2011/2012 NHL Team Preview: Philadelphia Flyers
Some bettors and Flyer fans will lament that they couldn’t possibly improve after losing Carter and Richards.
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No team made more offseason headlines than the Philadelphia Flyers. They rocked their foundation by trading away their two star forwards, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, in separate blockbuster deals. While some believed the Flyers were announcing a rebuild, or at least a reload, with those moves, I disagree. In fact, I think this team got stronger.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Stanley Cup odds: +700
But let’s look deeper into what they actually lost. In Carter, they lost a sniper who had 46 goals in 2008-09 but slipped to 33 and 36 in the years to follow; he also had just 13 goals and 21 points over 47 playoff games. Not a clutch guy.
In Richards, they lost their captain, but a player whose offense declined over the last two seasons and a guy who was rumored to have “lost the room” as a leader, partially because of his partying ways off the ice.
I’d argue that the Flyers ‘additions greatly outweigh their subtractions this offseason. Whatever you think of his contract, Ilya Bryzgalov is at least a significant short-term goaltending upgrade. He could be the team’s first bona fide No. 1 puckstopper since Ron Hextall. Jaromir Jagr was another great offseason signing. For his money and term, he’s a low-risk, high-reward addition. At the very least, the future Hall-of-Famer should bolster the power play in his return campaign. Max Talbot is a great add as one of the game’s best checking forwards.
And let’s look at the pieces the Flyers received in their trades. Jakub Voracek, obtained from the Blue Jackets in the Carter deal, is still just 22 years old. He could mesh very well with Jagr, a fellow Czech, and play a role similar to the departing Ville Leino. [ad-4437448]
The Flyers got Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds from the L.A. Kings in the Richards trade. Schenn is a young powerhouse of a center. The elite prospect was far too good to play in Junior or the AHL anymore but didn’t have a defined role in L.A. The Flyers should give him an extended chance to blossom into a star as a rookie.
Simmonds should be an amazing fit for coach Peter Laviolette’s hard-forechecking system. He skates hard, agitates opponents, blows guys up in the offensive zone and scan score, too. He should develop into a fan favorite in no time.
All that and we haven’t even discussed with the Flyers already have. Claude Giroux is the team’s offensive centerpiece. He’s creative, feisty and only getting better. He has a great partner in crime in Danny Briere. Also, by moving two star forwards, the Flyers will open up some much-deserved ice time for young gun James Van Riemsdyk. He broke out for seven goals in 11 playoff games next year and looked ready to make the jump to stardom. Scott Hartnell is a rare “agitator” who can also score 30 goals.
The Flyers’ blueline still looks solid. Chris Pronger will take over as the team’s unquestioned leader once he returns from hand surgery. He forms a deep, stout defense corps with Braydon Coburn, Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle, Andrej Meszaros and Andreas Lilja.
Get the picture here? Even without Richards and Carter, the Flyers may well be the best, deepest team in the Eastern Conference. I think they’ll forget about their former stars quickly in 2011-12 – and perhaps reach the Stanley Cup final for the second time in three years.
Prediction: 1st, Atlantic Division
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