A few days ago, a Flyers official said Nabokov was too pricey and that the club wouldn't pursue him.
Then, negotiations broke off with Hamhuis, whose rights the Flyers acquired from Nashville last week with the hope they could sign him before he became an unrestricted free agent Thursday.
Suddenly, the Flyers have more cap space than they anticipated after shipping Hamhuis' rights to Pittsburgh on Friday for a third-round pick in the 2011 draft.
Flyers fans were irate. How dare they trade Hamhuis to the hated Penguins!
In defense of general manager Paul Holmgren, he apparently figured Hamhuis would negotiate with the Penguins when he became a free agent, so why not get something for him?
On the flip side, it's fair to wonder why the Flyers didn't have a better feel for Hamhuis' signing intentions when they dealt Ryan Parent to Nashville for his rights and a conditional seventh-round pick.
The original plan seemed to be to sign Hamhuis, load up the defense, and re-sign Michael Leighton as the No. 1 goalie.
If the Flyers go to Plan B, they could sign an expensive goalie - Nabokov - and pick up a lower-level defenseman through free agency.
After Saturday's draft, Holmgren said he hadn't closed the door on Hamhuis and that if the defenseman didn't sign with Pittsburgh and reached free agency, the GM still thought he had a chance to get him in a Flyers jersey.
That seems like false optimism. For one, some team figures to give Hamhuis more than the Flyers believe he is worth. Hamhuis would like to play in Vancouver. But Pittsburgh seems like a good fit because the Penguins are having problems re-signing standout defenseman Sergei Gonchar.
Also, Pens GM Ray Shero has a connection with Hamhuis, having been Nashville's assistant GM early in the defenseman's career there.
So where does it play out from here?
Nabokov has a no-trade clause but at this point, that will not prevent a deal if someone wants to trade for his rights for this week, said his agent, Don Meehan. The Flyers and Meehan will probably continue to talk this week and if they hammer out a deal before the free-agency period starts, San Jose would likely get a late 2011 draft pick.
Asked if he thought Nabokov would end up with the Flyers, Meehan hedged.
"Over the years, I've learned that the only thing certain about free agency is that it's uncertain," Meehan said. ". . . I will say that he has interest in anyone who has interest."
If the Flyers - who are reluctant to put Jeff Carter into a deal for an ultra-promising young goalie - don't land Nabokov or Hamhuis, they could go to Plan C: Sign Dan Ellis or Chris Mason, two potential free-agent goalies.
