30 for 30 in 30 - Philadelphia Flyers

**AS OF TIME OF WRITING**

TJ Molland: The Broad Street Bullies are in the house! I have been looking forward to this one. I mean how can you not like their brand of hockey? Spear headed by Claude Giroux, the Flyers are a great combination of young and old, size and speed, skill and toughness. Although the departed Mike Richards and Jeff Carter did win a Stanley Cup (that actually really stings) you have to believe the deals the Flyers did to get rid of those players was worth it. They got rid of off-ice distractions while bringing in young capable talent. There are still some questions about this team and what they are really capable of though.

Their playoff defeat to the Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils left a lot of people scratching their heads. The biggest issue will have to be the fact they gave up 44 goals in their 11 playoff games. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov will shoulder some of the blame, but so will the suspect defense. Losing Chris Pronger to an eye injury/concussion really put a strain on a defense that just couldn't keep up with other teams at times. Poor decisions and suspect coverage forced Bryzgalov to face more quality chances than he was capable of stopping (when he was even stopping pucks). Pronger’s situation will ultimately decide what this team does back there. If he is unable to play again this year they have some cap space that they can use to make a run at a quality d-man, something that will absolutely need to be done.

The Flyers cap situation will be sticky this off-season. With only $9 million in cap space, GM Paul Holmgren will likely have to spend half of his cap room signing the 4 restricted free agents he has, most notably Jakub Voracek. He came over in the trade for Jeff Carter and will be looking for a raise on the $2.25 million he made last year after his 49 point regular season and 10 points in 11 games in the playoffs.

The worst part about being a Flyers fan though....Every summer.....EVERY SUMMER we have to question the goaltending. Flyers fans were so excited that they had finally signed a #1 goaltender in Bryzgalov and yet here we are a year later questioning the goaltending again....seriously.....someone must have really pissed off the goalie gods because this has been ridiculous for years....

Bik Nizzar: I’m going to compare this team to Edmonton for just a moment. I know I know, considering they’re basically at opposite ends of the spectrum of competing for titles. But it’s been long said about Edmonton that with all these young players, eventually there will come a time when they have to start re-signing them and it would chew up their cap. Welllll, Philadelphia is facing a similar predicament and this team is in such a precarious spot when it comes to their cap. Because they’re SOOOOO close to building something special, I kind of almost worry that this off-season they do something stupid when it comes to the cap.

They seemed to be linked to every big-name free agent, and there’s the remote possibility they somehow land Ryan Suter. Thanks to those trades they made with Carter and Richards it netted them 3 very good players in Sean Couturier, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn. Those 3, along with Claude Giroux, will be restricted free agents in two seasons. All are due for big raises, and when you figure they still need to sign Voracek and defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon this off-season, they have to be careful about how much cap they eat up before those 3 need to be resigned. Plus Matt Read and Scott Hartnell will be unrestricted free agents next summer. You don’t want to tie up too much money now because those pieces are going to be VITAL to success down the road. Not to mention GM Paul Holmgren LOVES to hand out big contracts and make big splashes. Case in point, Matt Walker is making $1.7 million in the AHL. I’ll now wait for you to google “Matt Walker”... here; I’ll help you, click here. Holmgren can be his own worst enemy right now because he has two off-seasons to get through and not logjam his cap for the 2014 off-season.

I know this team has always enjoyed having 3 scoring lines in the post-lockout era, but I don’t know if it’s sustainable given the amount of money they have committed, and are going to need to commit soon. This is why a guy like James van Riemsdyk might be a viable trade candidate, but they seem rather adamant about keeping him considering they drafted him 2nd overall in 2007, and haven’t really seen the greatest return on their investment. And also his shiny new 6 year, $4.25 million per year contract kicks in this season. Do you move JVR to save yourself from a potential landmine down the road?

TJ Molland: I had such high hopes for James van Riemsdyk. I really thought this past year was going to be his coming out party. I legitimately thought he could have 25 goals and 35 assists. Injuries derailed that train, and I am willing to give him another year. His contract is a bit much (and that is my peeve with Flyers management, too much $$$ just thrown about) for what he HAD done, but with his potential I get why they did it. Not saying I justify it but I see what they were trying to do. I wouldn't put him on the block yet, but I am not saying he is safe either.

Their cap situation is a mess. The reckless spending has to be stopped, because it will come back to bite them if they aren't careful. Like you pointed out, the summer of 2014 has three of the team’s best assets coming to restricted free agency (Giroux, Schenn, Couturrier). Variables over the next couple years will come into play of course but if these guys stay the course they could easily combine for +$12 million. If your spending isn't right at the time, that is a lot of dollars to try and just squeeze in.

It does seem like despite having no cap room what-so-ever the Flyers are always one of the teams that comes up when a big-name free agent is available....Or any big-name player at any time really...because who wouldn't want to play in Philly? I actually haven't heard Suters name so much as I hear Zach Parise's name.  It would be nice to add either to the mix, but it would be tough to sign either without first moving someone. That someone would probably have to be Andrej Meszaros. He doesn't have a no trade/movement clause and his salary is worth shedding. Either way they aren't just magically going to sign Parise or Suter. Something HAS to give first. Worth it for the Orange and Black?

Bik Nizzar: I know they want to make a high-profile move every summer, so I just cringe when you start to bring up Parise or Suter because of the implications it could have for the 2014 off-season. But if they are so inclined to make a big move, why not Rick Nash?

By all accounts the package to pry Nash out of Columbus is gigantic. So let’s work this out. They’ve got JVR at $4.5 mill per, $1.7 million backup goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky, who is also a RFA next season. Already that’s shedding some cap-space plus giving Columbus young assets to work with. So now let’s keep adding to it. It’s unlikely that they’ll be able to pawn off Meszaros as well to really free up space (but maybe Meszaros can be moved in another deal to make up the space), so perhaps current RFA Marc-Andre Bourdon, who played 45 games last season is an intriguing option for Columbus. I think with the depth the Flyers have, Bourdon will struggle to get ice-time at the top level, so a move to Columbus could be good for him. The Flyers already have 5 veteran d-man on the roster, not counting Pronger, and still want to re-sign Matt Carle... A young d-man with offensive upside could just be what the Blue Jackets want. Now that’s 3 pieces (holy jamoly it’s gonna take a lot to get Rick Nash), and lets finally add in 23 year old Erik Gustaffson, who has 33 NHL games under his belt. That’s a young winger to replace Nash, a young semi-proven goalie to compete with Steve Mason, and 2 young defensemen who have barely scratched their potential and are just starting to get their NHL feet wet.

That HAS to be enough to get Nash right? Would you do it?

TJ Molland: First answer, no. Second answer, no. Third answer NO. Why would you want to part with all these budding pieces to get one player, when you can trade those players in separate deals for other pieces then sign Parise at zero cost? Don't forget that Pronger, Kimmo Timonen and Andreas Lilja are all over 35. Meaning you need the young guys on defense to replace them in a couple years. Trading away all those assets sets you back a couple years.

I always look at the defense on paper and go "yeah, that looks good", but they never live up to that? Why is that? SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME!? OK, deep breathe......*inhale*exhale*..... Maybe another year of maturing will help…

I will also say I am not a fan of Rick Nash's contract ($7.6 mill per season). I think you can sign Parise for cheaper, meaning you don't have to shed as much cap for who I think is a more well-rounded player. They both are capable of 30+ goals a season, so why not get the guy that plays in all three zones, has a higher career best for points, and isn't known as a selfish player.

For the goaltending situation do you think Bryzgalov is the man? When he first signed I thought it reeked of desperation. After last years performance in the playoffs it sure looks like he was a beneficiary of the Dave Tippet system (from now on known as the D-Tip Effect) in Phoenix. Honest opinion (not that you ever hold back), is he capable of winning a Stanley Cup?

Bik Nizzar: Here’s my thinking: (since apparently I’m in 4th grade math and have to “show my work”) Since Nash is clearly an upgrade on JVR (you’re not going to try to dispute that are you?) and you don’t need Bobrovsky (I’ll get to that into more detail in a second), those are 2 pieces that equal $6 million right now. Tack on Bourdon and Gustafsson who will be about a million each, that’s now $8 million. PLUS you have to sign Bourdon this off-season and Gustafsson next season, so it could be more than what I’ve conservatively estimated. And the Flyers, to their credit, actually have some nice pieces coming up in their system, so losing 2 pieces in Bourdon and Gustafsson can be replaced. Former Chilliwack Bruin captain Brandon Manning recently signed a 3 year entry-level deal with them. He went undrafted but played 46 games in the AHL last season, as well as 4 games with the big club. Plus they draft 20th in the 1st round and if a player like Peterborough Pete’s defenseman Slater Koekkoek starts to slide, he could be the perfect addition to that team.

As for your stipulation of signing Parise and then move all those pieces separately, you inevitably are going to run into the same scenario if you move all 4 of those pieces. Eventually all those pieces you net are going to require contracts, and so while Parise is the superior player... you still wind up with a $7+ million winger, and now “x” amount of pieces that are chewing at your cap. Less is more by acquiring Nash.

Now onto the most entertaining part of this team, at least off the ice, Ilya Bryzgalov. This team needs to trade Sergei Bobrovsky. I think it’s the worst possible backup for Bryzgalov. I used to think Bryzgalov was SOOOO quirky that it was ok for him to be that weird. But now I legitimately think that he’s so quirky, that mentally it becomes a very unstable environment. And a young backup in Bobrovsky is not really the guy you want around Bryzgalov. And like it or not, you’re married to him.  Trade Bobrovsky, and bring in free agent Martin Biron. He’d be the PERFECT backup for Bryzgalov. He’d challenge Bryzgalov ENOUGH for the starting gig that Bryz could push himself but not feel totally threatened (think Brent Johnson 2 years ago with Marc-Andre Fleury. When Fleury faltered, Johnson spelled him a bit and let Fleury get his game back and eventually the starting gig back), he’s familiar with the franchise, and he’s supposedly a great teammate. This is an excerpt from John Tortorella speaking of Biron’s influence:

"The greatest thing about Marty is he's such a great teammate. He keeps the room loose. He's a veteran guy that understands his role, which is very important.”

He compliments Bryzgalov well and YOU WOULD HOPE hecan bring Bryz to an even-keel to keep his head on straight for when it matters... the playoffs.

TJ Molland: The point is you don't have to bring in roster players if you decide not to go for Nash and trade them elsewhere. Prospects and draft picks are viable options. And really you would only need to move one or two players instead of 4 or 5. Here let’s put it in your fourth grade math mode:

Flyers roster - Meszaros - Bobrovsky + draft picks + prospect + Parise

Is FAR greater tahn

Flyers roster - JVR - Bobrovsky - Bourdon - Gustafson + Nash

If anyone would rather do the latter option please, let me know. I am fired up and ready to go.

I love the idea of bringing in Biron. He would be the perfect backup to keep Bryzgalov focused but not let him get complacent. There was a point last year were Bryzgalov got real frazzled and was all caught up with the media. I was told that Coach Peter Laviolette pulled him aside and simply said "No more". No more media talking, no more nonsense. Stop pucks, do your job. And he went on to win 11 of his final 15 starts. UUUUGGGGHHHH But then the playoffs....Only once in his 11 playoff games did he allow less than 3 goals. ONCE......ONCE!!! (Why isn't there something larger than capital letters!?!)