2006-2007 Philadelphia Flyers
| The shortened offseason last year saw the Flyers make their usual free agent splash -- adding all-world center and former draft pick Peter Forsberg, along with two hulking defensemen in Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje. GM Bob Clarke was banking on the empirical evidence that suggested the league would not follow through on its promise to crack down on obstruction and stick fouls. Until the halfway mark, the Flyers were one of the best teams in the league. Then came the Olympic break, along with a string of injuries the likes of which the team had never seen before (I can't find a comprehensive record of man-games lost -- if anyone has any info on this I would appreciate it), and the continued vigilance by the league in enforcing the rulebook. The team struggled the rest of the way, limping to a record of 45-26-11 and finishing second in the division behind New Jersey. This finish earned them a first-round playoff date with Buffalo, who embarrassed them in six games -- marking the Flyers fifth first-round playoff loss in the last eight seasons. The summer saw a lot of activity -- some moves for the better, some for the worse, and some that won't go anywhere. Team chairman Ed Snider made it known that the team would not be going after every high-priced free agent anymore. He wants the team committed to building with youth and will no longer accept the trading away of draft picks and young players for quick fixes designed to help the team in the moment. If he can force Clarke to stick to this, Snider is on the right track. With the advent of the salary cap and the lowered age of free agency, teams have no choice but to continually seek younger, inexpensive players to fill out their rosters. Forward For the first time in a long time, the Flyers will not be a one-line team. Their top line, and one of the best lines in league, will still be new captain Peter Forsberg centering Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. The trio clicked last season and will be counted on to provide the bulk of the team's scoring again this season. The team's second line -- the so-called "CCR Line" -- features youngsters Mike Richards (C), Jeff Carter (RW), and the newly acquired Kyle Calder (LW). The rest of the forwards are a speedy, somewhat skilled lot that are a mix of younger players and veteran role players. The most significant player will be center Petr Nedved. With the retirement of Primeau and the trade of Michal Handzus to Chicago (for Calder), Nedved will be the team's shutdown center. It will fall to him to stop each team's top line, night in and night out. It's a new role for him and it will be interesting to see if, at 35 years old and in a contract year, he will be up to the challenge. R. J. Umberger will be looking to build on his 20-goal rookie campaign, while Geoff Sanderson, Randy Robitaille, Sami Kapanen, and Niko Dimitrakos will be asked to chip in around 10-15 goals each while playing sound defensive hockey.
Defense The late word from training camp is that Hitchcock is going to play offense/defense with his defensive pairings by putting together Hatcher and Rathje for a shutdown pairing and Joni Pitkanen and Freddy Meyer for an offensive pairing. Time will tell if this works or not, but I like the idea though it does have its drawbacks. Rathje and Pitkanen will be asked to gel with a new partner for the second time in two years -- not an easy task. Hatcher and Rathje are the team's two slowest defensemen so it's imperative for them to improve their positional play in order to minimize any mistakes they make. Meyer and Randy Jones will need to continue their progress in becoming everyday NHL defensemen. Denis Gauthier will be asked for nothing more than a big hit every now and then and to be solid in his own end. He showed he could provide this after his acquisition last year and there's no reason to expect anything different this year. The wildcard in the group in Lars Jonsson. He's a 24-year-old rookie from Sweden who will need to learn quickly. He has a hard, heavy shot from the point will be asked to do some damage on the power play. Hitchcock would be wise to just let the forwards get the puck to Jonsson on the point and have him blast away.
Goaltender Another year, another goaltending controversy. Year in and year out, it seems the Flyers have two goalies who can play adequately, but are not spectacular enough to carry the team. Not since Ron Hextall's heyday of the late 80s and early 90s have the Flyers had an honest-to-goodness number one goalie. (Some would put John Vanbiesbrouck in this category, but not me. I don't remember him ever really leading the team the way Martin Brodeur or Miikka Kiprusoff do.) So here we are again this year, with Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki in between the pipes. Esche has the playoff experience, though lets his emotions get the better of him sometimes. Niittymaki, while a better technical goalie than Esche and certainly a lot cooler, has yet to prove himself in the NHL despite his success on the world stage. I have been arguing for Niittymaki for a long time now, but Esche will once again be given the chance to take the bull by the horns. Niittymaki was felled during the preseason with another torn labrum in his hip, this time on the left side. It was originally thought that he would be out around three months, but after an examination by the doctor that repaired his previous torn labrum, it's believed that with a few cortisone shots during the season and a rigorous strength and conditioning regimen he will be able to compete fully in time for the start of the season. (The down side is that the cortisone shots and training program will only delay the inevitable, as Niittymaki will have to have the labrum surgically repaired in the offseason.)
Coaching Newly signed to a two-year contract extension, Hitchcock will be in charge of renovating the team from a veteran-laden squad that would produce but not contend each year to a younger, quicker team that will be in a position to contend every year. It won't be an easy transition, but the core is there with the likes of Pitkanen, Carter, and Richards, among others. Defense has been the hallmark of Hitchcock's teams and that will be put to the test this year. Deep up front and thin on the back end, Hitchcock would be wise to play a more aggressive, attacking scheme than he has in the past. I fear that this will not be the case, however, as Hitchcock will force the Flyers to play a team defense and shackle the talent his forwards have. Front Office Bob Clarke returns for his 11th season in his second stint as general manager of the team he played for. There have been many trials and tribulations during his tenure and I'll be honest -- I'm not a fan of his. That being said, I thought he did a good job this offseason in recognizing that there would be no way to upgrade the team's biggest problem -- quickness on defense -- and instead focusing on adding smaller, quicker forwards who can chip in offensively and who also know how to play in their own end. He also gets bonus points for acquiring Calder who, by all accounts, meshed extraordinarily will with Richards and Carter at this year's World Championships in Latvia. The test for Clarke will come later in the year when there will be the annual cry to make a trade for some immediate playoff help. The team has slightly less than $2.5 million of cap space, making it tough to acquire any pieces for a playoff run. He would be wise to let the season run its course and save the cap space for the future. The team has eight players who have the potential to be unrestricted free agents after the season, along with another four who can be restricted free agents. Clarke will have to find a way to bring back some of those players at reasonable cap numbers along with pressing his scouts to find players who will fill the rest of those slots cheaply. This will not be an easy task and I don't envy him for it. Key Stat Last season's key stat is 79.1% -- that was the Flyers' penalty killing efficiency (or inefficiency, if you prefer), good for 27th in the league. Coupled with their 18.0% power play efficiency -- 16th in the league -- and the team was just awful on special teams. Given the amount of time that is played on special teams these days, those numbers must improve if they wish to contend this season. 2005-2006 Season At A Glance
Summary The Flyers appear to be stuck in limbo -- too good to rebuild but not good enough to seriously contend. That being said, this is a team that could do some damage in the playoffs if they catch enough breaks. On the other hand, they could also slip to 12th or 13th in the conference and miss the playoffs entirely. Barring any injuries, the Flyers have arguably the deepest group of forwards in the league. Unfortunately, they will be asked to do a lot this season. Not only will they be expected to produce offensively, they will be forced to contribute defensively as well. Hitchcock will stress a team defense approach as his defensive corps is just not good enough to get the job done. Unless Freddy Meyer or Randy Jones steps up with a monster breakout, it's going to be a long season on the back end for the Flyers. The easy way out is to pick the Flyers to finish third in the Atlantic Division and scratching their way to a playoff spot. There are just way too many ifs on this team to predict what will happen with any real certainty. If things go the right way for them, they could challenge for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. If they get hammered with injuries and/or not play up to their abilities, they could finish as one of the worst teams in the conference. There's just no way to be sure, so I'm forced to hedge my bets and pick them to finish third in the division -- behind New Jersey and the Rangers and just ahead of Pittsburgh -- and ninth in the conference, missing the playoffs by two points. Prediction
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posted by Matt at 10:57 AM
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