Broad Street Blogger | Philly Sports

Is Selanne the Next Flyer?

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 22:03:15 +0000

The rumor is building that this could really happen. The 37 year old Finnish Flash has nothing to prove, having just won the cup with the Ducks, but might be enticed to join the Flyers? Why? Because he is close to Kimmo Timmonen who has never been on a team that has won a playoff round. In fact, Timmonen has only been in 10 total playoff games in his entire career. Over the past few years, Selanne has been willing to sign contracts below market value to return to Anaheim or when he and Paul Kariya signed with Colorado. So joining a friend below market is not unprecedented for this classy player.

On the Flyers part, they have been enamored with Teemu since he was drafted. If they could get him at $4 million or less they would sign him and figure out the cap later.

For those of you unaware at just how good Selanne has been lately, look at his last two years:

2005-06: 40 goals, 90 points

2006-07: 48 goals, 94 points (Briere had 32 goals & 95 points)

In other words, this would be a MONSTER signing and likely make the Flyers one of favorites to win the Cup. With Briere, Selanne, Gagne, other new faces and the kids, the Flyers would be fast, score a tone of goals and still be tough.

Remember, even if this doesn't work out, the Flyers are still favored to sign Forsberg sometime in December or January. I like Selanne from day one rather than Forsberg joining the mix and unsettling things and the likely missed games due to injury. But, I also like the idea of Forsberg signing with s rather than the Rangers or Ottawa. Plus Forsberg is so exciting to watch in the Playoffs and plays a mean, awesome style of hockey in the playoffs.

Carrasco Promote Him or Trade Him?

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 19:36:42 +0000

Carlos Carrasco just turned 20 three months ago and started the season off in Clearwater before being promoted to Reading in mid June. After 4 appearances, he is 3-0 with a 3.48 ERA. The kid is a stud and everyone knows he will be a stud one he gets to the majors.

If the Phils think they can get back Myers and Gordon soon after the all star break, I say we should trade him and go for it this year. The Braves are flawed, the Mets are beat up and this could be the year for the Phillies to really go for it. However if the Phils think that Myers and Gordon won't be back for a while, I would say promote the kid and see what he can do in "the show". It seems obvious to me that Eaton has got to go in the off season. So let's see what the kid can do. If he steps it up, he could make the rest of the summer tolerable.

Thanks Edmonton & Kevin Lowe

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:40:48 +0000

By signing Buffalo's Thomas Vanek to a $50 million offer sheet, Edmonton left Buffalo with a bad choice. Lose a young 43 goal sniper or pay the money to keep Vanek. Buffalo matched the offer. Since the contract is front loaded with around $8 million in signing bonuses over the first two years it means Buffalo is going to have some budget problems even after watching Biron, Zubrus, Drury and Briere leave since they do not spend up to the salary cap.

Now the rumor is that Edmonton's real target is Zach Praise, the NJ Devil's young star. Kevin Lowe, Edmonton's GM, use Vanek as an example to show Edmonton was serious about breaking the NHL code and signing a restricted free agent to an offer sheet. Buffalo had told him, they would match the offer no matter what so it wasn't a big risk. By making this move, Lowe has shown other teams he is serious and they have a choice make a trade with me, or I'll make an offer.
Edmonton made a trade yesterday to re-aquire their 3rd round draft pick because if they sign a RFA to a contract between $800,000 and $5 million they need to give up a 3rd round pickas part of the compensation. The rules dictate that the draft picks need to be their own.

If Praise is the true target then that means the Devils will likely need to trade their young star or pay some big bucks to keep him, either or it will weaken our arch rival

Note that Pittsburgh locked up their star defenseman Ryan Whitney hours before free agency started to a 6 year $24 million contract. My guess is that they knew another club was readying a big offer sheet.

Leadership & the Power Play

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:52:20 +0000

Over the last two weeks the Flyers have addressed two of their biggest flaws during last season - the Power Play and Leadership.

Briere, Hartnell, Timmonen and Lupul all had more power play success than every Flyer except Gagne and Knuble. Timmonen can piggyback the powerplay, Hartnell is another big guy that can get in front of the net while Briere and Lupul are goal scorers.

The other area that has been addressed is leadership. Smith, Briere and Timmonen were all captains last year for their teams. Plus they have played on winning teams. Edmonton made it to the Stanley Cup finals 2 years ago, Nashville had two consecutive 100 point seasons and Buffalo has been one of the best teams in the Eastern conference the last two years. Oh yeah, none have won the cup yet. I would think they are hungry to do so and can instill that winning attitude on the younger Flyers.

Pitkanen Trade Lands Lupul

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:35:30 +0000

In exchange for Geoff Sanders & Joni Pitkanen the Flyers have landed Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith. Pitkanen he of unlimited potential and no hockey sense wanted to leave Philadelphia because he didn't like getting booed. Fine, we didn't like the constant boneheaded plays that lead to minus 25. Lupul who was drafted 7th in 2002 (Pitkanen went nunmber 4 the same year) was the big piece that Edmonton received when they traded Chris Pronger to Anaheim. As a 22 year old, Lupul scored 28 goals with Anaheim but struggled last year in Anaheim. He'll turn 24 in September and joins Umberger, Hartnell, Upshall, Carter, Richards and Umberger as the young Nucleus of the team. Add in our two elite scorers, Gagne and Briere who are only 27 and 28, respectively and you can see that the Flyers are young and should be good for a long time.

Briere Signing Is Great Move

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:40:10 +0000

Personally, I would have wanted Drury before Briere cause he is a "gamer" and warrior where Briere is more finesse but I love this move. Remember Briere is one of Buffalo's team leaders and along with the Flyers other pick-ups since the all star game adds to the Flyers character. What about Scott Gomez? Gomez is a "gamer" and a better two way guy than Briere but he doesn't score enough. So I would have taken Briere over Gomez. My guess is Gomez gets more money than Briere

Say what you want about the amount of money, $52 million over 8 years, but at $6.5 million a year we are getting a number one center when other teams are paying 3-4.5 million for guys that don't do much. Further my guess is guys past their prime are geeting way more. Briere is a young guy (29 years), has averaged 28 goals the last three years, had 21 power play assists but his real talent is setting up goal scorers. He and Gagne will just be great together.

I still think we need one more impact player perhaps Todd Bertuzzi if he is cheap enough ($3-$4 million). If not I would package Umberger or Carter to San Jose for Patrick Marleau. Or perhaps a defenseman like Tom Preissing

Good for Charlie

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:12:13 +0000

We have seen this every year with Charlie in August and September where he forgets about ego and starts doing whatever he can to win. Pinch hitting for Lieberthal, relying on Geary, benching Burrell, using the better hitter to pinch hit regardless of whether it is a left-right match-up. I'm excited to see him benching Burrell and going with other players. I was happy to see him hand over third base to Dobbs and Nunez when Helms was doing nothing. I was happy to see him play Barrajas less and less and Ruiz more and more. Hell, now that Lieber is hurt, Barrajas will even play less.

Starting to do everything to try and win now might be enough for the fills to pick up the 1-3 games that they end up missing the play-offs. However, now it is time for Dave Montgomery and Pat Gillick to step up and do something. since our minor league system is so weak, the only type of player we'll get is another club's salary dump. We'll need to be willing to accept some big salary to improve the team. Or we could trade Rowand or Ruiz which would hurt the team. I'm afraid the only other move is Michael Bourne for Lidge with the Astros, that is a win now attitude. I'm afraid that would be a mistake because I believe Bourne can contribute NOW. Having him, Rollins and Victorino in the lineup give use the ability to manufacture base hits.

All we can do is wait to see if Management steps it up but hats off to Charlie for stepping it up.

Is Pitkanen Gone

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:43:46 +0000

Today is draft day and I'm very nervous. Rumor is the Flyers may trade Pitkanen to Edmonton for a draft pick and either Shawn Horcoff or Raffi Torres. Who you ask? Exactly! These guys are the 15 goals a year guys that are easy to find. I believe this would be horrible move. San Jose is aggressively shopping Patrick Marleau, the current captain of the San Jose Sharks. Marleau had a tough playoff with 3 goals and 3 assists in 11 games but historically he has performed well in the playoffs with 9 goals and 5 assists during 11 games last year. This is a character guy and another former captain who is young 27, consistently scores 30 goals per season and only makes $4 million. If the Flyers are desperate to trade Pitkanen then why not package him with another player or draft picks for Marleau. This is a top line center for the Flyers. Getting Shawn Horcoff or Raffi Torres is like getting Kyle Calder last year for Handzus, a useless trade.

Branko Radivojevic a hero

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 03:42:17 +0000

If you haven't heard, ex-Flyer Branko Radivojevic came to the aid of someone getting beat up by 10 Neo-Nazis and probably saved his life. The story is about half way down here: http://www.startribune.com/wild/story/1254103.html

Flyers To Do List

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 03:08:48 +0000

Over the next 2-3 weeks, Holmgren will finish his remake of the Flyers which he started back before the trade deadline. Here is what needs to be done:

1. Get Rathje's money off the books - hopefully the Flyers will get a favorable ruling from the NHL which could free up $3.5 million.

2. Trade Gauthier and his 2.2 million contract. Perhaps they can bundle him with a draft pick and/or one of their young fringe guys to get something in return.

3. Sign a goal scorer - they should definitely put an offer sheet out for Buffalo's Thomas Vanek on June 25th because if they can get him he is awesome but most likely Buffalo will match the offer and cause themselves problems with the salary cap. I still think Drury should be their target although he doesn't seem interested in coming to Philly but money talks. I would say Gomez should come below Briere because Gomez is not a goal scorer, we need goal scorers.

4. Sign Another Defenseman - If possible the Flyers should try to sign Sheldon Souray and trade Hatcher. It is likely that they'll need to bundle in a young player to move Hatcher but it will be worth it with the big upgrade.

5. Keep the communication lines open with Forsberg - it is likely that Forsberg won't sign before the season starts but that the Flyers can get him to come back in January or February.

Most likely, the Flyers won't be able to do all of the above. My guess is that the Flyers will make an unsuccessful offer for Vanek, overpay for Gomez and trade Gauthier.

Charlie: No Rhyme or Reason

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:06:25 +0000

I'm watching the Phils - Cleveland game in the top of the 7th inning. The announcers have just announced that the young Kyle Kendrick is finished for the night. Who is in the Pen... Jose Mesa. I'm trying like ever to figure out why Kendrick is done. He has retired the last 7 in a row and thrown 94 pitches. There is no, absolutely no, reason to pull Kendrick. It isn't like Myers or Gordon are out there. The bullpen imploded when Charlie yanked Eaton early too nights ago. They put the game last Friday out of reach, the put the game out of reach last night. What is Charlie doing? Why won't he let his starters go more than 6 innings. If he had the Padres pen, I could understand but we know what he has, some minor leaguers and a couple wooden nickels.

OK so he went with Madson instead of Mesa. First batter has already gotten a hit. Let's hope Madson holds it together and we can get a "W" tonight.

Fallout: Hartnell & Timonen

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 02:17:07 +0000

Everybody is congratulating Homer on jumping early and decisively to lock up Hartnell & Timonen. I'm happy to see the Flyers doing something but this uses up quite a bit of the excess cap space and 6 years is a long time for a 32 year old defenseman, Hartnell is injury prone and there are rumblings that he was a clubhouse cancer that has issues with his coaches. Plus, they still need a big time scorer - someone who can score 35+ goals not another 15-25 goal scorer with "potential".

But let's focus on the positives for now:

1. Immediate Improvement to Power Play - Last year Gagne had 13 PP goals and Knuble had 10. The next Flyer scored 3... Hartnell had 10 PP goals and Timonen had 8 PP Goals and 18 assists (more than any Flyer had).

2. Mentor for Young Defenseman - With three young Finnish defenseman in Pitkanen, Kukkonen and Timonen's younger brother, the Flyers hope that Kimmo can straighten out Joni and bring the others along. If Pitkanen can get back to the force he was before being injured 18 months ago, then this move will be one of the best ever for the Flyers.

3. Leadership - Timonen was Nashville's captain and Hartnell still only 25 was thought to be a future captain when he was drafted.

4. Hartnell is a Flyer - a prototypical power forward who loves to crash and bang, can play any forward position and plays defense. Fans are gonna love this guy. Big, fast and tough is the way the Ducks won the cup and Ottawa got to the finals.

5. Young Nucleus - Hartnell, Carter, Richards, Umberger, Upshall, Potulny, Coburn and Pitkanen are all 25 are under with NHL experience. Trying to bust in will be Ryan Parent, Steve Downie and Claude Giroux. Even the less flashy players like Eager, Ruzicka, Kukkonen, Picard, Jones, etc. are all young. This will create competition for playing time and will hopefully bring out the best.

Overall, I'm pretty excited for the mood. The Flyers have improved significantly since before the trading deadline with Kukkonen, Timonen and Coburn on defense, Upshall, Hartnell as well as healthy Knuble, Richards, Carter and Potulny. But I still think the big move is Marty Biron in the net as the clear number one starter. There is still more to be done but this team will likely be way more exciting to watch and should be in the thick of things in a tough conference.

Manual: Pitching Changes

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:48:22 +0000

It continues to amaze me at the way Charlie Manual manages his potchers. The guy doesn't have a clue and his mistakes cost the Phillies many games every year and usually burn out the relief core. My biggest frustration is his inability to stick with starters that are pitching well while leaving in pitchers that don't have it. The Detroit series is a perfect example. Lieber didn't have it but Charlie left him in long enough to give up a 3-run homer to Pudge Rodriguez pushing the game seemingly out of reach. The next two nights he yanked Moyer and Eaton on pitch counts even though they were pitching strong. Moyer was pitching a 4-hitter and Eaton was pitching a 6 hitter and looked strong. The Moyer move worked out because the relievers pitched OK but Charlie used his closer with a 4 run lead yet again. The Eaton move back-fired and Charlie burned through nearly every relief pitcher. In three games, nearly every reliever pitched twice.

Another thing that frustrates me is his new insistence on using Geary only against right handers or Zagurski only against left handers. I don't have a problem if a team has a specialist pitcher, someone who throws sidearm or has an especially tough pitch against certain players. Did you know that right-handed hitters have a lower batting average than lefties against Zagurski? Or that Geary gives up 1 homer for every 12 at bats to a righty but has only allowed one homer to lefties in 45 at bats? My point is we have a week bullpen and if a relief pitcher or starter is pitching well, we need to stick with them. Let them pitch more than a batter or two, more than 1 inning or more than 100 pitches.

If Charlie didn't use several relief pitchers in nearly every game, they would be better rested and more likely to be able to perform when they do pitch. I'm sure that Geary's issues are the direct result of over use last year and during April and May. He hasn't been effective for a number of weeks, similar to what happened to Madson after Charlie burnt him out a few years ago. Further, Charlie doesn't need to carry 12 pitchers if he isn't over-managing and using 4-5 pitchers a game.

I'll leave you with this... How many games over the past few years have we seen Jack McKeon and Florida, Bobby Cox and Atlanta and now Jim Leyland and the Tigers stuck with their key starting pitchers to work out of a jam in a close game while as soon as our starter walks someone or gives up a bloop hit they are yanked for some reliever that blows the game. Lately, Charlie has done this after letting the pitcher hit in the previous half inning. Charlie gets out managed in virtually every close game with good managers like Leyland, McKeon, Girardi or Cox but the Phillies still win a few games inspite of his bonehead plays.

Flyers & Offer Sheets

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 16:40:05 +0000

So why should the Flyers put out offer sheets on Restricted Free Agents? It is a waste of time, teams will never let their players go and we need to give up too much by overpaying and by forfeiting future draft picks. Getting a proven young star is worth it. Someone like Thomas Vanek who is 23, big, scored 43 goals including 15 on the power play. Further he was a plus 47! Vanek is the type of restricted free agent player that the Flyers should go after. They aren't betting he'll be good or grow into being a good NHLer, he already is. Quite frankly, he is more valuable than Drury or Briere and if the Flyers can get him from Buffalo that would be huge. But if the Flyers can't get him, they will force Buffalo to match the offer witch will make it harder for Buffalo to keep Driry or Briere which makes it more likely that the Flyers might get one of them.

Lieber: What Do We Do?

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 16:38:03 +0000

You will probably heard from the Phils front office - "If we don't trade Jon Lieber, we'll get nothing for him." This is the sane front office who has been telling us that we couldn't trade Lieber before the all star break because there weren't any offers and we couldn't trade him during the winter because no one wanted him and we couldn't trade him in spring-training because no one was interested. That hasn't changed, so if we "trade" Lieber it will be a straight salary dump which will deplete the team of its fifth starter who as unreliable as he is, always gets hot in September. We should not trade Lieber because:

1. We won't get anything of real value for him

2. We don't have a better fifth starter

3. We usually pitchers great in later August and September

So if the Phillies trade Lieber it means one thing they are looking to make a few extra bucks by saving his salary.