Yardbarker: Derian Hatcher

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.

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.

Richards Named Flyers Captain; Hatcher To IR

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:15:37 -0500

Center Mike Richards has been named Captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced Wednesday. The 23-year old is the 17th Captain in team history. Richards had a breakout season last year, leading the team with 75 points, was named an Eastern Conference All Star, and won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP. "I just think Mike Richards is a player that has all the characteristics we want on our team," said Flyers head coach John Stevens. "We want a guy out there, that when we see him playing, he is representative of the identity of our hockey team. I think Mike is all of that." For a team that has had four captains in four years, this comes as welcome news. Richards is entering the first year of a 12-year contract extension signed in December. "It's obviously a privilege to be part of such a traditional organization, and be captain of it," Richards said. "I am going to do my best to do it. We have a lot of great team leaders right now on our team, and you don't have to change anything. I think everybody really helps out around the dressing room. There are so many leaders, you just kind of have to do your own thing and more worry about yourself and help out where things are needed." Speaking of captains, former Captain Derian Hatcher will start the season on the long-term injury list with an injured right knee. As a result, the Flyers are able to create some salary cap space by subtracting his $3.5 million from the books. "We've talked a number of times, as recent as this past Wedensday," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "We spent a great deal of time with Derian. He wants to play. He knows he is not ready to play right now. Whether he will or won't play will be seen down the road. In the interim, we are going to see if there is something that he can do to help the coaches or find some niche here to help keep him busy. "It is basically his knee. It is a situation where surgically speaking they really can't do anything. It is a question of strength in his knee. I would say there is a ray of hope. We will see how it goes." Even so, there is a slim chance that Hatcher plays this season. He missed 28 games with his degenerative knee injury and another 10 with a broken right foot. Though his knee obviously still bothers him, Hatcher says he is not ready to retire. That being said, if in the end he is unable to play, Hatcher says he would like to stay with the team as a scout or a coach. "It's tough. Basically, the doctors are saying that for me to try and play isn't fair to my body and it isn't fair to me. They are afraid that I will end up hurting something else like blowing out my hip, or something like that," Hatcher said. "But, we'll see. I've talked to Paul numerous times this summer and I've talked to him in the past few days. We both agree that I should be placed on IR and see what happens." In other news, the Flyers announced Thursday the signing of veteran goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin to a one-year deal. In 19 games last season with the Los Angeles Kings, Aubin had a record of 5-6-1 with a GAA of 3.19. "Jean-Sebastien is a veteran goalie with quality NHL experience," general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement. "We feel his experience, along with his ability as a goaltender, makes him an ideal fit for our organization." Said Aubin: "I'm happy to come to a great organization like the Flyers. I know a lot of the guys on the team. They have a lot of faith in me and it is a really good fit for me to come here." Aubin was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 1995 draft. He has also played for Toronto during his nine year career.

Philadelphia Flyers: Orange And Black...Almost Back

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:08:13 -0500

After an exciting, yet unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Philadelphia Flyers are almost back for their 42nd season in Philly. The team will have 30 of its rookies on the ice starting Monday, but many wonder if the team added enough pieces to the puzzle this off-season. Other than the addition of some younger, more athletic defensivemen, the Flyers didn't really make a marque offseason addition. Meanwhile, the Penguins still have Evgeni Malkin and Sid "The Kid" Crosby....

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.

Bryan Berard is coming to Flyers Camp

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:55:08 -0500

The Flyers have added yet another defensemen to their camp roster. Bryan Berard, a veteran who has played for six NHL teams, will be attending the Flyers training camp on a try-out basis. Berard is 31 and played for the New York Islanders last season, suiting up for 54 games and notching 5 goals and 17 assists. Berard has always been known as an offensive defenseman who can do some great things with the puck, but he is also known as someone who has issues defending his own net. He has also had numerous injury issues throughout his career, including a serious eye injury back in 2000 that nearly ended his career. If Berard is healthy and can still play effectively, he has a good chance to make a case to be on the Flyers roster. The Flyers have a bunch of defensemen set to compete for a spot on the team, but no one is guaranteed much after Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn and Randy Jones. Steve Eminger, Ossi Vaananen, Ryan Parent and Lasse Kukkonen will all fight over the remaining three spots, so there could be room for a guy like Berard. Derian Hatcher figures to be placed on injured reserve so we won't be seeing him for a while. If he plays well, I could see Berard sticking around as a veteran presence and a strong contributor on the power play. Berard is not under contract and wasn't invited by the Flyers, so he is also showcasing his skills for other teams. If the Flyers don't sign him then someone else surely will.

The Flyers bring in yet another defenseman: Ossi Vaananen

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:43:53 -0500

The Flyers seem determined to bring as many defensemen to Philadelphia as possible. So far this off-season, the Flyers have acquired blueliners Danny Syvret, Steve Eminger, Tim Ramholt and Patrik Hersley while they drafted another defenseman in Luca Sbisa. Apparently that isn't enough d-men because the Flyers signed another one today. Ossi Vaananen, who played last season in Sweden and formerly played with the Colorado Avalanche, signed a one year deal with the Flyers worth one million dollars. Vaananen is 6'4'' and 215 pounds, so he brings size and strength to the back end. He played six years in the NHL before going to Sweden last year and has a career plus/minus of +18. Vaananen is probably going to play in the NHL next year, so that likely fills out the Flyers defense. With Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent, Derian Hatcher and Lasse Kukkonen all coming back, Randy Jones likely to be re-signed and Steve Eminger and Vaananen added to the mix, the Flyers defense is filled out nicely. Of course, there is still a possibility that Hatcher might retire which would mean the Flyers could go out and sign someone else. Barring a retirement by Hatcher, the Flyers have to be done with assembling defensemen now. Paul Holmgren has a little bit more money under the cap that could be used on a forward. Hockeybuzz.com has reported that the Flyers might be talking to Brendan Shanahan. Seems farfetched, but it's an interesting rumor nonetheless.

Flyers trying to keep team intact

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:23:28 -0500

The Philadelphia Flyers are still trying to figure out a way to keep last years intact and improve. That task is going to be a lot harder then most Flyers fans would think. The salary cap currently stands at $55 million for next season. To be able to keep the Big Three free agents and sign a top flight defense man need to occur.

Flyers Down 0-2; Whose Fault is it?

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:35:15 -0500

In any playoff series , in any sport, when a team is down 0-2 the blame game starts with one person and ends with another. The Flyers situation is no different. Down 0-2 and headed home. They played badly game one, maybe even giving the game away to the Pens. Not taking anything away front what the Penguins do but the Flyers truly beat themselves in game 1. In game 2 the Flyers put up a good effort, cut down on the mistakes and played a physical brand of hockey. However, still a two goal loss, why? Are the Penguins that much better? Some idiotic reporter in Pittsburgh things so. I believe he said something to the effect of " Can't this one be over in 3?" Going on to say that he doesn't feel that anyone thinks this series will go more then five games. First with Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals, then with the heavily favored Montreal Canadians, and now with the "face" of the NHL Sidney Crosby the Flyers are once again the very very very unpopular pick.

Braydon Coburn out for Game Three

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:21:32 -0500

The Flyers playoff hopes continue to dim today. After losing to the Penguins yesterday to fall into a 2-0 hole in the series, the Flyers learned today that they will play Game 3 without defenseman Braydon Coburn. Coburn took a puck to the face in the first period of Game 2 and had to leave the game. He got 50 stitches on his face around his left eye and lost a lot of blood, making him feel lightheaded. The Flyers have already ruled him out for Game 3, although there is a chance he could return for Game 4 on Thursday. Ryan Parent will suit up in Coburn's place. Click the link for more, including "highlights" of Coburn's injury.

Game Two: Double Whammy Down 2-0, Another Defenseman

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:44:58 -0500

With the Flyers already down their best defenseman in Kimmo Timonen, they got what they could ill afford early on; an injury to another defenseman. Braydon Coburn, Timonen's defensive partner, went down early in the period when he was hit in the face with a puck that deflected off the stick of Evgeni Malkin. Then the Flyers went on to lose the game, albeit in a better effort than their game 1 performance.

Flyers shake up defensive pairings

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:25:15 -0500

With Kimmo Timonen likely out for the remainder of the playoffs, the Flyers have to face the reality of playing an offensive juggernaut like the Penguins without their best defensive player. In Timonen's absence, the Flyers have completely re-shuffled their defensive pairs. Derian Hatcher, who has played well recently, will move up to the top pairing with Braydon Coburn, causing every pairing to be altered. Jason Smith will now be paired with Randy Jones and Jaroslav Modry is back in the lineup in the third pairing with Lasse Kukkonen. On the powerplay, Randy Jones expects to get most of the time in Timonen's spot on the top grouping. Completely changing all of your defensive pairings at this time of the year is usually not a good thing, but in this case it was necessary. There is no getting around the huge void that Timonen leaves on this team. He was the one player that was irreplaceable in an already thin defensive unit. If any one forward goes down, the Flyers have several options that can step right in, but there is no one with the all-around skill level of Timonen that can step into the back six. Click the link for more.....

The Turnpike Series: Penguins vs. Flyers

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:26:40 -0500

Tonight is the night... The Battle for Pennsylvania! FIO humor writer and western PA native Brian Lutz takes a look at this series between the Penguins and the Flyers. Though from the same state, these two teams are worlds apart - from their play to their fans to their cities. Lutz talks about the sharp contrasts and notes how this rivalry takes the cake as the most relative among other intra-state Pennsylvania sports match-ups.

Against Penguins, refs, Flyers can win it

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:23:08 -0500

There are some people around the National Hockey League who think the-powers-that-be really, actually wanted to see a Canadian team win the Cup for the first time in 15 years. But despite some pretty dicey calls during their second-round series, the Flyers did away with that dream in quick order. Meanwhile, over in the Rangers-Penguins second-round series, anyone with functional eyes could see the NHL's brightest star, Sidney Crosby, flailing his arms and losing his footing at every choice opportunity to draw penalties. He often actually succeeded in fooling the most established of referees, and he wasn't the only Penguin to benefit from some dubious calls. In the series-deciding game, Ryan Malone from the Pens clipped Chris Drury in the face and drew significant volumes of blood yet somehow no call was made and the game was lost by one goal. Conspiracy theorists start your engines, because this tomfoolery will not end when Philly and Pittsburgh square off starting this Thursday night. Amazingly, the Flyers come into a series with their in-state rivals in a wonderful position. Unlike most years in Philly, nobody thought the Flyers could get to where they are, and they are certainly not done learning, growing and fighting as a team to realize their potential. Unlike past Flyers teams and most every year's Eagles teams — the Flyers are playing in a consequence-free environment much as a golfer always performs better in a "scramble" tournament, where each shot isn't so pressing. "Why not win?" is this team's mantra. Blow a two-goal lead — "who cares?" — we've won like that before. Down a few goals? We have the firepower to fight back. Moreover, the Flyers have the mental advantage over Pittsburgh in that many on the team think that by benching Crosby for the last game of the regular season, Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien was purposefully tanking to avoid playing the bruising Flyers (especially the angry Derian Hatcher, who is always looking for No. 87). Paul Holmgren says there is no way the Penguins tanked to avoid the Flyers to instead play the flailing Senators. Conspiracy theorists, back to your blogs. The Flyers have to know that their early season suspensions and Broad Street Bullies reputation from over 30 years ago will likely follow them into this series. Crosby will dive until some referee makes a point of calling him for it and he stops. The Flyers' second-ranked power play from the regular season could make that meaningful point with a few pucks behind Fleury if so desired. And with the dead and rotting carcasses of Washington and Montreal waiting for burial, the Flyers have every reason to believe they can beat (and beat up) a young and highly talented Pittsburgh team. Crosby is good, but they already know they could shut down Alexander Ovechkin. At the same time, the Flyers must crank up their preparation to another level if they have plans on playing in the Finals against one of the powerhouse teams from the West. The idea of blowing a game like they did in Game 1 vs. Montreal isn't going to fly when you are eight playoff wins from hoisting the hardware. The Flyers need to adopt the idea of playing the game with high energy without gross stupidity (see: Derian Hatcher's hit on Francis Bouillon). The refs will be looking for reasons to get Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa on the power play, and so ultimate discipline will be an absolute key to the series. If the Flyers can accomplish this, there is no reason the league shouldn't be calling PETA to report some animal abuse, because the Penguins can be beaten.

Flyers lose Kimmo Timonen for remainder of playoffs

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:56:50 -0500

The Flyers hopes to get past the Penguins and into the Stanley Cup Finals took a huge blow today when their best defenseman, Kimmo Timonen, was diagnosed with a blood clot in his ankle, effectively ending his season. Timonen's ankle felt sore ever since he was hit by a shot during the series with the Canadiens, so he went in for an exam today and the blood clot was discovered. This is a big setback for the Flyers. Timonen and Braydon Coburn have done an excellent job neutralizing their oppositions best offensive players throughout the playoffs. It's the worst timing possible with the Flyers preparing to play a team with the offensive firepower that the Penguins feature. Expect more playing time for Randy Jones and Derian Hatcher and for Jaroslav Modry to get back on the ice after missing most of the last series. Click the link for more.....