Analyzing the Chris Pronger Trade posted by Kevin Christmann

As you probably already know, the Flyers acquired Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle from Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, their 2009 1st round pick, their 2010 1st round pick, and a conditional 3rd round pick.  I’ve been seeing a lot of mixed reactions regarding the trade. The majority of them tend to be that it was way too much to give up. My thoughts…we clearly paid a VERY heavy price, however, I am absolutely thrilled with this trade. I will admit, the thought of Pronger leaving after his one year is up, makes me cringe a bit, but I do believe Holmgren has every intention of signing him to an extension. Ideally, we can sign him to a reasonable 2-3 year deal (sadly, I think that’s optimistic) and we can lose the salaries of one of, if not both of, Jones and Carle. If those things were to happy, my grade of this trade would go from a B to an A.

If you were to ask me what I believed my number one priority going into this offseason was (barring acquiring a goalie because we didn’t have one), I would have told you it was a big top 4 defenseman that hits. If you were to then ask me to choose any one player in the league to fill that role…I would have told you Zdeno Chara. However, he won the Norris Trophy and is probably impossible to acquire. My next option would have been Chris Pronger.

Chris Pronger is a former Hart Trophy winner, a 6’6” defenseman that no one in the league looks forward to playing against. He plays in all situations, including first line power play and penalty kill. He adds some desperately needed size to our blueline. Aside from Andrew Alberts, we had very little physical presence among our defenseman. Even though Braydon Coburn is 6’5”, he only seems to play physically when he gets angry, which, unfortunately, does not happen as often as I’d like. Let’s face it, Chris Pronger is a mean dude. In fact, he was voted as the dirtiest player in the league by NHL players. He will bring meanness to our blueline that we haven’t had since Hatcher admirably hobbled around the ice last season.

Hey NHL, We Don't Care! posted by Jeff Ponder

Well, you got what you wanted Gary Bettman; your top team is facing your boy in the spotlight.  Everything this season has led up to this great moment; the top plays on ESPN, the featured stories on NHL.com and most importantly, the reminiscing of the last Stanley Cup Final in 2008.  Players and coaches have already begun talks of how exciting the series will be.

"To have the opportunity against Pittsburgh should be a lot of fun," Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said. "There will be a lot of hype."

Red Wings star winger Marian Hossa even had the chance to chat it up about a rematch from last year with the media, but how this time around he will be playing from the other side.

"It's a unique situation right now, definitely this doesn't happen often," Hossa said. "I try to make the best of the situation for myself and try to help the team win a Cup."

Just like last year, right Marian?  When you scored 3 goals in the 6-game final, and combined for just 11 shots in the first 4 games of the series?  Let's hope you can bring your game back up to that level of play in this year's final.

The truth is that outside of Detroit and Pittsburgh, hockey fans are getting quite tired of the coverage that the Red Wings and Penguins get.  At 7 pm EST on a Monday or Tuesday night, the average hockey fan would sit in front of their television set and watch some good 'ole fashioned hockey.  Little did that fan know that 26% of the televised games broadcasted, the Penguins or Red Wings would be entertaining us along with Versus analysts Keith Jones and Brian Engblom.  But it did not stop with regular season coverage.
Continue reading "Hey NHL, We Don't Care!"

Goaltender Options for the Flyers - Part 3 posted by Kevin Christmann

Part 3 of my “Goaltender Options for the Flyers” series will include a couple of “international” goaltenders, and additionally, I will give you my final opinion on what I’d like the Flyers to do.

Part 1 of the series covered Unrestricted Free Agent Options. Part 2 covered Restricted Free Agent Options as well as trade possibilities.

Before I begin, I’d just like to make an update to one of my previous entries. I read a rumor today from Eklund (love him or hate him…I personally hate him) that I thought I’d just throw out there. It said that Giguere is apparently Holmgren’s Plan A this offseason. Although Giguere has his no trade clause and was in the Anaheim area for his son’s eye condition, he doesn’t really want to be a backup goalie, and if the Ducks plan to stick with Hiller he may consider moving. If true, it is certainly interesting news. The Flyers would definitely need to shed some salary in order to get him. To me that means Briere, Lupul, Carle, Jones or maybe Gagne.

Ray Emery

It pains me to even make this entry, but I told a friend I would, and I’d also like to shed a bit of light on him. He has been playing in Russia this past season after nobody in the NHL wanted him (or at least wouldn’t pay him what he wanted). Recently, there was word that the Flyers had contacted his agent. I guess it’s good that the Flyers are considering every option, they should be; but Ray Emery is not a very good goaltender. Ray Emery had one decent season, the only one in which he was the full-time starter. In 2006-2007 he posted a 2.47 GAA and a save percentage of .918; both of which are pretty good numbers. However, I see no reason to believe that wasn’t a complete fluke. He was on a GREAT Ottawa Senators team; a team that had 105 points that season. For comparison, the Flyers had 99 pts this past season, and Biron’s numbers were arguably better (the SV% was, the GAA wasn’t).  In my opinion, Emery rode that awesome Senators team to the Stanley Cup Final, where they were promptly run over by Anaheim.  Somehow, Emery managed to convince people he was a good starting goalie. He managed to get himself a nice contract ($3.167 million cap hit), and was bought out shortly thereafter by the Senators when he showed his true colors. Those true colors being a GAA of 3.13 and a SV% of .890. Oh yea, did I mention that as part of being bought out, you then have to clear waivers? That means every single team in the league passed on him. But I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that no team wanted him at a hit of 3.167 million. However, that doesn’t then explain why nobody wanted him as a free agent, when they could sign him for whatever price they see fit. The explanation is one of two things. Either literally nobody wanted him, or he thinks way too highly of himself, and wouldn’t sign the contracts being offered to him. Both of those don’t speak well for Mr. Emery. Oh yea, I haven’t even gotten into the fact that he’s apparently a coke head (with former teammate Brian McGratton), was perpetually late for practice, and beat up his trainer.

Goaltender Options for the Flyers - Part 2 posted by Kevin Christmann

Part 2 of this series will include Restricted Free Agent options as well as possible acquisitions via trade.

In Part 1 of this series I covered some of the more realistic Unrestricted Free Agent options for the Flyers in their quest to acquire a starting goaltender. In addition to the Unrestricted Free Agent options, there are several viable Restricted Free Agent options. The benefit of restricted free agents is that they are all young…that is, after all, why they are restricted free agents. They are often times coming off their entry level contracts, and just haven’t played enough seasons to be eligible for unrestricted free agency. The bad part about restricted free agency is that, depending on how much the player is signed for, the team is required to pay some sort of draft pick compensation.

The compensation thresholds are dependent upon the salary cap ceiling for that respective season. Since we don’t know what the salary cap will be set at for next season, the compensation thresholds have not been set either.

Last year’s compensation was as follows:

-at or below $863,812 = no compensation

-$863,813 to $1,307,812 = One 3rd round pick

-$1,307,813 to $2,615,625 = One 2nd round pick

-$2,615,626 to $3,923,437 = One 1st round pick, one 3rd round pick

-$3,923,438 to $5,231,249 = One 1st round pick, one 2nd round pick, one 3rd round pick

-$5,231,250 to $6,539,062 = Two 1st round picks, one 2nd round pick, one 3rd round pick

-$6,539,063 or above = Four 1st round picks

Goaltender Options for the Flyers - Part 1 posted by Kevin Christmann

With both Marty Biron and Antero Nittymaki scheduled to become free agents, the Flyers are left without an NHL caliber goaltender on their roster. Clearly, the Flyers plan to acquire a goalie in some manner this offseason.  This past March the Flyers signed 27 year old Swedish goaltender Johan Backlund. It was only a one year deal, and I don’t believe the Flyers ever considered that he could possibly be their starter next season. At best Backlund could be a relatively cheap backup option. There are quite a few options for the Flyers, however there is no clear cut #1 option. Part 1 of this entry covers the Unrestricted Free Agent Goaltender options.

Some of the more realistic options, as well as the biggest Unrestricted free agent names include Nikolai Khabibulin, Manny Fernandez, Martin Gerber, Martin Biron, Dwayne Roloson, and Craig Anderson. So let’s take a look into these unrestricted free agent possibilities. I’ll post the goals against average and save percentage for each goaltender. Personally, I put far more weight into save percentage than I do goals against average. The GAA is more of a product of the team. If a team plays fantastic defense, they are just going to allow fewer goals, and therefore an inferior goalie could still have a respectable GAA. Save percentage however, gives you a more realistic representation of skill because it cannot be as heavily influenced by the team.

Martin Biron

2.76 GAA .915 SV%

We all know what Biron brings to the Flyers. He’s certainly an adequate goalie. At times he struggles but he is capable of winning games and playoff series by himself; see the Montreal series last season. However, after making $3.5 million this past year, I imagine he will be looking for a raise. I’m not the biggest Biron fan, but he is acceptable. I would NOT want to pay him any more than he had been making with the Flyers, unless they fail in acquiring another goaltender. In other words, I would look for an upgrade, and ideally a cheaper upgrade. Now, that may seem unrealistic, how often can you get an upgrade while paying less? The only way the Flyers can really do so, is to acquire a young, slightly unproven goaltender, and take a chance on him.

My Top 10 NHL Defenseman posted by Kevin Christmann

I thought I’d give a top 10 list a shot, and I thought defenseman was the place to start. I’ve noticed that the thoughts regarding the top 10 defenseman in the league are quite erratic, and there doesn’t seem to be a widely accepted pecking order. So I present you with mine. I’ve taken all around play into consideration. Both defensive and offensive abilities have been considered.

1)      Zdeno Chara
Chara is just the most dominant force in the game in my opinion. He is so big players just can’t match up with him. He skates very well for being so big, and it’s damn near impossible to beat him one on one. He can swallow you up physically, and nearly reach from board to board, so he plays incredible defense. He’s a physical presence, and he puts up great offensive numbers, with the NHL’s hardest slapshot this past season. He is currently a nominee for the 2008-2009 Norris Trophy (as the league’s best defenseman).

2)      Nicklas Lidstrom
What can be said about Nicklas Lidstrom? One of the greatest defenseman of All-Time, and he’s been doing it for…well, forever. The guy is 39 years old and has won the Norris Trophy 6 of the past 7 years; with no hockey being played in 2004-2005 due to the lockout. The guy just does it all. He is also currently a nominee (AGAIN) for the Norris Trophy; however, I see Chara taking it from him.

3)      Chris Pronger
Chris Pronger is a guy you either love or hate. If you’re a fan of a team from the West, you probably hate him because he’s been punishing, annoying, and playing stellar defense against your team for years. He is a hard nosed, and frankly, probably a pretty annoying guy, but that is what makes him such a great player. He’s physically imposing, plays fantastic defense, and puts up offensive numbers. As a Flyers fan, he is exactly the kind of player I’d love to see in Orange and Black.

The Myth About Joffrey Lupul's "Untradeable" Contract posted by Kevin Christmann

One of the most common conversations I see among Flyers fans, or hockey fans in general, is that the Flyers are in cap “hell.” With big contracts in place for Richards, Carter, Gagne, Timonen, Hartnell,  and Briere, the extension for Joffrey Lupul kicking in next season, the expiring Hatcher contract, and the perpetual resident of Long Term Injured Reserved Mike Rathje, it isn’t a horribly farfetched statement. The common rebuttal to such a statement is that the Flyers can just trade Lupul because, frankly, he’s unnecessary (an argument for a later time), and gain roughly an additional $4.25 million in cap space. That is of course barring taking back any roster players. More often than not, these people are scoffed at for believing that Joffrey Lupul has any trade value.

Many people think Lupul will have to be “Gauthiered” meaning the Flyers will basically have to pay a team in draft picks to take his contract; much like the Flyers did with Denis Gauthier in giving LA a 2nd round pick in order to take him off of their hands. After all, who wants a horribly inconsistent ~25 goal scorer/~50 point player for $4.25 million over the next four years? Well the fact of the matter is, Lupul isn’t any more inconsistent than any other 50 point player. In my opinion, if 50 point players weren’t streaky, they probably would be 80 point players. Additionally, I don’t believe Lupul is overpaid. I believe he is being paid market value, and therefore the Flyers would not have any trouble finding a suitor for Lupul’s “untradeable” contract.

Sixers Go up 2-1 and the Flyers Lose their Series! posted by Gerald Votta

     It's funny I started writing a blog yesterday that was very detailed about the Sixers game quarter by quater commentary.  However in the midst of writing my first blog about the Sixers the computer gimped and everything was lost. Luckily enough the Sixers third quarter blunder, did not jeopardize their lead and they won. Unfortunately the Flyers who were 3-0 in the game were eventually bested by Crosby, Malkin, and crew. John Stevens in my opinion does not seem to be the same coach who has won the Calder Cup! The main problem with Flyers hockey in the last 20 + years is the dump and chase it truly is a sign of weakness to offensive teams that are fast and accurate on goal. We will talk more of the Flyers next year!

     The only thing to talk about now is Andre Miller and AI2 and the Sixers sure they are not a contender, but with their new  coach Tony Dileo anything is possible. They have a culpable offense and when they pay attention to detail they can turn over the ball more times than you would like. Orlando has Howard who seems unstoppable, however if Turkalu and Lewis are contained the Sixers should be able to handle the Magik and take a nice lead in the series. This will be reliant on if the Sixers can use the defense to their advantage and utilizing fast break opportunities to make some easy points in the paint. All in all I think that they can handle the Magik, but if they do will they be able to handle round 2?

NHL Playoffs Rock On! First the East posted by Joshua Tarkoff

Welcome everyone to my first post here on the hockey blogs! I know I am a Floridian, but hockey certainly runs through my veins. Today, I will first be talking about the Eastern Conference. And...how about them Bruins! They look like the team they were when the season started. I was a bit concerned about them in the middle of the season, I mean after all they lost to the Panthers and the Lightning in one road trip. I did not think they were contenders when the playoffs started, but I am starting to rethink that now. Their power play gives me nightmares. Bruins in sweep, I say.

The biggest surprise series so far has to be Caps-Rangers. Just like the Bruins, I was not much of a believer in the Rangers, but after taking the first 2 in Washington, they may just have a chance. I must say that the Washington fans are tough, I watched them lose to my Panthers in March and the team started booing after just giving up 2 goals...rough crowd! Things do not look good if Ovie gets going though. Maybe it was because he was caught watching the Rangers practice the other day ( http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?id=4083635). Lol, that Ovie. Whatever his off the ice antics, I firmly believe he is the best player we have in the game right now. I had the privilege of watching him twice this year and I was astounded at how good he is. Caps in 7.

And NJ is quietly doing their thing without much fanfare. While I am not too much of a Devils fan, it is tough to go against Brodeur and company. They may not be pretty, but they do have a solid playoff system going there. I was thinking upset by the Canes at first as they finished the regular season so strong, but I can't go against Brodeur quite yet. Devils in 6.

Flyers get All-Star D Pronger from Ducks

The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired All-Star Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks.In exchange, the Flyers are giving up right wing Joffrey Lupul and defenseman Luca Sbisa and their first-round draft pick in Friday's draft (21st overall) and their first-round pick in 2010. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Flyers acquire D Pronger from Ducks (AP)

The Philadelphia Flyers made the biggest early splash at the NHL draft when they acquired star defenseman Chris Pronger on Friday. Pronger and prospect Ryan Dingle went from the Anaheim Ducks to Philadelphia for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa, first-round picks in 2009 and 2010 and a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Flyers sign goaltender Emery to 1-year deal

Goaltender Ray Emery has agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced the agreement at a news conference Wednesday. The free agent signing period opens July 1.The 26-year-old Emery spent last season in Russia with Atlant Mytischi of the Kontinental Hockey League, posting a 22-8-0 record with a 2.12 goals-against average. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Flyers sign ex-Senators G Emery (AP)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports