Flyers Trade Tollefsen to Wings for Ville Leino

Ville Leino

OK, the Devils get Ilya Kovalchuk and the Flyers get Ville Leino. See why we’re so happy? Holmgren acquires another forward who doesn’t score. Leino is a Finnish (hopefully not finished) left wing, 26 years of age, and in his second season in the NHL. He was named MVP of the Finnish Elite League in 2007-08 after scoring 28 goals and 49 assists in 55 games. He played 13 games with Detroit last season and generated some excitement with five goals and four assists. This season, he has four goals in 43 games and had been benched a couple times. He is an offensive-minded player whose strength supposedly is his ability to control the puck down low. However, criticism from Detroit this year is that he has not been strong on the puck and is easily snuffed out of the play, has a tendency to remain stationary and survey things when he gets the puck instead of moving his feet, and has not been finishing. Great, another forward who has trouble finishing. Maybe this is just a depth move since there’s no one on the Phantoms that is worth calling up in case of an injury. Or, maybe Homer’s going to deal one of our other high-priced and unproductive forwards for a top defenseman. With Parent and Syvret hurt and not close to returning, trading Tollefsen leaves us with only six blueliners. Since our scoring is down, focusing on defense may be the way to go, especially if we get into the playoffs. This move may be making the expenditure of a forward more tolerable.

Devils Acquire Kovalchuk

Great – the Devils come out of nowhere and land Atlanta sniper Ilya Kovalchuk for defenseman Johnny Oduya, forward Niclas Bergfors, prospect Patrice Cormier, and a first round pick. Lou Lamoriello is a genius GM. Think about it: Since the early 90s, the Devils have been near the top in the league most years with several Cups along the way. This season, they are again near the top in points and now they land a 40-50 goal scorer. It will be interesting to see if the Devils will be able to re-sign him after this season – he turned down a huge offer from Atlanta – or if they are getting him just as a rental for the rest of the season. Bergfors will be the key to the deal. A rookie, I think he’ll turn into a decent scorer, maybe a 30 goal a year player. Oh, and take note that Cormier, 19 years old and playing in juniors, is suspended for the rest of the season for a vicious, deliberate attempt to injure, elbow to the head center ice hit. So we have another Scott Stevens-type Devil on his way up, too.

Of course, Kovalchuk comes into the Flyers’ division. So now we must contend with him as well as Brodeur, Crosby, Malkin, and Ovechkin. The Flyers tried to keep up over the summer, acquiring Chris Pronger specifically to shut down the Pittsburgh Pair, but their record and play this season indicates that they have a long way to go before they can expect to knock off the elite teams above them. The Flyers were in on the Kovalchuk talks but how close were they? We all know that the Flyers don’t really like Russian players and they didn’t want to give up Van Riemsdyk or Giroux, one of which the Thrashers wanted. The Flyers were offering Hartnell and Briere, both of whom have no-trade clauses and are ridiculously overpaid for their production this season. Don Waddell must have laughed at that offer. Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make, but you gotta figure the Flyers have to do something here. The offense has disappeared again – they were just shut out by Edmonton, which has three wins in its last 23 games. There’s another couple of points lost that they’ll lament over in April.

Although they picked up Lukas Kracijek, I think they’ll try to land another defenseman. I’d love to see Scott Niedermayer here and the Ducks may trade him if they can’t crack the top four in the west. He’s 36 years old but playing well and it would fit the Flyers’ pattern of acquiring aging veterans. Two other players who fit that description that the Flyers are supposedly interested in are the Oilers’ Ethan Moreau (34 years old and about four goals) and Carolina defenseman Niklas Wallin (34 years old). I’m turning in my tickets if they trade for Moreau. Wallin at least has size (6′3, 220) and I’ll bet that’s who they end up with. (Don’t be surprised if Rod Brind’Amour is thrown into that deal – for real).

Flyers Claim Lukas Krajicek; Trade to Come?

The Flyers claimed Tampa defenseman Lukas Krajicek off waivers.

The Flyers got some help on defense when they claimed 6′3, 205-lb. defenseman Lukas Krajicek off waivers from the Lightning. Krajicek is a serviceable defenseman who has played for several teams over the last six years. He’s still young at 26 and will provide some additional experience on the blueline.

I thought the Flyers were going to get Dion Phaneuf from the Flames – they were talking – but Phaneuf just went to Toronto in a blockbuster deal. Not sure if claiming Krajicek means they got their defenseman. I was hoping for a top-four d-man. I still think Scott Niedermayer is a possibility.

Trade rumors continue around Jeff Carter. He has been mentioned in a possible deal to Montreal along with a prospect for goalie Jaroslav Halak, defenseman Paul Mara, forward Tomas Plekanec and a 2010 first rounder. I don’t think the Flyers are interested in Halak. However, I know they’d like to get a first round pick since they traded theirs for Pronger. Mara may interest them as well. It may be worthwhile to note that Krajicek is from the Czech Republic and so is Plekanec. Did they claim Krajicek knowing that they’re going to acquire Plekanec? OK, maybe that’s far-fetched.

The Flyers are supposedly one of a few teams that are in on a possible Ilya Kovalchuk deal. (The others are Chicago, LA, Rangers, and Bruins). The Thrashers’ sniper is almost certain to be traded but would command a player, prospect and draft pick. I don’t see the Flyers giving up a Giroux or Van Riemsdyk and they don’t have the pick, plus the offense has picked it up. They need more help on defense and if a deal goes down, I think it’ll be for a blueliner.

With the Olympic break looming, there’s sort of two deadlines so let’s see what happens between now and the Olympics.

Flyers Stifle Rangers, 2-0; Carcillo Pounds Gaborik

Sometimes you never know which Flyers team is going to show up for a game. On Thursday night at the Wachovia Center, the Flyers played one of their best games of the season in shutting down the Rangers, 2-0. With an excellently executed defensive game, the Flyers allowed very little in the way of opportunities for the Blueshirts and stifled the Rangers in the neutral zone with what looked like a part lock and part trap that prevented any Rangers’ speed and which forced turnovers. The Flyers are now 10-3-1 since a dismal loss to Florida on December 21. Hopefully, this is the team that we’ll see the most of for the rest of the season.

Some interesting sidelights occurred during the game, with Dan Carcillo fighting Rangers leading scorer and resident pacifist, Marian Gaborik. During a shoving match by the Flyers’ net, Carcillo grabbed Gaborik away from the scrum and after they tugged at each other for a few seconds, a fight ensued. After the game, Rangers’ coach John Tortorella questioned Carcillo’s “honor” for going after Gaborik. Rangers’ writers and bloggers have also picked up on Carcillo’s post-game comment that he was “licking his chops” in going after Gaborik and denounced Carcillo for doing so. They should re-read his comment. Carcillo said that after they had been shoving, he was surprised that Gaborik dropped his gloves and was “licking his chops” at the prospect of fighting him. The New Yorkers have misrepresented those comments to indicate that Carcillo was looking to fight Gaborik in a premeditated fashion. During the scrum, Carcillo did appear to look to grab Gaborik, but he made no move to begin fighting him until after Gaborik dropped his gloves and began throwing a punch.

During the post-game press conference, Tortorella was asked why no Ranger came to the aid of their star player by New York Post writer Larry Brooks. A good question, since you really can’t let a non-fighter star player get beat up by another team’s tough guy. Now, Tortorella hates Brooks and their current feud goes back to 2007. So the question led to an entertaining exchange between the two.

Agitator Sean Avery did seek out and fight Carcillo in the third period for one of his few contributions to the game. The Rangers appeared as punchless overall in the game as they did while their leading scorer was getting pounded. Can’t see this team making the playoffs.

Flyers Hockey vs. Penguins Ice Capades

A pretty cool video put together by my nephew!

Leighton or Emery vs. Capitals?

Ray Emery

Michael Leighton

With number one goalie Ray Emery recovering from abdominal surgery and backup Brian Boucher injuring his finger, the Flyers picked up journeyman goalie Michael Leighton off waivers from Carolina as a temporary fill-in. Surprisingly, Leighton got hot and went 8-1-1, fueling a Flyers turnaround from a dismal month-long slump. Now with Emery healed and ready to go and Leighton losing to Toronto on Thursday, do they stay with Leighton or give the job back to Emery? Leighton couldn’t really be faulted for the loss against the Leafs but you’ve got to figure that Emery is expected to be the goalie for the stretch run and playoffs (if we make the playoffs). On the other hand, if Leighton is still the hot guy and we need points, maybe he stays in net for now. And does a possibly rusty Emery go in against Ovechkin and company? It will be interesting to see who gets the start and how the goalie situation plays itself out over the next couple of weeks.

Penguins’ Lack of Sportsmanship Extends to its TV Crew

It appears as though the Penguins lack of sportsmanship, which is all too evident on the ice, also runs through the organization all the way to the television production department. As reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Flyers’ beat writer Sam Carchidi, an NHL executive indicated that replay officials in Toronto were not given the proper replays by Fox Sports Pittsburgh when Simon Gagne appeared to score in last Thursday’s game. Gagne’s rebound shot appeared to be carried into the net by goalie Brent Johnson and then pushed back out. Ruling no goal on the ice, the ref went to a replay decision. Officials in Toronto called it no goal due to “inconclusive” replay evidence. There were about three different camera angles available on this play, one of which showed the puck over the line. However, this angle was not sent to Toronto until after the no-goal decision was made and the puck was dropped. The Flyers were using the Pittsburgh feed and could not send their own video.

Add cheating by its television crew to the diving, goalie-crashing, and ref-whining that has become the expected unsportsmanlike behavior of the Penguins. Further, the NHL should take action against the Penguins as a result of this conduct. With questionable calls by the refs often going against the Flyers and already calling the league’s integrity into question, the NHL does not need this sort of revelation that teams’ television crews will be allowed to withhold certain replays of disputed goals because they appear to go against their team.

This news is just disgusting and another reason to hate the Evil Empire in Pittsburgh.

Flyers Turning a Corner?

Things are finally looking up in Flyerland as the team has gone 7-1-1 in its last nine games, including a wild 7-4 victory in Pittsburgh. They are scoring goals again and, with everyone healthy, have four solid lines to roll each night. It appears that new coach Peter Laviolette’s system is taking hold and the players have grasped it and are executing it well. Jeff Carter has found the net and is playing harder (maybe he heard the trade rumors) and goalie Ray Emery is healed from his abdominal surgery and is ready to play. Hold on, though, because third string goalie Michael Leighton has gone 7-0-1 in his last nine starts (one no-decision) with a .931 save percentage in those games.

With the team playing well of late, we may have legitimate hope that they will make the playoffs. In the competitive Atlantic Division, they’ll have to continue their recent torrid play, but wow, they’re only ten points behind the Penguins with two games in hand. The win against the Pens may be the most significant of the season in terms of building the team’s self-confidence. Think back to when this tailspin started. The Flyers were 12-5-1 when they went into a game agianst potential Cup finalist San Jose and lost. It was as if the team began doubting itself and its ability to beat the upper-echelon clubs and just gave up on itself. Now with a new, fiery coach, an aggressive system that fits its players, and success against a top team, the Flyers may be poised to meet expectations after all. It should be a very interesting second half.

Flyers Lose Winter Classic in Overtime, 2-1

Jeff Carter looks to make a pass.

Bobby Clarke and Bobby Orr before the game

“We can’t have a 1-0 shutout game in the Winter Classic – that just doesn’t play well on national television – especially if it’s the Flyers that win the game. We didn’t even want the Flyers in the game to begin with. It would have been Ovechkin and the Capitals if it wasn’t for NBC insisting on the Flyers because of their tv ratings. Make sure the Bruins get a couple of power plays near the end.”

I really hope it didn’t go down like that, but one has to wonder after seeing the two marginal penalty calls against the Flyers late in the game and in overtime on which the Bruins scored power play goals, overcoming a 1-0 deficit and winning 2-1, in a game in which they were largely outplayed. Kimmo Timonen, on the ice, slid into Zedeno Chara in front of the Flyers’ net and was called for tripping. Chara is such a big oaf that I think a gust of wind could have knocked him off his skates. Give Mark Recchi credit for being so good in front of the net as he deflected a point shot past Michael Leighton for the tying goal. In overtime, Danny Briere was whistled for taking down a Bruin behind the net – a really questionable call – and Marco Sturm deflected a shot by Patrice Bergeron for the winner. Bergeron made a great play by spinning away from Mike Richards in the left circle and getting the shot away. The Flyers played a very disciplined game and had only one other minor whistled against them until the two marginal calls were made, which essentially decided the game. Additionally, the Bruins had too many men on the ice just prior to the winning goal with six – two more than were legal at the time – and this was ignored, which makes things look even more questionable.

Don’t blame the refs entirely, however. The Flyers had numerous opportunities to score but couldn’t finish, which is becoming an all-too-familiar soundtrack for this team. Aaron Asham and Claude Giroux missed on breakaways, Jeff Carter couldn’t convert on a partially open net from in close, and Danny Briere had the game on his stick in overtime but fanned on an open net. Maybe the ice provided some difficulty, but this team is becoming notorious for not putting away opportunities. In fact, you could say they would have been shut out except that Bruins’ goalie Tim Thomas was busy cross-checking Scott Hartnell in front when Danny Syvret’s first NHL goal slipped past him from the point.

On the positive side, the Flyers played strong defensively and cycled the puck down low very well. They outplayed Boston for almost all of the game, until the late power plays. They were disciplined and goalie Michael Leighton continued his strong play.

The League did a good job with the event and it went off without any major glitches. It was great seeing Bobby Clarke and Bobby Orr facing off before the game. Those two had many great battles in the 70s and are the epitome of their teams. It was a good event and a good game but unfortunately marred by the officiating at the end.

Flyers Gearing Up for Winter Classic

The Scoreboard

The Flyers practice at Fenway Park

The Flyers are getting ready for the NHL Winter Classic game against the Bruins at Fenway Park. Riding a four game winning streak after a 6-0 pounding of the Rangers on Wednesday, the Flyers may be starting to come around under new coach Peter Laviolette. It looks like they may be grasping his puck pursuit system and may be better conditioned to play it. The team practiced at Fenway on New Year’s Eve in what was a festive atmosphere. Let’s home they can keep up the momentum despite the distractions of the big event.