Goaltender Michael Leighton was brought back into the fold yesterday as he signed a two-year, $3.1 million deal.

While GM Paul Holmgren now has his two netminders from the end of last season under contract and in place (Brian Boucher is signed through 2010-11), there is much speculation as to whether or not the reigning Eastern Conference Champions are done with the crease position.

Aside from doing nothing, there is a growing sentiment that there are two highly probable routes that Holmgren will choose between when the clock strikes twelve noon.

Build a stronger defense and go for a B-tier goaltender

With Leighton re-signed, one school of thought is that Holmgren will go after one of the premier defensemen available, presumably former Ottawa Senator Anton Volchenkov.  The 6′ 1″, 227 pound rearguard plays a very physical style, and is well-suited for head coach Peter Laviolette’s type of game.

Once opposition teams got through Chris Pronger’s shifts, there wasn’t a whole lot of physicality to the rest of the Flyers defensemen’s games.  Volchenkov would change that in a big way.

After already inquiring into the contract demands of UFA goaltenders Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco and realizing their camps are both going for the huge pay day, Holmgren could turn his attention towards Chris Mason or Dan Ellis.

Mason won 30 games last season with the St. Louis Blues and will make any team that signs him a much better club moving forward.  Highly under-rated, the 34-year-old earned $3 million last year and should be in line for a modest raise.  This would put him in the area that Philly is looking to spend.

The 30-year-old Ellis won 15 games last year with the Nashville Predators, mostly in a backup role to Pekka Rinne.  His rights were traded to the Montreal Canadiens earlier in the week, and as of Thursday morning, no deal had been announced.

Ellis would be a great fit in Philadelphia for both sides.  As it would appear that the Habs have a more defined role in mind for him as the second string to Carey Price, the Flyers have already told Leighton that he will have a chance to compete for the starter’s position for next season.  That role is not being given to him and he was not signed as the incumbent.

This course of action is not bad at all, but can only work if restricted free agent Braydon Coburn is also re-signed.

And with the money saved on moving down a tier in the goaltender pay scale, there may be enough leftover to also sign a couple other free agent defensemen.

It was obvious that there was a tremendous drop off after the top four of Pronger-Matt Carle and Kimmo Timonen-Coburn.  It got to the point that Laviolette had no confidence in his third pairing of Lukas Krajicek (also an UFA as of today)-Ryan Parent (since traded to Nashville).  Things got so bad in the Stanley Cup Finals for Parent that he saw just 41 seconds of ice time in game one, sported a -1 rating, and was a healthy scratch the rest of the series.

Parent’s replacement was Oskars Bartulis.  The 23-year-old Latvian blue liner is a nice seventh defenseman but not a top-six,  at least not at this point of his career.

Candidates to fill the five and / or six spots are Kurtis Foster and Zbynek Michalek, both 28 years old.

At 6′ 2″, 210 pounds, Michalek is especially interesting because he would give the Orange-and-Black a right-handed shot from the point, something they did not possess last season.

Foster, 6′ 5″ and 230 pounds, was a nominee for the Masterton Trophy this past season, as he worked his way back from a horrific injury while playing for the Minnesota Wild in early 2008.  Last year in his first full season back and playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Foster was the best Bolts defenseman, leading the Lightning D-men in goals (8) and setting a career-high for assists (34) and points (42).

Leave the defense “as is” and go after one of the high-priced netminders

Holmgren could just re-sign Coburn and Krajicek, and then set his sights on Nabokov or Turco.

The problem with this scenario is that much of the hopes will be thrown onto one player in net, and it also sets up the top two blue line pairings for nearly 30 minutes of ice time per game.

Holmgren was not happy that Pronger played so much, especially during regular season contests midway through the season.  But in Laviolette’s defense, the Flyers had dropped to 14th place in the East and risked the prospect of missing out on the postseason altogether.

With the first route explored, the 35-year-old Pronger and Timonen could tire, especially in the playoffs.  Any scenario that saves wear and tear on their best rearguards bodies would be preferred.

And add in the fact that this option also sets up for monumental failure and disappointment if that one player that you put your hopes in suffers a long-term injury.  You will know exactly what I’m talking about if you look back at the Flyers’ injury situation between the pipes last year.

As improbable as it is that it would happen again, stranger things have happened.

And so begins the free agent frenzy at noon today.  It remains to be seen which direction Holmgren will take as he sits at the fork in the road between spending a large portion of his remaining cap money on defense or a goaltender.

But then again he probably considers this situation as a luxury, since he hasn’t had any cap space with which to deal with for a couple of seasons.

Here’s to hoping that you spend wisely, Paul.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

For the Philadelphia Flyers, NHL Entry Draft day is usually a very busy time.  Last year GM Paul Holmgren pulled the trigger on the Chris Pronger deal with the Anaheim Ducks, and the previous year moved forward R.J. Umberger to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a first round pick (Luca Sbisa, who ended up being dealt to Anaheim in the Pronger trade).

Yesterday was much different.  It was a day full of rumors and conflicting reports from well-connected, much-respected members of the hockey media community regarding the status of Holmgren’s contract talks with impending UFA defenseman Dan Hamhuis, acquired a week ago today from the Nashville Predators for defenseman Ryan Parent.

The first word of the day that made the rounds was from a Vancouver sports radio broadcast.  The report was that analyst Pierre McGuire was reporting that the Flyers and Hamhuis’ agent were very close to signing a four-year, $20 million pact.

This was a strange rumor, as talk had been that Hamhuis’ camp was searching for a four-year, $16 million deal.

As no announcement of a deal was made, Tim Panaccio of the CSN-Philly.com reported that Hamhuis’ rights would not be dealt at the Entry Draft, and that if no deal was reached by next week, only then would Holmgren consider dealing those rights.

After a few hours of nothing new being reported on a contract agreement, word came from TSN analyst Bob McKenzie that the Flyers and Hamhuis were not close at all on any deal.  McKenzie said he was actually hearing that the Vancouver Canucks may be interested in dealing for Hamhuis’ rights.

But after Vancouver traded for Florida Panther defenseman Keith Ballard just prior to the commencement of the Draft, it was obvious that they were not going to make any deals to acquire Hamhuis’ rights.

There were reports early on that Holmgren had been in discussions with Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero, and later with San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson.  As Pittsburgh’s draft spot at number 20 was approaching, there was speculation that Holmgren was attempting to acquire the pick.

But as Shero picked center Beau Bennett with that selection, it appeared that the Flyers would not be making a move at all on the day.

Just as the first round reached its conclusion, it was announced that Philadelphia had traded Hamhuis’ rights to arch-rival and divisional foe Pittsburgh for a third round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The deal makes sense for the Penguins.  They are about to lose number one defenseman Sergei Gonchar to unrestricted free agency,  as Shero does not want to give the 36-year-old rearguard a guaranteed third year on any new deal.

The deal also makes sense for Hamhuis.  One of the biggest sticking points reported between Hamhuis and the Flyers was that Hamhuis was worried about his role with the club, should he sign.  With Pronger and Matt Carle being the first defensive pairing and the second consisting of Kimmo Timonen and (RFA) Braydon Coburn, it appears Hamhuis had reservations about just how much quality playing time he would receive with the Orange-and-Black.

One of the remedies for that situation that was rumored was Holmgren moving Coburn upon signing Hamhuis.  But that is now a moot point.

From a Flyers’ perspective, the choice to move Hamhuis to a destination of such a key enemy is a curious one, at best.

Not only do the teams play each other six times during the regular season, but Philadelphia has also lost to Pittsburgh in the playoffs in two of the past three years.  With Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens doing the Flyers a big favor by unceremoniously dispatching the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in this past postseason, the team was spared a potential meeting with the Penguins for a third  year in a row.

There were reports that several teams had made offers for Hamhuis’ rights, but Pittsburgh’s offer was the best.  Wouldn’t it have been a wiser decision for Holmgren to take a little less and keep “Hammer” out of a position to possibly do damage to his own team’s cause in the very near future?

Flyers to Acquire Rights to Nabokov?

There has been much talk about the direction that Holmgren will go in his quest to fill the vacant Philly crease for the 2010-11 season.

Reports earlier in the week had Flyers’ GM talking to Michael Leighton’s agent, Mike Liut, about a possible re-signing of the pending unrestricted free agent netminder.  The train of thought is that Leighton would be brought in as a backup to whomever Holmgren acquires as his starter.  But that option may not be so attractive for Leighton, as he showed a lot in the starting role since his acquisition by the Flyers.

Reports also surfaced this past week that Holmgren will show great interest in UFA Marty Turco next Thursday.

After the conclusion of round one of the Draft last night, word was that Holmgren had spoken to Sharks’ GM Wilson about trading for the rights to pending unrestricted free agent Evgeni Nabokov.   The goaltender will turn 35 years old next month, and even though he has never had tremendous success in the postseason, Nabby has won 40+ games in each of the past three regular seasons.

Something could come of this on the second day of the Draft on Saturday, as there is now only five full days until free agency officially gets under way.

And as we saw with the Hamhuis situation, it is not always an easy task to get a deal done in such a short period of time.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

For the Philadelphia Flyers it is a seemingly never-ending search, a generational attempt to find that one franchise netminder with which to call their own.

Through the years, we have seen the likes of Tommy Soderstrom, Dominic Roussel, Garth Snow, Jean-Marc Pelletier, Maxime Ouellet, Brian Boucher (in his first stint with the club), Roman Cechmanek, Antero Niittymaki, and Robert Esche anointed as the heir to the throne.

And when the younger guys have failed, then-GM Bob Clarke would delve deeply into the other end of the spectrum.

Sean Burke (twice) and John Vanbiesbrouck come to mind as two of Clarke’s desperate attempts to get the much-needed net presence to man the crease for the Orange-and-Black.

But all that ended up doing was handsomely rewarding an aging, unrestricted free agent for their previous performances with other teams, but not doing much in the way of helping the Flyers’ cause.

It’s a search that has been going on since Ron Hextall’s initial tenure in Philadelphia, which ended when he was dealt to the Quebec Nordiques after the 1991-92 season in the Eric Lindros trade.

It is coming up on the 20th season of that deal, and the Flyers have still not been able to find that one netminder to put between the pipes for the long haul.

Last season was a nightmare for the Orange-and-Black between the pipes, as the Flyers’ netminders were decimated by injuries, as they used seven goaltenders throughout the year.

Ray Emery, signed as a free agent out of the KHL prior to the season, would sustain two serious injuries that required surgery.  The hip injury that struck him in early March may even be career-threatening.

Boucher is signed for the 2010-11 season and Johan Backlund was recently re-signed for two more years.  But with Michael Leighton set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, the position is once again in a state of flux.

Philly GM Paul Holmgren, fresh off acquiring defenseman Dan Hamhuis from Nashville on Saturday, is set to tackle the ongoing goaltending issue.

Including bringing Leighton back, there are many avenues for Holmgren to explore.  Here are some of those options:

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Leighton – Picked up off the waiver wire by Holmgren in early-December, Leighton was a Godsend for a struggling team that could not find its way.  All he did was proceed to go 16-5-2 before succumbing to a high ankle sprain in March.  When he returned during Philly’s improbable postseason run, Leighton went 8-3.

The only problem was that he let in several goals of the “soft” variety in the Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Leighton has stated on the record that he wishes to return, and head coach Peter Laviolette has voiced his support for bringing Leighton back, but Holmgren has sounded a bit less-thrilled about Leighton returning after the loss in the Finals.  Days after the final loss on game six, Holmgren said that he still hadn’t seen the replay of Patrick Kane’s Cup-winning overtime goal.  He hasn’t seen the puck enter the net, and just couldn’t bring himself to see it.

Leighton’s agent Mike Liut has stated that he is seeking a deal worth between $2-3 million, which isn’t breaking the bank.

Leighton fingerprint:  Depending on how much is required to get Hamhuis signed and how much of the $8+ million surplus there is left to work with and given the fact that Leighton has proven to work well with his team, Holmgren may, indeed, be bringing Leighton back into the fold when all is said and done.

Marty Turco:  Turco has long been considered one of the top ten netminders in the NHL.  But the soon to be 35-year-old, nine-year veteran of the Dallas Stars saw a significant dropoff in play in 2009-10.

His six year streak of 30 or more wins came to an abrupt halt, as he struggled to a 22-20-11 record.

Taking a Flyer on Turco: Coupled with the salary that Turco most-likely will be demanding (he made $5.7 million last year) and his dropoff in play, a Turco signing would appear to be in the same avenue of the Vanbiesbrouck signing a decade ago.  I find this option very doubtful.

Evgeni Nabokov:  The San Jose Sharks have had a label of being “playoff underacheivers”, and Nabby has been front-and-center in the blame game.

The 10-year vet has been a workhorse for the Sharks in the regular season, registering 40+ wins in each of the past three seasons.

But it’s the postseason failures that most people will be looking at when considering Nabokov when July 1st rolls around.

Lowdown on Nabby:  Nabokov is in the same boat as Turco.  He will also be turning 35, and drew a salary of $5.375 million last season.  If he is looking for a big payday (i.e. a hefty raise), the chances that he will be wearing Orange-and-Black come training camp are slim-to-none.

Jose Theodore:  Theodore is another in this year’s 30-something, big contract netminders.  Theodore, who turns 34 in September, had one of his best regular seasons in the NHL last season.  His 30-7-7 record led the way for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals.  But after being given the nod over Semyon Varlamov as the starter in the postseason, the Capitals fell in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens.  The play of Habs’ goaltender Jaroslav Halak was the difference, as he outplayed Theodore.

The theory on Theo:  Theodore has overcome great personal tragedy and succeeded, but with his $4.5 million salary in 2009-10, he will be expecting another huge payday.  Given his age and asking price, it’s almost a sure bet that Holmgren will pass on Theodore.

Chris Mason:  The 34-year-old Mason had his best year in the NHL last season for the St. Louis Blues, reaching the 30-win mark for the first time in his career.  A late-bloomer, Mason has 20+ wins in three of his last four seasons.

The markup on Mason:  While Mason has shown no signs of slowing down, he is still 34.  Add in the fact that he made $3 million last season, and he will probably be looking for a significant raise.  This will probably be the last chance to make the big money for Mason, so it isn’t likely that he would take less for an opportunity to win.

Dan Ellis:  Drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2000, Ellis saw action in just one game (a win in 2003-04 season).

Ellis was signed by the Nashville Predators as a free agent in 2007 and had actually taken the starting job away from Chris Mason, posting a 23-10-3 mark during the 2007-08 campaign.  But in 2008-09 Ellis dropped to just 11-19-4, prompting the call-up from the minors of Pekka Rinne.  The rest, as they say, is history.

The Down low on Dan:  Ellis may be just what the Flyers are looking for…a netminder that just turned 30 and made just $1.75 million last season.  Depending on the salary neighborhood Ellis is hoping to move in to, he may be a good possibility.

Antero Niittymaki:  Originally drafted by Philly in 1998, Niitty was always the good soldier.  A fantastic goaltender and Olympic Silver Medal winner in 2006, he was never really given the opportunity to become the number one guy for the Flyers.  There always seemed to be another guy promoted or brought in and given the job…Boucher, Cechmanek, Esche, Martin Biron.  The only time that Niittymaki was given the bulk of starts for any stretch was during the Flyers franchise-worst 2006-07, in which they finished last overall in the NHL standings.  Niitty was given the reigns as the team played out the string, and his 9-29-9 mark was abysmal.

Notes on Niitty:  When Niittymaki was allowed to walk away as an UFA and Holmgren went to the KHL to lure Emery back from his exile, it continued a pattern of the Flyers looking elsewhere when they may have had their answer right under their noses.  Niitty was signed to a one-year, $600,000 contract by the Tampa Bay Lightning, then wrestled the starting job away from incumbent Mike Smith.  He finished with a more than respectable 21-18-5 record for a non-playoff team.  At $600k, the 30-year-old goalie could be the perfect fit to come back and take the starting job for Philadelphia.

Vesa Toskala:  Not nearly on the same level as either Turco or Nabokov over the course of his career, Toskala nonetheless had four consecutive 20+ win seasons with the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2009-10 campaign.  But the 33-year-old Finnish goaltender fell off dramatically this past season, recording a 9-12-3 mark with Toronto and the Calgary Flames.

The Toskala total:  Despite a 129-82-5 record over eight NHL seasons, Toskala has largely spent most of that time as a backup.  In San Jose, he was second fiddle to Nabokov.  When given the reigns for a less-than great Toronto team, he managed a 62-54-20 record before being shipped to Calgary, where he was again backup, this time to Miikka Kiprusoff.

But if he is looking for a raise on his 2009-10 $4 million salary, he will be looking in cities other than Philadelphia.

The Unrestricted Free Agent Dark Horses (i.e. the rest):  Johan Hedberg (37-years-old, $1.087 million in 2009-10), Peter Budaj (28 in September, $1.25 million), Alex Auld (29, $1 million), Andrew Raycroft (30, $500,000), Patrick Lalime (36 in July, $1 million), Manny Legace (37, $500,000).

Trade Possibilities:

Los Angeles:

There have been a number of trade rumors that Holmgren could opt to take if he chooses not to go the route of unrestricted free agency.  One that is making the rounds is that he is interested in either Jonathan Quick or Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings.

With the connection that Philadelphia and L.A. share, with L.A.’s GM Dean Lombardi and Assistant GM Ron Hextall being former employees before heading west, there may be some meat to this one.

Quick is 24-years-old and his 2010-11 salary will be $1.8 million, a nice fit for Homer’s cap room.  The 6′ 1″, 223 pound netminder is coming off a stellar season in which he put up a 39-24-7 mark, leading the Kings to the number six seed in the Western Conference and a playoff spot.

In his first NHL postseason, Quick’s Kings lost in six hard-fought games.

Bernier, who will turn 22 in August, will likely make a push in training camp to unseat Quick as the starter.  L.A. management is very high on the first round pick from 2006, and with good reason.

With 28-year-old Erik Ersberg as backup, the Kings may be ready to move either Quick or Bernier for the right return.

With the Kings having room under the salary cap, forward Jeff Carter may be a return being sought after by Lombardi and company.  They were rumored to be in the bidding for Ilya Kovalchuk prior to the Atlanta Thrashers moving him to New Jersey, and their desire to bolster their forward slots has been made known.  They could go the unrestricted free agent route and sign Kovalchuk, but they will need to dole out approximately $10 million annually.

Minnesota:

Josh Harding – The 26-year-old restricted free agent made $1.1 million last season, and may be moved to a team where he has a chance to be the starter.  With Niklas Backstrom signed for three more seasons, playing time will be scarce for Harding if he remains with the Wild.

Minnesota can always use help at the forward position, and even though forwards have been sacrificed to fit the team’s salary into the cap limit, the Flyers still have a wealth up front with which to deal.

There had been rumors that Philadelphia was ready to offer up Carter to the Montreal Canadiens for either Halak or Carey Price.  But with the shocking trade that sent Halak to the St. Louis Blues, any deal with Les Habitants appears to have been quashed, as Price will undoubtedly take the reigns in the Montreal crease.

Conclusion:

Holmgren will have a busy week ahead of him leading up to Friday night’s commencement of the Entry Draft.  He needs to get Hamhuis signed, and is rumored to be talking to several clubs about acquiring a goaltender via trade.

If nothing comes to fruition, he can fit an unrestricted free agent into his salary structure.

As mentioned above, Holmgren would do well to avoid any long-term deals with the aging, high-money netminders.  This would wipe Turco, Nabokov, Mason, Theodore, and Toskala off of Homer’s list.

The UFA options the Flyers may want to explore if a trade is not consummated are Ellis and Niitymaki.  Outside of Leighton, these two would seem to have the best fit, both age-wise and monetarily.

And if this is the route Holmgren chooses, whichever goalie he signs will be a hold-over until hopefully Sergei Bobrovsky (see previous story on him here) or Joacim Eriksson will develop and be ready as the long-term netminder this franchise has lacked for so long.

If possible, either Bernier or Quick from the Kings would be the best-possible move for Holmgren.  Both goaltenders are young, and could alleviate the constant state of flux in the Flyers’ crease.

Either one would be considered a franchise goaltender.

Whichever goaltender ends up between the pipes for the Flyers when the season opens will definitely benefit from the work being done by Holmgren to shore up the Philadelphia blue line.

By week’s end, we may just know the identity of that masked man.  And along with that move comes the opportunity for Holmgren to put his permanent stamp on the franchise.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

When Scott Hartnell banged home his second goal of the night to tie up game six at 3-3 with just 3:59 left in regulation, there was a feeling that maybe another miracle was on the horizon for the Philadelphia Flyers.

But this time it was not meant to be, as Patrick Kane somehow snuck a bad-angle shot through Michael Leighton at 4:06 of overtime.

And so ended an improbable postseason run by the Orange-and-Black.

The Run to the Finals

After all, the team barely even qualified for the playoffs, sneaking in after winning a shootout against the New York Rangers on the final day of the regular season.

Then came a matchup with the number three team in the East, the New Jersey Devils, in the first round.

Martin Brodeur and company have made a habit out of torturing the Flyers through the years, but this year that draw was surprisingly favorable.

Philadelphia finished 5-1 against New Jersey in the 2009-10 regular season.  And they continued that domination in the postseason, taking the first round series, four games to one.

But much like the adversity the team faced during the regular season, it struck again against the Devils.  Philly lost forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne (both with broken right feet), and Ian Laperriere (concussion, brain contusion) as the result of blocking shots.

In the second round against the seventh-seeded Boston Bruins, that adversity nearly turned to a quick exit.  The Flyers lost three close games and found themselves on the brink of elimination.

But Gagne, on crutches a week earlier, returned early and fittingly scored the game-winning goal in overtime in game four.  He then scored two more in game five, and the series-winner in the third period of game seven.

Only two teams had ever done it prior to this series, but the Orange-and-Black had overcome an 0-3 series deficit to win.

Just like the NHL ad campaign, “History Will Be Made”.

The Eastern Conference Finals brought the Montreal Canadiens, fresh off of a second-straight seven-game series upset.  They had knocked off the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the first round, then the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The eighth-seeded Canadiens won both game sevens on the road in the first two rounds.

Montreal netminder Jaroslav Halak was on fire in dispatching of the higher-ranked teams and looked to do the same to the Flyers.

But this time, Philly had their number, taking out the Canadiens in five games.

No Adversity, No Win

Both Carter and Laperriere returned to action for the Eastern Finals, and suddenly, something was missing as the team headed to Chicago to face the Blackhawks in the Finals.

Adversity.

For a team that seemed to thrive on it, the suddenly calm atmosphere and full compliment of players appeared to take something away from the desperation that the team had used as its main form of propulsion.

Like a family that sticks together through times of great dysfunction but falls apart when harmony is finally achieved, Philadelphia lost their edge when they got past the adversity.

End of the Season – Enter Holmgren

So now General Manager Paul Holmgren has some tough choices to make for next season.

After the playoff run the Flyers had, what Holmgren has to be careful of is not to be too euphoric in analyzing his team heading towards the 2010-11 season.

True, Philly did make it within two wins of hoisting the cherished silver chalice.  That is something that cannot be ignored.

But this is also a team that was a shootout loss against New York’s “King Henrik” Lundqvist from missing the big dance altogether.

“Homer” has to realize that his evaluation of the Flyers has to fall somewhere in between Stanley Cup Finalists and a non-playoff team.

He has some big question marks to deal with and with the long run, only has a couple of weeks before the NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles.

Philadelphia doesn’t own a draft choice until the fourth round.  In order to create a bit of space at the upper edge of the cap limit and also acquire a top three round pick, Holmgren may want to deal one of his high-end paid forwards to do so in one fell swoop.

One of the top names on that list would be Hartnell.

Though he had a dreadful regular season Hartnell, really came on in the latter stages of the Flyers’ postseason run, and ended with some pretty decent stats.  He scored eight goals in the playoffs, five of which came during the Finals.

And the fiery redhead was far-and-away the best Philly player on the ice in game six.

Hartnell:  “You waited 10 years to be in the Final and it may not happen for 10 more.  You don’t know if this is the only time you are going to kick the cat.  This summer and next training camp it will give us a little more fuel to be on the right side of things.”

“I definitely don’t want to go anywhere.  I probably won’t score 40, but I’d love to.”

But is Hartnell’s “right side of things” destined to be in Philadelphia next year?

Slated to make $4.25 million in 2010-11, Holmgren will have to think long and hard about what his best-laid plans would be regarding Hartnell.  Especially with the fact that the winger has a no-trade clause in his contract.

You always get the feeling that Hartnell is always on the fine line of doing something really good or something that will cost your team in a big way, and you are never really sure which way it will go.  Too many times during the regular season and first couple of rounds of the postseason, Hartnell went the wrong way.

Hartnell’s ill-timed penalties cost Philly quite a few games, and the positives were few and far between.  His goal-scoring total dropped off from 30 in 2008-09 to just 14 during the past regular season.

Getting past some personal difficulties he suffered through during the regular season seems to have made a world of difference in Hartnell’s game.  But one thing is for sure.  With Hartnell’s performance in the Finals, his trade value will never be higher than it is at this time.

Another forward that could be moved is Carter.  He is a valuable commodity and could bring in a starting netminder and / or a high draft pick.

Though he had to deal with fractures in both of his feet over the past couple of months of the season, Carter could not provide the offense needed to get Philadelphia over the hump to win Lord Stanley.  He registered just one goal, an empty-netter, in the Finals.

Carter has one year remaining on his three-year, $15 million deal and will become a restricted free agent at the end of next season.  For the money that he will command at that time, Holmgren may not be able to fit a new deal for Carter inside the Flyers’ miniscule salary cap space.

There were rumors earlier last season that the Montreal Canadiens may move either Halak or Carey Price for Carter.  But that was before GM Bob Gainey stepped down, and before Halak’s incredible playoff performance.  My guess is that Les Habitants would be inclined to offer up Price for Carter at this time.

It was believed that at the end of this year Danny Briere would be asked to waive his no-movement clause.  Briere still has five years remaining on his eight-year, $52 million contract, and his cap hit each year of over $6 million has become an albatross, especially at the trade deadline.  When there are clear needs but no money with which to bring in help, most point to Briere’s inflated salary.

But after a Flyers’ record-setting postseason in which Briere registered 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists), breaking Brian Propp’s old mark of 28, which was set in 1987, it appears that Briere is here to stay.

Playing at his more-familiar center position, Briere became the force that had been hoped the day he was signed.

And the team justified Briere’s statements about the Flyers players being “warriors” and the team was “built for the playoffs”.  Briere especially looked the part of the warrior as he sported a nasty gash from a high-stick he took in game five that required stitches.

Gagne is another player that may be asked to waive his no-trade clause in order to move him and his $5 million salary.  There was a rumor making the rounds at the end of the season that Holmgren might attempt to move the long-time Flyer to Boston for goaltender Tim Thomas now that Tuukka Rask has grabbed the Bruins’ number one job.

There are many possibilities, but all seem to involve getting a player to waive a NTC / NMC.

UFA Leighton to be re-signed or allowed to walk?

And if the team is not convinced that Leighton is the answer in goal, the extra money could come in handy in signing an unrestricted free agent.  Dan Ellis, Antero Niittymaki, Evgeni Nabokov, and Marty Turco are among the most-interesting candidates should Holmgren go that route.

With Brian Boucher already signed through next season as the backup, Leighton would like to re-sign and stay on.

“I definitely want to stay here.  I enjoyed my time and enjoyed the guys.  It’s tough enough that we lost.  Even if it’s a good goal, you’re still going to be disappointed that you lost.  I think for me, it’s a double-whammy.  You let in a soft goal to end the season.  I hope to get the opportunity to stay here as a No. 1 and if not, then elsewhere.”

Leighton definitely had the most success of any of the rotating goaltending carousel.  With a 16-5-2 regular season mark and an 8-3 record in the playoffs, the Flyers played their best hockey with Leighton between the pipes.

Leighton’s agent, ex-NHL goaltender Mike Liut, is rumored to be looking for a multi-year deal for at least $2 million annually.  It remains to be seen if Holmgren would balk at that number.

RFAs and UFAs

As for the team’s most valuable restricted free agents, defensemen Braydon Coburn and Ryan Parent, and forwards Darroll Powe and Daniel Carcillo, Holmgren needs to re-sign at least Coburn and Powe.  Coburn had a second straight regular season in which his level of play slipped, but he proved just how valuable he was in the postseason.  Powe is a nice, cheap fourth line banger who is also an excellent penalty-killer.  Parent’s play dropped off to the point where he basically saw only spot duty in the playoffs.  And Carcillo, though bringing a great deal of energy and a surprising amount of offensive flair from time to time, became a frequent healthy scratch in the latter stages of the postseason.  He was basically rendered ineffective, as it appeared he was a bit of a marked man every time he stepped on the ice.  He drew some questionable penalty calls in his last few games that he saw action.

As far as unrestricted free agent Arron Asham, it will be interesting to see if Holmgren brings his fourth-line winger back.  Asham was a good fit on a line with Blair Betts and Powe and may take a little less money to stay.

Towing the Leino

One player that turned out to be a revelation in the postseason was winger Ville Leino.

Acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for little-used defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth-round draft pick  in February, Leino began the playoffs as a healthy scratch.

But when forwards Carter and Gagne were injured in game four of the New Jersey series, Leino was thrust into duty.

Finding a home on a line with Briere and Hartnell, Leino tied the playoff rookie scoring record with 21 points (seven goals and 14 assists).

If there are any questions as to Leino’s game or development, check out this quote from Bob McKenzie of TSN:  “The Blackhawks were talking before Game 6 (of the Finals) about how Leino was channeling Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, that he was playing at the level, and he seriously was in terms of his puck protection and his ability to make plays.”

Now that is truly a great amount of respect, putting Leino’s name in with the likes of greats Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

At just 26-years-old, it appears that Holmgren may have found a key piece of the Flyers’ future in Leino.

It was an incredible postseason run, one that Flyers’ fans will never forget.  And the team is not that far away from being ready to embark on the same challenge next year.

Training camp opens in about three months from now, and Holmgren will no doubt be a very busy man in the interim.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

After the final horn went to officially end game five, the tell tale signs were all there that this may finally be the end of the line for the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers players looked tired.  Despite outhitting the Chicago Blackhawks, 45-35, Philadelphia took the more punishing checks for a good portion of the night.

Mike Richards looked gassed.  As did Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne, and just about every other Flyer, for that matter.

Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien laid several bone-crushing hits, particularly on Philly defenseman Chris Pronger.

Those hit appeared to take a toll on Pronger, and the defenseman finished the game a career-worst -5.

Philadelphia left the ice a defeated team Sunday night.  Chicago had beaten them in nearly every aspect of the game, and the Blackhawks needed just one more win to lock up their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.

When you have a team in this spot, you don’t do anything to provoke them.  Let a sleeping dog lie.

You use the tactic that Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil employed back in the 1980 NFC Championship game.

Up against a tough and talented Dallas Cowboys’ team, Vermeil used the media to stroke the egos of the Cowboys players and organization during the time off leading up to the game.

By the time the contest started, Dallas thought all all they had to do was show up and they would be well on their way to the Super Bowl.

The Eagles ran all over the Cowboys for the entire 60 minutes that day, easily beating an overconfident Dallas team.

I have never forgotten that moment, and wondered why more teams haven’t used it themselves.

These past two days were the perfect time for Chicago to use Vermeil’s example, to say all the right things and hope that the Flyers went quietly into the night on Wednesday.

But instead, the struggling Chicago Tribune took the exact opposite approach and decided to publish this photo centerfold in hopes of more sales:

There is a difference between taking good-natured shots at players and crossing the line into cheap shot classlessness.

It’s rather ironic that the Tribune basically forgot about the Blackhawks, much like the rest of Chicago, during their years of futility.

Now that the team has been rebuilt and stands on the threshold of greatness, a bad sideshow was not what Chicago wanted to portray.

Pronger couldn’t have cared less:  ”I don’t read what you guys write.  Good or bad.  I really don’t care, to be honest with you.  I’m worried about playing this game.”

Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the whole situation is that the Blackhawks coach and players weren’t even involved.

Joel Quenneville must be furious.  Trying to finish off the fourth and final win in a Cup Finals is difficult enough, a task that could become even more arduous with the cheap shot.

Do you really want to anger the opposing player who has been the best on the ice for much of the series?

And if there is any justice, the hockey gods will give Pronger and the rest of his teammates a strong second wind.

And maybe even give Pronger the opportunity to do a curtsey at United Center’s center ice on Friday night with Lord Stanley raised above his head.

Worst-Kept Secret “Revealed”, Leighton Probable Starter in Game 6

Since the end of game five on Sunday night, it has been amazing to see all of the media outlets pondering which goaltender would be manning the Philadelphia crease on Wednesday night for game six.

Incumbent starter Michael Leighton was pulled after the first period of game five trailing 3-0, having given up three goals on 13 shots.

Leighton’s goals given up were not horrendous.

The first, scored by Blackhawks’ defenseman Brent Seabrook, was a deflection off of defenseman Chris Pronger’s skate.  It changed direction just enough to keep the puck away from Leighton’s waiting right pad, and ended up as a seeing-eye goal that went just between the Philly net minder’s right skate and the goal post.

That one play seemed to shift every player on the ice into a different gear.

The players in the red home team uniforms, already moving faster than their opponents, kicked it into overdrive.

And conversely, anyone in the road whites seemed to downshift into first gear.

The second goal was probably the one that Leighton would like to have back.  On a delayed Philadelphia penalty call, David Bolland’s flip banked off of Leighton’s right skate, which he didn’t get up against the post, and trickled into the net.

And Leighton played down the effect of being hit on the knee by a shot in warm ups prior to game five.

“It’s just a bruise.  It didn’t affect the way I played.  Once you get on the ice, you don’t really think about it.”

Laviolette’s pulling of Leighton in favor of Brian Boucher has been done before, most-recently in game one in Chicago.

Some even took Laviolette’s decision not to name a game six starter as a sign of not having confidence in Leighton.

But as Laviolette stated today, “Our goaltender has the best numbers in the playoffs, I didn’t think I’d have to announce it.”

Leighton has been this team’s best goaltender over the course of the entire season, and there is no reason to change that now.

Sporting an 8-2 record with a 2.34 goals-against average, Leighton has earned the right to play Wednesday night.

End of “story”.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

Back in the mid-1970′s, when the Philadelphia Flyers won their two Stanley Cups, there was a forward line that played for the Buffalo Sabres called the “French Connection”.

The threesome consisted of Hall-of-Famer Gilbert Perreault, centering wingers Rene Robert and Rick Martin, and is still one of the most prolific scoring lines in NHL history.

While Philadelphia doesn’t have an entire line made up of French-Canadian players, their playoff run thus far still has had very much of a ”French Connection”.

Quebec natives Danny Briere and Simon Gagne have definitely had a major impact on the good fortune surrounding the Flyers.

As a matter of fact, the Flyers have taken a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Canadiens and play in Montreal one more time  for game four, for the time being.

And while some of the French-Canadians on the Flyers’ roster are visiting their hometowns, there has been be no overall warm welcome for them from “La Belle Province”.

Other than the usual boos that rain down from the Bell Centre faithful every time a Canadien falls to the ice and does not result in an opposition penalty, Briere receives a healthy chorus from his detractors every time he touches the puck.

The city of Montreal never forgets when it feels that it has been betrayed.  The wounds from Briere’s decision to sign as an unrestricted free agent in Philadelphia rather than with the Canadiens in the off-season prior to the 2007-08 season still stings.

“We all know about all the boos, that has been going on the past few years.  That’s extra motivation when you jump on the ice.  As soon as I found out that we were playing Montreal, I got real excited about it.  I’ve always said I wanted to experience what it was to play against Montreal (in the playoffs) at least once in my career.  This is my second chance.  I’m just grateful for the chance to play here in the playoffs.”

When Briere was growing up, hockey’s most storied franchise was his favorite team.

“Obviously, I grew up a Montreal Canadiens fan.  To come back in this building is always a little easier motivation, I guess.  The history of the team.  We have all of our family and friends watching from even closer now.  It makes it easier to find that motivation.”

Gagne’s situation was a little bit different during his hockey-rooting years as a child.

“I was a Quebec Nordiques fan, not a Montreal fan.  Every time the Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens were facing each other, it was almost the Stanley Cup Playoffs.”

But Gagne made it perfectly clear about how it feels to be able to play in this series against Montreal, especially after missing the 2008 second round matchup because of an injury.

“I can’t lie to you.  It’s a little more special playing Montreal.  That was tough two years ago for me to not be able to be in that series.  I was hurt at that time and you have no idea how hard it was for me to be in the stands watching my teammates play against Montreal.  That’s something when you grow up, you know, it’s almost a dream to play against Montreal Canadiens in the Playoffs.”

And there is no doubting the incredible importance of the contributions of both players over the course of this postseason.

The 33-year-old Briere has been one of the steadying influences in the Flyers locker room.  Just before the postseason began, he was telling anyone who would listen that he really had a good feeling about a Flyers team that he felt was “built for the playoffs.”

Excuse the Philadelphia media contingent for doubting, but anyone who watched the Flyers over the course of a very mediocre regular season had some real issues with this team.

Briere added “We’re built as a playoff team.  We’re warriors.” After that comment, one prominent Philly-area scribe penned that he wondered if Briere had said “worriers“.  It was looking that bad at the time.

But Briere, through both his words and his play, has everyone believing now.

Briere leads the team with nine goals, and is tied for the lead in points (18) with Mike Richards.

After going pointless in the first three games against the New Jersey Devils, Briere has recorded 18 points in the last 12 Philadelphia playoff games.

Included in those totals were some huge points in the Flyers’ incredible come-from-behind, three games to none series win over the Boston Bruins.

He scored on a beauty of a length-of-the-ice dash in game one to send the game into overtime.  There was the game-winning goal in game six, and the game-tying goal and assists in the second period of game seven after the team had fallen behind 3-0 in the first.

He has also notched three power play markers, and maybe most importantly of all, Briere leads the entire NHL with four game-winning goals in the playoffs.

And what can you say about Gagne?

Here’s a guy who suffered through an early-season injury that required surgery, then struggled to find any kind of offensive rhythm until after the midway point of the Flyers’ calendar.

Gagne had notched just seven goals in his first 36 games played.  The worst part about it was that he wasn’t even getting any high-percentage scoring chances.

But everything seemed to change for him in the back end game of a home-and-home series with the Devils.

On February 10th in New Jersey, Gagne made a nice move to come off the boards with the puck and got into a scorers area in the slot, and scored the game-winner against Martin Brodeur in overtime.

The home-and-home set featured the first two times all season long that the team was able to overcome a two-goal deficit to win a game.  It did wonders for the team’s fragile chemistry, and also seemed to bolster Gagne’s confidence level.

After the NHL Olympic break, Gagne would go on to score 10 goals over the course of the remaining 22 regular season games, much more the pace that we have become accustomed to expect from number 12.

After recording just two assists in the first four games of Philadelphia’s first round series with New Jersey, Gagne blocked an Ilya Kovalchuk slap shot.  Like so many Flyers have done through the postseason, Gagne ended up getting injured in the process.  He had a non-displaced fracture in his right foot, and would require surgery.

The Flyers would finish off the Devils, but found themselves down 3-0 to the Boston Bruins.  What would follow next will be the subject of Flyers’ folklore for generations to come.

Gagne, not far-removed from crutches, returned earlier than expected for game four in Philadelphia.

When a back-breaking, last-minute goal by Mark Recchi tied the contest at 4-4 and sent the game into overtime, the Flyers were only one Bruins’ goal away from being swept by Boston and sent home for an abrupt end to the postseason.

After killing off a Darroll Powe penalty, Philadelphia was pressing with offensive-zone pressure.  Richards slipped a pass over to defenseman Matt Carle, who spotted Gagne at the far side of the Bruins’ cage.  Carle slid the puck across to Gagne, who deftly deflected it past Tuukka Rask.

Gagne’s overtime marker helped the Flyers stave off elimination, and his two goals in game five in Boston gave Philadelphia much-needed momentum.  The comeback was under way.

In the epic game seven, who else but Gagne would score the series-winning goal?   Midway through the third period, Gagne picked the far corner over Rask’s blocker side shoulder, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Both Briere and Gagne have continued their exceptional play.

Gagne is currently on a four-game goal-scoring streak, and has tallied seven goals in the seven games since his return from injury, including a goal in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Les Habitants.

Briere scored a goal in each of the first two contests against Montreal, and now has scored goals in nine of the last 12 games.

Where this historic playoff run comes to an end for the Orange-and-Black is hard to say.  But rest assured, Philadelphia’s “French Connection” will have a great deal to do with their ultimate success.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

At 6′ 0″ and 180 pounds, Ville Leino is not the most imposing physical specimen when compared to the average size of NHL players today.

But give him a stick and a puck, and it immediately becomes quite evident that this guy can be something special.

After a dominating year for Jokerit-Helsinki Finland in 2007-08 in which he scored 28 goals and 77 points in 55 games, Leino has had his ups-and-downs since being signed as a free agent on May 10th, 2008 by the Detroit Red Wings.

Blessed with the gifted hands of a natural playmaker and goal-scorer, the 26-year-old native of Savonlinna, Finland had high expectations coming in to play with the Red Wings.

Jokerit Helsinki head coach and former-Red Wing Doug Shedden said: “He’s a heck of a competitor.  He probably led the (Finnish SM-Liiga) in practice fights.  He loves to come to the rink, he loves to practice, he loves to put his equipment on and compete.  He’s strong on the puck down low, he’s a good cycle guy, and he draws a lot of penalties because of his puck control.”

Head coach Mike Babcock expressed the expectations of the Red Wings organization pretty well:  “He’s got a nose for the net, goes to the net, dominant on the cycle, makes great passes.  He’s a Red Wings-type player.  Leino, I think he’s going to be a scoring machine.  I’m very impressed.  He’s got a long way to go to be the type of two-way guy I expect him to be, but he’s going to be a good Red Wing for a long time.”

Hmmm, that description sounds a lot like Johan Franzen, a player that Leino resembles in many ways.

And not unlike Franzen, Leino has been a late-bloomer.  Franzen scored just 22 goals and 46 points in his first 149 games over the course of his first two NHL seasons. Leino played in just 55 games over the course of two seasons in Detroit, scoring only nine goals and 16 points.

But the knock on Leino was his defensive play was lacking, and sometimes he wasn’t very involved in the game.  That’s a really good way to get moved out of Detroit.

Midway through this season, Leino had just four goals and seven points in 42 games.  He had gone goalless in his last six games and had just one in his previous 21 before that.

Leino had become a regular healthy scratch as of late-January, and he wondered out loud as to how he fit, or more likely, how he didn’t fit, into the Red Wings’ plans.

Leino had this to say at the beginning of February, 2010:  “You can’t really think about it.  Obviously, it’s crossed everybody’s mind.  It’s (a trade) going to happen if it’s going to happen.  Nothing you can do about it right now.  On the ice right now, I feel pretty good.  I feel I’m practicing and doing the stuff I used to do.  I actually feel pretty confident.  We’ll see what’s going to happen now.”

On February 6th, 2010, Leino was dealt to Philadelphia for little-used defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a 2011 fifth round pick.

He didn’t get into a game for almost a month after his acquisition, but on March 3rd, Leino scored a goal in his Flyers’ debut, a 7-4 loss to the Panthers in Florida.

Over the course of the last couple of months of the regular season, Leino played in 13 games with the Orange-and-Black, scoring two goals and four points.

Much like in Detroit, his desire and defensive play came into question, and head coach Peter Laviolette was making Leino a frequent healthy scratch.

But like many things that have happened in Philadelphia over the course of the past couple of months, fate intervened.

In game four of the first round against the New Jersey Devils, Philly forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne were both lost with fractures in their resepective right feet after blocking shots.  Leino once again got an opportunity.

This time, he has been placed on a line with red-hot scorer Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell, and the trio has been lighting it up ever since.

The line has been dominant, and Leino has registered two goals and eight points in his last five games.  He now has three goals and 11 points in 10 playoff games during this postseason.

Included in those totals are two crucial assists in the history-making game seven against the Boston Bruins in round two on May 14th when the Flyers became just the third team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

Leino assisted on Gagne’s series-winning power play goal midway through the third period,  completing an incredible comeback in game seven after again falling behind 3-0 to Boston.

And the great play has continued into the present series against Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens.  Leino had two assists in the first game and scored a goal last night on Halak, who was the leading Conn Smythe Trophy candidate as playoff MVP through the first two rounds.  He now has a goal and two assists in the two games against Montreal, a series in which Philadelphia leads 2-0.

Leino said in an interview with NHL.com after last night’s game:  “You want to enjoy hockey and I can’t play hockey if I’m not having fun.  If I’m not feeling confident out there … In Detroit I always had a coach or somebody behind my back telling me to do this, do that or don’t do that, and I don’t know if it just didn’t work out there.  I’m not blaming anyone because it was a great learning experience, but it just didn’t work out.  Now it’s just a different situation.”

He told the Toronto Sun:  “I’ve seen the bottom of the barrel.  It was an awful regular season.  I don’t know if you sometimes have to go to the bottom to get back on top.  Mentally it was tough and hopefully I got stronger from all that.”

Philadelphia has had its share of very talented players that didn’t make the grade and passed on through.  Mike Bullard and Pavel Brendl come to mind.  But it looks as though Leino is putting it all together.  And as for moving on after this season, Leino is signed through next season for a low $800k.

It looks like he will have his chance to keep proving himself and stay with the Flyers long-term.

And being instrumental in the Flyers making it to the Stanley Cup Finals would be a good start.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

It was a waiver-wire move that Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren made five months ago, and it barely registered a blip on the NHL radar at the time.

But it’s hard to imagine just where the 2009-10 edition of the Flyers would be without Michael Leighton.

With #1 goaltender Ray Emery out of the lineup with surgery to repair a tear in his abdominal wall, backup Brian Boucher took over the starting duties.

A backup for “Boosh” was needed, and on December 15th, 2009, the Flyers picked up a familiar face, one that had been here before.

Leighton, who had spent some time here during the Flyers’ nightmare season of 2006-07, would be Boucher’s understudy.

In Leighton’s first stint wearing the Orange-and-Black, the former-Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators property appeared in just four games, recording a 2-2 record, with a 3.69 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.

Since that time, he had played in the Carolina Hurricanes system.  Making just 29 appearances over the course of the past three seasons in Carolina, Leighton was a modest 8-12-2, with a 3.20 GAA average and .889 save percentage.

Starting the year off with the Hurricanes, Leighton registered less-than stellar numbers, with a 1-4 mark, a 4.29 GAA and an .848 save percentage.

When he came to Philadelphia in mid-December, it looked like just another stop gap assignment for the journeyman netminder.

He would more than likely back up Boucher until Emery recovered then be placed on waivers, either being claimed by another team or being sent to Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.

But fate has a crazy way of working sometimes.

In a December 21st contest against the Florida Panthers, Boucher suffered a lacerated finger and would be lost for two to three weeks.

The ugly 4-1 home loss that night to the Panthers was their fourth in a row and 14th in the last 17 games.  Holmgren’s move to fire Head Coach John Stevens and replace him with Peter Laviolette didn’t appear to have any affect on the team.  After the loss to Florida, Laviolette’s record was just 2-7-1.

Added to the laundry list of bad news was that the club was about to embark on a six-game road trip.

A season that started out with so much promise for the Flyers was spinning out of control and getting bleaker by the moment.

A pre-season pick by many hockey experts to make the Stanley Cup Finals, Philadelphia was now languishing in 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

But with Leighton now starting, something strange began to happen.  The Flyers started to win.  They won four games in a row and ended their trip 4-1-1.

Leighton was playing with a never-before-seen confidence, and he would go on to record an 8-0-1 record in his first nine decisions before his first loss, a 4-0 shutout to Vesa Toskala and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Leighton would run his record with Philly to 16-5-2, with a more-than-respectable 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage.

What’s even more incredible about his record is that in his five losses, he received just three goals of total support.  The Flyers were shutout twice, and on the other three occasions, scored one goal towards Leighton’s cause.

Then came a March 16th game against the Predators in Nashville.  After yielding two Pred’s goals, Leighton suffered a high ankle sprain midway through the first period.

After the game, Leighton explained how the freak injury occurred:   “I went out to get the puck and it got away from me and I just went back on my leg and felt my ankle pop.  It was just the way I fell backwards.  I felt something pop, and it didn’t feel good.”

After undergoing an MRI, the prognosis was not good.  Leighton would miss 8-10 weeks.

This meant that his season, in all likelihood, was done.

Two months from that point was somewhere in the neighborhood of late-second, early third round of the playoffs.  Even if Philadelphia could somehow make it that far with Boucher in net, it would be Boucher’s team by that point.

As destiny would have it, the team did make it to the latter stages of the second round.

Boucher was spectacular in leading the Flyers past the New Jersey Devils in the first round, 4-1.

Trailing 3-1 in their round two series with the Boston Bruins and with Johan Backlund acting as Boucher’s backup, Leighton was again practicing with the team.   Leighton said:  ”I’ve been practicing for a week but that’s the first time I’ve replaced Johan Backlund as the backup in practice.”

Leighton dressed for game five in Philadelphia last Wednesday, and little did he know that fate was not done with him yet.

Early in the second period with Philadelphia clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Bruins were putting some sustained pressure on the Flyers net.

Boucher made a save in the butterfly and as he reached back to stop a rebound, Philly defenseman Ryan Parent, tangling with Boston forward Miroslav Satan, fell onto Boucher’s legs.

In immediate agony, Boucher flung the blocker off of his right hand and stayed down.

After Boucher was helped off of the ice, Leighton was brought into the game.  It was the first NHL playoff action of his career.

He would go on to shut the door on the Bruins the rest of the way, making 14 saves.  Boucher and Leighton had recorded just the second combined shutout in NHL history, 4-0.

The only other time two goalies had shared a shutout was in 1955 when Jacques Plante and Charlie Hodge did it for the Montreal Canadiens against Boston.

Philadelphia had avoided elimination for a second straight game, the first time in franchise history that they had made it to a game six after trailing a best-of-seven series 0-3.

In game six, Leighton made his first-ever NHL playoff start.  He would protect a 2-0 Flyers lead in a 2-1 victory.

He weathered a tremendous Bruins onslaught in the third period, when Boston outplayed Philadelphia badly and outshot them, 10-6.  Leighton lost his bid for a shutout with only 1:00 left, when Milan Lucic was able to get a rebound past him.

Leighton made 30 saves in all.  He and the Flyers had forced a game seven, becoming only the sixth team in NHL history to do so when trailing in a best-of-seven series 0-3.

History can be made with a Philadelphia victory.  The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders are the only two teams that have ever erased an 0-3 deficit to win.

And it seems that if history is to be made, Leighton is meant to be the Flyers goaltender that leads the way.

In holding off the Bruins in a game and nearly two-thirds of action, Leighton has a microscopic 0.63 GAA, and has stopped 44 of 45 Boston shots for an eye-popping .978 save percentage.

From the time of his arrival in mid-December, Philadelphia has played their most consistently good hockey of the year with Leighton in the crease.

Was it destiny that Holmgren picked him off of the waiver wire?  How about the fact that Boucher just happened to get injured in Leighton’s first game back with the team?

I am a firm believer in the adage that ”everything happens for a reason”, that there is no such thing as something occurring by chance or coincidence.

And it appears that Leighton and the 2009-10 Flyers may just be the perfect precedent of such an axiom in action.

Game seven is at 7:00 p.m. tonight at TD Garden in Boston.  Will Leighton and his band of Flyers make history?

It almost seems destined.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

The Philadelphia Flyers have had some special teams through the years, teams that hold a place in the heart of the Philly faithful.  Even teams that have not won the Stanley Cup are held in high esteem, right up there with the Cup-winners of 1974 and 1975.

The 1980 team that went 35 games without a loss, setting a standard that still stands for all North American sports.  The 1985 Mike Keenan-led group that immediately went from also-rans to an appearance in the Finals.  The 1987 Ron Hextall-led club that took the greatest team of all-time, Wayne Gretzky and his band of Hall-of-Fame-bound Edmonton Oilers, to an incredible seven game Final series.

There have been a few others since then, but the 2010 version of the Orange-and-Black may yet be making plans for a special place in the heart and soul of Flyers fans.

It has been a strange, roller coaster-type of year in South Philadelphia.  The team has been very good for stretches, but at other times has looked like they just couldn’t wait for the season to finally and mercifully come to an end.

The one constant has seemed to be injuries, especially to their netminders.  One by one, they have fallen at different times.

Ray Emery began the season as the starter, but twice went down with injuries that were serious enough for surgery.  His hip ailment suffered in late-February brought on season-ending and possibly even career-ending surgery.

Emery’s backup to begin the year, Brian Boucher, was pressed into starting duties with Emery’s first surgery back in November.  The team was floundering, and Boucher was injured on December 21st when he suffered a lacerated finger against the Florida Panthers.

Enter waiver wire pickup Michael Leighton, who took over the surprise starting role when Boucher went out.  Leighton impressed and Philadelphia played their best hockey of the year in front of him.  Leighton would go a very solid 16-5-2 over the course of the regular season.

But Leighton’s regular season would end on March 16th in Nashville, when he suffered a high ankle sprain on a freak play against the Predators.

It was now Boucher’s team, and as the Flyers continued to ride the roller coaster down the stretch, Boucher would have to beat Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers in a shootout on the final day of the regular season just to get Philly into the postseason.

Boucher caught fire in the first round, going 4-1 in dispatching the New Jersey Devils in five games.  He led all NHL goalkeepers with a 1.59 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.

By the time the second round with the Boston Bruins began, Leighton was again skating and even began practicing with the team.

The Flyers and Boucher would lose the first three games.  Each contest was close, but Philly would fall in the end.

Things looked bleak, but the Flyers were able to pull out game four in overtime on Friday night to avoid a Boston sweep.  Simon Gagne, in his first game back after surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot suffered when blocking an Ilya Kovalchuk slap shot in game four against New Jersey, would score the game-winner in the extra period.  And Gagne’s return was ahead of schedule at that, as he was not supposed to be back during this round.

Once again facing elimination in game five on Monday night in Boston, Philadelphia refused to surrender without a fight.

Two goals by Gagne, and one each from Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell (his first in 21 games), provided plenty of offense for the Orange-and-Black in a 4-0 blanking of the Bruins.  And in doing so, Philly forced a game six, which will be Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. at the Wachovia Center.

But once again, it would not be easy, and another goaltender would fall to injury.  Boucher started the game and Leighton dressed as the backup for the first time since his injury in Nashville in mid-March.

And once again, he was needed.

Early in the second period and with Philadelphia clinging to a 1-0 lead, Boucher dropped into the butterfly to make a save.  As he stretched backwards for the rebound, defenseman Ryan Parent fell across his legs.  Boucher immediately threw his blocker from his right hand in agony, as it appeared that both of his knees were possibly hyper-extended.  After he was helped from the ice, “Boosh” was diagnosed with MCL sprains in both knees.  He will undergo an MRI examination when the swelling in his knees subside.

Is it just coincidence that this was the first night that Leighton dressed since his injury?  Maybe, but then again, maybe there is something going on that is bigger than anything these players can imagine.

Fate can be a very fickle thing, but the way these Flyers are able to be plugged into a situation and excel when another is injured seems to suggest that something extremely special just may be going on here.

This was the first time ever that Philadelphia avoided elimination in a game five after they had trailed a series three games to none, going 0-6 all-time before Monday night.  They are 0-14 in franchise history in series they have trailed 0-3.

And the Boucher-Leighton combined shutout was the first in an NHL playoff game since 1955 and just the second in league history.  The only other was a Jacques Plante-Charlie Hodge effort for the Montreal Canadiens against, you guessed it, the Boston Bruins.

Gagne comes back early from a right foot fracture just in time to score the overtime winning goal in a possible elimination game, then scores two more in the next game.

Inspirational winger and penalty killer-extraordinaire Ian Laperriere is struck above the right eye by a Paul Martin slap shot and suffers a mild concussion and a brain contusion in game five of the Devils series.

Enter Adirondack Phantom forward Andreas Nodl to take his regular shift, and Mike Richards, Claude Giroux, Darroll Powe and Blair Betts get increased time on the PK, and it doesn’t miss a beat.  Boston is just 3-16 with the with the man-advantage in the series after using the power play as a lethal weapon in round one against the Buffalo Sabres by going 6-22.

Tonight was yet another rough game and in addition to losing Boucher, there were also other player banged up during the contest.  Forwards Giroux (possible concussion after being boarded by Steve Begin), Richards (tangled late in the game with both Marc Savard and Milan Lucic), and Danny Briere (hit with a thunderous, clean open-ice hit by Vladimir Sobotka), and defensemen Pronger (tripped into the boards awkwardly by Blake Wheeler), and Braydon Coburn were all feeling the effects after the game.

Forward Daniel Carcillo was questionable before the game tonight, but ended up playing in a game-time decision.

There are whispers starting that if Philly can somehow get this series to a seventh game, team leading goal-scorer Jeff Carter, who also fractured his right foot in the same game as Gagne when he was hit with a Chris Pronger slap shot, may possibly be available to play.

So if any of the above-mentioned forwards cannot go if a game seven becomes a reality, Carter may be able to fill another vacancy.

It’s the textbook definition of “team”,  not just having one superstar that they cannot succeed without in their lineup.  Instead, they have player after player step up at the right time, night after night, especially when so many are unable to play.

With like amounts of desire, grit and determination, this team has gone from making the playoffs on the last day of the regular season to an improbable postseason run that could be destined for something big.  In the process, this 2009-10 version of the Philadelphia Flyers are taking a mediocre regular season and turning this postseason into something to remember.

There is still much work to do, and they haven’t won anything yet.  Truth is, it’s very rare that a team that is down 0-3 even forces a game seven, let alone pull off what just two teams in the entire history of the NHL have accomplished.

But whether last night’s victory over the Bruins was just a desperate team playing the perfect, disciplined road game and only delaying the inevitable, or if there is an incredible comeback yet to be witnessed, these Flyers, much like that 1987 team that forced a game seven against Edmonton in the Finals, are showing the heart and soul that the fans clamored for all season.

And maybe, even as the Versus Network commercial campaign suggests, “History Will be Made”.

Stay tuned…

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

Atlantic Division

• Martin Brodeur had an explanation for the Devils’ 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in which they blew a late 4-2 lead. “You’d definitely like to be solid against every single team. For some reason, especially in this building, we always have weird games against these guys. We have for years,” Brodeur said. “I think we thought the game was over. You could tell with the intensity. We didn’t have any more forecheck. They were forechecking and we turned the puck over a bunch.” Four points from the man of the night, Travis Zajac, is not to be overlooked.
• Despite benching Wade Redden for the final 37:55 of Wednesday night’s 5-1 defeat against the Hurricanes, coach John Tortorella and the Rangers headed west for a three-game road trip, beginning tonight in Phoenix (8:00, MSG Plus, WNYM), with only six defensemen on their roster. The Rangers have carried only six defensemen all season, in order to allow their younger blue-liners to have plenty of playing time with Hartford.
• The Islanders still haven’t made a trade to improve themselves as they try to stay in the playoff hunt, but with coach Scott Gordon bemoaning the team’s lack of physicality, they should have a new face on the ice when they visit Philadelphia today (1 p.m., MSG Plus, WHLI 1100 AM). In calling up the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Trevor Gillies from Bridgeport, the Isles add size to the lineup as they look to break a three-game slide in the second of a four-game trip.
• Flyers coach Peter Laviolette used more or less three words yesterday to describe the way his team has been playing of late: Not good enough. As they prepare to play the New York Islanders today at the Wachovia Center (1 p.m.) and then head out on a three-game western swing beginning in Calgary on Monday, the Flyers have lost four of seven games. And on Thursday evening against Atlanta, they blew a 3-1 lead in the third period to lose, 4-3, and lose their second consecutive home game.
• Great teams win on the road, and the Penguins are no exception. But winning at home has been a completely different story. The Penguins aren’t exactly sending Mellon Arena out in style, producing one of the league’s most mediocre home records. “This is our building,” defenseman Jay McKee said. “This is the place we practice every day, the place where we play all of our home games. We’ve got to start playing better here.”

Northeast Division

• Whether it be the impressive grinding and playmaking of the Kings’ Dustin Brown or the superb goaltending of Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, after losses Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson sometimes opines that he’s hoping for similar brilliance two weeks from now when those opponents are on his U.S. Olympic team. It’s sort of a consolation prize.
• No offense, all you folks once again filling HSBC Arena on a nightly basis. The Buffalo Sabres know you’d like to see some style points when they hit the ice downtown but they figure you’ll be happier in the final analysis with plain old winning points. The results are hard to argue. The Sabres made it 12 straight games without a regulation loss at home Friday night, getting a pair of first-period goals and holding on to grind out a 2-1 win over the reeling Boston Bruins.
• The Canadiens will have a depleted blue line Saturday afternoon when they play the Ottawa Senators (2 p.m., CBC, RDS. CJAD Radio-800). Jaroslav Spacek, who missed Wednesday’s game in Tampa because of the flu, will miss Saturday’s game with a mysterious upper-body injury.
• The effort was there last night. So were the grit and tenacity. Unfortunately for the Bruins, the finishing touch yet again was not, and, because of that, neither was the result they wanted. After spotting the Buffalo Sabres a two-goal, first-period lead, the B’s tried mightily to come back, only to lose, 2-1, at HSBC Arena.
• Within a week, the Ottawa Senators will have something they’ve only rarely had this year: a completely healthy roster of players. Goalie Pascal Leclaire, out with a concussion since Jan. 14, practised with the team for the first time on Friday and is expected back within the week, while centre Jesse Winchester, who injured his right knee in a Jan. 9 game against the Florida Panthers, is available to play whenever coach Cory Clouston wants to use him — or can find a spot for him in the lineup.

Southeast Division

• When he’s not around ice, Thrashers coach John Anderson prefers moving water. He always keeps a boat, and part of his history and heart is on the water. He talked about this after a recent practice at Philips Arena, while watching a fishing show on his office TV.
• Mike Knuble recorded another multi-goal game, and Jeff Schultz became the latest low-scoring defenseman to end a goal drought Friday night at Verizon Center. But the focus after the Washington Capitals picked up their ninth straight victory with a 4-1 triumph over the Florida Panthers was the uncertain status of Mike Green.
• For the Lightning, it was hard not to be a bit disappointed.What had been the team’s most successful homestand, which included a season-best three-game winning streak, ended Friday night at the St. Pete Times Forum with a 2-1 loss to the Ducks in a shootout.
• There’s still a lot of hockey left, but the Carolina Hurricanes could wind up with one of the top three picks in the NHL Entry Draft this year. Do that and the Canes might be able to get a sudden-impact kind of player. Someone like, say, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. Or Jonathan Toews, also of the Blackhawks. Four years ago, when the Hurricanes were on their way to winning the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks were NHL afterthoughts. They finished 26-43-13, 28th in the league.
• Scouting report: The Panthers are 6-1-2 in their past nine games and have recorded points in four of their past five games (3-1-1) despite just six goals during that stretch. …The Capitals have won eight consecutive games, their best run since a franchise record 10 consecutive during the 1983-84 season, and 11 of 12. …They scored three goals in two and a half minutes during the third period of Wednesday’s win against Anaheim and have scored in 21 of their past 23 periods. …The Panthers are 0-3-1 against the Caps this season, losing the last matchup 5-4 in a shootout after leading 4-1. …Caps LW Alexander Ovechkin leads the league at plus-32 and is second in goals with 34. …Michal Neuvirth will start in goal. Jose Theodore (hip flexor) might dress as his backup.

Hat tip to the now defunct Illegal Curve for their permission in taking over this daily series.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC