Thanks to Craig Forsythe

“Rusty” speaks about Philly redux

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers Q: On returning to the Flyers “I’m really excited.  I started my career there and I have great memories there.  I’m excited to have a good team and a great organization.” Q: Do you look back on the day you were traded from here and think I never would have won the Cup in Tampa, wouldn’t have scored that big goal, wouldn’t have won the Cup in Pittsburgh? “You always sometimes look back and see what journey you took, but I never looked at it that way, what if I never leave, or other things.  …

Screenshot from a commercial

Salute

We’re less than a week into NHL free agency, and we’ve already had to say goodbye to a number of Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky is off the force. James van Riemsdyk went from playing hockey in his backyard to playing for the “Yankees of hockey” (minus all the winning). Matt Carle has returned to fight crime with Hulk Hogan in Thunder Bay. And yet the one that I’ll miss the most is Jaromir Jagr. When the Flyers signed Jagr last year, I was skeptical. A 40-year-old player who had spent his last few seasons in the KHL? Putting this on top …

Image courtesy of the Courpier Post Online

Crashing the Crease: Everything Old Is New Again

Paul Holmgren has wasted little time in filling the backup goaltender position left vacant from the Sergei Bobrovsky trade, extending journeyman backup Michael Leighton on a one-year, $900k contract. Ever a polarizing figure, some fans would rather Leighton never don a Flyers uniform again; others still believe him to be the savior of that season and are glad to see his return. However, there is one thing that cannot be ignored by both fans and detractors: in an incredibly weak backup market that saw almost every other option sign longer and more expensive contracts (with yesterday’s Al Montoya signing being …

Thanks to Getty/Bleacher Report

Carle headed back to Hockey Bay

Despite earlier reports from multiple sources which seemed to reveal that Matt Carle wanted to remain with the Flyers and wanted to sign here and that the Flyers wanted him, Carle instead pulled a switcheroo on America’s birthday. The powers of persuasion from Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman were too great, and Carle was signed to a six-year contract. Multiple media reports, including NHL.com, revealed the deal is worth a total of $33.5 million for the duration, with an average annual value of $5.5 million. And so, one of the more polarizing figures in recent club history will no …

Image courtesy of openingfaceoff.net

CBA 101 Part 7: One-way vs. two-way contracts

I actually touched on the topic of one-way versus two-way contracts in my very first CBA 101 article about waivers and re-entry waivers. However, when the Flyers signed Michael Leighton yesterday I saw Twitter abuzz with people who were appalled with the fact that he got a one-way contract (to be fair, there were also plenty of people that understood the distinction that I’m about to discuss as well). I thought I would specifically call out this topic as I frequently see it being misunderstood. People tend to think that if a player signs a two-way contract, that that player …

Michael F'in' Leighton

Flyers re-sign Leighton

The Flyers have made it official, re-signing goaltender Michael Leighton to back up Ilya Bryzgalov on Sunday afternoon. The deal is for one year, $900k. This should sum up both the contract and the reactions to it: Leighton has exactly one game of NHL experience since Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, an unsteady 7-4 victory in Los Angeles on December 30, 2010. “I’m very happy to be back in Philly,” Leighton said upon the announcement. “This is where I want to be and I’m excited about the team we have this year. I look forward to the …

Courtesy of Gunaxin Sports

The Lindros deal: 20 years later

Nobody can ever accuse Ed Snider of not doing everything he can to try and get the Flyers, his baby and lasting legacy, another Stanley Cup. There are many out there who experience Snider as he is now, Uncle Ed living in Malibu, in his later years at turns avuncular and apoplectic in the public eye, now that the Orange and Black have succeeded in keeping up the veneer of a winning club that sometimes gets a fleeting whiff of glory. You’d think he really swung his manhood around by influencing the madness of last June, but there was a …

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Five Questions: Parise and/or Suter?

Flyers Faithful is pleased to have Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, Marc Siciliano of Kukla’s Corner, Dan MacNeal of Crimespree Hockey, James Minger of Flyers-Philia, and Flyers Faithful’s own Kevin Christmann participate in the current iteration of Five Questions. This is the fifth of a five-part series focusing on Free Agency that will run all week. Do you see the Flyers as major players for one or both of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter? (note: our participants’ answers were captured prior to the JVR trade.) Adam Kimelman: I think with the Flyers’ biggest need being on defense, I think they will be major players for Suter. If they lose out on him, I think they …

From left to right: Alex, Matt, and David Carle (and Gus!)

Behind the Crest: Matt and Alex Carle & James and Brendan van Riemsdyk

Young hockey players learn and are guided by a number of different people throughout the course of their careers. They are aided by coaches, teammates, and fellow players as they develop and pursue their dream of making it to the NHL. For a majority of players, though, the help and the coaching starts at home, long before they join so much as even a peewee league. For some, they’re learning from someone who truly does know best — either a current player or a veteran of the sport. This is the case for Alex Carle and Brendan van Riemsdyk, brothers …

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Five Questions: backup goaltender options

Flyers Faithful is pleased to have Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, Marc Siciliano of Kukla’s Corner, Dan MacNeal of Crimespree Hockey, James Minger of Flyers-Philia, and Flyers Faithful’s own Kevin Christmann participate in the current iteration of Five Questions. This is the fourth of a five-part series focusing on Free Agency that will run all week. With rumors that Sergei Bobrovsky could be traded, what veteran goaltenders do you see as being adequate backup options to Ilya Bryzgalov? (Note: our participants had provided their answers prior to the Bobrovsky trade and Josh Harding re-signing.) Adam Kimelman: Martin Biron would be the perfect option, but I think he’s pretty happy with the Rangers and I think …