Thanks to SI.com

Weber report reminiscent of Gratton deal

The Flyers had just fleeced the Tampa Bay Lightning in their quest to return to glory mere weeks after being bounced from the Stanley Cup Finals by the Detroit Red Wings in a shocking four-game sweep. It took nearly an entire Summer to do it, but in the madness that was the Offer Sheet scramble of the 1997 offseason, Bob Clarke had apparently just increased his chances to return to the title round ten-fold. He acquired the services of Group II restricted free agent and hulking center Chris Gratton from the Bolts on August 20, but not by the traditional …

Shea Weber

Flyers sign Weber to offer sheet

After weeks of speculation, the Flyers signed restricted free agent (RFA), defenseman Shea Weber to an offer sheet. General manager Paul Holmgren issued a statement on Thursday morning confirming the move: “The Philadelphia Flyers have signed restricted free agent (D) Shea Weber to an offer sheet. There will be no further comment at this time.” TSN’s Darren Dreger reported it is for 14 years in excess of $100 million. Nashville has seven days to match or choose to accept four first-round draft picks as compensation. In addition, Preds GM David Poile issued his own statement minutes ago: “We are in …

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The Miscalculation of Paul Holmgren

Ryan Suter…Strike one. Zach Parise…Strike two. Jaromir Jagr…Strike three, you’re out, Mr. Holmgren. We in Flyerdom find ourselves in a strange situation as of mid-July in 2012. The Flyers’ big free agent signing 11 days in has been bottom-six forward and old friend Ruslan Fedotenko. Holmgren failed to make meaningful contact with the two marquee free agents in Suter and Parise (although, if you have read my articles, you know I don’t believe Suter was a marquee free agent). Furthermore, the Flyers blew their chances in retaining Matt Carle. I believed Holmgren when he said that he believed that he …

Podcast

Podcast: Episode 31, “Shea”meless

On this edition of the Flyers Faithful podcast, Steve and Hal talk to Bill Meltzer about Flyers prospect camp, the departures of Matt Carle and Jaromir Jagr, and which young Flyers we can expect to step up next season.  Steve and Hal also discuss Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signing in Minnesota and the possibility of Shea Weber in Orange and Black. Flyers Faithful Podcast Episode 31 You can also download it from iTunes here!  If you’re enjoying the show via iTunes we would very much appreciate it if you could rate it and leave a review on there!

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CBA 101 Part 8: the 100 Percent Rule and Shea Weber

When free agency rolls around, there is always discussion about how the newly signed contracts are laid out. Is it front loaded, back loaded, or relatively even year to year? You’ll often even hear discussion with respect to Restricted Free Agents, such as in the case of Shea Weber currently, and attempting to sign him to such a hugely front-loaded offer sheet that Nashville could not match. I’d argue, that that is harder to do than many realize. When structuring contracts there are certain rules which restrict how much a player’s salary can increase or decrease from year to year. …

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Five Questions: Will the Flyers trade for the rights to any free agents?

Flyers Faithful is pleased to have Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, Marc Siciliano of Kukla’s Corner, Dan MacNeal of Crimespree Hockey, James Minger of Flyers-Philia, and Flyers Faithful’s own Kevin Christmann participate in the current iteration of Five Questions. This is the second of a five-part series focusing on Free Agency that will run all week. With there already being several trades throughout the league for an impending free agent’s rights, and it being a common occurrence since the lockout, do you expect we will continue to see that? Do you see the Flyers as considering that option as they have in the past? If so, for whom? Adam Kimelman: I don’t see it happening …

James van Riesmdyk

Lost in translation: What that offseason news really means

The offseason is filled with plenty of news, speculation, absurd rumors, and hyperbole. So, we at Flyers Faithful have decided to take our best shot at deciphering some of the things that you’ve heard recently. News: This was a great pick by the Flyers! He’s an absolute steal with a lot of upside and projects to be a Mike Richards-type player. What it sounds like: Holy crap, we traded Mike Richards for Mike Richards last year and drafted another Mike Richards this year! What it really means: The kid plays two-way hockey and probably scored a nice shorthanded goal when he was fifteen …

2012 NHL Entry Draft - Round One

Some thoughts on round one

First off, kudos to everyone who covered the draft live last night. People may joke every time a tweet pops up about a GM working the phones but those reporters worked their butts off last night. Today will be even more hectic. Well done folks. The Penguins got a lot better on paper last night and that worries many people in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins also got a lot better on paper in 2010 when they reshaped their defense by acquiring Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin. How did that work out? Michalek was traded back to the Phoenix Coyotes …

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Flyers known to keep Summers interesting

It’s now the offseason, and with it comes a ton of rumors about potential trades or acquisitions — thus, the moniker of “Silly Season.” This particular one is especially interesting, with names like Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan, and Ryan Suter floating around as either pending free agents or possible trade bait. As we learned last summer, the Flyers have no problem with pulling the trigger on huge deals if it means improving their team for the future. So it’s not completely out there to think that they might make another humungous big deal during the era of sweltering heat, whether …

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On Drafting Defenseman

The 2012 draft is days away and Flyers fans have been discussing draft strategy for the first round. What should the Flyers do? The general consensus seems to be that they need to draft a defenseman in the first round and anything else is disappointing. There has also been lots of talk on whether or not the Flyers should move up to draft one of the higher ranked defenders. Most specifically, Ryan Murray, who will likely be selected second. I’ve seen someone go as far as suggesting a trade of James van Riemsdyk, Andrej Meszaros, Sergei Bobrovsky, and a first-round …

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