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Then and Now: Ville Leino

After spending parts of six seasons in the SM-liiga, Ville Leino became a member of the Detroit Red Wings’ organization for the 2008-2009 campaign. The forward spent time with the Tampereen Ilves, HPK, and Jokerit before he spent most of his first season with the Wings’ franchise in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Leino saw regular season and postseason action for both the Griffins and Red Wings during 2008-2009, as he posted 46 points in 57 games with Grand Rapids and nine points in 13 tilts with Detroit. In the AHL playoffs, Leino totaled three goals and 10 …

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Assembling a Stanley Cup winner; breaking down the last seven Cup teams

It’s no secret that after losing the 2004-2005 NHL season due to a lockout, the dynamic of assembling an NHL team changed dramatically. With the implementation of a salary cap, there were a myriad of new limitations and restrictions placed on teams and how they spend their money. Rich teams could no longer try to buy themselves a Stanley Cup, while poor teams felt like they could finally compete. But is there a formula for building a Stanley Cup winning team? When you have no restrictions on how much money you can spend, there’s really limited concern about spending wisely. …

predictions

Premature season predictions

With the start of the 2013 NHL season suddenly right around the corner, it is time to make some unfounded predictions that, in the long run, will either make us look like prescient geniuses or complete fools. Or, maybe we will just play it safe and make some conservative predictions that have a high probability of coming true. Either way, here we go. Marcello De Feo 1. Luke Schenn will accumulate 200 hits and win over fans Last season, Luke Schenn accumulated 270 hits over 79 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was good enough to lead the league …

Homer’s Do’s and Doh’s: A Closer Look

Paul Holmgren became the interim General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers on October 22, 2006. That interim title was removed only weeks later on November 11. Holmgren was able to take a team that finished last in the National Hockey League, and rebuild it to make a deep run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals the very next season. Yes, some of Holmgren’s moves have been amazing, but he’s also a guy who has gotten this organization into some hot water with the salary cap and was forced to make deals that were head scratchers to say the least. If you enjoyed …

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Homer’s Do’s and Doh’s: Pronger Trade v. Leino Trade and Gagne Trade v. Versteeg Trade

Paul Holmgren became the interim General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers on October 22, 2006. That interim title was removed only weeks later on November 11. Holmgren was able to take a team that finished last in the National Hockey League, and rebuild it to make a deep run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals the very next season. Yes, some of Holmgren’s moves have been amazing, but he’s also a guy who has gotten this organization into some hot water with the salary cap and was forced to make deals that were head scratchers to say the least. If you enjoyed …

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Homer’s Do’s and Doh’s: Our favorite and least favorite deals under Paul Holmgren

Paul Holmgren became the interim General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers on October 22, 2006. That interim title was removed only weeks later on November 11. Holmgren was able to take a team that finished last in the National Hockey League, and rebuild it to make a deep run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals the very next season. Yes, some of Holmgren’s moves have been amazing, but he’s also a guy who has gotten this organization into some hot water with the salary cap and was forced to make deals that were head scratchers to say the …

Atlantic Watch: 2/8-2/14

The Flyers managed to hold on for a one-goal win Thursday before they dropped both of their games on the weekend to go 1-2-0 this week. The win was the Flyers’ second since the All-Star break, as they are 2-4-2 since the break with both wins coming at home. Philly looks forward to two games against Eastern Conference teams outside the playoff picture in the next few days, as well as a meeting with the Penguins to determine crucial points in the standings. On Thursday, Brayden Schenn potted the game-winner in the second period to give the Flyers just enough …

Snapshots

1. Laud Bob, learn from Bob When Dmitry Chesnokov interviewed Sergei Bobrovsky for Puck Daddy this offseason, he asked him about Ilya Bryzgalov’s contract. “What I understood from last season is that if you play well, show the result, then you play for the first team,” said Bobrovsky. “If not, you are benched. A contract is not playing, a person is.” Bobrovsky put his head down, kept quiet, and played hard. The presence of Bryzgalov did not intimidate him. That alone speaks volumes about just how much the young goalie matured from the previous postseason. While Bob may not get …

Atlantic Watch: 1/18-1/24

The Flyers went 2-1-1 in a week that featured a lot of ups and downs for the guys in Orange and Black. After a week that featured a loss to the Islanders, a Scott Hartnell record a natural hat trick, and their first shootout win of the season, the Flyers are still trailing the Rangers for the top spot in the division. With one game this week, the Flyers look to gain ground in the division as well as beat a team they have already lost to twice this season. The Flyers started the week off with a 4-1 loss to …

Flyers Win First Shootout Of Season, Beat Panthers 3-2 in Florida

The Philadelphia Flyers finally proved they don’t need to practice the shootout, as they beat the Florida Panthers tonight 3-2 in a shootout in Sunrise. Claude Giroux, who saw his goal drought extended to 11 games, nonetheless came through with the decisive goal in the shootout, while Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek both scored in the first period for Philly. With their first shootout victory of the season, the Flyers enter the All-Star break at 29-14-5, good enough for second place in the Atlantic Division. On the Flyers’ second shot, Giroux picked up the puck at center with a full …

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