But where will he play? Europe?
No, he missed an opportunity to go overseas earlier in the season, and goaltenders are no longer in demand across the pond.
Nope, instead Esche could see time in the AHL.
But before Philadelphia fans start salivating at the thought of Esche and Antero Niittymaki manning the pipes for the first-place Phantoms, it should be duly noted that Esche doesn't want to play for the Phantoms.
No, instead, Esche wants to play for the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers.
According to several sources within the AHL and NHL, including one of Esche's Flyers teammates, a deal is in the works for Esche to join the Wolves soon after the NHL season is officially wiped out.
Esche was unable to be reached for comment and his agent Patrick Descharme did not return phone calls Tuesday.
Wolves General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said he was conscious of Esche's interest of signing with his team, but that there was nothing imminent.
"We're very flattered that people want to play for us," he said. "He is a quality goalie and if we decide to do something with that position, his name would be on the list."
Despite having an affiliation with Atlanta, the Wolves are independently owned and are able to sign other veteran players outside of the Thrashers organization.
However, if Esche does sign on with Chicago, minutes could be hard to come by. Kari Lehtonen, Atlanta's top prospect and the top goaltending prospect in the world, is already manning the nets for Chicago, who sit atop their division in the AHL.
There were rumors at the start of the season that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios was trying to sign with Chicago, but that never materialized. However, according to one source, the Chelios deal could also be back on if the league is cancelled.
Why Esche would want to play in Chicago and not with the Phantoms is unknown, but there has been speculation that Esche doesn't want to sign a contract with the same ownership group that owns the Flyers because he is the Flyers Players' Association representative.
It has also been suggested that Esche wants to play to stay sharp after seeing the play of Niittymaki with the Phantoms, assuming the young Fin will press him for his starting job in the not too distant future.
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According to two separate NHL sources, it appears the players will make one last ditch proposal to the league in an effort to save the season.
While the proposal is not expected to include a salary cap, it is rumored to reduce the luxury tax threshold to $37.5 million per team and to increase the tax to be levied from the proposed 50 cents on the dollar to 75 cents for each dollar spent above the threshold. The proposal is expected to be presented to the league sometime during the next two weeks.
Former Flyer coach survives tsunami
As horror stories surrounding the tsunami that killed more than 140,000 people in Southeast Asia last week continue to mount, one hit home for the Flyers family.
Former Flyer skating coach David Roy was vacationing with his family on the island of Phi Phi off the coast of Thailand, when the force of nature struck land.
Roy survived the tidal wave, but suffered a serious leg injury that will keep him hospitalized in Asia for at least a week.
When the first wave hit, Roy and his wife, Jamie, were in their beach bungalow. They tried to run but were overtaken by the water.
According to a report in the Kelowna (British Columbia, Canada) Daily Courier, Jamie, her daughter (Sarah) and son-in-law (Mikel) were able to reach a concrete building and safety suffering only minor injuries.
Roy suffered a deep gash in his leg that reportedly extended all the way to the bone. He was rescued by a tourist from New Zealand who jumped into the water to save him.
The injury was so serious that Roy, a member of the Flyers coaching staff from 1999-2002, had to be evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Phuket.
Meanwhile, Jamie, Sarah and Mikel spent the night atop the roof of a hotel not knowing if David or the couple's son (Adam) and daughter (Lindsay) had survived a shopping trip in town. They were found uninjured the next morning.
In addition to his time with the Flyers, Roy has worked with the Dallas Stars, the Canadian men's national team and Canadian women's gold medal Olympic team.