jammer2

You still owe the player the money, but I believe he comes off the cap....I think...some guys have to be on the opening night roster to make a certain amount....if not maybe an AHL pro rated version of 1.1 mill even...

If the Flyers did go Griffin then maybe a deal can be worked out with often injured UFA Sami Salo. If you could get him for 2 years on the cheap it would make a pretty nice insurance policy on Timmonen getting hurt. Sami runs a nice pp when healthy. Another option, (although far less of a proven commodity) is Carlo Colavachio. This kid still has upside, would like to see what he would do surrounded with better talent. He's a UFA also.

I think it was in one of Metzler's columns draft tidbits....not sure but I remember reading the Flyers are targeting a specific player and may move up if he is still there at #6. My guess is either Griffin Rienhart or Morgan Riley. While it would be great to have the big physical presence of Griffin, the Flyers do have a long term problem with the power play point on the top unit. When Kimo goes next year, who will step into that role? Morgan Riley would be AWESOME in that role. Great offensive instincts....some would say electric skill set....pretty underrated through the whole draft process....was out most of the year with an injury. Still had 18 pts in 18 games this season. I can't WAIT for this draft!!

@radoran "what does Anahiem get out of this?" I've been wondering the same thing myself. To give up a 4 time 30 goal scorer for a guy who has cracked 20 only once (and just barely).....that is a either a awkward leap of faith or signifigant commodities go along with JVR. The 20th would go a long way to evening that trade up, with a mid-level prospect or lower draft pick finishing off the transaction. I'd rather throw in a Gustafson/Bartulis/Laurdenson (really any defensive prospect other than Boudon for me) than a young forward like Welly/Read/ or a Harry Z. I know you have to give to get, but keep our young wingers and even it out some other way.

@Digityman It's outrageous to even suggest waiving Bob, here we have a perfectly healthy commodity....this report makes no sense. Wondering if Steve Mason would be coming back in a potential Blue Jackets deal....if not who plays back up? Is Leighton the plan? LOL! Already let Vokoun and Lindback slip though our fingers (acquired for very reasonable low costs I might add)....who is left?

@idahophilly Always great to have Brian's astute hockey mind break down a situation. He added a lot of background info that was really helpful in forming an opinion on the topic. If he's positive about the situation as a whole, who am I to have a different train of thought? Metzler equates to a hockey genuis in my mind, for that reason alone, colour me cautiously optimistic on the Bryz front.

@TedZep It's almost like the hockey Gods have enforced some type of kharmic curse on us.....literally anyone we do not show undivided loyality to goes on to win the cup and rub it in our collective noses. I know other teams *must* have the same issues, having guys traded come back to show you up....but not to the extent it happens to the Flyers. It's uncanny....really. This large LA contigent just enforced what we already knew...we are cursed....lol.

@radoran In general, the Flyer fanbase is just as you describe, with a distinct " grass is always greener" type of mentality. Perhaps the extra player movement that came with he salary cap era has made us colder than usual. Everybody seems expendable in some way. Sign of the times I guess..... When pondering about the job our current GM has done, I wonder...does he have a master plan? Seems like he is kinda freestyling, by the seat of his pants and does not give enough forethought to the cap in a long term kind of way. I believe you are stating you don't make a deal just to make a deal, there has to be some kind of need or cap implication addressed. I wonder if Homer adheres to this line of thinking?

@OH1FlyersFan I'm thinking it's better to have longer road trips grouped together. Get the games and the travelling out of the way in one fell swoop.

@JackStraw That would have been AWESOME to see Bruce Jenner achieve that Gold Medal!! Wow, that is quite impressive, to have actually witnessed that piece of history.

I think most know, historically, I've been on the side of "don't trade JVR, have some patience". As the years pass by, and the uninspired play pro-longs, it only makes sense to entertain the thought of dealing him to upgrade a weak point on the team. As I see it, this is the year that determines whether JVR is a legit power forward or career 3rd liner. It would be a shame to be on the losing side of that proposition and have his value vastly diminish before our eyes. Is dealing him a calculated risk, yes....most certainly. But should it not be at least explored, the team would be having a disservice done to it. I'm thinking Homer knows this all to well.

@JackStraw So now we know, in this Olympic year, all future blood doping questions will automatically revert to the Straw man. Do you watch the Summer Olymics? I've split my vacation time this year between the Summer Olympics and NFL Sundays. I figure if somebody is going to train their whole lives for a particualr event, I'll watch with eyes wide open. In a lot of ways, politics aside, the Summer Olympics is sport in it's purest form. The best in the world doing battle with little or no cash involved. I'm really looking forward to the television coverage.

@Vanflyer I'm thinking also, the price to move up would be to steep. I'd stay in the same relative position and hope 3-4 teams mess up and go way off the charts, leaving an intended target for us to scoop up.

Sorry guys, read the damn chart wrong....http://www.hockeybuzz.com/cap-central/team.php?team=LA

@Podein25 Seen Tom Wilson play more than any other draftee (plays the Spits 10 times a year including exhibition), except the potential Spitfire draftees. Guy literally hits like a mack truck. Nice frame, nice skating for big guy, but his offensive upside is iffy. He could really develop in that aspect, could be a legit power forward, or he could be a bottom six guy if the offense does not come...therein lies the rub with Mr. Wilson. At the worst he will knock heads for you, but not many want to burn a top 1st round pick on sandpaper. That's more late first round. If he goes early, it's because somebody has faith the offense will come.

@hf101 I think one thing that *might* make Johnson a bit more expendable, the fact that the Aves found out Tyson Barrie can run a top power play at the NHL level.

This explains a lot, Johnathan Quick was shooting speed during the playoffs!!

@doom88 I know for myself, when I'm trying to squeeze JVR into every possible trade it's guarding against the worst case senario. That case would be that he flat out sucks next year and or get's hurt again and long term JVR saga develops where we can't give him away. We are Flyer fans, it's easy to anticipate something negative happening. It's in our blood....lol. So instead of that, we get a Eric Johnson or he's a big piece of a Ryan deal. Proven commodiites who will positevely impact the roster. Who knows, maybe JVR nets 25-30 next year and eventually turns into a 40 goal guy.....or just as easily can slip into hockey oblivion and bounce from team to team living off the potential he never reaizes. The odds are literally 50/50 of either scenario happening.....so it's just covering all the bases, as far as JVR goes.

Hmmmm, this changes things....maybe, just maybe he signs a one year contract, effecively bridging the gap to UFA status....then he signs a 5 year deal to play with the Flyers...I'd be ok with that! I can see him wanting the big bucks, and the way to that is a one year deal followed by a deal to take you to retirement.

@sarsippius A list of all NHL cover players for EA sports. Judging from the last few years, Stammer, Towes, Gretz, Kane (before or after the cabbie incident....lol?). Recent winners have been ok, but I do think there is a jinx in another EA sports game....wanna say NFL but not sure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHL_%28video_game_series%29#Game_covers

@hf101 I think Karlsson is a lock for 70+ points, a legit star who has not shown his true upside yet. He's much better than Green offensively. A superior shot and hockey sense. Much more polished than Green also....only thing I'd worry about is that frail looking body getting rocked by a vicious body check. Depending on who the Sens have on their top pp in the coming years, he could be the first d man to top 90 pts in over a decade.

@Mad Dog Helen St.James (great female hockey writer for the Detroit Free Press btw) touched on the Wings interest in Jagr in today's paper... http://www.freep.com/article/20120620/SPORTS05/120620037/detroit-red-wings-jaromir-jagr?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

@Mad Dog JVR himself is to blame, injuries are one thing, but even when healthy he plays like he does not love the game. Uninspired is the way I see it....except of course that brief stint in the playoffs last season. That showed us what he is capable of, so when he comes in under the bar of the standard he himslef set, well....that's on him. He needs to play with desperation....something we rarelly see from the kid, which makes me question how much he loves the profession he has chosen for himself.

This is a perfect deal for the Flyers, a dman with offensive and defensvie upside for our often injured and part time warrior. I"m ok with throwing in a bit more to even it out. Maybe we can kick out Carle if this deal happens before July 1st?

Scuderi is an RFA. After he won the cup in Pittsburgh he signed a 4 year deal with LA, which just expired. He got 3.4 mill a year, a pretty hefty haul for a defensive d-man. It really kinda set the bar for pure elite defensive players at the time. This time around, factoring in yet another cup on his resume, the fact he was the best defensive d-man on the Stanley Cup champions carries a lot of weight. I believe he'll get a 1.0 to 1.5 million dollar raise to the 4.5-5.0 mill a year territory. Again, I think he will set the bar for what defense first guys can ask for. Worth every penny if you ask me.