Flyers have inquired about Adam Foote

The Flyers search for a depth defender includes Colorado.

According to two sources – one an agent that represents multiple big-name players, and the other is a league executive – Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has made inquiries with Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman about captain Adam Foote.

Foote, 39, has had injury questions himself this season – and over the last few seasons – but has the leadership, experience and skill to be a decent fit with the Flyers.

Foote has not played in the last 3 weeks with a quadriceps injury, according to the Denver Post, but returned to practice Thursday for the first time.

The interesting thing is that Foote, set to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, would likely come at the right price from the Avalanche, who are all but out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

If Alexei Kovalev's deal to Pittsburgh on Thursday for a conditional 7th round pick told us anything, Foote may also require a conditional late-round pick.

Foote is owed $241,935 for the rest of this season, a prorated number of $1 million that decreases every day. According to one of the sources, Foote's $250,000 bonus – which would also count against the cap – is playoff performance-based.

With Nik Zherdev clearing waivers earlier in the day, removing his $2 million salary cap hit if the Flyers choose to assign him to AHL Adirondack, and Oskars Bartulis ($650,000) likely to head to the long-term injured list, the Flyers are not sold on Foote. But he may be the No. 7 guy, at a cheap price, that the Flyers could bring in as an insurance policy.

Acquiring Foote would still allow the Flyers enough cap space to bring in another scoring winger.

Foote has spent 15 of his 17 seasons in the NHL with the Colorado/Quebec franchise. He is just the second captain in Avalanche history behind Joe Sakic. Foote has 8 assists in 41 games with Colorado this season while averaging 18 minutes per game.

For my money, you would need to convince me that Foote would be healthy enough for a long playoff run. On the other hand, is there a real downside?

The Flyers are kicking the tires on Foote, though one source says "not a whole lot cooking." We'll see where it goes from here before Monday's deadline.

For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers