Category Archives: Philadelphia Flyers
Some possible trade targets to upgrade the Flyers offense
Here are some of the unrestricted free-agent forwards who could appeal to the Flyers in a deal, one that would ease the pain of losing winger Wayne Simmonds (out indefinitely with a concussion) and Scott Hartnell, who could miss another five weeks:
Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Homgren looking for help for struggling team
Paul Holmgren is getting ready to push the panic button — and he needs help everywhere.
The Philadelphia Flyers GM wasn’t happy with the club’s 2-6-1 record going into Saturday’s visit by the Carolina Hurricanes. The word amongst league executives is he’d take just about anything he can get.
The Flyers need scoring, would like to get another blueliner and, on top of that, could use goaltending help as well. Generally speaking, they’ve been happy with Ilya Bryzgalov, but they did hold talks with the Vancouver Canucks about Roberto Luongo.
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/2013/02/02/20549071.html
John Erskine faces disciplinary hearing for elbow
Capitals defenseman John Erskine will have a supplemental discipline hearing with NHL Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan at 2 p.m. Saturday for hitting Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds in the head Friday night.
With 1 minute 51 seconds remaining in the first period of Washington’s 3-2 win over the Flyers, Erskine elbowed Simmonds in the head as both players pursued a loose puck along the left-wing boards in the Philadelphia zone.
No penalty was called on the play. Simmonds had a bloody nose and was able to head to the bench under his own power, but he never returned to the game.
Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren said after the game that Simmonds has a “head injury” and “probably a little bit of whiplash” but that he would be reevaluated Saturday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
STREIT HIGH ON FLYERS, RANGERS WISHLIST
Are the Flyers looking to make a move for Bobby Ryan?
Will GM Paul Holmgren remain patient and wait for Hartnell’s return in four or five weeks? Or will he pull the trigger and try to make a deal for a sniper like Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan?
The next two weeks may provide the answer. Holmgren doesn’t figure to wait too long because he doesn’t have that luxury in a 48-game season.
Building block? Several Flyers said they can build off a Tuesday’s strong third period, a stanza in which they were constantly in the Rangers’ end. The Flyers play in Washington Friday and host Carolina on Saturday.
Flyers and Canadiens talking about a Subban trade
RDS.ca is reporting that the Flyers and Canadiens have been taking about a potential deal for Subban. It is noted that the Flyers are eagerly looking to find another top defender aftger they failed to land Weber in the summer.
Could the Flyers be targetting bobby Ryan
The Flyers have company. Injuries have run rampant around the league, causing numerous first-year pros to fill the gaps. In Detroit, the Red Wings had nine defensemen either injured or ill after the season’s first week.
Nine.
The teams that have the quality depth are the ones that will survive the 99-day regular season and have the best chance to make a serious Stanley Cup run.
Will the Flyers, who managed a total of five goals in their first four games, be one of those teams?
Not at this rate. Which is why a bold move could be in the works, and why a player such as Anaheim winger Bobby Ryan, a South Jersey native who would love to return to his roots, could appear on the Flyers’ radar. Ryan, who has scored 30-plus goals in each of his four full seasons, is just the type of sniper the Flyers need. Could Ryan be to the 2013 Flyers what John LeClair and Eric Desjardins were to the struggling 1995 team, one that acquired those players in an early-season deal that turned around its year?
Stay tuned.
http://articles.philly.com/2013-01-27/sports/36579156_1_andrej-meszaros-scott-laughton-shea-weber/2
Sean Couturier to the Habs?
Sean Couturier would likely be the piece going back to Montreal for Subban. Btw 2 other teams have contacted MTL about Subban.
— Josh Rimer (@JoshRimerHockey) January 25, 2013
Flyers to sign Knuble on Friday as an UFA. hockeytraderumors.com
— hockeytraderumors (@hockeytraderumo) January 25, 2013
Brian Boucher traded back to to Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired goaltender Brian Boucher and defenseman Mark Alt from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Luke Pither, according to Craig Custance of ESPN.
The 36-year-old goaltender was drafted No. 22 overall by the Flyers in the 1995 NHL draft and has spent time in his career with seven NHL teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes and Calgary Flames. Boucher signed a two-year contract with the Flyers in 2009 and spent two seasons with Philadelphia that included a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010.
Boucher signed with the Hurricanes in 2011 after the Flyers acquired goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and chose to stick with Sergei Bobrovsky as the backup. Boucher finished the 2011-12 season with a 1-6-1 record with the Hurricanes, along with a .881 save percentage and 3.41 goals-against average.
Four reasons why Flyers would consider Luongo
Interesting Flyers in Luongo rumors now. Reliable source told me prior to Burke firing they would be 3rd team in a 3-way trade for Lou to TO
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) January 10, 2013
FLYERS THE LATEST TEAM TO ASK ABOUT LUONGO’S AVAILABILITY
It appears that there’s another team in the Roberto Luongo sweepstakes.
According to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post, hockey analyst and former NHL player Enrico Ciccone of TVA Sports, and confirmed by TSN’s James Duthie on Twitter, the Philadelphia Flyers are interested in acquiring the services of the veteran goaltender.
Duthie tweeted that the Flyers have inquired about the Canucks goalie, and are in a position where they could buy out current netminder Ilya Bryzgalov in June.
Trade rumours surrounding Luongo have been front and centre with this week’s announcement of a new CBA for the NHL and its players. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers have been the two teams tied most closely to potentially acquiring Luongo.
Canadiens, Flyers talking P.K. Subban trade?
The Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly asked the Montreal Canadiens about the availability of restricted free agent defenceman P.K. Subban.
The Flyers are interested in adding Subban, who has been unable to come to terms on a new contract with the Canadiens. Philly will probably start the season with three blueliners — Chris Pronger, Andrej Meszaros and Andreas Lilja — out with injuries.
Sportsnet reported earlier this week that he was close to signing a three-year, $12 million deal but so far that hasn’t happened. Last month, TSN said Subban had rejected a two-year, $5.5 million offer.
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Montreal/2012/09/12/20194016.html
Philadelphia Flyers sign B.C. blueliner Shea Weber to $100-million-plus offer sheet
A person with knowledge of the decision says the Philadelphia Flyers have signed Nashville star defenceman Shea Weber to a 14-year offer sheet worth more than $100 million.
The Sports Network in Canada first reported the offer.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the Flyers hadn’t announced the offer.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren confirmed early Thursday that the Flyers did sign Weber to an offer sheet. He gave no further details. The Predators issued a statement late Thursday morning confirming they had received the Flyers’ offer sheet, which gives the team seven days to make a decision on matching the deal or letting the defenceman go.
“We have stated previously that, should a team enter into an offer sheet with Shea, our intention would be to match and retain Shea,” Predators general manager David Poile said. “Our ownership has provided us with the necessary resources to build a Stanley Cup-winning team. Due to the complexity of the offer sheet, we will take the appropriate time to review and evaluate it, and all of its ramifications, in order to make the best decision for the Predators in both the short and long-term.”
Flyers offer Parise and Suter huge deals?
Sources say FLyers’ gave Suter and Parise each a 10-year offer … guess the $$$
— Tim Panaccio (@tpanotchCSN) July 1, 2012
Inside the Flyers: Flyers bolster defense, but offense may need help
In essence, both teams are hoping a change of scenery helps the players blossom into game-changers.
And when you draft a player second overall (van Riemsdyk in 2007) and fifth overall (Schenn in 2008), that’s what you expect: a game-changer.
The deal saves the Flyers some money – Schenn has a $3.6 million cap hit for four years, JVR has a $4.25 cap hit for the next six years – and it appears to shut the door on the Flyers’ pursuit of Ryan Suter and Justin Schultz, a pair of soon-to-be free-agent defensemen.
Assuming captain Chris Pronger is unable to return and that the Flyers re-sign Matt Carle, their defense for next season might look like this: Braydon Coburn and Nick Grossmann; Kimmo Timonen and Andrej Meszaros; and Carle and Schenn, a stay-at-home, 6-foot-2, 229-pound defender.
That would give the Flyers a formidable (and beefy) unit, with Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson providing solid depth if needed.
But, suddenly, there is a hole in the offense. General manager Paul Holmgren said it is 50/50 that the club will be able to re-sign Jaromir Jagr, who can become a free agent next Sunday. Even if Jagr is re-signed, the Flyers appear to have enough cap space to go after winger Zach Parise, the jewel of this free-agent class.
Problem is, Pittsburgh – whose fans booed so loudly when the Flyers made a draft pick here this weekend that they drowned out the announced selections – have cleared lots of cap room and seem primed to make a strong run at Parise, who will have a long list of suitors.
Landing Parise, then, would be a double-win for the Penguins, who lost out to the Flyers in the Jagr sweepstakes last summer. (Side note: Late-blooming P.A. Parenteau of the Islanders is an intriguing free-agent winger.)
For Pittsburgh, getting Parise in his prime would trump the Flyers’ getting the still-effective Jagr late in his Hall of Fame career.
MAPLE LEAFS TRADE SCHENN TO FLYERS FOR VAN RIEMSDYK
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has said repeatedly he wants to get bigger up front.
He took a step in that direction Saturday.
The Leafs GM pulled the trigger on a significant move after the NHL draft concluded, acquiring left-winger James van Riemsdyk from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenceman Luke Schenn.
Van Riemsdyk, who missed significant time last season with a broken left foot, had 11 goals and 13 assists in 43 games for the Flyers in 2011-12.
Burke says the six-foot-three, 200-pound van Riemsdyk will add a physical element to a lineup that was pushed around far too often last season.
“He will provide speed, size, and finesse to our top two lines and we know that he fits those needs that we have wanted to address for some time,” Burke said in a statement.
Van Riemsdyk shared the Flyers’ team lead with seven goals in 11 playoff games in 2011 after earning career highs in goals (21), points (40) and a plus-15 in 75 games during the regular season.
“To go to a place like Toronto is unbelievably exciting for me,” van Riemsdyk said on a conference call. “Just the tradition they have there, the city, the fans it’s all unbelievable and growing up a big-time Yankees fans, a good analogy for me is that it’s like playing for the New York Yankees of the NHL.”
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=399090
Hard to know whether James van Riemsdyk trade rumors are anything more than that
AFTER HEARING his player’s name kicked around in trade fodder over the last few months like a shingle in a hurricane, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said he addressed the rumors with James van Riemsdyk.
His advice?
“He should take that maybe as a compliment that he keeps reading his name like that,” Holmgren said. “I like James. I think he has a tremendous future in the league. He’s one of our most gifted goal scorers.”
For the most part, van Riemsdyk has shrugged off the rumors. He told the Daily News last week that although he has enjoyed his time in Philadelphia and has been treated well by management, he would not want to be in a city where he is not wanted.
Nonetheless, it’s been a strange offseason for the 23-year-old. Holmgren announced in May that van Riemsdyk was due for hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. Last week, a report from NBC10 suggested van Riemsdyk purposely delayed surgery to avoid being traded. Van Riemsdyk said surgery was pushed back on account of an infection in his foot, which crept up after surgery to repair a fracture on March 2.
Holmgren announced late last week that van Riemsdyk would not need surgery, after all, and was seeking alternative treatment to prepare himself from the slog of a rapidly approaching 82-game season.
“I just assumed, when we made the announcement at the end of the year, that’s the way we were going to go,” Holmgren explained Monday. “And after [consulting doctors], we decided to go the way we’re going now. We wanted what’s best for James. There’s an area of concern [in the hip] that’s been identified and we’re just going to move forward right now and deal with it.”
