By Jeff Herman
The Philadelphia Flyers’ slogan for their 2007-2008 season was “Back with a Vengeance” and they lived up to it by going from their brief stay in the league basement to conference finalists. In 2008-2009, their slogan was “Hungry for More” but left their fans starving for consistent play, a fully healthy squad, and a sense of direction. This season, their slogan is simply “Relentless”, but I have a better idea.
“No excuses.”
Plain and simple. No more blaming injuries, no more blaming officiating injustices, no more late night parties in the Old City section of Philly. General Manger Paul Holmgren, and his thousands and thousands of bosses, want results and they want them now. Luckily for them, this team might just do it.
The Flyers backed their way into the 5th seed playoff spot last year, finishing the season 4-5-1 in their last 10, and dropping their season finale at home to the New York Rangers, costing them home ice advantage against the Pittsburgh Penguins. While they took the eventual Stanley Cup Champions to a rough six games, it was a series where the Flyers were outworked and outhustled, as they lacked direction, discipline, and desire.
For the off-season, Holmgren knew changes were necessary in goaltending, and immediate help was not going to come from the current roster or in the system. Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki, both with GAAs of 2.76, and near identical save percentages (Biron at .915, Niitty at .912), were in an identity crisis. Biron would have a couple bad outings, and when Niitty was given the opportunity to start (as he has been given countless times for the past three seasons), he was not able to fulfill the duties as a number one goaltender. So the plan was to find an undisputed starter, and an undisputed backup.
Enter Ray Emery, and re-enter Brian Boucher. Emery quickly fell from grace after his Stanley Cup Finals run with the Senators in 2007, and was waived after 2008 for because of locker room problems. But after spending a year in the KHL in Russia, Emery realized where he made his mistakes, and knows that this is his last chance to prove that 2007 was no fluke. What made him an up and coming goaltender after the lockout was his mix of size, athletic ability, and competitive nature. His career year with Ottawa he posted a 2.47 GAA and a .918 save percentage, with a few years of personal growth behind him since then, he could stand to have a comeback season this year. As he is only a 1.5 million dollar cap hit, it’s a risk worth taking considering the less than spectacular market of free agent starting goalies this past off-season. As for Brian Boucher, he is the backup and everyone, including him, knows it. That alone is what separates him from Niittymaki. Boucher was once the Flyers’ goaltending wunderkind in 2000, but like Emery, he also fell from grace (not attitude, just poor play). But his past two years with the Sharks proved he is a backup capable of getting on a hot streak whenever he is in net.
As for the Flyers defense, Holmgren transformed it from the days of old and slow-footed pylons like Mike Rathje and Chris Therien, to the young and mobile likes of Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle. Each defenseman has their attributes: Coburn has his size and mobility, Timonen is a one of the premier two-way defenders in the league, Carle fills the roll as a power play quarterback, Ryan Parent provides safe last-man-back defense, and Randy Jones, when healthy and on his game, a solid bottom pairing defenseman. But they were just missing that key ingredient to tie it all together. Andrew Alberts was not durable enough for the big time minutes as a physical defenseman, so he skipped town to Carolina. There were serious rumblings of Jay Bouwmeester becoming a Flyer, but Paul Holmgren hung up the phone on Panthers GM Jacques Martin after Martin’s asking price for Bouwmeester started with Claude Giroux. So Holmgren resorted to plan B in Chris Pronger.
Many accused Holmgren of giving up too much youth for Pronger (scoring winger Joffrey Lupul, defensive prospect Luca Sbisa, two first round picks, and a conditional third rounder). But if was any defenseman that was born to wear the Orange and Black, it’s Chris Pronger. At 6’6” 223 lbs, his mix of size, mobility, tenacity, veteran leadership, and a thunderous point shot gives the Flyers the shot the arm their defense needed. With Pronger’s arrival, and an extra dose of grit from depth defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, the Flyers possess one of the most well-rounded and feared defensive corps in the league.
As for the forwards, the Flyers possessed one of the deepest scoring threats in the league, as six forwards tallied 25 or more goals. But what they had in talent and scoring depth, they lacked in discipline, veteran leadership, and in-game work ethic. Joffrey Lupul was known to score in clusters, and then fall off the radar for a few games. Mike Knuble was a fan favorite for his consistent play and off-ice professionalism and honesty, but his un-doing was a mixture of cap restraints and lazy offensive zone penalties putting the Flyers in short handed situations. But this year’s offensive will more than likely make up for lost input by Knuble and Lupul, and then add plenty of intangibles.
Three small improvements come in depth forwards with Blair Betts, Ian Laperriere, and Mika Pyorala. Betts was invited to camp on a tryout, and could be a blessing in disguise for the Flyers: at 6’3” 210 lbs, Betts is a big, defensive center who is good on faceoffs, a glaring weakness for the Flyers down the middle. Laperriere was signed to provide a more vocal veteran leadership in the locker room and on the ice that Knuble could not provide. Pyorala who came over from Finland, was coveted by a few teams, and is a prototypical Finnish forward: strong two-way play, decent hitter, and a hard worker. Betts performed well in camp, and will most likely be signed to a contract since the Flyers dealt ECHL prospect Patrick Hersley to Nashville today.
As we head to the returning sandpaper forwards, a couple questions remain on who makes the cut. Scott Hartnell and Arron Asham are pretty much locked in, Darroll Powe, the small yet speedy fore checker, stands a good chance, so now it comes down to Carcillo and Cote. Carcillo is a question because he’s been known for taking bad penalties, but after Tuesday’s pre-season game vs. Detroit where he showcased his scoring abilities, he may have saved his job. This brings us to Riley Cote. Cote, while one of the more durable fighters, has a diminished role on this tougher Flyers team. His abilities as a player on the team are limited, the heavyweight fighters he faces routinely beat him, and his roster spot is better taken up by our next category of forwards.
Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk are the secret weapons to this Flyers team. Giroux, 21, was called up for the second half of the season last year, and is a genuine puck wizard. His vision and awareness on the ice is unbelievable, his accuracy for passes and placement for scoring opportunities is a sight to see on an instant replay. There is no doubt in my mind that a healthy Claude Giroux will score at least 60 points this season. This kid is a world-class talent in the making. JVR was considered to start the year with the Adirondack Phantoms, but he is having a very strong pre-season with three goals and an assist in four games. He is using his size to defend the puck and with improved mobility he will drive the net for the tip-ins and rebounds. There were doubts about his drive and his maturity coming into camp, but he is proving himself worthy and may cement himself a spot on the Flyers roster.
But what ties this all together is Head Coach John Stevens. When Stevens took over coaching duties early on in 2006, he needed to do what Ken Hitchcock failed to do, and that was develop the young players into key factors towards the Flyers success. He has done that with the likes of Carter, Richards, Giroux, and Coburn, along with the departed Umberger, Lupul, and Upshall. But now it isn’t about developing these key players. Now it is about developing a strict system of play that focuses on hard work, discipline, a consistent effort, and the good old fashioned Flyers hatred for losing. Stevens is not a vocal coach, but if his control over this team is exemplified by this team’s consistent lapses of judgment, he will not be behind the bench of the Flyers for very long. The first couple of games into the pre-season better not be a sign of things to come from Stevens, otherwise he will be out the door by Halloween.
The time is now for the Flyers. But if there are consistent bad penalties, shaky goaltending, injuries galore, or a failure to give a full effort each game or live up to expectations, some big names will be gone in the offseason because of cap issues. Paul Holmgren has put together a team deep with youthful energy and veteran leadership, and raw talent with raw grit. If they are running on all gears, this team can and will win the Cup.
But if they aren’t, there are no excuses.
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