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

Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had said that he wanted to make improvements to his club during the offseason, and he got a start on his to-do list on Saturday afternoon.

With less than a week until the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, the Flyers and Predators swapped defensemen, with Philly sending Ryan Parent to back to Nashville for the rights to pending unrestricted free agent Dan Hamhuis, along with a conditional draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

This is a familiar scenario between the two teams, as Holmgren had acquired the rights from Nashville to two pending free agents in the 2007 offseason when he picked up the rights to defenseman Kimmo Timonen and forward Scott Hartnell.  Holmgren promptly signed each, locking them in with five-year deals.

He now must sign Hamhuis before July 1st or face the risk of losing the defenseman, as he would be able to test the free agent waters.

Holmgren said:  “Our intention is to get him signed prior to July 1, and that is what our aim is at this point in time.  The sooner that we get going on trying to get this done, the better.”

Give Predators GM David Poile credit as he garnered some kind of a return for Hamhuis, a player he more than likely would have lost for nothing when the free agency period opens in less than two weeks.

By re-acquiring the 23-year-old Parent, a defenseman that he had drafted 18th overall in the 2005 Entry Draft and dealt to Philadelphia in the Peter Forsberg trade in 2007, Poile has one less slot to fill on his blue line for the upcoming season.

Parent was supposed to turn into a top-four, shutdown defenseman, but injuries and inconsistency have greatly slowed his development.

Parent has played in just 102 games over the past three seasons with the Flyers, scoring one goal and adding six assists.  He was tied with fellow defenseman Lukas Krajicek for a team-worst plus / minus at a -14.

As he appeared to lose confidence, the play of Parent was bad enough during the playoffs that he played in just 17 postseason games, scoring one goal and recording a -1.

But as Philadelphia continued to march towards the Stanley Cup Finals, Parent was used more sparingly.  He only saw 41 seconds of ice time in game one of the Finals, and still managed to finish a -1.

After that performance, Oskars Bartulis was inserted into the lineup in Parent’s place.

The 27-year-old Hamhuis is a player that Holmgren coveted and nearly acquired at the March trade deadline.  Parent was rumored to be the return in trade discussions at that time, also.

Hamhuis is a consistent, physical player that would be greatly welcomed on the Philadelphia defense.  And unlike the oft-injured Parent, Hamhuis has averaged 80 games per NHL season.

Along with being a top four, shutdown guy in Nashville, Hamhuis has also been a much more consistent offensive contributor than Parent, averaging over five goals and 21 assists in his six seasons.

With contract negotiations for restricted free agent rearguard Braydon Coburn, Holmgren would have the option of moving Coburn if he can sign Hamhuis to be in his top four with Chris Pronger, Matt Carle, and Timonen.

But if Coburn is re-signed the Flyers blue line, once one of the team’s biggest liabilities, would become a tremendous strength.

If he can sign Hamhuis, Holmgren would have another piece in his attempt to build the Flyers into a team that can win two more games in the postseason and lay claim to the organization’s ultimate goal, Lord Stanley.

It should be an eventful week leading up to the Draft, as Holmgren not only will try to secure Hamhuis’ services, but also get his starting goaltending position resolved.

Stay tuned…

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

The final stage has been set and tonight, the 2010 Stanley Cup finals begin live from the United Center in Chicago at 8 p.m. EST.

We hope you have enjoyed our pros and cons debate throughout the playoffs. For the final time, we present our debate. Thank you for all the reading you have done over the course of the season.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS by DAVE STREHLE

What else can be said about the Philadelphia Flyers’ postseason run and what more can they do for an encore?

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

They were the last NHL team to secure a spot in the postseason, but the first to move on to the second round.  And even though they have no idea which team they will face in round two at this juncture, the Philadelphia Flyers are enjoying their break between series.

Especially with such gut-wrenching games over the past two weeks.  They had to battle for their very postseason lives down the stretch, clinching a spot with a shootout win over the New York Rangers on the last day of the regular season.

For some teams, such a layoff in between series could be a disruption of their momentum.  But this may just be a blessing in disguise for the Orange-and-Black.  It’s a time to nurse the injuries for the walking wounded.

Forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne both are out for at least round two with right foot fractures.  Ian Laperriere is still nursing a non-displaced fracture over his right eye after taking a Colin White slapshot to the face.  When we last saw Arron Asham during the series-clincher in New Jersey on Thursday night, his right eye was swollen to the point of almost not being able to see out of it.

The team finds this break a welcome relief, and it could end up being a week between series for the Flyers.

The opponent is most likely going to be the Washington Capitals.  If they win their game tonight in Montreal or game seven back in Washington against the Canadiens, Philadelphia will open up against the Capitals later in the week.

But if the Canadiens can pull off a miracle by taking the last two remaining games and upset the President’s Trophy-winning Capitals, there are two other teams the Orange-and-Black could end up facing.  Depending on the certain scenarios, they could play either the Boston Bruins or the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The only team they cannot face in round two is the Buffalo Sabres.

But the other scenarios all depend on a Washington loss in addition.

Should Washington and the Sabres both lose, Philadelphia would play Boston.  Should Washington and the Bruins both lose, the Flyers would play Pittsburgh.

The only two certainties at this time are that Philadelphia will open their next series on the road, and if Washington wins tonight, they are the team’s second round foe.

But whichever team ends up being their next opponent, the Flyers are all too aware that they cannot afford any more injuries.

With Carter and Gagne out, head coach Peter Laviolette plugged Ville Leino and David Laliberte into their spots in the lineup.

Though neither ended up on the score sheet in Thursday night’s game, both fit in nicely.  Leino played almost 15 minutes and Laliberte 5:32, and both even saw some time on the power play unit.

The beautiful thing about this team is the depth at the forward position.  While the prospect of playing this series without Carter and Gagne isn’t pleasant, the Flyers have the scoring to survive.

With Mike Richards and Danny Briere playing increased time, and a revitalized performance from youngsters Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia could still be alright offensively.

But it is imperative that they the team gets continued health and Herculean efforts from their defensive corps, especially stalwarts Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen.  Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn have also been seeing increased ice time, both having played over 23 minutes each in Thursday’s series-clincher against the Devils.

As long as the top four defensemen continue playing as well as they have been, and with a repeat performance by goaltender Brian Boucher, the Orange-and-Black should be in good shape for whatever team comes knocking at week’s end.

The Gift of Gab – What They’re Saying:

Peter Laviolette:  “I think a couple days of rest, with the grind we had down the stretch to get into the playoffs and then go through the first five game, we’ll take advantage of days like yesterday and today (Friday and Saturday) where you get a little bit of rest and a little bit of practice.”

Chris Pronger:  “For us, we’re pretty banged up. It gives guys a chance to catch a breather and get healthy.  Also, today was a good practice day.  We haven’t had a whole lot of practice time over the last month or month-and-a-half.  It was a pretty up-tempo, hard skate out there.  We had a pretty grueling stretch drive.”

Danny Briere:  “It’s definitely welcome at this point.  Lots of guys have been playing with lots of different injuries that we didn’t have a chance to let heal because games were so important.  With the break here, it certainly is going to help us.  I enjoyed myself watching the games last night. It’s an exciting time of the year.  Once you get eliminated it’s a lot tougher to watch, but last night and today again it’s going to be a lot more enjoyable watching other teams beat each other up while we’re waiting for our next opponent.”

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

In what has been discussed time and time again, the National Hockey Leagues second season, also known as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, is all about goaltending.

Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, Brian Boucher of the Philadelphia Flyers, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins, Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes, Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Antti Niemi of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brian Elliot of the Ottawa Senators, Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, Jaroslav Halak of the Montreal Canadiens, Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche as well as both Jose Theodore and Seymon Varlamov of the Washington Capitals have not only stepped up to make some amazing saves but have been able to keep each and every series even or close enough to it.

On top of their in-game play, there have been some sensational saves throughout the opening round of these playoffs.  Boucher, Luongo, Quick and others have been outstanding, Anderson has set new records but Pekka Rinne’s stop on Chicago’s Patrick Sharp is one that stands out the most. Although the Hawks beat the Predators yesterday, that series remains up in the air with no clear cut favorite at this point.

Yes, as I mentioned, Craig Anderson made 50 saves in regulation yesterday, which has become the new record for saves in regulation time for a playoff game.  He is the backbone to the Avalanche advancing and so far, so good.

Sidney Crosby and Braydon Coburn have both played “hero” in saving their netminders and team by stopping goals as well.  Crosby slid across the crease with the puck standing on the goal line to keep the Senators off the score board. Another stand out moment during these playoffs.

We also were able to witness two hat tricks in one game when Montreal’s Andrei Kostitsyn and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom did so in game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings also has a three goal game to his credit in this first round. Evgeni Malkin has a goal per game for his Penguins.  Mike Richards has been a man possessed for the Philadelphia Flyers. And the list goes on.

In these playoffs, outside of goaltending, it all rests on the players that take their game to the next level. In that game 2 between the Canadiens and Capitals, Nicklas Backstrom was on player who truly took his game up a notch.  Showing people Peter Forsberg like skills, Backstrom had a four point affair helping the Capitals gain a much needed victory in what was likely the most important period and game of their season.

It has been a wild and crazy start to the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, to say the least.

Joe Depto, a writer here at the hot stove as well as one part of the brand known as The Hockey Guys, called yesterday “Separation Sunday”.

The Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes all took control of their series; at least by the series records.

With that, if yesterday was any indication to what is in store for us tonight you better have your jersey on tight and your seat prepared in front of your television sets.  It’s only going to keep getting better.

What is YOUR favorite moment from these playoffs so far?

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

Heading into the weekend, the Philadelphia Flyers had to feel pretty good about things.  They had just beaten the Dallas Stars 3-2 Thursday night and held their destiny in their own hands.  They had tied the Ottawa Senators for fifth place and had a game in hand on both Ottawa and the Montreal Canadiens, the team that had been nipping at their heels.

But after being swept in a home-and-home series with the Atlanta Thrashers, things are looking a bit more complicated for the Orange and Black.

On Saturday night in Atlanta, the Thrashers jumped to 2-0 and 3-1 leads, but each time the Flyers answered with a goal to cut the lead to one.  But when Atlanta went up 4-2, they would not allow Philly to get any closer as they beat the Flyers 5-2 behind goaltender Johan Hedberg.  Colby Armstrong, a player that Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren reportedly inquired about at the NHL trade deadline with Thrashers’ GM Don Waddell, scored 2 goals for Atlanta in the victory.  The players that the Thrashers’ acquired in the Ilya Kovalchuk deal, Niclas Bergfors (goal and an assist) and defenseman Johnny Oduya (+1 and 7 blocked shots) were also big for Atlanta.

This made Sunday night’s game in Philadelphia a big one for both teams.  Tonight’s tilt with the Thrashers was the game in hand that the Flyers had on Montreal, so coming up with the two points, or even one, would be crucial.  Philly had to feel fairly confident, since they had won 6 of their last 7 home games heading into Sunday.

Once again it was Atlanta grabbing a 2-0 lead.  Defenseman Ron Hainsey scored on a slapshot just two minutes in, and Todd White wristed a shot through Philadelphia starting goaltender Brian Boucher from the left circle midway through the first frame.

Despite outshooting the Thrashers 35-21 after two periods, the Flyers found themselves still trailing 2-0.  Starting goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was spectacular, but he had a bit of luck in the last 10 seconds of the second period.  Philly defenseman Braydon Coburn blasted a slapshot that beat Pavelec, but hit squarely off of the right post and bounced back into the crease.  With a mad scramble and Pavelec lying flat on his back, Jeff Carter’s whack at the puck was going into the net, only to hit Flyer forward Danny Briere’s skate and slide back under Pavelec’s arm for the stoppage of play.

The third period was much of the same, but Mike Richards was finally able to get Philly on the board midway through the stanza.  Defenseman Matt Carle carried the puck down the right wing boards and as he went behind the net, feathered a perfect pass to Richards at the right side of the net, who beat Pavelec high to the glove side to draw the Orange and Black to within one at 2-1.  It was Philadelphia’s 40th shot on goal of the game, and the Flyers were now buzzing to get the game tied.

But any Flyer hopes were deflated with just over 3 minutes left in regulation.  Rich Peverley took a long feed from Hainsey and skating in on a 2-on-1 with Armstrong, wristed a shot from the top of the left circle through Boucher to put the game out of reach at 3-1.  It was the second weak goal of the night for Boucher, who now stands at 1-2-1 since being named Philadelphia’s starter when Michael Leighton went down with a high ankle sprain.

Pavelec finished the night with 44 saves and Hainsey had a goal and 2 assists.  Atlanta remains just 1 point behind the Boston Bruins for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and are now only 4 points behind Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal.

There are exactly three weeks left in the NHL season and the Flyers still can be in control of their own destiny.  They play the Senators in Ottawa on Tuesday night and Montreal on Good Friday.  Down the stretch Philly will also play the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and close the season with a home-and-home series against their hated arch-rival New York Rangers.

If the season were to end right now, the Flyers would open in Buffalo against the Sabres for the first round of the playoffs.  But if Philadelphia doesn’t get better goaltending performances and some more offensive support, they may not have to worry about what team they play in the first round at all.

Ugly Incident Goes Unpenalized

Not sure if anything will come out of this, but defenseman Chris Pronger was involved in a bit of an ugly incident with Atlanta winger Evgeny Artyukhin in the Sunday night game in Philadelphia.  The two went heavily into the boards and fell to the ice early in the third period behind the Flyers’ net.  Artyukhin got up and cross-checked Pronger, who was still down on the ice, across the head and onto the back of the net.  A referee was near the two as the play moved up ice and moved in to separate the combatants but didn’t make a call.

As play continued, the puck came back into the Flyers’ zone.  Pronger got the puck and noticed that Artyukhin was directly in front of him.  He wound up with a slapshot that glanced off of Artyukhin’s leg.  The two players again went after each other as the play was called for an offsides.  After a near melee, there were surprisingly no penalties called on either player.

No word yet from league officials if any disciplinary action will be taken against Pronger or Artyukhin.

My 3 Stars for Sunday:

#1 Ondrej Pavelec Thrashers – 44 saves, many spectacular.  Incredible performance.

#2 Ron Hainsey Thrashers – A goal, 2 assists, in on all three Atlanta goals.

#3 Rich Peverley Thrashers – A goal and assist, put the final nail in the Flyers’ coffin with insurance goal late in third.

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