Now that a week has passed, the moving of two of the Flyers top 5 players has settled in a little more...
I still think the Carter deal was a great deal for the team. Moving Carter for a solid 2/3rd liner in Voracek, along with the #8 pick and a 3rd round in the draft sounded decent enough, and sounds much better when you realized that freed up the salary to sign Ilya Bryzgalov. Carter was an invisible post-season player, and caused the team headaches outside of the well, but also wasn't praised amongst the Flyers locker room. Courtier is a hot prospect, and should one day be a NHL forward. Only the future will tell how good he will become. Flyers got a steal snagging him at the 8 spot.
And we can all sleep a little easier now.
Now for the Richards deal, one that's still a little tough to swallow. But I am not one to criticize too much, Paul Holmgren is not an idiot. I seriously believe that there was locker room issues with Richards, and he had some off-ice issues as well. Of course Lavs downplayed any issues with Richards, and so did the team. If they didn't downplay those issues, Richards could of been to hockey what Haynesworth has become to the NFL, just a great player who causes problems. Now I'm not saying Richards is half as bad as that overpaid man in DC, but the second you talk about issues with Richards, his value as a player drops.
On paper, LA got the better end of the deal. And to this day, they still did. Simmonds is a hard nose player that Philly fans will fall in love with....he's essentially a Dan Carcillo style player who focuses on offensive production a little more...but still isn't afraid to drop the gloves when the timing is right.
Brayden Schenn is the "Cam Newton/Kyrie Erving/Bryce Harper" of the NHL right now. It's hard to find people who say he isn't the best non-NHL prospect player in the world, and those who say he isn't put him in the top 5. While it's a lot of "what if's", there was a lot of the same questions when the Penguins drafted that kid named Sidney Crosby, and when the Flyers drafted that youngster out of Jersey named James Van Riemsdyk. I think Schenn will start and be an exciting youngster on this team, who has no ceiling. Who knows how good he will become.
Everyone is also fast to forget that, July 1st is tomorrow. The Flyers have enough money to sign 2 quality 2nd/3rd line players, and if they drop a guy like Bobrovsky (who will be by far the highest paid backup goalie), they do have the money for a name like Stamkos. While again that's unlikely, it was also unlikely the Flyers would get rid of both Carter and Richards...and well....you know what happened.
Here's what we have as of today:
Forwards
1. Danny Briere
2. Claude Giroux
3. James Van Riemsdyk
4. Scott Hartnall
5. Kris Versteeg
6. Jakub Voracek
7. Brayden Schenn
8. Wayne Simmonds
9. Andres Nodl
10. Blare Betts
11. Jody Shelly
12. Eric Wellwood/Zach Rinaldo/etc
Phantoms : Testwudie, Ryan, Lappy, Holmstrom.
As for Parings:
Line 1. JVR/Giroux/Briere (lamp-lighters)
Line 2.Hartnall/Versteeg/Voracek (I thought Hartnall and Versteeg played well. Voracek adds size to the line too)
Line 3.Simmonds/Schenn/Nodl (Simmonds takes care of anyone who messes with the kids)
Line 4.Whoever
Defensemen
1. Chris Pronger
2. Kimmo Timonen
3. Braydon Coburn
4. Matt Carle
5. Andrej Mezardos
6. Erik Gustafsson (had a great year for the Phantoms last year)
Phantoms : Bartulus, Marshall, Syvret
Goalie
1. Ilya Bryzgalov
2. Sergi Bobrovsky
Phantoms : Backlund, Leighton
Again, that's not including guys who will become free agents for the Flyers on Firday (Leino, Zherdev, Carcillo, O'Donnell)...And the Flyers WILL sign more players.
Just who they sign is the great mystery.
For those who are nerds like me, check out CapGeek to see just what the Flyers money situation is.
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