3 Philadelphia Flyers Not Expected Back Next Season

The Philadelphia Flyers made the Pittsburgh Penguins look funny in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, and now in the second round, the Carolina Hurricanes are feeding them their lunch.

The Flyers are down 3-0 to the Hurricanes and there doesn't appear to be any sign of hope, as Carolina has quickly turned into a legit Stanley Cup contender. There's going to be significant roster changes coming for the Flyers, and here's three players who aren't expected back next season:

Rasmus Ristolainen

The time has come to move Ristolainen, as trade offers are going to start piling in to the Flyers for their towering defenceman. If the team wasn't in the playoff hunt in February, he was going to be dealt, but the team turned it around and Briere kept Ristolainen in the fold. The towering d-man has one year left at $5.1 million AAV, and doesn't own any trade protection.

Carl Grundstrom

Grundstrom was in and out of the lineup for Rick Tocchet and heading into free agency, is expected to sign in the western conference. The Flyers have a slew of young NHL talent knocking on the door who can play in their bottom six on entry level contracts, so don't expect to see the Flyers make Grundstrom a contract offer.

Luke Glendening

The veteran pivot served a great purpose on the Flyers fourth line, winning faceoffs, killing penalties and playing a shut down game, but at his age, and with the Flyers looking to increase their team speed, the veteran center won't be back next season. If Glendening wants to play another year, some team will give him a shot on a league minimum deal.

Photo credit:  Kyle Ross-Imagn Images