N.B. I apologize in advance for this stream of consciousness post. I need some more time to organize my thoughts on the roster changes and will likely edit this post this afternoon. This morning, the Flyers announced that Brayden Schenn was recalled and Zac Rinaldo and Harry Zolnierczyk were loaned to the Phantoms. That leaves the Flyers with a glut of centers and some big questions about where everyone fits in the lineup. Through five games and a 4-0-1 record, the Flyers have been firing on all cylinders. They lead the league in goals per game (3.80) and have given up …
Poll: Are you satisfied with the play of Zac Rinaldo?
What say you?
Five Reasons I Love the Flyers: Bob Shinn
Bob Shinn runs the Flyers Hockey Talk page and is a very passionate fan, as you will come to see in his post. You can also follow him on Twitter here. Below, he gives us the five reasons he loves the Flyers. 5. The aura I have been to a sporting event involving every team in this city, except for the Sixers, but I have been to basketball games, and nothing matches the atmosphere of a Philadelphia Flyers’ game. The passion and the attention are there for 60 minutes. No one is texting or looking for the cameras, waving to someone at home. …
Considering Hartnell as a trade candidate
The Flyers currently have a logjam on offense and will likely look to shed both a contract and salary in the near future. As a result, Scott Hartnell’s name has once again popped up as a possible trade candidate. Should he be on the block, though? First of all, let’s state the obvious: Nobody is untouchable and, if the return is good enough, anyone could be traded. Let’s take a look at the positives and negatives of trading Hartnell. The Good Hartnell is the second-highest paid forward behind only Daniel Briere. The Flyers could alleviate a lot of cap headaches …
Five Questions: Schenn aside, which prospects stand the best chance of making the Flyers this season?
Flyers Faithful asked Dave Isaac from Philly Sports Daily, Ryan from Flyers Goal Scored By…, Anthony Mingioni from The Hockey Guys,Center Ice Philly, and Sportsology, and our very own Frick five questions about the first half of the season. We are very grateful that they took the time to share their opinions and predictions with us. Each day of this week, we will run the answers to one of those questions. Today’s question is: Schenn aside, which prospects stand the best chance of making the Flyers this season? Dave Isaac: When the Flyers made the big trades over the summer, it looked like Matt Read …
Sestito suspended four games
The National Hockey League once again made its punitive presence known to the Philadelphia Flyers, as forward Tom Sestito has been told to sit out for the remainder of the preseason (two games) and two additional regular-season games. It was not an unexpected move, as the fiery bottom-six winger, who was fighting for a roster spot (somewhat literally) even posted a message on his Twitter account earlier in the day saying he was fortunate to not have the book thrown at him as a repeat offender. Sestito, who has apparently been waived by the Flyers on Wednesday, was banned due …
NHL comes down hard on Shelley
While it wasn’t the first test for new NHL discipline czar/vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan, it was the one where he showed his mettle. On Thursday evening, Philadelphia Flyers forward Jody Shelley was suspended for the remainder of the preseason and the first five games of the regular season for his questionable hit on Toronto’s Derek Boyce during the second period of Wednesday’s 4-2 preseason loss. It was a ruling based on the new protocols surrounding Rule 48, which aims to penalize the severity of the impact of boarding infractions, rather than the bodily location of the hit. Shelley …
Flyers drop preseason game to Leafs
Another day, another fight. This bout, featuring Jody Shelley and Jay Rosehill offered little along the lines of metaphorical significance about the return of hockey, though. Rosehill came to the aid of his teammate, Darryl Boyce, who had just been flattened into the boards by Shelley. Shelley, you could say, was doing his best to illustrate a textbook example of the type of hit the league is trying to eliminate from hockey. In this regard, he did a good job and will likely be rewarded with a lengthy suspension. Disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan, will probably make an example out of Shelley …
Putting some of the roster changes in perspective
In order to make sense of the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Holmgren, we need to compare these roster changes to a version of the 2010 Flyers and see how those parts changed. Here is a look at that the forwards from team: Gagne – Richards – Carter Hartnell – Briere – Leino JvR – Giroux – Asham Carcillo/Powe – Betts – Laperriere So, what’s different? A lot, on paper. Here’s my attempt at projecting the 2012 offensive lines, barring any other changes: JvR – Giroux – Voracek Hartnell – Briere – Jagr Nodl – Schenn – Simmonds …
Let the dust settle
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. The Flyers finally have their bona-fide starter. They have some size and grit. They have wingers. They have cap space, and draft picks, and prospects. As Dick Enberg is fond of saying…Oh my! They got all of the assets that we perceived to be lacking in the franchise and for the low, low price of the captain and one of the alternates. The cost is nothing more than a top-tier, team-leading scorer and a heart-and-soul, leave-it-all-on-the-ice leader. Really, it’s a mere pittance. First-line centers. Cornerstones. Franchise players. That’s it. Anyone …