Postseason Run Falls Short; Holmgren’s Offseason Begins

NHLHS writer David Strehle takes a look at Philadelphia’s Cup run that came up just two wins shy, and what GM Paul Holmgren will be looking to do in the offseason.

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