Stay Tuned

John Buccigross dropped a few hints about the future of him and the NHL in the e-mail section of yesterday's column: John, With an almost perfectly accurate prediction of Crosby's G/A/PTS total last year, and then writing that the Blues would fire their coach within the week only a day before it happened, I might have to start asking you when I want to know anything about the hockey future. Go Leafs! Jeffrey Turner Annapolis U.S. Naval Academy The NHL will soon announce they will continue their relationship with Versus for at least the next two years. And I will eat 18 pounds of cheese in 2007. [ . . . ] Bucci, ESPN wants its fans to create the ultimate lineup, "using a pool of 50 forwards selected by our NHL experts." I'm praying that you were not in this group of "experts" that left Joe Sakic off of that list! Say it ain't so. And while you're at it: How about your list? Who makes your four lines of the NHL's all-time best forwards? Dorian Pittsburgh I was not among the experts who made up ESPN.com's list. I am neither esteemed nor respected at the Worldwide Leader in NBA highlights. Most of the ESPN suits have no idea I even work here. This time next year, I'll be hosting the "World Barbecue Challenge" on Versus and they'll be like, "I know I've seen that guy somewhere before." A lot of what Buccigross says in the e-mail section is tongue-in-cheek, but he does like to play "I Told You So" every once in a while (like earlier in the column, for instance). I doubt that if he were planning on moving to Versus that ESPN would let him talk about it. That being said, I hope it's true. Versus desperately needs a nightly NHL highlight show a la NHL 2Nite.

More On Zhitnik

From Tim Panaccio: The Flyers are 16 points behind Carolina - tomorrow's opponent - for the eighth and final playoff spot. According to general manager Paul Holmgren, the decision to trade for Zhitnik should be a signal to fans that the club has not conceded the season. The reality is, with a six-game losing streak and another injury to captain Peter Forsberg, the Flyers are out of the playoff picture. The team already has a long list of free agents it will go after in the summer and is focusing on getting a fairly high draft pick - perhaps the No. 1 overall - for the first time in decades. Sending the 25-year-old Freddy Meyer to the Island for Zhitnik will help the Flyers in their rebuilding. I don't see how trading a young player and a high draft pick for an older player with a bad contract helps in the rebuilding process. From Ed Moran: Saturday's trade with the Islanders that brought Alexei Zhitnik is sure to be followed by critics saying that trading the young Freddy Meyer for the veteran defenseman was a move contrary to everything the Flyers have said about staying young at all costs. But there are limits. One veteran out of six defensemen doesn't cut it. The Flyers have been talking to the Islanders about getting Zhitnik for weeks. When Mike Rathje went on long-term disability, his salary became available and the trade for a young defenseman for old makes sense. Zhitnik for Meyer is a good move because it provides needed experience from a player capable of playing a lot of minutes and running a power play from the blue line. Well, I agree that one veteran defenseman out of six doesn't work. However, what's the point to adding a veteran for this season? The Flyers will not make the playoffs. No way, no how. They should be trying to build for the future. Meyer was that future. Zhitnik is not. From Bullies Blog: This is a move that would make a lot more sense for a team trying to contend for the playoffs or look to make a championship run. I think we can all agree that the Flyers history of trading younger players for older veterans hasn’t exactly helped the squad. Maybe General Manager Paul Holmgren thinks the Flyers are a lot closer to competing than some of us do. Maybe he’s right, we’ll have to wait and see. But this sure looks like something you’d see from Bob Clarke, which doesn’t exactly fill me with the most confidence. Amen, brother. From Flyers Fan Central: Personally I am not sure how much I like this trade from a Flyers fan standpoint although the longer I think about it the more it seems to make sense. I don't see how this makes sense at all. Before the season started the Devils had to cough up a first-round draft pick to help clear cap space. Meanwhile, we pay a third- or second-round pick to help someone else clear cap space? I'm still shaking my head.

Second Verse, Same As The First

On Saturday, the Flyers traded defenseman Freddy Meyer and a conditional draft pick to the New York Islanders for defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. The draft pick is reported to be the Islanders' choice of either a third-round pick in the 2007 draft or a second-round pick in 2008. When I told my significant other about this move, her first reaction was, "Seriously, are they trying to finish last overall?" I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm still trying to figure this one out. Each time that I look at it, though, the answer is the same -- this trade makes zero sense. In trading away Meyer, the team is losing a young, swift, tenacious puck-moving defenseman who, oh by the way, is making just $525,000 this year. You are also losing an upper-round draft pick, which is not an insignificant loss given the salary cap. In acquiring Zhitnik, the team is getting a defenseman who is on the downside of his career, is making $3.5 million for this year AND the next two, but one who can also move the puck and help the younger defensemen on the team learn how to play in both ends of the rink. All in all, I don't like this trade. I don't hate it as much as I did when I first read about it, but I definitely don't like it. With Mike Rathje going on the long-term injury list -- and probably retiring -- that was $3.5 million that the Flyers gained in cap space. Not any more. Zhitnik's contract eats that space up through 2009, at which point Zhitnik will be 36 years old. (Meyer will be 28 in 2009.) It's no secret that chemistry is an important ingredient in putting together a winning team. Chemistry is not something that can be forced -- it just happens. A team either has it or it doesn't. That being said, chemistry can also take a little while to develop. Given the Flyers group of young defensemen -- Jones (25), Meyer (25), Jonsson (24), Pitkanen (23), Timonen (23), and Picard (21) -- it's not unreasonable to think this group of defensemen could have learned how to play together and to play well together. (Should we not also mention that all six are the type of swift, puck-moving defenseman that most teams covet?) At that point, if it behooved the club to move one of them, a lot more could have been gained than an aging, overpaid defenseman.

This May Take A While

Taking a page from Rocky Balboa, ESPN is wondering what the greatest line combinations in the history of the NHL would be. They list 50 of the greatest forwards in NHL history and ask the fans to come up with four lines from that list. Results will be announced on Wednesday.

Game #31

Same story, new game. The Flyers come into tonight's game at Pittsburgh having lost four straight, while the Penguins have won two in a row. Pittsburgh is 4-0 against the Flyers so far this season, having outscored them 20-7. Penguins star Sidney Crosby has netted six goals and three assists in those four games. For the Flyers, Freddy Meyer is expected back in the lineup tonight after sitting out mast night's contest against the Rangers. Inside the Numbers TEAM STATS   GP W L OT Pts G/G GA/G PP% PK% PHI 30 8 18 4 20 2.37 3.67 14.6% 86.0% PIT 29 13 11 5 31 3.00 3.14 17.1% 80.8% TEAM STAT LEADERS   Philadelphia   Pittsburgh Pts Simon Gagne 25   Sidney Crosby 41 G Simon Gagne 16   Evgeni Malkin 15 A Joni Pitkanen 16   Sidney Crosby 27 +/- Todd Fedoruk +2   Sidney Crosby +11 PIM Ben Eager 72   Jarkko Ruutu 49 GWG Simon Gagne 2   Evgeni Malkin 3 TOI/G Joni Pitkanen 25:17   Sergei Gonchar 26:41 See: Game Notes See: Preview

Injury Updates

I have a feeling this column will be repeated throughout the year. Defenseman Freddy Meyer sat out last night's game with back spasms, while both Sami Kapanen and Joni Pitkanen returned to the lineup. All three are day-to-day. From the already injured list, Jeff Carter skated with the team and is about a week or so away from returning. Robert Esche has been cleared to practice and will rejoin the team tomorrow. With very little fanfare, Mike Rathje has been put on the long-term injury list -- making his $3.5 million salary available to the team. The Flyers would be wise to eat this cap space, as there is almost no way that the money can be spent to immediately improve the team.

Game #30

Man, how do you preview this? The Flyers come in losers of three straight and are last in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Confernce, while the Rangers have won three straight and are second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Confernce. The injury list is growing almost daily for the Flyers. Add Mike Richards and Geoff Sanderson to the list, as they will each undergo surgery for a sports hernia sidelining them for around three to six weeks. Jeff Carter (fractured left tibia), Robert Esche (adductor muscle surgery), Denis Gauthier (shoulder surgery), Peter Forsberg (foot/ankle), and Mike Rathje (back) as the players are already out indefinitely. Day-to-day are Sami Kapanen (back spasms), Freddy Meyer (back), and Joni Pitkanen (abdominal strain). All told, that's 3297 games played sitting out indefienitely, and 946 games played that are day-to-day. That's a lot of experience sitting in the press box. Due to the injuries and recent waivings -- goodbye, Mr. Nedved -- the Flyers will now be icing one of the youngest teams -- and probably the least experienced -- in the league. As many as six rookies may dress tonight, including Ryan Potulny, Ben Eager, Alexandre Picard, Jussi Timonen, Stefan Ruzicka, and backup goaltender Martin Houle. Fellow rookie and Philadelphia native Tony Voce may also see game action. Inside the Numbers TEAM STATS   GP W L OT Pts G/G GA/G PP% PK% NYR 30 16 10 4 36 3.07 3.00 20.0% 84.6% PHI 29 8 17 4 20 2.41 3.69 14.9% 85.4% TEAM STAT LEADERS   Philadelphia   New York Pts Simon Gagne 25   Jaromir Jagr 44 G Simon Gagne 16   Brendan Shanahan 22 A Joni Pitkanen 16   Jaromir Jagr 30 +/- Todd Fedoruk +3   Jaromir Jagr +16 PIM Ben Eager 70   Ryan Hollweg 55 GWG Simon Gagne 2   Brendan Shanahan 3   Martin Straka 3 TOI/G Joni Pitkanen 25:20   Michal Rozsival 23:16 See: Game Notes See: Preview

Game #28

Well, it's finally back to hockey for the Flyers. After a weeklong layoff, the Flyers will travel up the New Jersey Turnpike to take on the Devils in the Meadowlands tonight. The Flyers last played on Saturday, losing to the Devils in a shootout, 4-3. Though the Flyers are still fifth in the division and last in the Eastern Confernce, they have been playing much better recently and are 3-1-1 over their last five games. (They have also gone 5-3-2 over their last 10.) Antero Niittymaki will be in goal tonight, as Robert Esche is still out following groin surgery. The Devils come into the game in first place in the Atlantic Division, 12 points better than the Flyers. New Jersey is coming off a win against Montreal on Wednesdya night, while riding a three-game winning streak (itself following a four-game losing streak). Beginnig tonight, the Flyers will play eight games in the next 16 days -- including two sets of back-to-back games -- that will take them into the three day Christmas break. Niittymaki will be the key to this stretch drive. Despite starting something like 16 of the 20 games since the coaching change, with Esche out, the team is now his for the taking. If Niittymaki turns into the true #1 goalie many think he can be, then the Flyers have a chance to win every night and Esche becomes tradeable. If Niittymaki stumbles, backup Martin Houle will be called upon as a stop-gap until Esche can come back. Another factor here is Niittymaki's hip. Suffering from a torn labrum, he has already received one cortisone shot in order to postpone surgery until the offseason. Scheduled for a second shot this month, Niittymaki is putting it off for now since he hasn't experienced many problems. Inside the Numbers TEAM STATS   GP W L OT Pts G/G GA/G PP% PK% align="left">PHI 27 8 15 4 20 2.48 3.70 15.0% 86.6% align="left">NJ 26 15 9 2 32 2.31 2.50 16.2% 87.0% TEAM STAT LEADERS   Philadelphia New Jersey align="left">Points Simon Gagne 22 Patrik Elias 21 align="left">Goals Simon Gagne 14 Brian Gionta 11 align="left">Assists Joni Pitkanen 16 Brian Rafalski 16 align="left">Plus/Minus Todd Fedoruk +4 Zach Parise +4 align="left">GWG Simon Gagne 2 Zach Parise 4 PIM Ben Eager 66 Cam Janssen 63 align="left">TOI/G Joni Pitkanen 25:23 Paul Martin 25:11 See: Game Day See: Preview Headlines See: Perplexed Forsberg hopes for the best See: Forsberg doesn't find answer to skate problem See: Forsberg still seeking comfortable skates See: Captain Footnote See: Skate problem continues to vex Forsberg

Quotable

I received this e-mail earlier today from my friend Vin with one of the best quotes and jokes I've ever read. I was reading about the players the Phillies took in the Rule 5 draft and I found this quote from [Phillies assistant GM] Mike Arbuckle about the one pitcher interesting: "Command has always been his issue," Arbuckle said. "We view him as a reliever, just a power-arm guy that can come in and blow for a couple of innings." Hasn’t that always been the story for Phillies pitching? Christ, I'm still laughing. See: Rule 5 Draft nets Phils three players

This And That

With the Flyers off until Friday, it's been an awfully quiet week around here. That being said, it doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other things going on around the league: George Johnson checks in on the challenges facing Ken Hitchcock in Columbus. Scott Burnside writes that inaction at the recent NHL Board of Governors meeting may just be the best course of action. Linda Cohn is dishing out hardware for the first quarter of the season. Despite being seven weeks away, John Buccigross is ready with his picks for the All-Star game (during which the NHL will debut their new uniforms).

Flyers Pass On LeClair

In today's column, the Inquirer's Tim Panaccio reports that the Flyers will not be making a waiver claim on John LeClair. Holmgren said the Flyers considered signing John LeClair but had decided against it. "I know John is a good guy," Holmgren said. "But I think at the end of the day we felt we would be taking a step back and taking someone's ice time who has a chance to get better... . I didn't think he was a guy who would really help us right now." Holmgren said LeClair needed more than the 11 minutes of ice time he averaged in Pittsburgh to get better. What about Kyle Calder? He's averaging 14 and has no goals. Could LeClair take his spot? "We're sort of hoping Kyle Calder will come around and get better," Holmgren said. Okay, two things here: first, I can't believe this, but I'm actually going to agree with Holmgren. Bringing LeClair back would be a waste, and it would rob someone of ice time who could actually improve his game. Second, we "sort of" hope Calder will play better? If that's analogous to "I sort of hope I go home and find Rachel Weisz in bed waiting for me," then I couldn't agree more.

Third Time's A Charm

First, he went to North Carolina. Then, he went to Cleveland. Now, as the Courier-Post's Chuch Gormley reports, it's Phoenix: Flyers captain Peter Forsberg caught a flight to Arizona Monday night, hoping to finally end his search for a skate boot that fits perfectly around his reconstructed right foot. Forsberg is expected to meet with Ernesto Castro, founder of the Arizona brace, who will design and manufacture a custom-made skate boot for Forsberg. The 33-year-old center has had moderate success with foam inserts in his skate, but is hoping the new boot will improve his balance and prolong his NHL career. Am I the only one who's sick of hearing about this? Just get the damn thing fixed already and tell me when it's done.

Flyers Re-hire Clarke

The Flyers announced yesterday that they have re-hired Bob Clarke as senior vice president: “Bob’s experience as a player and general manager over the last 37 years is invaluable,” said Holmgren in making the announcement. “This is a way to keep Clarkie involved in the organization and utilize the knowledge that he has gained over the years. He is a tremendous resource that we can call upon. We should take advantage of that and Bob is certainly willing to help out the organization any way that he can.” Clarke, 57, will be involved in aspects of the Flyers’ player development program. He will be viewing and meeting with the team’s drafted players, including Steve Downie, Claude Giroux and Andreas Nodl, monitoring their progress and helping in their development as they move forward in their hockey careers. Clarke will continue to keep in close contact with those players until they sign a contract with the Flyers and join the organization’s system. For the best take on this, check out Enrico at The 700 Level: Well shit. That doesn't sound real tough. Anyone want to hire me as senior VP of something?

Why The NHL Is The NHL

Every hockey fan in the United States laments the fact that the NHL plays the nth fiddle to MLB, the NBA, the NFL, NASCAR, NCAA basketball and football, poker, and any number of other sports. To me, one of the big reasons has been the continued allowance -- if not encouragement -- of fighting in the game. Every sport except hockey throws a player out of the game for engaging in fisticuffs. In hockey, a player gets five minutes in the penalty box and then he's right back out on the ice. Not only is it contemptible that such behavior is tolerated, it's also disgraceful that more talented players -- you know, ones that can actually skate, pass, and shoot -- are left behind in the minors in order for teams to carry goons who play about three minutes a game and contribute virtually nothing to the outcome. Time and again the so-called "purists" will make the argument that teams carry a goon to protect their star players. Another argument made is that by carrying goons teams can police themselves without having the league step in with suspensions and fines for illegal behavior. In a post on his blog at The Star, Damien Cox refutes all of this nonsense. While wearing a televison microphone for the game, Laraque inadvertently made a mockery of his chosen art and completely undermined the dogged efforts of those who maintain that fighting has an important part in the sport. With a faceoff just outside the Phoenix and the Coyotes ahead 3-2 in the 14th minute of the first period, the 6-foot-6 Laraque ambled over to L.A.'s designated goon, Raitus Ivanans, and inquired politely if he might possibly interested in fisticuffs. "Wanna do it?" said Laraque, without a trace of anger, a curse word or any indication that the invitation to scrap had anything at all to do with something that had happened within the game. [ . . . ] Neither Laraque nor Ivanans was trying to stop the opponent from "taking liberties" on their teammates. It wasn't about keeping the sticks down. It wasn't about stopping guys with visors from "running around" and hitting everything in sight. It wasn't about "policing" the game to keep it fair and clean. It was a rather pathetic attempt by both men to legimitize their increasingly dicey existence as NHL players. Kudos to Cox for stepping out on this issue. I couldn't agree more that legalized fighting in the NHL needs to go the way of the glow puck.

Flyers Squeak By Isles 3-2

The Flyers won the special teams battle last night, converting on two of their four power play opportunities, while killing off all four New York power plays -- and adding a shorthanded goal of their own. The Flyers jumped out to a two goal lead by the end of the first period on goals from Randy Robitaille and Simon Gagne (a real beauty on a shorthanded mini-breakaway with just five seconds left in the period). Mike Knuble tallied the team's second power play goal of the game with a little over a minute left in the second period. The Islanders weren't going to go quietly, however, as they scored with just 30 seconds left in the second and added another goal with about 10 minutes left in the third. It made for a harrowing final 10 minutes, but goalie Antero Niittymaki came up big again and again to stop New York. Defenseman Derian Hatcher logged a season-high 29:27 of ice time last night, a figure he will probably be seeing quite a bit of in the near future. With yesterday's news that Mike Rathje will be out indefinitely -- if not permanently -- along with Joni Pitkanen's day-to-day status, Hatcher becomes the only Flyers' defenseman with significant NHL experience. FLYERS DEFENSEMEN Player Games Played Derian Hatcher 945 Freddy Meyer 80 Randy Jones 57 Alexandre Picard 18 Jussi Timmonen 6 Lars Jonsson 5 Injured Players Mike Rathje 768 Dennis Gauthier 460 Joni Pitkanen 153 I'll be the first to admit that I've been all over Hatcher this season -- see Derian Hatcher Futility Watch -- but I will also admit that he's been playing better as of late. He will still make a lot of mistakes -- like going for an empty net goal, missing, and icing the puck with a one goal lead and less than one minute left in last night's game. He will still never be in the proper position on the ice given his lack of movement. He will also be afforded the opportunity to begin his coaching career a little early, as he will be asked to take no less than five players with 80 or fewer games played under his wing to teach them how to be NHL defensemen. See: Courier-Post See: Daily News See: Inquirer See: Yahoo/AP