Flyers send Giroux, Kukkonen to minors to make room for Briere

The mass exodus of Flyers players continues as they make room for the return of Danny Briere. This time, luckily, the Flyers didn't have to outright waive players, but the latest moves are nevertheless shocking: Phenom Claude Giroux and defenseman Lasse Kukkonen were both sent to the Phantoms. The Flyers also called up defenseman Nate Guenin to play tomorrow against the Devils because Kimmo Timonen is sick and the team doesn't have enough healthy d-men.

Sending Giroux down is a perplexing move. He has been one of the Flyers best forwards for the last month and was just starting to hit his stride in the NHL. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren hinted that the Flyers would likely call Giroux back up once Timonen was healthy and Guenin could be sent down, but you would think the Flyers could have figured out another way to get rid of a few dollars, like sending Darroll Powe and Jared Ross down to the Phantoms. Losing Kukkonen isn't a big deal but it does leave the Flyers with no depth on the blue line.

The Flyers are playing a tough game with the salary cap. The move to acquire Matt Carle earlier in the season essentially left them with no choice but to get rid of several players once everyone was healthy. All of the mess they are in now could also hinder them as they try to make a move at the trade deadline. The Flyers are usually always one of the more active teams at the deadline, but they will need to dump some salary before they can make any kind of move for a quality player.

Let's hope that Claude Giroux will only play a few games with the Phantoms and that the Flyers can figure out a better solution to their salary cap woes. Giroux is ready for the NHL now and the Flyers would really be doing a disservice to his development if they make him play in the AHL.