Flyers acquire rights to defenseman Hamhuis

The season is barely over and the Flyers are already looking to upgrade their defense, acquiring the rights to free agent defenseman Dan Hamhuis and a conditional 2011 draft pick from the Predators in exchange for defenseman Ryan Parent. The Flyers will now have exclusive rights to sign Hamhuis until July 1st when he becomes an unrestricted free agent that any team can sign.

If the Flyers can sign Hamhuis, it could give them the best Top 5 defensemen in the league. Hamhuis, who was widely regarded as the best all-around defenseman on the free agent market, has played 6 years for the Predators and averaged about 27 points a season while having a plus/minus of +3. His addition would mean that the Flyers have someone they can actually trust in their third defense pairing.

Of course, signing Hamhuis and keeping everyone else in the fold could be tricky. With the Flyers already looking at a tight cap situation and Hamhuis wanting a raise on the 2 million dollars he made last season, someone will have to go from the current Flyer roster. Unfortunately, that someone could be fellow defenseman Braydon Coburn, who is a restricted free agent and looking for a big raise from the 1.3 million he made last year. If that's the case, the Hamhuis acquisition could be a sign that the Flyers don't think they can afford to keep Coburn.

The big picture on this deal is that for the small price of Ryan Parent, a defenseman who didn't figure in the Flyers plans, the Flyers have possibly added a Top 4 defenseman who will stretch the Flyers blue liners into one of the best in the league. Should the Flyers fail to sign Hamhuis, a scenario I would say is unlikely, they still get a draft pick out of the deal from Nashville.

What the Flyers do next to make room for Hamhuis will be very interesting. Do they try to trade one of the forwards, like a Jeff Carter, to make cap room or will they simply let Coburn walk? With the Flyers loaded at center and Carter lacking a no-trade clause, is it finally time for his 5 million dollar salary to be shipped out of town? If they don't shed some major salary from the current roster, bringing in another player that commands a multi-million dollar contract doesn't bode well for the Flyers getting a top goalie in this offseason. Who needs a top goalie, anyway, when you've got the best Top 5 defensemen in the league?

Flyers activate Parent, waive Syvret

With the Olympics winding down (USA! USA!), the NHL is getting ready to ramp up once again. Teams have already begun practicing and games are starting up again Monday, a little over 24 hours after the Gold Medal Game. Oh, and then there's the trade deadline, which is just 3 days away, on March 3rd. It's going to be a wild few days of roster moves as teams position themselves for a playoff run.

The Flyers made their first post-Olympic roster moves today, activating defenseman Ryan Parent, who has been on injured reserve since December 26th, and waiving defenseman Danny Syvret, who has also been on injured reserve. Syvret was likely just about ready to come back from his injury, but, since the acquisition of Lukas Krajicek, he has been pushed back to the 8th d-man in the organization. Syvret only makes 575,000 and is a serviceable defenseman so I wouldn't be surprised if he was claimed.

The waiving of Syvret could be a move by the Flyers to free up some cap space prior to the trade deadline. While Syvret's salary is small, every bit of money helps when you are a team close to the cap like the Flyers. What the Flyers might pursuing at the deadline is a mystery, however. They seem pretty set with depth at forward and on defense and I doubt they will make a move for a top goaltender. Basically, don't get your hopes up that the Flyers will do anything major in the coming days, what you see might be what you get for the playoffs.

Flyers sign D-man Lukas Krajicek

The Flyers may have finally found that NHL-caliber depth defenseman they were looking for. After injuries to Ryan Parent and Danny Syvret, the Flyers were left with a third defensive pairing of the slumping Oskars Bartulis and the ineffective Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. Clearly knowing that the pair wasn't good enough on a team with playoff aspirations, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had desperately been searching for defensive help via a trade. Finding the asking price too high in a market where everyone is looking for a d-man, Holmgren went a different route and has signed recently waived former Ligthning defenseman Lukas Krajicek for the remainder of the season.

Krajicek, who was a former first round pick back in 2001, passed through waivers and was released by the Lightning and now figures to be a solid 6th or 7th defenseman with the Flyers. At 6 foot 3 and 205 pounds, he's not a big d-man but he will stay at home and protect the net. With only 70 career points in 301 NHL games with the Panthers, Canucks and Lightning, Krajicek isn't going to be an offensive threat. While he hasn't proven to be worth the first round pick the Panthers used on him 9 years ago, Krajicek is only 26 and can still be a solid contributor in the back end.

To make room for Krajicek, the Flyers sent forward Mika Pyorala to the minors. Pyorala will get the ice time he wasn't getting in the NHL with Adirondack.

The bottom line with this deal was the Flyers found a slight upgrade on defense for a cheap price. Since Krajicek was released by Tampa Bay, it's likely the Flyers signed him to something close to the league minimum, giving the Flyers a limited cap hit for some defensive depth. Given how Bartulis and Tollefsen have played recently, Krajicek has an opportunity to work his way into some decent ice time. What happens if/when Parent and Syvret come back is another story, but Krajicek certainly has a chance to stick as the 7th d-man come playoff time. If the Flyers make the playoffs.

Flyers defenseman Ryan Parent out 12 to 14 weeks, door open for Sbisa?

The Flyers season kicks off on Saturday against the New York Rangers but the Flyers have already received some bad news on the injury front. Ryan Parent, a young defenseman who was expected to slide into the Flyers lineup this season, will have surgery to repair a torn labrum that he suffered earlier in the preseason. Parent will miss 12 to 14 weeks, putting his return sometime around the All Star break. Parent played 22 regular games with the Flyers last season and 4 playoff games and appeared poised to take on a bigger role with the club. He's still only 21 so the Flyers are smart to be cautious with him and look out for his long-term health.

With the loss of Parent, it appears more and more likely that 18 year-old first round pick Luca Sbisa will make the team coming out of camp. Sbisa has looked impressive in the preseason and certainly doesn't look like an 18 year-old out on the ice. The situation with Sbisa is tricky for the Flyers because, with his young age, if he doesn't play with the big club he has to play with a junior team. He can't play for the Phantoms. And, if Sbisa starts the season with the Flyers and plays in 10 games, he must stay with the club for the entire season and can't be returned to a junior team. I would bet that the Flyers start the season with Sbisa on the club and see how he does for a few games and then re-assess if they should send him down and call up someone else from the Phantoms, like Danny Syvret who the Flyers just sent down today. If Sbisa doesn't play much with the Flyers anyway he should just get sent down and we'll see him again next year when he can take on a bigger role.

It's Time for the Flyers to Bounce Back

I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but the Flyers need this one. The Tampa Bay Lightning come to Philly today to take on the Flyers. Tampa is the worst team in the Eastern Conference, but they have played well lately, winning 3 of their last 4 games. Here are some news and notes from around the rink.

*Ryan Parent Called Up With Braydon Coburn's butt injury and the so-so play of Lasse Kukkonen, the Flyers have called up rookie defenseman Ryan Parent. The 20 year old made his NHL debut last year, playing in one game. You may remember Parent from the Peter Forsberg trade last year; he came with Scottie Upshall to Philly in the deal. The Flyers have been talking about acquiring a puck-moving d-man, and that's exactly what Parent is. This kid will be great in a few years, and it will be fun to see how he adapts to the NHL level.

*Injury Update Simon Gagne and Upshall are still not ready to come back. Gagne looks to be out at least another two weeks, while Upshall might be ready to play this weekend against Montreal.

*More New Lines Bill Meltzer posted the lines for tonights game over at Hockeybuzz.com:

Umberger - Briere - Lupul
Hartnell - Richards - Downie
Greentree - Carter - Knuble
Cote - Dowd - Kapanen

Timonen - Vandermeer
Hatcher - Jones
Smith - Parent

Kyle Greentree actually looked pretty good the other day. He was big and strong, and has a good feel for the game. There might be a spot for him if he can carve out a role for himself.

*Forsberg Delays Return Forsberg asked for more time to make his decision about returning to the NHL. This story is getting to the point where I won't report anything until he actually signs. Forsberg is turning into the distraction that he was for the Flyers last year when no one knew when he was going to play. Initially I thought he would be a great addition to the Flyers, but it may not be worth all of the headaches.