Flyers Enter Vitally Important Off Season

One thing that can not be ignored after the Flyers historic run to the Stanley Cup finals is that they needed to win a game 82 shootout for it to even be possible.

Obviously, the playoff run showed the true mettle of this hockey club, but the fact remains they need to be better-not only to win the Stanley Cup, but to make a better showing in the regular season. With limited cap room and a few needs, general manager Paul Holmgren will need to get busy.  To be fair, he already has, re-signing goalie Johan Backlund to a two year extension.

The man with the plan, GM Paul Holmgren

However, Backlund isn’t expected to be more than a back-up at the NHL level during that contract. The big questions remain:

-Which direction do the Flyers go in goal?

-What steps can be taken to keep the two thirty-five year old top defensemen from having to average 35 minutes a night in the playoffs next year?

-How do the Flyers correct the glut of centers and get a better balance at forward?

The most pressing area is goal. Michael Leighton was a big part of why the Flyers made the Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately, he was also a big part of the reason the Flyers lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. Leighton has shown that he not only belongs in the NHL, but can be a starter for a decent team. He deserves a shot.

The problem is, the Flyers are a team with championship aspirations.

I’m not sold that any of the available free agents are worth the expense or capable of doing the job. Evgeni Nabokov will be too expensive. Marty Turco seems to have slipped a bit. Jose Theodore has battled consistency issues. Vesa Toskala’s issues in Toronto are well known to all readers of www.downgoesbrown.com . Martin Biron is coming off a dreadful season in New York. Chris Mason is 35 and has just come into his own in the past few years.

It’s not that any of these guys wouldn’t be an improvement, at least on paper-Leighton himself was waived by the worst team in the NHL-at the time-and has bounced around the NHL waiver wire several times. But when you have under $10mm in cap room and several spots to address, you can’t settle for simple improvement for a major investment.

Marty Turco is a free agent option for the Flyers, after Dallas signed Kari Lehtonen to a new contract

Another route is by trade. There are several good young goalies that could potentially be had. Some name have been kicked around to varying degrees-Vancouver’s Corey Schneider; one of Montreal’s tandem of Jaroslav Halak or Carey Price; one of Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick or Jonathan Bernier. They could also go the trade route for an established number one guy, like Tomas Vokoun of Florida or even Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff.

One big potential trade chip is center Jeff Carter. Considering the Flyers’ center depth, his name has been bandied about as a potential trade chip to address either goal, defense depth or both, if he’s dealt for a package. Right now, the Flyers have Mike Richards, Danny Briere, Carter, Claude Giroux and Blair Betts as centers. Betts is locked in as a key PK guy and top notch 4th line pivot. Briere and Carter both show significant drops in their level of play when used at wing….something’s got to give, whether it’s a trade or somebody moving to wing or a combination of the two. Personally, I don’t trade Carter unless it’s for a mountain of assets

The Flyers could use a good top six right winger. If Giroux is used there, it would eliminate the need to go out and acquire one.

Never hurts to have a guy who has lifted this thing around

As for defense, Braydon Coburn’s salary will double. Ryan Parent and Oskars Bartulis will be the sixth and seventh defensemen. There’s a need for a solid reliable guy to step in and provide quality minutes and also help Parent to mature. Several media members have hinted that Dan Hamhuis would be a nice addition-and he would. He’d push Coburn to the third pair, and probably be the team’s second best defeseman upon arrival. He’s also going to be expensive. Think a guy like Mark Eaton here.

Whatever is done, the Flyers should still ice a very solid, competitive hockey team. I feel they are closer to the team they showed in the playoffs than the one that staggered into game 82 needing a win to simply qualify.

Changes are needed to reach that big prize, but not gigantic ones. As much as I’d rather be in Philadelphia on this lovely June day to see a Stanley Cup parade, I remain proud of my team and what they accomplished. I am ready for the fall to get here and start anew.