Hey Paul, I hope you’re doing well. Did you get my last letter? I understand if you haven’t had time to read it. After all, you’ve been a busy man. I’m writing you again today to express another concern of mine. In recent years, you’ve made Scottie Upshall cry, shocked R.J. Umberger, broke Simon Gagne’s heart, saw Nikolay Zherdev escape giddily after being waived, and sent Jeff Carter into seclusion. Including Joffrey Lupul, you’ve signed three players to significant deals and traded them before the no-trade clause kicked in. You also shipped out at least that many players who were …
Simon Gagne should take some time off
The last couple years have been hard for Simon Gagne. After a slew of unfortunate injuries, the one-time face of the Flyers’ franchise found himself in the unenviable position of being forced to waive his no trade clause. Gagne was shipped to Tampa Bay for a poor return. It was the only team for which he could see himself playing. The team had plenty of cap space and he believed this meant that he would be able to remain there for the foreseeable future. However, after the injuries continued and he put up modest numbers throughout the 2011 campaign, it …
The Numbers Game
October 7, 1990. An otherwise unremarkable day in the history of the universe. In hockey circles, It was the Philadelphia Flyers’ 1990-91 home opener, played against the Detroit Red Wings after opening the year with two straight losses at Boston and New Jersey. In and of itself, that 7-2 victory played out in front of a sell-out crowd wasn’t notable, unless you count falling behind 2-0 early and then scoring seven straight goals. What did make it special was, it was the official retirement ceremony for Bill Barber’s #7. Honored first towards the tail end of the 1985-86 season for his 13 years …
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. …
Is Paul Holmgren still the right man for the job?
Paul Holmgren is a bold man, sure of what he wants and unflinching in his actions. He is willing to pay extra to beat the surge of activity to get his man. As a result, he’s built a team capable — in theory and in his own mind — of competing for the Stanley Cup. However, these actions are adding up and taking an increasing toll on a team that put its eggs in one basket for the 2011 season. That ultimately-failed course has been run, and the team did not win the Cup, yet again, and it is now …
Poll: Would you rather re-sign Leino or have Gagne back?
Gagne may be taking a paycut and Leino is in line for a sizable raise. All things considered, the two players could end up making about the same amount next season. Which would you rather have?
Deja Vu all over again
Here’s Simon Gagne’s goal which put the Lightning ahead by one, from yesterday’s 5-3 Tampa Bay win over Boston in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bolts won the game after trailing by a 3-0 count after the first period. Here’s Simon Gagne’s goal from May 14, 2010′s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a game the Flyers won by a 4-3 score. I swear there’s something familiar… Nah…we didn’t need him this year. We needed another spare defenseman. It was time to let him go and break in some new talent.
An open letter to Paul Holmgren
Dear Paul, We’ve had our differences in the past. The lack of value you see in draft picks and prospects worries me. Your willingness to give picks away in trade, and hand out no trade clauses like candy was mystifying at one point, but now I have become numb to it. Additionally, the idea of putting all of your eggs in one basket, like you did this season, is far from an approach I prefer take. There’s still no guarantee that you’ll win the Stanley Cup, as we saw, and now we’re left in the same spot where we always seem to …
Trust, injuries played a role in Zherdev’s failure and Leino’s success
The signing of Nikolay Zherdev in the summer appeared to be one of the better moves Holmgren made in the summer. It seemed like the classic case of a low risk/high reward situation. Zherdev, a former fourth overall pick, is a highly skilled forward that had the potential to be a 60 point forward that chips in with around 25 goals a season. He was signed to a reasonable one year deal worth $2 million. The work ethic issues that has followed Zherdev everywhere he has gone was the reason the Flyers were able to sign him for to such …
Blue Valentine: Forsberg retires again
The second NHL comeback of former superstar Peter Forsberg is over after just two games. Forsberg, the 37-year-old Swede who hooked on with the Avalanche last week, made it official on Monday afternoon. The time has finally come, I am retiring from the game of ice hockey,” said Forsberg. “I’ve played hockey all my life but I’ve come to the decision that I’ve played my final game. It is perfect for me to announce my retirement here in Denver, as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.” The news comes as a shock, with Colorado in the midst of a seven- …