Yardbarker: Kimmo Timonen

Flyers lose season opener, Randy Jones

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:34:25 -0500

Well, that's not the best way to start a season. The 2008/2009 campaign started off a little rough for the Flyers, what with Sarah Palin receiving a mountain of boos and the Flyers falling behind by 4 goals in the first period, but the Flyers were able to fight back to makes things interesting before they fell to the Rangers, 4-3. The Flyers got more bad news today as they learned that Randy Jones will be having surgery and he will be out for 12 to 16 weeks. Along with Ryan Parent, that makes two Flyers defensemen who need surgery and will miss a significant amount of time. The Flyers already had some questions about their blueline but now they might have a serious issue. As for the game, the Rangers jumped out early and silenced the crowd with two goals in the first 5 minutes as the Flyers played back on their heels. The defensemen, which had the look of a group simply thrown together, struggled to slow down the Rangers attack as the Blue Shirts added two more goals later in the period. Martin Biron also looked terrible out of the gate, managing only 10 saves on 14 shots. Of course, it's hard for a goaltender to look good when he's being peppered with shots. Biron was pulled for Antero Niittymaki after the 4th goal and Niitty took over from there, stopping every shot he faced and giving the Flyers a chance to make a comeback. And come back they did. Mike Richards fought near the end of the first period and that seemed to energize the Flyers..... Click for more on the Flyers game, plus two things that concern me about the team going forward.....

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.

Flyers opening game roster set: Sbisa makes team

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:25:36 -0500

The Flyers have set their opening day roster. There are two surprises, one being that 18 year old Luca Sbisa made the team and other is the return of Antero Niittymaki to the Flyers roster. Sbisa made the club partly due to injuries to Randy Jones and Ryan Parent's upcoming surgery and partly due to how well he played in the preseason. The Flyers have the option of keeping Sbisa up to 9 games before he must return to his junior team or he must stay with the team the whole season. He is not eligible to play with the Phantoms at all this season due to his young age. Niittymaki has been dealing with injuries and wasn't expected to be ready at the start of the season, but he is on the opening night roster and the Flyers will go with 3 goalies. Click for more on Niittymaki and for the Flyers complete Opening Night roster......

Flyers send Giroux to the minors

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:51:32 -0500

In a bit of a surprising move, the Flyers sent their young phenom, Claude Giroux, down to the minors to play with the Phantoms. If you have been watching the Flyers preseason games, Giroux hasn't exactly been tearing up the ice but most assumed that he would still be starting the season on the big club. Considering, except for a 2 game stint with the Flyers, Giroux spent all of last season with his junior team, the Flyers probably feel there is no reason to rush him. Let him spend some time learning the game down in the minors and should the Flyers have an injury or if they need an offensive punch, call him up later in the season. Other Flyers that were sent down to the Phantoms included forwards Jon Kalinski, Boyd Kane and Jared Ross and defensemen Sean Curry and Nate Guenin. None of those players were expected to be on the NHL team at the start of the season. Click the link to see my projected Flyers lines for the first game of the season.....

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.

No surprise: Flyers name Richards Captain

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:38:05 -0500

In a move that was obvious to anyone who follows the Flyers, Mike Richards was named the new team captain today. Despite having just 3 years of experience in the NHL, Richards has shown tremendous leadership qualities and always plays hard. Since he made his debut with the Flyers, it has more been a question of "when" he would be captain, not "if". Expect Richards to be the Flyers captain for a number of years considering his contract doesn't run out until 2016. The Flyers also named Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timonen as the alternate captains. Timonen was probably the only other player considered for the captaincy and could have been given the role if Richards wasn't deemed ready. The Flyers captain last season was Jason Smith, who signed with the Ottawa Senators this offseason.

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.

Flyers fill out their roster by signing Jones, Cote

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:38:16 -0500

Amidst all the free agent signings and trades, the Flyers also found time to sign a pair of restricted free agents yesterday, defenseman Randy Jones and forward Riley Cote. Jones signed a two year deal worth 5.5 million overall while Cote signed a three year deal worth 550,000 per year. These signings likely round out the Flyers roster, which, if the season started today, would look something like this: Gagne/Briere/Hartnell Lupul/Richards/Giroux Upshall/Carter/Knuble Cote/Metropolit/Downie Timonen/Coburn Hatcher/Jones Eminger/Parent Extras: Vaananen, Kukkonen, Thoreson (?), Kane The Flyers have plenty of defensemen but they seem to be one quality forward short. Patrick Thoreson is listed as an extra skater because he has yet to sign with the Flyers, although he is a restricted free agent. Signing him, if they have the money, would push Cote to a lesser role, meaning he could suit up only when an enforcer is necessary. Barring a trade, the Flyers appear to be done making moves this off-season. There is still a possibility that Derian Hatcher could retire, which would free up 3.5 million dollars to sign another player, but that doesn't seem likely at this point. What you see above is probably what your 08/09 Philadelphia Flyers will look like.

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=Resilient

Fri, 16 May 2008 13:05:33 -0500

Flyers pulled off a win last night, and now may be getting back their 2 top defenders, timonen and coburn, they still need to play three really tough games to get to the cup, but i'm becoming optimistic, nothing is over until we decide it is, who's with me?

The Flyers Could Get Timonen and Coburn Back For Game 5

Fri, 16 May 2008 12:21:44 -0500

The Flyers got some good news last night. Following the Flyers 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kimmo Timonen updated his injury with the media. Timonen met with his doctor earlier in the day and was cleared to skate today. According to Timonen, "I'm going to skate tomorrow. I met [Dr. Ronald Fairman] today and we took another ultrasound. Based on that, the doctor said I have a green light to give it a try. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to skate [Friday] and see how it feels. "If I feel tomorrow that I'm good to go for Sunday, then I'm good for Sunday," he said. "There is nothing to prevent me from playing. I may have numbness in my toes, but if I can deal with that then I can play. There is also a good chance that Braydon Coburn could be back as well for Game 5. Getting these two back in the lineup would be a huge boost for the Flyers.

Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen back for the Flyers in Game Five?

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:57:37 -0500

All of the sudden, things are looking a whole lot better for the Flyers. Fresh off their Game Four win last night the Flyers announced that they might have their top two defensemen back in the line-up on Sunday for Game Five. Braydon Coburn, who missed the last two games after he took a puck to the face, was already likely to return once the swelling around his left eye subsided. As long as he continues to progress you can bet he will be back Sunday. The surprising news is that Kimmo Timonen might also be available to play in Game Five. Click the link for more on this situation.

Game Four: Change of Heart; Timonen and Coburn Could Return Sunday

Thu, 15 May 2008 23:16:39 -0500

After taking a three game break, the Flyers decided to show up for a home game Thursday, when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 to force a game five. The first three contests were really no contest, as the Flyers let the Penguins do pretty much whatever they wished. But in game four the Flyers had a change of heart; in that they decided to play with heart.