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Blair Betts’ return to Philly affects more than their salary cap situation

Buffalo Sabres v Philadelphia Flyers - Game Two

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Blair Betts #11 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Buffalo Sabres during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

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Blair Betts being returned to the Philadelphia Flyers is causing GM Paul Holmgren some headaches to deal with that he was hoping to get rid of by waiving him in the first place. With the Flyers being so close to the salary cap, the first thing Betts’ return does is put the Flyers over the cap.

The Flyers can solve that problem quickly by putting Ian Laperriere on long term injured reserve and getting his $1.167 million contract off the books. That much salary would be enough to get the Flyers back under the cap and it’s expected to be the move to come.

Of course, things aren’t quite that easy for Philly. Rookie Sean Couturier has started off his season looking like he fits right into the mix. His entry-level salary cap hit of $1.375 million only counts against the Flyers’ payroll if he stays in Philly for the season. The Flyers will have until after their ninth game of the season on October 26 against Montreal to figure that out.

If Couturier stays, the Flyers will have to make a move or two to get under the cap. Making things more awkward is that Betts’ contract is the 50th deal for the organization. NHL teams are limited to having just 50 contracts and staying at that 50 contract limit obviously makes things uncomfortable for GMs. Getting that flexibility to add a player is one most GMs prefer to have.

Paul Holmgren’s work to fix up the Flyers this offseason has been more than worthy of attention, but he’s got more work to do now.