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Then and Now: Mattias Timander

The Philadelphia Flyers acquired defenseman Mattias Timander late in January of 2004 from the New York Islanders in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. The Isles used the Flyers’ draft pick, which Philly obtained by swapping a pair of picks with the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2003 draft, to draft defenseman Chris Campoli, who played in 233 games for New York before also playing for the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, and Montreal Canadiens. Of the 40 games Timander played for the Islanders’ franchise during the 2003-04 campaign, 35 were for the Isles’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport …

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Then and Now: David Printz

In the 2001 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers picked Swedish defenseman David Printz 225th overall in the seventh round. The blue liner was selected two picks before the Colorado Avalanche chose Marek Svatos and four picks before the New Jersey Devils chose Aaron Voros. Printz joined the Flyers’ organization in the 2004-2005 regular season, as he spent time with the Trenton Titans and the Philadelphia Phantoms. The d-man only played in two games for the Titans recording an assist in the process. He participated in 50 regular season games with the Calder Cup winners posting a goal and five assists along with 66 PIMs. For …

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Then and Now: Lukas Krajicek

In the middle of the 2009-2010 season, it didn’t look likely that Lukas Krajicek would be playing hockey in the NHL anytime soon let alone play in the Stanley Cup Finals. That’s exactly what happened though after the Tampa Bay Lightning terminated his contract in late January of 2010, which allowed him to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers shortly after. In his second season with Tampa Bay’s organization, Krajicek had an assist, 21 PIMs, and a minus-4 rating in 23 games. He also had six assists in 15 games for Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, before he was dumped by the franchise. …

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CBA 101: The Kovalchuk Rule

During the 2010-2011 offseason the New Jersey Devils landed the grand prize of Free Agency, Ilya Kovalchuk, when he was signed to a 17 year $102 million contract. That contract was, as many expected at the time, rejected by the NHL because it was deemed to circumvent the salary cap. At the time, Kovalchuk was 27 years old, so the contract would take him to age 44. Ultimately, the contract was re-worked to a 15 year $100 million deal, and the Devils were penalized to the tune of $3 million in cash, a third round pick in 2011, and a …

Thanks to the Calgary Herald

Crashing the Crease: Stick Discipline

This week, we’ve received the news that we’re likely looking at a lockout. This was great for me, as I really love the prospect of prolonged revenue sharing discussions.  I like hockey, don’t get me wrong, but I’m also pretty sure that the on-ice action isn’t why we’re all fans.  There’s actually very little doubt that an HBO 24/7 series chronicling the boardroom discussions leading to the pending shutdown of NHL hockey would rival the tension and entertainment value of an OT game in the Stanley Cup Finals, and I’m glad the league recognized this fact. Still, even with how …