Is Emery the Answer for the Philadelphia Flyers?
Ray Emery Joins a Long Line of Flyers Starting Goaltenders
Oct 19, 2009
The Philadelphia Flyers goaltending issues in recent history are well documented, and commented on, in hockey circles. As a team with annual playoff hopes, the troubles between the pipes are disturbing to a rabid fan base starved of a Stanley Cup championship for over 30 years now.
The 2009-10 season’s hopes in Philadelphia now rest firmly on the shoulders of the oft-maligned, recently returned from exile Ray Emery, who spent last season playing for the KHL’s Atlant Moscow Oblast, where he admittedly performed admirably, posting a 22-8 record and a stellar 1.86 GAA.
Questions remain, however, about Emery. Is he capable of rising above his personal demons to lift the Flyers over that last hurdle and into the realm of champions? Or, equally possible, was Philadelphia’s management willing to part ways with a more expensive incumbent in Martin Biron, who joined the New York Islanders by way of free agency, to take a less expensive risk with Emery?
A Decade of Mediocrity from Hextall to Biron
Looking at 1997-98 through 2008-09, the Flyers net has been guarded by nine masked men who could legitimately be labeled as “starters” for at least a part of a season. The list is somewhat impressive, despite the lack of any potential Hall of Famers in the bunch: Hextall, Burke, Vanbiesbrouck, Boucher, Cechmanek, Esche, Hackett, Nittymaki, and Biron make up the most recent predecessors to Ray Emery.
The history of this group is checkered with failure and near misses as well as a continual struggle to establish a legitimate and uncontested number one goalie. Of the ten seasons under consideration, seven of them feature two goaltenders with 30-plus starts on the season.
The lack of continuity for a starter has arguably impacted the team during the playoffs. The team’s last Stanley Cup final appearance comes prior to sample being considered (the 1997 playoffs) and, while other factors obviously contribute and there were some memorable appearances during the playoffs in stretches, the fact remains that stellar goaltending wins championships for good teams.
Fans of the Flyers only need look north to New Jersey to see that theory proven – Martin Brodeur has been doing it for years now for the Devils.
Enter Ray Emery and Welcome Back Brian Boucher
The carousel continued into this season, with the Flyers electing to allow their incumbent goaltenders Martin Biron and Antero Nittymaki to depart by free agency while signing Emery and obtaining Brian Boucher for a second stint in Philadelphia. Given that the team made a strong splash in the free agent market during the offseason, namely by signing Chris Pronger to an extended contract, the signings of Emery and Boucher were not made because the team was “rebuilding”. Instead, the Flyers consider themselves serious contenders, meaning that they feel the combo has what it takes to get them deep into the playoffs.
It seemed the gamble was worth the risk over the first couple of games this season. Emery was stellar in his first two starts, recording a shutout in the season opener against Carolina and downing New Jersey and the aforementioned Brodeur 5-2 the next day. It was almost enough to allow Flyers fans to breathe a sigh of relief.
Since that point, however, Emery has shown that he has a definite down side. Despite defeating Washington in overtime, Emery’s numbers have been pedestrian since the opening two games. Over four games, he has allowed 17 goals and recorded a 1-2-1 record. More importantly, he has had leads in three of these games to defend and failed to close out the game.
Adding to this is the fact that Emery has a history of malcontent (not taking into account any fault on Ottawa’s part for his departure) and suddenly Flyers fans have cause for concern. Brian Boucher could step in and save the season; after all, he posted five straight shutouts in 2003-04 while playing for Phoenix as a backup. But even Boucher is not the answer.
Flyers Hopes May Lay in Future NHL Drafts
Given the way that free agency has played out for the Flyers, nothing but a similar result to past seasons can be expected anytime soon. Yes, Ray Emery took the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup finals prior to leaving North America and, reportedly, his banishment to the KHL cleared his head a bit.
Then again, he had one of the most dominant offensive lineups of the past ten years in front of him at that point in time too. There remains something to be said for simply being able to outscore an opponent on any given night.
With their track record since the days of Bernie Parent, with rare exceptions, it may be time for Flyers management to re-think their goaltending strategy and start looking to obtain and develop a “goalie of the future” in an upcoming draft. After all, how many times can a team do the same thing and expect a different result?
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