Offseason Flyer news & updates thread

[swflyers25]

Salary cap, injuries cloud Flyers' off-season picture

While this NHL season has yet to end, the Flyers are already thinking ahead to the fall, with a number of important decisions to make.

A lot has to do with the salary cap, which is expected to go up by as much as $7 million from this year's $39 million.

The Flyers only have about $30 million tied up in the 15 or so players already under contract. But general manager Bob Clarke knows he still has to sign restricted free agents Simon Gagne, Joni Pitkanen, Antero Niittymaki and R.J. Umberger.

Gagne, a 47-goal scorer last season, could command as much as a 100 percent raise, which would push his salary to $4 million. Tack on at least another $4 million for the other three RFAs, and the payroll jumps in a hurry.

Clarke also has to decide what he's going to do about two unrestricted free agents ? 37-year-old Eric Desjardins and Kim Johnsson, who hasn't played since January due to post-concussion symptoms.

In a way, it could all come down to this: How much change do Clarke and team chairman Ed Snider believe they have to make to get the Flyers back into serious contention again?

Clouding the picture is how much effect the team's amazingly high number of injuries will carry over.

Health questions, which dogged the Flyers for most of the 2005-06 campaign, could nag them again early next season.

We already know that double ankle surgery will prevent Peter Forsberg from playing hockey until somewhere near midseason.

What we don't know is when, of if, Keith Primeau will be ready to play again. Clarke said nothing has to be decided until training camp, but if that's the case, where does that leave him in July when the free agent signing period begins?

?Well, I certainly think we will have interest in a couple free agents,'' Clarke said. ?... If they become free agents. It will depend upon on how much it's going to cost.

?I think our team is still pretty good. Our young guys just got a good year of experience. So, much of it will depend on when Forsberg is able to play ? you lose a player like that, it's going to affect your team.''

Clarke insists the roster which led the Eastern Conference in mid-January has what it takes.

?I don't think we need a lot of change,'' he said. ?I think every team makes some changes. I would say our biggest problem is our health. If we can get everyone healthy and going ? we had 13 or 14 surgeries after the season. You hope that by July everyone is healthy and training again.''

Clarke said he hopes to have Primeau back, saying it left ?a pretty big hole in our team.''
Click Here!

It sounds like the Flyers will try to bring Desjardins back for one more year.

?I guess you couldn't have a better person on your club than Eric,'' Clarke said. ?He can still play. So much of it is going to depend on what the other guys get. I'm going to sit down with him over the next couple weeks and see what he's thinking.

?He's still got a bit of a health problem with his hip. But at this point, I think we're still thinking of getting a year out of him.''

Johnsson could be a different story. It sounds like he's asking for a lot of money. Prior to his head injury, Johnsson seemed to struggle at times. So the timing of the money demand is a bit curious.

Clarke said, ?He's a question mark, I guess.''

Not much has been done as far as getting Gagne signed. It sounds like the Flyers will make a qualifying offer and negotiate from there.

The GM still has interest in 34-year-old Petr Nedved, the fifth-highest paid player on the team at $2.28 million.

?Nedved is still a good player. If we're comfortable after Primeau gets back, he (Nedved) may have to play wing. He ended up being our best faceoff guy, and (coach Ken) Hitchcock actually used him in a checking role. He's a useful player.''

And finally, the Flyers appear ready to give Hitchcock an extension. He's going into the final year of his contract. Clearly, with so many injuries this year, the Flyers aren't holding him responsible for their early demise in the playoffs.

?I haven't talked too much about that yet,'' Clarke said. ?Once we get everybody signed, I would expect we would want to extend his contract, but it won't be before training camp.''

*Well, it's easy to see whom Flyer fans will be rooting for in the Stanley Cup finals ... Carolina, of course. The 'Canes sport three popular ex-Flyers ? Rod Brind'Amour, Mark Recchi and Justin Williams. All three scored in Carolina's clinching win over Buffalo the other night.

Getting past the Sabres was impressive. Carolina showed a lot of grit coming from behind in the third period. So, while Edmonton has surprised everyone by putting away Detroit, San Jose and Anaheim, we're going with the 'Canes in our last pick of the season.

Wayne Fish covers the NHL for The Intelligencer. He can be reached at (215) 949-4215 or wfish@phillyBurbs.com.

June 4, 2006 9:58 AM

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/131-06042006-665777.html

[KB in Kelowna]

Salary cap, injuries cloud Flyers' off-season picture

While this NHL season has yet to end, the Flyers are already thinking ahead to the fall, with a number of important decisions to make.

A lot has to do with the salary cap, which is expected to go up by as much as $7 million from this year's $39 million.

Wow, the figure I have seen the cap moving to is between $43 to $45 Million.

[swflyers25]

Flyers aren't too happy with Derian Hatcher right now. No one can get a hold of him and he has skipped his rehab appointments.

[swflyers25]

http://media3.steelers.com/MediaContent//2006/06/07/12/Roethlisberger_Umberger15_65229.jpg

Even professional athletes are fans
Thursday, June 8, 2006

By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

It was a few days before Super Bowl XL and members of the Philadelphia Flyers were asked to predict who they thought was going to win the game. Over a dozen players selected the Steelers, but none of them with the passion and enthusiasm for the black and gold than center R.J. Umberger.

"Steelers, 24-21," predicted Umberger. "I believe they are a better team and Big Ben is a better quarterback. He is going to lead them."

Anyone that knows Umberger wasn't surprised with his prediction. He is a Pittsburgh native and grew up cheering for the Steelers.

He watched Super Bowl XL in Montreal on a road trip with the Flyers, and while watching the game mentioned to someone in the team's public relations department how he would like to meet some of the Steelers one day. A few phone calls were made, and on Wednesday Umberger was at the team's practice facility on the South Side watching one of the team's final workouts of the off-season.

"I have been a Steelers fan for as long as I can remember," said Umberger. "I watch them every Sunday. It's great. I will be a Steelers fan my entire life."

Umberger particularly wanted to meet quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He presented him with a #7 Flyers jersey with Roethlisberger on the back. He also had him sign a Steelers jersey and a few other items.

And despite the fact that he is a professional athlete himself, it was a thrill for Umberger to see his favorite team up close and personal.

"It's kind of like a kid coming here watching this," he said, who also visited with Steelers first-year fullback Brandon Joe, who he went to Ohio State with. "I have been a Steelers fan my whole life. It's a different sport so it's something different."

Umberger is popular with the fans in Philadelphia when he puts on his Flyers sweater, but when he walks around town decked out in his Steelers gear, it's a different story.

"I wear my Steelers stuff and tick off a lot of Philadelphia people," said Umberger. "For me it's pretty easy. I don't care. I just wear my stuff and what everybody wants to say, I love it. The more they say, the better it is, especially when they won this year. It was a proud moment for me."

Umberger was in Pittsburgh to visit with friends and family for a few days, but his time at Steelers practice definitely is a highlight of the visit home.

"It was a good time. I had fun," said Umberger. "It was a great day. It was something that since I was a little kid I wanted to get up close and personal with everybody. It was a lot of fun."

Steelers.com (http://media3.steelers.com/article/65231/)

[swflyers25]

For Flyers, the future is not now

Team chairman Ed Snider says the team will no longer give up its young players or draft picks for veterans.

By Tim Panaccio
Inquirer Staff Writer

A change in philosophy will guide the Flyers next season, and club chairman Ed Snider already has imparted it to general manager Bob Clarke:

No more trading youth and draft picks for veteran players.

"We're going back to our roots," Snider said yesterday at the Flyers Skate Zone in the Far Northeast, where he and 200 children from the School District of Philadelphia celebrated the successful first year of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.

"We're not going to go and trade picks anymore, or trade our kids ever again for veterans... . We got carried away wanting to win [Stanley] Cups.

"And if it takes us longer and we can't win the Cup, so be it. We may win the Cup next year. But we are not going to go chasing the... Cup and giving away our future."

Snider said he planned to meet with Clarke in the weeks ahead to discuss next season and changes.

The Flyers' staff has undergone upheaval this off-season. Longtime executive Ron Ryan retired. Assistant coach Wayne Fleming resigned. Yesterday, scout Ron Hextall accepted the assistant general manager's position with the Los Angeles Kings. In the last two weeks, members of the Flyers' and Phantoms' coaching, training and equipment staffs switched jobs, left jobs or were dismissed.

Snider said this year "wasn't very good," and it gave him reason to reflect.

"When we won the two Cups, I was young and very involved in the team," the 73-year-old chairman said. "I set our philosophy when we were an expansion team. We were going to grow with draft picks and kids. The other five expansion teams traded their kids and picks to do better.

"If you look at our record those first five years, we accomplished almost nothing compared to the other expansion teams. In the sixth year, we came on. And in the seventh year, we won the Cup because of that philosophy."

The Flyers missed the playoffs twice in their first five seasons but...

"We kept our kids, then we won the Cups," Snider said. "Since that time, our mentality has been to win the Cup every year, and we haven't won it. We've had good years, we've been to a lot of Finals, but we haven't won the Cup."

In recent years, Clarke publicly has identified players he would not trade. Simon Gagne, for instance, and Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, whom Snider said had "critical" rookie seasons and would be expected to take up greater roles as part of a core nucleus that will carry the Flyers forward.

The Flyers made a number of deals in recent years that left them with nothing:

Maxime Ouellet and first-, second- and third-round picks in 2002 to Washington for Adam Oates.

Prospect Guillaume Lefebvre, a third-round pick in 2003 and a second-round pick in '04 for Tony Amonte.

Prospect Jeff Woywitka to Edmonton for Mike Comrie.

Justin Williams to Carolina for Danny Markov, who later was dealt to Nashville for a third-round pick.

Jim Vandermeer, Colin Fraser and a second-round pick in '04 to Chicago for Alexei Zhamnov.

Some of those deals were made to bolster Cup runs. Others were intended to strengthen a position of weakness. Yet none of the acquired players remains in the organization, leaving the Flyers on the minus side in every case.

"We haven't had [Cup] success," Snider said. "We're going to start building our teams the same way we won our two Cups. We're going to focus on our core group of players. We're going to keep our draft picks, keep developing our kids.

"... It's a philosophical thing. We are not going to be big spenders in free agency. If a great player is there and available, and fits our parameters and does not cost us a draft pick, we may do it. But we will not give up draft picks ever again unless we think the kid can't play."

Loose pucks. Center Keith Primeau (post-concussion syndrome), who attended yesterday's festivities, is symptom-free and his rehabilitation is complete. "It's been a 180-degree swing for me in the last three, four weeks," Primeau said. "My intention is to be ready for training camp."... Several children gave touching thanks to Snider for making their dream to learn how to skate possible. "To see how excited these kids are, how appreciative they are, it gives me a tremendous feeling," Snider said... . Fifteen schools and 450 students from the inner city participated - all funded by Snider's foundation... . Look for Snider to privately fund a regional ice hockey program for Philadelphia middle schools, according to Marjorie Wuestner, executive director of health, safety, physical education and sports administration for the school district... . Clarke on Hextall's new job: "I think it's a move in the right direction in his career. He was very important to us, but he was also in our organization behind Paul Holmgren."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/hockey/14765438.htm

[swflyers25]

Flyers Name Dave Brown Director of Player Personnel

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have named Dave Brown their new director of player personnel, according to club General Manager Bob Clarke. Brown replaces Ron Hextall, who was recently named assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Kings.

"We have always liked Dave and felt that he was a Flyer," said Clarke in making the announcement. "We felt that he was ready to move up in responsibilities. We contacted the Rangers and asked their permission to allow Dave to move up in the scouting world. They gave us permission and we talked with Dave. He was happy to come aboard and we are happy to have him."

"There are a lot of similarities between Dave and Ron Hextall. Both are very hard working, very decent, very disciplined people and they have very good judgment on National Hockey League players. Dave's main job will still be pro scouting, but he will have other responsibilities as well."

"It's an exciting opportunity; things like this don't come around very often," said Brown. "For me to have more of an expanded role, than just being a pro scout, was exciting. Being back with my original organization is very exciting as well. I'm looking forward to the new challenge.

"The bulk of my work will still be knowing the players and doing a lot of pro scouting in the American Hockey League and NHL. I will also have to know my own teams (Flyers and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms). I will be taking on some responsibilities for the Phantoms, in the terms of selecting the players for the team."

Brown, 43, most recently served as the New York Rangers� head professional scout for the last three years (2003-04 through 2005-06). Prior to that, he was a pro scout for the Rangers for five seasons (1998-99 through 2002-03). Brown joined the Rangers after being an assistant coach for the Flyers for two seasons (1996-97 and 1997-98).

A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Brown played parts of 14 seasons in the NHL (1982-83 through 1995-96), recording 45 goals and 52 assists for 97 points and 1,789 penalty minutes in 729 career games with the Flyers (1982-83 to 1988-89 and 1991-92 through 1994-95), Edmonton Oilers (1988-89 through 1990-91) and San Jose Sharks (1995-96). He was a member of the 1990 Stanley Cup Champion Edmonton Oilers. In parts of 11 seasons with the Flyers, Brown registered 39 goals and 39 assists for 78 points and 1,382 penalty minutes in 552 games. He is sixth on the team�s All-Time List in penalty minutes. Brown was selected by the Flyers in the seventh round (140th overall) of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

http://www.philadelphiaflyers.com/pressbox/archive/2636.asp

[swflyers25]

By ED MORAN
morane@phillynews.com

RALEIGH, N.C. - There hasn't been a lot of reason the last few months for Justin Williams to think about the time he spent with the Flyers.

Being a key player in a Stanley Cup run has a way of keeping things like that out of view. The only hockey-related thing on his mind now is Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals tonight, and the possibility of Williams' Carolina Hurricanes closing out the Edmonton Oilers and skating triumphantly around RBC Arena.

But there are still moments when the 24-year-old right winger wonders how he landed in Carolina.

"Yeah, I think of it sometimes, maybe a little bit. I wonder what went wrong," Williams said the day after scoring a critical goal in the Hurricanes' Game 1 comeback win over the Oilers.

Those moments to reflect came a little more frequently after his January 2004 trade to Carolina for defenseman Danny Markov. That was the season he had become an in-and-out player under coach Ken Hitchcock after 3 promising years with the Flyers that included selection to the Young Stars Game at the 2002 All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

This year has been a big one for Williams, one in which he proved he was the player everybody thought he was going to be when he was selected by the Flyers in the first round of the 2000 draft. Williams achieved a career-high 31 goals and 45 assists and earned a spot as the right winger on the top line. Williams is among the leading Carolina forwards in ice time with Rod Brind'Amour, another former Flyer, and is contributing big goals in the playoff run.

It was Williams' goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals that sealed Carolina's win over Buffalo, and his shorthanded breakaway goal in Game 1 of the finals was critical to the Hurricanes' comeback win.

In 22 playoff games this spring, Williams has six goals and 11 assists and is fourth on the Hurricanes in scoring.

"It's funny how things turn out and the way things go sometimes," Williams said. "I'm just fortunate to have been placed in this situation I am in. You can't ask for a better position than where I am right now, in the Stanley Cup finals.

"I still wonder about it," he said of being traded. "But on the other hand, it was a new page and a fresh start in my career. I couldn't have asked for a better situation, and the confidence they've shown me here that I can get the job done."

Former Flyers winger Mark Recchi, whose locker is just a few stalls away from Williams', remembers Williams as a rookie out of junior and thinks there was nothing that actually went wrong.

"He was young," Recchi said. "It happens. He took a little time to develop and he had a breakout year. He got a great opportunity, coming here.

"They really wanted him, they really liked him. It was a situation that was going to be a good fit for them and he has sure rewarded them this year with the way he's played."

Dave Brown returns

The Flyers announced the hiring former winger Dave Brown as director of player personnel, replacing Ron Hextall.

Hextall left the Flyers to become assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Kings. Hextall also will serve as GM of the AHL's Manchester Monarchs, the Kings' primary minor league affiliate.

Brown, 43, was the New York Rangers' head professional scout for the last 3 years. He was a Flyers assistant coach during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.

[swflyers25]

Flyers Sign Marty Murray

Center agrees to one-year contract

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with 5?9?, 180-pound center Marty Murray, according to club General Manager Bob Clarke. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.

?Marty played in Germany last season and he had been a very good player for us when he was here a few years ago,? said Clarke in making the announcement. ?We felt that the way he plays the game, with his brains and quickness, that he fits into the newer mold of a player that?s successful in the league now. Also, it gives us some comfort with Keith Primeau and Peter Forsberg and us not knowing about them (due to injury).

http://images.comcast-spectacor.com/flyers/story//17116.JPG
Marty Murray played for the Flyers from 2001-02 through 2002-03.

?There?s nothing not to like about Marty. He can play the power play, he can kill penalties, he can play wing. He?s better at center, but he can play anywhere. He?s just a complete player that was dragged down because of the rules. When the clutching and grabbing was going on, he wasn?t big enough to break through. In today?s game, he?s going to be a good player for us. I think he fits in with the new rules perfectly.?

?We?re overwhelmed,? said Murray. ?We?re completely excited to get back to Philadelphia. We loved our two seasons there, both my wife and I. We loved being a part of the Flyers organization. To get a chance to come back, we?re very happy and excited. It?s hard to put into words, but we?re looking forward to joining the Flyers again and doing the best we can.

?Before the lockout, I played in Carolina for a year, and then after the lockout, I ended up signing in Germany and I played over there last season. We enjoyed it, but we were hoping in the back of our minds that we might get a chance to come back into the NHL. Philly was, by far, the best place I?ve ever played and we?re very excited for the season.

?I think that me being a smaller player, that when players tried to get a hand on you or a stick, it was hard to get away from them. Now, they can?t do that anymore. Hopefully, I?ll be able to use my quickness and be able to be more creative and do whatever I can to help the team out in any capacity at all.?

Murray, 31, had seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points and 16 penalty minutes in 24 games for the Hannover Scorpions (Germany) this past season.

A native of Deloraine, Manitoba, Murray has registered 31 goals and 40 assists for 71 points and 37 penalty minutes in 242 career NHL games over parts of seven seasons (1995-96 through 1997-98 and 2000-01 through 2003-04) with the Calgary Flames, the Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. He was traded by the Flyers to Carolina in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft on June 22, 2003. In 150 regular season games over two seasons with the Flyers (2001-02 and 2002-03), Murray recorded 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points and 23 penalty minutes. He was signed as a free agent by the Flyers on July 9, 2001.

He was originally drafted by Calgary from the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League in the fourth round, 96th overall, of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. In four seasons with the Wheat Kings (1991-92 through 1994-95), Murray posted 132 goals and 260 assists for 392 points and 158 penalty minutes in 264 games. He was named to the WHL East First All-Star Team following the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and to the Canadian Major Junior Second All-Star Team following the 1993-94 season.

http://www.philadelphiaflyers.com/pressbox/archive/2640.asp

[swflyers25]

By WAYNE FISH
phillyBurbs.com

No one insists the Flyers are a candidate for ?Extreme Makeover,? but it's understood there's going to be more than cosmetic change in the offseason.

A team official says the approach will be somewhat ?aggressive? when the free-agent signing period begins on July 1.

But even before that, the Flyers have a chance to bring in some quicker, more skilled players in Saturday's NHL Entry Draft at GM Place in Vancouver.

The Flyers are loaded with picks, including a first-rounder (22nd overall), three second-rounders and an early third-round pick.

It's no secret they need to upgrade their speed and start developing some good young defensemen.

?I do think there are needs in our organization,? said Paul Holmgren, the Flyers assistant general manager who oversees scouting and talent evaluation. ?We lack young defensemen coming up. That would be an area we would look to firm up.?

The Flyers are hoping prospect Alexandre Picard breaks through to the NHL next season, as Freddy Meyer did this past campaign. But some of the other defense prospects have been slow in making progress.

The dilemma facing the Flyers, according to Holmgren, is that in the first two to three rounds ?it's a forward-heavy draft. So we might not be able to fill our needs in that regard. That said, you can't really go outside the box and pass up a young forward when he's staring you in the face.?

As for the ?new NHL,? Holmgren concedes that teams have to look at drafting a bit differently than the old way.

?It's opened the doors for a lot of players,? he said. ?Where in the past, players who were 5-8, 5-9, our amateur guys (scouts) wouldn't even look at them. I think you have to throw that theory out the window. Smaller players, whether they're gritty or have great speed, skill or hockey sense, they're in the mix.


?Every team has probably changed their scouting theories and the rules to go by.?

The quiet joke has always been that the Flyers like to draft big, slow players from western Canada. Regardless of the validity of that thinking, the Flyers know they have to start playing catch-up to Eastern Conference speedburners like Carolina, Buffalo and Montreal.

?In the past, maybe we've gambled on a guy that has good size, and you think he's going to come somewhere down the road,? Holmgren said, ?I'm not sure we can afford to do that anymore.?

Of course, Holmgren wouldn't divulge the group of players the Flyers are looking at around the 22 spot.

The Central Scouting Bureau has three defensemen listed as 20, 21 and 22 on their rankings. No. 20 is Mark Mitera out of the University of Michigan. No. 21 is Ty Wishart from Prince George of the Western Junior Hockey League and No. 22 is Brian Strait who's playing for the U.S. National Under-18 team.

They're all over 6-feet and weigh more than 200 pounds, so they won't be confused with Meyer. But they could add something to the Flyers' farm system and from there, who knows?

Holmgren said that despite the salary cap, the Flyers would like to keep all their picks.

?Ideally out of this draft, I'd like to utilize the picks we have to stockpile players,? Holmgren said. ?I think we're in a unique position with a 22nd overall, three seconds and an early third. That's five good, young players who can be part of the Flyers' organization who are close in age to [Jeff] Carter and [Mike] Richards. ... They have a chance to come up together and do some good things.?

Wayne Fish can be reached at 215-949-4215 or wfish@phillyBurbs.com.

June 20, 2006 4:47 AM

Phillyburbs.com (http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/101-06202006-672899.html)