The Flyers and the NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL trade deadline is less than one week away and the Philadelphia Flyers and General Manager Paul Holmgren have already made a huge splash in the trade market in the past week. On February 16th, Holmgren acquired defenseman Nicklas Grossman from the Dallas Starts for a 2nd round pick in 2012 and a 3rd round pick in 2013. On February 18th, Holmgren bolstered the defense again by acquiring defenseman Pavel Kubina from the Tampa Bay Lightning for minor leaguer Jon Kalinski, a 2nd round pick in either 2012 or 2013 and a 4th round pick in 2013. Kubina won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning and is a right-handed defenseman that can play the power play and the penalty kill. Grossman is a pure stay at home defenseman and is a perfect defensive partner for Andrei Meszaros because of Meszaros’ ability to get involved in the offensive side of the game. Both Grossman and Kubina are big bodied defensemen at 6’4’’, who like to take the body and promote fear on the Flyers’ blueline.

After two shaky starts by Ilya Bryzgalov at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins and on the road against the Winnipeg Jets in which he allowed seven goals on thirty-nine shots, which is a save percentage of only .820. This is not what you expect from someone who you are paying 5.66 million to for the next eight years after this year with a full no movement clause. Due to Bryzgalov’s shaky play, there are rumors circulating that the Flyers are looking to add another goaltender to help down the stretch run and possibly into the future. A couple of names that are being thrown around are Steve Mason from the Columbus Blue Jackets, a former Calder Trophy winner, Jonathan Bernier, perhaps one of the best non-starting goalies in the NHL because he is behind All-Star Jonathan Quick on the depth chart in Los Angeles and the asking price would be one or two of the Flyers young scoring wingers like James van Riemsdyk or Jakub Voracek, and Evgeni Nabokov from the New York Islanders, a veteran goalie who has had more playoff experience than any of the aforementioned goalies.

The biggest rumor going on in the hockey world right now is Rick Nash to pretty much any team with a lot of young assets. Of course, the Flyers have been rumored to be in on the Nash sweepstakes despite offensive depth not being a big need within the Flyers organization. Although you could also make an argument that Nash playing with Claude Giroux would be a perennial 100 point scorer. Holmgren and Columbus general manager Scott Howson had a 45 minute meeting prior to the Flyers game Saturday against the Penguins, which we can only assume the meeting was about the asking price for Nash.

The reported asking price for Nash was goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, forward James van Riemsdyk, a 1st round pick, and either Sean Couturier or Brayden Schenn. Holmgren could not part with either Schenn or Couturier in the deal. That is a king’s ransom for Rick Nash when you consider that he only averages about 58 points a season, has only exceeded 70 points in a season only once, and has a cap hit of 7.8 million dollars per year until 2018. Couple that with the fact that Nash has only played four career playoff games and despite his veteran status, he has less playoff experience than most of the Flyers’ roster. Along with the Flyers, the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Toronto Maple Leafs were among the teams in running for Nash’s services. You could argue that Holmgren did not have any interest in Nash and was just trying to drive up his market price to get the Rangers or another team to overpay for his services.

In conclusion, the Flyers have improved their team for the impending playoff run without sacrificing their young core group of players and continue to let them develop. The key is to get everyone healthy, have Bryzgalov and Bobrovsky to start to play better and more consistent, and to just get into the playoff playing the best hockey your team can play by battling through every shift. The 2009-2010 Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs on the last day of the season and came within 2 games of winning the Stanley Cup and if Michael Leighton does not let up the softest goal in Stanley Cup Finals history, who knows what could have happened.