It’s no
secret that the Flyers have made a strong effort to change the identity of
their team. After two straight
losses to the Pengiuns in the playoffs, the first in the Eastern Conference
Finals and their latest Game 6 loss in which they blew a 3-0 lead,
the Flyers
are entering the 2009-10 with a whole lot of grit and little less flair.
The Flyers
top-six forwards are going to be counted on more than ever to pick up the
scoring without the likes of Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul in the lineup. I won’t even begin to guess what the
pairings will be on opening day but the top-six players returning will be lead
by captain Mike Richards and leading goal-scorer Jeff Carter.
Simon Gagne will be counted on for his
usual 30+ goals and the Flyers are banking on Danny Briere resembling the
player that posted a 95-point season with Buffalo just three years ago. With Scott Hartnell notching a career
best 30-goal season and the emergence of Claude Giroux in the second half, the
Flyers should be able to put the puck in the net.
The issue
with last year’s Flyers wasn’t their lack of goal scoring. They were just not a tough team to play
against from top to bottom and this has been addressed all over the ice. The Flyers acquired some scrappy
complimentary players in the off-season to match up with their current
roster. With Darroll Powe at
center and Danny Carcillo and the newly acquired Ian Laperriere at the wings,
the Flyers have a third-line not known for the goal scoring but rather their
ability to wear down their opponents with a gritty, lunch pail attitude.
There should
be some pretty good roster battles at camp for the fourth lines. Right-winger Aaron Asham should be a
lock and I would assume tough-guy Riley Cote will continue to be used in the
goon role. However, if some of the
younger guys like Andreas Nodl, Patrick Maroon and James van Riemsdyk can take
the next step, it may be difficult for the Flyers not to go with the cheaper
alternatives.
Lastly, if
the Flyers expect to have any success next season, they cannot afford to spend
most of their nights in the penalty box.
The Flyers added guys like Carcillo and Laperriere to be pests on the
ice, to frustrate their opponents with their hard work and force them into taking
stupid penalties.
If these guys,
along with Scott Hartnell are sitting in the sin-bin for ticky tack,
undisciplined penalties the Flyers are going to go through the same things that
happened last year and that is their best players being worn down because they
spend their night killing penalties instead of scoring on the Peco Power
Play. If they can stay out of the
box, I like their forwards entering 2009-10 season.
