Flyers send Giroux, Kukkonen to minors to make room for Briere

The mass exodus of Flyers players continues as they make room for the return of Danny Briere. This time, luckily, the Flyers didn't have to outright waive players, but the latest moves are nevertheless shocking: Phenom Claude Giroux and defenseman Lasse Kukkonen were both sent to the Phantoms. The Flyers also called up defenseman Nate Guenin to play tomorrow against the Devils because Kimmo Timonen is sick and the team doesn't have enough healthy d-men.

Sending Giroux down is a perplexing move. He has been one of the Flyers best forwards for the last month and was just starting to hit his stride in the NHL. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren hinted that the Flyers would likely call Giroux back up once Timonen was healthy and Guenin could be sent down, but you would think the Flyers could have figured out another way to get rid of a few dollars, like sending Darroll Powe and Jared Ross down to the Phantoms. Losing Kukkonen isn't a big deal but it does leave the Flyers with no depth on the blue line.

The Flyers are playing a tough game with the salary cap. The move to acquire Matt Carle earlier in the season essentially left them with no choice but to get rid of several players once everyone was healthy. All of the mess they are in now could also hinder them as they try to make a move at the trade deadline. The Flyers are usually always one of the more active teams at the deadline, but they will need to dump some salary before they can make any kind of move for a quality player.

Let's hope that Claude Giroux will only play a few games with the Phantoms and that the Flyers can figure out a better solution to their salary cap woes. Giroux is ready for the NHL now and the Flyers would really be doing a disservice to his development if they make him play in the AHL.

It's official: Dawkins signs 5 year deal with Broncos

If this is what it would have taken to keep Brian Dawkins in Philly, maybe the Eagles were smart to let him go. Dawkins has officially signed with the Broncos, getting a 5 year, 17 million dollar deal. According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the deal could be worth as much as 27 million over the 5 years and it could also be reduced to 2 years, 9 million.

Really, Denver, 5 years? There is no way that the 35 year old Dawkins will be playing for 5 more seasons, so this deal is probably really just for the 2 year minimum. B-Dawk should be a solid player and a great leader over those 2 years.

The Eagles have now officially lost their heart and soul. The only positive to come from this move is they will now get signicantly younger on defense. The Birds are still way under the cap so it will be interesting to see what they do next to plug some of their holes.

Dawkins to the Broncos appears done

Bad news, Eagles fans. The signing that was off and on and back off again appears to be pretty much official: Brian Dawkins is going to sign with the Broncos. Barring some 11th hour offer, the Eagles are going to lose their defensive leader.

The story was initially leaked as a rumor by the San Francisco Chronicle and was then refuted by several sources, including Adam Schefter of NFL Network. Unfortunately, two reliable sources have come out late Friday night and confirmed that Dawkins has all but signed on the dotted line: Fox 29 of Philadelphia and Derrick Gunn of Comcast Sportsnet.

The shocking part about Dawkins leaving is the fact that the Eagles sit some 40 plus million dollars under the cap. You can't tell me they can't afford to pay Dawkins a few extra bucks over two years to let him retire an Eagle. We know that Dawkins isn't asking for a ton of money, he simply wants more than a one year deal.

The Eagles better have a plan up their sleeve about how they are going to make this team better because all they have done this offseason is lose players. Losing Correll Buckhalter, Lito Sheppard and L.J. Smith aren't huge blows but when you add in a veteran leader like Dawkins, you have to wonder if the team will remain one of the best in the NFC again next year.

I hope that it isn't true as much as the next Eagles fan, but it appears that Brian Dawkins will not be wearing Eagles green next season. Seeing him in a Broncos uniform is going to make me sick.

Lito Sheppard traded to the Jets

It looks like the Eagles will be losing at least one player from their secondary today. No, there is no confirmation yet that Brian Dawkins has signed with the Broncos. Instead, disgruntled cornerback Lito Sheppard, who has been on the trading block for about a year, is about to be traded to the New York Jets. Sheppard has wanted out of Philly ever since the Birds brought in Asante Samuel, and with the recent signing of Joselio Hansen to a long-term deal, the writing was on the wall that Sheppard was a goner.

There is no word yet on what the Eagles would receive in return for Sheppard. Anything above a third round pick would be a surprise. Sheppard would step right in and be a starter in New York. I guess one team's garbage is another team's gold.

Updated: It's now official. Lito to the Jets for a 2009 5th round pick and a conditional 2010 pick. That's even less than I thought they would get for Lito.

Brian Dawkins is a Bronco?

It's now official (?). Brian Dawkins has signed with the Denver Broncos. The Eagles were too cheap to offer a multi-year deal to a guy that has given everything he had to the team so he left town. Yet another Philly legend will end his career in another place. Good luck, B-Dawk, and thanks for everything you have done for the Birds. You were the heart and soul of the defense and you truly bled Eagles green.

In other news, the Eagles will now start Quintin Demps at free safety.

Update: Not so fast! There are a ton of conflicting reports out there about whether Dawkins has actually signed with the Broncos. The original story came from the San Francisco Chronicle (why would they be the one breaking it?), but Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that no deal has been signed and that Dawkins hasn't even landed in Denver yet. Stay tuned, B-Dawk may not be a Bronco. Yet.

Update #2: Well, now it's official. Dawkins is a Bronco.

Smith, Buckhalter, Considine on the move, Dawkins next to leave the Eagles?

Day one of NFL Free Agency is always filled with rumors and speculation about where each player is going to land. The Eagles have signed only one player so far but there is plenty of news about players who are leaving town. So far, the Eagles have either lost or are close to losing L.J. Smith, Correll Buckhalter and Sean Considine. There is also word that Brian Dawkins is off visiting another team.

L.J. Smith is expected to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles never had any intention of bringing back their former "franchise tag" player. Smith was nothing but a disapointment in his years in Philly, he was so full of promise but he just couldn't hang on to the ball. Brent Celek is currently the starting tight end.

Correll Buckhalter is also expected to leave town and sign with the Denver Broncos. Buck wants a chance at a starting gig and should get a chance to compete for one in Denver. The Eagles had some interest in bringing Buckhalter back, but only at the right price. You can bet the Broncos offered more years and more money than the Birds were willing to offer. The Eagles are now left to search for a backup running back. There are rumors that Derrick Ward of the Giants may come in for a visit.

In a move that won't upset any Eagles fan, safety Sean Considine has set up a visit with the Jaguars. It will be the ultimate move of addition by subtraction, anyone who watched Considine play last year knows that he is just not a good football player.

Finally, there was also some bad news for the Eagles. Free agent safety Brian Dawkins was offered a one year deal by the Birds but he has yet to accept it. Instead, he is on his way to Denver to visit the Broncos. Dawkins is likely seeing if he can get a multi-year deal and he may also be putting pressure on the Eagles to up the offer. I would still put my money on Dawkins returning to Philly for one last season.

There is no other word on any players the Eagles have interest in. You can bet they are talking to several free agents but they are very good about not letting word leak out until they are ready to sign.