As reported by Tim Panaccio and CSNPhilly earlier today on Twitter, unrestricted free agent forward Bill Guerin is working out with the Philadelphia Flyers.  Panaccio also reported that Guerin says that he is hoping that he will receive an offer from the team.

But Craig Custance of The Sporting News said otherwise, also via Twitter.  Custance said that he received a text message from Guerin saying he is not hoping for a tryout.  It sounds more like he and his agent, Bob Murray, are hoping that a deal can be worked out with the team.  But Murray also mentioned that he has been in contact with several teams, and that the Flyers are not their only option.

At any rate, General Manager Paul Holmgren already has 13 forwards under contract for the 2010-11 season, with just over $877,000 left to play with under the salary cap ceiling (according to CapGeek). 

Guerin was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the past two seasons, and was part of the 2008-09 Pen’s squad that won a Stanley Cup championship after being picked up at the trade deadline. 

In 78 games last year in Pittsburgh, the 39-year-old right winger scored  21 goals and recorded 45 points.  But on August 25, he was told by Penguins’ GM Ray Shero that his services were no longer needed in the ‘burgh. 

While Holmgren has made several curious moves in this offseason, Guerin would appear to be a good fit for the Orange-and-Black. 

Over the course of 1,263 games in 17 NHL campaigns, Guerin has netted 429 goals and 856 points.  He is also tough, which always seems to be a key dimension in any Flyers’ player, as Guerin has racked up 1,660 penalty minutes during his career. 

Although not considered to be a premiere power forward in this stage of his career, the soon to be 40-year-old would still seem to have something left in the tank.  

Guerin has scored more than 20 goals in each of the last four seasons, and eight of the past nine years.  His career-high of 41 goals was set during the 2001-02 campaign with the Boston Bruins, and he has scored as many as 36 in 2006-07, when he split the season between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks.

On a team loaded with natural centers playing the wings, Guerin would bring the element of another true winger to the team.  His experience and toughness would be invaluable in the playoffs, as he is a proven winner.  Prior to the afore-mentioned Stanley Cup in 2008-09, Guerin also won Lord Stanley with the New Jersey Devils back in 1995.

Still blessed with a howitzer of a slapshot, Guerin could also play minutes on the club’s power play unit. 

With the signing of UFA wingers Nikolai Zherdev and Jody Shelley in July, the wings are beginning to get crowded.  The only issue in inking Guerin may be the possibility that a young gun like Mike Testwuide, who may have had a chance at making the opening night roster the way James van Riemsdyk did last season, may be forced out of the mix. 

With only 16 more days until training camp officially opens, there may be a bit of roster shifting in the interim if the Flyers can see signing Guerin as a possibility.  And I’m sure for Holmgren and head coach Peter Laviolette, a player of Guerin’s calibre would certainly be worth a long look.

Dave Strehle
NHLHS Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

After the Philadelphia Flyers six-game loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals, GM Paul Holmgren knew he had to make changes to his team during the offseason.

One area was the teams’ defense.  With the first two pairings of Chris Pronger – Matt Carle and Kimmo Timonen – Braydon Coburn set in stone, the rest of the Flyers’ blueline needed a makeover.  Anytime any other pairing was on the ice in the Finals, it was apparent the Flyers were hanging on for dear life while the “big four” got a quick breather on the bench before taking their next shift.

The most glaring liability appeared to be Ryan Parent.  The oft-injured 23-year-old, who had played in a career-high 48 games during the 2009-10 regular season, had a horrific Cup Final, culminating in a game six in which he saw just 41 seconds of ice time, but still managed to finish a -1.  It seemed that each time Parent had taken a small step forward in his development over the course of the three-plus seasons he spent in Philadelphia, he would immediately take two big leaps backwards.  It had become painfully evident that one of the staples acquired from the Nashville Predators in the Peter Forsberg trade back in the Spring of 2007 was never going to develop into the rock solid, shutdown rear guard that had been projected for so long, at least not in Philadelphia.

Parent needed to be moved, and Holmgren wasted little time in doing so.  On June 19, just 10 days after the Cup was clinched by the Blackhawks, Parent was traded back to the Nashville Predators for the rights to defenseman Dan Hamhuis.  Hamhuis was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, so Holmgren had less than two weeks to work out a deal with the 27-year-old blue liner and his new agent, Wade Arnott.  When contract talks went nowhere, Holmgren dealt Hamhuis’ negotiating rights a week later to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third round selection in next summers NHL Entry Draft.

When free agency opened up on July 1st, Holmgren instead chose the trade route again.  He acquired Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.  Meszaros had been a huge disappointment in Tampa.  With much expectation and responsibility to help turn things around for the Lightning, the 6′ 2″, 220 pound defenseman didn’t perform up to the level of play that he had achieved during his time with the Ottawa Senators.

Head coach Peter Laviolette will have many options regarding how to use Meszaros, and there will be no pressure to be a top two rear guard in Philly.  At first glance, the deal appeared that Lightning GM Steve Yzerman had pulled off a fleecing of epic proportions.  Meszaros had been a failure with the Bolts and dumping his $4 million salary, with four seasons still left on the contract, was seen as a major coup. But the jury will have to wait to render its final verdict on the deal until after it is seen just how well Meszaros fits in and on what pairing he ends up.

One only has to remember back less than two years ago for another defenseman seen as a flop that was acquired by Holmgren from the Lightning. Carle, a rookie sensation with the San Jose Sharks during the 2006-07 season, hadn’t been able to attain the same success in any other season and was traded to Tampa Bay.  But he would be quickly vilified and made a scape goat in Tampa for the club’s bad start to the 2008-09 season, having been the return in the trade of popular Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle.   After just 12 games with the Bolts, Carle was shipped off to the Flyers for forward Steve Downie and disappointing defenseman Steve Eminger.  With Downie’s career rising from the ashes and Carle becoming a vital cog as Pronger’s defensive partner, the trade has worked out nicely for both clubs.

Coburn was re-signed on July 1st for another two years at $3.2 million annually.  Following another up-and-down regular season, the smooth-skating 6′ 5″, 220 pound defenseman showed in the playoffs why he was the eighth overall selection by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2003 Entry Draft.  In addition to his puck moving abilities, Coburn played with grit and determination and became a very dependable and crucial player for Laviolette. His continued improvement could be a big factor in the teams success moving forward.

Later in the day on July 1st, Holmgren inked Sean O’ Donnell to a one year, $1.3 million deal.  The 6′ 3″, 237 pound veteran of 15 NHL seasons will turn 39 years old in the first week of the regular season, but he has been more than durable.  He has missed just 11 games over the past six years, and provides experience and another large, physical body in front of the Philadelphia net.  Add in the fact that he was a teammate of Pronger’s on the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks team and the fact that he is a warrior, and it’s clear that O’ Donnell will be a great fit with the Flyers.

On July 19th, Holmgren turned his sights to moving popular forward Simon Gagne and his $5.25 million salary.  Even though Gagne had struggled with injuries over a good portion of his career, it had to be a difficult decision for Holmgren to make.  But with Gagne set to become an UFA at this time next year, the Flyers’ GM wanted to get something in return for him instead of letting him walk away for nothing.

Once again, Tampa Bay would be Philadelphia’s trading partner.  Yzerman sent 30-year-old Matt Walker and a fourth round draft choice to the Flyers in exchange for Gagne.   Though not an offensive defenseman, the 6′ 4″, 215 pound Walker gives the Orange-and-Black an aspect they did not possess last season, and that is a right-handed shot from the blue line.  Add in the fact that Walker is another tough, big body to protect the Flyers cage, and it’s abundantly clear that the area in front of the Philly cage could be marked with a surgeon general’s warning as possibly being hazardous to your health if you dare enter.

Laviolette will have all sorts of options available to him as to which defensemen are paired together.  With Pronger undergoing arthroscopic surgery to his right knee on July 27th, and the probability that he will not be completely healthy as training camp opens on September 17th, the Flyers head coach will have plenty of opportunity to experiment.

Also in the mix is the continued investigation by Bill Daly and the NHL into Pronger’s contract extension that he signed with the Flyers last summer as part of the fallout from the Ilya Kovalchuk contract ruling.  If Pronger’s contract with Philadelphia is voided by the league, Pronger would become a free agent.  If that were to happen, expect the Flyers to re-sign Pronger in an adjusted pact, one that the NHL would approve.

With the depth that Holmgren has assembled on the back line, if one defenseman doesn’t perform well enough, another will be able to be moved into his place.  Or if Laviolette just wants to give his opponent another look, he should be able to move partners around without sacrificing results on the ice.  The abilities of his blue liners has made this defense almost like a machine with equal-quality interchangeable parts.

When Pronger is healthy, the pairings should look something like this:

Pronger-Carle

Timonen-Coburn

Meszaros-O’Donnell

Walker-Oskars Bartulis

Without making any upgrades to the goaltending situation, Holmgren will be relying on his defense to make a difference for the 2010-11 version of the Flyers.  Only time will tell if that philosophy can work to push a team to an eventual Stanley Cup championship or not, but the pieces are in place for Laviolette to make a valiant attempt.

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

After the Philadelphia Flyers’ game six overtime loss clinched the Stanley Cup for the Chicago Blackhawks, GM Paul Holmgren vowed that changes would be made during the course of the offseason.

True to his word, Holmgren added two new faces at forward and three on defense through free agent signings and trades in July.

Here is a breakdown of Homer’s offseason moves:

NEW ARRIVALS:

FORWARDS:  Nikolai Zherdev and Jody Shelley (both free agent signings)

DEFENSEMEN:  Andrej Meszaros (acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning), Matt Walker (acquired in the Simon Gagne deal with Lightning), and Sean O’Donnell (free agent).

Surprisingly, there was no change made in net.  Michael Leighton, an unrestricted free agent at last season’s end, was re-signed to a two-year, $3.1 million pact.  Leighton did a fantastic job for the club last season, but Holmgren appeared a little more than ticked off that Leighton when Leighton failed to stop Patrick Kane’s winner from a poor angle in OT.

Most thought that is was almost a guarantee that Holmgren would sign one of the free agent goaltenders, most notably Marty Turco, Evgeni Nabokov, Chris Mason, Dan Ellis, or Antero Niittymaki.

The crease may not be totally resolved for the 2010-11 season just yet, though.  After Chicago balked at the $2.75 million award from Antti Niemi’s arbitration hearing, they allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent.

While Holmgren’s assurances that the Flyers have no interest in Niemi, the possibility still lingers.  Especially if Niemi remains unsigned after the regular season commences and the team doesn’t perform well in front of Leighton or Brian Boucher.  But of course if Holmgren does reconsider and Niemi becomes a target, the domino effect of salary-induced adjustments to the roster will then occur, as the Flyers are within $327,ooo of the upper cap limit (according to CapGeek.com)

DEPARTURES:

FORWARDS:  Gagne (traded to Tampa Bay) and Arron Asham (allowed to sign elsewhere as an UFA).

DEFENSEMEN:  Ryan Parent (traded to the Nashville Predators), Lukas Krajicek and Danny Syvret (both allowed to sign elsewhere as UFA).

CONCLUSION:  Holmgren’s free agent signings meant that someone had to go, and that ended up being Gagne.  The 30-year-old winger was the longest-tenured player in Philadelphia sports, but his $5.25 million deal, injury history, and pending free agency after the 2010-11 season made him expendable.  And this after his heroics in the Boston Bruins playoff series bolstered a mind-blowing comeback for the Orange-and-Black from 0-3 down.

Taking Gagne’s spot, Zherdev may be just what the team has been lacking.  Gagne is a great, two-way forward, always defensively responsible.  But he fits the same mold as most of the Philly forwards.  Zherdev, in his first year back from the KHL, has the game-breaking speed and offensive talent that has been lacking.  With the continued building of the team’s defense and the forwards responsibility in their own end, Zherdev will have the ability to take the occasional offensive gamble.  Already having seasons of 27 and 26 goals in the NHL, Zherdev may be in the perfect situation to experience a breakout year.

Shelley brings an element that was missing from the Flyers’ roster the past couple of seasons, a true enforcer.  While Asham, Ian Laperriere, Daniel Carcillo can throw ‘em from time-to-time, none of them wear the shield of enforcer.  But Philly will lose some offense in the tradeoff, as Asham scored 18 goals in his two seasons in Philadelphia, while Shelley scored just four over the same span.

The defense should be stronger.  Holmgren has taken a lot of heat for his acquisition of Meszaros and Walker from the Lightning, as the two make nearly $6 million combined and disappointed greatly in Tampa.  And neither will likely be in the top four.  Meszaros, 6′ 2″, 223 pounds, should benefit from not having nearly as much pressure and responsibility thrust upon him as he did on a bad Bolts team.  Meszaros looks to be a number five defenseman, or if Braydon Coburn falters and plays like he did during the regular season last year, Meszaros could find himself as Kimmo Timonen’s partner on the second pairing.

Walker, at 6′ 3″ and 214 pounds, looks to be the sixth or seventh defenseman, possibly paired with Meszaros.  Playing on an up-and-coming Chicago Blackhawks team two seasons ago, Walker had his best NHL season.  But on a weaker Lightning team last year, his play suffered.  He may have found a better situation in Philly.

O’ Donnell will be a welcomed addition.  At 6′ 3″ and 237 pounds, O’ Donnell is another huge body on the Flyers’ blue line.  He is another shut down defenseman, and has a history with Chris Pronger.  The two were teammates on the 2007 Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup-winning team.  But he will turn 39 in the first couple of weeks of the season, so logging 20 minutes per night during the regular season won’t be in the plans.  A third pairing or even spot use as a seventh may be in the offing.

The average size of a Flyers defenseman is now over 6′ 2″ tall and in excess of 212 pounds.

Right now, the roster is looking like this:

Centers:  Mike Richards, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Blair Betts, Darroll Powe

Right Wing:  Zherdev, Jeff Carter, Shelley, Laperriere

Left Wing:  Ville Leino, Scott Hartnell, Carcillo, James van Riemsdyk

Defense Pairings: Pronger-Matt Carle, Timonen-Coburn, Meszaros-O’ Donnell/Walker, O’ Donnell/Walker-Bartulis

Goaltending:  Leighton, Boucher

Extras:  Riley Cote (LW), possibly Mike Testwuide (RW)

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

With youngsters like James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux and playoff upstart Ville Leino, the Philadelphia Flyers do not have a shortage of players that could possibly have a breakout season in 2010-11.

But perhaps the player that appears to have the best chance of scoring the biggest breakout season is free agent acquisition Nikolai Zherdev.

While the 25-year-old winger has already had NHL seasons of 27 and 26 goals, it is the general opinion of the hockey world that Zherdev has only scratched the surface of his immense potential.

Drafted fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Zherdev’s work ethic and desire have been questioned over the course of his five NHL seasons.

Fears of GMs were so strong that after his contract expired with the New York Rangers following the 2008-09 campaign, he fielded no legitimate NHL offers for last season.  And this after maybe his most complete year, as he finished with a plus rating (+6) for the first time in his career.

After Zherdev played for Mytishchi Atlant of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2009-10, Philly GM Paul Holmgren rolled the dice and inked the 6′ 2″, 203 pound right winger to a one-year deal.

And it just might be a perfect fit.

The Orange-and-Black are loaded with defensive-minded forwards, so if Zherdev decides to take the occasional offensive gamble, it shouldn’t hurt the team in their own end.

With the opportunity to play with the likes of centers Mike Richards, Giroux, Danny Briere and Jeff Carter, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Zherdev could top the 30-goal plateau.  Especially with the likelihood that he may see extensive time on the Flyers top power play unit.

Projection:  35 goals, 35 assists, 70 points

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

It’s hard to believe that just two short months after rescuing his Philadelphia Flyers from postseason elimination in such heroic fashion, Simon Gagne will no longer be wearing the Orange-and-Black.

It’s now official, Gagne is an “ex”-Flyer, a salary cap casualty of GM Paul Holmgren’s summer shopping spree.

After adding wingers Nikolai Zherdev and Jody Shelley, the dealing of a high salaried player became a necessity, as Philadelphia sat at around $2.5 million over the upper salary cap limit.

The deal sends Gagne and his $5.25 million salary to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Matt Walker and a fourth round draft choice.

The 30-year-old Walker stands to make $1.7 million for the next three seasons, so Holmgren has about $1 million in cap room at the moment.

Gagne is an unrestricted free agent after the 2010-11 campaign, Holmgren may have just wanted to ensure that he got some type of return for his high-scoring left winger.  Maybe the thought of losing Gagne for nothing next year prompted the deal, but it seems that things could have been handled a little better.

A week or so after rumors that Gagne had waived his no-trade clause and that Holmgren was in discussions with the Los Angeles Kings, the 30-year-old left wing told RDS.ca that he had not, indeed, waived his NTC.

Drafted 22nd overall by the Flyers in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Gagne was always an honest, hard-working, two-way winger.  He never sacrificed his work at the defensive end of the rink in order to put up bigger offensive numbers.

But he did put up excellent numbers.

In his best injury-free seasons, Gagne has four times potted more than 30 goals, including twice with more than 40 (his career-high of 47 was in 2005-06).  Over the course of 10 full NHL campaigns, he has averaged 66 games played, 26 goals and 52 points.

The only blemish on Gagne’s career has been his history of injuries.  He has missed significant time in four different seasons.

His worst injury was a concussion in the 2007-08 season, in which he ended up appearing in just 25 contests.

Last year, it was a double sports hernia in November that required surgery and limited Gagne to just 58 regular season games.

But in every season that he missed significant time, he has always come back with a solid season.

And through it all, Gagne was always the good soldier.  Never one to complain, he gave his all to the organization.

This past postseason is a classic example.

After blocking an Ilya Kovalchuk point shot in Game four of the opening round against the New Jersey Devils, Gagne was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of his right foot.

He had surgery, and was on crutches and out of commission for nearly two weeks.

But Gagne returned ahead of schedule as his Flyers were facing an 0-3 series deficit to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

What transpired over the next week was nothing short of miraculous.

As Game four slipped into overtime, Philly were just a goal away from a series sweep and elimination at the hands of the Bruins.

Instead, Gagne redirected a Matt Carle pass behind Boston netminder Tuukka Rask to give the Flyers life for another day.

In Game five in Boston Gagne scored two more goals, leading the Orange-and-Black to a 4-0 victory.

After falling behind 3-0 in Game seven, Gagne capped a furious and improbable Flyers comeback, scoring the series-winning goal midway through the third period.

For those of us who were lucky enough to have witnessed the historic coming back from the dead, it is something that will forever be etched in our memories.

And Gagne will be at the forefront of any recollection.

Up to this point in his career, a Game six overtime game-winner against his new team, the Lightning, was the defining moment in Gagne’s NHL career.

But there is no doubt that when any fan of the Flyers is asked years from now what they remember most about Gagne, it is a good bet that every single person will name the Boston series.

I would like to personally say thank you, Mr. Gagne.  Your honor, loyalty, and service to the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization is much appreciated, and I wish you nothing but the best as you enter a new phase of your career in Tampa Bay.

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

Atlantic Division Draft Review:

Coming to Los Angeles, two Atlantic Division teams did not have first round picks.  The New Jersey Devils sent their pick to the Atlanta Thrashers in the Ilya Kovlchuk deal, and the Flyers traded their pick to the Anaheim Ducks in the Chris Pronger deal.

One trade worked; one did not.

In this article, I will review the first-round pick or top pick for each of all five Atlantic Division teams, and late-round picks that may be gems.  I will release each of the other five divisions over the next few days.  I would love to hear feedback about what you think, or if you have a question about your favorite team please email me at MMurangi@nhlhotstove.com .

Here is the review:

New Jersey Devils – Total picks: 5;  Highest round: 2nd (38th overall); Breakdown: 2D, 2G, 1RW.

The Devils used their second-round pick on defenseman Jonathon Merrill.  Merrill played well in the WJC, but did have some problems that  resulted in a mid-season suspension.  He bounced back, and is now a solid, stay-at-home blue liner.  Merrill will continue to hone his craft at the University of Michigan in the fall.  The two goaltenders picked, Scott Wedgewood and Maxime Claremont, came into the season with a chance to crack the top 10 in the rankings, but both struggled during the year.  The Devils have taken a goaltender in the last nine drafts in a row as they search for the heir apparent to Martin Brodure. Keep an eye on Joe Faust, a kid who would have been in the top 40 if he was three inches taller. GRADE C

New York Islanders – Total picks: 6; Highest round: 1st (5th overall); Breakdown: 2D 1G 2C 1RW 1LW.

If you rate this draft on talent, the Islanders would be in the top 5 in the league., but with the talent comes tons of question marks.  Top pick Nino Niederreiter is a  top-notch goal scorer and projects to be a top notch power forward on the power play.  Second-round pick Brock Nelson will take his time in his development at North Dakota.  The sleeper of the group is Kirill Kabanov, a very talented Russian with a lot of baggage.  Kabanov could have been a bonified top 10 pick.  If he pans out, this could be the best draft class of any team in the league.  Keep an eye on 3rd round pick Jason Clarke, a Shattucks and St Mary’s kid, who is a very talented  center.  Garth Snow went with forwards with his top four picks this time around.  Next year, expect him to try and restock the blue line.  GRADE A

New York Rangers – Total picks: 6; Highest round 1st (10th overall); Breakdown: 1D 1C 3RW 1LW.

The Rangers have a young, talented blue line and a lack of scoring on the parent club.  With scoring being a great need for the Rangers coming into the draft, every expert had them taking a forward, but after the run of the players the Rangers had high on their board, they took the fastest mover on the draft board in blue-liner Dylan McIlrath,  by far the toughest kid in the draft.  He is the type of blue line shut-down guy every team needs.  He has some skill, will pitch in 20 points a season, and will beat the hell out of everyone.  In the second round, the Rangers took Christian Thomas, the son of former NHL’er Steve Thomas.  He had a slow start as a rookie, but exploded for 41 goals this past season.  Ranked 69th by central scouting, the thing that dropped him was his size.  The Rangers then addded Andrew Yogan in the 3rd round, who will be a solid depth  forward, should be a star in the AHL, and will see some limited NHL time.  Keep an eye on 5th-rounder Jason Wilson, a great 2 way winger with some scoring touch.  GRADE C

Philadelphia Flyers – Total picks: 6; Highest round: 3rd (89th overall); Breakdown: 2D 1C 1RW 2LW.

The Flyers traded their top two picks, and watched Anaheim choose So-Cal born Emmerson Etem with the pick they sent them at the draft last year for Chris Pronger.  Philly went safe will almost all there picks, and used there 3rd round pick on Michael Chaput, a tall skinny center from the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs.  He has a ton of upside, and is a solid, fluid skater, but will need to add weight to play in the NHL and may be 4 years away.  Keep an eye on 7th round pick Brendan Ranford, a good, solid winger with a touch of scoring.  He is one of the best penalty killers in the draft, but fell to the 7th round due to his size.  He was rated 111th by central scouting, and his uncle is Bill Ranford, a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender with the Edmonton Oilers and the current goaltending coach of the Los Angeles Kings.  GRADE D

Pittsburgh Penguins – Total picks: 6; Highest round :1st (20th overall);  Breakdown: 2D 3RW 1LW.

If there is one need the Penguins have, its scoring wingers.  Pittsburgh used their first-round pick on Southern California native Beau Bennett, a scoring winger who put up 120 points in only 56 games.  Some would say that the talent that Bennett played against was not as solid as the talent in the WHL.  He is not NHL ready, and will attend The University of Denver this fall.  He should be a solid 2nd line winger for years in the NHL, but will need to score to stay in the league.  Bryan Rust is another solid winger out of the US development program.  He put up solid numbers in the WJC and will join the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame this fall where he will focus on bulking up for the rigors of the NHL.  Keep an eye on 4th round pick Tom Kuhenhackl, a RW out of Germany.  He will join Windsor this season after playing in Germany, and is a very gifted scorer.  He might be the gem of the class.  The Penguins took the best player available with all their picks, and overall, it was one of the most solid drafts top to bottom the Penguins have had in years.  GRADE A

Up next will be the Central Division.

Mike Murangi
NHLHS Entry Draft Correspondent
mmurangi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Draft_Mike

The Philadelphia Flyers have officially signed Nikolai Zherdev. Per club policy, terms were not disclosed (via flyers.nhl.com)

When word got out via Teemu H. (@euroflyers) and Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov (@dchesnokov) on Twitter that the Philadelphia Flyers were in the process of signing former-NHL right wing Nikolai Zherdev, it seemed a curious move by GM Paul Holmgren.

First of all, without being able to move any contracts, Holmgren will have massive issues in maintaining his salary structure within the guidelines of the upper cap limit.

Also, some would say that Zherdev and the Flyers are not a good mix…at all.  The 25-year-old native of the Ukraine has never had any questions regarding his abilities.  He is one of the most talented hockey players in the world.

The doubts are in reference to a lack of concern for the defensive end of the ice, and his commitment and willingness to compete at a high level on an every-night basis.

A year removed from the NHL, Zherdev played for Mytishchi Atlant of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2009-10.  The team consisted of such ex-NHLers as Jiri Novotny, Jan Bulis, Oleg Petrov, Oleg Kvasha, among others.  And Zherdev finished third in club scoring with 13 goals and 39 points in 52 contests.

The fourth overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Zherdev had been an enigma thoughout his five seasons in the NHL with both Columbus and the New York Rangers.

Over the course of 365 NHL contests, Zherdev has recorded 99 goals and 239 points.  He has scored 20+ goals in three different seasons, with his career-high of 27 coming during the 2005-06 campaign.

But his mix of skill and nonchalance has driven coaches crazy.

In Columbus he clashed with then-head coach Ken Hitchcock, who is all about defensive responsibility, as many of the players that were here during Hitch’s tenure as head coach of the Flyers will attest.

When he was dealt to the New York Rangers prior to the 2008-09 season, he got to play for Tom Renney, and later John Tortorella after Renney was fired.

But as was announced today, Zherdev has (finally) inked the one-year deal, believed to be worth between $2-3 million.

Zherdev has teased his former teams with flashes of what he could be if he reached his full potential.  And that’s where Philadelphia head coach Peter Laviolette comes into the picture.

Laviolette could be the perfect coach with which to extract the best from Zherdev moving forward.  His up tempo style fits right in with Zherdev’s skating abilities, and could be just what is needed to keep the 6′ 2″, 197 pound winger involved in the game.

Laviolette’s patience was a big key in helping struggling winger Scott Hartnell get his act together during Philly’s postseason run to the Finals.  The coach had a talk with Hartnell after game three of the Boston Bruins series, telling him that he needed more from him.  He kept Hartnell in the lineup, and was rewarded with arguably Hartnell’s best play of the entire season.  Hartnell was one of the best Flyers’ forwards in the Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

So we know the downside of signing Zherdev.  But what about the upside?

Simply put, Zherdev represents something that has not been present on the Orange-and-Black in years, a true game-breaking sniper on the right side.

Laviolette has had to move Danny Briere, Jeff Carter, Claude Giroux, Darroll Powe all natural centers, to man the wings.  Zherdev is a natural right wing and is more comfortable with the position than the transplanted centers.

Having another natural winger will allow those players to more at their more familiar position.

And with many wingers currently on the roster cut from almost the exact same mold, limited offensively and strong defensively, Zherdev’s offense is a welcomed addition.

Affect on Gagne

But it may mean the end of the line for Simon Gagne in a Flyers’ uniform.

Last week it was reported that Gagne had waived his no-trade clause, and there were rumors of trade talks with the Los Angeles Kings.

But yesterday, Gagne told RDS.ca that he never waived his NTC.

This led to speculation that Gagne may be waived if a trade is not readily available for the 30-year-old winger.  Darren Dreger of TSN reported as much via Twitter.

There is no doubt that the cap space that Holmgren had available to him has disappeared, and depending on the amount of Zherdev’s pact, are almost-certainly over the limit.  And there is still the matter of unsigned RFA Daniel Carcillo and UFA Arron Asham.

But is moving another natural winger like Gagne and his $5.25 million contract the best course of action?  It would seem that with the glut of centers (Mike Richards, Carter, Giroux, Briere, Betts, Powe), maybe dealing a pivot would be the better choice.

Holmgren is far from done in his summer of re-tooling his club, but it seems that with every move he makes, two more are needed.

Stay tuned…

Taking a Flyer: Coincidentally, Flyers defensive prospect Denis Bodrov also saw action in 12 games for Mytishchi Atlant last season before being brought over to North America, where he finished the year with the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL.

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

As the National Hockey League’s free agency period officially opened up today, there was no mystery as to what Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was hoping to acquire.

Defensemen, and possibly a goaltender.

And right at the strike of noon, TSN’s Bob McKenzie broke the news that Holmgren had made his first acquisition of the day, defenseman Andrej Meszaros of the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2012 second round draft pick.

The 24-year-old, 6′ 2″, 223 pound Slovak gives the Flyers another physical presence other than Chris Pronger.  Having played the last two seasons for a bad team in Tampa, the 2004 first round pick of the Ottawa Senators will welcome the chance to win immediately.

Meszaros has four seasons left at $4 million annually.

Next up, Philadelphia announced that 25-year-old, 6′ 5″, 220 pound restricted free agent Braydon Coburn had been re-signed to a two-year, $6.4 million deal.

Holmgren obviously rewarded Coburn for his play in the postseason as compared to his performance during the regular season, and is expecting that kind of play to continue over the next two years.

Then came word of another defenseman signing, this time former Los Angeles King Sean O’ Donnell.  Another large body at 6′ 2″, 237 pounds, it became quite clear that Holmgren feels that a big, punishing defense is key in a seven-game playoff series.

Though he will be 39 years old at the beginning of the 2010-11 regular season, O’ Donnell is nothing if not durable.  Over the course of the past four campaigns, the member of the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks has missed just seven games, while playing a hard-nosed style.

Holmgren actually did sign a forward, as Jody Shelley was signed to a three-year, $3.3 million contract.  The 34-year-old, 6′ 3″, 225 pounder will fill a third / fourth line wing spot, which spelled the end of the line for UFA Arron Asham in Philly.

Weeks ago when it was speculated that Asham may be allowed to walk and sign elsewhere, it was thought that the Flyers would be looking for a fourth-liner that could chip in with more offense than “Ash”.  While Shelley is plenty tough, he will fill the penalty box much more than the net, as he has managed just five goals over the past three seasons.  Asham scored 24 in the same time frame.

There was talk that UFA netminders Chris Mason or Dan Ellis could be headed to Philadelphia, but Ellis was inked to a two-year pact by Tampa Bay, and Mason was later signed to a two-year deal to man the crease for the Atlanta Thrashers.

With the Michael Leighton signing yesterday it appears that he will be battling Brian Boucher and Johan Backlund for the starting job in training camp.

That is barring a trade of a roster player for a number one goaltender, or at least moving a current high salaried roster player to clear cap space with which to sign a starter.  The most mentioned names in this scenario are that of Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco.

The most likely candidates to be moved if Holmgren opts to go this route are forwards Scott Hartnell ($4.25 million annually for three more years), Simon Gagne ($5 million per year for one more season), or the outside possibility of Danny Briere ($6.5 million per year for the next five seasons).  Any deal involving Hartnell or Gagne would require the waiving of a no-trade clause, and the same would apply to Briere and his no-movement clause.

But if the team has made the decision to make the attempt to move either Hartnell or Briere, this may just be the best time to do so.  Hartnell was arguably the best Flyers forward in the Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, and Briere led the entire NHL in postseason scoring.  The performances of both erased forgettable, and even dreadful regular seasons.

With 21 players under contract, Philly has less than $578,000 left under the cap, and this with wingers Daniel Carcillo and Darroll Powe yet to be signed.

After a busy opening day of shopping on the free agent for Holmgren, one gets the feeling that he is far from done with the retooling of his club.

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

*Contract figures were obtained via CapGeek.com, as usual the most-reliable source for NHL contract numbers.*

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

With very limited options at his disposal as he headed to Staples Center in Los Angeles for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft last week, Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren knew that he would have to come up with some creative ways to improve his club.

The Philly GM said that he would be making some adjustments to his team and the roster would not be the same when the 2010-11 season commences.

With no picks until the 89th overall selection in the draft, there were no assets to be dealt for immediate help.  As a matter of fact, Holmgren’s early round picks in this draft were moved in an attempt to upgrade the team in the past.

Philadelphia’s first round selection was traded to the Anaheim Ducks (#29 overall, used to take Medicine Hat center, Emerson Etem) last offseason in the Chris Pronger deal.  The difference that Pronger made to the Flyers’ defense was astronomical, especially in the postseason.

Philly’s second round pick (#59 overall, used by the Minnesota Wild to select right wing, Jason Zucker) had been dealt two years prior, when the Flyers sent defenseman Denis Gauthier and the pick to the L.A. Kings for minor leaguers Patrik Hersley and Ned Lukacevic.

On Draft day, high end picks are one of the most marketable commodities when looking to make a deal.  Without those picks, Holmgren was forced to be creative in looking for a couple of tweaks to his lineup before training camp opens.

Defense

With the acquisition of Dan Hamhuis’ rights blowing up in his face as no deal could be reached to sign the pending UFA defenseman, Holmgren looked to deal his negotiating rights.

Holmgren did have offers for the rights to Hamhuis, and ended up dealing those rights to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  It was a curious decision by Holmgren, as the Flyers play their Atlantic Division arch-rivals six times per year, plus possibly meeting in the playoffs.

And with Pittsburgh likely to lose long-time rearguard Sergei Gonchar to free agency, it was odd that Holmgren basically helped Penguins GM Ray Shero find a replacement for his top four.

Or was it?  Maybe Holmgren thought that by doing so, he would tie Shero up in trying to get Hamhuis inked to a deal, while Holmgren concentrated on the defenseman that he truly covets, Anton Volchenkov.

Volchenkov is a hard-hitting, tough as nails competitor that would solidify the Philadelphia blue line for years to come.

Signing the 28-year-old, 6′ 1″, 227 pound first round selection of the Ottawa Senators from the 2000 NHL Draft may just be Holmgren’s top initiative.

If Holmgren does get Volchenkov, the train of thought goes that he can then be a little more selective in his choice for his revolving wheel of goaltenders for the upcoming season.

Goaltender

Holmgren also attempted to come away from Draft weekend with a top-notch netminder.  He reached a verbal agreement with San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson to send a seventh round selection in the 2011 Entry Draft if he was successful in signing pending UFA Evgeni Nabokov.

But as the weekend passed with no word of an agreement between the two sides, it was reported that no deal would be reached.  It appears that Holmgen wanted Nabokov to take an incentive-laden “over 35″ contract, but Nabby doesn’t turn 35 until July 25th.  By the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Nabokov would have had to be 35 by June 30th to qualify for this type of pact.

Nabokov’s agent, Don Meehan, said it wasn’t in his client’s best interest to sign any deal before Thursday, and with what Nabokov is likely to command on the open market as of Thursday, Philadelphia took itself out of the running.

Holmgren then inquired about Marty Turco, another of the mid-30s goalkeepers scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.  It was reported by Tim Pannaccio of CSNPhilly.com that the Flyers offered Turco in the neighborhood of $2 million to come to Philadelphia.

But Turco is another goaltender that will command a larger pay day.

So where does that leave the Flyers?

If Holmgren does turn his attention towards signing Volchenkov, look for the Flyers to adjust the focus of their goaltending attention.

With a potential top two pairings of Pronger-Matt Carle and Kimmo Timonen-Braydon Coburn / Volchenkov, the Orange-and-Black would have one of the top defensive units in the entire league.

This would allow them to set their sites on more-affordable netminders, and the group that would be likely to be targeted would be Chris Mason, Dan Ellis, Antero Niittymaki, and yes, Michael Leighton.

The above-listed goaltenders are all above-average, but will probably be in a much-lesser pay tier than that of Nabokov and Turco.

Besides the possibility of obtaining Volchenkov and re-signing Lukas Krajicek, other interesting UFA options at defense include Andy Sutton, Andreas Lilja, Jason Strudwick, and Sean O’ Donnell (39-year-old for maybe one season).

With less than two days left before the clock signals the opening of free agent season, there are still many more question marks than answers.

But in another 48 hours, hopefully we will have a much-clearer picture as to which direction Holmgren and his Flyers will be headed.

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