Flyers interested in bringing back Ray Emery?

I'm not sure where he would fit in, but, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Flyers are one of three teams interested in signing goaltender Ray Emery, who is ready to make his return to hockey. Where Emery would fit in on a team that already has Sergei Bobrovksy and Brian Boucher, not to mention Michael Leighton in the AHL, is beyond me.

While Emery expects to start in the AHL as he begins his comeback, I'm not sure there is even enough ice time for him with Adirondack. Perhaps the Flyers are thinking about signing Emery to a multi-year deal, letting him play out the season in the AHL and then promote him to backup goaltender next year after Brian Boucher's contract runs out.

According to Dreger, teams are looking to sign Emery in the next 48 hours, so we will see very soon whether this is just another rumor or if the Flyers really want to muddle up their goaltending situation even more.

Ray Emery done for the year, goalie trade coming?

The NHL trade deadline just got a little more interesting for the Flyers, who announced that Ray Emery, who was placed on the long-term injury reserve yesterday, will miss the rest of the season. Emery, who has been in and out of the lineup all year long, will have surgery on his right hip.

What this means for the Flyers at the trade deadline is unclear. Do they have confidence that Michael Leighton can carry the team for the rest of the season or do they need to make a move for a proven starter? With names like Dan Ellis and Dwayne Roloson supposedly available, might the Flyers try to move out one of their proven forwards for a little more insurance in net?

Personally, I wouldn't be confident that the Flyers could make a deep run in the playoffs with Leighton. Sure, he has been good in the short term, but can the goalie, who was waiver wire fodder not too long ago, really carry a team on his back? I have my doubts but I would love to see it happen.

As for Emery, this could very likely end his time with the Flyers. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and I can't see the Flyers sinking big money into a goalie with serious hip issues. He may never be the same goalie again and there is no reason for the Flyers to take a chance on him.

Let the speculation begin: Marty Turco to the Flyers?

Let's make a deal! The Dallas Stars acquired Kari Lehtonen on Tuesday night, meaning they are likely going to trade former starting goaltender Marty Turco. The Flyers, on the other hand, are unsure as to when Ray Emery will be able to return to the ice and could conceivably look to trade for a goalie to take his place. Seems like we have perfect trading partners in the Stars and Flyers, right?

Wrong. Despite the rumors you might be hearing, Turco coming to the Flyers is purely speculation by the media at this point, mostly because it doesn't make any sense. Sure, if Emery is out for the rest of the season, the Flyers might look around for another goaltender, but they already have Michael Leighton doing a pretty solid job in net. Plus, adding Turco and his mammoth salary (5.7 million) to the roster simply doesn't work unless the Flyers trade Danny Briere or Scott Hartnell, two players who have no-trade clauses. Trading Jeff Carter would also work but if the Flyers were unwilling to part with Carter to get a stud like Ilya Kovalchuk, they won't move him to get an old goalie.

Would I like to see the Flyers trade Briere or Hartnell for Turco? Of course, getting rid of either salary would be a great move for the cap-strapped Flyers and getting a quality goalie in return would be a bonus. Will it happen? Nope. Just like the Ilya Kovalchuk rumors from last week, these rumors are completely baseless. The Flyers simply can't afford to add anyone with that kind of salary at this time.

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.

Ray Emery is set to return Saturday. Who's the backup?

Ray Emery is back! Emery, who hasn't played since December 5th after he had abdominal surgery, is ready to take the ice again for the Flyers. His return comes ahead of schedule as he was expected to be out until later this month but Emery feels well enough to play and will likely be back in net on Saturday when the Flyers take on the Lightning.

Hopefully Emery's return (with a cool new mask) will be a spark for the Flyers, who, despite playing better recently, still find themselves on the outside looking in for a playoff spot. The other hope with Emery is that he isn't rushing back so quickly that he is risking further injury. Emery is likely pushing himself to get back because he will be a free agent after this season and he wants to play as many games as possible so he can boost his value on the market.

The other story surrounding the return of Ray Emery is who the Flyers backup goalie will be. Brian Boucher was the backup to Emery earlier in the season but recent waiver addition Michael Leighton has played surprisingly well in net recently when Boucher missed time due to injury. Now that Boucher is healthy, the Flyers find themselves with three goaltenders for two spots. It's an interesting situation because, while Boucher is the better goaltender, he is also more expensive. Leighton has played well recently and carries a paltry salary but can the Flyers trust him as the full-time starter if Emery goes down again?

The likely short-term solution for the Flyers would be to keep three goalies until Emery proves that he is capable of handling a full load. At some point, however, I would expect the Flyers to waive Leighton and return to the Emery/Boucher tandem. The recent run of Michael Leighton has been solid but flukey. The Flyers have to go with the best two goalies they have.

Ray Emery pays homage to Flyer goaltending greats with new mask

Ray Emery isn't quite ready to suit up for the Flyers just yet, but when he does, he will be sporting a sweet new mask. As you know, his old mask featured boxers with ties to Philadelphia, but his new mask pays homage to the great Flyers goaltenders from the past, specifically Bernie Parent, Pelle Lindbergh and Ron Hextall. All of these images are from @CSNFlyer on Twitter.The back of Emery's new mask will also feature boxing gloves, the Liberty bell and the famous Broad and Pattison street signs. It's safe to say this is the best mask ever.

Flyers sign goaltender John Grahame to minor league tryout

With Ray Emery out for several more weeks, rumors have been going around that the Flyers are looking for a new backup goaltender to Brian Boucher, their current starter. The Flyers current backup goalie is Johan Backlund but the Flyers would like to add someone who actually has some experience in the NHL. Apparently several NHL teams have been scouting the Flyers recently so a deal could go down any day now.

The Flyers did make one move today at goalie but it wasn't for a spot in the NHL. John Grahame, who last played under current Flyers coach Peter Laviolette with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008, has been signed to a minor league tryout with the Phantoms. Grahame had been playing in a local men's league this year after spending 8 years in the NHL with three different teams.

While Grahame is believed to just be an option for the AHL and won't be considered in the running for a backup to Boucher, one has to believe that, given his ties to Laviolette, if Grahame looks impressive in the AHL he will get the call. While he isn't the best goaltender out there, Grahame at least has plenty of experience and would really only play sparingly. For now, though, Grahame will take over the AHL role that was vacant after Backlund was called up.

The signing of Grahame won't take the Flyers out of the running for a goalie on the trade market. Look at him simply as insurance should Boucher go down as well. Needless to say, if the Flyers are at any point counting on Grahame to do much of anything in the NHL, their already sinking season has completely tanked.

Flyers lose Emery for 6 weeks

It just gets worse and worse for the Flyers. Already mired in a slump that has seen them lose 8 of their last 9 games, the Flyers got some news today that certainly won't help them climb out of their funk: goaltender Ray Emery will be out 6 weeks. Emery, who uncharacteristically played only 1 of the last 4 games for the Flyers, will have abdominal surgery to repair a torn muscle.

Losing Emery is a pretty big blow to the Flyers but the surgery should help him bounce back from his recent woes. Emery started out the season playing one of the best goalies in the league before fading in the recent weeks; the Flyers think having surgery will get Emery back to playing at the top of his game.

In his absence, the Flyers will go with Brian Boucher in net. Johan Backlund was also called up to be the backup. Boucher hasn't been great for the Flyers this year but he is certainly a capable backup that won't win you a lot of games but he won't lose them, either.

A perfect start to the Flyers season

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

A win. 2 power play goals. A shutout. Perfect on the penalty kill. A fight. Could you have asked for anything more in the Flyers season debut?

The Flyers started off their 2009 season with a 2-0 road win against the Hurricanes in a game that was filled with positives for the team. The Flyers got their goals from two familiar faces, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, but there were several standout players new to the team this year. New goaltender Ray Emery started his Flyers career off in the best way possible, stopping 28 shots and posting a shutout. Other newcomers Chris Pronger (2 hits, 3 blocked shots) and James van Riemsdyk (1 assist, 3 shots) also had good nights as the Flyers played a complete game of hockey.

Another Flyer who played well in his debut was 4th liner Blair Betts. If you want to know why Flyers fans were so happy when the team signed the guy, just look at his 6 minutes of perfect penalty killing and the fact that he was the only Flyer with a faceoff win % above 50 (56%). Betts is the perfect role player for this team; he won't put up big numbers but he will do all the little things that win hockey games.

The only negative that I take from tonight's game was that van Riemsdyk needs more ice time if he is going to develop. JVR had 8 minutes 59 seconds of ice time tonight, third lowest on the team behind Danny Syvret and Dan Carcillo. While I did like his nearly 2 minutes of power play time, if the Flyers want to keep JVR in the NHL for this entire season, they will need to play him more.

All in all,it was the perfect start to a promising Flyers season. I think we are in store for a fun year.

The Hockey News picks the Flyers to win the Stanley Cup

I just got some good Flyers news via my mailbox. The Hockey News 2009-10 Yearbook arrived, and while at first I was sickened by the picture of Sidney Crosby on the cover, I was happy the moment I flipped to the section where they make their predictions. According to THN, the Flyers will win the Stanley Cup!

The magazine predicted the Flyers to finish 4th the East, just behind the Penguins, but thinks Philly is built to make a run for the Cup. While THN does express concern with Ray Emery in net, they feel he will be sufficiently motivated by his one year contract with the Flyers to put in a good season. Couple that with what The Hockey News calls a group of forwards that are "the envy of the league" and "one of the deepest and best bluelines", and the Flyers have all the makings of a Stanley Cup winner.

As for the Flyers opponent in the Finals, THN doesn't make a pick, although they pick the Sharks to finish atop the Western Conference standings. They also think the Red Wings have a great shot at a third straight trip to the Finals.

The Hockey News goes further into depth on the Flyers, saying they could finish as high as 1st in the East if everything goes right and as low as 7th if Emery is terrible and they have a rash of injuries. They also list several Flyers in their "Top 50" player list, including Jeff Carter (14), Chris Pronger (23), Mike Richards (28) and Simon Gagne (48), and two Flyers also made the "Top 25 Players Under 25" list: Mike Richards (9) and Jeff Carter (15).

The Hockey News is a highly reputable source, so the fact that they love the Flyers is a good thing, however, as we all know, predictions are meaningless. On paper, the Flyers appear to have one of the better teams in the league. Their forward and defensemen depth is nearly unmatched and they are the grittiest team in the league, but none of that matters if they don't get strong goaltending or a few key players get injured.

That being said, it's nice to know the Flyers are in the mix and that hockey experts think they have what it takes to win it all. Stanley Cups aren't won in August, but it sure feels good to know the Flyers are the best team on paper.

Ray Emery unveils Philly-inspired goalie mask

If the mask truly represents the man, new Flyers goaltender Ray Emery is going to quickly become a fan favorite here in Philadelphia. The official Flyers Twitter, @Flyersonthefly, unveiled Emery's new mask, which features three local boxing heroes, two real and one fictional. On the two sides of Emery's mask, he features pictures of Philly's own Bernard Hopkins (above) and Joe Frazier (below).
On the back of his mask, Emery also has a picture of Rocky.
Emery is a big boxing fan and is known as a goalie who is always willing to drop the gloves, so this is the perfect mask for him. He earns a ton of bonus points for showing respect to his new city, now let's hope he earns a whole bunch more from his play on the ice.

Flyers bring back Brian Boucher as backup

Brian Boucher is back! The goaltender, who played for the Flyers from 1999 to 2002, signed a 2 year contract with the Flyers worth 1.85 million dollars. Boucher, who has also played for the Coyotes, Flames, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Sharks, will backup Ray Emery in net. He played for the Sharks last season, posting a 2.18 goals against average and a .917 save percentage in 22 games.

Boucher is best known in Philly for the being the goaltender when the Flyers made a deep run in the playoffs back in 2000. He should excel as a back-up, although I would be worried if he has to play more than 25 games or so. Should something happen to Emery, like an injury or a mental breakdown, Boucher isn't the answer for the Flyers in net.

The Flyers have now completely overhauled their goaltending situation, replacing Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki with Emery and Boucher. It's hard to say that the new goalies are actually better than Biron and Niitty, but they certainly come at the right price. The Flyers really need to figure out their long-term situation in net, going year-to-year with cheap veterans isn't a plan that wins Stanley Cups.

Flyers scraping the bottom of the goalie barrel: Robert Esche is on their radar

No, that article title isn't an error. And, no, All Things Philly Sports hasn't crashed and reverted back to a blog post from 2005. The Flyers are really interested in bringing back goaltender Robert Esche.

The Flyers recently signed Ray Emery, and while I made it pretty clear that I was against the move, they were smart to save money and get a goalie who could be as good, if not better, than Martin Biron, who would have cost several million dollars more. The latest news on who the Flyers want to back up Emery is ridiculous, however, and really speaks to just how cheap the Flyers really want to be with their goalies. According to TSN, the team is believed to be in pursuit of Robert Esche, who last played for the Flyers in the 2006-2007 season, to be their backup goaltender. Esche left the Flyers in 2007 to go play in Russia and hasn't been back to the NHL since. At 31, Esche isn't that old, and he did put up a sub-2.00 goals against average in the KHL last season, but the Flyers are really grasping at straws with this one.

Signing Esche for a million bucks to be their backup goaltender may sound good on paper, and it will make nostalgic fans happy, but how insane would the Flyers have to be to think they can enter a season with a pair of goaltenders who have been out of the league for the past few seasons? When/if Ray Emery implodes, do the Flyers really feel confident that Esche can step into the crease and be the same goalie that led them to the Eastern Conference Finals the year before the lockout? Do they not remember that the last time Esche played goal in the NHL he had a goals against average over 4?

Signing a pair of former NHL goaltenders from Russia for around a million bucks each is a pretty crazy strategy. If it somehow works, GM Paul Holmgren and the Flyers will look like geniuses. If it fails, they could be the laughingstock of the NHL. This Flyers team is on the cusp of being an elite NHL team and skimping on goaltending isn't the thing that will bump them up to the top. I understand that if they save on goalies, they can get a better group of defensemen on the roster, but what good are better defensemen if the guy behind them can't stop the puck?

Goodbye, Marty: Flyers to sign Ray Emery

Well, the Flyers didn't take my advice. Back in May, rumors began to surface that the Flyers were in discussions with goaltender Ray Emery about being the starter in net for the Flyers next season. Emery is a headcase who has been essentially banished to Russia, so I advised the Flyers to stay away from Emery and his poor attitude. Unfortunately they didn't listen to me, and it appears that Emery is headed to Philadelphia, which means we can say goodbye to both free agent goalies Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki.

According to Tim Panaccio, word has spread around the NHL that the Flyers are deep in discussions with Emery and, barring a last-minute breakdown, will sign the goalie when free agency opens in July. Emery last played for a team in the KHL, a Russian League, after being waived by the Ottawa Senators in 2008 for his poor off-ice behavior. He led the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, so he has the ability, it's simply a question of whether he can straighten up and play his best and not be a distraction.

This move could easily turn out to be a coup for the Flyers, or it could blow up in their face. I would guess that Emery is willing to play for less than the Flyers would have had to sign Marty Biron for, so they will save some money to be used on other players. But, if Emery should be the distraction he was in Ottawa, the Flyers will be left with no one to step in, since the backup is likely going to be Johan Backlund, also signed away from a non-NHL team.

The Flyers are employing an interesting, although backwards, strategy with their goaltenders. The signing of Emery screams of a move to save salary by signing someone out of the league, and that gives them two goaltenders for next year that are relatively cheap. The Flyers are choosing to spend as little money as possible on goaltending, which just so happens to be the most important position in hockey. If this gamble pays off, they will look like geniuses. If it doesn't, Paul Holmgren should be fired.

Goaltender Ray Emery is on the Flyers radar, let's hope they stay away

After a quick exit out of the playoffs, the Flyers have some serious work to do to in the offseason to fix all of the holes on their roster. The Flyers find themselves with too many forwards signed to big, long term contracts and not enough quality defensemen on the roster. They somehow need to turn a forward or two into solid defensive players. Of course, their biggest need in the offseason is a starting goaltender, since currently they don't even have a goalie on the roster: both Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki are unrestricted free agents.

While common sense would point to the Flyers re-signing Biron and allowing recently signed Johan Backlund be the back-up when Niittymaki signs elsewhere, apparently the Flyers are looking at other options. Rumors have surfaced that the Flyers have had discussions with hothead goaltender Ray Emery, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, with the idea of bringing him in as the starting goaltender. Emery did lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, but has since been basically banished to the KHL, a Russian League, after Ottawa waived him for poor play and bad off-ice behavior in 2008. Emery did have a stellar season in the KHL, putting up a 22-8 record and a sparkling 2.12 goals against average, and by all reports his behavior has improved. Still, how can the Flyers be seriously considering handing this guy the keys to the net?

If Emery has straightened out his act, he can be a good goaltender in the NHL. That's a mighty big if, though, and it's a huge risk for a team that has so many good, young players and appears to be on the doorstep of being an elite team. Is Martin Biron really that bad? At least with Marty, you know he's a team guy, even if his play has been uneven. I'd rather have a guy like Biron in net even if his level of play is a little lower than a guy like Emery, who has the potential to completely disrupt the team.

Ray Emery should only be a desperation option for the Flyers. If both Antero Niittymaki and Martin Biron sign elsewhere, or if they are asking for too much money, then the Flyers should take a risk with someone like Emery. Otherwise, there is no sense in ruining the team chemistry and bringing in Emery just for the small chance that he has straightened himself out. Let another team ruin their season by wasting their time and money on Ray Emery. Move along, Flyers.