Pronger Signed to Seven-Year Deal; Hartnell To Be Traded?

The Flyers announced that they have signed newly acquired defenseman Chris Pronger to a seven year contract extension, to begin when his current contract expires after the coming season. It was a little surprising that a 35-year old received a seven year deal, but Pronger indicated that he wants to play for a good number more seasons. The deal is front-loaded – $7 million in the first two years winding down to around $500,000 the last two seasons. It’s good that the Flyers won’t lose Pronger after just one season, but hopefully he’ll stay healthy. Otherwise, the Flyers may have gotten themselves into a situation similar to what they experienced with an aging and injured Derian Hatcher on the roster.

Trade rumors persist regarding winger Scott Hartnell. The Los Angeles Kings are very interested in him and they would like to acquire another winger. Hartnell would have to waive his no-trade clause; he may do so to go to L.A. as he would be near his bud, Joffrey Lupul, who was traded to Anaheim. Lupul and Hartnell lived in the same condo in the Old City section of Philadelphia. If you think about it, although Hartnell is extremely popular in Philly and had a career season in terms of scoring, trading him could fit into the remaking of the team that we are seeing with the acquisition of serious-minded, defensive players who take losing very seriously: Pronger, Ian Laperrierre, and Ray Emery. Hartnell is sometimes an undisciplined player who takes bad penalties. Kings’ defenseman Jack Johnson’s name continues to surface in rumors as well. The Flyers would love to have him. Imagine a top four of Pronger, Timonen, Coburn, and Johnson. Also, consider that Hartnell’s style of play is in the mold of Kings’ Assistant GM and former Flyer goalie Ron Hextall. But I think the Flyers would need a winger as part of the deal; they couldn’t afford to give up Hartnell without getting some scoring in return as thin as they are on the wing.

Finally, The Flyers may be looking at signing Devils’ Brendan Shanahan to a one-year contract. They need another winger, he would fit into the new defensive re-make, and he could be had inexpensively. He wouldn’t be scoring much, however.

Anyone Have a Right Wing, Cheap?

Looking at the Flyers roster as it stands now, it is really apparent that they really need to sign a right wing.  Overloaded with centers, there’s no one outside of Gagne and Hartnell who can finish.  The Flyers have a bunch of tough, scrappy wingers with little scoring capability.  There’s always a possibility of shifting a center to wing but that doesn’t always work out. (Briere on the wing, for example, was not a great success when it was tried in the past).  If van Riemsdyk doesn’t make the team (and let’s face it he’s a long shot even though he’ll get a long look) and they dump Cote as I have been advocating since last year, the forward situation looks like this:

Asham, Briere, Carcillo, Carter, Gagne, Giroux, Hartnell, Laperriere, Nodl, Powe, Richards, Ross

I see less balance there than we have become accustomed to.  With free agency winding down, the Flyers better make a move quickly to sign someone with the couple million they have left under the salary cap.  Some suggestions who, as of now, are still available with last season’s numbers (age; games played – goals – assists – points):

Ales Kotalik, RW (Edmonton) – 31; 75-20-23-43

Alex Tanguay, LW (Montreal) – 35; 50-16-25-41

Miroslav Satan, RW (Pittsburgh) – 35; 65-17-19-36

Manny Malhotra, C (Columbus) – 29; 77-11-24-35

Maxim Afinogenov, RW (Buffalo) – 30; 48-6-14-20

Knuble Embraces Capitalism; Flyers Sign Boucher and Laperriere

Right wing Mike Knuble signed a two year deal with Washington for $5.6 million, rejecting a lower offer from the Flyers.  Knuble will be missed for his presence in front of the net on the power play, his consistent goal scoring and his maturity in the dressing room.  Now with Lupul traded and the loss of Knuble, the Flyers are down about 50 goals per season.  After losing Knuble, the Flyers signed veteran right wing Ian Laperriere from Colorado for three years/$3.5 million.  A good defensive forward with a proclivity to fight, Laperriere generally scores only about ten goals per season.  A higher scoring forward would have been nice; now the Flyers have four low-scoring fighters when you include Riley Cote, Aaron Asham, and Dan Carcillo.  This signing will allow at least one of them to be dumped, preferably Cote who scored zero goals last season and who loses about half his fights.  Flyers fans are grumpy about this as they were expecting a higher scoring forward to be signed.  The Flyers are evidently gambling that Briere will return to form and that Claude Giroux will have a really good season to replace the goals they lost.  Laperriere (and Chris Pronger) will help keep the shots against down, which absolutely has to happen, and he hates to lose. That’s a good thing – this team is too nonchalant about losing and now they’ve added three players (Emery, Pronger, and Laperriere) who will get in people’s faces when the effort isn’t there. (Hear that Jeff Carter?). This might actually all work out, but if it doesn’t and there’s early losses, things will get ugly at Broad and Pattison. 

Unhappy with test results on Niitymaki’s hips, the Flyers signed former Flyer goalie Brian Boucher from the San Jose Sharks for a pretty good price (two years/$1.8 million).  This is a decent signing – Boucher is a better goalie than he was when he was here before. He had a solid season in San Jose as Nabokov’s back -up, with a 2.18 GAA and .917 save percentage in 22 games.  New Jersey’s Scott Clemmensen signed with Florida for $1.2 million per season. The Flyers probably could have gotten him for that and he may be a better goalie than Boucher, but the cap-conscious Flyers opted for the less expensive goalie. 

Defensive forward Ian Laperriere will join the Flyers

Brian Boucher returns to Philadelphia

Free Agency Starts Today; Heatley to Edmonton?

The NHL’s free agency period begins today and it will be interesting to see who signs where and for how much.  The Flyers and their rivals will be of special interest to Philadelphia fans and the Flyers have some decisions to make quickly.  First, they would like to re-sign right wing Mike Knuble. Although 37 years of age, he has been a pretty consistent player for the Flyers and has been solid on the power play. With Joffrey Lupul’s trade to Anaheim, it becomes even more crucial that the Flyers ink Knuble.  They also have to consider whether they will re-sign defenseman Andrew Alberts and goalie Antero Niittymaki.  Ideally, they would also sign a centerman who is good at face-offs.  The problem is that they are still right up against the salary cap with only $4.2 million to spend. 

There are several possibilities with the goalie situation.  They could re-sign Niittymaki if they can do it for under $1.5 million – this is all they have marked to spend on the back up goalie.  If Niitymaki wants more than that or if the Flyers decide to go in a different direction, there are three experienced goalies that the Flyers would be interested in – New Jersey’s Scott Clemmensen, Florida’s Craig Anderson, and San Jose’s Brian Boucher (a former Flyer).  Each of the three could probably be had for under $1.5 million.  Clemmensen was great in filling in for Martin Brodeur when he was injured this past season.  Another possibility is that the Flyers could go with rookie Jonas Backlund for less than a million.  That would save money but it may be wise to have a proven NHL-calibre goalie as a back up in case Ray Emery does not pan out as hoped. 

If the Flyers don’t re-sign Knuble or another winger, look for them to try to fill holes with players in their system like Andreas Nodl and James van Riemsdyk.  The Flyers really want JVR to make the team this coming season and will give him a very long look especially if they haven’t signed another forward. 

As for the face-off center, Mike Sillinger of the Islanders and Mike Comrie of Ottawa could be possibilities, but they may not come as cheaply as the Flyers need.  It will be interesting to see how they Flyers try to squeeze their needs under the cap, if they are able to do so. 

The Senators and Oilers have agreed to a trade with Dany Heatley going to Edmonton for forwards Andrew Cogliano and Dustin Penner and defenseman Ladislav Smid.  Heatley must approve this deal because of his no-trade clause.  Supposedly Heatley was due a $4 million payment of front-loaded salary at 12:01 am July 1, but this may be able to be deferred until midnight on July 1.  So, if this deal is going to happen, if would likely be today. I would think the Sens would want to deal him before the payment had to be made.  Other talk has Heatley nixing this deal, so that saga continues.

Flyers Acquire Chris Pronger

The Flyers made a big trade at Friday’s Entry Draft, acquiring 6′6, 221-pound defenseman Chris Pronger from Anaheim for right wing Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa, and two first round draft picks in thie year’s and next year’s drafts. Minor-league forward Ryan Dingle also came to the Flyers in the deal.  With this move, the Flyers get the huge, banging defenseman that they needed to clear the front of the net, a problem that was glaring in the first-round loss to Pittsburgh.  The Flyers were rumored to be interested in acquiring Pronger at the March trade deadline but couldn’t do it because of salary cap issues. 

This is obviously a move made with an eye toward winning the Cup now and sacrifices some of the Flyers’ future.  Pronger is a former Hart and Norris Trophy winner and has won the Stanley Cup. He has great leadership capability, can move the puck, and is a huge physical presence.  He played every game last season and averaged 25 minutes of ice time. It will be great to have a defenseman of his size and skill on our backline.  However, I am not happy with what we gave up. Besides the two first rounders, Luca Sbisa played well as a rookie last season before being sent back to Juniors late in the season.  He is going to be an excellent defenseman and including him in this deal may turn out to be a big mistake.  Lupul was a decent player, but his contract paid him more than what his average production was worth. The two late first round picks don’t bother me – they’re a crap shoot in many ways.  To me, Sbisa is they key in tilting this deal in Anaheim’s favor.  It’ll only be worth it if the Flyers win the Cup in the next year or two.  GM Paul Holmgren has shown a tendency in his last couple of deals to give up too much. The Ducks knew the Flyers really wanted Pronger; maybe Homer needs to be more coy in his discussions. 

Also consider that Pronger is no youngster at 35 years of age and has only one year remaining on his contract. The Flyers will need to re-sign him after this coming season, so this could turn out to be only a one-year thing. And once again, the Flyers acquire a player they covet but only after he’s near the end of his career. Remember Peter Forsberg? Dale Hawerchuk? Adam Oates? Paul Coffey?  It will be nice to have Pronger, but time will tell if this deal was worth it.

Finally, this trade will likely put an end to Jay Bouwmeester talk.  JayBo’s agent said on Friday that he would test free agency on July 1 even if a team acquired his rights before then.  That made it useless to trade for him. 

 

 

Latest Heatley, Bouwmeester Trade Rumors

Latest has the Kings still tops in the running for Dany Heatley – their first round pick and Frolov to Ottawa is the most recent scenario.  It’s looking more and more that it’s now between the Flyers and Canucks for defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.  Both teams’ first round pick plus a player(s) are being offered.  Question is which team will offer more in terms of roster players. Flyers were offering Lupul but that looks like it’s dead.  Will they offer Van Riemsdyk plus the first round pick? That would probably do it, but Panthers will play one offer off the other for as long as they can.

NHL Winter Classic 2010: Bruins vs. Flyers at Fenway Park

Tim Panaccio of Comcast SportsNet and The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that the 2010 Winter Classic outdoor game on New Year’s Day will feature the Flyers and Bruins at Fenway Park.  According to Tim, the NHL was ready to go with Bruins vs. Capitals until NBC indicated that it wanted the Flyers due to their superior television ratings.  Supposedly this will be announced on July 15.  There may also be a secondary game featuring Canadian teams, possibly Calgary and Toronto. 

Trade Rumors: The four team deal that was supposedly close looks like it has fallen through, although part of it may still happen.  Other latest rumors have the Flyers interested in Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf, possibly for Scott Hartnell among others (players, picks).

More Flyers Trade Rumors

Supposedly, the Flyers are close to pulling off a huge deal involving a major player(s) that would clear much cap space.  It could happen as early as tomorrow.  Speculation will be that it involves Danny Briere, who is being shopped but from what I’ve heard, don’t rule out that it could involve Joffrey Lupul, Scott Hartnell, Randy Jones, or even – brace yourselves – Jeff Carter.

Some have debunked the previously posted rumor of a trade sending Briere to L.A. with the Flyers getting the Kings first round pick in this year’s draft.  The question is why would the Kings want Briere and his huge contract. You could ask that question about any team that would entertain the possibility of trading for Briere.  Consider that the rumored trade would also land Dany Heatley in L.A.  Briere and Heatley have played on the same line in international competition with great results.  Considering that, it might be worth it to the Kings to take a chance on Briere.

Other rumors have Briere going to Toronto with the first round pick for defenseman Thomas Kaberle and the Leafs third rounder.  I like Kaberle, but no way I would do that.  There’s also a three-team rumor with Briere going to Florida, the Flyers getting Kaberle and Toronto’s second rounder and the Leafs getting Florida’s Nathan Horton and the Flyers first rounder.

Trade Rumors: Briere is being Shopped; Ottawa’s Heatley to L.A.?

With a couple of weeks until the NHL Entry Draft on June 26-27, the trade rumors should become more plentiful as the draft gets closer.  The Flyers are obviously trying to shed some salary in the hope of signing or acquiring a free-agent defenseman or two.  They are supposedly very interested in Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester (they almost acquired him at the March trade deadline) and Montreal’s Mike Komisarek has also been mentioned as a possibility.  The Flyers signed goalie Ray Emery instead of re-signing Marty Biron, saving about $3 million.  However, to afford someone like Bouwmeester, they’re going to have to dump more salary. 

The obvious cause of much of the Flyers salary cap woes is the heavy contract of center Danny Briere.  At $6.5 million per season, the Flyers just are not getting the value in return. He was injured for most of the season, did nothing in the playoffs, and his small stature makes you wonder if he can hold up physically over the length of his current contract.  The Flyers had talked to Montreal about Briere, but the latest is that they are no longer interested.  It may be tough to trade him since he has a no-trade clause and the huge contract.

They very latest rumblings are intriguing.  Ottawa’s Dany Heatley has requested a trade.  It looks like there may be a three-team or perhaps four-team trade in the works right now (with the Flyers being the fourth team).  In this scenario, Heatley would be traded to Los Angeles for their first round pick (#5 overall) in this year’s draft. The Flyers would trade Briere to Tampa Bay for Vinny Lecavalier and then immediately trade Lecavalier and perhaps a player off their roster  to Ottawa for the Los Angeles pick.  Tampa would immediately trade Briere to L.A. for defenseman Jack Johnson and perhaps a prospect  and would also receive picks from Ottawa.  (Again, this is contingent on Briere agreeing to go to the Kings).

I think it would be a good move for the Flyers to dump Briere and his huge salary for the #5 pick overall.  This would really give them some space under the cap, they’re already loaded with forwards, and they could use the pick for a very good young player.  In the meantime, they would have money to make a good free agent signing or two.  It should be interesting to see if or how this plays out over the next couple of weeks.

Penguins Win Cup

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Red Wings 2-1 in game 7 at Detroit to capture the Stanley Cup.  The Penguins, who often like to open games up with offense, demonstrated that defense wins championships by playing an excellent defensive game.  They also got the bounces their way and survived great pressure by the Wings in the third period.  Detroit rang a shot off the crossbar with two minutes left that would have tied the game, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made a game and perhaps Cup-winning save with one second left, diving across the crease to cover an open net rebound shot.  The Red Wings’ age perhaps was a factor, as several key players were fighting injuries.  Still, give the Penguins credit for resiliency, coming back after losing the first two games of the series. Only the fourth time in NHL history that a team came back from an 0-2 deficit in the Finals, it’s interesting that three of the four occurred against Detroit (this year, 1966 vs. Montreal, and 1942 vs. Toronto).

Red Wings put one off the crossbar with two minutes left.

Fleury dives to stop Niklas Lidstrom with one second left.

The Penguins celebrate as time expires.