No(oddmanout)dl taken off waivers, Flyers need Defense, My #DOOP Dream.

- In a non-surprising mood, Andres Nodl was picked up by Carolina, after being placed on Waivers.  It was more than expected that one forward had to be released at some point this season, and Nodl was the odd man out.  It's great that he will get plenty of playing time in Carolina, and he is a special player.  I wouldn't be surprised if he produced in Carolina...but at this time it was the best move for this Flyers team.

- The consistent injuries to Pronger just show us all that the Flyers need to pick up another defense.  If you look back, this was an issue I had since day one with the Flyers of this season.  I wish they would have chased defensive help after getting a goalie in the off-season, but at that time i also expected Carter and Richards on our Flyers.
Scott Hartnall is making this process very difficult.  At the start of the year, I had no problem trading him....but now with his production...how can you?  I dont know if i've seen him play any better in his career.  Flyers have plenty of youth players who are more than trade-able.  There were plenty of names (HarryZ, Wellwood, etc) who wen't from being our top youth prospects to 2nd tier with the addition of Schenn, Courtier, and Read.  Getting rid of two of those guys to a bad team for a defender is certainly plausible, and encouraged by myself.

And this leads to the big news out of England today.  Since I know none of you are aware, but Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba of Chelsea FC denied a low-dollar contract extension from the front office at Chelsea.  This denial essentially shows that he may become a free agent after this season.  With the horrendous season Chelsea is having, there never was much of a chance to see him back in blue next year.  Drogba's age and dropping skill leaves him far below what is necessary to play top-level soccer anymore.

This led to what I envisioned and dreamed of before, that our Philadelphia Union pursue Didger Drogba as their superstar signing.  MLS has a tag you can place on a player that does not count against your salary cap...something they have not done yet (with Adu).  This tag was placed on Beckham when he came to LA and Henry when he came to New York.
Such signing would be perfect for the offense-lacking Union.  With his fading skill, he would still be beyond spectacular in the MLS.  There is already rumors that the LA Galaxy are chasing Drogba if Beckham leaves after this season...and well, i'd rather see one of my favorite players of all time in Philly.

This is the chance for the Philadelphia Union to get worldwide recognition.

2011-2012 Flyers Lines

I am one of a million looking for some sense in what the Flyers lines will be next year.  While I would love to hear your opinion in the comments, here's how I would run it.  Looking at the main lines, along with the top powerplay and penalty kill lines. 

I still believe the Flyers will pick up a 2nd/3rd line offensive player.  Now that Stamkos is officially off the block, I think Chris Drury is a name the Flyers could pick up.  But as of today, here's how I would run it. 

Offense
1. Jagr - Giroux - Briere
2. VanRiemsdyk - Tailbot - Hartnall
3. Simmonds - Schenn - Voracek
4. Shelly - Betts - Nodl
Top AHL - Holmstrom, Wellwood

Defense
1. Pronger - Mezaros
2. Timonen - Carle
3. Coburn - Gustafsson
Top AHL - Bartulis, Lilja

Goalies
1. Bryzgalov
2. Leighton (Bobrovsky will be traded)

PP
1. Briere - Giroux - JVR - Pronger - Mezaros

PK
1. Simmonds - Tailbot - Timonen - Carle

Statistics Class and what else the Flyers will do?

Alright, here's your Philadelphia Flyers Salary #'s for 2011-2012.

Cap Space after the first day of free agency : 4.015 Million

That 4.015 million includes Lavs and Schenn on the opening day roster.  Lets be real, they probably wont be.

Schenn nets 3.1 million and Lavs nets 1.2 million.

Without those two on your roster, the Flyers still have 8.3 million to spend....that INCLUDES Jagr and all signings made today.


Everything we're hearing is that the Flyers are not done, and shockingly enough to me, the Flyers are looking for a big name.  Sarah Baicker of CSN REPORTS Flyers are working on a big "trade".  And another credible source Anthony SanFilippo tweeted THIS : I sent a text to a Flyers source asking about guys like Gagne, Madden, Handzus and Langenbrunner. The response: "Think bigger."

When I think trade, I instantly put guys like Pronger or Timmonen on the invisible block.  While It's farfetched, it would free up a lot of space.  There are still 2nd line D-men who are free agents, and who knows who could be returned in a trade for either of those guys.  Mezarsos could play on the front line with one of those guys and I'd be okay with that.

Now those guys wont warrant anything in return, it more so frees up salary.   Kimmo earn 6.4 million a year and Pronger comes in just under 5.  If you add that to what we have available to spend, were talking 13-15 million dollars avalable to sign a quality D man and any player in the world you want (aka Stamkos/Richards).

All speculation....But who the hell saw any of this coming.  I dont think anyone knows the answer, but I still expect this team to bring in another solid offensive name.  They filled roles on special teams that were lost (Tailbot PK, Jagr PP), and still have the ability to spend money.

All in all, I love the moves.  Can't wait for October.

Your 2011-2012 Flyers (as of now)

Your 2011-2012 Flyers as of 4:04pm.

1. Danny Briere
2. Claude Giroux
3. James Van Riemsdyk
4. Scott Hartnall
5. Jamior Jagr
6. Jakub Voracek
7. Brayden Schenn
8. Wayne Simmonds
9. Max Tailbot
10. Andres Nodl
11. Blare Betts
12. Jody Shelly

Minors : Wellwood, Rinaldo, Testwudie, Ryan, Laparriere, Holmstrom.

13. Chris Pronger
14. Kimmo Timonen
15. Braydon Coburn
16. Andrej Mezardos
17. Matt Carle
18. Erik Gustafsson

Minors : Lilja, Bartulus, Marshall, Syvret

19. Ilya Bryzgalov
20. Sergi Bobrovsky

Minors : Backlund, Leighton.

Now that we "know" the Flyers aren't chasing Stamkos, who could fill this lineup?

In no shocker, the Flyers announced today that they will not submit an offer sheet for Stamkos.  Which in all reality, isn't a bad move if they want to win now.  The problem with RFA's in the NHL is that, when an offer is made, the team that the player is an RFA for (Tampa) has up to a week to match the offer or release the player to accept whatever offer he wants.  So essentially, if the Flyers sent him an offer...They may not know until next Thursday if Stamkos were to sign with the Flyers.  Flyers would have to assume he would sign, and would not have the money to sign any other FA's.  If they assume that and then he signs elsewhere, Flyers have likley missed out on many free agents. 

Now that we have turned off our video game minds, who will the Flyers end up getting? 

The Flyers have yet to officially sign Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds, but they are RFA's who the Flyers are more than likley going to resign once they see who else is coming to this team.


Villie Leino will hit free agency tomorrow as a UFA, meaning he is officially off the Flyers roster.  While I am sure the Flyers want to resign him, he is the type of player who will be overpaid by another team.  Flyers don't believe he's worth more than 3.5 million a year (quarter of a million less than Giroux), and I can't argue with that.  Hopefully Leino takes a home-town discount, but that's not guaranteed.

Daniel Carcillo is a RFA...but all intentions are that the Flyers are going to let him sign wherever he wants, depending on the offers he gets.

Zherdev, O'Donnell, Boyton, and Boucher are all UFA's come tomorrow, and I would be shocked to see any of those 4 back in Philly.

Now onto other teams....

One man who was swirling around was Zach Parise...however, he has entered arbitration with New Jersey, and more than likley will resign with the Devils. 

Brad Richards is considered the "cream" of the weak crop of stars in this years free agent poll.  He will get overpaid, and end up being a little more costly than what the Flyers are looking for.  However, the Ottawa Sun reports that the Flyers may be looking to trade Meszaros and that 4 million dollar a year hit he has to free up more cap space.  This would likley lead to the Flyers trying to resign O'Donnell or using Matt Walker next year.

But here's some names that make sense.

Simon Gagne - He isn't exactly the player the Flyers need, but I wouldn't put it past Gagne taking a reduced $$ contract to come back to Philly for a year.  If he takes a contract in the 2-3 million a year range, that may happen.  If it's more than that, I'm not counting on him coming back.

Michael Handzus - Would be a great fit, however he has slowed down and under-performed the last 2 years.  He is a big center who wins faceoffs and kills penalties, two things we could really use.

Jamior Jagr - This is a new rumor, but while the Penguins were told they would hear from Jagr on Wednesday and never got a response....his future is still up in the air.  The Penguins offered Jagr a 2 million dollar deal for next year, Philly has the capability to offer him a little more.  If age is your concern, Mark Recchi dropped nearly 50 points at the age 43, and held a cup over his head.  Watch some of Jagr's recent film, he still has game left.



Erik Cole - He's a guy I am very interested in.  Solid 2 way player who scored 20-30 goals a year (quietly in Carolina) over his 10 year career.  Even with the emergence of Skinner in Carolina, it's hard to imagine them letting him go.

Michael Ryder - Another solid winger who would be a good fit on this team.  Good two way player.

And there's a dozen other players we can name.  These however are the few players I'd love to see join the Orange and Black.  But who knows what will happen.


All we know is that a lot will unravel over the next day or two.

Post-Apocalypse at the Well.

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.

Stamkos

One word that has echoed through the streets of Philly for the last week.  I have been very hesitant to jump on board, but I finally will share my thoughts.

Before even writing, I DO NOT believe #91 will be in orange and black next year.  But the argument for him being "guaranteed" back in Tampa isn't how I see it.

My first concern is how he hasn't signed with Tampa yet.  We can put him in the same echelon as Ovechkin and Crosby for offensive production, and yet those two were signed 200-350 days before they even hit the RFA market.  And with Tampa saying they will "match any deal," you would think they would have offered Stamkos basically whatever deal he wanted.

So why hasn't he signed yet?  My belief is that he doesn't want to be in Tampa Bay.  Steve Yzerman is making a big deal stating that the Bolts will "match any deal" Stamkos is offered......Well just because they match it doesn't mean Stamkos has to accept their deal.  Could Yzerman and his "match" clause just be there to save his ass when Stamkos leaves Tampa, and make it look like Stamkos was the bad guy picking another city instead of Yzerman being the bad guy.

Next we have to look at the Salary issue.  While I am not fully involved and know the numbers in Tampa like I do in Philly, I know it is fact that the lightning entered the postseason with 36.5 million commited to 12 players.  You generally need about 23 guys signed, and with 30 million to spend...sounds easy.  But the guys they need to sign include some starters and goalies.  If Stamkos takes up 8-10 million a year of a hit....they have about 20 mil to spend on a dozen players.  They have already signed Roloson to a 1 year 3 million dollar deal, giving them even less cap space than before.

Basically the moral of that is, the Lightning are currently not in a salary position to match a super offer a team could throw at Stamkos with a lot more money avalable (to spend on a couple players instead of a dozen like Tampa)


Now since we talk Flyers here, I can give my pitch for the Fly Guys.

Flyers currently have around 8 million in cap space.  They can also trade Bobrovsky (1.7 mil), trade a guy like Shelly (1.1 mil).  If they do that and do not resign Leino; they do have the money for Stamkos if he's in the 8-10 million range.  Flyers historically always field a roster within 500k of the Salary Cap number.

However, I think it's more likley the Flyers sign a Brad Richards esque 20-30 goal scorer, along with a #3 or #4 defender that would play on the 2nd line.

Sadly I do not think Leino will be back in Philly.  I've heard that he was "a million dollars and a year" apart from what Philly wanted to pay him, and he will hit the free agency market.  And when he (along with every other 2-3rd line player) hits free agency, he will get overpaid by a team...and that offer will not be matched by the Flyers

BUT since we're talking about it....I think the chances of Stamkos back in Tampa are less than everyone else thinks.  If Stamkos were to come to Philly, It appears that he would be taking a discounted price (like Cliff Lee) to come here, since Florida and Toronto have a little more cap space to work with.  Those two teams have the option of making Stamkos the highest paid NHL player to date..if they so wish.

The next 24-48 hours will answer all our quesitons


(Flyers last EA Sport Cover Sport athlete, FYI)

24 hours later. The Richards deal

While this deal is harder to swallow, I don't think we know the whole story.

The deal doesn't make sense.  There must be more or something else we don't know about. 

Richards was a great player.  Easily one of the best two way players in the game.  Despite all of this, his role as captain was constantly in question, and there was instability between Richards and Lavs.  His performance in the 2010 playoffs was great, but it is true that his performance in 2011 was less than expected.

I believe that either the Flyers are going to flip another deal, or there was serious problems between management and Richie. 


Flyers did receive what's regarded as the #1 prospect in the NHL, Brayden Schenn from LA.  While I love what this 19 year old has to offer, I am not set on a love affair yet, since I feel he will be moved.  More at the bottom.

Flyers also picked up Wayne Simmonds from LA, which will likley lead to the Flyers not resigning Carcillo.  Simmonds is a enforcer, who is a little more offensive minded than Carcillo or Brasher was for the Flyers.


I still think the Flyers are out to make another move.  The #8 pick is incredibly useless for the Flyers, since they're in to win now and not a couple years down the road when the 17-18 year old they pick makes it pro.  And we already have the kid who would be the #1 pick in the draft today. 

If they draft someone in the draft, the Flyers have two incredibly valuable prospects.  They also have a valuable prospect in Bobrovsky, who becomes the highest paid backup goaltender in the NHL with the signing of Ilya.  I really wouldn't be surprised to see the Flyers pack a deal with those 2-3 guys and someone else for a big name.  Just my hopes and thoughts.

We do have about 8 million in cap space now.

24 hours later. The Carter Deal

If you live under a rock, the Flyers pulled off a day now being called "2nd most shocking" day of trades in hockey history, only 2nd to when Edmonton traded Gretzky to LA. 

First off here's what the Flyers lost, and gained, in my eyes.

Jeff Carter - This was forseen.  Carts wasn't performing up to what he was being paid, and was injured all the time.  While he was a goal scorer, he didn't dominate games and rule the ice like so many of the games elites players.  He deserves upmost credit for his goals last year, but on the ice, his presence wasn't there.  And my eyes will never look at him the same considering if he would of lifted a wrist shot, we would of been 60 minuets away from winning the Stanley Cup.  I think that play spoke louder than words.

1. If you forgot, he didn't score, and 51 did not deflect the shot in any way.  2. If you forgot, that was with 1:31 left in the 3rd period of a 3-3 tie in Game 6.

While Carts was appreciated, I think the Flyers got the better end of the deal.  They got to unload a overpaid player who had a incredibly long contract.

They picked up a very talented 21 year old skater in Jakub Voracek who tallied around 30 assists a season and had 18 goals last year.  He's also 6'2" 215lbs, a big winger, which the team needs urgently.  Voracek is a member of the Czech-Republic World Juniors team for the last couple of years.

Also just as important, Flyers picked up the 8th pick in the NHL draft, along with a 3rd round. 

Lets Hope the Flyers Mean Business

The sun rises, the sun sets, and we are another day closer to losing one of the best goaltenders in the league.  A common mistake is being made every day, that goaltending sensation Ilya Bryzgalov is going to be a Flyers goaltender in 2011-2012. 

Inaccurate.

The Flyers traded one of those orange Gatorade containers and a pair of Chris Pronger game used sticks for the rights to Bryzgalov.  As of today, Ilya is a player on the Philadelphia Flyers.  And as of July 1st, Ilya will no longer be in Black and Orange.  Bryza-howdoyoupronouncethat was traded by the Phoneix Coyotes to the Flyers, because the Coyotes knew they had zero chance to resign him.  And lets be real, who wouldn't want to have one of Chris Pronger's 6 foot long sticks??

Basically, Phoneix got the two draft picks and scrub for nothing.  Flyers gave away those two picks and whoever just so they could sit down and try and negotiate a contract with Ilya before any other teams had the chance to.  He will still enter the NHL free agency market on July 1st at 12pm EST.  And by 2pm on July 1st, he could be on the New York Islanders.   

Flyers are famous for these kind of deals long after the season ended.  In what's regarded as one of the first deals like this in history,  Flyers traded some odds and ends to Nashville Predators for the rights of Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnall, before the two players became free agents, they were signed to the Philadelphia Flyers.  Flyers also did this for the rights to Dan Hamhuis, and in which there never was a deal signed, the Flyers basically threw away Ryan Parent to have a couple weeks of negotiation with Hamhuis.

The situation is different for the Flyers and Ilya (sorry i'm to lazy to go check his spelling every time).  Ilya has showed great interest in the Flyers organization and the city of Philadelphia (which Hamhuis didn't).

The only concern swirling around Philly, is how could they afford this guy?  Reality is, a guy like Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnall, Chris Pronger, or (yikes) Mike Richards may be traded away for meaningless draft picks, so they could fit a guy like Ilya's contract could be held under the salary cap.

I am still furious that the Flyers haven't worked out a deal with Villie Leino, who will become a free agent, and is close to being gone.  I think that's a great young talent who will be a solid 2nd liner in the league for quite some time.  But there's guys like him, Boucher, Nodl, and Carcillo who are likley not coming back to Philadelphia next year.  Not big name big dollar guys freeing up salary cap space.  Flyers must also consider that JVR's contract will be up after next season, and they can not sign him, Ilya, and keep the big name big dollar guys we currently have on the roster.

It's safe to say the Flyers MUST have a major shake up to afford Ilya Bryzgalov.  If they don't, then your opening day starter may very well be Bob.  Flyers have too many forwards, not enough defense, and a 22 year old + 2 AHL Goaltenders.  Defense wins championships. 

Every day tho, we move one day closer to losing Ilya.  Flyers pick him up, and your looking at one hell of a good team next year.