FLYERS: What’s Next?

Free Agency is well underway, and the Flyers have made a minimal splash on the market, aside from July 1st acquisitions of Goaltender Brian Boucher, and Winger Ian Laperriere.  Neither of these players automatically transform a team into a Cup winner, but they certainly serve as integral pieces to a strong puzzle that General Manager Paul Holmgren is building in South Philadelphia.  That being said, even with a team in place that is more than capable of contending for a Cup, it appears Holmgren is not yet finished fine-tuning his roster.  According to this article by NHL.com’s Mike Morreale, Holmgren has said he would like to add another scorer to the Orange and Black for the upcoming season.  So, who fits the Flyers?  Who can help off-set the 52-goal subtraction that has left Philadelphia in the form of Joffrey Lupul and Mike Knuble shipping out?  Basically, what happens now?

I’ve taken a quick look at the Flyers Salary Cap Crunch for the upcoming season, and given the money allotted to players on the current roster, the Orange and Black don’t have a whole lot to work with.  According to the information presented there, the Flyers have a Cap Hit of $54,646,250 set to be paid to everyone under contract entering this season, leaving them with a little over $2 million to work with, as far as free agency is concerned.  It has been rumored that the Flyers would be looking to trade either of their two bottom defensemen – Randy Jones or Matt Carle – who make $2.75 million and a little under $3.5 million, respectively, to free up more space under the cap so that they can pursue a scorer.  However, it would be logical to assume that the Flyers would feel comfortable adding someone else first into their top six on the blueline to keep the strong unit in tact.

One possibility would be to re-sign Andrew Alberts, who remains unsigned after entering the Free Agent market four days ago.  Alberts started off fairly shaky after being acquired from the Boston Bruins early in the ’08-’09 season, but found his niche mid-way through the year and wound up having a nice season for the Flyers.  Another possibility would be, of course, to pull from within the family and bring someone up from the Phantoms.  Defensively, they don’t come better than Danny Syvret at Glens Falls, and the youngster showed he was more than capable of handling the professional level during a few brief stints last season.  However, Syvret is currently a Restricted Free Agent, meaning that he likely will be back with the Flyers organization, but nothing is definite.  Until that situation is cleared up, it’s hard to make any assumptions involving Syvret.  Other possibilities of Phantoms call-ups include Oskars Bartulis, who has proven himself dependable at the professional level, Mike Ratchuck, who just finished his first full season of professional hockey last season, and Patrick Hersley, a young Swede who has shown glimpses of skill in his brief minor league stint with Philadelphia.

However, suppose the Flyers don’t make any trades and keep both Carle and Jones.  To some this may not be such a bad alternative, but it would result in the Salary Cap picture once again coming into glaring view for Philadelphia.  So, with a little over $2 million to spend, who would make a good fit with the Flyers?  Here are five names to consider (NOTE: I have only included UFA’s, because, let’s be honest, RFA’s are going to be too much compensation-wise for the Flyers to handle).

5 FORWARD FREE AGENT NAMES TO CONSIDER (THAT YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY HEARD) (Last year’s team in parantheses)

1. Stephane Yelle (Boston Bruins, UFA):  Yelle is a name that has been talked about throughout Flyer circles for the past few days as someone the Orange and Black are looking to add to bolster themselves down the middle.  The 35 year old Center proved to be incredibly reliable for the Boston Bruins last season, but quickly lost his job due to Boston’s Free Agent signing of Steve Begin on July 1st.  Yelle isn’t quite the point producer he once was, as last season he went for seven goals and eleven assists, but he certainly would add another reliable man to the face-off dot for the Flyers.  As things are positioning themselves now, it appears the Flyers will utilize a combination of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Danny Briere, and Darroll Powe as their centermen.  The acquisition of Yelle would allow the Flyers to stack their first two lines, moving Briere to a wing, and solidifying their centers down the middle.
2. Maxim Afinogenov (Buffalo Sabres, UFA):  Acquiring Afinogenov would be pushing the financial envelope for the Flyers somewhat, but it’s definitely something worth looking into.  For some reason or another, the Flyers have always had a grudge against signing Russian players, so bringing in Maxim would have to come as an exception, but I think the Flyers should be willing to make an adjustment.  Sure, Afinogenov had, by far, the worst year of his career last season (6G,14A=20PTS), but the guy is incredibly talented and a very quick skater.  He’s reached the twenty goal plateau thrice thus far in his career, and a new environment could be exactly what a guy like Max may need to resurrect his career.  Plus, in today’s NHL it never hurts to add a guy with speed, and that is something that Afinogenov possesses.  As stated earlier, the Flyers would need a financial bargain to bring Afinogenov to South Philadelphia, but #61 jerseys would quickly become popular if the Flyers could bring Max to Broad Street.
3. Todd Bertuzzi (Calgary Flames, UFA):  Steve Moore may not be happy about this selection, but I think many Philadelphia Flyer fans would.
   

   Uh-oh.

   What’s not to like about Bertuzzi as a guy the Flyers could bring in?  He’s big, he’s tough, and he has the tenacity that would be able to electrify the Wachovia Center on a nightly basis.  He’s coming from a team in Calgary that made their mark by beating the snot out of their opponents, and he would bring a similar attitude to the Flyers.  Before shaking your head at this name, consider this: the Flyers’ GM is Paul Holmgren.  He, himself was a very physical presence back in his hay-day.  Therefore, he has a soft-spot in his heart for the NHL’s “Bad Boys” (Emery, Pronger, Carcillo, Cote).  Don’t be shocked if the Flyers make a push this winger, because, when healthy, he can produce for the type of position the Flyers would need him in: a guy that can camp out in front of a goaltender’s net night in and night out and make life miserable, while creating scoring chances in the process.  Last season, Bertuzzi had a very respectable campaign, scoring 15 goals to go along with 29 assists for a nice 44 point season.  Still not liking the idea?  Well, hope the Flyers can’t afford him, because if the money’s right and the shoe fits, it may just be a perfect fit on to Bertuzzi’s foot.

4. Manny Malholtra (Columbus Blue Jackets, UFA):  The proto-typical third line center if there ever was one, Manny Malholtra would be a very nice fit to the organ-EYE-zation.  Like Stephane Yelle, Malholtra is known for his face off prowess and is looking to join a big-market club after spending the last four post-lockout seasons in Columbus.  The price for Malholtra shouldn’t be too steep and that could play a large role in attracting the Flyers to directing a phone call his way.  Malholtra notched a career high in points last year, garnering 35 on 11 goals and 24 assists.  If signed by the Flyers, it would present the Orange and Black with the same type of scenario that was presented if Yelle were to sign: flexibility.  And when all a team has is $2 million to work with, a little flexibility could be the best thing they may ever get.
5. Robert Lang (Montreal Canadiens, UFA):  Remember when Robert Lang was one of the top players in the NHL?  Neither do I, but he has definitely had some glory seasons in this league.  Lang is OLD (38), and in the twilight of his career, but could come as a relative bargain to the Flyers, if they are so inclined to inquire about his services.  In an injury shortened season last year (50 games), Lang posted 39 points, notching 18 goals in the process.  It’s perceived that Lang will find an NHL job, whether with the Flyers or elsewhere, but it would be nice to see his career end in Philadelphia.  The Flyers should be able to afford him, and provided he stays healthy, he would be a nice pick-up.  The main question would be: if the Flyers can come to terms with a guy like Lang at 38, why couldn’t they make the move necessary to keep Mike Knuble at 37?
   

Keep and eye out on these guys and we’ll see if I end up looking smart (has to happen to everybody at some point) and one of them end up with the Philadelphia Flyers.  I’ll be attending the Flyers Press Conference tomorrow, as they introduce Chris Pronger and (I believe) Brian Boucher and Ian Laperriere to the media at the Flyers Skate Zone in Vorhees, NJ.  Expect a post on all the happenings surrounding that exciting day tomorrow.

Hope you all had a great holiday.

PHILLIES: SWEEEEEEP!

The Fourth of July weekend was just a little better than usual this year. It was alot of the usual, barbeque’s, fireworks, beautiful summer weather, and baseball, but for Philadelphia Phillies fans, there was an extra notch on the belt when the weekend concluded. A Phillies 3-game sweep over the New York Mets at home will do that.

The Phillies, from the time Rodrigo Lopez stepped onto the mound Friday night, to the time Brad Lidge finished off his second save in as many days on Sunday, the Phillies had the confidence and the swagger of a team that has won the past 2 NL East titles and World Series, not that team who had lost 14 out of 18 prior to this weekend.

A couple encouraging signs from this weekend.

First of all, it seems like the Phillies finally learned how to win at home. With a record of 14-22 before the sweep, the Phillies seem to have found a groove in the usually friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park. We all knew it was just a matter of time until the Phillies started playing better at home, but the fact that it may have started with a sweep against the Mets, it makes it that much better.

Second off all, even though the Mets put out a minor league lineup for the three games, the Mets only scoring three runs combined in the sweep, which means the page may have turned for the starting rotation. Rodrigo Lopez and Jamie Moyer both made beyond quality starts in the first two games of the series, and Joe Blanton may have pitched his best game of the season in the finale. With Cole Hamels in his current struggle, the rest of the rotation will have to pick up the slack, and it seems like they took the proper steps in doing so this weekend.

Third of all, welcome back Brad Lidge! Six blown saves before going on the D.L., and after he came back about a week ago, he didn’t have many opportunities to save a game until this weekend. Well, he came back, and he came back strong. Two saves, six batters up, six batters down, five strikeouts. Lidge had pinpoint placement and good velocity on his fastball all weekend, making it extremely difficult for the Mets to pick up his slider and change-up. Two big saves against the Mets are not the be-all-and-end-all, but if those two appearances were any indication, the knee his healthy, the stuff is there, and the Brad Lidge of  the second-half of 2009 might look more the Brad Lidge of 2008.

Lastly, arguably the most important part of this sweep, was the resurgence of the most criticized member of the 2009 Phillies to this point of the season. You can argue about it all you want, but it all starts with the player that resides at the top of the lineup card.  Yes, I am talking about the 2007 NL MVP, whose  play combined with his happy go-lucky personality (and a Michael Strahan-like gap in his teeth) has made him a central figure in the Phillies organization since 2001.  Jimmy Rollins is the Phillies catalyst, outspoken leader, and for all intents and purposes, the team captain, although he doesnt have a “C” stiched onto his uniform.

With all that said, when Rollins hit .209 through the first 76 games of the season, it was no wonder the Phillies were tied with the Florida Marlins going into the series against the Mets. However, when Rollins stepped onto that field against the Mets Friday night, a funny thing happen. #11 morphed into the player of old. In the 3-game sweep, Rollins had two multi-hit games, hit a leadoff homerun off of Johan Santana, and finished off the series with a .454 BA and an on base percentage over .600.

The Phillies do not need Jimmy Rollins to revert back to his 2007 MVP season to win the NL East. The division is simply not that good this season. Honestly, if Jimmy Rollins can hit his career batting average of .274 and get on base with the plate discipline he showed during the weekend for the second half of the season, combined with a healthy Raul Ibanez, and a nucleus that features all-stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, there is no reason why the Phillies should not be on track to win the NL East in 2009. 

For Jimmy Rollins thought, if this season has proven anything, it’s easier said than done.