Flyers deal Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets

With the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov likely to happen any day now, we knew the Flyers were going to have to trade someone to clear cap space. The first casualty: Jeff Carter, who has been traded to the Blue Jackets for RW Jakub Voracek and a 1st and 3rd round pick. The first round pick is 8th overall.

First, let's deal with the cap implications. Trading Carter, who signed an 11 year contract that kicks in next year, clears 5.75 million dollars off the cap. The Flyers will need to sign Voracek, who made 1.27 million last year and is now a restricted free agent, and he could demand somewhere around 3 million per year. That should get the Flyers closer to having enough space to sign Bryzgalov, who is rumored to want close to 7 million dollars a year, but they will still need to make another move.

Getting rid of Carter and his 30+ goal per season output will certainly hurt the offense but the Flyers should be a better team in the long run. Not only do they add the pieces in this deal, which include two draft picks and a young skater with some upside, but the Flyers essentially also got Bryzgalov in the deal since they can now almost afford to sign him.

As for the one player the Flyers got in the deal who will suit up for them next season, Voracek will be 22 when the season starts and already has three NHL season under his belt. He's a former 7th overall pick in the 2007 draft and has shown some solid offensive skills, averaging 13 goals and 45 assists per season. He's also a right winger, so the dealing of Carter should help the Flyers clear up their center logjam.

This is a huge deal for the Flyers that represents a new way of thinking for the club. They are now building from the goaltender out, giving up some of their depth to ensure some stability in net. Count on another deal or two in the coming days as the Flyers might have to shed a little more salary to fit Bryzgalov under the cap. I'd put money on Kris Versteeg being the next to go but they could also move a bigger name.

Flyers sign Jeff Carter to 11 year extension

Get used to seeing Jeff Carter in a Flyers uniform. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, Carter has signed an 11 year contract extension that will keep him with the Flyers through 2022. The huge deal is worth 58 million and will cost the Flyers a cap hit of 5.27 million per year.

While Carter is a polarizing figure to many fans, one can't argue that the Flyers just locked up a great player for a reasonable price. For at least the next few years, Carter will be the 4th highest player on the team, a good deal for a player that is entering his prime and is capable of putting up 40 goals a season.

Love him or hate him, Jeff Carter is here to stay. Sure, he isn't exactly responsible in his own end, but if Carter can average 35 goals a season for the next decade, I don't think many will care about his defensive shortcomings. While it also would be nice if he weren't such a streaky scorer, Carter doesn't miss many games due to injury and will be a weapon the Flyers offense can rely on for years to come.

The Flyers have done well to lock up the core of their team, with Carter, Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Claude Giroux and Chris Pronger all under contract through the 2013-14 season. Up next for the Flyers will be extending Ville Leino, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. With the reasonable contract the Flyers gave Carter, there should be plenty of room under the cap for a solid contributor like Leino.

Carter's hat trick helps Flyers crush Hurricanes

When Jeff Carter scores, two things usually happen: he scores in bunches and the Flyers win. Such was the case on Thursday night as Carter, in his 3rd multi-goal game of the season, picked up a hat trick as the Flyers embarrassed the Hurricanes, 8-1. The win also moved the Flyers record to 4-0 when Carter scores a goal.

For Carter, it was a great game at the right time considering all of the talk about a possible contract extension. After a slow start, Carter now has 8 goals on the season and is on pace to score 40 on the year. While he doesn't seem to score the big goals in low-scoring games, Carter does have a knack for finding the back of the net against weaker teams, as all of his goals this season have come against teams in the bottom ten in goals against this year. Whether that's enough to merit big money in a contract extension is something the Flyers will have to figure out.

Four other Flyers scored goals against Carolina, including Danny Briere, who scored twice, and Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell and Nikolay Zherdev, who all scored once. With the way the Flyers offense is clicking, as Ville Leino and Claude Giroux are making beautiful setup passes to guys like Briere, Zherdev and Hartnell who are consistently finding the back of the net, few teams will be able to slow them down. Add in one of the best defenses in the league and the stellar play of Sergei Bobrovsky in net and you have the makings of a team that is destined for another deep Cup run.
(AP PHOTO)

RDS.ca report: Simon Gagne refuses to waive no-trade clause

With the Flyers still closing in on signing Nikolai Zherdev, they are still working on that little matter of clearing some salary off the books to make room for the enigmatic winger. While it seemed like a foregone conclusion last week, it appears that Simon Gagne won't be the player that is moved off the roster.

In a video that's in French on RDS.ca, Gagne apparently talks about how he has not waived his no-trade clause. I say "apparently" because I don't know French, but I'm going with what those on Twitter like Dustin Leed (@HockeyGuy_DLEED) are saying when they relay that a rough translation of what Gagne says is "I have a no trade clause and I did not waive".

So, if Gagne refuses to be traded, which he has every right to do, what will the Flyers do now to move salary? With high-priced forwards Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell having no-trade clauses and Mike Richards getting one soon, that doesn't leave many players left for the Flyers to trade. Short of getting Hartnell to waive his no-trade clause, it's looking more and more like Jeff Carter is going to be moved. Given how center-heavy the Flyers are and how much they could likely get for him in a trade, moving Carter's 5 million dollar salary might have been the smart thing to do all along.

Leighton shines yet again as Flyers take commanding 3-1 series lead

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It's getting to the point where I have run out of things to say about how good the Flyers are playing. Game 4 in the Eastern Conference Finals was more of the same for them as they had a ton of energy, scored timely goals and got rock solid goaltending in a 3-0 win over the Canadiens. The win was huge for the Flyers as they come home needing just one more win before they can move on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 4 was all about the Flyers showing whether they could bounce back from adversity. After getting outplayed in Game 3, the Flyers needed to respond or else the Canadiens were going to make take all the momentum in the series. The Flyers didn't let that happen, though, as they dominated play for most of the game and effectively neutralized the Canadiens boisterous crowd.

Michael Leighton once again came up big for the Flyers, stopping the meager 17 shots the Canadiens put on net. This game was another instance where Leighton didn't have to be ridiculously good, just in the right place at the right time. With the Flyers defense blocking 27 shots themselves, Leighton just has to be ready for those few tough chances that actually get through to him. For those scoring at home, that's 3 shutouts in 4 games against Montreal.

Offensively for the Flyers, they continue to get scoring from all lines. Tonight, with the top line and power play failing to produce any goals, Claude Giroux got two goals from the third line and Ville Leino got a goal from the second line. The emergence of Giroux, who now has 8 playoff goals and 16 playoff points, has been one of the better stories of the playoffs and really shows just how deep the Flyers are at forward. How many other teams in the NHL have a third line center that can do the things this kid can do? As for Leino, just remember to chuckle at the fact that the Flyers got him for Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a 5th round draft pick as you notice his 12 points in 12 playoff games.

The Flyers also got a boost in Game 4 by the return of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere. While neither player scored a point, both each made an impact in the game. For Laperriere, it was mixing it up with the Canadiens every chance he got. For Carter, it was making the most out of the incredibly short shifts in the beginning of the game as he tried to get his legs under him. Once he did, he had a few flashes of brilliance on his way to tying for the team lead in shots.

After a rocky Game 3, all is well in Flyerland again. While the Flyers have three more chances to put away the Canadiens, you can bet they will be focused on putting them away at home in Game 5 and avoid having to go back to Montreal again. If they play at all like they did in Game 4 they will be just four wins away from bringing home the Cup.

Reinforcements: Carter, Lappy back for the Flyers

Suddenly, the Flyers are back to full strength: according to various sources, both Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere are back in the lineup for Game 4. While there had been speculation that Lappy would be back for Game 4, the fact that Carter is suiting up after the Flyers said there was no chance he would be back during the Eastern Conference Finals is nothing short of a shock. Apparently, the Flyers are pulling out all the stops in a Game 4 that will swing the series one way or another.

To make room for Carter and Laperriere, the Flyers will scratch Dan Carcillo and Andreas Nodl. Expect Laperriere to play on the 4th line and jump right back onto the penalty killing unit while Carter will likely be eased back a little more, playing mostly on the wing and some on the power play. What they shouldn't do with Carter is put him back in at center, especially with how well Danny Briere and Claude Giroux have been playing.

It's pretty clear the Flyers want to leave Montreal with a 3-1 series lead. Whether Carter and Laperriere are really healthy enough to help is a big question but they won't be replacing anyone that was making a huge impact in the series anyway. It's really a win-win for the Flyers to bring these guys back, though, with the best case scenario being Carter's and Lappy's returns give the team the same boost they got when Simon Gagne returned in the second round and the worst case scenario being one or both re-injures themselves and the Flyers depth steps back in the lineup once again. Either way, an already huge Game 4 just got a lot more intriguing.

Flyers injury update: Lappy coming soon, Carter likely out for the Conference Finals

One of the advantages of making a deep playoff run is that the players you thought were out for the season start inching closer to a return. There have been grumblings that two such players for the Flyers, Ian Laperriere and Jeff Carter, are getting ramped up for a possible return to the ice.

Laperriere appears more likely to return in the Eastern Conference Finals than Carter. CSN Philly speculates that Lappy, who suffered a concussion and brain contusion against the Devils, could be back as soon as Game 4 against the Canadiens. Apparently, Laperriere has felt well enough to resume skating and he hasn't had any setbacks in recent days. Of course, it will likely be up to a doctor to ensure that there are no lingering issues before he will be cleared to play. Laperriere's return to the ice would be huge for the Flyers as he can jump right back onto the 4th line in place of Andreas Nodl and start killing penalties right away. With Lappy being a hard worker and a great chemistry guy, the team will welcome him back with open arms.

As for a player that some think would hurt team chemistry if he returned, it doesn't sound like Jeff Carter will be coming back at any point in the Eastern Conference Finals. While reports from CSN Philly originally speculated that he could be back as early as Game 2, Paul Holmgren has gone on record saying that it would be "a stretch" to think Carter would be able to suit up at all in this series. Despite initial positive reports, it's sounding more and more like Carter won't be able to come back unless the Flyers make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The return of either player would simply be a case of the strong getting stronger. With the Flyers playing as well as they have been, neither player should feel pressure to have to hurry back from their injuries. Should the Flyers drop a couple of games to the Canadiens, though, I wouldn't be shocked to hear that both Carter and Laperriere were feeling much better and were ready to go.

Jeff Carter could be back in Game 2 for the Flyers...or not?

The good news just keeps on coming for the Flyers. With the team already rolling past the Canadiens in Game 1, rumors have come out that they may get their leading goal scorer back sooner than expected. According to CSN Philly, there is a chance that Jeff Carter, who has been out since injuring his foot in Game 4 against the Devils, could return to the Flyers as soon as Game 2 on Tuesday. As you may recall, initial reports back on April 21st speculated that Carter would miss 6 weeks so a comeback this soon would mean he has made an incredible recovery from his injury.

Of course, as soon as this rumor was broken by CSN Philly, the Flyers quickly squashed it, saying that a return in Game 2 or 3 would be highly unlikely. Take what the Flyers say at this time of the year with a grain of salt, though, teams don't like to give away when their players are returning in the playoffs.

While some may not want Carter back in the lineup given how well the Flyers are playing without him, I don't see how his return could be anything but a good thing. Since the Flyers are playing well, there is no reason to rush him back to the ice, but if he's ready to contribute, he needs to be playing, even if it's just on the power play or on the third or fourth lines. Adding a 30 goal scorer to the Flyers lineup will give them yet another weapon that the opposition has to figure out how to stop. Whether it's sooner or later, whenever Jeff Carter returns the Flyers offense gets that much more potent and their chances of winning a cup increase even more.

Flyers injury update: Gagne out 3 weeks, Carter done for the season

It looks like Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter will be missing much more than just Game 5. According to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, both Gagne and Carter are going to have surgery on their respective foot injuries, meaning both will not be "day to day" as was originally reported. In fact, following surgery on Friday, Gagne is expected to be out 3 weeks, or at least until the end of the second round, while Carter is expected to be out for 6, which will end his season.

As we already knew, Ville Leino and David Laliberte are likely going to replace Gagne and Carter in the lineup but they won't be expected to get all of the ice time and power play minutes. Instead, look for the Flyers to turn to players like Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk to make a bigger impact. It will be up to the young guys to step up if the Flyers want to make any serious playoff run.

Flyers lose Carter, Gagne for at least Game 5

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Suddenly, that 3-1 series lead doesn't look so solid. Just hours after their impressive Game 4 win over the Devils, the Flyers got some bad news: they will be without Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne for Game 5 and possibly beyond. Both forwards will be out with foot injuries that they sustained in Game 4, with Carter injuring his foot deflecting the puck on his second goal of the game and Gagne injuring his while blocking a shot. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that both players are "day to day", though in the playoffs, even players with major injuries are said to be "day to day".

Losing the two puts a damper on the Flyers chances in Game 5 but it doesn't kill them. Neither forward has been the focal point of the Flyers attack in the series, although the timing for Carter, who is a very streaky scorer, was especially bad considering he is coming off a two goal game. Replacing Carter and Gagne in the lineup will be Ville Leino and David Laliberte, which definitely constitutes a dropoff in offense. While I have been hoping Leino, a solid offensive player, would get some ice time in the playoffs, he certainly is no Jeff Carter.

Eliminating the Devils in Game 5 in New Jersey was already going to be a tough task for the Flyers; with these injuries, it almost seems insurmountable. That said, the best case scenario for the Flyers is probably to let these two heal and regroup for a chance to beat the Devils back in Philly for Game 6.

Flyers rip Devils, take commanding 3-1 series lead

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Wait, which team is the 2 seed and which team is the 7 seed in this Flyers/Devils series again? With the way the Flyers dominated the Devils in a 4-1 Game 4 victory, you couldn't convince anyone that the Devils finished with the second best record in the Eastern Conference while the Flyers sneaked into the playoffs on the very last day.

The story of the night for the Flyers was the contributions they got from to players who had yet to score in the playoffs as both Jeff Carter and Danny Briere finally lit the lamp. In fact, Carter scored twice in the game, both on the power play, and finally appeared to be healthy as he skated smoothly throughout the game. Also scoring for the Flyers was the Game 3 hero, Dan Carcillo, who once again looked like he had never scored a goal in his life after he beat Martin Brodeur with a shot through the 5 hole.

Given how many penalties they had, it was remarkable that the Flyers were in any position to win Game 4, let alone dominate it. For most of the first two periods, the Flyers sent player after player to the penalty box and gave the Devils power play chance after power play chance. In all, the Flyers had 16 penalty minutes on minors in the game and gave the Devils 8 power play chances. Luckily, the Flyers have a really good penalty kill and only allowed the Devils to score once on a 5 on 3 opportunity. I said it after the last game and I'll say it again: eventually, these penalties are going to catch up to the Flyers. Against an offensively challenged team like the Devils, the Flyers can get away with the march to the penalty box. If, and I mean if, the Flyers get past the Devils and play the Capitals in the next round, Washington's killer power play is going to destroy the Flyers if they take this many penalties. If the officials are going to continue calling the games so tight, the Flyers have to adjust.

As Game 4 progressed, the Flyers did seem to make some changes to their game while the Devils seemed to regress, taking a bunch of penalties in the third period as they fell apart. The usually consistent Martin Brodeur, who was making stellar stops all game long, also started to crumble in net, allowing uncharacteristically soft goals through. Whether the Flyers simply have their number or they really aren't that good, the Devils need to figure things out fast if they want to get back in this series.

Before anyone says this series is over, however, they must remember the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. As you may recall, the Flyers had this same 3-1 lead with these same two goalies in net and seemed poised to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Well, three Devils wins later and the Flyers collapsed their way out of the playoffs. While all signs point to the Flyers getting to the second round, let's just not start looking ahead just yet. Of course, if this same Devils team continues to not show up, the team that shouldn't even be in the playoffs will pull off quite an upset.

Season over? Flyers lose Carter for 3-4 weeks

First they lost Ray Emery for the season, then Michael Leighton. Add to that the 4 losses in their last 5 games. So, of course this happens.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Flyers, they will be without their top goal scorer for the rest of the regular season: Jeff Carter will miss the next 3-4 weeks with a fracture in his left foot, which happened when he blocked a shot against the Thrashers on Sunday. With only 3 weeks left in the season, this means the Flyers could also be without Carter when the playoffs get under way.

So, is that it for the Flyers? Should we stick a fork in them? While Carter leads the Flyers with 33 goals this season, the team does have plenty of other goal scorers, with 8 other players in double-digits. So, while it appears that the Flyers season is circling the drain, if they can get one of Claude Giroux or James van Riemsdyk to step up in the absence of Carter, the Flyers can keep hope alive.

Losing Carter isn't the end of the world for the Flyers. Barring a massive collapse, the Eastern Conference isn't strong enough to keep them out of the playoffs. If they can just keep the ship afloat for the next few weeks, the Flyers will find themselves back in the playoffs, likely against one of the top teams in the East. Sure, they seem destined for a first round failure, but that probably would have happened with or without Jeff Carter. Maybe another first round exit will convince the Flyers they need a real goaltender. Then again, it probably won't.

Flyers enter the Olympic break on good footing after crushing the Canadiens

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Graham Hughes)

As recently as a week ago, the Flyers were playing such uninspired hockey that they probably couldn't wait for the two week Olympic break. Now, after four straight wins against teams in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Flyers probably don't want to stop playing and risk ending their hot streak.

After sweeping the Devils last week in a home and home series, the Flyers repeated that feat today after followed up yesterday's win in Philadelphia with a 6-2 beatdown of the Canadiens in Montreal. The star of the game was Danny Briere, who, much to the chagrin of the Montreal crowd, broke out of his slumber to register a hat trick. Briere stuck it to the Canadiens fans who boo him lustily every time he touched the puck by netting his first hat trick of the season.

The Flyers also got goals on the night from Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Blair Betts. Suddenly, the Flyers offense that had gone ice cold in recent games is brimming with hot hands. There's Richards, who scored his 2nd goal in 4 games, and Carter, who has 5 goals in 4 games, to go with Briere and Simon Gagne, who appear to be breaking out of season-long slumps. All of the Flyers top forwards are contributing right now, an excellent sign that this team has turned things around.

Oh, and Jeff Carter haters? The man has been on a tear recently, scoring 11 goals in his last 14 games. I think all of you who have been screaming for him to be traded and that he "has no heart" can be quiet now. Carter is rapidly rising up the leader board in the NHL in goals and is proving why the Flyers aren't willing to trade him. Yeah, the guy can be inconsistent but you can put up with the lulls because you know he has goal outbursts like this in him.

The Flyers now enter the Olympic break solidly in the playoff hunt. With the recent wins over the Canadiens, the Flyers have leapfrogged them and moved into 6th place in the Eastern Conference. With 22 games left after the break, it's going to be a sprint to the finish for the Flyers as they look to move up into an even better position. If this hot streak somehow carries over to March then the Flyers will try to make a late push for a top seed.

Flyers show heart in comeback over Devils; Carter suspension coming?

(AP Photo/Michael Perez)

There's some of that heart we'd been hoping the Flyers would show us. With the way they had been playing lately, once the Devils got a 2 goal lead over the Flyers on Monday night it seemed like the game was over. The Flyers team of the recent weeks hasn't shown much fight and has been perfectly willing to let supposedly better teams have their way on the ice.

Monday night was different, however. Despite their constant march to the penalty box, the Flyers fought back with 2 goals late in the second period to claw their way back to a tie and steal all the momentum in the game. What followed was an exciting third period filled with tense penalty kills, plenty of near misses, a few amazing saves and the game winning goal by Mike Richards halfway into the period.

This was a big win for the Flyers as they managed to beat the first-place Devils with their new prize, Ilya Kovalchuk, who had 9 shots in the game but didn't register a point. Michael Leighton, who we may be seeing even more of as Ray Emery may be on the shelf for a while, turned in another solid performance as he made the big stops when he had to.

Of course, people may be talking a lot more about one incident on the ice than the outcome of the game. Yep, folks, we have another controversy over a Flyers hit. Moments after scoring a goal in the second period, Anssi Salmela was nailed by Jeff Carter and laid motionless on the ice. Carter was not whistled for a penalty on the play but you can bet the NHL will take a close look at this one:

My take? Carter shouldn't be suspended. Sure, it was a rough hit, but Carter didn't elbow Salmela and the fact that his face hit the ice is why the hit looked so bad. You can't penalize Carter for the hit just because Salmela scored, either, since Carter had no way of knowing if that shot was going to be stopped by Leighton. Luckily, word has come out that Salmela is ok after being stretchered off the ice.

Looking past the hit, the Flyers have given us hope once again. If they can play with the same passion they showed on the ice on Monday night, this team has a playoff run in them. I'm looking forward to seeing which Flyers team shows up when they face the Devils again on Wednesday.

The good Jeff Carter shows up for the Flyers against Columbus

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Stop me if you've heard this before: if Jeff Carter could ever find some consistency, he would be unstoppable. Carter looked dominant on the ice as he scored a pair of goals against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night to lead the Flyers to a 5-3 win. It was the 6th time this season Carter has 2 goals in a game, meaning 12 of his 19 goals have come in just 6 games. That has to be the very definition of inconsistent and it's what makes Carter a maddening player to root for. Some nights, he's completely invisible while other nights he's easily the best player on the ice. Take, for example, this degree of difficulty on this goal he scored on the faceoff against Columbus:

Now that is an impressive goal. If Carter could only sprinkle in just a few more one goal games into the mix and eliminate the games he just sleepwalks through he would go from being merely a good player to a great player. While we've been asking for consistency from Carter for years now, he is still only 25 years old so there is hope that he can grow into a better hockey player.

The game against the Blue Jackets was also Ray Emery's first win for the Flyers since November 16th. While he didn't look good on the three goals he let up, getting Emery back healthy and in good playing shape will be a big step for the Flyers as they make their playoff push.

Five Flyers to take part in 2010 Olympics, none for Team USA

Following the Winter Classic, USA Hockey announced the players that will represent the United States in the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver. Unfortunately, no Flyers were selected to play for Team USA. After their hot starts this season, both James van Riemsdyk and Matt Carle were believed to be in the running for a spot but both came up short. Goaltender Brian Boucher is the only other American on the Flyers roster and his injuries this season likely eliminated whatever slim chance he had of making the team.

There have been five Flyers selected by their respective countries to play in the Olympics in February, four of them defensemen:

Oskars Bartulis, D (Latvia)
Chris Pronger, D (Canada)
Mike Richards, C (Canada)
Kimmo Timonen, D (Finland)
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, D (Norway)

Jeff Carter was also chosen as an alternate for Canada.

Jeff Carter named only Flyers All Star

The Flyers roster is loaded with star players who are having excellent seasons this year. It all starts with Mike Richards, the team leader who is 13th in the league in points. Of course, there is also Jeff Carter, who is tied for the league lead in goals. Simon Gagne is also scoring goals at a high rate and is 11th in the league in goals scored. Defensively, Kimmo Timonen is 14th in the league in points for defensemen and is also excellent on the other end of the ice.

With all of these stars playing well for the first place Flyers, you would think most if not all of them would make the All Star team. Apparently the NHL and its fans think differently. No Flyer was voted to be a starter, instead 4 Canadiens were voted in because the Montreal fans, who are hosting the All Star game, stuffed the ballot box. The Flyers could've still had several reserves added to the roster but the NHL named the Eastern Conference reserves today and only one Flyer was on the list: Jeff Carter.

Carter is certainly deserving for the excellent numbers he is putting up but I have a hard time with Richards not being on the team. He is the best player on the Flyers team and plays both ends of the ice with intensity and passion. How can you have an All Star game when you are missing such a big star?

The main reason Richards, Gagne and Timonen were left off was due to the ballot-stuffing Canadiens fans. Montreal is a good team but there is no way they should have that many representatives. The most ridiculous Canadien voted in was goaltender Carey Price. You remember Price from last years playoffs, he was the kid the Flyers completely rattled and exposed him as a terrible goalie under pressure.

Several Flyers were robbed of All Star spots they deserved but I'm sure the players won't mind too much. Instead of going to Montreal and playing an extra game they can stay home and heal up for the stretch run. I'd rather have a healthy group of players that will lead the Flyers deep into the playoffs anyway.

Click here for a complete list of the NHL All Star rosters.

Flyers overcome Downie, Lightning in overtime

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The Flyers knew that Steve Downie would try to make his presence known in the physical portions of tonight's game but they probably didn't expect him to have as big an impact as he did in the scoring department. After getting his team in an early hole by taking a dumb penalty early (sound familiar Flyers fans?), Downie forced overtime by scoring a goal near the end of the 3rd period. The Flyers went on to win the game 4-3 in overtime when Mike Richards scored a beautiful goal, his second of the game, during a rare overtime powerplay.

Also scoring a pair of goals for the Flyers was the red-hot Jeff Carter. Carter now has 18 goals on the season which ties him for the league-lead with Thomas Vanek of Buffalo. Tonight was just more proof that Carter has finally broken out and become a star in the NHL.

Also from tonight's game, here's a video of the bizarre Scott Hartnell glove-throwing incident that happened at the end of the 3rd period. Can't say I've ever seen that happen before!


Tonight also marked Danny Briere's return to the ice after missing nearly a month. Briere only played 8 minutes and didn't have much of an impact before he had to leave the game. Briere likely felt soreness or re-aggravated his injury, either way the Flyers figure to ease him back into the line-up slowly as he continues to recover from his groin issues.

A game against the slumping Lightning was just what the Flyers needed to get back in the win column. The Flyers are starting to close in on the Penguins for second place in the Atlantic; they currently sit two points behind Pittsburgh. Everyone is still chasing the Rangers who have played three more games than the Flyers.

It's (finally) official: Jeff Carter signs with the Flyers

We knew that Jeff Carter was going to sign with the Flyers, we just didn't know when they would finally make it official. Well, it appears that Carter has finally signed the 3 year, 15 million dollar deal just a few days before he would have become a restricted free agent.

My thoughts on the signing are the same as before: I am happy to have Carter back in the fold, but the price is awfully high for a guy who has never scored 30 goals and will be a third line center. If he lives up to the flashes of potential that he showed in the playoffs, then he will be worth 5 million a year. If he continues his inconsistent play where he disappears for long stretches at a time, then the Flyers badly overpaid.

Flyers sign Jeff Carter: 3 years, 15 million

It hasn't been officially announced yet, but several reports have surfaced that the Flyers have signed restricted free agent Jeff Carter to a 3 year, 15 million dollar deal. While this removes the possibility of losing Carter to another team this off-season, 5 million a year for a player who has never scored 30 goals is a little steep. It also may price them out of signing any decent free agent defenseman, or even from bringing back R.J. Umberger, who continues to be the subject of trade talks.

I do like that Jeff Carter is coming back next year, and he did show flashes of brilliance in the playoffs, but I worry that the Flyers might have overpaid here. Carter has had a problem with consistency in his career, something that no player making 5 million a year should have. With Mike Richards and Danny Briere in the mix, Carter will also never be anything more than a third line center. Let's hope the Flyers don't end up regretting paying him like a first liner.