There’s something humorous about the fact that the Flyers waited until they had arguably their best goaltending prospect in ages before acquiring a bona fide starter. As a result, Sergei Bobrovsky, a once little-known goalie who posted solid numbers for Novokuznetsk Metallurg, a bad KHL team, ceased being the goalie of the future and became perceived as an overpaid, expendable backup in the mere bat of an eyelash. Barely a year after committing three years and nearly $3 million to Bobrovsky, it was reported that the Flyers began shopping him. It’s a long fall for someone who showed such promise and …
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 …
Flight Plan week of 01.30.2011
Now that we are officially past the All-Star Game and subsequently the half-way mark of the season, it would be a good time to let everyone know that this is when the real fun starts. The fine line between good teams and great teams starts to become even finer and more blurred. Those teams at the bottom of the barrel start to play better, those teams in the middle of the pack will feel the pressure of game 82 bearing down on them and this is where those great stories are written. Just like last year, there will teams fighting …