesn’t will hit the market. Other candidates include Chris Mason, Jose Theodore and Flyer retreads Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki.

The hope is the Flyers add someone like Mason or Ellis who can legitimately push for the starting job. Best-case scenario for the Flyers involves having two quality goaltenders, one of whom will eventually take the reins and refuse to yield them back. In other words, someone besides Biron or Niittymaki.

Defenseman

The Dan Hamhuis episode was a curious and ultimately disappointing one, but Paul Holmgren did a great job getting a third-round pick for his rights from Pittsburgh. Hamhuis appears unlikely to sign with the Penguins, and all indications point to his signing out west with Vancouver.

It’s no secret the Flyers want to shore up their third defensive pairing—that’s why they traded for Hamhuis’ rights. Apart from him, there are several capable defenders out there who would markedly improve the defensive corps as a whole. Anton Volchenkov, Zbynek Michalek and Kurt Foster are three players the Flyers have apparently shown interest in, according to CSNPhilly’s Tim Panaccio.

Volchenkov would be a great fit for the Flyers, but his price tag might be too high. Same goes for Michalek, who will have many teams after him if he doesn’t re-sign in Phoenix. Foster may be the perfect candidate to fill the fifth defenseman spot, because he is a reliable veteran and likely will not cost nearly as much as the others.

Forwards

Really, there is only one forward position open on this team. Arron Asham is most likely gone, so the Flyers will need to find a winger for Claude Giroux’s line alongside James van Riemsdyk. That same winger may also be a candidate to move to the Mike Richards line alongside Simon Gagne.

Colby Armstrong and Matt Cullen are two interesting names. Armstrong brings a tough presence to any line he would play on, which could be perfect alongside Richards and/or Giroux. Cullen is a skilled center who also can play wing, and likewise would help fill out either the first or third line.

Of course, this all hinges on what the team plans to do with its glut of centers. Of Richards, Giroux, Jeff Carter and Danny Briere, the one who seems most capable of sliding to the wing without losing too much effectiveness is Giroux. Both Briere and Carter are players who need the puck on their sticks as much as possible, and sliding either to the wing lessens their impact—as we saw during the regular season and postseason.

With the start of free agency mere hours away, expect a flurry of activity, rumors and speculation. For the Flyers, however, it will likely be about one thing and one things only: Will Michael Leighton be given a competitor?

So: What says ye, Paul Holmgren?