Flyers News and Notes

A couple of quick news items about the Flyers as they gear up for tomorrow's game with the Ottawa Senators, who surprisingly just fired their coach.

*Holmgren hints more was in the works Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was on WIP yesterday and hinted that on Deadline Day the Flyers had a more significant deal on the table that fell through. Holmgren would not confirm who he was after, but he did say it was an option he will look to revisit in the offseason. It is possible that Holmgren was working on a deal for Olli Jokinen, Brian Campbell or Brad Richards, and he will try to sign or acquire them in the offseason.

*Modry Out It didn't take long for Jaroslav Modry to fit in with the rest of this banged up club. He will be out for 1 to 2 weeks with a rotator cuff strain.

*Denis Gauthier Up? There is talk that defenseman Denis Gauthier will be called up to replace Modry. This is a tricky move because Gauthier would have to clear waivers before re-joining the Flyers. He could easily be claimed and the Flyers would have to look to someone else to fill in on the blueline.

*Brian Boucher Era Ends, Again Former playoff hero Brian Boucher, who had been playing with the Phantoms, was given away to the San Jose Sharks, who have guaranteed him an NHL contract. The Flyers want to give the goaltender a chance to play for an NHL team again, so they didn't ask for anything in return. Boucher played for the Flyers from 1999 to 2002. He was originally traded in 2002 to the Phoenix Coyotes for Michael Handzus and Robert Esche. That turned out to be quite a deal for the Flyers.

Jaroslav Modry a Flyer

The Flyers finally made a move to shore up their defense, acquiring Jaroslav Modry, age 36, from the Los Angeles Kings for a third round pick. According to TSN, Modry is a "quietly effective player in the offensive zone" and has "excellent instincts". Looking at Modry's stats the last few years, he doesn't put up big points, but he is usually on the positive side in the plus/minus department.

This is not a move that will get most Flyer fans excited. Coming off the heels of the news that the Flyers are interested in Tomas Kaberle, this move could be looked at as somewhat disappointing. However, the Flyers got a steady veteran who has some limited playoff experience. With Derian Hatcher out for a few more weeks, Modry makes a nice addition to a depleted back end. A third round pick seems like a reasonable thing to give up for a steadying presence.