Philadelphia Flyers Retooling Roster
At the 2008 NHL Draft and After Flyers Busy Drafting and Trading
Jun 26, 2008
They didn't waste much time in working towards a solution, starting one day before this year's June 21st NHL entry draft by trading R.J. Umberger, their highest goal scorer in the playoffs, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the Jackets' 19th overall pick. The Flyers essentially had to choose two of three free agent players (Umberger, Jeff Carter and Randy Jones) as they couldn't afford all three of them. Even though Umberger had a great showing in the playoffs, Carter has a greater upside and Jones is a promising young defenseman. The Flyers used the 19th pick the next day at the draft to select WHL defenceman Luca Sbisa. Eight spots later they traded their 28th overall pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Steve Eminger and a third-round pick in the draft. They used that selection (67th overall) on QMJHL defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon.
The Present and the Future
Right now, the Flyers have some good defensemen in Jones, Braydon Coburn, Kimmo Timonen and Ryan Parent. There is speculation that Jason Smith and Jaroslav Modry - both unrestricted free agents - could be on their way out. And, the veteran Derian Hatcher showed this season that he can no longer keep up with today's speedier league as he suffered from chronic knee pain. The Flyers may look to move him or buy him out, leaving more cap room to sign a key free agent defenseman. Currently, Brian Campbell, Marc Streit, John-Michael Liles and Mike Commodore are all available unrestricted free agents. It is likely that the Flyers will sign a free agent blueliner, but it will come down to who they can afford.
Flyers Keep Busy With "Minor" Trades Before and After Draft
On June 6th the Flyers made a deal with the Edmonton Oilers, sending center Ryan Potulny to the Oilers for young defenseman Danny Syvret. Both have played mostly for minor league teams. The week following the draft, the Flyers traded AHL forward Triston Grant and their 7th round 2009 draft pick to the Nashville Predators for Swedish defenseman Janne Niskala. Niskala was originally drafted in the 5th round in 2004 by the Predators and spent last season in the AHL, where he scored 19 goals and added 25 assists.
The Possible Defensive Pairings for the Flyers (pending inevitable changes):
1. Timonen, Jones
2. Coburn, Eminger
3. Hatcher, Parent
Reserves: Niskila, Syvret, Lasse Kukkonen
Niskila and Syvret may spend some time playing with the Philadelphia Phantoms, the team's AHL affiliate that has a great track record of churning out talented and productive players to the Flyers.
