Philadelphia Flyers are poised to another Cup run
Four years after the worst season in franchise history, which saw the Philadelphia Flyers finish last in the league with a meagre 54 points, the Flyers are now an Eastern Conference powerhouse and one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup in 2010-11.
General Manager Paul Holmgren has done a tremendous job building a Flyers club that is strong at both ends of the ice. With names like Chris Pronger, Mike Richard, and Jeff Carter, Philadelphia demands to be taken seriously next season.
Roster changes
The only major loss to the Philadelphia roster was Simon Gagne, who was traded as a salary cap dump, to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Matt Walker.
Holmgren was busy this off-season acquiring talent through the free agent market, signing veteran defenseman Sean O’Donnell, Jody Shelley, and sniper Nikolai Zherdev.
Forward
The Flyers have arguably the most potent group of forwards in the National Hockey League. There is no lack of scoring depth or defensive capabilities.
The first line will feature Richards at centre with Carter and Scott Hartnell on his wings. The second unit will start with Danny Briere at centre, with Nikolai Zherdev and youngster Claude Giroux on his flanks.
The third line will also bring a great deal of scoring talent with Ville Leino at centre, accompanied by sophomore Jame Van Riemsdyk, and Daniel Carcillo on his wings. The fourth and final group is expected to change throughout the season, nevertheless it is likely to start with Blair Betts at centre, and Darroll Powe and Jody Shelley on the sides.
Defence
On defence the Flyers are equally as impressive, with a good mix of veterans and young talent.
The first pairing will be Pronger with Matt Carle, while the second pairing will be made up of Kimmo Timonen, and newly acquired Andrej Meszaros. The final pairing should feature veteran O’Donnell and youngster Braydon Coburn. Matt Walker and Oskars Bartulis will stand by as quality replacements if there is an injury.
Goalie
The only question mark in the Flyers line-up is in goal. In the 2010 post-season Philadelphia got outstanding goaltending from both Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. However, they have both been back-ups for the past few seasons, and there are questions as to whether or not they can handle a full workload.
The two net-minders are expected to split time, and they should be well protected behind the skilled defence-core. Nevertheless, if both goalies start out the year slow, expect Holmgren to actively pursue an appropriate replacement.
Can the Flyers win the cup?
Last year Philadelphia came within two games of holding the League title, and in 2010-11 they should once again be in the thick of it, come the post-season.
Philadelphia is solid all over the ice. Up front they should have no trouble putting the puck in the net, as their first, second and third lines will take turns dominating in the offensive zone. At the back end they are hard to top; with veterans like Pronger and Timonen, Philadelphia will once again be tough to break down.
In 2010 the Flyers finished seventh in the conference and were not granted home ice advantage until they placed the eighth place Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final. Expect next season to be different. Philadelphia seems to have finally gelled as a group, and will be ready to play come puck drop in October. Home ice advantage can be expected for this club throughout the post-season.
If the Flyers can get solid goaltending throughout the year, expect them to settle in first or second in the East.
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