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| Credit: philly.com |
Hockey is back. After that long lockout, I’m sure you’ve forgotten about what exact position the Flyers are in for the shortened season. Don’t feel guilty, we’ve got you covered! Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the Flyers’ roster:
Forwards
Projected Lines:
Scott Hartnell—Claude Giroux—Jakub Voracek
This is expected to be the big line for the Flyers this year. Giroux and Voracek spent time playing in Europe during the lockout, and they should be sharp for the season to start. Last year, the big line was Hartnell-Giroux-Jaromir Jagr, but with Jagr departing for the Dallas Stars via free agency, he is replaced by his countryman and near identical Jakub Voracek, a player who I expect will have a big year playing on the top line. Hartnell played very well with Giroux last year, setting career highs in goals and points, so it’s safe to expect more of the same, although I wouldn’t expect another career year. Giroux is the Flyers’ heartbeat this year, there’s simply no way around it. He’s the man who will be quarterbacking the powerplay, running the penalty kill, and a locker room leader. There have been people who think that Giroux should be captain, but in my opinion, Chris Pronger (although it’s unlikely he’ll ever play again) is still the Flyers’ captain, and if the organization wants to name a new captain, I think it would be Kimmo Timonen, Danny Briere, or even Hartnell.
Brayden Schenn—Danny Briere—Wayne Simmonds
This second line was together towards the end of last year and in the playoffs against the Penguins (we all know how well that turned out). Schenn played in Adirondack during the lockout, and Briere and Simmonds both played in Europe. I expect Schenn to experience great growth this year, as he is a hot prospect that Paul Holmgren wanted, and received, in the Mike Richards trade from 2011. Another piece of that trade was Wayne Simmonds. The 24-year old power forward signed a six year contract extension this summer, and had a career year last year. Briere, an aging center of 35 years old, is expected to see less playing time as youngsters Schenn and Sean Couturier step up and are deserving of more playing time. Briere had a bad year last year, with only 49 points, although he missed 12 games with injuries. We’ll have to wait and see if this is just a brief dip, or if Briere is on a career decline as he nears retirement.
Ruslan Fedetenko—Sean Couturier—Matt Read
The Flyers picked up Fedetenko in free agency this year, and he is certainly capable of being a valuable defensive commodity, with the ability to chip in a point here and there. I expect this line to be one of the strongest defensive points of the team, with Couturier a much hyped two-way forward prospect, and Read a 26 year old second year point contributor with defensive talent.
Zac Rinaldo—Max Talbot—Eric Wellwood
Rinaldo (not to be confused with soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo) is a fringe player that brings physicality, energy, but not a lot of skill or discipline to the team. Talbot is a strong part of the heart of this team, as he is a scrappy defensive forward who had a great offensive year last year. Wellwood is another fringe player, but I think he’ll have a better chance of getting on the team than Rinaldo because of his speed and developing skill.
OTHER:
Jody Shelley: Shelley is of a dying breed, a heavyweight fighter that costs the Flyers $1.1 million per year. Luckily, his contract expires this summer, but he might make it into a few games this year.
Defenseman
Projected pairings:
Braydon Coburn—Kimmo Timonen
The pairing that functioned as a second pairing to the Flyer’s 2010 Stanley Cup Final run will be the team’s top duo this time around. Timonen is an aging offensive contributor who is the Flyers’ best defenseman, but can’t be expected to take as many minutes as he usually does. Coburn is in the prime of his career, and his nastiness and physicality will make up for the absence of it with Pronger gone.
Nicklas Grossmann—Luke Schenn
Grossmann was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Dallas Stars last season, and will be a valuable defensive presence if he can stay healthy. Schenn, Brayden’s brother, was acquired in exchange for James van Riemsdyk over the summer, but will have to prove himself in order to get more playing time.
Andreas Lilja/Bruno Gervais—Andrej Meszaros (when healthy)
Meszaros tore his Achilles over the summer, and is expected to be ready to play soon. Gervais was signed over the summer, and he and Lilja are expected to be no more than 3rd pairing defensemen.
Other defensemen who could see playing time:
Erik Gustafsson
Danny Syvret
Marc-Andre Bourdon
Brandon Manning
Goalies
Ilya Bryzgalov
Michael Leighton
Bryz is the man in between the pipes from this point forward, and Paul Holmgren has to know that. Therefore I expect any and all Roberto Luongo rumors to be completely false.
The Flyers are expected to open the season on January 19 at home against the Penguins at 3:00 on NBC, followed by playing in Buffalo against the Sabres at 12:30 on Sunday the 20th.
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