Thursday Morning Links

Thursdays news fresh off the presses.

Sixers:

Here's all the coverage of the Sixers' game 2 loss to Orlando.

ESPN's coverage is here, Rich Hofmann both blogs and writes a column, and Kate Fagan gives us this piece from the Inquirer.

Phillies:

The Phillies managed to get two consecutive games with decent starting pitching, of course the squandered Blanton's effort, which you can read about here.

Joe Blanton's outing isn't enough according to Andy Martino of the Inquirer.

David Murphy of the Daily News talk about the Phillies lack of a rhythmatic offense.

We also have a pair of pitching updates, one on Brad Lidge trying to regain his form, and this piece on the progress of young starters Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco.

Eagles:

The Eagles talk these days seems to surround three topics:

1. The latest on Sheldon Brown, who now claims that there are other disgruntled Birds around the nest.

2. The Draft. There is speculation whether the Eagles will keep their pick or trade it. If they keep it, here's a peek at what their draft board may look like for offense and defense.

3. The quest for receiving help. ESPN insider reports that the Eagles are the front-runners to land Tony Gonzalez, with an offer on the table of the 85th pick in the draft. The article speculates that one of the Birds' fifth rounders may have to be added to make the deal worthwhile for Kansas City.

Flyers:

Just a pair of stories for the orange and black, first about their impending elimination, and this piece from Phil Sheridan explaining that the Flyers not improving like many of their Eastern Conference foes.

Wednesday Morning Links

Here's this morning's links following a busy sports day that featured a Phillies win, a Flyers loss, and continued drama surrounding Sheldon Brown.

Flyers:

From Philly.com, here's the game 4 recap, as well as a pair of opinions; Sam Donnellon wondering about Jeff Carter's scoring touch, and Phil Sheridan writes about how the Flyers are in a tough spot with only themselves to blame.

ESPN's Scott Burnside gives Marc-Andre Fleury his due.

Phillies:

The Phillies sat through the rain Tuesday to collect a big win.

A few words on the early success of Raul Ibanez from Paul Hagen.

Sixers:

There's a decent amount of Sixer's stuff today.

First Kate Fagan writes about the Andre Iguodala bandwagon filling back up.

Rich Hofmann talks about the injured Jameer Nelson of the Magic.

Marcus Hayes talks about the strategy being planned before tonight's game 2 match-up.

Eagles:

Fan-favorite Dave Spadaro wonders about whether the birds will pick a corner due to the Sheldon Brown situation.

Speaking of Brown, here are random thoughts from Paul Domowitch.

ESPN insider leaves just three teams in on the Boldin sweepstakes, The Jets, The Giants, and The Eagles. (Subscription required.)

Speaking of trading WR's ESPN's Len Pasquarelli thinks Reggie Brown may be moved soon, and the Eagles own website gives the breakdown on the WR's that the fans have clamoured for this offseason.

Tuesday Morning Links

Here's todays news and notes for Philly Sports.


Eagles:

Sheldon Brown has made it clear he wants a raise or a trade because he feel unappreciated, ESPN covers it here, and Bob Brookover covers the Eagles response, and it wasn't positive.

Still hoping for Anquan Boldin, maybe Ochocinco? Check out this about the costs of getting either receiver.

Also, if you have ESPN Insider, check out this piece about the Eagles being a likely Boldin destination.

Bob Ford credits Donovan for prodding the Eagles into spending this offseason.

Phillies:

With the rainout there's no new news, but Charlie Manuel talks about being concerned about the team's attitude and performance. The Inquirer has a version here.

Sixers:

Here's a piece from Rich Hofmann about Lou Williams importance this offseason.

ESPN's Daily Dime starts off with David Thorpe talking in depth about Donyell Marshall.


Flyers:

Apparently Penguins forward Chris Kunitz will not be disciplined for his hit on Kimmo Timonen.

Sam Carchidi writes about Briere and the rookies coming up big in game 3.

PSP Podcast for April 20, 2009

After a glorious sports Sunday, Greg is on the podcast covering all four major sports, and breaking down the happenings of the week.

LISTEN - Click here to open the player. Be sure to play the Podcast from 4/20/2009

ITUNES - Click here to get The Not Sports Report in Itunes. To get our Weekly Sports Podcast in Itunes, click here.

DOWNLOAD - Click here to download

Should We Expect Much from the Flyers?

On March 21, I posted an article asking the Flyers to step up. At the time, the Flyers had 12 games remaining, the most among all playoff teams, and held their fate in their own hands. All I asked was that they show some consistency and build a little bit of momentum as they moved towards the NHL playoffs. Despite notching a 3-game winning streak (only their second since December) including big wins against the Penguins and Devils, the Flyers have once again faded and come up short on effort and heart. If their recent play is any indication of what we can expect in the playoffs, then we probably shouldn't get our hopes up this spring.

The Flyers lost an uninspired game to the Maple Leafs last night 3-2. The Maple Leafs will not be in the playoffs for the fourth straight season. This is not a game that should be lost by a team trying to focus on the playoffs. Despite a late game surge, the Flyers were simply outplayed by a team playing for nothing. Marty Biron, the goaltender that the Flyers will rest their Stanley Cup hopes on, was pulled from the game in the second period.

The Flyers now have 3 loses in their last 4 games, with their only win coming over the hapless Islanders, the worst team in the NHL. Even in the victory, the Flyers were outplayed by the Islanders for the majority of the game, needing a shoot out to finally secure the 'W'.

Their most recent loss has once again placed the Flyers in a tie with the Penguins for the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference with 92 points. Both teams remain only one point over the Hurricanes and three points over the 7th seeded Rangers. The Flyers have 6 games remaining, while Pittsburgh, Carolina and New York all have 5 games left.

As we pointed out on our Podcast, the Flyers path to the Stanley Cup is not an easy road traveled. Despite their explosive offense, the Flyers defense and goaltending are questionable. The Flyers run to the Eastern Conference finals last year was built on as much heart as it was talent. The one thing that the Flyers cannot afford is a lack of effort and focus. If the Flyers cannot stay focused going into the playoffs, can we really expect them to be able to flip a switch and pick up the pace once the playoffs begin? Home ice advantage could very easily mean the difference between the Flyers making it past the opening round of the playoffs. Why don't they get it?

The remaining schedule for the Flyers seems favorable. They have the Maple Leafs again, the Rangers twice, the Islanders, Panthers and Senators. Of the group, the Rangers are the only team that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. The Flyers need to capitalize on their schedule and lock up the 4th seed. The idea that the Flyers can play "consistently inconsistent" and make any noise this spring is over. The Flyers cannot trade wins and loses and think they have a shot at The Cup. My challenge to the Flyers is the same as it was six games ago. Play 60 minutes of consistent hockey in each of the remaining six games, put some wins together and develop some momentum that you can build from. The next six games will reveal a lot. If the Flyers show that they can't handle a group of inferior opponents over the next eleven days, how can we expect much from them in the playoffs?

Weekly Podcast for 3/31/09

We are back today with another podcast. If you listened to the Weekly podcast, you realized there was no Flyers talk, even though we opened the show by saying there was going to be. We ran a little long with that podcast, so we figured instead of giving you 5 minutes of Flyers at the end of the show, why not record another podcast. So, here it is, a full podcast dedicated to the Flyers. Enjoy.






LISTEN - Click here to launch an external player. Be sure to play the Weekly Podcast 3/31/09 mp3

DOWNLOAD - Click here to download

ITUNES - Click here to get our podcast in Itunes

Inside the mind of the Philly sports fan

During the research and the subsequent debates that were a part of doing our “Greatest Philadelphia Athlete” podcast, I repeatedly came across a common storyline, that we as fans turn on our superstar athletes and run them out of town. Its uncanny how many times the fan base here in Philadelphia have found something wrong with a premiere athlete and how often popular opinion has swung against a player whose performance should grant them some sort of immunity from that type of uprising. Successful or not, over time it seems as if Philly fans just get sick of the same players being the focal point of their teams.



If you try to hypothesize why this is the case, your first instinct would be to say it’s because the fan base demands a winner, and unless you win it all you get the label of a failure. This isn’t actually the case when you look further into this behavior. Mike Schmidt, for example, had a very vocal crowd of detractors throughout the ‘80s despite being a World Series champion, MVP of that World Series, a 12-time all-star, a 10-time gold glove winner, and a 3-time NL MVP. Schmidt was the greatest player of his time, yet still faced the wrath of the Philly crowds. They claimed he didn’t hustle and that he seemed nonchalant in the field, despite his records for fielding. At the time Schmidt grew frustrated with the crowds, calling them a mob scene and saying they were beyond help. Well, 25 years later not much has changed, a new generation of fans has come to be, and they are just as tough as their predecessors. 25 years later, I wonder if the great Michael Jack Schmidt was right, are we beyond help?

I’m not sure if we’re beyond help, but Michael Jack has nothing on today’s superstars. Today we live in a world with a television channel and two radio stations that are dedicated to covering Philadelphia sports exclusively. You think we used to nitpick in the ‘80s Mike? You ain’t seen nothing. Today every facet of professional sports is picked apart and criticized as a part of an endless 24-hour news cycle. Nobody feels this scorn and criticism any harsher than Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. This pair represents the best the Philadelphia Eagles organization has ever put on the field, the winningest coach and the best quarterback. So why do we as fans do nothing but rip these two apart day in and day out. I often criticize McNabb for things not related to his play, and I claim to know better. Who am I to say that he isn’t a leader, or that he doesn’t command respect like other quarterbacks? Why do fans think that Andy Reid is a smug, arrogant bastard even though all he ever does is win football games and take all criticism on himself. That’s what a real man is supposed to do, chin up, don’t complain, just continue doing what you feel in your heart is right. Andy Reid is a very good coach (although a flawed one), and Andy deserves to get better treatment from Eagles “fans”. If you raise this point to an Eagles fan, they’ll tell you it’s because he has never won a Super Bowl, but ask Mike Schmidt how long the bloom stays on that rose, and he’ll tell you not very long. Once Philly decides your aren’t a “Philly guy”, the chances of escaping that determination are slim to none.

Just ask Scott Rolen. Rolen came up to the big leagues at the end of 1996 and showed flashes of greatness, those flashes materialized into a rookie of the year award in 1997 and Scott was on his way to becoming a Phillies legend. Then something odd happened, Scott won a few gold gloves and blossomed into one of the best young third basemen in baseball when the fans started saying that he wasn’t hard-nosed enough. After time Rolen began to bristle at this distinction and that was a huge mistake. It’s all well and good for the fans to slander you, but if you dare even hint that you resent their opinion, then you’re dead to them. It got to be so bad, that when Rolen started to question the team’s commitment to winning the fans took THE TEAM’S SIDE! So Rolen decided he wanted out, and he got a crybaby label for it. The label was further cemented by his feud with fiery manager Larry Bowa, who had never been a successful manager, yet is still loved by Phillies fans due to his passing the feisty personality litmus test with flying colors.

Scotty Rolen was just the tip of the iceberg. Remember Eagles’ star Randall Cunningham, who went from MVP to pariah in about three years. What about Eric Lindros? He went from hockey god to pansy-ass Daddy’s boy in about three years. You only need to look at The Answer himself. We named Allen Iverson the greatest athlete of the last 20 years, yet he was exiled too. He was labeled lazy for not making a handful of practices, yet all anyone talks about when he’s mentioned is how hard he played and how much effort he gave night in and night out. So what gives? Why do we continue to vilify our stars? Who is next to face the wrath of the infamous Philly backlash?

If I had to guess, the next in line is World Series MVP Cole Hamels. I vividly recall the fans declaring that Hamels wasn’t a big game pitcher, and that he was a pansy and cowardly for not pitching a day early last season, a move that would have matched him up against the Mets instead of the Marlins. That’s right, Cole Hamels had his heart and big-game ability questioned a mere weeks before he carried the Phillies to a World Series title. I remember arguing that if the kid isn’t comfortable pitching early, then respect that he has the maturity to recognize his limitations. Cole didn’t want to risk messing up his routine, and I think that decision worked out pretty well. Brett Myers, meanwhile, returned to the big-league roster after being sent to AAA to straighten out a horrible season as popular as ever, despite having a terrible season and recent legal troubles of a disturbing nature. Part of that was us fans knowing that Myers needed to perform well down the stretch for the Phillies to have a chance to win the East, and we decided that we were going to be behind Brett all the way for the good of the team. Then again, how often are we positive for positivity’s sake, I think as big a part of his maintained popularity is that Brett Myers always had that feisty demeanor on the field, and Philly fans respond to that.

The scary part is that those toughness related criticisms probably aren’t behind Cole. If Cole only makes 50 starts over the next two season, and the Phillies don’t win the East in those two years. I would not be at all surprised if the questions of his toughness crept back onto barstools and into the radio waves of the sports talk world. I heard Ike Reese on Monday evening say that Hamels is “overly cautious” when it comes to his body. This is before he’s thrown a single regular season pitch after a dominating World Series run that you’d think would have granted the kid some sort of a pass. If Cole isn’t currently immune, then is anybody in the Philadelphia sports scene ever going to be safe? After a few seasons without repeating as NL East champions, I could easily see the current group of Phillies falling out of favor. It won’t take much for Manuel to return to being Charlie from Mayberry, and Ryan Howard’s giant strikeout totals could very easily become a reflection of how he doesn’t work hard enough to get better, rather than a natural byproduct of a non-steroid era slugger.

So I ask, are we wrong? Are we hurting our teams more than we help with the way obsess like we do? As much as I love my teams, and as much as I love dissecting every move and game, maybe I’m not helping either. Should I restrict my opinion making data to what happens between the white lines? To answer this questions let’s consider the end of Andy Reid. I feel like when/if Reid is ever released by the Eagles, it will be due in part to the large, vocal group of fans who don’t like Reid because they find him arrogant and condescending. Odds say that our next coach will not be as good as Andy, since he is the winningest coach in team history; in fact odds are the next five coaches won’t be as good. So when Andy goes, if public opinion based on his personality is a factor in that decision, then we as fans will have chosen to have an inferior coach who is a better interview or who is a fierier guy on the sidelines, than a winner who is stone faced and boring. How insane is that? How insane are we?

Well, insane enough to spend countless hours picking apart every angle of the Eagles offseason, insane enough to pack Lehigh every year at mini-camps, insane enough to sell out every game for an entire 81 home game schedule despite a collapsing economy, and insane enough that three guys with full time jobs spend most of their free time building a website about Philly sports. We are very dedicated, is that so wrong? Is it wrong for fans of Lost to pack message boards and go over every frame of every episode? Absolutely not. The only thing that would be wrong is if the producers of Lost read those message board postings and make knee-jerk reactions to the feedback. It’s also wrong if the show’s producers completely ignore what those message boards say, not acknowledging what the show’s most hardcore fans believe.

In the end when you commit to following a team on a daily basis, you are also deciding that the team will be your primary entertainment source. Fans want a payoff for their time, money, and troubles. That is why we dislike boring Andy Reid, we want entertainment, and while the game day on-the-field product may usually be a quality one, what about our entertainment on the other 349 days of the year? If we aren’t working towards a title, the triumph of which is our ultimate payoff from this entertainment, then we need to be getting something else for our commitment, namely drama. The drama of the big game, the drama of the offseason where characters are added or removed from the roster, and sometimes we just need to add the drama ourselves. Drama, after all is second to triumph in what we hope to experience from watching sports to begin with.

That’s really the answer, I think, that when triumph isn’t an option, we want drama, and we are willing to create it ourselves as necessary. When that drama is created it is a pretty basic idea that the bigger the star involved, the bigger the drama. It works in Hollywood, it works on television and it works in Philadelphia sports. That why Scott Rolen was a superstar in the making who got the boot, but Pedro Feliz is a huge underachiever who gets a pass, because one was a leading man, and the other is playing a bit part. I think it really is that simple: we want drama, so we create it, and when we create it, we create it around our biggest stars. So when Philly’s brightest stars find themselves knee-deep in the quicksand of public opinion, don’t blame their downfall on us. After all, it’s our job as fans to follow along with the drama and even to embrace it. It is our right as fans to start the drama when it looks like that triumph we long for isn’t coming anytime soon, or when things are getting boring.

The Flyers Make it a Winning Streak

The Philadelphia Flyers have turned it up a notch at the perfect time, winning their third game in a row, defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-2. The Philadelphia Flyers, who have made inconsistency look consistent over the past few months, managed to put together their second 3-game winning streak since December.

The Flyers, who went into their game on Friday against the Sabres tied with the Penguins with 84 points for fourth in the East, have rattled off three straight wins, including huge wins over the Penguins and Devils, to put four points in between themselves and Pittsburgh. In the process the Penguins have actually slipped behind the Hurricanes by one point and into the 6th spot in the East. The Flyers now have 90 points, three over Carolina, giving the Flyers the inside track towards securing home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Flyers seem to be getting settled as several of their key players continue to play well. Simon Gagne now has 6 goals and 8 assists in his last eleven games, including a goal and two assists against the Devils. Danny Briere has picked up the pace since returning and he now has three goals and two assists during this 3-game winning streak, including a goal and assist against New Jersey. Jeff Carter, who also added a goal tonight, continues to play well as does Mike Richards. In addition, Marty Biron seems to be gaining confidence with each start and seems compelled to step into the role of number one goalie; something that the Flyers will require if they are going to make a serious push towards the Cup this spring.

Just as important as the individual play is the fact that the Flyers power play has finally been revived, and they have scored 7 power play goals in the past three games.

All in all, the Flyers seem to be getting hot at the perfect time. With ten games remaining in the regular season, the Flyers have an opportunity to build some serious momentum heading into mid-April. The Flyers have managed to make the best of their opportunities and made a weekend that started off with some questions transform into a 3-game winning streak and something they can build on. The Flyers next game is Thursday when the welcome the Florida Panthers to the Wachovia Center.

Ron Hextall Highlights

As a 4 seed in our Greatest Athlete of the Past 20 Years Tournament, Hexy is a long shot. But that doesn't mean we love him any less. Here is his tribute video.

The Flyers Need to Step Up

"We won yesterday. If we win today, that's two-in-a-row. If we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak; it has happened before." -Lou Brown, Major League, 1989.

The Flyers have started their march towards the NHL playoffs. With only three weeks left in the regular season, every game is meaningful. So why has the Flyers play been so inconsistent? They haven't been able to string together any wins and their play has been up-and-down. The Flyers need to settle down, build some momentum and start making some noise as they prepare for the playoffs. Can they do it?


Is there anything better to watch then playoff hockey? I mean anything that you can watch with the curtains open, the lights on, when people are home? No, I didn’t think so. Playoff hockey is one of the most entertaining times of the year in all sports. For as long and tedious as the NHL regular season can become, once the playoffs role around and the intensity of the games pick up, the NHL becomes Must See TV.

With 12 games to play, the Flyers are essentially playing playoff hockey with each drop of the puck. The Flyers remain the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference following their win over the Sabres, but only remain five points over 8th seeded Montreal and six points above the 9th seeded Panthers. Every game means something as they strive to make their playoff run. It’s now time for the true players on this team to step up and make some noise.

The Flyers will need Mike Richards and Jeff Carter at the top of their games. They need Daniel Briere to start playing like the star they hoped he would be when they signed him two years ago. Martin Biron needs to play like the quasi-number one goalie he can be and stop giving up weak goals. But most importantly, the Flyers must string a few wins together, start playing consistent hockey and build some momentum as they race towards Lord Stanley’s playoffs.

The Flyers have only won three games in a row once in the past three months. They put together three in a row in mid-February. Other than that “winning streak”, the Flyers have traded wins and loses and are 5-5 in March. This type of inconsistent play is not the type of play that a team can build on entering the playoffs. The Flyers need to stay in the 4th seed and do not want to lose home ice advantage in the playoffs. The streaking Penguins have climbed into the fifth spot and the last thing the Flyers need to do is slip behind their cross-state rivals and open the playoffs in the Steel City. The Flyers cannot have games like they did against the Sabres Friday night. The Sabres are not a playoff team and the Flyers should not place themselves into situations in which they are forced to come from behind to beat sub-par teams.

The Flyers fate lies in their own hands. They have more games in hand then any of the other playoff teams. Several of those games are against other playoff teams including the Penguins, the Rangers (2) and the Devils. They also play the Panthers twice. The Flyers season is going to be what they make of it. If they can grab the opportunity that has been presented to them, we may get to see another exciting run through the playoffs. But if they let these games slip away and they can’t muster any consistency then it may be an early spring for the Fly-Guys.

Top 10 Spectrum Moments

As the Philadelphia Spectrum slowly marches towards it's demise later this year, let's take a look back at the 10 most memorable moments that happened within the famous arena. Click below to take a trip down memory lane.



The last event to be held at the Spectrum is a concert scheduled for September 30, 2009.

Mike Richards Kills Zherdev

Seems like I get to post a clip of Mike Richards absolutely destroying someone every week or so. Here is his latest masterpiece, as he destroys Nikolai Zherdev of the Rangers. And in case you missed it, check out his hit on Tom Poti of the Capitals here.



Steve

New Kid on the Block

Don't know who Daniel Carcillo is? Don't worry, you are not alone. But from the looks of this clip, Philadelphia will love this guy.


The Carcillo highlight reel.









For as much as I like Riley Cote, he can't really play hockey. Hopefully this trade means less playing time for Cote, and lots of faces bashed in for Carcillo.

Steve

Flyers Traded Who for the What Now?

The Flyers have traded Scottie Upshall and a 2nd round draft pick to the Phoenix Coyotes for Daniel Carcillo. The Flyers also acquired defenseman Kyle McLaren from the San Jose Sharks for a 6th round draft choice.

My initial reaction when I heard the Scottie Upshall deal was...."You have got to be kidding me!" (I used different language, but the sentiment was the same). Essentially these two guys are the same type of player, so why did we have to throw in a 2nd round draft pick? I immediately thought that there was something else coming, another deal with Phoenix possibly, or another deal with another team altogether. Turns out there was nothing. Just a bunch of Flyers fans asking "Seriously? That's it?"

Not knowing much of Daniel Carcillo, other than the fact that he is a third line player for the Winnipeg Jets when I play NHL 09(Why is there a team in Phoenix again?), I headed over to TSN.ca for a breakdown of the trade. Keith Jones and Darren Pang analyzed this deal, and came to the conclusion that it is a win win for both sides.

Here is the video of their breakdown.

I guess I can live with this deal. I don't like the fact that he has been in Wayne Gretzky's doghouse this year for taking "selfish" penalties. We are already the most penalized team in the league at 17.9 penalty minutes per game. A team with Carcillo and Scott "The Skating Minor Penalty" Hartnell doesn't seemed likely to play much 5 on 5 hockey down the stretch. But if he can be a faster, more skilled version of Riley Cote, and he can stay disciplined, then I am all for it. I am guessing he will be thrown out there with Briere and Giroux, which could make for an interesting line. I still don't understand the 2nd round pick being thrown in there though, so I think we overpaid slightly. Maybe Holmgren and the Coyotes both knew Upshall won't resign with Phoenix next year, so the pick is some kind of compensation for that fact. And, for all the Upshall fans out there, it didn't seem likely that we were going to resign him either, so this isn't that big of a loss.

The acquisition of McLaren is basically a depth move as he was immediately placed on the Phantoms. He has some knee issues, so I believe the plan is to let him play in the minors and get his knee healthy, and if we need a veteran D-man come playoff time, he is the guy we put into the lineup.

All in all, I am a little disappointed with the lack of activity from the Flyers. I realize they kind of handicapped themselves by operating right at the salary cap, but there were some moves that could have been made to get the guys they need and still be under the cap. It should be an interesting rest of the season, as the Devils, Rangers and Penguins all seemed to make their teams better.

Nittymaki Vs. Biron

Two goalies, two equally crappy goals.

I know, the first 2 videos are 2 years old, but they are a reminder as to how unstable the Flyers goaltending can be. Seeing these makes me nervous for the playoffs....

Click Story to See the Clips




Nittymaki - Falls asleep during the game


Biron - Scores on his own net




Biron Bonus - This goal has been talked about a lot over the past few weeks, so here it is again in all of it's glory.

Would you trade Gagne?

As we discussed on our weekly podcast, the Flyers have some goaltending issues. But honestly, when don't the Flyers have golatending issues. As the trade deadline of March 4th quickly approaches, there is a lot of speculation floating around as to what the Flyers might do to improve their team. Unforunately, none of this talk revolves around golatending. Top flight goalies are just too hard to come by these days. So, instead, I offer my opinion as to other ways the Flyers can improve their team.

The Flyers have incredible scoring depth. Only the Flyers and the Redwings have 5 players with 20 or more goals. Throw in Joffrey Lupul's 17 goals and a healthy Danny Briere, who is expected to return to the lineup Friday, and the Flyers have one of the most formidable offenses in the game. But, as the cliche goes, defense wins championships, and the Flyers are not nearly as strong on defense or between the pipes as the top teams in the league. Since a goaltending upgrade doesn't seem to be coming until the offseason, the only logical thing for the Flyers to do is trade away some of their scoring depth for a solid top tier defenseman.

The only name that comes to my mind is Jay Bouwmeester. The 25 year old Florida Panther defenseman is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and has expressed his desire to play for a winner. Florida currently sits in 7th place in the East, so somebody would have to put together a pretty solid deal for Florida to consider moving him. As Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Daily News reports here, the Panthers may be reluctant to take back salary in exchange for Bouwmeester, but instead would want prospects and picks. If that is the case, I would pass on trying to make a deal. They would probablly ask for Sbisa and Giroux, and if any of you have seen these two play, you know they are keepers. If they do take back salary, my offer would include Simon Gagne, Jim vanReimsdyk and Randy Jones. Now, I know this would never happen because of Gagne's no trade clause, but hear me out anyways. He is due 5.25 million dollars over the next 3 year and has had his share of health concerns. For a team with as much depth as the Flyers up front, he may be an attractive piece to offer. His trade value may never be higher than it is right now. He is showing that he has no lingering side effects from the concussions last year, and he is producing at nearly a point per game level. Most teams would love a top line player like that. I'm sure the Flyers love that about him too. I am just not that enamored with Gagne. He plays well with good playmakers, but he can never seem to make anything happen on his own. I expect that out of Mike Knuble, but not Simon Gagne. Not a guy I am paying 5.25 million dollars a year for. He could be replaced on that line with Giroux or Briere, and the Fyers wouldn't miss a beat offensively. I mean, they did make it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year without him. And no matter what anyone says, they don't beat the Penguins even with a healthy Gagne.

Randy Jones is a decent defenseman, but he is due 2.75 million next year and then becomes a restricted free agent. I really can't see the Flyers resigning him with their cap space siutation, even though he is young and has a good upside. He can easily be replaced for much cheaper by Lucas Sbisa next season.

Jim vanReimsdyk was the 2nd overall pick 2 years ago, and should be a top line offensive player when he finally leaves college for the pros. Key word there being "should". Holmgren has apparantly soured on JVR's potential after his subpar performance at the World Championships last year, and seems more likely to trade him than waiting to see if he pans out.

Florida ranks 17th in the league in goals scored, so they may be willing to make a deal to acquire some goal scoring. If the health of Gagne is a concern, other options are Lupul (4.25 million over the next 4) or Scott Hartnell (4.7 million next year, also No Trade Clause).

I think that may be enough to get Bouwmeester. He will want somewhere between 6-7 million per year, and I think we could resign him for a deal similar to the one Kimmo Timmonen signed 2 years ago. With Gagne, Jones, and potentially Knuble and Upshall off the books next year, there is plenty of cap space to add Bouwmeester long term. That would however leave limited space to add a goaltender via free agency, and would prompt countless "Flyers Golatending Issues Again?" blog posts this time next year. Luckily I can play GM from my computer chair without any of the stress.

Just for fun, here would be my lineup for the playoff run

G- Nittymaki
D- Timmonen Coburn
D- Bouwmeester Parent
D- Carle Alberts
O- Lupul Carter Hartnell
O- Knuble Richards Giroux
O- Briere Metropolit Upshall
O- Powe Asham Cote