Guerin working out with Flyers

As reported by Tim Panaccio and CSNPhilly earlier today on Twitter, unrestricted free agent forward Bill Guerin is working out with the Philadelphia Flyers.  Panaccio also reported that Guerin says that he is hoping that he will receive an offer from the team.

But Craig Custance of The Sporting News said otherwise, also via Twitter.  Custance said that he received a text message from Guerin saying he is not hoping for a tryout.  It sounds more like he and his agent, Bob Murray, are hoping that a deal can be worked out with the team.  But Murray also mentioned that he has been in contact with several teams, and that the Flyers are not their only option.

At any rate, General Manager Paul Holmgren already has 13 forwards under contract for the 2010-11 season, with just over $877,000 left to play with under the salary cap ceiling (according to CapGeek). 

Guerin was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the past two seasons, and was part of the 2008-09 Pen’s squad that won a Stanley Cup championship after being picked up at the trade deadline. 

In 78 games last year in Pittsburgh, the 39-year-old right winger scored  21 goals and recorded 45 points.  But on August 25, he was told by Penguins’ GM Ray Shero that his services were no longer needed in the ‘burgh. 

While Holmgren has made several curious moves in this offseason, Guerin would appear to be a good fit for the Orange-and-Black. 

Over the course of 1,263 games in 17 NHL campaigns, Guerin has netted 429 goals and 856 points.  He is also tough, which always seems to be a key dimension in any Flyers’ player, as Guerin has racked up 1,660 penalty minutes during his career. 

Although not considered to be a premiere power forward in this stage of his career, the soon to be 40-year-old would still seem to have something left in the tank.  

Guerin has scored more than 20 goals in each of the last four seasons, and eight of the past nine years.  His career-high of 41 goals was set during the 2001-02 campaign with the Boston Bruins, and he has scored as many as 36 in 2006-07, when he split the season between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks.

On a team loaded with natural centers playing the wings, Guerin would bring the element of another true winger to the team.  His experience and toughness would be invaluable in the playoffs, as he is a proven winner.  Prior to the afore-mentioned Stanley Cup in 2008-09, Guerin also won Lord Stanley with the New Jersey Devils back in 1995.

Still blessed with a howitzer of a slapshot, Guerin could also play minutes on the club’s power play unit. 

With the signing of UFA wingers Nikolai Zherdev and Jody Shelley in July, the wings are beginning to get crowded.  The only issue in inking Guerin may be the possibility that a young gun like Mike Testwuide, who may have had a chance at making the opening night roster the way James van Riemsdyk did last season, may be forced out of the mix. 

With only 16 more days until training camp officially opens, there may be a bit of roster shifting in the interim if the Flyers can see signing Guerin as a possibility.  And I’m sure for Holmgren and head coach Peter Laviolette, a player of Guerin’s calibre would certainly be worth a long look.

Dave Strehle
NHLHS Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia