Flyers Under the Radar

“Will the real slim shady please stand up”
–Eminem

That’s right, I just compared a hockey team to a white rapper from Detroit. Two seasons ago, the Philadelphia Flyers had the worst record in the NHL and were able to pick up James van Riemsdyk 2nd overall in the 2007 NHL Draft. They were so bad that they lost 60 games; then they lost the draft lottery too! Last season, the newest edition of the Broad Street Bullies was able to claw all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before they were ousted by the cross-state rival Penguins. That begs the question: which Flyers team is the team we can expect to see this season? Should we expect another version of the cellar dwellers that stunk up Wachovia Center for the 2006-2007 season? Or should we expect a team that is near the top of the tough Atlantic Division and is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?

I have to say, I’m completely shocked that the Flyers have started the first 6 games of the season and they’re still looking for their first win. I figured that 06-07 was just an aberration caused by injuries, youth, injuries, a GM change, and more injuries.

In fact, you could make the case that the Flyers had the best finish to the season outside of the Cup winning Ducks. Incoming GM Paul Holmgren was able to completely screw the Predators by trading Peter Forsberg’s jersey and contract (he sure as hell wasn’t the Foppa from Colorado) for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, and a couple of high draft picks. Under performing Alexei Zhitnik was traded to his 281st team when Atlanta acquired him for a young defenseman with all kinds of potential (Braydon Coburn). Lastly, Holmgren was able to steal Buffalo’s back-up goaltender, Martin Biron, for a 2nd round pick. After stockpiling picks in the Forsberg deal, it was basically equivalent to acquiring a starting goalie for nothing!

In the offseason, Holmgren was able to trade the Nashville’s 1st rounder back to the Predators for the rights to negotiate with Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen before they became free agents. It looked like the deal of the century when the Flyers were able to lock both guys up 6 years each. They won the Daniel Briere free agent sweepstakes and bought the right to pay him $52 million. They traded away the enigma that is Joni Pitkanen (as well as Geoff Sanderson) for another young sniper Joffrey Lopul and Jason Smith. Any trade that you can pick up your captain for the season, add a kid that’s shown that he can score at the NHL level AND drop an underachieving defenseman who was a minus 25—you win the trade.

All of these moves were combined with the simultaneous maturation of homegrown talents like Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Simon Gagne. Put all of that together, and the Flyers were able to jump out to a 7-3 start. They went through the peaks and valleys like any other team, but a strong finish helped them to the 6th seed in the playoffs. They were able to knock out one of the league’s golden boys as they eliminated Alex Ovechkin and the Caps in 7 games; then shocked the #1 seed Canadiens as Biron single-handedly won the series in 5. I’m sure the league office was thrilled to watch both the Caps and Habs fall to a team they had painted as goons all season. Not bad for a team that only had 56 points the year before.

One player isn’t completely responsible for wins and losses in a sport that is as dependant on teamwork as hockey. However, it’s hard to ignore the goaltending trend that has followed the ups and downs of the team over the last 2 years. Last season, Martin Biron proved to be a great acquisition for the Flyers. His clutch goaltending should be pointed to as the single biggest reason Philadelphia was able to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This season, we’re seeing the ying to last years yang. John Stevens can’t even decide on a #1 goaltender, so both Biron and Antero Niittymaki are equally to blame for the poor goaltending to start the season. Biron’s off to a horrific start with a .840 save percentage and a goal’s against right at 5. Niittymaki’s pedestrian 3.81 GAA and .881 save percentage shine in comparison.

I wanted to look into the team and find some deep rooted reason for the Flyers struggles. Was last season’s playoff run the start of good things in Philadelphia or were they simply a one-hit wonder? Well, despite the 0-3-3 start, it doesn’t look like there are any fundamental differences between last season’s team and this year’s line-up. Obviously, the loss of Jason Smith looks to be the biggest difference in a team whose goals against is by far the worst in the league (4.67). Ryan Parent is expected to fill the physical void that is left on the blueline since Smith’s departure. Like 99% of the defensemen in the league, it takes time. Patience is key—if Parent plays up to his potential when he comes back from shoulder surgery, they should be fine by midseason.

Another void created by Smith’s departure is in the locker-room. It’s always hard to replace those heart-and-soul veterans that are in leadership roles. As much as GM’s would like to hand teams to the younger generation, that too takes time. I have no doubt that Mike Richards will grow into one of the best captains in the league. His two-way style of hockey, his aggressive play, and his finishing ability make him an incredible asset on the ice. From all reports, it sounds like he’s even better off the ice. Even if he has incredible maturity for his age (23), it’s still difficult to lead 20 NHL veterans on a nightly basis.

When it comes down to it, there’s no reason for fans in Philadelphia to start jumping off the Walt Whitman bridge–the Flyers are going to be fine this year. You look at their line-up and it’s too good to be held down for long periods of time. Not only do they have the high-end talent in guys like Gagne, Richards and Timonen; but they also have the depth that all teams in the league look to build. Biron has been a solid goaltender for his entire career and proved last year that he thrives with a bigger workload. Player personnel is not going to be the problem for the Flyers this season.

The Atlantic Division, however, is going to be a HUGE obstacle for the Flyers to overcome this year. The Rangers have the most points in the league, the Devils have the best defense so far this season (statistically speaking), and the Penguins are the defending Eastern Conference champs. Not even a large helping of Islander games can make up for 6 games against each of those division rivals. Good luck with that.

Bottom line: the Flyers have a team that’s good enough to compete this season. After all of those moves last summer, they don’t need to go out and make sweeping player changes. They don’t need to keep screwing with their #1 goaltender (who should still be Biron). In fact, I don’t even think they need to remove John Stevens from behind the bench. They just need the players who are there to play up to their abilities—and soon. If they wait too long in that division, it could be too late.

What do you think? Are the Flyers going to turn it around or do they simply suck?