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 …
The Flyers Win, WITH A SHUTOUT
The Flyers won their second straight game to open this 2011-12 season, with a 3-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils at the Rock. Ilya Bryzgalov provided the magic so many had hoped he would, saving all 20 of the Devils’ shots and providing the Flyers first shutout since the 2010 playoffs. Claude Giroux opened the scoring with a goal in the first while both Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds scored in the third period to extend the Flyers’ lead. Both teams power-play units failed to score a goal despite having a combined 13 man advantage opportunities. The Flyers had the first several chances of …
Great Expectations: Wayne Simmonds
When Wayne Simmonds was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, numerous fans of the Los Angeles Kings mentioned how he would become a fan favorite. It didn’t take long. A couple of hits, a few good shifts, a goal or two later and Simmer officially won over many Philadelphians. The gritty winger scored four goals in five games, enough to tie for the league lead in the preseason. He won over the hearts of his coaches too and has been penciled in to the second line, alongside Daniel Briere and Jakub Voracek. Meanwhile, Scott Hartnell, who had great chemistry with Briere, appears …
Constructing a trade rumor timeline
The big rumor today was that the Flyers and Predators were working on a deal to send Scott Hartnell back to Nashville. How did this come to be? When the Flyers were originally shopping Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, Hartnell was apparently on the block too. Hartnell is the last remaining member of the Center City crew. He is overpaid and the Flyers are tight against the cap. Nobody expected Mike Richards or Jeff Carter to be traded. Now, people are more willing to believe that anything is possible. Paul Holmgren said that both Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier could …
Some quick camp observations
Before today, I never literally found myself in a “you snooze, you lose” situation. After my first trip to development camp, I came home and napped for the first time in years. Yup, that’s right; I took a nap and it was awesome. I saw no urgent reason to rush to post something on camp, as I could offer little more than the meaningless observations I posted on Twitter earlier: Tom Sestito is big! Oliver Lauridsen is tall! Kevin Marshall and Erik Gustafsson know how to skate! So, I took time to collect my thoughts and actually sleep on it, …
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 …
Nodl and Sestito signed, Powe traded
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have come to terms with forwards Andreas Nodl and Tom Sestito. Per Bob McKenzie, Nodl’s contract is a two year deal worth $845k per year, a dip from the his entry-level deal worth $850k per year. However, his previous contract included about $115k in bonuses. The terms of Sestito’s deal have not been announced. ___ In a surprising move, the Flyers dealt center and penalty killer, Darroll Powe, to the Minnesota Wild for a 3rd round draft pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Five Questions: Will the Flyers have another breakout star in the ’11 playoffs? If so, who will it be?
Flyers Faithful asked Travis Hughes from SB Nation and Broad Street Hockey, Matt P. From The 700 Level, Mark Trible from The Checking Line and our very own Pavialax five questions about the playoffs. 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: Will the Flyers have another breakout star in the ’11 playoffs? If so, who will it be? Travis Hughes: Last year’s playoffs had so many breakout stars — HBL, Giroux, Coburn… …
Looking ahead: A few thoughts on the offseason
Numbers Current Projected Cap Space for 2012: $1,980,845 [source] Projected Cap Increase for 2012: $3,000,000 [source] Total Projected Cap Space for 2012: $4,980,845 Notable Pending UFA forwards: VIlle Leino, Nikolay Zherdev Notable Pending RFA forwards: Andreas Nodl, Darroll Powe, Dan Carcillo Notable Pending UFA defensemen: Sean O’Donnell, Nick Boynton Notable Pending RFA defensemen: Danny Syvret Notable Pending UFA goaltenders: Brian Boucher Thoughts Defense It’s likely the Flyers won’t need anything more than a third pairing defensemen. They have a number of options available to them: Re-sign O’Donnell or Boynton, play Matt Walker, promote Erik Gustafsson, or re-up Danny Syvret and …
Flyers Dominate, Lose In Shootout
Bad goaltending and a part of the game that can’t be found in the playoffs helped the Flyers fall 5-4 to the Caps tonight. Alexander Semin made Brian Boucher look silly in the final shot of the shootout to give Washington the extra point. Boucher played well on the night making thirteen saves on fourteen shots helping the Flyers comeback from a 3-0 deficit thanks to Sergei Bobrovsky’s wonderful night. The shootout loss drops the Flyers to 44-19-9 on the season. Despite the Flyers absolutely dominating the first eight minutes of the game, the visiting Capitals gained the first lead of the …