Digityman

Regardless of which league the are playing in, who are your top three missed ex-Flyers still playing professionally?

1) Simon Gagne - Injury prone but on the left side of Giroux and Jagr? The man knows how to finish.

2) Patrick Sharp - Over the last four years he's averaging 60pts. Works the PK. Imagine him and Talbot on the PK?

3) Mike Richards - I still think without the weight of Philly (and Carter) on his shoulders he would have been fine here.

Hartford.

@Philly29

Glad you made it over. Let us know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Man, to this day I miss Gagne more than any other former Flyer. He really was my favorite, even more than Lindros.

I have to say he's number 2 on my list of most misses flyers. Good thread idea though

It must be weird for Talbot to being on a team and not getting a call for getting hacked in the face, when he used to be on a team that would get power plays from phantom calls.

Briere made note of that when he came here.

That's funny. Never thought about that

Follow-up

This is pretty funny.

Wow.

ps. I'm going to move this over to the Avs board but I'll leave a link.

I don't think the new vetran leaders would let them get in a funk like that

I didn't think that they would let that happen last year either. The only additions are Jagr and Talbot in the leadership positions really. Although I can't say enough about Talbot - regardless of his recent scoring. I think the Talbot signing will go down as one of Homer's best overall.

From Tim P:

Brayden Schenn was on the ice Wednesday for the first time in weeks with his Flyers teammates.

He was on the “Scratch Line” centering Jody Shelley (healthy) and Andreas Nodl (left knee).

Schenn has been skating for three days, but this was the first time the rookie has been with his teammates since suffering a fracture in his left foot on Oct. 26 at Montreal.

He’s missed eight games while being on long-term injury.

“The main goal is to get it better day by day,” said Schenn, adding he felt “pretty good.” “Obviously, no timeline. Hopefully, tomorrow it feels better.”

Schenn went hard in drills, too, but remains in a walking shoe off the ice.

“If I can’t go hard then there is no point in me being out there,” he said. “I feel pretty good. Really, all I can do is get myself back in skating shape. Hopefully, it continues to heal.”

Coach Peter Laviolette said he couldn’t read much into Schenn being on the ice given it was just his first time and it’s been a while since he last skated with the team.

“He’s a great kid, who works hard, and eventually, he will get back in there,” Laviolette said.

Schenn said while the doctors haven’t restricted him, he continues to exercise caution on the ice.

“I haven’t been skating on it a whole lot,” he said. “Just be cautious off the start and test it out every day. I wear the walking shoe and keep it on for extra protection and what not. Just keep on the rehab part of things until the swelling goes down.”

This has been a rough season for Schenn, with a left shoulder injury in training camp, then being sent to the Phantoms as a result of that plus salary cap issues in early October.

All of that came before the foot injury.

“It’s not the start I was looking for,” Schenn said. “I know there is a lot of hockey left to be played, a lot of games ... hit some right patches off the start here, but I think I can contribute to this team and get things out of the way.”

Again, there is no timeline.

“My job is to get myself ready to play a game,” he said. “Whenever that is, I will be ready.”

link

Saw this stat - On pace for 53G 58A 111P

Starts December 14th with a 12 minute promo airing either Thanksgiving night or the night after Thanksgiving.

The winter classic jersey will be unveiled Black Friday.

I wonder if Torts will beat Boudreau's f-bomb record.

@Vincent05

That's a good point. I didn't think about salary. Was just thinking about spots in general. I like how Z is playing. I can take or leave Rinaldo. Shelly/Rinaldo send down?? If that could happen it would be my first choice.

From Tim P:

A lot of people are wondering what it’s like for Ilya Bryzgalov to face his former club, the Phoenix Coyotes, on Thursday.

Danny Briere is an ex-Coyote who keeps regular tabs on these guys via the Internet and television.

The Coyotes are the fourth seed in the Western Conference with 21 points and are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games.

“I watched them play a little bit,” Briere said. “They’re a tough team to play. They don’t give you much. You have to work for everything. Especially on the road, they’re gonna keep it simple. They’re gonna play hard.

“It’s gonna be a tough test for us. Like you said, we don’t know them very much. We don’t see these guys very often, but they’re a hard working group and I expect a tough battle tomorrow.”

So what do you think it will be like for Bryzgalov?

“It’s always special when you play your ex-teammates,” Briere said. “Emotion is a little higher. He can’t do anything in the sense of scoring goals or hitting anybody or fighting. I’m sure he’s gonna be ready and he’s looking forward to the game tomorrow.”

Briere only has one friend left from his playing days in the desert.

“Shane Doan, and he was there even before I got there,” Briere said. “He’s not going anywhere soon. Besides that, you don’t see these guys very often. Just the way they play. Dave Tippett has a very stingy defense and tough to get through.”

Link

I think our leadership has been excellent, and from there it comes down to competitiveness. We've got a good group in there that really works hard.

That's a really refreshing comment from Lavy.

One has to think that he was really struggling last year with the locker room based on the information that has slowly leaked out.

With the leadership in place - Pronger, Timonen, Briere, Talbot and a few others, I'm hoping this team doesn't go into the traditional funk of Dec - Feb.

More physical players could pile in to them

So, say Rugby-isk?

The way JVR has been playing (possibly injury related), this could be a good time to sit him

This is my thought to. While sitting JVR for an extensive period wouldn't be the best thing for him, splitting a spot between Schenn and JVR until both really get going might not be a bad thing. A little pressure on both while not losing someone that is actually contributing.

Another good read:

Mention the name Ilya Kovalchuk within earshot of a Los Angeles Kings fan and get ready to run for cover. More likely (since it’s L.A., after all), an icy stare over a Gibson Martini.

Last year’s melodramatic on-again, off-again courtship of the supremely talented, yet enigmatic forward left a bitter taste in the mouths of Kings fans. Viewed as the perfect answer to a longstanding problem position (left wing) in Los Angeles, Kovalchuk ultimately spurned the team’s best offer and signed with the New Jersey Devils. The drawn-out process cost the Kings a shot at a viable alternative in free agency, leaving them undermanned throughout the year until the late-season acquisition of Dustin Penner — whom many would say left them even more undermanned, given his meager 2G, 4A output in 19 games and tepid start to the 2011-12 campaign.

With the offseason salary dump of Ryan Smyth, the arduous re-signing process of Drew Doughty, and the Kovalchuk-esque failed attempt to land Brad Richards, the last thing the Kings needed was another utter swing and miss at the left wing slot during the 2011-12 campaign. They already had one of the league’s best young play-making centers in Anze Kopitar, the 300 hit/57 point power forward Dustin Brown, a wily Cup-winning veteran right winger in Justin Williams, and had just completed a monster trade for one of the league’s elite 2nd line centermen in Mike Richards. The center and right sides of the top-six were complete. The only thing missing was sniper fire from the left.

Enter Simon Gagne.

Gagne had spent the previous season in Tampa Bay, playing with the likes of Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steve Downie, Ryan Malone, Teddy Purcell, and — oh yeah — some guy named Stamkos. The sheer array of offensive firepower helped lift the Lightning to the upper echelon of the NHL’s Eastern conference, where they made it all the way to the conference finals before losing to the eventual-champion Boston Bruins.

Despite the collective success, Gagne was unable to approach the individual statistics he had achieved during his first nine seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. Despite missing 132 games over that span, he nevertheless notched 20 more more goals seven times, including back-to-back 40+ goal seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Plagued by a recurring history of concussions, groin and other injuries, the concern was that the 31-year old Gagne was finally feeling the ravages of time. Even during his final season in Philadelphia he seemed a step behind his normal self, scoring just 17 goals in 58 games.

The injury history and depletion of his production likely limited the amount of suitors Gagne had when free agency arrived in the summer of 2011. Nevertheless, the natural fit with a young Kings team that badly needed his scoring ability was certainly an attraction, and with that, Gagne and the team ultimately agreed to a two-year, $7 million deal. Regarding his chances for success in a system devised by a coach he was extremely familiar with from his time in Philadelphia, Gagne said, “Coming back to the system that I’m used to playing, Murph [Terry Murray] was the coach for defensemen when he was in Philly, and his system is a little different than Guy Boucher. So going back to that system that I think I had a lot more success, maybe offensively, that might be something I’m looking forward to, to getting back to that. I know I had success with that, personally. So I’m really excited about that.”

Excited, too, are the Kings with the early-season results put up by their shiny new left winger.

Justin Williams combines with Anze Kopitar and Simon Gagne to produce a terrific top line in L.A.

Although initially slated to play on the team’s second line with Mike Richards and Dustin Brown, Gagne found his way onto the top line with Kopitar and Williams and hasn’t relinquished the slot since. Kopitar is off to one of the best starts of his career with eight goals and 13 assists, with Justin Williams tallying three goals and 11 assists to date. After last night’s goal and assist in the Kings’ 5-2 drubbing of the Minnesota Wild, Gagne now has six goals and five assists, which projects to yet another potential 30 goal campaign if he can remain healthy.

The operative word in that last sentence is if, as Gagne has only managed to miss fewer than ten games in just five of his previous seasons. However, his last concussion was over three years ago and his last groin injury was in 2009; those appear to be the only recurring significant injury types in a potpourri of otherwise-nagging one-off ailments. Furthermore, rule changes along with the league’s crackdown on head shots may extend his chances to make it through the season relatively unscathed.

All in all, the doctor has pronounced Gagne healthy this year, and with that, the Kings’ chances to ascend in the West are as healthy as ever before. Meanwhile, L.A. fans can’t help snickering over Ilya Kovalchuk’s misfortunes since joining New Jersey. Pour us another Gibson Martini, barkeep.

by: Walter McLaughlin

Good blog/article. Worth a read.

When he entered the league in 2002 as the 234th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Maxime Talbot appeared to be a player not destined for super stardom but rather a lengthy career in the AHL. In his first three seasons with the Pittsburgh organization Talbot went back and forth between the two leagues, making the most of his chances in the NHL when he got them. Finally during the 2007-08 campaign he became a mainstay and eventually proved to be an important puzzle piece for the Penguins.

This offseason, Talbot – who had called Pittsburgh home for seven years – was pursued by Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, as he thought Talbot would be a perfect fit for the team, due to his hustle and hard-nosed style of play. At 27-years-old, Talbot already had an NHL resume that some players can’t match in an entire career, which included a Stanley Cup victory where he scored two goals in the deciding game seven.

After the fire sale of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter this summer, the Flyers were in need of a solid center and began looking throughout the league. Holmgren might have had an eye for Talbot due to the frequency the two teams saw each other and the fact that he would often score big goals against the Flyers. Talbot had two game-winners against Philadelphia in his career, one of which came in game two of the 2008 Conference Finals – his first game back from a broken foot. Talbot decided to join the rebuilding Flyers, signing a five-year contract worth $8.75 million and so far the third line center has been worth every penny for the orange and black – the team he scored his first NHL goal against just six years prior.

Max Talbot

Max Talbot is exactly what Paul Holmgren and the Flyers hoped for since coming from Pittsburgh. (Dan4th Nicholas, Wikimedia)

Flyers fans didn’t immediately warm up to Talbot, for much of the same reasons Philadelphians couldn’t get used to Jaromir Jagr – they simply connected him with their cross state rival. He had played so long for Pittsburgh that fans couldn’t warm up to him because of his past. It would take time for fans to not only get used to Talbot but begin to embrace him, much like many of the other new acquisitions.

Coach Peter Laviolette has constantly experimented with Talbot, bouncing him between the third and fourth lines, while also having a revolving door of linemates thanks to injuries and chemistry. Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds have split time on the right wing, while Laviolette has recently mixed in the rookie duo of either Harry Zolnieczyk or Matt Read. Talbot has proven he can get it done, no matter who’s on his line.

Despite the fact that he takes a minimal amount of shots, he currently leads the team in shot percentage at 33.3%. In 14 games, Talbot has eight points – five goals and three assists – and is on pace for a career high in both goals and points. It seems highly unlikely that he wouldn’t surpass his eight goal total from last season with the Penguins.

But his play translates to more than just paper.

Talbot brings lots of energy each and every shift and has been one of the better penalty killers in the NHL the past two seasons, an asset the Flyers certainly needed after the departure of Richards and the loss of the injured Blair Betts. He has also proven to be a natural leader, a guy teammates can look to at crucial points in a game. It’s rare that after just one month a new player will wear the “A” but when team captain Chris Pronger went down with an eye injury, Talbot earned the letter and became an assistant captain.

Probably the best thing for a coach like Laviolette, who constantly revamps lines is that Talbot can play all three forward positions and shoots left. This is certainly an added bonus especially when the injury bug begins to hit typically in January. Sometimes it is Talbot who is bit by that bug, though. He has been labeled injury-prone throughout his career and has only one played one complete season. The Flyers hope that is not the case this season, as Talbot could prove to be one of the most important pickups the Flyers made this offseason.

Right now he is probably the most important Flyer no one knows, as he is still flying under the radar Philadelphia.

by: Ed Miller

the races that have a clear winner by the faceoff dots are not the ones that cause injuries, the really close ones are.

That's exactly the good point. Nobody can call the tight races AND it can factor into the game. Leave it alone. To many freakin rules in the NHL as it is.

Maybe we can trade them Bob and get Carter back?

I'm not sure just Bob gets it done. Maybe Schenn + Bob.

Make it happen Homer.

(sarcasm)

One key home run in the WS doesn't equate to Sportsman of the YEAR.

Excellent point

@

Stay behind the red line until the puck crosses what line? The red line? Blue line?

That starts looking similar to basketball then.

2 options in my mind -

1) Move icing from the red line to the blue line. When coming out of their own zone, they only have to gain their own blue line. That removes the 1 forward from the trap basically.

2) Coaches need to figure out how to beat it.

I bet you G doesn't make quite a big step this year without Jagr.

Absolutely. He's second in point and goals. Maybe that was Homer's plan?

I guess I've been officially converted to a Jaromir Jagr fan

Shocked.

When I read that before the season even started he asked Homer for a full access to the skating rink 24/7, that told me right there that the guy is committed, and committed seriously.

This still blows my mind. Just his work ethic alone with have a lasting impact on this group of young players.