Yardbarker: Jeff Carter

Flyers drop the puck tonight!

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:39:16 -0500

With everything else that's been going on, it's easy to forget that the Flyers will start their season tonight against the Rangers. For better or for worse, Sarah Palin will be dropping the first puck for the 2008/2009 Flyers season, a season that looks very promising as the Flyers try to build off their great playoff run of last year. Here are some of the new things to look for as the Flyers take the ice tonight: Gagne is back: Former 40 goal scorer Simon Gagne returns to the ice for the first time since February 10th. He looked smooth and seems ready to go after a solid exhibition season. New First Line: With Gagne's return, the Flyers will have a new look on their top line...... Click for more on the Flyers new top line, the rest of their forward and defensive lines and a late addition to their roster..... Also: If anyone is interested in participating in a Live Game Blog for today's game that I would host, leave me a comment in this post or drop me an email at (link provided on page). The Live Blog's were very popular during last years playoff run and I plan to do them again from time to time. I'm trying to gauge if there is interest in doing one now or if I should wait until later in the season. It's a great way to follow the game and have some great discussions with fellow Flyers fans. Click the link for more on Live Blogs.

Bryan's 2008-09 Predictions

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:49:19 -0500

With the whole world making predictions on the 2008-09 NHL season, The Rivalry is no different. Here are Bryan's picks for the upcoming season.

OK, everyone's going to be doing the same damn preview as everyone else. So let me shake things up a bit. First, we'll go through last year's results and see how these teams compare to how they did a year ago in terms of points - will they have more points, fewer points, or the same number? Next, we'll rank the teams the same way everyone does and do year-end awards. Lastly, we have some random awards that probably won't come true, but why not speculate a bit?

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Montreal (104 points in 2007-08): Less points. After struggling in the playoffs last year, the Habs will have trouble overwhelming teams as they did last year. Look for Carey Price to bounce back, though.
- Prediction: 96 points

2) Pittsburgh (102): More. With a full season of Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, this team should be better than last year. They lost a lot of role players, but did a good job filling in the gaps.
- Prediction: 108 points

3) Washington (94): More. Eighteen games against Carolina, Atlanta, and Florida will help the Caps continue their momentum from last season. The young players will have more experience, and Jose Theodore should provide capable goaltending.
- Prediction: 102 points

4) New Jersey (99): Less. Even though the whole '95 Cup team is back, the fact is that this is 2008. It seems as though the Devils might be a bit more up-tempo this year, but there might not be enough talent to really pull it off.
- Prediction: 92 points

5) NY Rangers (97): More. Assuming Henrik Lundqvist can play at a high level for the whole season, the Rangers should improve on last year's numbers. The team is better than it was last year; their Cup aspriations are legitimate.
- Prediction: 101 points

6) Philadelphia (96): Same. Philadelphia was one of the league's best teams down the stretch last year. Jeff Carter is poised to make The Leap this year, and the Flyers might have finally found a franchise goalie in Martin Biron.
- Prediction: 96 points

7) Ottawa (94): Less. Ottawa was dreadful for the second half of last season and was even worse in the playoffs. Even though there's a lot of talent in Ottawa, it seems like the current team has gone as far as it's going to go.
- Prediction: 90 points

8) Boston (94): More. Boston was very impressive in last year's playoffs; their young players gained a wealth of experience in their series with Montreal. Playing in a subpar division, the Bruins should continue to climb the ladder in the East.
- Prediction: 98 points

9) Carolina (92): Less. As much as us Islander fans love Peter Laviolette, he'll soon be fired from his second job. Carolina is just a mess these days, and it's unfortunate. They need to rebuild through the draft, and should have a premium pick next year.
- Prediction: 82 points

10) Buffalo (90): Same. On paper, the Sabres underachieved last year... but let's not forget that they've lost Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, and Brian Campbell over the past fifteen months. It's hard to see how they could improve, but Buffalo always finds good players to field a competitive team.
- Prediction: 90 points

11) Florida (85): Same. Will Florida ever be good? Hard to say. They play in the right division, but they don't have the personnel. Tomas Vokoun is great in net, but who's going to score the goals?
- Prediction: 83 points

12) Toronto (83): More. Even though Toronto pretty much blew for much of last year, they did have a run last year when they played pretty decent hockey. They won't be a playoff team, but they do appear to be on the way to something. They need a goalie desperately, though.
- Prediction: 87 points

13) NY Islanders (79): Less. Sorry to say it, but the Islanders have an extremely inexperienced team in what might be the toughest division in the NHL. Those first overall draft pick predictions are quite appropriate.
- Prediction: 72 points

14) Atlanta (76): More. John Anderson was a great coach in the minors, and should be just as good in the NHL. Unfortunately, Atlanta isn't very talented outside of Kari Lehtonen and Ilya Kovalchuk. The Thrashers should be thankful they play in the Southeast Division.
- Prediction: 82 points

15) Tampa Bay (71): More. Seeing as how the new NHL is more about offense, it's shocking that Barry Melrose didn't get hired years ago. He might not have Gretzky and Robitaille, but he has plenty of offensive talent. And Mike Smith is going to be a tremendous goalie.
- Prediction: 94 points

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) Detroit (115): Less. It's not that the Wings have gotten significantly worse, just that the other teams in their division have gotten a little better. They're still the team to beat until further notice.
- Prediction: 106 points

2) San Jose (108): Less. The Sharks might struggle to find their way this season with a new coach and tons of expectations after their recent playoff failures. They'll find it in plenty of time, though. Evgeni Nabokov might finally win the Vezina - it's about f'ing time.
- Prediction: 103 points

3) Minnesota (98): Less. The Xcel Energy Center has never had an empty seat for a regular season or playoff game. But that might change if the Wild don't make a playoff run soon. Look for yet another season of boring but effective play.
- Prediction: 94 points

4) Anaheim (102): Less. The Ducks, not unlike the Devils, find themselves in salary cap hell. The Ducks have a ton of quality young players, but with so many older players taking up significant cap space, the Ducks can't truly build around them. As such, the Ducks aren't a serious Cup threat.
- Prediction: 96 points

5) Dallas (97): More. The Stars gave up a lot to get Brad Richards, but they intend to make him the focus of their team along with Brenden Morrow and Marty Turco. Sean Avery only helps to make a strong playoff team even stronger.
- Prediction: 101 points

6) Colorado (95): Less. It's a sad state of affairs in Colorado these days. It's a good thing they brought the Adam Footes of the world back, because the team sure isn't going to be doing very much in the playoffs - if they even get that far.
- Prediction: 88 points

7) Calgary (94): More. Last year's playoff performance was no fluke. Mike Keenan's unorthodox methods work, and he's finally starting to have an impact on this Flames team. They've only improved with the acquisition of Mike Cammalleri.
- Prediction: 97 points

8) Nashville (91): Less. The Nashville Predators have only had one coach in their history so far. Will Barry Trotz finally pay the price for not getting past the first round? Probably not. Still, they need a playoff run to get the fans really invested in the team. That won't happen this year.
- Prediction: 86 points

9) Edmonton (88): Same. Sure, the Oilers are better than they were last year... but they won't get fifteen shootout wins this year, either. So the numbers will cancel each other out, and the Oilers will remain on the verge of a playoff spot. One year from now, they'll be ready to make a run.
- Prediction: 88 points

10) Chicago (88): More. Everyone's on the Blackhawks' bandwagon to start the season. And who can blame them? It's not going to come as easy as everyone things, but the Hawks are a clear playoff team. They remind me of the 2006-07 Penguins - a great regular season team that has to learn to win in the playoffs.
- Prediction: 98 points

11) Vancouver (88): More. The big focus this year is going to be getting the Sedins and Roberto Luongo to buy into the team enough to sign long-term. These are guys the Canucks can build around, but they need to convince the players to stick around. That's more important than losing in the first round of the playoffs, which they may well do.
- Prediction: 91 points

12) Phoenix (83): More. The Coyotes were right in the thick of it until the end last year, and they should be able to improve this season. Wayne Gretzky finally seems comfortable as a coach, and you know the young players are working as hard as possible to please him. The playoffs are a definite possibility.
- Prediction: 93 points

13) Columbus (80): More. Michael Peca claims the Blue Jackets are a 100-point team. Not in a division with the Red Wings and Blackhawks, anyway. Maybe in the Southeast. The Jackets desperately need a playoff berth to show fans that the team is worth their time and money.
- Prediction: 86 points

14) St. Louis (79): More. JD's plan is finally starting to take shape, as the Blues have one of the more enviable collections of young talent in the league. If the Blackhawks are the 2006-07 Penguins, the Blues are the 2005-06 Penguins; by season's end, they'll be a team nobody wants to play.
- Prediction: 87 points

15) Los Angeles (71): More. It's hard to get fewer than 71 points, and the Kings have studs like Anze Kopitar that are ready to become stars. Pick up Brian Boyle in your fantasy league and thank me later.
- Prediction: 82 points

So, having said all that, here's how the actual predictions shake out.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Pittsburgh (108)
2) Washington (102)
3) Boston (98)
4) NY Rangers (101)
5) Philadelphia (96)
6) Montreal (96)
7) Tampa Bay (94)
8) New Jersey (92)
9) Buffalo (90)
10) Ottawa (90)
11) Toronto (87)
12) Florida (83)
13) Atlanta (82)
14) Carolina (82)
15) NY Islanders (72)

FIRST ROUND
- (1)Pittsburgh over (8)New Jersey in 6
- (7)Tampa Bay over (2)Washington in 7
- (6)Montreal over (3)Boston in 6
- (4)NY Rangers over (5)Philadelphia in 7

SECOND ROUND
- (1)Pittsburgh over (7)Tampa Bay in 6
- (4)NY Rangers over (6)Montreal in 4

THIRD ROUND
- (4)NY Rangers over (1)Pittsburgh in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) Detroit (106)
2) San Jose (103)
3) Dallas (101)
4) Chicago (98)
5) Calgary (97)
6) Anaheim (96)
7) Minnesota (94)
8) Phoenix (93)
9) Vancouver (91)
10) Colorado (88)
11) Edmonton (88)
12) St. Louis (87)
13) Columbus (86)
14) Nashville (86)
15) Los Angeles (82)

FIRST ROUND
- (1)Detroit over (8)Phoenix in 5
- (2)San Jose over (7)Minnesota in 4
- (3)Dallas over (6)Anaheim in 7
- (5)Calgary over (4)Chicago in 7

SECOND ROUND
- (1)Detroit over (5)Calgary in 6
- (2)San Jose over (3)Dallas in 7

THIRD ROUND
- (2)San Jose over (1) Detroit in 7

STANLEY CUP FINAL
- (2)San Jose over (4)NY Rangers in 6

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER AWARDS
- Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh (130 points)
- Art Ross Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington (55 goals)
- William Jennings Trophy: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey (2.20 GAA)
- Maurice Richard Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
- Norris Trophy: Dan Boyle, San Jose
- Vezina Trophy: Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose
- Jack Adams Trophy: Barry Melrose, Chicago
- Calder Trophy: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay
- Selke Trophy: Brenden Morrow, Dallas
- Lady Byng Trophy: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit
- Bill Masteron Trophy: Richard Zednik, Florida
- Conn Smythe Trophy: Milan Michalek, San Jose

RANDOM CATEGORIES
- Most Improved Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
- Least Improved Team: New York Islanders
- Team You Wish You Rooted For: Philadelphia Flyers
- Second-Half Playoff Push Team: Phoenix Coyotes
- Second-Half Out-Of-Nowhere Skater: Eric Nystrom, Calgary
- Second-Half Out-Of-Nowhere Rookie: Claude Giroux, Philadelphia
- Most Underrated Player: Milan Lucic, Boston
- Player Most Likely To Make The Leap: Daniel Carcillo, Phoenix
- Coach That Deserves To Win The Adams, But Won't: Denis Savard, Chicago
- Biggest Free Agent Steal: Andrew Raycroft, Colorado
- Biggest Free Agent Bust: Wade Redden, NY Rangers
- Hot Playoff Goalie: Mike Smith, Tampa Bay
- First Overall Draft Pick Winner: New York Islanders (whoo-hoo!)

Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:18:55 -0500

Last year, the Eastern Conference was a crapshoot. Much like David Caruso's career, Ottawa started real hot then dropped off the face of the Earth. Montreal and Pittsburgh, boosted by strong power plays, were the obvious best teams in the East, but they only rose to the top of the standings around early-March. Every other team was mediocre.

If it was pre-lockout, the Rangers might not have made the playoffs, but they did last season because of Brendan Shanahan, Nigel Dawes, and Henrik Lundqvist's shootout performances. Washington clinched the playoffs on the last day possible. Carolina lost out on a playoff spot on the last day possible. Even the Islanders were relevant until March's injuries piled up. Boston made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and nearly beat the #1 ranked Canadiens.

What I'm saying is that it's anybody's conference to take. In the West, you knew Detroit will be up there, and Anaheim, San Jose, and Dallas should make the playoffs, while Phoenix, LA, Chicago, Edmonton, St. Louis, and Columbus would be awful.

Will anything change in the East this year? Probably not. Who really improved in the East in the offseason?

* * *

Far and away the winners of the East are the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vaclav Prospal returns next season, Matt Carle is in on defense, and they signed Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata (both people I think the Rangers should have tried to get), Gary Roberts, Olaf Kolzig, Mark Recchi, and power play QB Andrew Hutchinson. Oh, and Steven Stamkos should transition well in the NHL playing alongside Vinny Lecavilier. While their goaltending still is a question mark (Mike Smith and Kolzig are both a half-step up from being backup goaltenders), their beefed up offense should make up for a shaky back half. The only one missing from their team is expensive Dan Boyle, but now that they have an owner who wants to spend money, a trade deadline deal for a top defender is certainly possible.

Atlanta was awful last season and should be this season. They did rob the Penguins blind in the Marian Hossa deal, but Angelo Esposito probably won't catch fire this season, even if he makes the roster. The additions of Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong from Pittsburgh do help, but they are role players who aren't going to pot you 40 goals like Hossa would have. When your big offseason acquisition is named Ron Hainsley, you aren't moving forward.

Florida is also a team that is going nowhere. They might be the worst franchise in all of professional sports, Knicks included. They traded Olli Jokinen for a bundle of nothing, somehow re-signed Jay Bouwmeester even though we all know that he will not be there next season. Their lone spotlights are Nathan Horton and Tomas Vokoun. These guys are not a threat for anything except John Tavares in next year's Entry Draft.

Finishing off the Southeast, the Hurricanes and Capitals stood pat. While cash-strapped Carolina would up getting the defender they needed in Joni Pitkanen, it cost them heart-and-soul man Erik Cole. Yes, they signed Darcy Hordichuk, but can a 4th line goon lift you over the hump and into the playoffs? After making the playoffs last year, the Capitals decided to go with the same team this year. Sergei Federov, a good deadline deal, is back for another older, slower season, and their goaltending tandem of Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson is not as good as Kolzig and Christobal Huet were last year.

Long story short: One team will make the playoffs from the Southeast, and that's just because those are the rules.

* * *

In the Northeast division, the Toronto Maple Leafs aim to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year, which would be a new team record. Overpaying for Jeff Finger, trading for Jamal Mayers and Ryan Hollweg, not-yet-re-signing Mats Sundin or moving Bryan McCabe. I like GM Cliff Fletcher, but what exactly is he doing?

The Montreal Canadiens improved by leaps and bou-- no, they didn't improve at all. They missed the boat on Hossa, they probably won't get Sundin, but don't worry, Georges Laraque has arrived in Montreal! Alex Tanguay should help their already strong offense though and he came cheap in the form of just draft picks. They shouldn't miss Mark Streit on the power play too much, but can Alex Kovalev have another great season? While they are a good team still, the fact is, they aren't much better than last year, if at all.

The Boston Bruins signed unproven, unmotivated forward Blake Wheeler (although he did want to play in Beantown) and overpaid for Michael Ryder to replace Glen Murray. Is that any way to build a playoff contender? However, I think they would take a step forward if they would finally just admit to themselves that Tim Thomas is their starting goaltender. This guy is so motivated it's incredible.

Buffalo... uhhh, did the Sabres have an offseason? Yes, they traded away Steve "Brian Campbell" Bernier. Campbell's replacement is Craig Rivet, a journeyman who, while solid, won't stop a Crosby, Ovechkin, or Malkin from scoring. They also re-signed the aging, unhealthy Teppo Numinen, presumably as a locker room presence.

Ottawa's big offseason move was what they didn't do - they didn't trade Antoine Vermette, which is huge. He can be a great player if any of their Big 3 - Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson - falter or get hurt like in 2007-08. Their goaltending is a question mark as well, with Martin Gerber and the well-traveled Alex Auld standing guard. That shouldn't inspire confidence in Canada's capital.

* * *

Now, the East. I won't dwell too much on the Rangers, but regardless of what you think of their offseason moves, they are a better team today than they were in May.

Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin, and whoever turns out to be the 7th d-man are better than the likes of Tyutin, Backman, Malik, and Strudwick. Plus, Paul Mara returned at a discount, and Marc Staal and Dan Girardi should continue to excel this season.

Markus Naslund and Nik Zherdev are being counted on to have comeback years, and that may be asking a lot, but atleast the offense is styled differently. Plus, their power play should click this year without Jaromir Jagr to receive passes from Michal Rozsival and Marty Straka.

The one big loss is Sean Avery, a winger who could change games with his gritty style as well as put the puck home in big situations (just ask Martin Brodeur). Losing Ryan Hollweg for a draft pick was a no-brainer, and Aaron Voros and/or Patrick Rissmiller will take over his role and make it more offensive as well.

Did the Pittsburgh Penguins improve? Not too much. As well as losing roster players in Christensen and Armstrong and a top prospect in Esposito, they essentially traded hometown-boy Ryan Malone and Hossa for Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, two middling wingers who had bad seasons. Their bright spot of the offseason was getting Brooks Oprik back when it looked like he would be on the way out. They still have their core, and they will be dangerous, no doubt. But they question is, did they improve? The answer has to be no, they did not.

We all know the Islanders' problems, starting with Charles Wang and Garth Snow and moving out. Streit should help the team and make up for losing Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard with the man-advantage. Doug Weight will help as well, that is until February, when he along with a bunch of other expiring-contracts are traded to contenders for draft picks and prospects.

It was Old Timer's Day in July for the Devils, as they signed former players Bobby Holik, Brian Rolston, and Scott Clemmensen as their 3rd goalie. Rolston is a great utility man, but I think the Devils will overuse him. Holik is a serviceable 3rd line center these days, but the days of him shutting down other teams top lines are over. They also overpaid for Bryce Salvador, but they did need a big body on the blueline. While Rolston was a good pick-up, their defense is still holier than the Bible Belt, and their offense can't make up for it. However, while I expect big years from Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, I can't say they improved much.

The Flyers were active in getting Glen Metropolit in his declining years, Steve Eminger, a few Finnish defensemen whose names I can't pronounce, and re-signing Jeff Carter, but it came at the cost of young gun R.J. Umberger and Prospal. Still, I would say the Flyers improved, if only slightly. Their defense is suspect with Derian Hatcher still there and Jaroslav Modry gone, but Braydon Coburn can only get better. Him and Kimmo Timonen on the same pairing could be one of, if not the best in the East.

* * *

I didn't mean for this to be this long, and if you made it this far, I applaud you.

Who improved? Tampa, for sure. Probably the Flyers. Other teams just swapped one player for another, getting rid of a Malone for a Satan, or a Sergei Brylin for a Holik. That doesn't necessarily make them a better team, just the same team with different names on the back.

On paper, it appears the Rangers are one of the most-improved teams in the East, if not only by their additions then by their subtractions. That's not to say I didn't love Jagr and Straka and Shanahan, but it will be a completely different team, and that can't hurt.

Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:51:12 -0500

Will anything change in the East this year? Probably not. Who really improved in the East in the offseason?

* * *

Long story short: One team will make the playoffs from the Southeast, and that's just because those are the rules.

* * *

Now, the East. I won't dwell too much on the Rangers, but regardless of what you think of their offseason moves, they are a better team today than they were in May.

* * *

I didn't mean for this to be this long, and if you made it this far, I applaud you.

Flyers extend Lupul for 4 more years

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:24:21 -0500

Joffrey Lupul, who would have been a restricted free agent following the 08-09 season, signed a contract extension with the Flyers that will keep him in Philly for four more years. Terms of the deal have yet to be announced, but expect Lupul to get a raise from the 2.3 million he will make this season. Lupul has been a key member of the Flyers offensive attack ever since he was acquired from Edmonton last off-season with Jason Smith for Joni Pitkanen and Geoff Sanderson. Lupul finished his first season in Philadelphia with 46 points in 56 games and had several key goals in the Flyers playoff run, including the one that vaulted them past the Capitals and into the second round. While the amount of money he will receive has not been announced, this is another good move by the Flyers, who now have their core forwards of Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell and Lupul locked up through the 2010-2011 season. As long as the Lupul deal averages out to about 3 million a year, the Flyers made an excellent move. UPDATE: Lupul's contract is reportedly worth 4.25 million a year, making him the 6th highest paid Flyer. That's quite a bit of money for an oft-injured player, but Lupul is still young so the Flyers will be getting his best years.

Flyers add forward Metropolit and two minor leaguers

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:39:18 -0500

The Flyers continue to make moves and that's keeping this blogger busy. After making a trade with LA and signing Ossi Vaananen, the Flyers have added a pair of forwards to the mix, Glen Metropolit and Nate Raduns. They also signed another defenseman, Sean Curry. Metropolit signed a two year deal with the Flyers for a million dollars a year. Metropolit is a solid defensive forward who will replace Jim Dowd as the Flyers fourth line center. He has played 262 career NHL games with 5 different organizations, including last season with the Boston Bruins. He scored 33 points last season with Boston but he is known as a hustle guy and a great penalty killer. He will be locked into the fourth line center spot with Danny Briere, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter ahead of him, but he can also play any forward position. Raduns is a less exciting player. He played last season with the Worcester Sharks in the AHL, picking up 27 points in 56 games. He is 24 years old and figures to be a Phantom for the foreseeable future. Curry is another player destined for the Phantoms. He played last year for the Providence Bruins of the AHL and has never played an NHL game in six professional seasons. He is huge at 6 foot 5 and 227 pounds, but slow. What's next, Holmgren?

Flyers make a trio of moves leading up to free agency

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:08:14 -0500

The NHL free agent frenzy begins tomorrow, but that hasn't kept the Flyers from being busy. After officially signing Jeff Carter on Friday, the Flyers made three more moves to help shore up their roster. First, the Flyers signed defenseman Steve Eminger, who they acquired from the Washington Capitals at the draft, to a one year deal worth a little over a million dollars. The Flyers view Eminger as a possible top six defenseman next year, considering his salary and how much they gave up to get him. Next, the Flyers waived defenseman Denis Gauthier, who spent his entire year last season with the Philadelphia Phantoms. Gauthier played parts of two seasons with the Flyers and was a strong presence on the blue line, unfortunately injuries and declining play have derailed his career. Waiving Gauthier and his 2.1 million dollar contract will lead to a buyout of his contract, which will cause only a 700,000 dollar cap hit. The Flyers also made a trade today, acquiring defenseman Tim Ramholt from the Flames for Phantoms forward Kyle Greentree. Ramholt spent last season in the AHL and tallied 24 points in 77 games. He appears to be more minor league depth for now, although he is only 23 and could develop into an NHLer with more experience. He was ranked as the 7th best prospect in the Flames system according to Hockeysfuture.com. Greentree was big and a little slow and his future is probably exclusively as an AHL player. After all of these moves, the Flyers have continued to add depth to their blueline and appear to be maneuvering themselves under the cap to make at least one free agent signing. While they won't be able to afford the big names like Brian Campbell, they should be able to get a solid d-man with their available cap space.

It's (finally) official: Jeff Carter signs with the Flyers

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:56:15 -0500

We knew that Jeff Carter was going to sign with the Flyers, we just didn't know when they would finally make it official. Well, it appears that Carter has finally signed the 3 year, 15 million dollar deal just a few days before he would have become a restricted free agent. My thoughts on the signing are the same as before: I am happy to have Carter back in the fold, but the price is awfully high for a guy who has never scored 30 goals and will be a third line center. If he lives up to the flashes of potential that he showed in the playoffs, then he will be worth 5 million a year. If he continues his inconsistent play where he disappears for long stretches at a time, then the Flyers badly overpaid.

Flyers Ink Jeff Carter to 3-Year Deal

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:38:49 -0500

Gm Paul Holmgren announced that the Flyers locked up young center Jeff Carter to a new 3 year deal

Say Goodbye to RJ

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:34:55 -0500

Forward RJ Umberger will have a new address when the 2008-2009 NHL season opens. No, he didn't rent a penthouse in Rittenhouse Square, he was traded to Columbus. Minutes before the NHL draft started last night, the Flyers dealt Umberger and a Fourth Round pick in the 2008 draft to the Blue Jackets for their first Round pick (19th overall), and their Third Round pick.

Flyers ship R.J. Umberger to Columbus

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:02:15 -0500

The NHL Draft is under way and several teams have made big moves, including the Flyers. The Flyers, unable to afford the recently signed Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and a top defenseman in Free Agency, have created cap space for themselves by trading Umberger and the 119th pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for two 2008 draft picks, the 19th pick of the first round and the 67th pick in the third round. While I hate to see Umberger go, the Flyers were smart to deal him now after his hot playoff run. Umberger scored 10 goals in the playoffs, so his value was never going to be any higher. Plus, the Flyers are dealing from a strength, since Umberger is really a center and the Flyers are loaded down the middle. Of course, this deal makes sense only if the Flyers do go out and bring in one of the top free agent defensemen, like a Brian Campbell, with the extra money they now have. The 19 pick in the draft will also be used for someone who will help down the road. Another nice move by Paul Holmgren. Umberger was a great player, but the extra cap space and the high draft pick are too good to pass up.

RJ Umberger Dealt To Columbus Blue Jackets

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:48:55 -0500

This evening the Flyers sent center RJ Umberger as well as the 119th pick overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the 19th and 67th picks in this year's draft.

Flyers sign Jeff Carter: 3 years, 15 million

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:35:58 -0500

It hasn't been officially announced yet, but several reports have surfaced that the Flyers have signed restricted free agent Jeff Carter to a 3 year, 15 million dollar deal. While this removes the possibility of losing Carter to another team this off-season, 5 million a year for a player who has never scored 30 goals is a little steep. It also may price them out of signing any decent free agent defenseman, or even from bringing back R.J. Umberger, who continues to be the subject of trade talks. I do like that Jeff Carter is coming back next year, and he did show flashes of brilliance in the playoffs, but I worry that the Flyers might have overpaid here. Carter has had a problem with consistency in his career, something that no player making 5 million a year should have. With Mike Richards and Danny Briere in the mix, Carter will also never be anything more than a third line center. Let's hope the Flyers don't end up regretting paying him like a first liner.

Jeff Carter, Still A Flyer?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:52:04 -0500

The news coming out of Canada is the Flyers and Jeff Carter have agreed on a three-year deal worth around $15 Million. Carter was slated to become a Group 2 free agent on July 1 and with the NHL draft beginning Friday night there were thoughts Carter might be traded. But Carter seemed to pass up the potential for more money to stay in Philadelphia.

Atlantic Division 2008 Free Agency Preview

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:20:39 -0500

What will the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins be up to come July 1st? Will the Flyers be able to keep their young talent? How many players will the Penguins manage to keep in tow? Who will the Rangers overpay this year? Will the Devils finally find some offense?