Pretty eventful week so far for the Flyers, despite not throwing ridiculous gobs of cash at any of the big name Free Agents.
They didn’t do this because, well, they really can’t afford to.
That’s not to say it wasn’t the right idea anyway, given the cap mess Paul Homgren left new Flyers General Manage Ron Hextall. It was smart regardless of the cap room on Ron’s part seeing how the club is perhaps better off avoiding more overpriced names this season, instead choosing to evaluate what exists within the organization already, and making the most of the parts assembled to date. The club is still harboring too many big contract defensemen, and still hasn’t found a taker for last year’s mistake, er, big signing, Vincent Lecavalier.
It’s not that Lecavalier is a horrible player, he has been nothing but a class act from the get go, has long been a quality player as well. It’s the fact that he’s closing in on 40, starting to really show signs of it, and was never truly in sync with the Flyers style of play to begin with. He was asked to play out of position and never quite adjusted to it, and this is a tragic part of the business sometimes, a situation where a good player just isn’t a good fit. He has value and it’s not as if there wasn’t a taker, in fact there have been a few teams linked to Lecavalier, most notably Nashville and Ottawa, but both of the clubs mentioned wanted the Flyers to eat more than the 1 million a year hit the Flyers were willing to take on. The best case scenario is quite possibly closer to the beginning of next season, when other clubs will have to contend with injuries hampering their own plans, or clubs realizing they have a need to fill that Lecavalier’s skill set can work for. The team ate his 2 million roster bonus yesterday for not moving the forward by July 1, but the final outcome must be the team trading him. He’s a fine enough player to understand all the talk over this, but having him on the roster come next season still presents the same problem that caused his shopping: the inability to fit within the system.
Speaking of systems, the justice variety acted when team Captain Claude Giroux apparently had himself a little too much fun celebrating Canada Day in Ottawa, where he wound up spending the night in jail for reportedly repeated pinching a male Ottawa Police Officer’s backside. Described in an official statement finally released by Giroux publicly addressing the incident as a “misguided attempt at humor”, and with no charges brought forth, about the only thing I would like to suggest to G is simply to stay the Hades away from Ottawa in his offseason. Last year he screwed up his hand while playing golf there, causing him a major setback in preparation for last season, something that may have contributed to his slow start. Sure, spending the night in jail for being a dope is bad, but until Giroux reaches Patrick Kane offseason frat party photo levels, I’m not concerned.
The Flyers have already said they’ll keep matters in house, and after all the hoopla surrounding former Flyers Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and the Dry Island incident, that’s the way it should be. Writing about the Flyers is one thing, writing a ridiculously out of bounds blog filled with scathing remarks pretty much demanding that Hextall bend Giroux over on his knee and spank him for all to see is simply terrible reporting, and that is being kind. The only crime Giroux is guilty of is behaving foolishly while drinking and celebrating his country’s Independence Day. While we sit here in the glass house known as America, let us all remember that we simply do not tolerate, condone, or engage in similar behavior on our own National Holiday, which happens tomorrow, because we just don’t do that type of stuff here, right?
Right.
In more actual business oriented news, the Flyers made the most of out of the first week of free agency in their own way, shifting parts, and adding what seems to be a myriad of “glue” to the roster. Backup goalie Ray Emery will indeed be back, and I am personally praying his hips will show up with him, as watching his east-west movement deteriorate was hard to watch. I say this only because I respect someone who is battling such a debilitating and career threatening issue while maintaining composure and class. It’s not that Emery doesn’t want to perform at high levels, it’s that he might not be able to. With Steve Mason expecting the bulk of the starts, Emery is a perfect choice for snatching a few games for the Flyers in spot relief. His price tag was also nifty to boot, overall a good package for a backup.
Hextall also picked up Zack Stortini, a heavyweight who can score the occasional goal, Andrew Gordon, a career minors star who perhaps can teach the youth on the Phantoms roster, and Nick Schultz, a gritty defender who should capably fill the hole on the two back pairings when needed. He made sure to qualify and sign Jason Akeson, a speedy youngster who can score on the wing, a desperately needed position need. Tye McGinn, another youngster who shined for the Flyers when given opportunities was sent to the San Jose Sharks for a 3rd round pick next year, allowing Tye the chance to play in the NHL, and in return a shot for Hextall to further bolster the Flyers farm system with more youth through the draft pick. I really felt that McGinn could have made it in Philly one day but this is a win for both clubs, and seeing the draft being addressed correctly is a sight for sore eyes.
Hextall’s best move was just watching the big money fly while working on the -gasp- future of the club he inherited. It is his job to make the Flyers faster, deeper, and more dangerous on all levels than it has been in decades.
So far so good for Ron, and with the eventual move of Lecavalier, so better.
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