Flyers GM Paul Holmgren pulled the major deal of the summer, acquiring superstar defenseman Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks for winger Joffrey Lupul, defensive prospect Luca Sbisa and draft picks.
Philly, in recent years and this season is no exception, bring back memories of the Broad Street Bullies teams of the 1970s, captained by former GM and current Senior Vice President Bobby Clarke, known more for their rough-and-tumble hockey than for goal scoring. Those teams knew how to drop the gloves but more importantly, how to win as back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1973-74 and 1974-75 would indicate.
Enter Pronger
The 6 ft. 6 in. blueliner gives Philadelphia a two-headed monster on defense, a rare blend of both strength and skill. The oft-penalized defender will have no problem winning over the rambunctious Philly faithful, having racked up 88 PIM last year with eight career NHL suspensions to boot.
The Flyers special teams ranked sixth overall on both the powerplay and penalty kill last season despite being the league’s most penalized team, averaging 17.5 PIM per game, just steps ahead of Pronger’s former team, Anaheim.
While he won’t decrease his teams’ trips to the box, Pronger should make Philadelphia a much more formidable opponent to play against.
The Flyers had four players reach at least 100 PIM last year, five if newcomer Ian Laperriere is included, who signed as a free agent this summer after tallying 163 PIM and 17 fights as a member of the Colorado Avalanche a year ago.
How Will the Goaltending Hold Up?
The Flyers hope their revolving door of goaltenders (no starter has lasted more than four seasons since Ron Hextall 10 years ago) has finally come to an end.
Netminding has always been a cause of concern for the orange, black and white ever since Hextall guided Philadelphia all the way to the Cup Finals in 1997, before being swept by the Red Wings in four games, their first of two consecutive Cups.
Gone are both Martin Biron (signed with New York Islanders) and Antero Niittymaki (signed with Tampa Bay) from last year. The volatile Ray Emery is back from the KHL in Russia, joining new arrival Brian Boucher between the pipes. The starter’s job has Emery’s name written all over it but should he falter or fail to keep his emotions intact, Boucher is more than capable of picking up the slack.
Emery should be revitalized for a number of reasons. First, he’s only playing on a one-year deal so the motivation will be there to secure a contract for years to come. Second, this is only a one-year contract so the chances of self-destruction are very slim. It’s a fresh start and he will be eager to prove any detractors wrong.
'Sugar Ray' Emery only has to be good, not great, behind an excellent defensive corps and he has experience, having led Ottawa to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007.
Overall Outlook
Goal scoring should not be an issue again this year for the Flyers, led by top point getter (84) and 46 goal man Jeff Carter, who finished second in the NHL in goals (behind Alex Ovechkin) and first in game winning goals (GWG) with 12.
A healthy Danny Briere and heightened expectations for Claude Giroux, who emerged in the second half last season and followed up with a dominant first round performance in the playoffs, should give Philadelphia more flexibility and balance up front. The Flyers led the NHL in short handed goals (SHG) last season, captain Mike Richards scored a league high seven SHG, Simon Gagne and Carter both tied for third overall with four a piece.
The arrival of highly touted, second overall pick in 2007, James van Riemsdyk is another possibility if cap issues are corrected. Otherwise, he may be forced to toil in the minors (AHL) until Holmgren can figure out a way to manoeuvre under the salary cap.
Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent and Pronger should form one of the best top-four defensive pairings in the league.
The Flyers, already equipped with a heavy arsenal of weapons, are finally ready to cause some serious damage in the playoffs after a pair of stellar off-season additions.
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