Late Monday night, it was reported by Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that Dan Cleary had agreed in principle to a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The rumored details were that it was for 3 years, 8.25M (2.75 AAV), including a no trade clause. Then on Tuesday morning, the Flyers announced that Cleary had been invited to training camp on a professional tryout. According to Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has said there are no promises on a deal for Cleary.

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Philadelphia - September 11, 2013 - Late Monday night, it was reported by Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that Dan Cleary had agreed in principle to a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The rumored details were that it was for 3 years, 8.25M (2.75 AAV), including a no trade clause. Then on Tuesday morning, the Flyers announced that Cleary had been invited to training camp on a professional tryout. According to Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has said there are no promises on a deal for Cleary.

The biggest stumbling block to signing Cleary, 34, is that the Flyers do not have the cap space to fit in his rumored contract. The prevailing theory is that Cleary will go through training camp with the team, and once the season begins Chris Pronger will be placed on long-term injury reserve, taking his 4.9 million dollar cap hit off the books, leaving room to sign Cleary.

Cleary, who spent the past 8 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, is a versatile player that brings a little bit of everything. He is a plus defensive player, brings some physicality, and has a bit of offensive ability. But at this stage in his career, Cleary is on the decline, and I believe a three year contract is a very poor move. His points-per-game has decreased in the past two seasons, going from .68 in 2010-11 to .44 in 2011-12, and finally to .31 in 2012-13. This is despite the fact that Cleary has seen a significant amount of time on a line with Henrik Zetterberg or Pavel Datsyuk during that time period.

Despite the fact that Cleary played all 48 games last year, his knees have been a constant source of trouble for him. Since 2010, Cleary has missed time with two separate knee injuries, and two separate groin injuries, which are two body parts that are a typical source of problems for older players. Just ask Dominik Hasek. After the 2011-12 season, Cleary had this to say about his knee, “There are some tears in there, loose cartilage, some bone on bone, a lot of fluid – the build-up of fluid was a major issue, so hoping that we can get it resolved.” Does that sound like someone you should be giving a three year contract to? When you consider Cleary’s declining play and injury questions, the answer is clearly no.

The Flyers have a myriad of options to fill the third line wing spot, who will likely play alongside Sean Couturier and Matt Read to begin the season. Players in the system that could do the job include AHL veterans Tye McGinn and Jason Akeson, or players from juniors like Scott Laughton, Nick Cousins, or Petr Straka. Even Simon Gagne would be a better option than Cleary. At this stage of his career, Gagne is still a better offensive talent, skater, and defensive player compared to Cleary. And it is likely Gagne would have come at a cheaper price, and fans would have welcomed the moves with open arms.

The cherry on top of the rumored deal is the no trade clause. If Cleary signs the reported deal, the Flyers top 8 forwards are basically set for the foreseeable future (assuming Brayden Schenn is re-signed and Matt Read walks after this season). If Matt Read re-signs, then the top 9 is set and there is no room for an emerging player in the AHL like Laughton, Cousins, or Straka to break through. You would be hard-pressed to find another suitor in the NHL that Cleary would waive his no-trade clause to go to, and who would actually want Cleary at the price tag of 2.75 million per year.

Thankfully, nothing has been signed yet and if one of the young players performs well enough in camp, they can win the spot and the Flyers will be spared dealing with another poor contract.