1) There has been speculation that the Flyers will either try to trade defenseman Andrew MacDonald or expose him to the NHL Expansion Draft. While neither he nor Brandon Manning are likely to be taken by Vegas, the Flyers have to prepare for the Draft with a replacement plan in place in case any player they expose is taken.With MacDonald, the question isn't (or shouldn't be) whether he played too high in the Flyers' lineup last season as a 20-minute-per-game defenseman typically paired with dynamic rookie Ivan Provorov. Ideally, he should not have been playing in that spot. The reality, though, is that there simply was not a viable alternative at the time. The role defaulted to MacDonald.Right now, with impending unrestricted free agent Michael Del Zotto having been informed that he will not get an offer to remain with the Flyers and with veteran Nick Schultz also an unrestricted free agent (with a significant possibility of facing retirement this offseason), there still is no clear-cut replacement plan for MacDonald's role.As currently constituted, the team is likely to dress two rookies next season on defense in addition to second-year player Provorov and third-year NHLer Shayne Gostisbehere. If MacDonald were subtracted, the team would need a veteran in his role to enter next season, not a third NHL rookie. Radko Gudas is already being counted on a key blueline contributor so, if MacDonald is subtracted, it would presently mean an expanded role for Manning.It's not a matter of whether MacDonald is replaceable. He is. It's not a matter of whether he is overpaid with his $5 million cap hit on a contract with three seasons yet to run. He is. Instead, it is a question of replacement planning and cost without an in-house option to do it. Ron Hextall's history thus far as a general manager is one of being very cautious. There would likely have to be a veteran replacement for MacDonald already under Flyers' control before he'd be unloaded elsewhere. Some Flyers fans may think "just about anyone new in the lineup would be better than MacDonald" but that is neither accurate nor in line with the real-life thought process.If the Flyers had a trade to make to acquire a veteran defenseman ahead of the trade freeze -- there are teams that are going to have to expose D-men to Vegas they would have preferred to keep but either fall victim to the numbers crunch or the obligation to satisfy the games played plus contract status exposure requirement -- they would probably do so and then expose both MacDonald and Manning or else include one in the deal so that the other team could then expose the player while gaining another asset or two.Alternatively, if MacDonald were theoretically deleted from the roster beforehand, there would no doubt be a few defensemen of interest on the UFA market come July 1. But how much cap hit and term would it entail to try to upgrade? Additionally, there is a pretty thin UFA defensemen market this summer. Since bringing back Del Zotto is not in the plan, would the Flyers be better off bidding against other teams for a player such as Trevor Daley? Given the roster outlook as a whole, would adding that type of player and subtracting MacDonald markedly improve the Flyers' fortunes as a team from playoff bubble club to contender status? If the answer is "probably not," then it is making change for change's sake.Philadelphia Inquirer beat writer Sam Carchidi suggested that the Flyers might instead try to unload MacDonald to Vegas -- even if it meant adding draft pick assets as a sweetener -- and then use his $5 million of cap money to go all out to land unrestricted free agent winger T.J. Oshie for more scoring help up front. With all due respect to Sam, that seems to be a far-fetched idea for two reasons: 1) it would leave the already questionable blueline worse off than before to subtract MacDonald, and then spend something well north of the $5 million they'd be saving in order to pursue a forward instead of a blueline upgrade, and 2) replacing one albatross contract with another isn't very appealing. The 30-year-old Oshie is a high-risk player to drop off significantly in goal production next season after cashing in big on his 33-goal output this past season on a stacked Washington team. His previous highs in goals were 26 (with the Caps in 2015-16) and 21 (while still with the St. Louis Blues in 2013-14).Cap-wise, the Flyers are currently in decent enough shape to ride out the remaining three years with MacDonald if they have to. The hope is that the emergence of some of the young defensemen (beyond Provorov and a Gostisbehere return to rookie form) will eventually enable the Flyers to move MacDonald down in the lineup. As a 16-to-17 minute per game supporting cast blueliner, he'd be quite serviceable if expensive.In terms of immediacy, if one makes an "addition by subtraction" argument for unloading MacDonald, then there also has to be a corresponding "addition by addition" plan for bring in another minutes-eating veteran to the blueline. Without such a plan, it's further weakening something that is not currently an area of strength. As some of the young defensemen gain experience, that outlook will hopefully brighten considerably. For right now, though, there's still learning and development to be done before they are ready to assume leading roles along with Provorov.2) It will be very interesting to see how the Dallas Stars divest themselves of either Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi now that Ben Bishop is on board. Dallas is dealing from a position of weakness here. Vegas has better options out there in the expansion draft, so Dallas may be looking either at an expensive two-year buyout scenario (both goalies have one season remaining on their contracts) or needing to include an appealing asset (draft pick, prospect, etc) to accomplish a trade.While neither goalie would be an upgrade in goal for the Flyers, the team could probably live with one year of a tandem of Michal Neuvirth and one of the two Finnish veterans -- and then revisit a long-term scenario a year from now as prospects continue to develop. If Philly could acquire a decent 2018 Draft pick, alleviate a bit of overcrowding (such as by dealing Matt Read to offset much of the cap hit), and get a one-year stopgap tandem in goal, it might be a preferable scenario to signing a UFA this summer.3) Flyers fans interested in participating in the Charity Classic on July 16 still have the opportunity to sign up to join one of the teams captained by Flyers Alumni. Participants can sign up for any of the four bicycling or running/walking events as a member of the team; one need not participate in the same event as the team captain. The Flyers Alumni captained teams are as follows:* Ides of Marsh (captained by Brad Marsh)* Bernie's Italian-French Connection (Bernie Parent & Gini Parent)* Propper Guffaw (Brian Propp)* Lappy's Team (Ian Laperriere)* Holmgren's Heroes (Paul Holmgren)Other participating Flyers Alumni in non-captain roles include Bob Clarke, Joe Watson, Todd Fedoruk and more. For more information,Even if you cannot come out to ride, run or walk at the Charity Classic, you can still make a donation in any amount in the name of an individual participant or team. The Flyers Alumni Association will use all proceeds toward making good on their $2 million pledge to assist the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation in the construction of a new rink in Philadelphia to be named the Edward M. Snider/ Flyers Alumni Rink.How important is the Snider Hockey project to the Flyers Alumni? A good example of their unwavering devotion is the pre-event preparation being put in by Ian Laperriere. "Lappy," now a Flyers assistant coach, underwent knee surgery after the season but is pushing himself hard in rehab in order to participate in the 100k bike ride on July 16.