Injuries, trades and Bob Clarke

With the NHL trade deadline quickly approaching -- March 9 -- there are a couple of articles on-line today worth reading. First up, on ESPN.com, is analyst Al Morganti -- though he’s probably most well known around here for being on WIP’s god-awful morning show. Morganti asks -- and doesn’t really answer -- 10 questions about what various teams will do before the deadline. (He mentions the Flyers twice, in questions 4 and 6.) Checking in from the Daily News, columnist Rich Hoffman writes about the Flyers’ woes at center and how GM Bob Clarke is taking a wait-and-see approach to the deadline. "Right now, we don't know enough to know," he said. "In the next couple of weeks, [Jeremy Roenick] is going to have to let us know what his thinking is, how he's feeling. In the meantime, we're going to have to find out who has a centerman who might be available. And we've got [Keith] Primeau, too. He's still got the symptoms and, before he can even be tested by the neurologist, the symptoms have to clear up...We wouldn't get anybody until we know for sure how JR and Primeau are. "We'll have to make a decision, probably by the end of the month, if we're going to pursue somebody. The trading deadline is March 9, and if there's any doubt if JR wants to play anymore, then I think we'll have to do something." (A link I used from fellow blogger “Middie Back!” -- Spector’s Hockey, under Trade Rumours -- has been mentioned quite a few times that the Flyers may have some interest in Blackhawks’ center Alexei Zhamnov. Since you asked, I'll tell you -- I wouldn't get this guy. He played on Phoenix and Chicago, and has played all of 17 playoff games -- in 12 seasons!!) Hoffman’s article, and today’s Inquirer piece by Ray Parillo, is the first to mention anything about Primeau since his injury last week. The injury apparently is now being definitively called a concussion, with Primeau still experiencing symptoms. "I've felt better," Primeau said. "I'm kind of going sideways now as far as any progress. I still have symptoms and I'm just trying to wait for those to dissipate so I can get back to doing some exercises." . . . Primeau said his symptoms are similar to concussions he has had in the past. "I get nauseous and motion sickness, so I can't drive a car right now. I'm trying to get some walking in and I'm doing some grocery shopping with my wife. Other than that I'm just taking it easy." Most of the talk this week has been about how quickly after the injury Roenick tossed around the idea of retiring. According to Roenick, this is his ninth concussion. Addressing the shock of the injury and that of observers who were surprised by his conjecture, Roenick had two quotes that absolutely hit the nail on the head. The first quote was printed in Ed Moran’s article that appeared in yesterday’s Daily News: "I don't know if I can do this again," Roenick said in a private suite in the Wachovia Center on Saturday afternoon. "I've got the rest of my life to think about. I've got my family to think about. This is my ninth concussion. I've got to think about my life after hockey." The second quote appeared in yesterday’s Inquirer article by Tim Panaccio. "Everybody wants to have an opinion on my life and when I can come back," Roenick said. "And that is not fair. They should keep their mouth shut. When I come back, I come back. No one should be making any decisions but me. "I understand I'm competitive and all that stuff, but there is a lot more at risk than just playing hockey right now. "Hitch cares about his players. But he also cares a lot more about winning. It's easy for them to tell me when I will come back, but when it's time to come back, I will know when to come back. That's it. Period." I have to admit that I’m a little worried about all of this. The Flyers don’t have the world’s best record when it comes to treating concussions. And now they have two important players who have concussions, one of which is the ninth of that player’s career. After last night's lackluster 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, it's easy to get the feeling that the wheels are starting to come off the bus. Factor in Clarke's penchant for making terrible trade deadline deals (thank you, Adam Oates!!) and it's hard to think that this isn't a dead team skating.