Laperriere wins the Masterton Award

Ian Laperriere was the lone Flyer to win an award for the 2010-11 season and he didn't even play in a single game. Lappy, who last played in the 2010 Stanley Cup run, has won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an award given for perseverance and sportsmanship. It's pretty fair to call it a lifetime achievement award for Lappy, who has been the ultimate team guy throughout his entire career. The other finalists for the award were former Flyers Ray Emery and Daymond Langkow.

Despite the award, I wouldn't count on Lappy returning to the Flyers or even playing hockey ever again. Already 37 and still not fully recovered from taking a slapshot to the face, it might take a miracle to get him back on the ice.

No other Flyer was even a finalist for any other NHL award. Future (hopefully) Flyer Ilya Bryzgalov finished 6th in the voting for the Vezina award.

Flyers lose Leighton, Laperriere to injury

It must be hockey season because the Flyers have problems in net! In a conference call today, Paul Holmgren announced that Flyers starting goaltender Michael Leighton will miss about a month of the season with a bulging disc in his back. In his absence, the Flyers will likely go with Brian Boucher as the starter and either Johan Backlund or preseason sensation Sergei Bobrovsky as the backup.

In even worse news, the Flyers also announced that Ian Laperriere will be out indefinitely due to post-concussion issues that are still bothering him from the playoffs last season. There was no announced timetable for a return for Lappy, but given that he's still hurting from an injury from last season, expect him to be placed on the long-term injured reserve and miss a significant chunk of the season. With Lappy out, a roster spot is all but guaranteed for training camp invite Bill Guerin. While Guerin won't replace Lappy's toughness, he will certainly provide more offensive punch.

With the season just over a week away, this wasn't exactly the news we all were hoping to hear. Then again, it wouldn't be Flyers hockey without a goalie issue.

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.

Glue gone: Flyers lose Laperriere for the playoffs

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It's going to be quite an uphill battle for the Flyers if they want to continue their playoff run. Injuries have already taken a toll with this team, what with Jeff Carter out for the playoffs and Simon Gagne out for at least the next round, but now we can add another body to the injury pile: Ian Laperriere will likely miss the rest of the playoffs with a brain contusion.

Lappy, who was hit by a puck when blocking a shot against the Devils in Game 5, will certainly be missed by the Flyers. His absence in the lineup is going to hurt, especially if/when the Flyers find themselves on the penalty kill a handful of times a game in the next round. Against a team like the Capitals, one of their possible opponents in Round 2, losing Lappy could be a huge blow.

While he doesn't score goals and he doesn't make the pretty passes, Ian Laperriere is the kind of player every team needs in the playoffs. He's one of the glue guys who kills penalties, blocks shots, shadows top-scoring forwards on the other team and generally plays the tough minutes. The Flyers don't have anyone on the roster who will be able to step in and do all of those things; instead, they have to hope for a combination of players to step into bigger roles.

Winning a Stanley Cup is truly a war of attrition and the Flyers find themselves losing the injury battle. All is not lost for the Flyers but their depth is really going to be put to the test by whoever they play in the next round.

Ian Laperriere signs 3 year deal with Flyers

And the Flyers 12th forward is..... 35 year old Ian Laperriere, who signed a 3 year, 3.5 million dollar deal with the Flyers. Laperriere, a right wing, is an NHL journeyman, having played for 4 teams in his 15 year NHL career. He most recently played for the Avalanche, putting up 19 points in 74 games last season in Colorado. Laperriere is your typical 3rd or 4th line player who will muck and grind along the boards, and he is also known to get in a few scraps, having dropped the gloves 17 times last season, including once against Scott Hartnell:

Overall, I'm not that impressed with this signing. Laperriere plays with a lot of heart, but the Flyers didn't really need another checker with a tendency to drop the gloves, they already have Arrron Asham, Daniel Carcillo and Riley Cote. Of course, if this signing means the end of Cote on the Flyers, I would understand it more. The Flyers had greater needs at forward, like a center who could win some faceoffs, rather than yet another guy who is tough to play against.

This signing likely marks the end of the Flyers free agent moves. They have very little money left, so they would likely have to move a player or two if they wanted to sign anyone else. Here is the roster as of now, updated from the other day:

Forwards (12): Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell, Daniel Carcillo, Andreas Nodl, Claude Giroux, Arron Asham, Riley Cote, Darroll Powe, Ian Laperriere Possible 13th forward: Jared Ross, James van Riemsdyk, Jonathon Kalinski

Defensemen (6): Chris Pronger, Braydon Coburn, Kimmo Timonen, Randy Jones, Ryan Parent, Matt Carle Possible 7th defenseman: Danny Syvret

Goalies (2): Ray Emery, Brian Boucher

With the recent loss of Mike Knuble, James van Riemsdyk might be counted on to jump onto one of the top three lines. He wouldn't be the 13th forward if he actually made the team.