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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Philadelphia Flyers

Sep 4

Posted by EB in Season Previews | 1 Comment

Key Offseason Losses: Arron Asham, Simon Gagne

Key Offseason Additions: Nikolai Zherdev

Last Season Ranking: 7th in the East

Captain Mike Richards should lead the Flyers to another productive season, possibly even the Stanley Cup.

Captain Mike Richards should lead the Flyers to another productive season, possibly even the Stanley Cup.

Offense: The Flyers are coming into their own as a team offensively lead by a very physical and talented Captain Mike Richards. Richards has a supporting cast of Jeff Carter, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Scottie Hartnell. Sure it seems I’m just listing the whole team, but when you really look at the production of all these players, all 40+ point players, the team has 3 solid lines. Throw into the mix playoff stud Ville Leino and young gun James van Riemsdyk, it is very possible that the Flyers are capable of making another push for the Cup.

Philadelphia had a tough decision to make in the offseason and ended up trading away Simon Gagne. Gagne posted 40 points in 58 games played last year. To ease the pain of his loss, the team acquired a personal favorite player of mine in forward Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev took a season off and played overseas with the KHL and did not put up great numbers. Perhaps he viewed it as a vacation as in his last two NHL seasons he had near 60 point seasons.

Defense: What’s not to love about the Flyer’s defense? They have grit, size and skill. Lead by veterans Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen, the defense will once again be solid.  Second pairings should note the production Matt Carle who had 6 goals, 29 assists and a +19 rating. The team also picked up Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning to add to their depth and line the 3rd pairing. Meszaros could sink or swim as with Tampa Bay he was mediocre at best, but while previous to them with the Ottawa Senators, Meszaros had 3 seasons of near 30 points each season.

The only other note in regards to the worry of Pronger resting for the start of the season recovering from surgery will not be a factor as he should be prime come later in the season.

Goaltending: Last year Philadelphia had some goalie problems, problems to the extent of starting 4 different goalies throughout the season problems. All that should be behind them as the team should split time between Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. Leighton was by far the better goalie of the two producing a .920 save percentage with a 16-5-2 record. Boucher still was not bad in the save percentage category, .900, yet when it came to his record, it was a mere 9-18-3.

Season Outlook: The Flyers almost did not make the playoffs last season, but once they did, almost won the Cup but lost to a better team in Chicago. This year expect another stellar performance from the Bullies and a drive like none other after the sour taste from losing after being so close. The addition of Zherdev should prove fruitful for the organization, and with the team mainly being players in their prime, Philly will be tough to beat this season.

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Zherdev’s Fantasy Profile

Jul 14

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

Forward Nikolai Zherdev has been signed by the Philadelphia Flyers for the upcoming year. Will he produce or will he flop? Here’s my take and why.

Zherdev played last season over in Russia and posted 39 points in 52 games. With only a +3 rating and a team leading 79 penalty minutes leave not much to be desired. Yet looking at the previous two seasons in the NHL, Zherdev posted a team leading 58 points in a Rangers uniform and 61 points for Columbus, 8 points less than NHL All Star Rick Nash. And in both seasons his penalty minutes were much more curved than in the KHL. His NHL seasons are much more like his 1st round 4th overall draft in 2003 prediction of talent.

Zherdev is a solid player despite the naysayers. Sure he needs to be whipped every now and then to make sure he is playing day in and day out, but who better than the Philadelphia Flyers? Captain Mike Richards and big veteran defenseman Chris Pronger are just the players to do it, not to leave out beastly Scott Hartnell for backup. What so many fans fail to realize is that prior to his trade to the Flyers, backbone of the playoffs Ville Leino only put up 7 points in 42 games with the Detroit Red Wings. Leino’s poor production was a direct result of his lack of effort on the ice. Leino, in a nutshell, was transformed once he went to the Flyers into a hard working, corner digging offensive powerhouse in clutch times. Zherdev will follow suit.

So, my overall prediction for the newly acquired Flyers Zherdev: Pick him late in the draft. He will put up at least 60 points this season, perhaps even more depending on who he plays with, although I foresee him winging with Leino forming a one two punch that will contest with any second line in the NHL. Factor in his previous seasons production, as well as only being signed to a one year “tryout” season, Zherdev will be looking to increase his pay of 2 million to much more.

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How the West Was Won

May 25

Posted by EB in News | 2 Comments

Chicago Blackhawks celebrate the Conference Championship, just one more big celebration left.

Chicago Blackhawks celebrate the Conference Championship, just one more big celebration left.

What began as hopeful dreams of hometown teams and others to win the Stanley Cup remains with only two teams left to face one another, the Chicago Blackhawks of the Western Conference faces off against the Philadelphia Flyers of the Eastern Conference. The first game of 2009 – 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Saturday May 29th, at 8:00pm est, the beginning of a series that already knows the winner. Spoiler Alert if read any further.

Before the season started, each of the Hockey Wolrd Blog crew predicted their Stanley Cup Champions, only one team still remains from that prediction: the Philadelphia Flyers. Although my prediction could be correct, I believe it to be as slim of chance as Eddie finding the back of the net on a breakaway.

In watching the Stanley Cup playoffs this year I have noticed one major difference between that of the Western conference and the Eastern conference. What is it you may ask? Simple, talent.

When watching the Chicago Blackhawks throughout their series they have beaten an underrated thorn in your side Nashville Predators, hotter than hot Vancouver Canucks, and the Western Conference champions the San Jose Sharks. In comparison, the Flyers have taken on an over played goalie New Jersey Devils, biggest chokers of all time the Boston Bruins and the Cinderella story with a realistic ending Montreal Canadiens.

The two teams roads are completely different and so is their play. The Flyers are goons who take head shots and silly penalties, 193 to be exact in comparison to Chicago’s 155. The Flyers were only second highest to the Montreal Canadiens. While their old opponents did not capitalize, you sure can bet the Chicago Blackhawks will stick it to them.

The Flyers also play a very sloppy style of play, a play style that could be summed up by the old saying, “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.” The puck seems to bounce abnormally and end up on the Flyer’s sticks to the point of I have yet to see the Flyers really set up in the zone in a controlled manner. Do they even know how to cycle the puck? The Blackhawks on the other hand are like a swarm of bees, buzzing around just waiting to sting. Jonatahan Toews, Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, just to name a few of those buzzing bees.

The only down side the Blackhawks have going is the Marian Hossa curse. Hey, the guys has some bad luck on his side, but as the saying goes, “Third times a charm.”

The list could be longer, but to be honest I just don’t want to waste my time on what is known. The Chicago Blackhawks are going to show the Philadelphia Flyers what real hockey is all about, how the Western conference does things, how to play crisp team hockey and win the Stanley Cup. My prediction is it will only take 5 games, that is with me being generous to say Philadelphia even wins one game.

Sure you may not believe me, but if you believe anything, believe in the superstition of touching the conference champion’s trophy. Blackhawk’s captain Jonatahan Toews did not even look at the Clarence S. Campbell trophy while Flyer’s Captain Mike Richards paraded around like a prom queen and her crown with the Prince of Wales trophy. That’s a no no Mikey boy.

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Playoff Ramblings

May 17

Posted by Matt in Soap Box | No Comments

Here are some thoughts on the playoffs over the past couple weeks:

My post praising Miroslav Satan’s performance during the playoffs must have been the ultimate jinx. He carried a six game point streak when I wrote about how excellent he had been. In the four games that followed, and an epic collapse by the Bruins, Satan posted zero points, was a minus one, and only had nine shots on goal. Good news for the Bruins though, they’re still going to land either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin in the draft this summer.

Daniel Briere has been huge for the Flyers in the playoffs

Daniel Briere has been huge for the Flyers in the playoffs

The Philadelphia Flyers are the first ever seven seed to end up with home ice advantage in a playoff series. How did they pull this off? Well, I think its fair to say that they aren’t necessarily as bad as their seed and 88 point season may indicate. Remember this team has several young, but experienced, scorers. Mike Richards has been great, and Danny Briere has played his best playoff hockey picking up 17 points so far, with seven multi-point games. On top of that, the Flyers are picking up a lot of secondary scoring, especially in Claude Giroux who has six goals and seven assists in 13 playoff games. Ville Leino, a late season acquisition, has even made his presence felt with nine points in as many games. You certainly can’t forget about the defensive prowess this team has, lead by perennial all star Chris Pronger. He’s more than capable of shutting down the oppositions top scorers.

So perhaps the Philadelphia Flyers are finally molding into the team that many thought they were going to be. Maybe the leadership issues and problems in the locker room are a thing of the past. They have all the confidence and momentum in the world right now, and will be a tough team to handle.

The Chicago Blackhawks are outstanding. Young captain, Jonathan Toews has been very impressive so far with 21 post-season points. Goaltending has not been the huge issue everyone thought it would be. Antti Niemi has been solid, and has out-dueled two very good goaltenders in Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo.

Things seem to be clicking on all cylinders for the Blackhawks, minus the presence of two players. Marian Hossa had a very good first round against Nashville, posting six points in the series. But since them, he’s been very quiet, much like last year, with only three points in the seven games played since finishing off the Predators. Along with Hossa, Kris Versteeg has been less productive than I expected so far. His six points and minus two rating seem low for a young player with the talent level he has. Remember, Versteeg posted terrific numbers as a rookie last season, but is perhaps seeing a decrease in ice time with the top line being so effective.

The San Jose Sharks are still very much competitive in the west. It seemed like everyone wrote them off after being crushed by the Red Wings in game four of that series. Did everyone just forget that they still had a 3-1 series lead? Even if they were still the Sharks who choke in the playoffs, they could have surely taken one game and prevented the Wings from going on. But instead, they bounced back like a true contender and eliminated Detroit in five.

Montreal is having one of the most impressive playoff campaigns in recent years that I can remember. First, they squandered the top seeded Washington Capitals in seven games. This is a team that featured several of the world’s top players: Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, and Green. Then, they followed that performance with a seven game dismantling of the defending Stanley Cup champions. Surely a team that can take out two of the top NHL clubs is capable of making it to the finals, right?

Finally, here’s to hoping for an original six match-up in the finals.

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League’s Suspension Consistency

Jan 12

Posted by EB in News, Soap Box | 3 Comments

In last nights contest between the Minnesota Wild and the visiting team Pittsburgh Penguins, Pen’s Sergei Gonchar laid a questionably dirty and hgih hit on Wild winger Cal Clutterbuck.

The league this season is cutting down on head shots and recently displayed this by handing a suspension to Phoenix Coyote defenseman Ed Jovanovski for his elbow to New York Islanders John Tavares. The question becomes though, will the league suspend Gonchar?

The league has been under scrutiny for wanting to make the game a cleaner, safer game for the players, by removing dangerous plays. This year specifically by the means of removing head shots. Yet earlier in the season, when time to muscle up and stick to their guns, the league did not suspend Philadelphia Flyer’s Captain Mike Richards for a hit on Florida Panther’s star David Booth, leaving Booth on the IR to this day. So the question becomes, is the league playing favorites?

Recently stated, the league suspended defenseman Ed Jovanovski for an elbow to John Tavares’ head. Was this done because it was dangerous and shouldn’t be in the game? Was it done because it was blatantly obvious?  Or was it done because the person being hit was The John Tavares, the next greatest thing to hockey according to Canadian news for the past few years?

One would hope that that the league intends on removing dangerous plays, for the betterment of the players, but sometimes you do wonder if favorites are being played. Are you more likely to get a suspension if you hit a prominent figure in the NHL, or is the justice blind?

Underneath is the play where Gonchar took a run at Clutterbuck. You be the judge on a suspension or not.

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K-F-C

Dec 22

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

Captain Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atalanta Thrashers.

Captain Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atalanta Thrashers.

K is for Kovalchuk:

The All-Star left wing and Captain of the Atlanta Thrashers has come to a “snag” in talks for a new contract with his current club.

Next year, Kovalchuk becomes an unrestricted free agent. Kovalchuk entered the league in the 2001-2002 season with Atlanta Thrashers, and has played with them since. He has been posting up consistent numbers, averaging 79 points in the five completed seasons he has played. Atlanta has had trouble in the past completing deals. Atlanta was unable to sign Marian Hossa a few seasons back.

Kovalchuk is one of the big names this year for potential free agents. It is expected he will sign with Atlanta and become their franchise player, however if not, oh what a fun time it will be come trade deadline.

F is for Fisticuffs:

The Florida Panthers visited the Philadelphia Flyers last night for some good ‘ol hockey.

The meeting was their first since October 24th, where Flyer’s captain Mike Richards hit winger David Booth. The hit, which was controversial in being a head shot or not, received no disciplinary action, but has taken Booth out of the lineup for an indefinite period of time. Booth is the future of the Panthers, but currently is only participating in “light” skating.

The game began with a bang, as the first period consisted of 3 fights, one less than 2 minutes in. The total fight count ended with 4, yet the one to make note of was Panther’s captain Bryan McCabe challenging Flyer’s captain Mike Richards to a fight 3 minutes and 42 seconds into the game. The two dropped the gloves, circled briefly with both captain C’s bearing on their chest, and began to throw their punches.

It is not often you see two captains going toe to toe in a fight. Respect to both captains, McCabe for setting the tone and the score, and for Richards taking responsibility for his previous actions on Booth. Hockey is scrutinized for it’s fighting, however self regulation such as this makes the game safer than if fighting were to be removed.

The Panthers dominated the score board, winning 4-1, moving them to 8th place in the East, and sending the Flyers into a speedy decline to second to the bottom of the conference.

Martin Brodeur is interviewed after recording his 104th career shutout in an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.

Martin Brodeur is interviewed after recording his 104th career shutout in an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.

C is for Champion:

New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur broke the shutout record, posting his 104th of his career in a 4-0 win over the defending Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins. The record previously belonged to Detroit Red Wing’s Terry Sawchuk.

Brodeur, smiling from ear to ear took many photos with teammates and his puck inscribed with “104.” It is good to see the emotion and love for the game, and Devils forward Zach Parise said it best about the milestone, “I mean, it’s pretty fun. I’m sure it’s fun for him but it’s pretty cool for us too.”

The record stood for 39 years. Ironically, Sawchuk’s last shutout was against the Penguins on February 1, 1970.

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Philadelphia’s Unclear Future

Dec 8

Posted by EB in Fantasy, News, Soap Box | 3 Comments

Life is tough when you are losing, or is it? Mike Richards enjoying the company of a porn star.

Life is tough when you are losing, or is it? Mike Richards enjoying the company of a porn star.

What seemed to be the year for the Philadelphia Flyers quickly turned into a year that might just make Flyer’s fans sick.

Off season acquisition of Chris Pronger, pickup of goalie Ray Emery who has everything to prove, and the winning bid for the outdoor game on New Year’s day started the season on quite a high. The team won their first 3 games and ended up 6-4-1 in the first month. Adjusting to their new lines, shaking the rust off, the Flyers had a good start to the hockey season. November looked brighter, as the Flyers came out winning their first 4 games. Yet the team still ended up slightly over .500 for the month with a 7-6-0 record, totaling 13-10-1 for the season. Jump forward to today, the team is 13-13-1, 5th in the Atlantic Division, and even worse, third to last for 13th position in the Eastern Conference.

So what is the problem? Was it the coaches fault? John Stevens has been fired and replaced by Peter Laviolette. Is it the leadership on the ice? Mike Richards has vocalized his position of captaincy after the firing of Coach Stevens. Or could it be the goaltending as Don Cherry has indicated? Ray Emery is near the bottom of goalie stats, but he does post a .900 save percentage and currently has  a winning record.

So what is the problem? I’m not sure, but when a coach is fired, a Captain in question, and you have Ray Emery in the locker room, all on a losing season, something internal is happening that we do not know about. The team is young and the Flyer’s season is teetering right now. On one side you have a change in the system that positively affects the team to start winning again with hopes it is not too late for a playoff spot. On the other end, the team self destructs and late night partying from young players is more frequent, the golf bags come out early this year, and next year a makeover of the entire team.

Time will tell. For me, I hope they turn it around. For now though, if you lack faith in a turnaround, dump your Flyers while you still are able to.  If you wait to long, you will be stuck shopping players at a reduced price.

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Philadelphia Flyers

Sep 4

Posted by EB in Season Previews | No Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers have made numerous off season acquisitions that brings one word to mind: “tough”.

Ray Emery joins the Broad Street Bullies this upcoming season.

Ray Emery joins the Broad Street Bullies this upcoming season.

Baby blue eyed goaltender Martin Biron will be replaced by bad boy Ray Emery. Emery played last season in the KHL posting 22 wins in 36 games with a 92.6 save percentage and a 2.12 goals against average. The numbers show immense improvement from playing with the Ottawa Senators in the ’07-’08 season, however the quality of play overseas is questionable in comparison to the NHL. A question that will be answered in time is whether or not his act as cleaned up? This though of course may or may not be wanted by the rough Philly fans.

The blue line has gained size and grit as Chris Pronger and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen will be donning the orange and black this season. Pronger, a seasoned veteran and a Stanley Cup winner, may be the most significant off season acquisition for the Flyers run for the cup. Pronger currently ranks 4th in playoff experience among NHL defenseman with 143 games played.

Offensively the Flyers have lost right wing Mike Knuble to Washington, however have replaced him with Ian Laperriere from the Colorado Avalanche. Tit for tat Knuble puts more points on the board, however when it comes to enforcing, Laperriere takes the cake. Pair him up with last season’s pickup Daniel Carcillo, it will be interesting to see what team dares to take any liberties with goal scorers Danny Briere, Simon Gagne and captain Mike Richards.

This year the Flyers have a very competitive team, a well balance of grit and finesse that will be a force to be reckoned with. Look for them to be competing fiercely for first place within the Atlantic divison as well as the Eastern Conference. The last question to be asked is how soon before the Broad Street Bullies trademark is restored to this season’s roster.

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