Flyers land Lecavalier

The Flyers did their typical Flyer thing, signing Vincent Lecavalier, who had just been bought out by the Lightning, to a reported 5 year, 22.5 million dollar deal.  The Flyers of course can't afford that contract without moving some salary, so expect news of a Braydon Coburn trade to be coming any minute now.

There are plenty of cons to this deal, including the fact that Lecavalier hasn't scored 40 goals since 2008 and hasn't even gotten 30 since.  He's also pretty old and will be 38 in the last year of the deal.  Still, he is a legit superstar and should be an upgrade over Danny Briere.  Whether he will be a superstar for more than just a few more years is debatable but he should be good in the here and now.

Now the only question is whether the Flyers have anything left to upgrade the defense and get, you know, a starting goaltender.  Hard to do with zero cap space so expect the Flyers to be active in the trade market.

Am I out of blog retirement?  Maybe?

Flyers lose out on Weber as Nashville matches

We all had our hopes up.  Certainly the cash-strapped Predators couldn't afford to lock up Shea Weber to a 110 million dollar contract, right?  We all essentially penciled Weber into the Flyers line-up and started dreaming about an unstoppable defensive unit.

All of those hopes and dreams have now disappeared as Nashville has announced that they will match the Flyers offer sheet to Weber.  While it will be difficult for the Predators to cough up the money necessary for Weber, they determined that their star defenseman was worth every penny.

After losing Weber, where do the Flyers turn now?  They clearly are in the market for a top defenseman but there aren't any left on the market.  The Flyers could throw a bunch of money at forward Shane Doan but that isn't going to do anything for their back end.  While the offer sheet showed plenty of creativity, Paul Holmgren is now going to have to get even more creative if he wants to add a top defenseman to the Flyers.  Homer has shown to have plenty of moves up his sleeve but he is now in danger of leaving the offseason table with nothing.

Flyers sign Shea Weber to massive offer sheet

The Flyers made huge news late last night when they signed Predators defenseman Shea Weber to a 14 year, 110 million dollar contract.  Since Weber is a restricted free agent, Nashville will have one week to match the Flyers offer if they want to keep their star defenseman.  Should they not match, the Flyers would get Weber but they would be forced to fork over 4 future first round picks.

While Weber is certainly worth the money, it isn't a guarantee that the Predators will match.  The way the Flyers structured the contract, Weber will made 26 million dollars in the first year alone and make more than half of the money in the first 4 years.  For a team without a ton of cash laying around like the Predators, this might not be a deal they can afford to match.

Should the Predators not match, the Flyers will be adding one of the best d-men in the league.  Not only is Weber known for doling out big hits, he has a big shot from the point and can log a ton of ice time.  As the Nashville captain, Weber would also bring leadership to the Flyers and would replace the huge hole left by the injured Chris Pronger.

Speaking of Pronger, this offer sheet likely confirms that Pronger will never again play hockey.  Should the Flyers get Weber, they will also have to make a few moves to shed some salary.  It could mean that Andrej Meszaros and Jakub Voracek have to be shipped out or the Flyers could move an even bigger contract off the books.

It wouldn't be a hockey offseason if Paul Holmgren didn't make a gutsy move.  Adding Weber to one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference would further cement the Flyers as a Stanley Cup favorite.  Early indications are that the Predators can't afford to match but they still have a week to figure out whether they can make it work.  It will be a long week of waiting for the Flyers and their fans.

Flyers sign Gervais, bring back Fedotenko

After missing out on Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the Flyers have moved on to Plan B.  That Plan B apparently involves picking up much lesser talent as the team announced today that they have signed defenseman Bruno Gervais and forward Ruslan Fedotenko.

Gervais signed a two year deal worth $825,000 per season to be the Flyers 6th defenseman.  While he certainly won't replace the departed Matt Carle, Gervais, a 7 year veteran who has played for the Islanders and Lightning, gives the Flyers good depth in the back end.  There is no expectation that Gervais will develop into a big contributor for the Flyers but he probably won't embarass himself on the 3rd defensive pairing.

As for Fedotenko, he is certainly a blast from the past for Flyers fans, as he last suited up for Philly in 2001.  Since being traded to the Lightning in 2002, Fedotenko has won a Cup in Tampa and also played for the Islanders, Penguins (where he won another Cup) and Rangers.  The Flyers signed him to a one year, 1.75 million dollar contract to play on the third line and chip in about a dozen goals.  Nice pickup but certainly not something that will drastically improve the Flyers and certainly not a move that will replace the production of the departed Jaromir Jagr.

The Flyers moves in free agency have been fairly underwhelming to this point, not that that is necessarily a bad thing.  With a ton of young talent that figures to still be improving, the Flyers have plenty of room to grow into a better team.  Of course, Paul Holmgren could also just be biding his time before he pulls the trigger on a huge trade for Bobby Ryan or Rick Nash.

Flyers bring back Michael Leighton

NHL free agency kicks off today and the Flyers started things off by re-signing a familiar name: Michael Leighton, who signed a one year deal worth $900,000 to be the backup goaltender.  Yep, that's the same Michael Leighton who took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals and then spent the last two seasons in the AHL.

While the move is perplexing initially, there aren't a lot of other backup goaltending options out there in free agency, especially at that price.  The Flyers are likely trying to go cheap at backup goaltender so they have some extra money to go after a big name, whether it's Ryan Suter or Zach Parise.  If Leighton only has to play a few games behind Ilya Bryzgalov, then the signing looks fine.  If Bryz struggles or gets injured, handing the reigns over to Leighton could prove disastrous.

Look for the Flyers to stay plenty busy today, just like they always do on July 1st.  While this first signing isn't exciting or impressive, it allows the Flyers to now concentrate on making a big splash.

Flyers swap JVR for Luke Schenn

The man that has been rumored to be traded seemingly ever since he was drafted has finally been dealt: the Flyers have traded James van Riemsdyk to the Maple Leafs for defenseman Luke Schenn.  This deal has been rumored to be happening for the last year or so and the Flyers finally pulled the trigger to trade the two straight up for one another.

Schenn, who is indeed the brother of current Flyer Brayden Schenn, is a young defenseman who has shown plenty of promise but has yet to live up to his potential.  His cap hit is lower than JVR's by nearly a million and he is under contract for fewer seasons so the Flyers are also freeing up money that will likely be used to re-sign Matt Carle as well as bring in a free agent or two.  If Schenn ever lives up to his potential as a top defenseman, this deal could turn out to be a steal for the Flyers.

Much like Schenn, JVR has never quite lived up to his potential.  He has long been coveted by the Leafs for his size and his occasional flashes of brilliance.  He could be the type of player that will thrive with a change of scenery and could eventually become a star and make the Flyers regret ever trading him.

It's pretty apparent that Paul Holmgren loves trading and isn't afraid to take chances.  On paper, JVR is currently the better player in the deal but neither player has fully developed yet so it is impossible to love or hate the deal.  Given the complete over-pay of his contract, I can't say I'm all that upset that JVR has been shipped out of town.

Flyers deal Bobrovsky to Columbus

This isn't the rumored "big trade" but the Flyers have made a move, dealing Sergei Bobrovsky to the Columbus Blue Jackets for three draft picks, including a 2nd round pick and two 4ths.  While the Flyers are now lacking a backup goaltender, they got a great return for Bob and may have the pieces necessary to make a bigger move.

While Bobrovsky had his moments with the Flyers, he seems destined to be a starter in the NHL and he wasn't going to get that opportunity in Philadelphia.  If the move is the first step towards grabbing a big name player or even if it allows the Flyers to make a smaller move, it was the right time to deal Bob since he still has a good amount of upside.

With the NHL Draft coming tonight, expect the rumors to continue to swirl around the Flyers, who always seem to make a big splash this time of the year.  Don't expect anything as drastic as last offseason but don't be surprised when a young player gets moved for an established star, either.

Another Flyers season ends but the future remains bright

It really wasn't supposed to happen this way for the Flyers, at least not this season.  No, I'm not talking about how the Flyers weren't supposed to lose to the Devils; the Flyers weren't supposed to even get to the second round this season.

After making drastic changes last offseason, the Flyers instantly entered a rebuilding mode, one that will feature a number of young players who are years away from their primes.  Sure, the Flyers were still supposed to be competitive but they really weren't expected to be serious Cup contenders until the kids had a chance to develop.  Really, anything that happened this season was gravy.

So why is it still so disappointing to see them lose to the Devils on Tuesday and get ousted from the playoffs?  Mostly because of how much fun it was to see these upstart Flyers stick it to the Penguins in one of the most entertaining series of games in many years.  To follow up all of that entertainment with four straight losses to the Devils in a series of games that were very uneventful was what was so disappointing.

The future is very bright with these Flyers. Claude Giroux could still get better.  The 8 rookies that hogged all the ice time this season should only improve with even more experience.  Chris Pronger hopefully will return.  Ilya Bryzgalov will hopefully keep his head on straight.  There is a lot to like about the future of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Despite all of this, it still hurts to see them lose to a Devils team that doesn't really feel like a great team. Hey, we'll always have that Penguins series.
(Getty Images)

Danny Briere wins Game 1 in OT

After a slow first period, the Flyers picked up their play and took out the Devils in overtime in Game 1, 4-3.  Mr. Playoffs, Danny Briere, was the hero in this one, putting the puck into the back of the net twice in overtime, though the first was called off due to Briere kicking it in.  Here's Briere's game winner:

The Flyers have to be happy with how they played after the first period.  Should that carry over into the next few games, they should make short of the Devils.

Flyers kick Penguins to the curb

Pennsylvania now belongs to the Flyers. 

There was certainly reason to be nervous after how Games 4 and 5 went but the Flyers quickly put any thoughts of a possible Penguins series win to bed by jumping out to an early lead in Game 6 and never looking back.  In the series that had a little bit of everything, Game 6 was fairly normal as the Flyers dominated from start to finish, winning 5-1 to send the Penguins packing.

Claude Giroux set the early tone for the Flyers, first crushing Sidney Crosby then picking up a goal 32 seconds into the game.  Giroux later added a pair of assists and continues his emergence into the upper echelon of hockey players.  In a series that featured Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, supposedly two of the top 5 players in the world, Claude Giroux was often the best player on the ice.

The series was also a coming out party for Sean Couturier, who not only had a hat trick in Game 2 but also made it his personal mission to shut down Malkin.  While Malkin had a fair amount of points, Couturier shut him down at critical moments and continually got under his skin.  It will be a lot of fun watching the 19 year old Couturier own Malkin for years to come.

With the Penguins pushed aside, the Flyers now wait for their next opponent.  Who they will play is still pretty up in the air depending on the outcomes of the Rangers/Senators and Bruins/Capitals series.  With the Flyers already having beaten the supposed Cup favorite, a deep playoff run certainly seems like a strong possibility.

Flyers continue to own classless Penguins, take 3-0 series lead

It's pretty clear at this point that the Flyers are in the Penguins heads.  After two thrilling comeback victories in Games 1 and 2, the Flyers completely embarrassed the Penguins in Game 3, dominating the ice in a 8-4 win.  The Flyers are now just one win away from sweeping the supposed Cup favorites out of the playoffs.

The Penguins showed a real lack of class in the game, melting down and turning to cheap hits when they couldn't keep up with the Flyers on the scoreboard.  From Sidney Crosby poking a glove aside to Arron Asham cheap-shotting Sean Couturier for no reason to James Neal taking shots on Flyers stars to Craig Adams pulling Scott Hartnell's hair, the Penguins made a mockery out of the game and turned in an ugly performance for the ages.  Expect at least Asham and Adams to get suspended and Neal to get a serious look at losing a game.

Nothing is over until the Flyers win that 4th game but it has been obvious which team is more poised, determined and willing to do the work necessary to make a deep playoff run.  This Flyers team is filled with young, hungry players that have no fear and won't back down from anyone.  No matter what happens in the next few games of this series and beyond, this is one incredibly exciting hockey team.  We'll see if they can keep it up against a team that actually plays defense.  For now, I'm relishing every minute against the team that "can't beat us!"

Voracek caps Flyers comeback with OT winner

Huge win for the Flyers in Game 1, erasing a three goal deficit to defeat the hated Penguins, 4-3.  With the Phillies and Sixers also winning, it was quite a night for Philly sports.

Here is Jakub Voracek's game winner:

More D help: Flyers acquire Pavel Kubina

The Flyers are wasting little time shoring up their defense.  Just two days after trading for Nicklas Grossman, the Flyers made another move for another defenseman, acquiring Pavel Kubina from the Lightning for forward Jon Kalinski and a 2nd round pick in 2012 or 2013 and a 4th round pick in 2013.  Kubina is a 14 year NHL veteran who has also played for the Maple Leafs and the Thrashers.  At 6 foot 4 and 258 pounds, Kubina is big and physical and can even contribute a bit on the offensive end with a big shot.

The acquisition of Kubina once again gives the Flyers one of the deepest groups of defensemen in the league.  With Chris Pronger out, the Flyers now go six deep with Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, Matt Carle, Nicklas Grossman and Kubina.  That group should supply enough physicality and puck-moving skills to improve on the inconsistency the Flyers have been getting from the younger players they have been trying to plug in to be their 5th and 6th d-men.

Acquiring Kubina probably won't be the last move the Flyers make.  With the Flyers still in possession of some cap space and rumors swirling that they are in on Rick Nash, expect another move or two in the coming days.

Flyers acquire D Nicklas Grossman

With Chris Pronger out for the season, we knew the Flyers would be looking to add help along the blueline.  They got some today, acquiring D Nicklas Grossman from the Stars for a 2nd round pick in 2012 and a 3rd round pick in 2013.  Grossman, 27 and on the last year of his contract, is earning 1.625 million this year and will be a UFA next year.

Grossman, a 6 year NHL veteran, doesn't put up big scoring numbers but that isn't what the Flyers are missing with Pronger out of the lineup.  Grossman will provide the Flyers with plenty of size (6 foot 3, 227 pounds) and quality defensive play in the back end.  He will also provide some physicality and can kill penalties and block shots.

Is the acquisition of Grossman enough to replace everything the Flyers have lost with Pronger out of the lineup?  No, but they at least add another piece without giving up anything on their current roster.  The Flyers routinely give up draft picks so it's not at all shocking to see them give a few away for immediate help.  With the NHL trade deadline approaching, expect more moves in the coming days.

Claude Giroux fights?!?

The Flyers played one of their worst games of the season on Thursday night, losing to the Islanders 4-1, but there was one interesting development in the game: Claude Giroux fought:
 
He certainly is much better with the stick than the fists.  Perhaps this will help him snap out of his offensive funk.

Flyers fall short in thrilling Winter Classic

It was just 1 game of 82 on the schedule but the Winter Classic lived up to all of the hype, producing an exciting game in a beautiful environment.  While the Flyers did end up falling short, losing 3-2 to the Rangers, it was still an experience that the team and the city won't soon forget.

The Flyers got on the board first after Brayden Schenn scored his first NHL goal in the second period of the game.  It was the second time that a Flyer scored his first NHL goal in a Winter Classic as Danny Syvret also accomplished that feat back in 2010.  The Flyers then added a second goal later in the second period after Claude Giroux scored off a pass from Max Talbot but everything went downhill from there for the Flyers.  Not only did the Rangers score just 30 seconds later but they dominated the play for much of the rest of the game, building a 3-2 lead after a pair of Mike Rupp (!!) goals and a Brad Richards tally.

The Flyers had their chances late, including a powerplay and a late penalty shot but Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist proved to be too good, stoning the Flyers on 34 of their 36 shots and playing like the elite goaltender he is.  If only the Flyers could ever have a goaltender as good as Lundqvist....

Things will now get back to normal for the Flyers, who still find themselves in the upper half of the Eastern Conference playoff picture but have been skidding as of late, losing 3 of their last 4.  Perhaps getting away from the HBO cameras will help someone like Ilya Bryzgalov remember how to play hockey again and help the team out of their slide.

The 2012 Winter Classic definitely lived up to everything it was expected to be.  How about we do that again sometime?

Flyers win entertaining Alumni Game

The Flyers and Rangers Alumni Game wasn't the best hockey game ever played but it was certainly an awesome spectacle for Flyers fans.  With 45,000+ on hand at Citzens Bank Park in an electric atmosphere, the Flyers alumni defeated the Rangers alumni, 3-1.

The scoring started fittingly enough with an Eric Lindros pass to John LeClair for a goal.  Their line, along with Mark Recchi, looked like they were ready to take the ice for the Flyers in the real Winter Classic game and were a treat to watch, especially for a fan like me that grew up loving the Legion of Doom line.  Lindros especially looked like his old dominant self and was more than welcomed home by Flyers fans with a huge ovation before the game.

The other great moment of the game was seeing Bernie Parent in goal for the first few minutes.  While he wasn't pretty in the net, he did make a save and looked great in Flyers orange.  The ovation he got before the game was fittingly second only to the cheers for Lindros.

Now we wait two days for the real Winter Classic game, which has a lot to live up to after the Alumni Game.  While the hockey will certainly be better, the star power and sheer entertainment of the Alumni Game will be impossible to beat.
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Flyers and Rangers Winter Classic Alumni Game Rosters

For many, the today's Flyers/Rangers Alumni Game has been more highly anticipated than the Winter Classic Game itself.  Who would have thought that we'd ever see Eric Lindros back in a Flyers uniform and on the same ice as Bobby Clarke?  The Flyers have gone out of their way to bring back fan favorites from the recent past as well as from the Cup days and it should make for a fun nostalgia trip though not the best hockey game ever played.

Here are the Flyers and Rangers rosters for the Winter Classic Alumni game:

Flyers:

Forwards:
Bill Barber
Bob Clarke
Jim Dowd
Al Hill
Bob Kelly
Orest Kindrachuk
Reggie Leach
John LeClair
Eric Lindros
Ken Linseman
Shjon Podein
Dave Poulin
Brian Propp
Mark Recchi
Jeremy Roenick
Rick Tocchet

Defensemen:
Terry Carkner
Eric Desjardins
Larry Goodenough
Derian Hatcher
Mark Howe
Brad Marsh
Kjell Samuelsson
Chris Therien
Joe Watson

Goalies:
Mark LaForest
Neil Little
Bernie Parent

Rangers:

Forwards:
Glenn Anderson
Paul Broten
Ron Duguay
Nick Fotiu
Mike Gartner
Adam Graves
Pat Hickey
Kris King
Nick Kypreos
Darren Langdon
Stephane Matteau
Mark Messier
Brian Mullen
Darren Turcotte

Defensemen:
Ron Greschner
Darius Kasparaitis
Tom Laidlaw
Brian Leetch
Dave Maloney
Dale Purinton
Mathieu Schneider

Goalies:
Dan Blackburn
John Vanbiesbrouck
Mike Richter

Chris Pronger is done for the season

If the Flyers want to win a Cup this season, they are going to have to do it without Chris Pronger.  The Flyers have announced that their captain, who has been out since November 19th, will miss the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs due to severe concussion symptoms.

This is a huge blow to the Flyers, who lose one of their biggest advantages they have over opponents: their depth on defense.  Since Pronger is on LTIR, the Flyers will have some cap space to acquire someone of significance but he surely won't have the same impact as Pronger has in the back end.

The bigger question could be if Pronger will ever play hockey again.  It's likely too early to tell but if he has already been ruled out for the next 5-6 months, he must be dealing with some very serious issues.  Here's hoping the Flyers get their captain back next season if for no other reason than they are paying him big money for 5 more years.

NHL approves new four conference system

The NHL standings and playoffs will look very different next season.  After a 26-4 vote, the NHL Board of Governors has approved a new four conference system that will look like this:

Conference A: Ducks, Flames, Avalanche, Oilers, Kings, Coyotes, Sharks, Canucks

Conference B: Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Stars, Red Wings, Wild, Predators, Blues, Jets

Conference C: Bruins, Sabres, Panthers, Canadiens, Senators, Lightning, Maple Leafs

Conference D: Hurricanes, Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals

The league will also feature a much more balanced schedule, with teams playing conference opponents 5 or 6 times depending on the size of the conference.  Every team will also play every other team at least twice, once at home and once on the road.  For the playoffs, each conference will be seeded 1-4 and they will play each other to determine a conference winner, who will then move on to the final 4 for the Stanley Cup.

Not all that much changes in terms of the conference for the Flyers, who will have all of their current division opponents plus the Capitals and Canes.  What will be very interesting will be the playoffs, which will only allow four teams within the conference to advance to the playoffs and could potentially leave out a good team, especially in the Flyers deep conference.

The NHLPA still has to approve this realignment but it seems like a big win for the NHL, which is emphasizing rivalries and will once again allow every fan base to see every other team.  Only allowing one team from each conference to make it to the Stanley Cup Semifinals will also make for some amazing early round playoff action between bitter rivals.