He made that quite apparent with the announcement today that the Flyers have traded for 24-year old Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kris Versteeg. In exchange, Holmgren sent Toronto the Flyers' first and third-round picks next year.
Versteeg is a guy the Flyers saw last season in the Stanley Cup finals when they played the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago then traded Versteeg to the Maple Leafs in a five-player trade last year at the end of June.
In 53 games this season, Versteeg has contributed 14 goals and 21 assists.
"Kris is an exciting young forward," Holmgren said in a statement released by the team.. "He's 24 years old and he'll fit in with our group of players here. He's a quality forward that can play in a lot of different roles for our hockey team.
He can move up and down our lineup. He can kill penalties. He can play on the power play. We think he's a guy that over the last few years, particularly in Chicago, has really blossomed into a good forward and we think he's going to be a really good addition to our team."
As happy as Holmgren is to have him in town, Versteeg is just as happy to be here.
"Right away I was extremely excited to join this team," Versteeg said. "They've had a lot of success this season. They had a great playoff push last year and I'm excited to try and have a good one this year. I like to make plays and score goals at the same time, maybe go out there and be an agitator at times, too. I'm going to try and do it all and have fun doing it."
Versteeg's presence gives the Flyers another young piece that can contribute this season and for years to come. Holmgren hasn't stacked the Flyers like Ruben Amaro, Jr. has with the baseball team across the street, but he's trying to give him a run for his money.
