Flyers Stand Pat At Trade Deadline

   It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Philadelphia Flyers were finished wheeling and dealing after their acquisitions of defensemen Nicklas Grossman from the Dallas Stars and Pavel Kubina from the Tampa Bay Lightning a little over a week ago. Afterall, the Flyers already have the top ranked offense in the NHL at this point in the season, and frankly, have so much talent up front that there's not enough ice time to go around. Just ask rookie Sean Couturier who has been relegated to 4th line/penalty-killing duty once again despite shining whenever he moves up the lineup. We all know the goaltending has been their achilles heel, but due to Ilya Bryzgalov's subpar play, he has an immovable contract. With his back-up Sergei Bobrovsky playing just as inconsistently, there were some ramblings of the Flyers being interested in New York Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to solidify the position in case of a repeat of last years playoff goaltending circus. It would have made sense, as Nabokov has played extremely well this season and accumulated a wealth of playoff experience during his time in San Jose. Alas, it was not to be. The Flyers will move forward with their current goaltending tandem and hope that Bryzgalov finds the "peace in his soul" to play in this city.

   Historically, the Flyers have made their midseason trades to bolster their roster for a Stanley Cup run well in advance of the deadline. Which is why, aside from the the much-maligned Adam Oates deal, the Flyers have rarely overpaid. Former Flyers GM Bobby Clarke sent prized goaltending prospect Maxime Ouellet, along with their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks in 2003 to the Washington Capitals for a 39 year old Oates. It was panic move after injuries to centers Jeremy Roenick and Keith Primeau right on the cusp of the playoffs. Fortunately for the Flyers, neither Ouellet or any of the three draft picks turned into an NHL regular, dulling the pain of a horrific transaction. The Flyers appear to have learned from that mistake.

 Considering the Flyers have the least amount of cap space of all 30 NHL teams today ($1,071,232 to be exact), it would have been difficult for Holmgren to make any significant moves. I know a lot of star-gazing fans were hoping for a "knock-your-socks off" trade involving Columbus forward Rick Nash or Nashville defensemen Shea Weber. Unfortunately, Nashville had no plans of moving Weber and Columbus was asking for a kings ransom (reportedly seeking JVR, Bobrovsky, Read and a 1st round pick) for Nash, a player who is well below a point-per-game pace in his career (531 points in 654 games) and whose production is on pace to decline for the 4th consecutive season. Although Nash has played on low-scoring teams and hasn't had much of a supporting cast around him, he is still one of the most overpayed players in the NHL (he will earn $7.8 million per season over the following 6 seasons) and would have forced the Flyers to make some difficult discussions with regards to impending free agents Jakub Voracek  (Restricted), Grossman (Unrestricted), and Matt Carle (Unrestricted).

   With the Flyers set on defense and stuck with their goaltending, they could have used a checking line forward with size, grit and the ability to win faceoffs (currently 26th in the league in faceoff percentage) and kill penalties (23rd in the league in PK percentage). Buffalo forward Paul Gaustad, rumored to have been on the Flyers radar, would have fit the bill nicely. He has a manageable $2.3 million dollar cap hit. All the Flyers would have needed to do is find a way to get Jody Shelley and his $1.1 million dollar contract off the books to stay cap compliant. Unfortunately the asking price was too high, and Nashville overpaid for him by sending a 1st round pick to Buffalo. How much of a difference Gaustad would have made on the Flyers playoff hopes is impossible to predict, but for now the Flyers will ride or die with the same roster they started yesterday with. I for one am excited at the prospect of seeing James van Riemsdyk repeat last years unforgettable playoff performance in Orange & Black, instead of another teams sweater.

DID THE FLYERS DO ENOUGH BEFORE THE TRADE DEADLINE? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT JVR REMAINING A MEMBER OF THE FLYERS? LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW!

Kubina Solidifies Flyers Defense

   In my last blog entry, I discussed whether or not Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was done tinkering with the sinking ship more commonly known as the Philadelphia Flyers defense. As it turns out, he wasn't. After another dreadful Saturday afternoon loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins,"highlighted" by some wretched goaltending from Ilya "the Bryzaster" Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky (they have now allowed at least five goals in five of their seven 1:00 PM games), Homer made his second move in less than a week. Pavel Kubina, a 34 year old two-way defensemen from Czech Republic will now be lacing up his skates for the orange and black. Heading to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange is forward prospect Jon Kalinski, along with a 2nd round pick in either 2012 or 2013 and a 2013 4th round pick. Considering the Flyers needed to move at least one contract in the transaction to stay compliant with the fifty contract maximum the NHL mandates, this is another solid move from Holmgren. He may not have added the high profile defensemen some Flyers fans were hoping for, such as Ryan Suter or Luke Schenn, but he improved the defense without sacrificing any of the Flyers coveted young forwards.
  

  
   Kubina's career has had its ups and downs, but up until this season he has been a relatively consistent 25-40 point defensemen that won't hurt you in his own end. He provides nice size to the Flyers blue-line, at 6'4 258 lbs; an area the Flyers needed to and now have addressed with not only the addition of Kubina, but of recently acquired Nicklas Grossman as well. By replacing rookies Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson with the aforementioned acquisitions, the Flyers have added 9 inches and a whopping 102 lbs. to their defense. Kubina also gives the Flyers a right-handed defensemen that can play the point on the powerplay, something they never seem to have, and he is adept at getting shots through and on net. Nevertheless, the most important attribute that Kubina brings to the Flyers defense may be experience. With nearly 1000 NHL regular season games, 46 NHL playoff games puncuated by a 2004 Stanley Cup championship with Tampa Bay, and a wealth of international experience, Kubina knows what it takes to survive the battle of attrition that the Stanley Cup playoffs is all about. The question is, how much does he have left in the tank? Regardless, the Flyers now have serious depth on defense should any injuries occur down the stretch. Although they have struggled at times, Bourdon, Gustafsson, and veteran Andreas Lilja are adequate options to fall back on.

  
   With Kubina and Grossman now in the fold, the Flyers boast one of the deepest defenses in the entire league. However, without Chris Pronger, they still lack that true superstar defensemen; although Kimmo Timonen has been playing his best hockey in years. Now it's time for the other three veteran Flyers defensemen to pick up the slack and play with more consistency. We've seen all three of them play better than they currently are in their time in Philadelphia. No more excuses. No hope for a return from Pronger to right the ship. Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, and Andrej Meszaros, here's looking at you.
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Considering the Flyers new and improved defense, do they have what it takes to turn it around and make a serious run at the Cup? Respond with your thoughts below!
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OFF THE POST: For the second straight game, a Flyers rookie scored his first career NHL goal.  In Thursdays 7-2 win over Buffalo, it was defensemen Erik Gustafsson. In Saturdays 6-4 loss at the hands of Pittsburgh, it was forward Eric Wellwood. Do we have anymore "Erics" we can call-up?

Grossman Upgrades Flyers Defense, But Is It Enough?

       In my last blog entry, I tackled the subject of whether or not the Philadelphia Flyers should trade forward James van Riemsdyk for an upgrade on defense. I focused on the possibilities of Luke Schenn or Ryan Suter, two players that NHL scouts have been circling like vultures. Right league, wrong ballpark. Yesterday the Flyers acquired 6'4, 230 lb Swedish defensemen Nicklas Grossman from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2nd (acquired from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards trade) and 3rd round pick (acquired from Minnesota for Darroll Powe).

      Grossman is an upgrade over rookies Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson, as well as veteran Andreas Lilja. He brings elements to the table that the Flyers defense need right now; size, physicality and toughness. At 27 years old, there is still room for improvement and he has a very friendly $1.625 million cap hit. His two year contract ends after this season, but assuming he asks for a well-deserved raise, he should still be very affordable if the Flyers choose to offer him a new contract. He brings very little offense to the table, but offense hasn't been an issue for the Flyers this season. They have the best offense in the NHL averaging 3.30 goals per game after last nights 7-2 drubbing of the Buffalo Sabres. What he does bring is the ability to block shots (100 blocked shots in 52 games), kill penalties and clear the porch. Flyers defenders have struggled with coverage in the slot and around the crease all season. This is part of the reason, along with inconsistent goaltending, that the Flyers have allowed 2.93 goals per game, 23rd in the NHL. If I had to pick one facet of the game where the Flyers miss Chris Prongers experience and snarl the most, it would be around our own net.

    Is it enough though? Is Paul Holmgren done? All of this remains to be seen, but I find it hard to believe the Flyers brass feel that acquiring a stay-at-home defensemen like Nicklas Grossman is the move they need to solidify their scuffling defense. The possibility certainly still exists for the Flyers to make a play at a defensemen of a higher-calibre. They have the bargaining chips and more importantly, they have the need. Regardless, you can never have too much defensive depth when the playoffs roll around. Most Flyers fans will remember our ill-fated 2004 playoff drive where injuries forced diminutive Flyers forward Sami Kapanen to play defense in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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What do you think? Is Nicklas Grossman the answer to the Flyers defensive woes, or is another trade on the horizon? Leave your thoughts below!
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OFF THE POST:  Just a few hours after acquiring Nicklas Grossman, the defensemen he will likely replace in the Flyers top 6, Erik Gustafsson, scored his 1st NHL goal. Oh, cruel irony.

JVR - Bait or Wait?

   

   

    A lot has been said in the media over the last several months regarding 22 year old power-forward James van Riemsdyk. James is either as good as traded to bolster an aging defensive corps still reeling from the loss of Captain and future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger due to concussion symptoms, or he is nearly untouchable after signing a 6 year, $25.5 million dollar contract last offseason. Perhaps the only thing keeping him in Philadelphia is the concussion symptoms he is currently battling through. Regardless, there is a compelling argument that can be made for both sides of the coin. 

   If you ask any diehard Flyers fan, journalist, or aficianado, you will hear the same complaints about the latest edition of the Orange and Black; the goaltending and the defense. With Ilya Bryzgalov, whose nicknames have been better than his play on some nights, ('Bryzard of Oz' and 'Universe' to name a few),  locked up for the next 8 years beyond this season, and youngster Sergei Bobrovsky chomping at his bit for a chance to steal the title of number one netminder, it is safe to say the Flyers will not be addressing the goaltending through trade or free agency anytime in the near future. To be fair, the play between-the-pipes has been better since the All-Star break so it may not even need addressing. A dose of consistency wouldn't hurt though. Both Bryzgalov and Bobrovsky seems to take two steps forward before taking one step back. Nonetheless, this leaves the defense as the one area that can and should be improved by the trade deadline if the Flyers intend on making a serious push at their first Stanley Cup in 37 years. On some nights the defense, led by the rejuvenated Kimmo Timonen fresh off of a well-deserved All-Star selection,  along with fellow veterans Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, and Matt Carle , can be fantastic. On other days, like this past Saturday when the Flyers lost their 5th game of the season (and 8th straight overall) against against the New York Rangers, they can be a nightmare. Head coach Peter Laviolette's "system" can be tough to handle for any defensemen, as it requires the defensemen to constantly pinch to keep pucks deep along the side walls, while still having the wherewithal of protecting their own zone. We have seen bottom-pairing defensemen such as veteran Andreas Lilja and rookie Marc-Andre Bourdon get caught in-between on countless occasions, leading to interference penalties and odd-man rushes resulting in pucks in the back of the net going the other way. Chris Pronger is an expert in this field. He possesses the rare ability to make the right read 99% of the time. What he brings to a lineup is almost impossible to replace. The problem is, you can't acquire a defensemen with enough ability to replace some or all of what Mr. Pronger brought to the table by simply moving a prospect or a draft pick. After changing half of the forwards in the lineup via trade or free agency this offseason on the heels of a dreadful second round sweep at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins last spring, the Flyers unexpectedly boast the second best offense in the NHL. Logic would dictate that in order for the Flyers to improve their defense, the one area they can sacrifice from would be the offense. That brings us back to James van Riemsdyk.

    James has had a roller-coaster start to his NHL career. After losing the 2007 NHL draft lottery to Chicago, despite having the worst record in the NHL and thus the highest chance at securing the 1st overall pick, the Flyers watched Patrick Kane get drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks 1st overall (only to score the Stanley Cup winning overtime goal against them in the 2010 Finals). This left the Flyers with the choice between JVR and Kyle Turris. They made the right choice with JVR, as Kyle Turris had been in between the AHL and the NHL as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes before eventually being traded to the Ottawa Senators this past fall. JVR has not yet lived up to the potential of most 2nd overall draft picks. Dating back to the year 2000, the following players have been drafted 2nd overall (excluding the 2011 draft).

• 2000 - Dany Heatley (F) - Atlanta Thrashers (728 points in 723 career games)
• 2001 - Jason Spezza (F) - Ottawa Senators (586 points in 583 career games)
• 2002 - Kari Lehtonen (G) - Atlanta Thrashers (154 wins, .913 save percentage in 319 games)
• 2003 - Eric Staal (F) - Carolina Hurricanes (543 points in 615 games, 07' Stanley Cup champion)
• 2004 - Evgeni Malkin (F) - Pittsburgh Penguins (480 points in 399 games, 09' Stanley Cup champion)
• 2005 - Bobby Ryan (F) - Anaheim Ducks (234 points in 303 games)
• 2006 - Jordan Staal (F) - Pittsburgh Penguins (219 points in 403 games, 09' Stanley Cup champion and one of the best defensive forwards in the game)
• 2007 - James van Riemsdyk (F)  - Philadelphia Flyers (97 points in 190 games)
• 2008 - Drew Doughty (D) - Los Angeles Kings (151 points in 289 games)
• 2009 - Victor Hedman (D) - Tampa Bay Lightning (54 points in 190 games, two-way defensemen)
• 2010 - Tyler Seguin (F) - Boston Bruins (66 points in 125 games, 11' Stanley Cup champion)

As you can see, the 2nd overall selection in the draft has yielded some of the best players currently playing in the NHL, the majority of which have had multiple All-Star and even Olympic selections. One could argue that JVR may have had the least amount of impact on his team out of these eleven players. Others would argue that power-forwards traditionally take a longer time to develop and the utter dominance that JVR showed during the first 9 games of the 10-11 playoffs (7 goals in the first 9 games) was a glimpse at a fantastic future, rather than a flash in the pan. Legendary Flyers power-forward John LeClair, for comparisons sake, didn't have his first break-out season until he was traded to Philadelphia in 1995 as a 27 year old and paired with Eric Lindros. As they say, the rest is history. Just ask the 40,000 plus Flyers fans, that exploded out of their seats and cried tears of joy watching Eric Lindros set-up John LeClair on a patented 2-on-1 goal one last time in the 2011-2012 Winter Classic alumni game, their thoughts on the career "Johnny Vermont" had as a Flyer (being the first and only American-born player with three consecutive 50 goal seasons is just one of his many accomplishments as a Flyer). The other 29 NHL general managers are aware of just how long it can sometimes take for young power-forwards to fill out their frame with the necessary muscle and improve their skating enough to consistently produce at this level. This leads me to one conclusion; aside from Claude Giroux, JVR has more trade value than any other Philadelphia Flyer.



     It's no secret that the polarizing GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brian Burke, has been salivating over JVR all season. His team has plenty of defensive depth, but could use a forward with size that can put the puck in the net up front. The rumor-mongers have the Leafs and Flyers as perfect trade-mates. One team could use a boost at forward. The other team could use a boost at defense. The obvious choice would be defensemen Luke Schenn, brother of talented Flyers rookie forward Brayden Schenn. Luke has been inconsistent this season after a very sold second and third season in Toronto. He has even been a healthy scratch at times in an effort to get his game back to where it was last season. He is a two-way defensemen that won't give you much in the offensive department. He projects to be an Adam Foote type with less snarl . He is young, the same age as JVR in fact (22), and he too hasn't met his potential yet, the problem is that even if he does, he still doesn't replace Chris Pronger. He is essentially a slower version of Braydon Coburn. If the Flyers are going to trade one of their most valuable commodities, acquiring a defensemen that will come as close as possible to replacing Chris Pronger has to be the goal. Schenn is a nice defensemen, but he doesn't bring enough to the table to justify trading away James van Riemsdyk. Impending unrestricted free agent defensemen Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators comes a lot closer to accomplishing the task of replacing "The Beast" than Luke Schenn does. He is already a better player in his own zone, while still producing more on the offensive side of the game. Nashville would be crazy to risk losing Suter for nothing on July 1st when they could move him now for a player with 1st line, LeClair-esque potential. JVR has a rare combination of size, speed, and skill. If the Flyers do feel that trading him to improve their hemorrhaging defense, the return must justify the trade.

One thing is for certain, the Flyers are going to make a trade before the deadline to improve their defense. It doesn't take a genie in a turban with a crystal ball or an 'Ask Zandar' machine to come to this conclusion. Whether it will come in the form of a blockbuster trade that sees local product JVR packing his bags and "taking his toedrag" to Nashville or Toronto, or a minor move for a journeyman defensemen, remains to be seen. 


What do you think? Will the Flyers make a trade to improve their defense? Will it be a blockbuster or a minor trade? Share your thoughts below!