There It Is

Upon Further Review . . .

2007-01-26T08:36:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like this is the end of the line for There It Is. I grew disenchanted with the Flyers -- a 2-9-1 record in December will do that -- the holidays hit, and then I came down with a bug that knocked me flat.

During the downtime, I reflected on what I had been writing and what I wanted to do. I came to the conclusion that I wasn't happy at all with the way things were going. I had been flirting with the idea of re-vamping the site with a new layout anyway, so I figured why not just start from scratch.

Thus, you can now visit me at Dynamo 26, where you'll still find plenty of hockey content, but hopefully peppered with coverage of other topics (that's the plan, anyway).

There It Is was fun while it lasted and I thank all of you for stopping by my little corner of the world. Please keep the love going by visiting my new venture.

Stay Tuned

2006-12-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

John Buccigross dropped a few hints about the future of him and the NHL in the e-mail section of yesterday's column:

John,

With an almost perfectly accurate prediction of Crosby's G/A/PTS total last year, and then writing that the Blues would fire their coach within the week only a day before it happened, I might have to start asking you when I want to know anything about the hockey future. Go Leafs!

Jeffrey Turner
Annapolis
U.S. Naval Academy

The NHL will soon announce they will continue their relationship with Versus for at least the next two years. And I will eat 18 pounds of cheese in 2007.

[ . . . ]

Bucci,

ESPN wants its fans to create the ultimate lineup, "using a pool of 50 forwards selected by our NHL experts." I'm praying that you were not in this group of "experts" that left Joe Sakic off of that list! Say it ain't so. And while you're at it: How about your list? Who makes your four lines of the NHL's all-time best forwards?

Dorian
Pittsburgh

I was not among the experts who made up ESPN.com's list. I am neither esteemed nor respected at the Worldwide Leader in NBA highlights. Most of the ESPN suits have no idea I even work here. This time next year, I'll be hosting the "World Barbecue Challenge" on Versus and they'll be like, "I know I've seen that guy somewhere before."

A lot of what Buccigross says in the e-mail section is tongue-in-cheek, but he does like to play "I Told You So" every once in a while (like earlier in the column, for instance). I doubt that if he were planning on moving to Versus that ESPN would let him talk about it. That being said, I hope it's true. Versus desperately needs a nightly NHL highlight show a la NHL 2Nite.

More On Zhitnik

2006-12-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

From Tim Panaccio:

The Flyers are 16 points behind Carolina - tomorrow's opponent - for the eighth and final playoff spot. According to general manager Paul Holmgren, the decision to trade for Zhitnik should be a signal to fans that the club has not conceded the season.

The reality is, with a six-game losing streak and another injury to captain Peter Forsberg, the Flyers are out of the playoff picture.

The team already has a long list of free agents it will go after in the summer and is focusing on getting a fairly high draft pick - perhaps the No. 1 overall - for the first time in decades.

Sending the 25-year-old Freddy Meyer to the Island for Zhitnik will help the Flyers in their rebuilding.

I don't see how trading a young player and a high draft pick for an older player with a bad contract helps in the rebuilding process.

From Ed Moran:

Saturday's trade with the Islanders that brought Alexei Zhitnik is sure to be followed by critics saying that trading the young Freddy Meyer for the veteran defenseman was a move contrary to everything the Flyers have said about staying young at all costs.

But there are limits. One veteran out of six defensemen doesn't cut it. The Flyers have been talking to the Islanders about getting Zhitnik for weeks.

When Mike Rathje went on long-term disability, his salary became available and the trade for a young defenseman for old makes sense.

Zhitnik for Meyer is a good move because it provides needed experience from a player capable of playing a lot of minutes and running a power play from the blue line.

Well, I agree that one veteran defenseman out of six doesn't work. However, what's the point to adding a veteran for this season? The Flyers will not make the playoffs. No way, no how. They should be trying to build for the future. Meyer was that future. Zhitnik is not.

From Bullies Blog:

This is a move that would make a lot more sense for a team trying to contend for the playoffs or look to make a championship run. I think we can all agree that the Flyers history of trading younger players for older veterans hasn’t exactly helped the squad.

Maybe General Manager Paul Holmgren thinks the Flyers are a lot closer to competing than some of us do. Maybe he’s right, we’ll have to wait and see.

But this sure looks like something you’d see from Bob Clarke, which doesn’t exactly fill me with the most confidence.

Amen, brother.

From Flyers Fan Central:

Personally I am not sure how much I like this trade from a Flyers fan standpoint although the longer I think about it the more it seems to make sense.

I don't see how this makes sense at all. Before the season started the Devils had to cough up a first-round draft pick to help clear cap space. Meanwhile, we pay a third- or second-round pick to help someone else clear cap space? I'm still shaking my head.

Second Verse, Same As The First

2006-12-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, the Flyers traded defenseman Freddy Meyer and a conditional draft pick to the New York Islanders for defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. The draft pick is reported to be the Islanders' choice of either a third-round pick in the 2007 draft or a second-round pick in 2008.

When I told my significant other about this move, her first reaction was, "Seriously, are they trying to finish last overall?" I couldn't have said it better myself.

I'm still trying to figure this one out. Each time that I look at it, though, the answer is the same -- this trade makes zero sense. In trading away Meyer, the team is losing a young, swift, tenacious puck-moving defenseman who, oh by the way, is making just $525,000 this year. You are also losing an upper-round draft pick, which is not an insignificant loss given the salary cap.

In acquiring Zhitnik, the team is getting a defenseman who is on the downside of his career, is making $3.5 million for this year AND the next two, but one who can also move the puck and help the younger defensemen on the team learn how to play in both ends of the rink.

All in all, I don't like this trade. I don't hate it as much as I did when I first read about it, but I definitely don't like it. With Mike Rathje going on the long-term injury list -- and probably retiring -- that was $3.5 million that the Flyers gained in cap space. Not any more. Zhitnik's contract eats that space up through 2009, at which point Zhitnik will be 36 years old. (Meyer will be 28 in 2009.)

It's no secret that chemistry is an important ingredient in putting together a winning team. Chemistry is not something that can be forced -- it just happens. A team either has it or it doesn't. That being said, chemistry can also take a little while to develop. Given the Flyers group of young defensemen -- Jones (25), Meyer (25), Jonsson (24), Pitkanen (23), Timonen (23), and Picard (21) -- it's not unreasonable to think this group of defensemen could have learned how to play together and to play well together. (Should we not also mention that all six are the type of swift, puck-moving defenseman that most teams covet?) At that point, if it behooved the club to move one of them, a lot more could have been gained than an aging, overpaid defenseman.

This May Take A While

2006-12-14T16:15:00.000-05:00

Taking a page from Rocky Balboa, ESPN is wondering what the greatest line combinations in the history of the NHL would be. They list 50 of the greatest forwards in NHL history and ask the fans to come up with four lines from that list. Results will be announced on Wednesday.

Game #31

2006-12-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

Same story, new game. The Flyers come into tonight's game at Pittsburgh having lost four straight, while the Penguins have won two in a row. Pittsburgh is 4-0 against the Flyers so far this season, having outscored them 20-7. Penguins star Sidney Crosby has netted six goals and three assists in those four games. For the Flyers, Freddy Meyer is expected back in the lineup tonight after sitting out mast night's contest against the Rangers.

Inside the Numbers

TEAM STATS
	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
PHI	30	8	18	4	20	2.37	3.67	14.6%	86.0%
PIT	29	13	11	5	31	3.00	3.14	17.1%	80.8%

TEAM STAT LEADERS
	Philadelphia		Pittsburgh
Pts	Simon Gagne	25	Sidney Crosby	41
G	Simon Gagne	16	Evgeni Malkin	15
A	Joni Pitkanen	16	Sidney Crosby	27
+/-	Todd Fedoruk	+2	Sidney Crosby	+11
PIM	Ben Eager	72	Jarkko Ruutu	49
GWG	Simon Gagne	2	Evgeni Malkin	3
TOI/G	Joni Pitkanen	25:17	Sergei Gonchar	26:41

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

Injury Updates

2006-12-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

I have a feeling this column will be repeated throughout the year.

Defenseman Freddy Meyer sat out last night's game with back spasms, while both Sami Kapanen and Joni Pitkanen returned to the lineup. All three are day-to-day.

From the already injured list, Jeff Carter skated with the team and is about a week or so away from returning. Robert Esche has been cleared to practice and will rejoin the team tomorrow.

With very little fanfare, Mike Rathje has been put on the long-term injury list -- making his $3.5 million salary available to the team. The Flyers would be wise to eat this cap space, as there is almost no way that the money can be spent to immediately improve the team.

Game #30

2006-12-12T16:27:00.000-05:00

Man, how do you preview this? The Flyers come in losers of three straight and are last in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Confernce, while the Rangers have won three straight and are second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Confernce.

The injury list is growing almost daily for the Flyers. Add Mike Richards and Geoff Sanderson to the list, as they will each undergo surgery for a sports hernia sidelining them for around three to six weeks. Jeff Carter (fractured left tibia), Robert Esche (adductor muscle surgery), Denis Gauthier (shoulder surgery), Peter Forsberg (foot/ankle), and Mike Rathje (back) as the players are already out indefinitely. Day-to-day are Sami Kapanen (back spasms), Freddy Meyer (back), and Joni Pitkanen (abdominal strain). All told, that's 3297 games played sitting out indefienitely, and 946 games played that are day-to-day. That's a lot of experience sitting in the press box.

Due to the injuries and recent waivings -- goodbye, Mr. Nedved -- the Flyers will now be icing one of the youngest teams -- and probably the least experienced -- in the league. As many as six rookies may dress tonight, including Ryan Potulny, Ben Eager, Alexandre Picard, Jussi Timonen, Stefan Ruzicka, and backup goaltender Martin Houle. Fellow rookie and Philadelphia native Tony Voce may also see game action.

Inside the Numbers

TEAM STATS
	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
NYR	30	16	10	4	36	3.07	3.00	20.0%	84.6%
PHI	29	8	17	4	20	2.41	3.69	14.9%	85.4%

TEAM STAT LEADERS
	Philadelphia		New York
Pts	Simon Gagne	25	Jaromir Jagr	44
G	Simon Gagne	16	Brendan Shanahan	22
A	Joni Pitkanen	16	Jaromir Jagr	30
+/-	Todd Fedoruk	+3	Jaromir Jagr	+16
PIM	Ben Eager	70	Ryan Hollweg	55
GWG	Simon Gagne	2	Brendan Shanahan	3
			Martin Straka	3
TOI/G	Joni Pitkanen	25:20	Michal Rozsival	23:16

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

Game #28

2006-12-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Well, it's finally back to hockey for the Flyers. After a weeklong layoff, the Flyers will travel up the New Jersey Turnpike to take on the Devils in the Meadowlands tonight. The Flyers last played on Saturday, losing to the Devils in a shootout, 4-3. Though the Flyers are still fifth in the division and last in the Eastern Confernce, they have been playing much better recently and are 3-1-1 over their last five games. (They have also gone 5-3-2 over their last 10.) Antero Niittymaki will be in goal tonight, as Robert Esche is still out following groin surgery.

The Devils come into the game in first place in the Atlantic Division, 12 points better than the Flyers. New Jersey is coming off a win against Montreal on Wednesdya night, while riding a three-game winning streak (itself following a four-game losing streak).

Beginnig tonight, the Flyers will play eight games in the next 16 days -- including two sets of back-to-back games -- that will take them into the three day Christmas break.

Niittymaki will be the key to this stretch drive. Despite starting something like 16 of the 20 games since the coaching change, with Esche out, the team is now his for the taking. If Niittymaki turns into the true #1 goalie many think he can be, then the Flyers have a chance to win every night and Esche becomes tradeable. If Niittymaki stumbles, backup Martin Houle will be called upon as a stop-gap until Esche can come back.

Another factor here is Niittymaki's hip. Suffering from a torn labrum, he has already received one cortisone shot in order to postpone surgery until the offseason. Scheduled for a second shot this month, Niittymaki is putting it off for now since he hasn't experienced many problems.

Inside the Numbers

TEAM STATS
	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
align="left">PHI	27	8	15	4	20	2.48	3.70	15.0%	86.6%
align="left">NJ	26	15	9	2	32	2.31	2.50	16.2%	87.0%

TEAM STAT LEADERS
	Philadelphia		New Jersey
align="left">Points	Simon Gagne	22	Patrik Elias	21
align="left">Goals	Simon Gagne	14	Brian Gionta	11
align="left">Assists	Joni Pitkanen	16	Brian Rafalski	16
align="left">Plus/Minus	Todd Fedoruk	+4	Zach Parise	+4
align="left">GWG	Simon Gagne	2	Zach Parise	4
PIM	Ben Eager	66	Cam Janssen	63
align="left">TOI/G	Joni Pitkanen	25:23	Paul Martin	25:11

See: Game Day
See: Preview

Headlines
See: Perplexed Forsberg hopes for the best
See: Forsberg doesn't find answer to skate problem
See: Forsberg still seeking comfortable skates
See: Captain Footnote
See: Skate problem continues to vex Forsberg

Quotable

2006-12-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

I received this e-mail earlier today from my friend Vin with one of the best quotes and jokes I've ever read.

I was reading about the players the Phillies took in the Rule 5 draft and I found this quote from [Phillies assistant GM] Mike Arbuckle about the one pitcher interesting:

"Command has always been his issue," Arbuckle said. "We view him as a reliever, just a power-arm guy that can come in and blow for a couple of innings."

Hasn’t that always been the story for Phillies pitching?

Christ, I'm still laughing.

See: Rule 5 Draft nets Phils three players

This And That

2006-12-06T11:58:00.000-05:00

With the Flyers off until Friday, it's been an awfully quiet week around here. That being said, it doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other things going on around the league:

George Johnson checks in on the challenges facing Ken Hitchcock in Columbus.
Scott Burnside writes that inaction at the recent NHL Board of Governors meeting may just be the best course of action.
Linda Cohn is dishing out hardware for the first quarter of the season.
Despite being seven weeks away, John Buccigross is ready with his picks for the All-Star game (during which the NHL will debut their new uniforms).

Flyers Pass On LeClair

2006-12-05T17:50:00.000-05:00

In today's column, the Inquirer's Tim Panaccio reports that the Flyers will not be making a waiver claim on John LeClair.

Holmgren said the Flyers considered signing John LeClair but had decided against it.

"I know John is a good guy," Holmgren said. "But I think at the end of the day we felt we would be taking a step back and taking someone's ice time who has a chance to get better... . I didn't think he was a guy who would really help us right now."

Holmgren said LeClair needed more than the 11 minutes of ice time he averaged in Pittsburgh to get better. What about Kyle Calder? He's averaging 14 and has no goals. Could LeClair take his spot?

"We're sort of hoping Kyle Calder will come around and get better," Holmgren said.

Okay, two things here: first, I can't believe this, but I'm actually going to agree with Holmgren. Bringing LeClair back would be a waste, and it would rob someone of ice time who could actually improve his game. Second, we "sort of" hope Calder will play better? If that's analogous to "I sort of hope I go home and find Rachel Weisz in bed waiting for me," then I couldn't agree more.

Third Time's A Charm

2006-12-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

First, he went to North Carolina. Then, he went to Cleveland. Now, as the Courier-Post's Chuch Gormley reports, it's Phoenix:

Flyers captain Peter Forsberg caught a flight to Arizona Monday night, hoping to finally end his search for a skate boot that fits perfectly around his reconstructed right foot.

Forsberg is expected to meet with Ernesto Castro, founder of the Arizona brace, who will design and manufacture a custom-made skate boot for Forsberg. The 33-year-old center has had moderate success with foam inserts in his skate, but is hoping the new boot will improve his balance and prolong his NHL career.

Am I the only one who's sick of hearing about this? Just get the damn thing fixed already and tell me when it's done.

Flyers Re-hire Clarke

2006-12-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

The Flyers announced yesterday that they have re-hired Bob Clarke as senior vice president:

“Bob’s experience as a player and general manager over the last 37 years is invaluable,” said Holmgren in making the announcement. “This is a way to keep Clarkie involved in the organization and utilize the knowledge that he has gained over the years. He is a tremendous resource that we can call upon. We should take advantage of that and Bob is certainly willing to help out the organization any way that he can.”

Clarke, 57, will be involved in aspects of the Flyers’ player development program. He will be viewing and meeting with the team’s drafted players, including Steve Downie, Claude Giroux and Andreas Nodl, monitoring their progress and helping in their development as they move forward in their hockey careers. Clarke will continue to keep in close contact with those players until they sign a contract with the Flyers and join the organization’s system.

For the best take on this, check out Enrico at The 700 Level:

Well shit. That doesn't sound real tough. Anyone want to hire me as senior VP of something?

Why The NHL Is The NHL

2006-12-01T13:16:00.000-05:00

Every hockey fan in the United States laments the fact that the NHL plays the n^th fiddle to MLB, the NBA, the NFL, NASCAR, NCAA basketball and football, poker, and any number of other sports. To me, one of the big reasons has been the continued allowance -- if not encouragement -- of fighting in the game. Every sport except hockey throws a player out of the game for engaging in fisticuffs. In hockey, a player gets five minutes in the penalty box and then he's right back out on the ice.

Not only is it contemptible that such behavior is tolerated, it's also disgraceful that more talented players -- you know, ones that can actually skate, pass, and shoot -- are left behind in the minors in order for teams to carry goons who play about three minutes a game and contribute virtually nothing to the outcome.

Time and again the so-called "purists" will make the argument that teams carry a goon to protect their star players. Another argument made is that by carrying goons teams can police themselves without having the league step in with suspensions and fines for illegal behavior.

In a post on his blog at The Star, Damien Cox refutes all of this nonsense.

While wearing a televison microphone for the game, Laraque inadvertently made a mockery of his chosen art and completely undermined the dogged efforts of those who maintain that fighting has an important part in the sport.

With a faceoff just outside the Phoenix and the Coyotes ahead 3-2 in the 14th minute of the first period, the 6-foot-6 Laraque ambled over to L.A.'s designated goon, Raitus Ivanans, and inquired politely if he might possibly interested in fisticuffs.

"Wanna do it?" said Laraque, without a trace of anger, a curse word or any indication that the invitation to scrap had anything at all to do with something that had happened within the game.

[ . . . ]

Neither Laraque nor Ivanans was trying to stop the opponent from "taking liberties" on their teammates.

It wasn't about keeping the sticks down. It wasn't about stopping guys with visors from "running around" and hitting everything in sight. It wasn't about "policing" the game to keep it fair and clean.

It was a rather pathetic attempt by both men to legimitize their increasingly dicey existence as NHL players.

Kudos to Cox for stepping out on this issue. I couldn't agree more that legalized fighting in the NHL needs to go the way of the glow puck.

Flyers Squeak By Isles 3-2

2006-12-01T08:56:00.000-05:00

The Flyers won the special teams battle last night, converting on two of their four power play opportunities, while killing off all four New York power plays -- and adding a shorthanded goal of their own. The Flyers jumped out to a two goal lead by the end of the first period on goals from Randy Robitaille and Simon Gagne (a real beauty on a shorthanded mini-breakaway with just five seconds left in the period). Mike Knuble tallied the team's second power play goal of the game with a little over a minute left in the second period. The Islanders weren't going to go quietly, however, as they scored with just 30 seconds left in the second and added another goal with about 10 minutes left in the third. It made for a harrowing final 10 minutes, but goalie Antero Niittymaki came up big again and again to stop New York.

Defenseman Derian Hatcher logged a season-high 29:27 of ice time last night, a figure he will probably be seeing quite a bit of in the near future. With yesterday's news that Mike Rathje will be out indefinitely -- if not permanently -- along with Joni Pitkanen's day-to-day status, Hatcher becomes the only Flyers' defenseman with significant NHL experience.

FLYERS DEFENSEMEN
Player	Games Played
Derian Hatcher	945
Freddy Meyer	80
Randy Jones	57
Alexandre Picard	18
Jussi Timmonen	6
Lars Jonsson	5
Injured Players
Mike Rathje	768
Dennis Gauthier	460
Joni Pitkanen	153

I'll be the first to admit that I've been all over Hatcher this season -- see Derian Hatcher Futility Watch -- but I will also admit that he's been playing better as of late. He will still make a lot of mistakes -- like going for an empty net goal, missing, and icing the puck with a one goal lead and less than one minute left in last night's game. He will still never be in the proper position on the ice given his lack of movement. He will also be afforded the opportunity to begin his coaching career a little early, as he will be asked to take no less than five players with 80 or fewer games played under his wing to teach them how to be NHL defensemen.

See: Courier-Post
See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: Yahoo/AP

Game #26

2006-11-30T17:35:00.000-05:00

The Flyers head to Long Island tonight to play the New York Islanders. Despite playing two fewer games than the Flyers, the Islanders have 10 more points this season. The Flyers are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Nashville last night -- one that the Daily News' Rich Hofmann thinks gives the team something to build off of -- while the Isles have won three of their last four.

Inside the Numbers

TEAM STATS
	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
PHI	25	7	15	3	17	2.44	3.80	13.7%	85.8%
NYI	23	12	8	3	27	2.74	2.56	16.0%	81.6%

TEAM STAT LEADERS
	G	A	Pts	+/-
PHI	Gagne - 13	Pitkanen - 16	Gagne - 21	Robitaille - +1
NYI	Blake - 14	Yashin - 18	Yashin - 28	Zhitnik - +11

See: Game Day
See: Preview

Penguins waive LeClair; Flyers interested

2006-11-30T15:41:00.000-05:00

From the Inquirer's Tim Panaccio:

Former Flyer John LeClair was placed on waivers today by the Pitsburgh Penguins. LeClair, who was earning $1.8 million this season, can be secured for the waiver price of $3,375.

The left winger was a 50-goal scorer for the Flyers three times during his career, which began with Montreal in 1990. If LeClair, 37, were to pass into re-entry waivers, he could be claimed for a salary as low as $900,000.

The Flyers are believed to be interested in LeClair if he passes into re-entry waivers.

My head is ready to explode just thinking about this. How could the Flyers possibly have any interest in LeClair? He's 38 years old and hasn't averaged a point a game since the 1998-1999 season. Since then, he's played in 384 games, recording 281 points -- a 0.73 point-per-game average. This season he has seven points (two goals) in 21 games -- a 0.33 point-per-game average. (For the record, his career point-per-game average is 0.85.)

Many thanks to my friend Vin (he's the Thunder Bay Bombers in the Hat Trick Hockey League) who gave me the heads up on this. Here's our conversation:

Vin: The missing piece to the puzzle -- http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16132619.htm.

Matt: Oh, for god's sake . . . .

Vin: He’s exactly what this team needs. Slow, lumbering, past his prime. Perfect.

Matt: If anyone had any inkling that Holmgren might be different than Clarke, this would set them straight.

Game #25

2006-11-29T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Flyers welcome the Nashville Predators to Philadelphia tonight for their only visit this season. The Flyers have won two games in a row for just the second time this season and are looking for their first three-game win streak. The Flyers are fifth in the Atlantic Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference.

The Predators also come in winners of two in a row, but have managed to win six of their last eight, as well. Nashville is in first place in the Central Division and second in the Western conference.

Inside the Numbers

TEAM STATS
	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
NAS	22	15	5	2	32	3.46	2.64	19.5%	84.0%
PHI	24	7	14	3	17	2.46	3.83	14.0%	85.4%

TEAM STAT LEADERS
	G	A	Pts	+/-
NAS	Hartnell - 8	Sullivan - 18	Sullivan - 24	Sullivan - +9
PHI	Gagne - 13	Pitkanen - 16	Gagne - 20	Robitaille - 0

See: Game Day
See: Preview

Update: The Flyers will be without the services of goaltender Robert Esche for the next two to four weeks. Esche underwent groin surgery today:

The scheduled procedure, performed by Dr. Bill Meyers, was not disclosed until the morning skate. The surgery, called an "adductor release" loosens the adductor muscles that affect the groin and inner thigh.

Martin Houle was called up from the Phantoms to serve as Antero Niittymaki's backup.

From The Mouths Of Reporters

2006-11-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

Here's a doozy from the Courier-Post's Chuck Gormley:

Peter Forsberg, who reluctantly replaced Primeau as Flyers captain, is a wonderful player when he's healthy. But he has been so preoccupied with finding a skate for his reconstructed foot that it has been virtually impossible for him to lead. And if there is anything the Flyers need right now it is a leader.

That, more than anything, is why Paul Holmgren traded a pair of draft picks to Anaheim for Todd Fedoruk. Is the Fridge an impact player on the ice? Not in the traditional sense. He is not likely to score a game-winning goal and he won't play a single minute on a power play that couldn't shoot the puck into the ocean these days.

But when he makes his Flyers re-debut this week, probably at home against the Predators Wednesday night, Fedoruk gives his new team something it's been lacking all season.

Guts.

Sweet Jesus. I couldn't agree more that Forsberg is not getting the job done as captain and that it's time for him to pass it off (the likely nominee is Kapanen, a move I have no problem with) . . . but to suggest that Todd Fedoruk is one of the answers for why this team is struggling is just ludicrous. I can't imagine, in any world, where it would be a good idea to trade away draft picks for Todd Fedoruk.

Flyers Playing Better But Still Losing Ground

2006-11-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

It appears that the Flyers are fans of Thanksgiving. Three games were played from Wednesday through Saturday with a possibility of gaining six points. Of those six, five were earned with an overtime loss to Ottawa (3-2), coupled with wins against Columbus (3-2) and at Montreal (4-2). Jared at Bullies Blog points out that the Flyers are 4-2-1 over their last seven games.

Those are good numbers to be sure, but take a look at the last 10 games. In that span, the Flyers are just 4-4-2 for 10 points. Also in that span, the Flyers gained points on just three other teams (Florida [six points], Pittsburgh [nine points], and Washington [eight points]), stayed even with no other teams, and lost ground to the remaining 11 teams. Definitely not good numbers.

Pens Easily Handle Flyers

2006-11-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

Anyone who says they look at the Flyers lineup and thinks talent-wise they can compete with any other team in the league is deluding themselves. It's just not there. And if anyone needed actual proof, it was on display last night at the Wachovia Center.

The Penguins aren't one of the best teams in the league, but they're head and shoulders above the Flyers. This is what happens when you accept several losing seasons and build a team around those resulting draft picks. It is the exact opposite of what happens when you think you're a better team than you actually are and spend top dollar on free agents at the end of their careers.

Last night's win moved the Penguins to 4-0 on the season against the Flyers, whom they have now outscored 20-7. Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby, despite playing only the first two periods, managed a goal and an assist -- increasing his totals to six goals and three assists on the season against the Flyers. For his career, in 12 games against the Flyers, Crosby has 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points. Am I the only one who's thinking he can't become a free agent fast enough?

Coaching Update
TSN is reporting that the Blue Jackets have narrowed the search for their next head coach down to former Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock and former Los Angeles Kings coach Andy Murray, while hoping to have one in place as early as Wednesday. Interestingly, the Blue Jackets will be in town for a game on Friday afternoon.

See: Courier-Post
See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
See: Yahoo/AP

Flyers Officially Sign Stevens

2006-11-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

The Flyers announced today they have signed coach John Stevens to a new two-year contract:

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that the team has reached an agreement with Head Coach John Stevens on a new two-year contract, effective immediately and running through the 2007-08 season, according to club General Manager Paul Holmgren.

"Over the course of the last month with John Stevens moving in as the head coach, we have had time to settle some issues and we have officially come to an agreement with John on a two-year contract,” said Holmgren in making the announcement.

“We are very excited about this, as is John. This stabilizes the situation in terms of his leadership of the hockey team. We are looking forward from this point on as we march ahead."

“I’m excited,” said Stevens. “I know that we have work to do here, but I do see a lot of potential for this hockey team. I want to be the guy who brings success here. I’ve been in Philadelphia for a long time and I know what it means to win here. I’ve won championships at the minor league level and I’d love to have the chance to do it at the NHL level. We have a great coaching staff in place and it’s a pleasure working with Paul Holmgren. This is an ideal situation for me and it’s an opportunity that I welcome.”

Game #21

2006-11-20T16:52:00.000-05:00

At home for the first time in nine days, the Flyers play host to Pittsburgh tonight at the Wachovia center. The Flyers will be looking for their first win against the Penguins this season in the fourth meeting between the two teams. The Flyers were 5-2-1 against Pittsburgh last season, though this season is quite the opposite. In three Pittsburgh wins, the Penguins have outscored the Flyers 15-4. The last time Pittsburgh beat the Flyers in four straight games was December 15, 1992 through January 30, 1993.

Here is a look at the two teams' numbers on the season:

TEAM STATS
	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
PIT	18	9	7	2	20	3.17	3.11	17.1%	83.5%
PHI	20	5	13	2	12	2.35	4.00	11.8%	87.1%

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TEAM STAT LEADERS
	G	A	Pts	+/-
PIT	Crosby - 9	Crosby - 19	Crosby - 28	Crosby - +7
	Malkin - 9			Recchi - +7
PHI	Gagne - 10	Pitkanen - 11	Gagne - 14	Robitaille - +2
			Sanderson - 14

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

Flyers Topple Kings, 4-3

2006-11-17T09:48:00.000-05:00

As much as Wednesday night's win over Anaheim was good for the Flyers' soul, last night's win over Los Angeles was absolutely huge in getting this team on the road to respectability. Despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead, the boys in Orange and Black played sloppy, tired hockey most of the game and found themselves trailing 3-1 with just 10 minutes left.

A few minutes and good bounces later and the Flyers were once again leading by a goal, 4-3. Last night's win was the sort of gutty effort that had been missing all season long. Primed for a letdown after a big win over Anaheim on Wednesday, the Flyers came out looking like they were going to give the game away. Despite scoring the first goal of the game, they played with almost no energy for about 50 minutes. To their credit, they found a way to push through and take advantage of the opportunities they were presented.

Today will be a much needed day off before tomorrow night's game against San Jose -- another top Western Conference team boasting star players, solid goaltending, and a balanced attack.

Pylon Update
Derian Hatcher has strung together five consecutive even or better games (even vs Isles-11/9; +1 vs Buffalo-11/11; even vs Pens-11/13; +1 vs Anaheim-11/15; +3 vs Los Angeles-11/16; total of +5) raising his total on the season to minus-12 through 19 games. He is now on pace to finish the season at minus-52, a far cry from October 31 when he was on pace to finish at a staggering minus-104. The truly amazing part, however, is that Hatcher no longer has the worst plus/minus rating on the team. That honor now belongs to Joni Pitkanen, with a minus-14 through 19 games -- a projected total of minus-60. Pitkanen is contributing on the scoresheet, though, registering 11 assists on the season against Hatcher's zero points.

See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: L.A. Times
See: Yahoo/AP

Game #19

2006-11-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Coming off of last night's stunner in Anaheim, the Flyers will look to start their first winning streak of the season tonight in Los Angeles. The will be the Flyer's first game against the Kings since losing 4-0 on October 21, 2003 in Los Angeles.

Peter Forsberg returned to the lineup last night and notched a goal and an assist, though afterward said his foot still isn't normal.

"At least, we kind of figured out what the problem is. You've just got to find a solution for it," Forsberg said. "I was losing my balance everywhere. I was laying flat on the ice more than I was standing up. It's definitely not 100 percent, but it was definitely better tonight. It's still a work in progress, though."

A new feature here on the game previews will be a look at the two teams' stats and leaders on the season. Here are the numbers for the Flyers and Kings:

TEAM STATS
	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
PHI	18	4	12	2	10	2.33	3.94	11.8%	87.4%
LA	20	6	10	4	16	2.55	3.15	14.6%	84.1%

TEAM STAT LEADERS
	G	A	Pts	+/-
PHI	Gagne - 9	Pitkanen - 11	Gagne - 13	Robitaille - +4
LA	Frolov - 8	Kopitar - 12	Cammalleri/Kopitar - 17	Kostopoulos - +5

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

For more on last night's win, see below:
Courier-Post
Daily News
Inquirer
Los Angeles Times
Yahoo/AP

Game #18

2006-11-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Flyers visit Anaheim tonight for the first time since October, 2003 to play the Ducks. Anaheim comes into tonight's game with a 13-1-4 record (30 points), good for first in the Western Conference, second overall in the league. The Flyers come in at 3-12-2 (8 points), last in the league. I can't spin this matchup in any way, so I'll let the numbers do the talking:

	PHI	Rank	ANA	Rank
Record:	3-12-2	30th	13-1-4	2nd
Goals For:	35	29th	60	7th
Goals Against:	67	29th	37	3rd
Power Play %:	9.3%	29th	19.8%	9th
Penalty Kill %:	88.8%	5th	89.4%	4th

Injury Notes
Peter Forsberg has missed the last two games with ankle trouble, but it's believed he'll play tonight. After visiting a clinic in Cleveland, Forsberg has been fitted with a brace that, it is hoped, will stabilize his ankle in his skate.

"Dr. Donley was very pleased with how the orthotic brace angulated Peter's ankle," [trainer Jim] McCrossin said. "Peter is happy, Dr. Donley is happy, and I'm happy."

In other injury news, defenseman Denis Gauthier underwent successful surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left shoulder. Gauthier is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks, putting his return sometime around the end of January.

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

The Glass Is Half-Empty

2006-11-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan hits the nail squarely on the head in this morning's column:

On a scale from Poor Start to Full-Scale Chernobyl, the Flyers would have the Geiger counter ticking mighty loud and mighty fast. But that's only part of the story. Like the scene of a nuclear accident, the Flyers have a chance to be contaminated for years to come.

[ . . . ]

As for the immediate future, that will depend on Stevens' ability to get a more consistent effort out of the players already here. The Flyers actually have played better the last few games, losing close games instead of blowouts.

It's a sad commentary when that represents progress for the Flyers, but it does.

Check out the whole article as there are some very prescient points in there about the players and Holmgren both.

Blue Jackets Contact Flyers About Hitchcock

2006-11-15T07:36:00.000-05:00

According to the AP, Columbus has received permission from the Flyers to contact Ken Hitchcock about its head coaching position.

The Columbus Blue Jackets' hunt for a new coach is on a fast track that may lead them to Ken Hitchcock, who was fired as Philadelphia Flyers coach last month.

Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean received permission from the Flyers to interview Hitchcock, the veteran coach confirmed on Tuesday night.

"My understanding is that Columbus has asked for permission from the Flyers and that they have given it," Hitchcock said. "But no one from the Blue Jackets has talked to me."

This is fine and I wish Hitchcock nothing but the best, but I was surprised by a line that showed up later in the same article:

Hitchcock was fired after a 1-6-1 start by the Flyers, a veteran squad that had apparently tuned him out because of his demanding style that might play better with the young Blue Jackets.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it mentioned several times when Hitchcock was fired how much harder he is on younger players instead of veterans?

Bob Clarke, Version 1.1

2006-11-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

Jared at Bullies Blog had this to say on Sunday in response to the news that paul Holmgren had the "interim" tag removed from his title:

That means Holmgren should have full authority to make trades and other roster moves this year. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

Holmgren worked under Bob Clarke since he rejoined the Flyers years ago. Obviously, the two most likely shared organizational philosophies and team-building strategies. In trying to move the team forward, the last thing the organization needs is more of the same.

But until he screws up, let’s at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

That's a fair enough thing to do, even though I'm not willing to. Apparently, I had reason not to:

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have acquired 6’2”, 240-pound left wing Todd Fedoruk from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and future considerations, according to club General Manager Paul Holmgren.

Before last night's game, the Flyers had given up 64 goals in 16 games, 29th in the league, while at the same time socring just 33 goals, also 29th in the league. So, what's the answer to either of these problems? If you said trading away a fourth-round draft pick and future considerations for a goon with a broken cheekbone, pat yourself on the back. You have just graduated from the Bob Clarke School of Hockey Mis-Management.

Swing and a Miss correctly points out that "Paul Holmgren, who just the other day had the label 'interim' deleted from the front of his title as GM, has picked up just where Bobby Clarke left off, reacquiring players previously traded."

This makes me wonder how long it will be before Craig Berube is stripped of his duties as assistant coach and told to lace up his skates. By all accounts, he's a good locker room guy.

Let's Try Door #2

2006-11-13T13:24:00.000-05:00

Boy, you go away for a weekend and you figure things can't get any worse than they were when you left. Then you come home and find out this:

The Philadelphia Flyers named Paul Holmgren as general manager through the remainder of the 2006-07 season, according to Flyers Chairman Ed Snider.

"Paul has been working very hard and I felt that it was important at this time to provide him with some stability in his position which will help him with the tasks at hand," said Snider.

So, let me get this straight to make sure I understand it. You publicly ask an old friend and colleague who just happens to hold a visible job in the league's front office to be your team's general manager. That person says no. After another week and a half, you decide to make the interim general manager the pseudo-permanent general manager by just removing the interim tag from his title and telling him he'll have the job for the rest of the season.

In a season that has been thrown completely upside-down, this is yet another move that makes no sense. Snider, in effect, is telling Holmgren that he wasn't good enough to be hired outright as the team's general manager, but since the guy he really wanted passed on the job than Holmgren might as well do it -- but only for this season. Once this season is over, then we'll take another look at things.

And to think, all these years I thought it was Clarke who was ruining the team. It turns out I was probably wrong.

Q & A with Ed Snider

2006-11-11T16:07:00.000-05:00

Flyers owner Ed Snider sat down recently with Courier-Post beat writer Chuck Gormley for an interview. Here are some excerpts:

Q: You've changed your general manager and your coach but the results are the same. Will there be more changes?

A: We've made all the changes we're going to make. Even if things don't turn around, there's not a hell of lot we can do at this point.

[ . . . ]

Q: Is there anything more you can do as an owner?

A: I really think we have to let it play itself out. And if we end up with a horrible season then we'll build from there. But we can't panic and we can't go out and make stupid deals. We can't make deals just to make deals. In my mind we're not going to be making any deals. I don't see any on the horizon.

[ . . . ]

Q: Will Paul Holmgren remain GM for the rest of the season?

A: I'm not at liberty to discuss that at this point.

To summarize -- no changes can be made to improve anything, no changes will be made to improve anything, and you still don't know who your general manager is.

Is there anyone who thinks this isn't a recipe for a Stanley Cup?

Isles Down Flyers 3-1

2006-11-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Islanders captain Alexei Yashin scored twice to lead New York to a 3-1 win over the dismally inept Philadelphia Flyers last night. Richard Park also scored for the Islanders, while Simon Gagne was the only scorer for the Flyers, a power play tally that came during a too little, too late comeback attempt at the end of the third period. The loss is the Flyers' 11th on the season, a number they didn't reach until January 19 last season -- by which time they'd already accumulated 64 points. They have just seven now.

As noted, the Flyers lone goal was on the power play, ending an 0-for-27 streak that dated back to October 30. On the season, the power play is 8-for-91 (8.8%) -- last in the league in percentage and next to last in goals scored while having the 12th most chances in the league. On a positive note, the penalty kill continued its mastery by killing off five Islanders' opportunities -- moving to 88.5% on the season, good for sixth in the league.

The Flyers will welcome the Buffalo Sabres to the Wachovia Center on Saturday in their last home game until November 20. It will be the first time the teams have met since the Tuesday Night Debacle in Buffalo.

See: Courier-Post
See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: Newsday
See: Yahoo/AP

Game #15

2006-11-09T17:32:00.000-05:00

With the Flyers mired in three-game losing streak, the New York Islanders come to town also in a funk having lost their last two games. The Flyers' scoring woes continue -- 28 goals in 14 games, 29th in the league -- particularly on the power play. The Flyers have just seven power play goals on the season, and have not converted on their last 24 power play opportunities.

This dearth of goals is the reason coach John Stevens broke out the "shooter tutor" during practice yesterday.

. . . Stevens ended practice yesterday by tying a vinyl sheet over the bottom two-thirds of the net, a gizmo they called a "shooter tutor" that can often be seen during youth-league practices but rarely at professional ones.

In fact, despite all the other coaches who have graced the Flyers' bench over the last 15 years (Paul Holmgren, Bill Dineen, Terry Simpson, Terry Murray, Wayne Cashman, Roger Neilson, Craig Ramsay, Bill Barber, Ken Hitchcock), no one could recall ever seeing one across the front of the net.

Then again, there has not been a start this bad in Flyers history. They have won three of their 14 games so far and have allowed 56 goals. Not surprisingly, they have spent much of their season playing from behind.

And missing the net.

For the Islanders, goalie Rick DiPietro -- he of the 15-year contract -- will probably return to the net for tonight's game. DiPietro is 1-6 with a 3.18 goals-against average in seven starts against the Flyers. While this may seem like a good matchup for the Flyers, keep in mind that the Capitals had not won in their last 15 trips to Philadelphia, yet managed to win 5-2 on Saturday. The Islanders come into tonight's game at 6-6-2 (4th, Atlantic Division; 12th, Eastern Conference).

Roster Moves
Petr Nedved cleared waivers yesterday and was added to the team's roster for tonight's game. It's not clear who his linemates will be, but it's believed he will play on one of the penalty killing units. (Given how well he's played in the PK role, this is a solid move.) Joining Nedved from the Phantoms will be defenseman Martin Grenier along with forwards Ryan Potulny and Matt Ellison.

Forsberg's present and future
Peter Forsberg has stated time and again that he will not discuss his future with the team until his foot feels 100%. To that end, he spent part of yesterday in Charlotte, NC, visiting with surgeon Robert Anderson.

Peter Forsberg missed practice on Wednesday after flying to North Carolina for a routine check up on his foot according to Paul Holmgren.

“Peter is in North Carolina to see the doctor just as a follow-up [to his foot surgery],” said Holmgren.

Holmgren also said Forsberg is still looking for the perfect fit in his skate boot.

“Harry [Bricker] (Flyers’ assistant equipment manager) is actually with him too. He took some skates down just to look at his foot when it’s in the skate. You are all aware of the problems he’s had with the numbers of skates he’s tried and trying to get the perfect fit, so hopefully we can get that squared away.”

As I mentioned before, this is starting to get worrisome. The Flyers' trainer has proclaimed Forsberg to be 100% healthy, while Forsberg himself is saying he isn't. So, the team's best player is disagreeing with the medical staff about his condition. Hmm, sound familiar?

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

Carter Out Six Weeks; Nedved Recalled

2006-11-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

It was announced yesterday that Jeff Carter's ankle injury is a little more severe than anyone thought:

Jeff Carter, who was at first thought to have suffered only a bone bruise in his left ankle when he was struck by a shot Thursday night against Tampa Bay, has a fractured bone, it was revealed yesterday.

"[Carter] had an MRI today performed on his left ankle which revealed that he sustained a fracture of the distal end of his left tibia," Flyers trainer Jim McCrossin said yesterday. "The injury is located on the inside of his left ankle area. He should be out for approximately 6 weeks.

"Over the past couple of days the inflammation in [Carter's] ankle had subsided. He has been able to walk better, but he still had point tenderness over his ankle. Speaking with our medical staff, we felt it was warranted to get an MRI and investigate his injury a little bit closer. The MRI did reveal a crack."

Replacing him in the lineup will be Petr Nedved, who was recalled from the Phantoms. Nedved, however, must once again pass through waivers to be able to rejoin the team. I think it's a safe assumption that the Flyers wouldn't mind at all if another team decided to put in a claim for him.

A Record-Breaking Season?

2006-11-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned it before (here and here), but James Mirtle has been the one really banging the drum on the awful numbers Derian Hatcher is accumulating this season (here and here). With a minus-17 through 14 games, Hatcher is on pace to break Bill Mikkelson's record mark of minus-82 (1974-75, Washington).

Watching history possibly unfold in front of my eyes, I've decided to create a new feature -- the Derian Hatcher Futility Watch. You can find it listed in the left-hand column directly underneath my fantasy league's standings. It will be updated after every game until such time as he's traded or waived.

Game #14

2006-11-06T14:35:00.000-05:00

The Flyers will be in Toronto tonight for a game with the hated Maple Leafs. Coming off two disappointing losses (5-2 vs. Tampa Bay and 5-3 vs. Washington), the Flyers will yet again be looking to turn things around. The Leafs, meanwhile, have been playing well of late having just handed Buffalo its first regulation loss on Saturday (4-1).

Philadelphia comes into the game with a 3-9-1 record, good for seven points -- last in the Atlantic Division and last in the Eastern Conference. Toronto comes in at 8-5-3 (19 points), second in the Northeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference.

For the Flyers, Mike Rathje practiced yesterday and is a game-time decision. Jeff Carter, Mike Knuble, and Randy Robitaille will not play.

See: Game Notes
See: Injury Report
See: Preview

Round And Round It Goes

2006-11-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

The rumor mill is churning and probably won't stop anytime soon. Last week, the Inquirer's Tim Panaccio reported that Calgary might be willing to deal defenseman Roman Hamrlik. Over the weekend, the Courier-Post's Chuck Gormley reported another Calgary rumor:

The rumor: This one might be more than just a rumor. There was talk last week the Flyers were interested in acquiring defenseman Roman Hamrlik from the Calgary Flames in exchange for disappointing forward R.J. Umberger.

The other rumor: Now, there is talk the Flyers and Flames are working on a much bigger deal involving Simon Gagne and Jarome Iginla. Many believe the Flyers and Flames were very close to making this deal happen last year.

Lending credibility to the rumors is the fact that Flyers pro scout Al Hill was in Columbus, Ohio, to see the Flames play the Blue Jackets Friday night.

Gormley's take: As much as I like Gagne, I think he lacks the overall game and leadership qualities of Iginla, who has seven goals and six assists in his first 12 games.

I agree with Gormley -- if it's between Gagne and Iginla, I'd take Iginla any day of the week and twice on Sunday. As I've noted before, I think Gagne is a bit overrated and would have no problem with him being moved for someone who has played almost half as many playoff games as Gagne yet has one more point than Gagne:

Totals	GP	G	A	P	Shots	Pct
Simon Gagne
Season	439	167	167	334	1270	13.1
Playoffs	65	20	11	31	167	12.0
Jarome Iginla
Season	721	293	291	584	2252	13.0
Playoffs	35	19	13	32	123	15.4

Today, both Tim Panaccio and the Daily News' Ed Moran are giving a great big "Hold on a second there, professor." Here's Moran:

Here's one that has everyone talking as if it's real: Calgary is going to trade Jarome Iginla and two top prospects to Philadelphia for Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and prospect Claude Giroux.

Right.

Let's see, the Flames are struggling and want to make lineup changes to wake up the team so they are going to trade their captain Iginla, last season's points leader who leads the team with eight goals and six assists, not to mention his $7 million salary, for Gagne, Carter and Umberger.

And, of course, the Flyers, who need more than a single dynamite player to rescue this season, are going to trade their top winger, their top young center, a solid young center/winger and their top junior prospect.

Panaccio, meanwhile, goes straight to the source and asks Comcast-Spectacor president and chief operating officer Peter Luuko about what's going on:

The Flyers are not actively shopping Peter Forsberg, nor have they been receiving calls about his availability in a trade.

That's the straight talk from Peter Luukko, the president and chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Flyers.

"Our plan has been and remains to re-sign Peter Forsberg," Luukko said yesterday, addressing the Forsberg rumors. "At some point, we are going to sit down with him and his agent. He's a special player. Now, will Peter want to re-sign here? That is why we have to sit down with him to talk about it. But we want him back."

I would agree with Moran, if what he's reporting is anywhere close to the truth (in his piece, he admits that he has no "inside sources"). I would not trade all of those pieces just for Iginla, although it may depend on what two prospects would be included in the deal. However, if it's just Iginla for Gagne -- man, I hope Calgary is that dumb.

The Forsberg Question

2006-11-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

I meant to get to this over the weekend but, as usual, I wasn't in front of a computer at all. Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan thinks 12 games and one month are long enough:

Peter Forsberg was gone, gone, gone.

Gone from the ice, gone from the arena, gone from all those troublesome postgame questions. This captain was not going down with his ship, not tonight.

Funny how much that tiny cloth "C" seems to be weighing down Forsberg. After last night, it really feels like time to relieve him of the burden.

Another take on this matter comes from The Hockey News' Adam Proteau, writing at Globe on Hockey:

Forsberg has a no-trade clause in his contract, but with the Flyers on the verge of a major rebuild job – and since it’s unlikely he’s enough of a glutton for punishment to re-sign with the team next summer – would he allow himself to be dealt to a contender? And if the answer to that question is yes, wouldn’t it make sense for interim GM Paul Holmgren to trade him sooner than later, before the oft-injured star is sidelined again?

Deal In The Works?

2006-11-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

There is some speculation swirling that the Flyers might be preparing a roster move to add some defensive help. Fueling this speculation is the move made yesterday to send Lars Jonsson and Alexandre Picard down to the Phantoms.

Here is Tim Panaccio in today's Inquirer:

What these moves could signal is the clearing of cap space for a deal. Brian Leetch is skating and trying to prepare for a comeback. The Flyers are one of a few teams he would consider playing for.

Leetch is 38, but is there any other unsigned player who is better on the power play? Remember, the Flyers' power play is dead last in the NHL with a single-digit rating of 8.6 percent efficiency (6 of 70) before last night's game.

A real possibility is Calgary's Roman Hamrlik. The Flames, whose scouts have been around the Flyers lately, are looking to make a deal. Detroit is looking to move Andreas Lilja, but he is not very mobile. The guy who took his job, Brett Lebda, is mobile. Mathieu Schneider is 37, but he would be a huge upgrade for the Flyers.

However, Chuck Gormley spoke with interim GM Paul Holmgren about the matter. Holmgren was pretty emphatic with his response:

The moves trimmed about $1 million off the Flyers' current payroll, dropping it to just over $40 million, but Flyers interim general manager Paul Holmgren said the moves were not made to clear room under the cap for a big-ticket free agent such as Brian Leetch.

"Absolutely not," Holmgren said. "These guys (Jonsson and Picard) need to play. Who knows? If there's an injury, they might be back up. It does the organization no good and them no good if they don't play."

Here's what I said about Leetch when the news first broke three weeks ago:

This is a move the Flyers would have made without thinking twice in the pre-salary cap days. The problem is we're in a salary cap era with an incredible amount of parity. Take your lumps for a year -- two, tops -- and then go from there. Don't sign a 38-year-old simply because there are no other options out there.

I haven't changed my mind.

Flyers GM Search Continues

2006-11-03T11:19:00.000-05:00

David Shoalts, writing at the Globe and Mail's hockey blog -- Globe on Hockey -- has some good news about who Ed Snider may be looking at in his search:

As for the Flyers, those in the know say owner Ed Snider is determined a complete change of the Flyer culture is in order. That’s why he offered the job to an outsider like Campbell and why Paul Holmgren, assistant GM to Bob Clarke when he quit as Flyer GM, will not move beyond interim GM. It’s also why the job will not be offered to former goaltender Ron Hextall, currently a Flyer scout.

For the record, Hextall is now the assistant general manager in Los Angeles -- having been hired away by former Flyers scout and current Kings GM Dean Lombardi (yes, the same one whom I campaigned last season to replace Bob Clarke).

Meanwhile, Chuck Gormley notes that a few scouts -- none with ties to the organization -- were at last night's game:

GM search continues: Scouts from the Red Wings (Tom Webster), Stars (Neil Smith) and Canadiens (Pierre Gauthier) attended the game, but no one seems to know who is next on the Flyers' list of potential general managers.

Lightning Top Flyers 5-2

2006-11-03T08:58:00.000-05:00

Tampa beat the Flyers to extend their streak to 10 consecutive wins against Philadelphia. The streak dates back to April 4, 2003 -- the last time the Flyers beat the Lightning. The worst part of the loss? There were absolutely zero positives that can be taken away from it.

Jeff Carter and Randy Robitaille left with "lower body injuries" (the team now has a policy of playoff-like secrecy when it comes to injuries). Carter later broke the silence and admitted to an ankle bruise with swelling that shouldn't prevent him from playing on Saturday. Robitaille had to be carried off the ice after a horrific crash into the end boards that saw his left leg twist underneath him. He did not comment after the game, but I would not be surprised in the least to learn he had torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the season.

Perhaps the biggest thing missing in the team right now is an attitude. Opposing teams are allowed to do what they will in the Flyers defensive end -- as evidenced by the third Lightning goal. After gathering the puck up in the corner. Tampa captain Tim Taylor moved behind the net and attempted a wraparound. Antero Niittymaki was there to stop the puck. Taylor did what good players do -- he kept whacking away until he heard the whistle. Unfortunately, the whistle never came. Mike Rathje gave a feeble effort in attempting to tie up Taylor's stick, while Mike Richards lazily skated in from the corner and watched. Neither made any attempt to physically separate Taylor from his senses, let alone from a position to score.

The power play troubles continue for the team as they 0-for-4 last night, making them 6-for-74 on the season. Their 8.1% power play efficiency, last in the league, is 1.3% worse than the next closest team (Ottawa).

The loss drops the Flyers to 3-8-1 on the season -- last in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, 29th in the entire league.

See: Courier-Post
See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: St. Petersburg Times
See: Yahoo/AP

Game #12

2006-11-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

The Flyers host the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in the fourth game of their five game homestand. Tampa Bay comes in with a record of 5-7-0, in fifth place in the Southeast Division (13th in the Eastern Conference). The Flyers are 3-7-1, good for fifth place in the Atlantic Division (15th in the Eastern Conference).

Philadelphia is coming off a shutout win over Chicago (3-0 on Monday night) and looking to build on that confidence. Curiously, coach John Stevens will be starting Antero Niittymaki in goal tonight despite the fact it was Robert Esche who backstopped the Flyers on Monday.

Tampa is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and has to figure that the Flyers are just what the doctor ordered. The Lightning are unbeaten against the Flyers in their last nine games played (8-0-1) dating back to the end of the 2003 season. Forwards Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are the team's top two scorers (12 and 10 points, respectively) and are tied for the team lead in goals with seven each. Defenseman Dan Boyle leads the team in assists with eight.

Side Note: I'm starting to get a little worried over relationship Peter Forsberg has with the medical staff. In today's Courier-Post, Chuck Gormley writes:

Forsberg returning? Flyers captain Peter Forsberg said the stability of his surgically reconstructed right foot -- not the club's general manager -- will determine whether he re-signs with the Flyers beyond this season.

"I'll know my decision when my foot is 100 percent," Forsberg said. "It's a great organization and a great place to play. I like it here. We'll see what happens."

Asked how his foot feels, Forsberg replied, "I want to see if it's 100 percent and if I can play at a level I want to be playing at."

Asked again how his foot is feeling, Forsberg replied, "I don't think I'm playing as good as I want to play, and that's all I'm saying."

For the record, Flyers athletic trainer Jim McCrossin said Forsberg's right foot is 100 percent, but added it might take another month or two before Forsberg is completely comfortable with it.

This is after there was some "mis-communication" over whether or not Forsberg would be playing last week when he sprained his wrist. It's probably not much, but it seems worth mentioning given the medical staff's interaction with Eric Lindros.

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

If I Were GM

2006-11-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Chuck Gormley posts today about what he would do if here were named general manager of the Flyers. Most of the steps he lays out make sense, and he tacks on a good bit of humor at the end ("7. Give myself a fat raise.").

This got me to thinking about what I would do were I named general manager of the team. There are so many changes that could be made, it's difficult to know where to start. What's more important -- the product on the ice, the fans' experience with that product, or the fans' perception of that product?

Hire John Buccigross as a "Bob." The first thing I would do would be to hire ESPN's John Buccigross as a consultant to the team. Give him complete access to everyone attached to the organization -- from the Delta Denta Ice Team all the way up through the corporate ownership -- and one mission: to determine what's the best way to reconnect with one of the best fan bases in the NHL. Anyone who reads his column knows he has a singular love for the game that is just aching to be put to use. What is everyone waiting for?

Keep John Stevens as head coach. In fact, I would sign him to a three-year deal right now, with the promise that there will be an extension if the young guns come around and the team performs.

Find a goaltender. I would make mission for every scout in the organization to find a young goalie who has the potential to be a dominant number one goalie. The team has not had one since the heyday of Ron Hextall almost 20 years ago. Niittymaki, I think, will be a solid goaltender who has a chance to really good. I want someone who will be great. I want Miikka Kiprusoff.

Dump Robert Esche. He has no future in the organization. Get rid of him before he becomes a problem -- again. Offer him to Columbus -- maybe Doug MacLean would be stupid enough to trade Gilbert Brule for him.

Waive Derian Hatcher. I don't need to explain this move at all.

Deal with Peter Forsberg. See if he will give a hometown discount and re-sign for two years in the $4 million range. If not, trade him for a package of draft picks and prospects. This is a headache waiting to happen.

Retire Brian Propp's jersey. Propp is my all-time favorite hockey player, and is third on the Flyers' all-time points scored list, along with being second in both goals and assists. He is a member of the Flyers Hall of Fame, but does not have his #26 retired. This is a travesty that needs to be corrected.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

2006-11-02T09:26:00.000-05:00

Ken Hitchcock has to feel like a ping pong ball at this point, bouncing back and forth within the Flyers organization. First, he signed a contract extension over the summer to remain as the Flyers head coach. Then, just eight games into the season, he was fired from the position. Now, finally, he was re-hired by interim GM Paul Holmgren to be a pro scout for the team.

There It Is take: What a strange, strange tale. This appears to be a nothing move to me. Hitchcock certainly has a solid hockey mind and I'm glad that he'll be working for us and instead of someone else. However, Hitchcock himself acknowledged that the move is merely a placeholder for him until he finds a head coaching gig somewhere else. It makes me wonder how much scouting he'll be doing around the road or if he'll spend the time networking with the other teams.

Hatcher Putting Up Big Numbers

2006-11-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

They're just not the kind you want to see.

It seems that the Courier-Post's Chuck Gormley and I are on the same wavelength. We both posted pieces on Tuesday about Derian Hatcher (separate links). Gormley makes no argument about whether or not Hatcher should be playing, while I see no positive in putting Hatcher within spitting distance of an ice rink. The thing I find most interesting is interim GM Paul Holmgren's take on Hatcher:

"There's too much focus on Derian, in my opinion," Holmgren said. "Does he stand out at times on the negative side? Yeah, but not because of lack of effort."

"Not because of lack of effort?" Well, congratulations, Derian -- here's a cookie for standing around like a pylon while players skate right by you. I'm sure you work very hard to not move at all. Great job!!

Campbell Takes A Pass

2006-11-01T13:52:00.000-05:00

According to reports from both TSN and the Inquirer, Colin Campbell has turned down Ed Snider's offer to be general manager of the Flyers.

There It Is take: On the whole, I'm not surprised. Campbell has a good gig in the NHL front office and figures to move up the chain of command whenever Commissioner Gary Bettman hands the reins over to deputy Bill Daly. That being said, I'm a little disappointed, though not overly so. I like that Snider is going after someone -- especially someone not from the Flyers organization -- and not sitting back to let interim GM Paul Holmgren, who may or may not have been the one actually responsible for the current state of the team, have a chance to make over the team, though Campbell's name isn't really one that wowed me.

The best thing right now would be for Snider to keep the ball rolling. He has two things working against his team now -- the first being that Holmgren has to know now that he has no shot at keeping this job. The second is how well will the person eventually hired perform know he wasn't Snider's first choice? Acting quickly and decisively is in everyone's best interest.

Flyers Offer Colin Campbell GM Job

2006-11-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

TSN is reporting that the Flyers have offered their general manager job to NHL executive vice president and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell. It is believed that he will have an answer for the team within 48 hours.

Campbell was an assistant coach under Mike Keenan with the New York Rangers when they won the Stanley Cup in 1994. He then became head coach the next season and lasted in that capacity until 1998. After leaving the Rangers, Campbell was hired by the league to be its disciplinarian.

There It Is take: As with all things Flyers, there are two sides to this. On the one hand, the offer to Campbell can be viewed as a positive. Through his work with the league, Campbell would have an extensive amount of contacts and resources to draw upon in finding ways to bring respectability back to the franchise. Also on the positive side of the ledger is that fact that he has no previous ties to the organization and is a true outsider. This fact cannot be underestimated.

On the other hand, Campbell has never been a general manager and would figure to take some time to learn the ropes. Also, because he's an outsider, he would need time to learn about the team and the players in the system that he knows nothing about. Finally,it shows that the old-boy network is alive and well in the "new NHL" as Campbell is a hockey lifer who put in his time playing in Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Detroit -- where he was also an assistant coach before joining the Rangers.

Boiling it all down, I like this move. It's bold step by Ed Snider and doesn't represent his usual toe-the-party-line thinking. Campbell may be old-school -- but he's not old-school Flyers. This can be nothing but a good thing.

Excuse me? Update: The Daily News is reporting that Colin Campbell was originally offered the job while Clarke still held the position (emphasis mine):

According to an NHL source, league executive vice president Colin Campbell has been offered the job as Flyers general manager. The source said Campbell was offered the job before it became known that former GM Bob Clarke wanted out. According to the source, Campbell initially declined. It was unclear last night where the offer stands, but there are indications the offer might still be on the table and that Campbell is reconsidering.

The Flyers have no announcement scheduled and, according to the source, the team still is considering how to fill the vacancy left by Clarke.

Nonis Mouths Off

2006-10-31T16:09:00.000-05:00

"I think we have a free agency age that is a joke," said Nonis.

Speaking before the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis let fly with his feelings about the free agency and the league's collective bargain agreement. I can certainly see his side of things, where teams invest a ton of dollars into the development of players only to run the risk of losing those players just as they enter their primes. From a fan's perspective, this argument also holds a lot of water. On the other hand, I think I completely agree with Eric McErlain's take on the matter:

Then again, asking players to delay free agency for a period longer than seven years after being drafted seems excessive to me. Think about having to wait seven years before getting a shot to choose your employer and negotiate the best deal you can make.

I don't know about anybody else, but it makes me sick. Seven years is long enough.

Flyers Blank Chicago, 3-0

2006-10-31T13:04:00.000-05:00

Last night's game was one of sharp contrasts. The Flyers dominated the first period, the Blackhawks the second, and the Flyers again in the third. The outcome can definitely be looked at in contrast also, as the positive can be that the team beat the kind of opponent they're supposed to -- an injury-riddled team on a four-game losing streak that hadn't scored a goal in better than two games -- and the negative is that the team they beat is the kind of opponent they're supposed to. What's the big deal in beating an injury-riddled team on a four-game losing streak that hadn't scored a goal in better than two games?

If nothing else, the win should serve as a confidence booster for the team as a whole and goaltender Robert Esche in particular. Esche played very well in the second period, holding Chicago scoreless on 15 shots (26 for the game) -- some from point blank range. (He also got some help from the iron as one of the Blackhawks rang a shot of the crossbar that came down at a funny angle and then bounced off the post.)

Notes: Both Randy Jones and Freddie Meyer made their way back into the lineup last night as Lars Jonsson and Alexandre Picard were the healthy scratches. The Inquirer's Tim Panaccio says fans should expect this rotation to continue for a while until two of the four solidify their position. This makes no sense to me as Derian Hatcher and Dennis Gauthier -- last night's play on former Flyer Patrick Sharp notwithstanding -- have looked terrible all season. Does anyone realize Hatcher is a -14 through 11 games so far? He's on pace for a -104 season. For a team that is stressing defensive play, how can he be considered anything but a liability?

See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: Chicago Sun-Times
See: Chicago Tribune
See: Yahoo/AP

Game #11

2006-10-30T18:20:00.000-05:00

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

How Does This Make Any Sense?

2006-10-30T17:25:00.000-05:00

In just his second year in the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia Flyers looked no further than second-year forward, Dave Poulin, to succeed Bobby Clarke as captain when the future NHL Hall-of-Famer hung up his skates following the 1983-84 season.

When Clarke announced that he was stepping down as the Flyers general manager on Oct. 22, it seemed only natural that Poulin's name would be one of the first, along with former Flyers Ron Hextall and Pat Quinn, to possibly replace Clarke.

Such is what David Unkle of Slam!Sports is reporting today. (Poulin is apparently a hot topic right now, as ESPN's John Buccigross interviewed him last week.)

I have two minds of thoughts on this: on one hand, this makes no sense whatsoever. Poulin has no experience running an NHL team. None. He has no experience running any level of team, for that matter. The closest experiance that he can call on is as the coach of the Notre Dame ice hockey team and as a part-time scout for the Anaheim Ducks. How this qualifies someone to be an NHL general manager -- well, I just don't know.

Now, on the other hand, for the Flyers and Ed Snider this move makes perfect sense. Poulin is a former Flyer -- and a captain, no less -- who was the heart and soul of the team for years. If he is at all interested in the job, this is all he would need to say to Snider in the interview. If hired, he would be the second former captain to be named the team's general manager, following in the footsteps of Clarke -- as Unkle mentions in the article.

In the end, there's no way this can prove to be true. This would be even worse than allowing Holmgren to stay on. To follow a general manager who, by his own admission, wasn't fulfilling his responsibilities to one who isn't even trained for them is absolutley asinine. Hire a new general manager who has no ties to the organization, one who has a clear vision -- not like our current interim GM -- and isn't afraid to implement the plan he puts in place.

Poulin is not the answer.

(Thanks to James Mirtle for the heads up.)

Flyers Clip Thrashers In Shootout

2006-10-27T10:05:00.000-04:00

Same, but different.

Such was game the Flyers played last night in beating Atlanta 3-2 in a shootout. They still looked sloppy in their own end at times, had trouble with some breakout passes and also with getting shots on net (who knew Andy Sutton was such a beast?), but on the whole they played solidly and with a tenaciousness -- especially on the penalty kill -- that had been lacking.

Disturbing still, though, is the Flyers inability to get the puck on net, with 30 shots being blocked by the Thrashers and another 23 missing the net entirely. They must find a way to get more shots on goal and force opposing goalies to actually work for their saves.

Making a solid NHL debut last night was defenseman Lars Jonsson. He had 14:58 of ice time, seeing time at both even strength and on the power play. I was particularly impressed with a play he had on the power play in the second period. Receiving a pass from Peter Forsberg at the right point, Jonsson deftly moved from the point through the high slot and got a wrist shot off just above the faceoff circle -- all the while using his body to protect the puck from an opposing player harassing him. I know it's only one game, but Jonsson looks like he belongs and I give credit to whomever was responsible for picking him up -- Clarke, Holmgren, or even Santa Claus.

See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: Yahoo/AP

Game #9

2006-10-26T15:35:00.000-04:00

Hyperbole aside, this is a completely different era for the Flyers. While it may not necessarily wind up as the Holmgren-Stevens era, I think we can all agree that it's definitely the post-Clarke era. The early word from the Flyers is that new coach John Stevens runs a looser ship than Ken Hitchcock and stresses fundamentals a little more. (This is probably prudent considering how much younger the team is now.) Also given extra attention in practice has been the power play -- which the Flyers have been successful on four times in 55 opportunities. Antero Niittymaki will be in goal, while 24-year-old rookie defenseman Lars Jonsson should see his first game action tonight (there's no word yet on who he will be paired with). Captain Peter Forsberg will be a game-time decision, though his coach seems to think he'll be in the lineup.

The Flyers -- yet again -- will be shuffling the lines. Tonight's combinations are believed to be Peter Forsberg (if he plays) centering Simon Gagne and rookie Stefan Ruzicka, Mike Knuble with Jeff Carter and Randy Robitaille, Mike Richards centering Kyle Calder and Sami Kapanen, and R.J. Umberger centering Triston Grant and Geoff Sanderson

As for Atlanta, they come into tonight's game in second place overall in the Eastern Conference -- first in the Southeast Division -- with 16 points in 10 games. Tonight is their second game in two nights, having lost 5-4 in overtime in Carolina last night. The Thrashers are firing on all cylinders right now, with right wing Marian Hossa leading the league in scoring (15 points). The dynamic duo of Hossa and left wing Ilya Kovalchuk have combined for 16 goals and 29 points in 10 games. (Compare that to the Flyers who have scored a total of 15 goals.)

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

Side Note: Tonight is Breast Cancer Awareness Night, with various activites going on throughout the game:

Fans will be encouraged to wear pink to the game to show support for the cause. Those that wear a pink item to the game may enter to win a pink Flyers “Official Reebok Women’s Fashion Jersey” signed by Knuble. Fans may also have their nails painted pink that evening (courtesy of Sheartique in Ridley Park, PA) in the Flyers “beauty salon” in the Hall of Fame Room for only $5. Funds raised through the sale of exclusive items at the Flyers Charities table, such as pink ribbon pins, pink Flyers hats and pink Flyers drawstring bags, along with all proceeds from Flyers “beauty salon” services, will go to the Flyers Charities to support women’s health initiatives.

Also, in the Hall of Fame room that evening, fans can receive information and free samples from Lindi Skin, a line of skin-care products for patients going through chemotherapy and radiation, created by Lindy Snider, daughter of Flyers Chairman Ed Snider.

Q & A with Paul Holmgren

2006-10-26T09:05:00.000-04:00

New Flyers GM Paul Holmgren sat down recently with Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Tim Panaccio for an interview. Most of the questions and answers were about what you'd expect, though this exchange has me a little worried:

Q: In your conversation with John Stevens, did you tell him the mission here is to save the season or just get this team situated to win some games?

A: In my conversations with John, we have not clearly identified what we want to do or what is expected. You mentioned earlier that we all believe we're not as bad as we've played. We have talked about that. We do need to play better long-term if we're going to make the playoffs. We have a lot of catching up to do. Which comes first? Well, you've got to crawl to walk. So, we have to take some baby steps and try to improve our play. If we do that, we should put ourselves in position to win some hockey games, and then we'll see where we go next.

I understand that Holmgren's been the general manager for less than a week, but come on. Holmgren has been the assistant GM under Clarke for seven-plus seasons and, by Clarke's own admission, was performing most of the general manager duties by the end of Clarke's tenure. If that's the case, how has he "not clearly identified what we want to do or what is expected?" This is the very nature of his job. Talk about starting off on the wrong foot.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2006-10-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

Perhaps it's the way everything went down; perhaps it was the news itself (which we're still stunned about, by the way). Whatever the reason, everything we've started to write has wound up being deleted. Even this post took a while to get out.

Anyway, apologies to everyone that expected a post. We're suffering from a massive case of writer's block. We've been trying to work through it to no avail. Tomorrow will be here soon, thankfully, and with it the Flyers return to game action and a more normal schedule. Look for more then.

Day 2, P.C. (Post Clarke)

2006-10-23T11:21:00.000-04:00

One of my friends said the first person he thought of when he heard the news was me. Another said that he thought I would've been popping champagne bottles yesterday morning. My own brother had this comment:

"More details to follow"? You gotta be kiddin' me. The entire reason this blog was created was so one day you could dissect the corpse of Bob(by) Clarke, General Manager. No time? Not in the mood? I don't care. The great reckoning is upon you.

Sorry to disappoint, but I still have nothing to say. Actually, that's not true. I have a lot to say -- almost too much. I'm still trying to gather my thoughts into something resembling a coherent post. Rest assured that I will have a post (-mortem?) up sometime today.

Clarke Resigns, Hitchcock Fired

2006-10-22T12:33:00.000-04:00

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bob Clarke has resigned as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers and Ken Hitchcock has been fired as head coach. Paul Holmgren will take over as GM and John Stevens will be the new coach. More details to follow.

Thanks to Chris for the heads up.

Lightning Crashes, Beat Flyers 4-1

2006-10-20T06:33:00.000-04:00

(It's 6:30 in the morning and we've already been awake for almost two hours. We apologize in advance if we're not in the greatest of moods today.)

The Flyers stretched their losing streak to four games last night, looking terrible yet again in a loss to Tampa Bay (who have, by the way, won nine straight against the Flyers). Of the three new additions to the team -- Ben Eager, Alexandre Picard, and Stefan Ruzicka -- Picard and Ruzicka looked solid and appear to be ready to contribute at the NHL level. Eager showed me nothing. 4:22 of ice time, -1, 17 penalty minutes (all from one fight he had after Tampa scored to go up 3-0). What a waste. Another brilliant personnel move by Clarke, et al.

Adding injury to insult, as it were, Peter Forsberg left last night's game with a sprained wrist and will not play in tonight's game. Thankfully -- for him and for those of us watching -- after tonight the Flyers won't play again until next Thursday at home against Atlanta.

See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: St. Petersburg Times
See: Yahoo/AP

The Truth Hurts

2006-10-19T18:30:00.000-04:00

"Typical Philadelphia Flyers hockey game there. We got behind the eight ball, we had a little bit of pressure on us, and we folded."

Ouch. These were the words from 21-year-old Mike Richards, a second-year player for the Flyers, after the Tuesday Night Debacle. Man, if this is what Richards -- probably the captain-in-waiting -- thinks about this team in only his second year . . . not good, people, not good.

Game #7

2006-10-19T18:15:00.000-04:00

Well, there's not much left to say about the season. The Flyers look terrible on the ice and are now scrambling off it. They go into Tampa tonight losers of three straight. Antero Niittymaki should be in goal, while all three of the players called up from the Phantoms should make their season debuts as well. The Lightning, meanwhile, are not fairing much better than the Flyers this season. They have started off 2-4-0, and have only scored 11 goals -- one fewer than the Flyers.

See: Game Notes
See: Preview

I've Been Blinqed

2006-10-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

Surf over to Blinq, Daniel Rubin's blog on the Inquirer web site. Just this morning he posted about the reaction around the blogosphere to the Tuesday Night Debacle in Buffalo. In said post, he just happened to link to us here at There It Is, among others. We were going to respond in the comments section, but realized that our response was way too long for just a comment. Thus, we decided to turn it into a post instead. So, check out Blinq and then click back here for our response.

Mr. Rubin, thanks for the link. In my defense, it wasn't Tuesday night's game that brought about my feelings on Clarke. I have been saying this to anyone who will listen -- and to a lot of people who won't; the Buffalo game just brought everything to a head. Hopefully, the team will reach a point of critical mass in the next few days and there will be some positive results. Right now, they're not even close to a playoff team, though -- as I noted in my season preview -- the Eastern Conference is so wide open this year anything can happen.

Now, Thompson, I'm afraid I must comment on some things you mentioned.

Year after year, since the five-year drought in the early 1990s, this team ends the season with a hundred points in the standings, a winning record and a berth in the playoffs. Clarke is almost universally revered for always getting the better end of a trade (when was the last time the Flyers got fleeced in a trade?), is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and a Hall of Famer. Who do you replace him with? . . . He's Bobby Clarke, and that means Flyers to me.

Eight times since 1993-94 have the Flyers finished with 100 points or more (I prorated 1994-95's 60 points to 102.5); the other three seasons they finished with 95 (1997-98), 93 (1998-99), and 97 points (2001-02) -- good seasons all. In those 11 years, they have been to the finals once (swept by Detroit), lost in the Eastern Conference Finals three times, lost in the second round twice, and lost in the first round five times. Five times. This is not even close to being a good playoff record.

Clarke is not universally revered for anything. He is, in fact, almost universally reviled for being a spend-happy, big-market GM that throws money at a problem to gloss over it instead of actually trying to find the right piece to fit the given hole. As for when was the last time the Flyers got fleeced in a trade? That's hard to quantify, since player value can be entirely subjective. However, I think the argument could be made that last year he got fleeced -- twice -- in the Petr Nedved deal (from Phoenix for Dennis Seidenberg, a young defensemen who can move the puck -- sound like a team need?) and in the Niko Dimitrakos deal (from San Jose for a third-round draft choice). That amounts to a young, skilled defenseman and a third-round draft choice for two players that are no longer on the team.

Yes, Clarke is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and a Hall of Famer -- for what he did on the ice, not for what he has done off of it. He can build a solid team that can win in the regular season -- but fold in the playoffs. Not exactly Sam Pollock, is he?

Who do I replace him with? Well, back in April I was arguing for Clarke to go and for Snider to hire Dean Lombardi -- who, by the way, was already employed by the team. Right now, I'd be willing to consider Neil Smith, though I think I would rather see someone from another organization who is a little younger and a whole lot hungrier.

Heads Start To Roll

2006-10-18T14:07:00.000-04:00

Less than 24 hours removed from their most embarrassing loss in better than five years, the Flyers have waived forwards Niko Dimotrakos and Petr Nedved along with defenseman Nolan Baumgartner. If all three clear waivers, Dimotrakos and Nedved will be assigned to the Phantoms while Baumgartner will remain with the Flyers. Forwards Stefan Ruzicka and Ben Eager, along with defenseman Alexandre Picard, have been recalled to take their spots.

There It Is take: This is a move that's unfortunately necessary. The team could not have continued to play without making any moves as this would give the players the hint that there would be no accountability from management about poor job performance. That being said, are these three players the right ones to move or are they just fall guys for the rest of the team? I think it's a bit of both.

Dimotrakos never really clicked here like Clarke thought he would, despite registering nine points in the last 19 games of the season last year. By playoff time, he was being benched by Hitchcock and it was made clear during the preseason that he needed to get going if he wanted to stay around. Well, he didn't and he won't. The 27-year-old is making $675,000 and is in the final year of his contract.

At the end of the preseason, Nedved was charged with becoming the club's shutdown center in the wake of the retirement of Keith Primeau and the trading away of Michal Handzus. How you can ask a 34-year-old who has never been a team-first player to completely change his game is beyond me, but the Flyers did and the results are obvious. Nedved is making $2.356 million this season.

Baumgartner was a free agent who was signed merely because the Flyers needed a right-handed shot from the blueline. He was a former number one pick (1994, Washington) who was never able to earn regular playing time in the NHL until last season. Baumgartner is, at best, a depth defenseman. The only reason I can possibly fathom that he wouldn't be assigned to the Phantoms is as insurance in case there are any lingering injury concerns about Lars Jonsson and/or Mike Rathje. He will make $1.2 million this season and next.

All told, the moves will save the team $4,231,000 in cap space. This will give the Flyers some flexibility if they would want to try to make a move. Meanwhile, James Mirtle asks some very good questions:

This season, the Flyers have simply looked positively awful, to the point where you have to wonder how low this club could sink this season. If Niittymaki's not going to be good to go, where does GM Bob Clarke turn in goal? And what does this poor start mean for Philadelphia's playoff aspirations?

The only question I want answered is when will it be Clarke's turn?

UPDATE: Click here for more on this from James. He seems to be on top of this.

Flyers Humiliated By Sabres 9-1

2006-10-18T08:54:00.000-04:00

Just about the only thing that looked good last night was Buffalo's jerseys. They wore this season's third jersey -- an homage to their original unis that are one of the best the league has ever seen. Other than that, there was nothing to look at. The Flyers are what we thought they are -- thank you Dennis Green -- a collection of players rather than a team.

Get used to it, Flyers fans -- there is absolutely no help on the way. What about Rathje and Jonsson, you say? Well, what about them? Rathje is a capable defenseman but is slow like Hatcher and is coming off a shot to deal with pain in his lower back and leg. Jonsson is a rookie defenseman who was brought in for his offense, not for his defense. None of this helps with the chemistry problem, anyway.

Coach Hitchcock talked in the preseason about building chemistry and took the team to Annapolis to try to foster a team/us-vs-them atmosphere in the locker room. This clearly hasn't worked. What might, you ask? Well, why not talk to Hitchcock's boss about actually building a team?

The Buffalo Sabres sport 14 players on their roster that they drafted and developed, against eight they acquired either in trades or via free agency. Add in that they have the longest tenured coach in the NHL in Lindy Ruff and you get what we saw last night. Every player on the roster is clearly on the same page. They move swiftly around the ice and no one player seems to have the puck for anything more than three strides. They get the puck, skate, then pass the puck along, and move again. You never see a Sabre standing in one spot waiting for the play to come to them -- they go and get it. They have a system that works for them and every player plays it.

Compare that to the Flyers -- wait, I can't. I can't find any information on their web site, nor on the NHL's, about how any player was acquired. By my estimation, though, no fewer than 16 of the Flyers players have come to the team via free agency or trades. Throw in the fact that in Bobby Clarke's second run as GM of the team they have had six coaches (Terry Murray, 1994-95 through 1996-97; Wayne Cashman, 1997-98; Roger Neilson, 1997-98 to 1999-00; Craig Ramsay, 1999-00 to 2000-01; Bill Barber, 2000-01 through 2001-02; Ken Hitchcock 2002-03 to present) and that's not exactly a model for team building, now is it?

It's going to be a long season in South Philadelphia. The only good news is that with the team almost up against the cap, there's really not much they can do to go out and get someone to help in the short term. Hopefully, Clarke will realize this and not make any disastrous stop-gap moves designed to get the team in the playoffs.

See: Daily News
See: Inquirer
See: Yahoo/AP

Oh Captain, My Captain

2006-10-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

Damien Cox, in a special to ESPN.com, writes about the boom of European captains in the NHL. It's a subject James Mirtle also touched on this morning, oddly enough. We would also hazard a guess that whenever the Capitals finally name Alexander Ovechkin captain Eric McErlain will post about it, too.

Game #6

2006-10-17T13:34:00.000-04:00

The Flyers will visit their old nemesis, the Buffalo Sabres, tonight in their latest effort to get the season going. Buffalo is off to a hot start, winning each of their first five games, while the Flyers have struggled to a 1-3-1 record. The Sabres knocked off the Flyers in the first round of the playoffs last season, going 3-0 in the games played in Buffalo. The Flyers are 1-6-1 in their last eight games in Buffalo, dating back to the 2001-2002 season.

Robert Esche will get the start in goal tonght, while Coach Hitchcock shuffles his lines yet again. Mike Knuble will be dropped to the second line -- he'll play with Jeff Carter and RJ Umberger -- while Kyle Calder moves up to play with Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne.

As far as injuries go, both Lars Jonsson and Mike Rathje are in Buffalo and skated with the team yesterday. Jonsson is still listed on the team's website as day-to-day, while Rathje, listed as out indefinitely, is hoping to play Thursday night in Tampa.

See: Game Notes
See: Preview
See: Weekly News & Notes

A Man, A TV, A Hockey Game

2006-10-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

Stop by John Buccigross' column this week for a running commentary of the Ducks-Stars game from Sunday night. Here's my favorite passage:

10:17 p.m.: There's 10:43 left in the game. And as I was about to type that it is still 3-1, when Niedermayer roofs one to make it 3-2. He received a pass from his brother, Rob. Scott is pulling in $6.7 million this season; Rob is making $2 million -- $8.7 million worth of sons. That takes the pressure off on the ol' "What do we do if the ol' 401K dries up?" thing.

Bucci's incredibly knowledgeable about the sport and can bring the funny. He's a great read each Monday during the regular season.

The More Things Change . . .

2006-10-16T15:10:00.000-04:00

The Flyers went to North Jersey Saturday night and, by all accounts, played well enough to win. Unfortunately, they came away with a 3-2 loss. Such is the state of the team these days. The wins are hard to come by -- they have just one in five games -- but Ed Moran points out that, despite what every pundit -- including There It Is -- thought, the Flyers are back to being a one-line team and the younger players just aren't producing.

The problem is that it is a one-line team right now, and most NHL teams can deal with that. What the Flyers need is for the up-and-coming stars to find the net.

No intentional disrespect here to Jeff Carter or Mike Richards. They play hard every game, especially Richards, who does more shift to shift to lift this team than six forwards together. Carter likewise is going hard and taking shots. But they are not scoring, and that has to start happening.

For the Flyers to play the fast-paced team game Hitchcock wants, they need four lines and at least three of them have to be scoring from game to game.

I wonder what could be done to get these guys going? Could the answer possibly include allowing linemates to gel as a unit instead of switching off after every game -- sometimes even during a game? Team chemistry doesn't form on a two-day trip to Annapolis, let alone overnight. These are still young players who are learning how to play in the NHL. Hitchcock needs to give these guys the time and space they need to grow into their roles, instead of forcing it on them as if they were (playoff) battle-tested veterans. The talent is clearly there, but it needs to to be nurtured and not pushed.

Notes:
Defensemen Lars Jonsson skated yesterday for the first time this season, while Mike Rathje should begin skating today. Both players will accompany the team to Buffalo for tomorrow night's game, though it's not certain that either player will play . . . also banged up is captain Peter Forsberg, who is nursing a bruised shoulder. Forsberg injured the should on an awkward fall after being hit by Devils' defenseman Brian Rafalski . . . only four teams have scored fewer goals than the Flyers (11) -- Boston (10), Ottawa (10), Colorado (10) and Calgary (9).

Game #4

2006-10-11T15:48:00.000-04:00

Sorry, no time for an in-depth preview today. Just a quick couple of notes -- despite what Chuck Gormley says in his blog today, The Flyers won their first game of the season last night, thereby avoiding their first 0-3 start since 1994. The penalty kill let in its first goal last night, but managed to kill the rest and is now 17-for--18 on the season. Antero Niittymaki gets the start in goal again tonight -- his third straight, making me agree with Gormley -- while the Canadiens appear to have a goaltending controversy of their own brewing. Les Habitants will start David Aebischer tonight in place of Christobal Huet.

See: Preview
See: Game Notes

Game #3

2006-10-10T16:02:00.000-04:00

The Flyers finish off their home-and-home with the Rangers tonight, visiting Madison Square Garden in a nationally televised game (Versus, 7:00). In an effort to avoid losing the first three games of a season for the first time in 12 years, coach Ken Hitchcock will change the lineup again tonight. Jeff Carter will move back to center and reunite with his linemates from the end of last season, Niko Dimitrakos and RJ Umberger. Antero Niittymaki will get the start in goal again. The Flyers will be trying to continue their early season penalty killing prowess; so far, they are 10 for 10 in killing of penalties.

For the Rangers, they'll be looking to start a season with three straight wins for the first time in 17 years. Their power play continued its ineffectiveness on Saturday, going 0-for-6 to move to 0-for-9 on the young season.

In other news, Tim Panaccio updates his article from yesterday about Brian Leetch by throwing in this little tidbit:

Many NHL observers believe that Leetch, who reportedly is not in playing condition, will retire. He would need time to get in shape.

So, let's sign a 38-year-old player who's out of shape and won't be able to contribute right away, if at all. Oh, I forgot to mention that Panaccio believes it would take a base salary of around $1 million to sign Leetch while the Flyers have less than $2 million in cap space. This sounds like a great plan.

See: Game Notes

Report: Flyers Show Interest In Leetch

2006-10-09T15:43:00.000-04:00

Accoring to a report from Tim Panaccio posted on philly.com, the Flyers have contacted the agent for free agent defenseman Brian Leetch.

"Brian has not made any decisions about the season so far," (Leetch's agent, Jay) Grossman said today when reached by telephone in New York. "We've been contacted by a number of teams about playing this season. There are a number of things Brian has to sort through. He's made no decision in his personal situation."

This is a move the Flyers would have made without thinking twice in the pre-salary cap days. The problem is we're in a salary cap era with an incredible amount of parity. Take your lumps for a year -- two, tops -- and then go from there. Don't sign a 38-year-old simply because there are no other options out there.

Look at what happened with New Jersey a week ago. The Devils had to trade a first-round pick to San Jose -- in order to get them to take one of the Devils' players. A team should never put itself in that position. The best-case scenario for this to have a shot at working out is for Clarke to sign Leetch to a one-year deal for the league minimum and load the contract with easily reachable incentives. Since incentives don't count against the cap, Leetch would be able to make a decent amount of money while at the same time saving the Flyers from any salary cap headaches.

That being said, I'd rather not see the team sign Leetch. He's way, way, waaay past his prime and I think his contributions -- even on the power play -- would be infinitesimal, at best.

Weekend Headlines

2006-10-09T09:09:00.000-04:00

Pitkanen is ready for more responsibility.

Flyers shuffle lines after debut.

Herniated disk sidelines Rathje.

Flyers fall in 26-shot shoot-out.

On the NHL | Sly Devil: Lamoriello escapes from cap crunch.

Rathje injury could have Flyers dealing.

Flyers shutting off the power.

Pens Blank Flyers To Open Season

2006-10-06T09:02:00.000-04:00

Pittsburgh stomped on the Flyers last night, 4-0, to open what could be their last season in Steel Town. Fresh off the news that Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie agreed to purchase the team for $175 million, the Penguins showed why they have such a bright future.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, stopped all 40 Flyers' shots he faced in recording his third career shutout. 2005 number one pick -- and one of There It Is' better half's faves -- Sidney Crosby continued his dominance over the Flyers, notching a goal and an assist to bring his total to eight goals and eight assists in just nine games. Also playing in the game was Pittsburgh's first pick in the 2006 draft -- number two overall -- 18-year-old Jordan Staal who did not look out of place on the ice. Throw in injured rookie Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins will have a lineup featuring three number one picks and a number two pick inside of four years. There is good reason to believe Pittsburgh will be a good team in the not to distant future and as much as I would like to see another team in Canada, here's hoping they find a way to stay in the Three Rivers area -- I love Penguins-Flyers games.

As for the Flyers, last night could not have been any more dismal unless they didn't bother showing up. An abyssmal 0-for-9 on the power play, the team looked completely lost out on the ice. There was a clear lack of communication as time and time again breakout passes were off the mark and assignments were missed in the defensive end. Confusion was the order of the day, but don't let that completely absolve goalie Robert Esche. At least two of the goals were shots he should've have stopped or shouldn't have been taken in the first place if he'd managed to hang onto the rebound. Also deserving some blame for last night is new captain Peter Forsberg. In 16:39 of ice time, Forsberg was a quiet -2 with no shots on goal and two penalty minutes. This is the exact opposite of what will be required of Forsberg if the Flyers are to make any noise this season.

The lone bright spot was Geoff Sanderson's play at the point on the power play. Fans have agonized for years while watching the Flyers with the man advantage and waiting for someone to shoot the puck. That won't be the case anymore as Sanderson isn't afraid to shoot from anywhere on the ice. Sanderson finished with three shots and was even in 16:05 of ice time.

As I mentioned in my season preview yesterday, coach Ken Hitchcock will have to play an offense first system with this team. The defense is way too slow and was exposed as such in last night's lost. The Penguins, when they wanted to, were practically skating circles around the defensemen, beating them to loose pucks and slipping with ease out of the corners. With the hated New York Rangers in town for the home opener on Saturday -- the day before the Eagle's Biggest Game Of The Season, man what a weekend for Philadelphia sports -- there's a lot of work for Hitchcock to do.

Recaps:
Ed Moran -- Philadelphia Daily News
Tim Panaccio -- Philadelphia Inquirer
Dave Molinari -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Game #1

2006-10-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

The Flyers open their season tonight on the road in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins. (Who knows how much longer the Penguins will be in Pittsburgh?) Tonight would have marked the debut of the newest Penguins' rookie sensation, Evgeni Malkin, but he was injured in the a preason game with the Flyers. As it is, Sidney Crosby will be leading the Penguins against the Flyers, who fill premier a new captain tonight in Peter Forsberg -- the first European captain in Flyers' history. Forsberg will be the story of the Flyers season. Last season, the Flyers went 35-16-9 when he played and only 10-10-2 when he did not. Considering he hasn't played a full 82-game season since 1995-1996, it is imperative for the Flyers to improve their record when he's not in the lineup.

2006-2007 Philadelphia Flyers

2006-10-05T10:57:00.000-04:00

The shortened offseason last year saw the Flyers make their usual free agent splash -- adding all-world center and former draft pick Peter Forsberg, along with two hulking defensemen in Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje. GM Bob Clarke was banking on the empirical evidence that suggested the league would not follow through on its promise to crack down on obstruction and stick fouls. Until the halfway mark, the Flyers were one of the best teams in the league. Then came the Olympic break, along with a string of injuries the likes of which the team had never seen before (I can't find a comprehensive record of man-games lost -- if anyone has any info on this I would appreciate it), and the continued vigilance by the league in enforcing the rulebook. The team struggled the rest of the way, limping to a record of 45-26-11 and finishing second in the division behind New Jersey. This finish earned them a first-round playoff date with Buffalo, who embarrassed them in six games -- marking the Flyers fifth first-round playoff loss in the last eight seasons.

The summer saw a lot of activity -- some moves for the better, some for the worse, and some that won't go anywhere. Team chairman Ed Snider made it known that the team would not be going after every high-priced free agent anymore. He wants the team committed to building with youth and will no longer accept the trading away of draft picks and young players for quick fixes designed to help the team in the moment. If he can force Clarke to stick to this, Snider is on the right track. With the advent of the salary cap and the lowered age of free agency, teams have no choice but to continually seek younger, inexpensive players to fill out their rosters.

Forward
For the first time in a long time, the Flyers will not be a one-line team. Their top line, and one of the best lines in league, will still be new captain Peter Forsberg centering Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. The trio clicked last season and will be counted on to provide the bulk of the team's scoring again this season. The team's second line -- the so-called "CCR Line" -- features youngsters Mike Richards (C), Jeff Carter (RW), and the newly acquired Kyle Calder (LW).

The rest of the forwards are a speedy, somewhat skilled lot that are a mix of younger players and veteran role players. The most significant player will be center Petr Nedved. With the retirement of Primeau and the trade of Michal Handzus to Chicago (for Calder), Nedved will be the team's shutdown center. It will fall to him to stop each team's top line, night in and night out. It's a new role for him and it will be interesting to see if, at 35 years old and in a contract year, he will be up to the challenge. R. J. Umberger will be looking to build on his 20-goal rookie campaign, while Geoff Sanderson, Randy Robitaille, Sami Kapanen, and Niko Dimitrakos will be asked to chip in around 10-15 goals each while playing sound defensive hockey.

No.	Name	Pos	Age
8	Geoff Sanderson	LW	34
12	Simon Gagne	LW	26
15	Niko Dimitrakos	RW	27
17	Jeff Carter	C	21
18	Mike Richards	C	21
19	Kyle Calder	LW	27
20	R.J. Umberger	C	24
21	Peter Forsberg	C	33
22	Mike Knuble	RW	34
24	Sami Kapanen	RW	33
27	Randy Robitaille	LW	30
28	Boyd Kane	LW	28
33	Riley Cote	LW	24
93	Petr Nedved	C	34
First call-up:	Stefan Ruzicka

Defense
The late word from training camp is that Hitchcock is going to play offense/defense with his defensive pairings by putting together Hatcher and Rathje for a shutdown pairing and Joni Pitkanen and Freddy Meyer for an offensive pairing. Time will tell if this works or not, but I like the idea though it does have its drawbacks. Rathje and Pitkanen will be asked to gel with a new partner for the second time in two years -- not an easy task. Hatcher and Rathje are the team's two slowest defensemen so it's imperative for them to improve their positional play in order to minimize any mistakes they make. Meyer and Randy Jones will need to continue their progress in becoming everyday NHL defensemen. Denis Gauthier will be asked for nothing more than a big hit every now and then and to be solid in his own end. He showed he could provide this after his acquisition last year and there's no reason to expect anything different this year. The wildcard in the group in Lars Jonsson. He's a 24-year-old rookie from Sweden who will need to learn quickly. He has a hard, heavy shot from the point will be asked to do some damage on the power play. Hitchcock would be wise to just let the forwards get the puck to Jonsson on the point and have him blast away.

No.	Name	Pos	Age
2	Derian Hatcher	D	34
3	Mike Rathje	D	32
5	Nolan Baumgartner	D	30
6	Randy Jones	D	25
23	Denis Gauthier	D	30
34.	Freddy Meyer	D	25
43	Lars Jonsson	D	24
44	Joni Pitkanen	D	23
First call-up:	Alexandre Picard

Goaltender
Another year, another goaltending controversy. Year in and year out, it seems the Flyers have two goalies who can play adequately, but are not spectacular enough to carry the team. Not since Ron Hextall's heyday of the late 80s and early 90s have the Flyers had an honest-to-goodness number one goalie. (Some would put John Vanbiesbrouck in this category, but not me. I don't remember him ever really leading the team the way Martin Brodeur or Miikka Kiprusoff do.)

So here we are again this year, with Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki in between the pipes. Esche has the playoff experience, though lets his emotions get the better of him sometimes. Niittymaki, while a better technical goalie than Esche and certainly a lot cooler, has yet to prove himself in the NHL despite his success on the world stage.

I have been arguing for Niittymaki for a long time now, but Esche will once again be given the chance to take the bull by the horns. Niittymaki was felled during the preseason with another torn labrum in his hip, this time on the left side. It was originally thought that he would be out around three months, but after an examination by the doctor that repaired his previous torn labrum, it's believed that with a few cortisone shots during the season and a rigorous strength and conditioning regimen he will be able to compete fully in time for the start of the season. (The down side is that the cortisone shots and training program will only delay the inevitable, as Niittymaki will have to have the labrum surgically repaired in the offseason.)

No.	Name	Pos	Age
30	Antero Niittymaki	G	26
42	Robert Esche	G	28
First call-up:	Martin Houle

Coaching
Newly signed to a two-year contract extension, Hitchcock will be in charge of renovating the team from a veteran-laden squad that would produce but not contend each year to a younger, quicker team that will be in a position to contend every year. It won't be an easy transition, but the core is there with the likes of Pitkanen, Carter, and Richards, among others.

Defense has been the hallmark of Hitchcock's teams and that will be put to the test this year. Deep up front and thin on the back end, Hitchcock would be wise to play a more aggressive, attacking scheme than he has in the past. I fear that this will not be the case, however, as Hitchcock will force the Flyers to play a team defense and shackle the talent his forwards have.

Front Office
Bob Clarke returns for his 11th season in his second stint as general manager of the team he played for. There have been many trials and tribulations during his tenure and I'll be honest -- I'm not a fan of his. That being said, I thought he did a good job this offseason in recognizing that there would be no way to upgrade the team's biggest problem -- quickness on defense -- and instead focusing on adding smaller, quicker forwards who can chip in offensively and who also know how to play in their own end. He also gets bonus points for acquiring Calder who, by all accounts, meshed extraordinarily will with Richards and Carter at this year's World Championships in Latvia.

The test for Clarke will come later in the year when there will be the annual cry to make a trade for some immediate playoff help. The team has slightly less than $2.5 million of cap space, making it tough to acquire any pieces for a playoff run. He would be wise to let the season run its course and save the cap space for the future. The team has eight players who have the potential to be unrestricted free agents after the season, along with another four who can be restricted free agents. Clarke will have to find a way to bring back some of those players at reasonable cap numbers along with pressing his scouts to find players who will fill the rest of those slots cheaply. This will not be an easy task and I don't envy him for it.

Key Stat
Last season's key stat is 79.1% -- that was the Flyers' penalty killing efficiency (or inefficiency, if you prefer), good for 27th in the league. Coupled with their 18.0% power play efficiency -- 16th in the league -- and the team was just awful on special teams. Given the amount of time that is played on special teams these days, those numbers must improve if they wish to contend this season.

2005-2006 Season At A Glance

2005-06 Finish:	45-26-11, 5th East
General Manager:	Bob Clarke (11th Season)
Head Coach:	Ken Hitchcock (4th Season)
2005-06 Goals For:	267
2005-06 Goals Against:	259
2005-06 Power Play:	18.0% (16th)
2005-06 Penalty Killing:	79.1% (27st)
Points Leader:	Simon Gagne (79)
Goals Leader:	Simon Gagne (47)
Assists Leader:	Peter Forsberg (56)

Summary
The Flyers appear to be stuck in limbo -- too good to rebuild but not good enough to seriously contend. That being said, this is a team that could do some damage in the playoffs if they catch enough breaks. On the other hand, they could also slip to 12th or 13th in the conference and miss the playoffs entirely. Barring any injuries, the Flyers have arguably the deepest group of forwards in the league. Unfortunately, they will be asked to do a lot this season. Not only will they be expected to produce offensively, they will be forced to contribute defensively as well. Hitchcock will stress a team defense approach as his defensive corps is just not good enough to get the job done. Unless Freddy Meyer or Randy Jones steps up with a monster breakout, it's going to be a long season on the back end for the Flyers.

The easy way out is to pick the Flyers to finish third in the Atlantic Division and scratching their way to a playoff spot. There are just way too many ifs on this team to predict what will happen with any real certainty. If things go the right way for them, they could challenge for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. If they get hammered with injuries and/or not play up to their abilities, they could finish as one of the worst teams in the conference. There's just no way to be sure, so I'm forced to hedge my bets and pick them to finish third in the division -- behind New Jersey and the Rangers and just ahead of Pittsburgh -- and ninth in the conference, missing the playoffs by two points.

Prediction

Divsion	Conference	Total Points
3rd	9th	87

2006-07 Season Opens

2006-10-04T10:24:00.000-04:00

The NHL drops the puck on a new season tonight with a very light schedule. Just three games are on the docket, though they should be good ones. First up is a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference final, pitting the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes against the trendy 2007 Stanley Cup-pick Buffalo Sabres. Next up is a renewal of the Battle of Ontario, as Toronto hosts Ottawa, followed by Dallas at Colorado.

There are plenty of previews and predictions to be found on the internets. Among them is John Buccigross (East and West), TSN (East and West), Sports Illustrated (East and West), and The Hockey News (East and West). (Also, take a look at James Mirtle's picks here.)

I'll have a Flyers' season preview up at some point tomorrow, so please check back for that. Until then remember -- it's a good day for hockey.

What Now?

2006-10-03T16:44:00.000-04:00

ESPN.com's Scott Burnside penned -- typed? -- a series of articles about Year 2 AL (After Lockout) in the NHL. He takes six areas of the game and compares how things used to be to how they were last season, then postulates on what needs to be done to continue building the game and to foster success in those areas.

Also, be sure to stop by the ESPN.com Season Preview front page. There is a ton of information on here, from predictions to news.

Southeast Rising

2006-10-02T09:28:00.000-04:00

Man, I sure hope they score a ton of goals in the Southeast Division this year. My fantasy league (see left sidebar for standings) held our draft yesterday and I somehow wound up with seven players from the Southeast Division on my roster. Here's how my team shapes up:

Forwards	Defensemen
Mark Bell (SJ)	Jay Bouwmeester (FLA)
Todd Bertuzzi (FLA)	Bryan McCabe (TOR)
Daniel Briere (BUF)	Dion Phaneuf (CAL)
Kyle Calder (PHI)	Mathieu Schneider (DET)
Marian Gaborik (MIN)	Marek Zidlicky (NAS)
Ales Hemsky (EDM)
Marian Hossa (ATL)	Goaltenders
Jaromir Jagr (NYR)	Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL)	Marty Turco (DAL)
Vincent Lecavalier (TB)
Patrick Marleau (SJ)
Brad Richards (TB)
Martin St. Louis (TB)

I'm obviously hoping that 2004 was no fluke for Tampa Bay, and that Todd Bertuzzi has found some new life in Florida (along with the rest of the Panthers now that Mike Keenan has left town). My worries are that McCabe is not in a contract year and will revert to his pre-2003 form, along with a dearth of scoring in Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Only time will tell and the clock starts Wednesday.

Phils Finally Fall

2006-10-01T11:13:00.000-04:00

This sums up my mood right now. Maybe I'll have something a little more hopeful to add at some later point, but for right now this will do. Be sure to check the other Phloggers for their season-ending posts, as I'm sure they'll be able to do a much better job of breaking down the season than I could.

Phils On Wrong Kind Of Roll

2006-09-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

The Phillies have lost two straight winnable games and, in the process, moved from wildcard frontrunners with seven games left to chasers with five games left. It would be almost too easy to blame the umpires for last night's loss, but I'm afraid There It Is. Replays of Chase Utley's pseudo-foul ball clearly showed the ball hit the right field foul pole which, last time I checked, still meant that the ball in question is ruled a home run. I've been beating this drum for a while now, but MLB MUST add instant replay for instances like this. As Tom G. at Balls, Sticks & Stuff points out -- that missed call could cost the Phillies the wildcard. (Obviously, there would be about a million other factors that may cost the Phils the wildcard, but this is one of the most glaring.)

Yesterday I asked if the Phils could pick themselves up after Monday's loss and go get it. I can't believe I'm asking the same thing today.

Wildcard Tie; 6 To Go

2006-09-26T17:41:00.000-04:00

Others have covered last night's game much better than I ever could (see here, here, here,and here, respectively). I was working last night, but followed game intermittently via radio. All I need to know about how the game went can be seen in the accompanying picture.

The silver lining from last night's game is that, even with the loss, the Phillies still control their own destiny. Win 6 in a row and, at the very least, they clinch a tie for the wildcard. It's in their hands now.

Will they go and get it?

Seven Days In September

2006-09-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Actually, it's six days in September and one day in October, but it's close enough, right? Anyway, seven days is all that separate the Phillies from their first playoff berth since 1993. With a half-game lead over Los Angeles, the Phils sport the best record in the National League since July 31 and the third best overall. That's right -- the Phillies have the third best record in the National League. Let's not think about why this may be, let's just enjoy it.

After tonight, there will be no more half-games in the standings. The Phillies and Padres both play tonight, while Los Angeles watches while sitting in Denver. After tonight, the Phils will be in Washington for three and then Miami for three. San Diego plays at St. Louis and then Arizona, while the Dodgers finish in San Francisco.

Seven days. Where will they finish?

On Deck

2006-09-22T13:48:00.000-04:00

The Phils didn't play but lost ground in the wildcard pseudo-race. The Flyers beat an under-manned New Jersey squad, 2-1, last night. I have plenty of notes on the game that I'm hoping to get up later but I have a lot to do today. Please check back later for updates. If not today, I'll definitely have something up tomorrow.

Preseason Game 2

2006-09-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

So much for being "The Best Town In Hockey." The Flyers play their preseason home opener tonight, against none other than the New Jersey Devils, and it doesn't even get a mention in any of the local papers. Not the Inquirer, not the Daily News, not even the Courier-Post. [Sigh] I'll be at the game tonight, hopefully remembering to take notes to post tomorrow. The draft for my fantasy league is on October 1, so I'll be doing some scouting, too.

Phils Win And Tie

2006-09-21T11:53:00.000-04:00

The Phillies beat the Cubs 6-2 last night behind a sparkling effort from putative ace Brett Myers (9IP, 6H, 2ER, 3BB, 12K). The win, combined with the streaking Pirates defeat of Los Angeles, moves the Phils into a tie with the Dodgers for the wildcard lead. Also losing last night was San Diego, meaning that the Phils are now only .5 game behind the Padres should they fall out of the West Division lead into the wildcard lead (I know, it's pretty confusing). San Diego will make up that half-game today in bringing their series with Arizona to a conclusion, while the Phillies will enjoy their last scheduled day off this season. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have a chance to gain a half-game on the Phils when they finish their series with Pittsburgh tonight (LA will have their last scheduled day off on Monday while the Phils will host Houston in a makeup game).

On a related note, Brian at Philling Station has made his way back to the phlogosphere and we, his readers, are the better for it. After taking some time off due to personal and professional reasons, Brian seems determined to keep at it. Welcome back, Brian. We missed you. (Thanks to Chris at I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake for the heads-up.)

Penguins 5, Flyers 4

2006-09-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Not much local coverage of last night's preseason game with Pittsburgh, just this small recap from the Daily News' wire services. (For a better account, click over to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.) The CCR Line acquitted themselves nicely, accounting for three of the four Flyers' goals (Calder--3 A; Carter--1 G, 1 A; Richards--2 G). The story of the game, though, was the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin. Malkin collided with fellow Pen John LeClair behind the Flyers net early in the second period. Reports indicate he laid on the ice for several minutes before being helped off and did not return to the game. The Penguins are labeling the injury as an "upper-body injury," with the picture clearly showing what may be hurting Malkin this morning. Reports also indicate that he left the arena under his own power and did not have his arm in a sling nor did he appear to be favoring it.

Preseason Game 1

2006-09-20T11:25:00.001-04:00

The Flyers will travel to Moncton, NB (New Brunswick, Canada) to play the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. The game will feature the NHL debut of Russian phenom Evgeni Malkin. The CCR Line -- Kyle Calder, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards -- is expected to make its NHL debut tonight, as well, after being used heavily by Team Canada at the World Championships in the spring. No word on who will be in goal for the Flyers. According to The Inquirer, the game will not be on television, but 610 AM will carry the game on radio.

Phils Pick Themselves Up

2006-09-20T08:22:00.000-04:00

There's a moment in the first Rocky that the Phils reminded me of last night. It's during the 14th round of the fight. Heavywieght champ Apollo Creed had just knocked down challenger Rocky Balboa for the umpteenth time. Balboa's manager, Mickey, is urging Rocky to stay down so as to avoid anymore of a beating. Balboa, showing that undeniable Philadelphia spirit, manages to make it to his feet yet again before the referee's 10-count. After the referee checks Balboa and tells the fights to continue, Rocky motions with his hands and says, "C'mon." Creed, visibly sighing, looks at Rocky with a look of incredulousness, stops, and shakes his head. He can't believe Balboa won't go away -- won't go down and stay down.

After going into Houston -- the Phils' version of Death Valley -- and sweeping the Astros over the weekend, the Phillies had moved to within one game of the wildcard lead. Then they dropped a stinker Monday night, losing 11-6 to the worst team in the National League, while the Dodgers performed one of the single greatest comebacks in major league history. Throw in that the Phils were playing at home where they have a sub-.500 record and you have a team that has been beaten again and again, and was finally down on the mat. How would they respond?

Thanks to a tremendous pitching performance by Jamie Moyer and some fine clutch hitting (and defense) by Abraham Nunez, the Phils picked themselves up and told the Dodgers -- and Padres -- "C'mon."

There It Is take: Of course, the end of the story is that Rocky doens't win the title, but since that wasn't his real goal -- ". . . [I]f I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood." -- who's paying attention? I'm calling it right now, with 11 games to go and the Phillies trailing Los Angeles by one game -- they're winning the wildcard. They're slumping, they're hurt, they're tired. None of that matters. It's September. That's what matters.

The Pseudo-Race Continues

2006-09-19T13:54:00.000-04:00

The Phils let one slip away early last night. I mean really early. I mean first three hitters equals three runs scored early. The loss drops them back to 1.5 games behind San Diego -- whose loss last night, if possible, was actually worse than the Phillies -- for the wildcard. Ageless Jamie Moyer gets the start tonight against the Cubs' Wade Miller -- assuming the game is played. (The weather report doesn't look so good.) Out West, San Diego hosts Arizona while Los Angeles welcomes Pittsburgh.

New Buffalo Logo/Jersey Unveiled

2006-09-18T15:59:00.000-04:00

It's official -- the Buffalo Sabres now have the worst logo in the National Hockey League. Dubbed the "Buffaslug" by various bloggers and Sabres' fans, this is just plain terrible. The only saving grace this thing has is that it brings back the team's original colors. Other than that . . . . ick!! The jerseys look terrible with that . . . thing crawling across the chest. However, I do like that they've added the player's number to the front of the jersey. An interesting touch that I really like. Had they reverted to the original design, with or without adding the number to the front, I think everyone would have been happy. For more on the history of the Sabres logo change, click here. For more on ugly logos, stop by James Mirtle as he lists the 15 worst hockey logos.

Phillies Now 1 Game Out

2006-09-18T13:15:00.000-04:00

Thanks in a very small part to There It Is' incredibly erroneous weekend predictions, the Phils have gained ground in the wildcard pseudo-race. The strangest part is that, while we went into the weekend wanting to see the Padres lose in order to catch them, we now want to see them keep winning. Thanks to a weekend series with Los Angeles, which concludes tonight, San Diego is now in first place in the NL West, dropping the Dodgers into the lead for the wildcard just one game in front of the Sillies -- who welcome the Cubs to the un-friendly confines of Citizen's Bank Park tonight.

Two weeks left in the season. This is it, boys. It's time to go get it.

More on Primeau

2006-09-18T11:38:00.000-04:00

Be sure to stop by sass-a-thon for Meredith's take on Keith Primeau's career in Philadelphia. She links to a post she previously wrote about what instantly became her favorite Primeau moment. Somehow, I had forgotten all about it. Shame on me and kudos to Meredith for remembering.

Jared over at Bullies Blog notes that with Primeau's retirement and the trade of Michal Handzus to the Blackhawks the Flyers will be short on defensive centers.

Primeau’s leadership will undoubtedly be missed, but the Flyers will also miss his strong defensive play down the middle. Without Primeau, and after trading Michal Handzus, the Flyers have suddenly cut a significant amount of their depth and defensive prowess from the center position.

This is a point well taken that I will also be mentioning in my season preview post due out shortly.

Wildcard Weekend Primer

2006-09-15T07:54:00.000-04:00

Here's what we're looking at this weekend in the pseudo-race for the National League wildcard spot:

The Padres enter Friday as leaders in the wildcard standings,but they have their eyes on another prize. They trail the Dodgers by just a half-game in the NL West standings, and are set to visit Chavez Ravine for a four-game series beginning today. While this would seem to benefit the Phils, San Diego is 5-0 in Los Angeles this season, with a .322 batting average in those five games.

The Phillies being the day in second place in the wildcard standings, 2.5 games behind San Diego. They head to Houston for a three-game set, where (a)they face Roger Clemens first, and (b)they've been swept in three of their last four series in Minute Maid Park.

The Giants enter the day tied with the Phillies at 2.5 games behind San Diego in the wildcard standings and just 3 games back in the NL West standings. San Francisco will be in St. Louis for three games this weekend, and is sporting a 32-39 away record this season. Once they get past the Cardinals this weekend, the Giants have a favorable stretch with 10 straight against the Rockies, Brewers, and Diamondbacks.

The Marlins begin their weekend series in Atlanta 3.5 games behind San Diego in the wildcard standings. This will be the first season since 1991 that the Braves have not made the playoffs, and they just might take pleasure in knocking someone out of the race. Florida could be a prime target as they travel to Atlanta this weekend, having lost 20 of their last 25 at Turner Field dating back to start of the 2004 season.

The Reds will kick off the weekend action with an afternoon game in Chicago. 4.5 games behind San Diego in the wildcard standings, Cincinnati looks to make up a lot of ground against a "Dead Man Walking" club in the Cubs.

There It Is take: I predict a split in the San Diego-Los Angeles series, with the Phils and Giants both losing 2 of 3, while the Marlins and Reds win 2 of 3.

Forsberg Named Captain

2006-09-14T20:21:00.000-04:00

In the wake of Keith Primeau's retirement, Peter Forsberg has been named the 15th captain in Flyers history.

"I am flattered and honored," Forsberg said. "It is definitely something I wanted to do and I played a long time in this league. It's going to be great. We have a great team here, and I look forward to being captain here. It's a classy organization."

Simon Gagne and Derian Hatcher will serve as the team's alternate captains.

While the move is not a shock, I have to admit a I'm a little surprised. Not about Peter the Great being offered the role, but about his acceptance of it. I would have figured he would have prefered to take the "A" like he had in Colorado, but not a "C." I honestly thought Gagne would wind up with it, given the new contract and the fact that he was offered the role last year when Primeau was hurt. He turned it down then out of respect to Primeau, but now I thought he'd be good to go. I really like the idea floated in the article by Tim Panaccio linked above:

The Flyers plan to extend [Forsberg's] contract, which would allow a transition of his captaincy to a younger player, such as Mike Richards, in a few years.

I really like Richards and then think he will be a two-way force a la Dallas' Mike Modano -- conincidentally, a player also coached by Ken Hitchcock.

Primeau Retires

2006-09-14T16:16:00.000-04:00

It's finally official. After so many stops and starts, after pushing himself to come back and play, Keith Primeau has retired. When all is said and done, he will probably be remembered as the second-best captain in Flyers' history (behind the heart and soul of the 1980s teams, Dave Poulin).

Personally, the one thing I will remember the most -- and I won't be the only one -- is his game-winning goal in the fifth overtime of Game 4 in the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals in Pittsburgh.

But that is not how he feels he will be remembered. He said his growth as a captain and leader is what he'll cherish most.

"It became my identity," he said. "I was playing in the National Hockey League and there were times I was on other teams and recognized for that, but it just wasn't the same as in this city with this team."

Then, choking up, he added, "That will always mean a lot."

Best wishes, Keith. Here's hoping you have a long, healthy life in front of you.

Flyers Sign Kesler To offer Sheet

2006-09-13T15:04:00.000-04:00

In a move not seen in the NHL since 1998, a Group II restricted free agent has signed an offer sheet. Ryan Kesler, a center who played with Vancouver last season, was signed to a one-year, $1.9 million offer sheet by the Flyers. Given the news that came out last night, this isn't entirely surprising. However, the Flyers are already very deep at center, so it's certainly a curiosity that they would sign another one. Given how (relatively) deep the Flyers are up front, one wonders whether the money would be better spent on trying to find a cheap, puck-moving defenseman somewhere.

James Mirtle thinks it's a rather astutue move by GM Bob Clarke, given that even though the contract is only for one year, the Flyers would retain his rights for a number of years after that. On the other side of the coin is Jes Golbez, who thinks Clarke is out to screw the Canucks (again, if you can believe him about RJ Umberger).

UPDATE: TSN.ca is reporting that Vancouver will match the offer.

More On DiPietro

2006-09-13T10:02:00.000-04:00

There really isn't an easy way to wrap your head around this contract. Think about it -- even Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Steve Yzerman never got 15-year contracts in their day. What has Rick DiPietro done to justify this deal? Nothing, as far as I can see. His career numbers are 58-62-8-5, with a 2.85 GAA (Goals Against Average) and a .900 save percentage. Solid numbers, to be sure, but hardly worthy of a 15-year contract. I can't say I blame him for signing the deal, though. Take the money and run -- or so the saying goes.

For more on the contract, click on TSN.ca's Bob McKenzie and ESPN.com's Scott Burnside, along with Steve Ovadia and Tom Benjamin.

Let's Play Two

2006-09-13T08:28:00.000-04:00

The Phillies were rained out of their game in Atlanta last night. Thus, a doubleheader has been scheduled for today with the first game to begin at 4:05. Follow all the action here. With San Diego's loss last night, the Phils are now two games back in the wildcard chase, with the possibility of making up as much as a game and a half today (a doubleheader sweep and a Padres loss).

Be sure to stop by I've Made A Huge Tiny Mistake, as Chris gives an outstanding summary of the wildcard situation to date.

Breaking News: Primeau To Retire

2006-09-12T21:44:00.000-04:00

Flyers captain Keith Primeau is going to announce his retirement by the end of the week. Details to follow.

A Lot Going On Today

2006-09-12T12:12:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty busy at work these days (and everywhere else, actually), which is good and bad. Thus, I only will be able to throw some links at you today.

First, the Flyers and winger Simon Gagne agreed to a new five-year deal worth $5.25 million per year. Click here for the Flyers salary commitments for the coming season.

Second, the New York Islanders have ~~gone crazy~~ continued their craziness by signing goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year contract for $67.5 million.

Finally, my Toffees continued their winning ways Saturday with a 3-0 win over bitter rivals Liverpool in the 204th Merseyside derby. (Yeah, I don't know the meaning of all that, either.) The win moves Everton into third place in the Premiership standings.