Flyers lose both Metropolit and Vaananen

To clear salary space for the returning Danny Briere, the Flyers waived both Glen Metropolit and Ossi Vaananen yesterday. The Flyers exposed them to waivers hoping that one or both of them would clear and they could be sent to the Phantoms. Unfortunately, both players were claimed: Metro by the Canadiens and Vaananen by the Canucks.

As I said yesterday, losing Vaananen isn't a huge blow, he wasn't playing much anyway. Losing Metropolit is a bigger deal since he was such a valuable penalty killer and a solid checking center. It hurts even more than he went to a rival of the Flyers like the Canadiens.

The Flyers knew the risk they were taking by exposing Metropolit and Vaananen to waivers. Both players had reasonable salaries and can be contributing players on most NHL clubs. Oh well, I guess that's the price you pay to bring a talent like Briere back in the fold.

Metropolit, Vaananen out; Briere in for the Flyers

A star Flyers player is set to return to the ice but it will be at the expense of a pair of veteran players.

Danny Briere is set to make his return to the ice on Friday, meaning the Flyers have to clear some space. Briere makes 6.5 million and adding him to the active roster will put the Flyers over the salary cap. To make room, the team has waived Glen Metropolit and Ossi Vaananen and are also expected to waive Lasse Kukkonen. The Flyers may also send Darroll Powe to the minors to make even more space.

While Metro and Vaananen were both waived, that doesn't mean they won't be Flyers anymore. Guys get waived all the time in the NHL and they still stay with their teams. I think Kukkonen has been waived at least half a dozen times by the Flyers at this point. Metro and Vaananen can still clear waivers and be sent down to the minors, a move that takes their salary off the NHL books.

Metropolit has been a solid player for the Flyers this season, doing everything you would want a checking center to do. The Flyers hand has been forced as they try to get under the cap, but I think they will still do whatever they can to keep Metro around. Ossi Vaananen is another story. Once Ryan Parent returned, Vaananen has found it nearly impossible to get on the ice unless another defenseman is sick or injured. He makes a solid 7th defenseman but the Flyers wouldn't shed a tear if he was gone.

The most important thing about these moves is the fact that Danny Briere is returning to the Flyers. The team has already been on a roll as of late, adding a top line forward like Briere to the mix can only make them better. It will be interesting to see how the lines shape up with Briere back, could John Stevens re-unite the Simon Gagne/Mike Richards/Briere line from earlier in the season? What a line that could be!

Flyers add forward Metropolit and two minor leaguers

The Flyers continue to make moves and that's keeping this blogger busy. After making a trade with LA and signing Ossi Vaananen, the Flyers have added a pair of forwards to the mix, Glen Metropolit and Nate Raduns. They also signed another defenseman, Sean Curry.

Metropolit signed a two year deal with the Flyers for a million dollars a year. Metropolit is a solid defensive forward who will replace Jim Dowd as the Flyers fourth line center. He has played 262 career NHL games with 5 different organizations, including last season with the Boston Bruins. He scored 33 points last season with Boston but he is known as a hustle guy and a great penalty killer. He will be locked into the fourth line center spot with Danny Briere, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter ahead of him, but he can also play any forward position.

Raduns is a less exciting player. He played last season with the Worcester Sharks in the AHL, picking up 27 points in 56 games. He is 24 years old and figures to be a Phantom for the foreseeable future.

Curry is another player destined for the Phantoms. He played last year for the Providence Bruins of the AHL and has never played an NHL game in six professional seasons. He is huge at 6 foot 5 and 227 pounds, but slow.

What's next, Holmgren?