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 …
Then and Now: Janne Niinimaa
What do Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, and Janne Niinimaa all have in common? They were all drafted in the 1993 NHL Entry draft. How many were drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers? Only Janne Niinimaa. Pronger went second, to the Hartford Whalers, while Timonen could be considered the hidden gem of the draft going 250nd to the Los Angeles Kings. Well, we know what Pronger and Timonen are doing with their careers now, but what about Niinimaa? Before the aforementioned question is answered, let us remember Niinimaa’s brief time spent in Philly. Spending three seasons with Jokerit in the SM-liiga after …
Bring Back Gagne? A look at the pros and cons.
We have 25 days until free agency and I’m sure each and every one of those days will be rumor laden until July 1 arrives. Paul Holmgren was fairly active last season, adding Andrej Meszaros, Sean O’Donnell, Jody Shelley and Nikolay Zherdev, while retaining Darroll Powe and Daniel Carcillo. However all of that activity caused casualties of the cap. Arron Asham signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent and Simon Gagne, the longest- tenured Flyer at the time, waived his no-trade clause in a much maligned deal with Tampa Bay, while we took on Matt Walker — or more precisely, his two hip surgeries. …
The Flyers need to rebuild the fourth line
The fourth line needs new wingers. We’ve heard it over and over again from pundits and fans alike, although they may not have realized they were saying it at the time. So, let’s take a look at some of the common themes we have seen this off-season in regards to the needs of the Flyers: They need more heart The forward crop is small and needs to get bigger The team needs more grit The Flyers are really missing a guy like Ian Laperriere The Flyers really miss Arron Asham Jody Shelley and Dan Carcillo have been unable to contribute …
Pitt Hands Flyers Second Straight Shootout Loss 2-1
It took four rounds in a shootout for the Penguins to beat the Flyers 2-1. Chris Kunitz handed the Flyers’ their second loss on the season to Pittsburgh and their second straight loss in a shootout. The Flyers extended their point streak to eight games with tonight’s shootout loss going 4-0-4 since March 6th. The loss drops Philly to 44-19-10 on the season. The game started with several minutes of chances for both teams resulting in the Flyers receiving the first powerplay of the game. Deryk Engelland was sent to the sin bin for interference just over eight minutes into the game. Despite several scoring chances, the …
Atlantic Watch: 2/9-2/16
The Flyers found a way to extend their lead in the division to five points this week by going 2-1-0. A 2-1 win over the Hurricanes on Thursday, being shutout 1-0 by Jonathan Quick and the Kings on Sunday, and beating the Lightning 4-3 via shootout last night kept the Flyers atop the Eastern Conference standings. James van Riemsdyk had the most note worthy performance of the week recording a Gordie Howe hat trick last night in Tampa Bay. After fighting Randy Jones, JVR scored the first goal of the game and assisted on Hartnell’s goal in the second. The …
Flight plan: 10.07.10
Flight Plan is a new column that will take a more in depth look at the Flyers’ upcoming opponents every week here at Flyers Faithful. The Philadelphia Flyers will kick off their week against two good young teams at two different points in their respective franchise history books. The Pittsburgh Penguins, as we all know, are one of the best young teams in the league today. They have built very well through the draft and have become one of the hardest teams to play against in the NHL. The St. Louis Blues on the other hand are a team on …
Are the Flyers a better team?
This question was recently asked on the Flyers Forum and, admittedly, it caught me off guard. For all of the knee-jerk reactions we are accustomed to giving as fans of Philadelphia sports teams, I had a hard time saying no to this question. I wanted to lash out about how management backed themselves into a corner with the cap and it forced them to trade the beloved Simon Gagne for garbage, or about the illogical acquisition of overpaid defender, Andrej Meszaros, while plenty of good free agent defenders were available. I had a million reasons to complain about how I …
Upgrading via free agency
Given the Flyers’ current cap situation, they are unlikely to make a splash in free agency unless they manage to shed a really big contract or two without taking back salary. This shouldn’t be an issue, though, as they don’t need to target the Ilya Kovalchuk’s of this UFA class. They need to add affordable depth. The first thing the Flyers should do is to add some additional scoring punch to the third line and finally give Claude Giroux a viable, consistent threat on the wing. Vinnie Prospal is a reliable scorer that would have instant chemistry with Giroux. Prospal …
Offseason analysis: Offense
Contracts of note: Carcillo (RFA), Powe (RFA), Asham (UFA) Top prospects: Maroon, Legein Needs: 1st line RW, possible 3rd line RW According to Sam Carchidi, GM Paul Holmgren stated the other day that it is “highly unlikely” the current roster will remain unchanged in the offseason. At this point, the Flyers have two options up front: Do they sell high on superb postseason performers with high salaries (Gagne, Brière, Hartnell) or do they move Jeff Carter, who struggled throughout parts of the regular season as well as the playoffs and had two fractured feet? Daniel Brière Brière is a proven …