Chuck Fletcher is not straying from his approach of focusing on the present and the future simultaneously.
"To be better next year, we have to be better this year," the Flyers' general manager said last weekend.
That mantra encompassed the Flyers' trade late Friday night for goalie Cam Talbot (see story), who can help benefit the club in net alongside his young friend Carter Hart — now and maybe later.
Fletcher is still focused on the Flyers' playoff chase, which seems to be gaining credence with each victory during the club's 11-1-1 stretch since Jan. 14 (see observations). He believes the Flyers are supplementing their run with the addition of Talbot, while also planning for next season — a strategy we've seen in the GM's roster maneuvering since his arrival.
"I think this is an opportunity for us to evaluate Cam down the stretch and see if there's a fit," Fletcher said in a conference call Saturday. "As importantly, hopefully give us a boost as we continue to push for a playoff spot.
"This is an opportunity to get a guy that's been a No. 1 in the league, he's been a No. 2 in the league, he's had a lot of experiences and has played over 280 games. I think he'll just give this organization a shot in the arm right now."
Talbot fits with the Flyers because his own situation presents the same mindset.
The 31-year-old can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The future makes the present even more important for Talbot. In his contract with the Oilers, he had a list of 10 teams to which he could be traded and the Flyers were not on it.
"When they asked if I would waive to go to Philly, it was kind of a no-brainer," he said in a conference call Saturday. "Knowing Carter and having that relationship with him, the opportunity with that roster, I was pretty excited about it. It didn't take me too long to waive my no-move."
Talbot isn't viewing the Flyers as just a pit stop.
"I don't think that I would have waived my no-move if it wasn't something that I saw as more than a six- or- seven-week opportunity. To uproot my family and stuff like that, I saw hopefully a future here," he said. "I'm just excited now to help with the push and hopefully that all sorts itself out in the long run.
"I waived my no-trade to come here because I saw an opportunity for not only this year, but for the future. If something comes up and both sides can come to an agreement, I'd be more than happy to sign before July 1 and forgo free agency."
Fletcher is open to the idea of re-signing Talbot, as well.
"We'll have an opportunity to evaluate Cam as he'll have an opportunity to evaluate us," he said. "I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves here — right now we're in a playoff chase and we've added a quality player to our team. We'll just let things play out.
"It's hard to predict the future."
But Fletcher is planning for it, his continued balance of this season and next.
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