So what do you think of the new Flyers tagline?

"Hungry for more."

Meh, I liked "Back with a Vengeance" better; it was more kick ass. This new one kinda reminds me of a candy bar commercial or something. But hey, whatever, I still love my boys.

Also, there's a pretty great video up on the official site, where Jim Jackson reviews last year's season. Sigh.

So as far as I know, we're still a mil over the salary cap, yea? I wonder if Hatch is done then? Or gonna be on injured reserve. I'm also hearing Simon is a-okay and totally gearing to come back...WITH A VENGEANCE. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Needless to say, I srsly can't wait for the new season. Hockey withdrawal fails.

To Stay Or Go: Veterans Weighing The Option To Retire Against Another Run In The NHL

Mats Sundin Photo Credit: sportsnet.ca

All athletes are eventually faced with deciding whether they are capable both mentally and physically to return for another run in the sport they love, or simply hang ‘em up and call it a career. With the Brett Favre and Roger Clemens' of the world, retirement isn't as final as it used to be. However, any player that has to come to grips with the closing of his career wants to face the unenviable predicament as few times as possible.

Three of the greatest talents to ever apply their craft on NHL ice currently remain in limbo about their future in the sport, while another is certain he will return but is in no rush to ink a new deal. Mats Sundin, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg have made it quite clear that they're taking their time in this truly life-altering decision. Meanwhile, Brendan Shanahan has made it known that he wants to play another year and preferably with the New York Rangers, yet will be patient and is willing to sign elsewhere if continuing his career on Broadway is not in the cards.

The most prolific of this bunch is Sundin. As the NHL turned toward the free agent frenzy of the summer on July 1, one of the most sought after players was Sundin. In addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs, several teams came out the chute offering big money deals to the 37-year center, including a reported $20 million offer over two years from the Vancouver Canucks. At the end of the day, though, Sundin stood pat in his stance to take his time and didn't jump at the first top-notch contract to come his way. Insane or not, it's August 26 and the Swedish forward remains a free agent. And despite claiming that he would make a decision by August, I don't think there's going to be one for at least another week or two. He could reasonably take this to the start of training camp.

I don't think there's any doubt that Sundin still has the talent to be a prolific center in the NHL. Just last season with the Maple Leafs, he posted 78 points and 32 goals, which marked the 15th time in his 17 NHL seasons that he put up over 70 points (the other two were his rookie season and the lockout year in 1994-95.) He still possesses great scoring and playmaking ability even in his elder years and is one of the most respected leaders in hockey. Though I question his character somewhat for refusing to be moved at the trade deadline last year yet appearing to be on his way out of Toronto this summer, I have to admit Sundin is an asset for whatever team scores him if he chooses to return.

I believe Sundin will return to the NHL for next season. He has too much left in the tank, and too much money sitting on the table, to opt for retirement right now. And while it's hard to judge exactly where his head is at, the one thing that should take No. 1 priority for Sundin when choosing a team is how likely it is to contend for the Cup next season.

The only publicized offer for Sundin came in the form of that $20 million deal over two years with the Canucks. A tempting offer, I'm sure, I don't think $10 million a year is going to be enough to entice Sundin into playing for a squad that has little chance of making anything out of the 2008-09 campaign, and presumably the year after, as well.

I highly doubt, however, Sundin is going to jump at a deal worth anything significantly less than that deal from Vancouver. I'm sure that when he does choose a team, it's going to cost at least $7.5-8 million per season on a one- or two-year contract, which takes salary cap considerations into account for all reportedly interested teams.

At the forefront is the New York Rangers, who could use another top six forward but only possess about $2 million in cap space at the moment. To move at least $6 million is going to be damn near impossible for the Rangers. Philadelphia has also come up as a team with some interest, but they're about $4.5 million over the cap limit and need to get rid of some players before even being legal for the 2008-09 season. Toronto remains in the loop and has about $7.5 million in cap space to spare, but Sundin doesn't want to head back to the Maple Leafs, otherwise he would have done so early in free agency. The team that traded for his rights prior to July 1, Montreal, is also apparently out of the mix for his services.

The Colorado Avalanche have recently come out as a team of interest. Of course, he is merely a backup plan for the Avs pending Joe Sakic's decision, which should come during a Thursday morning news conference.

Unlike Sundin's situation, Sakic is a one-team man. If he laces the skates for another campaign, it will be for Colorado – the franchise, Quebec included, where he has played his entire 19-year NHL career. Like Sundin, though, Sakic certainly has enough talent remaining in his aged body (39 years old) to give the Avs another run as a top line center.

Unfortunately, last season was not one of Sakic's healthiest. After missing just one game between the 2003-04 and 2006-07 campaigns, he sat out 38 contests last year courtesy of hernia surgery. In his 44 games played, though, he posted 40 points and is just two years removed from a 100-point season in 2006-07. I don't think it's a guarantee that Sakic will be an everyday player in his 20th season. But when he hits the ice, he can lead the Avs toward contention for the Stanley Cup.

And I think that Sakic's announcement Thursday morning will be one that pleases the faithful fans in Colorado. Injury aside, Sakic was still a valuable asset late in the season and in the playoffs and didn't appear to suffer any major setbacks in his typical game-changing ways. Thus, the only thing that I feel would tilt Sakic's decision toward retirement – health – shouldn't play a factor and I anticipate he'll be donning a Colorado sweater come the drop of the puck in October.

While bringing Sakic back is a no-brainer for the Avalanche, who have plenty of cap space ($10.6 million) to accommodate him, the same cannot be said for Forsberg.

Peter Forsberg Photo Credit: sportsreport.freedomblogging.com

For the past few years, Forsberg has been a pain in the butt to track. While certainly among the elite of the elite as far as talent goes, Forsberg is an injury-riddled mess that cannot be counted upon as a healthy asset at any point in the season. What's worse with Forsberg is that one day he might feel fine, yet the next day is a complete disaster and he's out for an unknown amount of time. Simply put, it's a risky venture entering the world of Forsberg.

The most recent happenings to Forsberg are also pretty inconsistent. A month ago, it was determined that Forsberg would need to rehab his right foot and wouldn't even think about re-entering the NHL until Christmas. Yet early this month, he played a charity game with his team in Sweden and scored a hat trick.

And that's really the problem with Forsberg – he's unpredictable. It's really unfortunate because he is such a talented center. Even in his very limited play last year with the Avs, Forsberg posted 14 points in nine regular season games and added five points in seven games during the postseason. At least as a playoff asset, he's one of the finest the NHL has ever seen. But that nagging foot injury, on top of groin problems, is extremely risky for both Forsberg and any team looking to pick him up.

With that said, Forsberg has proven himself time and time again to be stubborn. The man probably should have retired a year or two ago, yet he keeps coming back for more punishment. Call him a warrior or just plain stupid, but he seems determined to play even if it's extremely limited. And I think that trend will continue for the 35-year old Swede next year.

Forsberg will likely play a Scott Niedermayer and sit out for a good portion of the season before deciding to re-join the league. A spot on the Avs is far from guaranteed, I'm sure. But if he's willing to come back cheap like he did last year for the Avs at just over $1 million, then I can't imagine they would turn him away. There will probably be more interest, including from the Flyers and probably Toronto, but I think Colorado will be the most likely destination if, or really when, Forsberg chooses to come back after the New Year.

Shanahan's commendable patience certainly won't last that long. Injuries won't bar him from returning right away and he's focused on giving it another run in the NHL. The 39-year old winger has his sights set on one more season with the New York Rangers. However, if general manager Glen Sather can't figure out a way to get him on the roster, which would be further hindered if he pursues Sundin, then Shanahan will seek employment by another team.

One of those other teams that has an interest in Shanahan is the John Davidson-run St. Louis Blues. No formal contract has been offered by Davidson to Shanahan, who played with St. Louis from 1991-1995. But he put the option out there to Shanahan's agent Rick Curran. And if the Rangers continue to stall and don't bring Shanahan back, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't strongly consider another run with the Blues.

I do, however, believe Shanahan will be back on Broadway. He feels like he has unfinished business in the Big Apple and the Rangers could use his leadership and top six forward ability. Shanahan will need to take a pay cut and Sather will still need to do some maneuvering to make the necessary cap room. But at the end of it all, I anticipate the two sides figuring something out to reach their mutual goal – partnering up for one more season.

From 411mania.com

Veteran NHL defenceman Bryan Berard will attempt to make an NHL club on a tryout contract, after being invited to training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers.

"Bryan has been around a number of years now (and) he has been a good defenceman for quite some time," said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. "I'm excited about Bryan's willingness to come here on a tryout. It will certainly pick up the competition level of what is going to take place in training camp." Full Story

Whats the harm? If he bombs his tryout, its no loss to us, but if he is viewed as an improvement to someone who is on the main roster, its just an added bonus.

I also wanted to make note of the fact that all my buttons for blog linking sites were gone when I switched to a one-column theme, and now I am to lazy to go retrieve all the codes. Hopefully I won't be here much longer, because I have applied to SBNation.com to write about my beloved Flyers, but don't get to upset, I still have some plans for this blog should they take me as a writer.

39 days..

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren on Tuesday spoke with Comcast SportsNet regarding unrestricted free agent center Mats Sundin. Sundin, who has spent the last 13 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has yet to decide if he will continue his stellar career.

“Obviously a player of Mats Sundin’s stature…he’s been a tremendous player for a long time,” said Holmgren. “He’s a free agent, and we’ve made inquiries as to his status. We don’t know whether he’s going to play or not. I think Mats is still trying to decide that in his own timeframe. But, if he wants to play, we’d certainly have an interest in seeing if we could fit him in.”

Fitting Sundin in under the salary cap would be the tricky part for Holmgren, should it come to that. The general manager did say, however, that he would not mortgage the future for a short term addition.

“We wouldn’t want to do anything to disrupt our long term plans here,” he said. “Other than kicking the tires and sticking our toe in the water, that's all we're doing right now. Full Story

This would be a bad move. There is no way that we would be able to get Sundin without dumping someone like Joffrey Lupul or Jeff Carter, both of whom I would never trade away just to have Mats Sundin for a year or two.

To justify why I don't want him even more, we have Daniel Briere, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Glen Metropolit down who share the same position as Mats. Richards and Carter need to log a fair bit of time this year too, so that they can evolve into their roles with the team sooner than later.

Please, don't do it Paul.

by John Ryan

With today’s signing of Theo Ratliff to a one-year contract, the 76ers have brought back an integral member of their group that led resurgence in the early part of this decade. Ratliff wasn’t the first (and won’t be the last) former athlete to come back to Philadelphia for a second go-round. Here are some of the more notable names that have had successful (or not so successful) returns to Philadelphia.

Memorable

1.)   Mark Recchi – Still had his scoring touch when he came back later in his career.

2.)  Jeremiah Trotter – When he came back the super bowl year, he went from special teams player to starter to pro bowler. He also netted himself a nice new FA deal.

3.)  Ron Hextall – The Flyers were kings (especially Bobby Clarke) at bringing back their former stars for another try. This move, despite some criticism, led to continued success for the organization and another Stanley Cup appearance.

4.)  Hugh Douglas – It only last one season, but when he came back after a disastrous stint in Jacksonville, he had a nice year in a reserve role and helped the Eagles depth along the all-important D-line.

5.)  Larry Bowa – True, he didn’t come back to play, but he was a darn good manager. Disagree? That’s not totally outlandish, but consider this: Until the nucleus of Lieberthal/Abreu/Burrell was broken up, Manuel didn’t get them to the playoffs either. The teams Bowa had were serial underachievers (and poorly constructed by Ed Wade). Also, Bowa made the Phillies relevant again after the city practically gave up on them. Not making the playoffs is what ultimately killed him, but he got them to a winning record in 2001 for the first time since 1993, and made the Phils relevant enough to 1.) Sign Jim Thome 2.) Get funding for a new ballpark 3.) People to CARE again!

Forgettable

1.)  Andy Ashby – The Phils re-acquired him for (yuck) a young Adam Eaton in order to solidify their rotation and put a veteran presence in there who actually was effective and not just an “innings eater.” Instead, he was a disaster, and will always be remembered for his one famous action toward the fans. A jackass if there ever was one, and a non-effective one to boot!

2.)  Moses Malone – Was a shell of his former self when he finally came back, and his 76ers were nowhere near the team they were when he was here the first time.

3.)  Adam Eaton – His second stint here, no matter how brief his first one lasted, has been a disaster since day one. He was awarded in 3 year deal from new GM Pat Gillick and has had less than a dozen quality starts in one and a half seasons.

4.)  Ruben Amaro, Jr. – I once told Ed Wade, when he asked me if I remember Ruben from his playing days, “I remember both stints.” What I didn’t tell Ed was how forgettable both stints really were. Boy he was bad, but the Phillies always liked him and always bring back stiffs if they’re friends of the organization. Now this desperate fan base can only hope he doesn’t destroy the team after Gillick retires. As of right now he would seem to be the front-runner. But here are some facts about Amaro that don’t exactly earn him any of my non-counting votes: 1.) He talks to fans like they know nothing. He talks as if him and only him knows a thing about baseball. Wrong city for that, Rub. 2.) He has a cockiness about him for someone that never did anything athletically or professionally. Again, wrong city Rub. 3.) He’s done nothing to garner any confidence from anyone here except continually isolate fans like most members of that organization. Like most effective players the Phils never land, Ruben always says one of two things 1.) “We kicked the tires and couldn’t find a match” or 2.) “We weren’t interested”. Great! Ladies and Gentlemen your Philadelphia Phillies GM for 2009!

5.)  Doug Glanville – Is it any wonder that the Phillies lead this portion of the list. Again, another favorite of management mostly because of his Penn ties, and another stiff. Nice guy, but a stiff of the highest degree.

Ok, so in the considerable time since i last updated you, Mr Sundin has yet to decide on where his future may lie. Recent newspaper reports have suggested that the two teams Sundin would like to join are the Rangers and my Flyers. This is highly surprising news to me, i don't see the need for the Flyers to go after any more forwards (even if they are as good as Mr Sundin) and even if we want to, we're in no cap situation to do so. Pretty much the only way he could sign with us is if we do some serious cap dumping somewhere. Oh, hello Florida, you want Knuble and Hatcher? The ever-reliable Eklund has stated recently that Sundin would be willing to play for a cup-contender for as little as $2m though, so there could possibly be legs to this. One thing that this piece could serve to do is eliminate the Canucks from the running, although i find it very hard to believe anyone could turn down $20m for two years work.

In other news, John 'the baker' Stevens has signed a 2-year contract extension with the Flyers. He was recently awarded the 'coach of the year' award by the Hockey News for his efforts in guiding the Flyers from 30th to the conference finals in only one year. I'm still highly sceptical in his ability, he did very well in the play-offs this year, out-couching both Boudreau of the Ovechkins and Carbonneau of the Canadiens despite missing Gagne for the entire run, but he really ought to have performed better in the league, and he was also the man who ran rule over the side who finished bottom with Forsberg. He's also over-seen two 10-game losing streaks. The question you need to be asking is, should a side with forward ranks of a high enough depth to be able to put Jeff Carter and RJ Umberger on the third line really be expecting any less than we got? Still, Hitchcock was fired a matter of months after an extension, so you can't read too much into this.

The Jay Bouwmeester saga runs on. He has signed a one year, $4.85m extension to his current Florida deal, but this will obviously expire next summer and crucially, will make him a UFA at the end of it. Interested teams are touted to be the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and (you've guessed it), the Philadelphia Flyers. After losing Sundin, the Leafs desperately need a star and Bouw would meet the bill perfectly. Ottawa are looking to replace Wade Redden, after the left-handed defenseman went to the Rags. The only team who doesn't really fit is the Flyers. We would like Bouw, but with Coburn and Timonen already there, we don't really [i]need[/i] another top-pairing defenseman.

Alex Radulov has made some pretty interesting comments to the papers this week regarding the NHL poaching players from the Russian leagues. The most interesting quote is as follows:
"The NHL for 15 years has brought young players from Europe, first and foremost from Russia," Radulov said, via a translation on Russianprospects.com. "I think that it is time to end this. Simply put: (It's) time to stop robbing us."
Wow. People living in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks at greenhouse manufacturers. Nobody was stopping you from taking the 25k per year in the Russian leagues were they Al? How much of the $1m you earned from the Preds last year did you pump into the Russian league to stop this 'injustice'? Nobody is putting a gun to their head and making them sign in the NHL, it's personal choice. Eejit.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Ryan Whitney is facing 3-5 months on the sidelines. This probably means Goligoski makes the team, which shall be interesting.

Finally, professional clown Sean Avery has come out saying he isn't impressed with the Rangers spending policy. Whilst he got a good move to Dallas, i sense a little bitterness here Sean.

First of all, I don't think that the Flyers will sign Mats Sundin.  There simply isn't cap space to make it happen.  More importantly, the Flyers strength at center leaves Holmgren without a reason to gamble on trades up front.  Without a solid piece for long-term use coming back, the Flyers aren't going to shuffle the deck.

Secondly, I don't want Mats Sundin.  It's not a question of talent or skill - Sundin remains one of the NHL's top centermen.  But given his age, his unpredictable decision-making, and his unproven winning ability, he's not worth sacrificing Jeff Carter and a winger - probably Scott Hartnell. 

Sometimes it's worth leaving a group with proven chemistry on the ice together rathern than disrupt it with a big-hame star.  This is one of those times.

Pics
My Full Set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/sets/72157606797506365/detail/

Erica's Full set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickilynn7/sets/72157606793694253/detail/

ok now down to business. Shout out Sojer, Amanda, Arlene, Brenda, Ryan, Mr Hockey, SuperFan, Joyce, Steve, Roseann, Erica, Jessica, Sandy and The NY Briere fan (I am so sorry I forget your name).  Anyone else I am forgetting that I talk to since I talked to sooo many people today.

Erica and I arrived about a quarter til 1.  there was a line from the door to almost the edge of the parking lot.  I was very excited to see such a great turn out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2772465647/in/set-72157606797506365/

They split the line A-m and N-z, this caused me and Erica to be split up for the whole first 2 hours of the event.
It was so crowded as you went in the door you were instantly in the Autograph Line.  I bought a T Shirt to have signed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2773394912/in/set-72157606797506365/

I thought there was great support from the Flyers and Phantoms

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2772485293/in/set-72157606797506365/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2772485687/in/set-72157606797506365/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2772486067/in/set-72157606797506365/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2773351416/in/set-72157606797506365/

The turn out was just fabulous as you could hard walk anywhere.  My friends all grabbed some tables on the porch area and we recounted our events together.
Then we got pictures with some of the players before going up to listen to who the winners were of the prizes and auction items.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2772513801/in/set-72157606797506365/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2773363184/in/set-72157606797506365/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2773363528/in/set-72157606797506365/

It was a great day.  The event was really well done and it was for a very special cause.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2773363976/in/set-72157606797506365/

Instead of listing these in a sensible order, I'm just going to run through them in a chronological order of when I found them.

--

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced their new radio partner (WBS.com).  The new flagship for the Baby Pens will be The Mountain 102.3 FM.

--

Gary Roberts is old...very old (Lightning.com).  Yea, he's super-human.  But we've seen this story before.

--

A little bit of why the NHL needs to Olympics (Fitzpatrick).  Kind of a no-brainer...the whole world is watching.

--

Toronto's Bryan McCabe has apparently waived his no-trade clause (Sportsnet.ca).  Rumors were that he was going to the Florida Panthers, but this today silenced those rumors a bit.

--

TSN has decided to launch a second network, TSN2 (Going Five Hole).  It wil be basically the same thing as ESPN2 here in the US.

--

FSN Pittsburgh is broadcasting specials centered around the grounbreaking of the new arena.  You can find the broadcast schedule on its Facebook page.

--

Even though I don't think he will get in nod to start in Colorado at the beginning of the season, Andrew Raycroft insists he's ready to go and ready to compete (Denver Post).

--

Aaron Downey is close to re-signing with the Detroit Red Wings (Detroit Free Press).  I don't know how they sign all these guys and still stay under the salary cap.

--

After taking the Flyers to the Eastern Conference Finals, John Stevens received a two-year contract extension (Philadelphia Daily News).

--

Interesting piece here.  The Hockey News ranked the six NHL divisions.  The Atlantic Division was ranked the second toughest.

--

College hockey has adopted the shootout (College Hockey News).

--

Once again, sorry this was so short and sweet.  Next week should be an easier week to get news up in a timely manner.

Lets Go Pens.

~Chris @ Pittsburgh Puck Talk

Sans aucun doute cette nouvelle montre la porte de sortie à Patrice Brisebois.

Ainsi le Canadien a mis sous contrat le joueur autonome Chad Anderson. Le défenseur de 26 ans a paraphé un contrat d'un an à deux volets.

La saison dernière, l'athlète de six pieds quatre pouces, 217 livres, a amassé 13 points et passé 55 minutes au banc des pénalités avec les Panthoms de Philadelphie. Il a terminé au deuxième rang de la formation la saison dernière avec un différentiel de +11.

De 2003 à 2007, le joueur originaire de Chisago, au Minnesota, a joué dans la Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) avec les Seawolves de l’Université Alaska Anchorage. Anderson a accumulé 49 points (16 buts, 33 passes) et récolté 215 minutes de pénalité en 138 matchs lors de ses quatre saisons passées avec les Seawolves.

La trouvaille du siècle!!!

Je rigole un peu.  On attend tous Mats Sundin et on nous sert un joueur de plan C...

En terminant, je sais que Bob Gainey ne semble pas trop porter les francophones dans son coeur mais un appel à Yanic Perreault pourrait être intéressant.

Entre vous et moi Perreault ne peut pas faire pire comme joueur que le très immobile Bryan Smolinski ou encore Tom Kostopoulos.

Gagne certainly would be the "free agent signing" of the year, if he returns healthy.  The addition of Gagne gives the Flyers two snipers (Gagne, Lupul), two playmaking centers (Briere, Richards), a scoring/checking center (Carter), and two gritty wingers (Knuble, Hartnell).  Add to that the speed and snarkiness of Upshall, the quick skating and playmaking abilities of Claude Girous, and the snarl and board-work of Steve Downie, and you've got quite a top 9 on the roster.

Being a relatively young fan (let's just say I would have had the same draft year as Richards and Carter), Gagne is the first player I have watched from development through his entire NHL career.  I can remember his draft day - the same draft in which Vinny Lecavalier was taken first overall and Scott Gomes 27th.  I can also remember watching him as a scrawny-looking rookie.  And I remember his first games with Peter Forberg.

I hope to watch Gagne create more great Flyer memories this season, and for many more to come.

Yesterday I went to King of Prussia Mall to see Riley Cote at the grand opening on Skin Industries store.  For those of you out of town Flyers fans.  King of Prussia mall is one of the largest malls in the United States.  I am fortunate that it has always been the closest mall to my house and am slightly spoiled at the selection available.

Riley and his wife Holly were very gracious and talked to us and took pictures aside from the autographing.

Here are my pictures as always.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2726705608/in/set-72157606505978562/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2726707964/in/set-72157606505978562/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2725892471/in/set-72157606505978562/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2726717614/in/set-72157606505978562/

Full set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/sets/72157606505978562/detail/

my next report will be the First annual Cote Carnival August 17th.

I mean, come on! That's so cool. Mike Richards is Cannon.

Inquirer staff writer Matt Gelb has been covering the Flyers' prospects this summer.  He's not Panaccio, but he's done a nice job.  Check out the articles:

Flyers' prospects ready to test skills
Playoff pressure puts Parent on Flyers' radar
Rookie takes advantage of Flyers' facility (JVR)
Giroux's prospects growing with Flyers
Flyers' Downie makes fresh start

Gelb also made an appearance on the Hockey's Future Radio Podcast to discuss the Flyers' prospect camp and who would make the big team in September.  (You can also check out other Hockey's Future podcasts for hockey talk related to the NHL, the draft, and other prospect camps.

If you want to share any other hockey talk locations or blogs that are carrying you through the summertime hockey drought, feel free to post them in the comments section or send them to me at thefrozenfan@gmail.com.  I'll try and keep posting them throughout the next months until the season begins in October.

Now, on to what I really have to say.  ESPN released their Summer Power Rankings, and I have several issues with them.  First and foremost, the Sabres are in ninth place.  Now, I know the playoff teams from last year haven't really gotten any worse (other than Ottawa and possibly Boston), and other teams like Tampa Bay looks like they might be in the hunt, but still.  I am not liking that the Sabres are not expected to have a postseason at this point.  I don't even care that it's still July.  

I did like that the Capitals were expected to make it back in, but that's what confuses me.  They were ranked at fifth in the Eastern Conference, with Pittsburgh, Montreal, Philadelphia, and the Rangers above them.  There are no teams from the Southeast Division above them.  Aren't the three division-winning teams supposed to be given the top three seeds in the conference?  That's how the Capitals even got into the playoffs last year!  This is making me think that I shouldn't even be worried that the Sabres were ranked in ninth place, because it doesn't look like ESPN knows how to do the rankings.

I may be wrong about this, but it is unlikely.  I know how the rankings work pretty well after spending 45 minutes last year on the phone with my grandfather explaining why Carolina was above almost everyone else, even though they had fewer points.

Never mind the absence of Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque, the Penguins still have the most formidable lineup down the middle of any team in the NHL, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, plus an emerging elite netminder in Marc-Andre Fleury.

The rest of the standings are as follows:

Eastern Conference:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Montreal Canadiens
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. New York Rangers
5. Washington Capitals
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Carolina Hurricanes
8. Tampa Bay Lightning
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Ottawa Senators
11. Boston Bruins
12. Florida Panthers
13. Toronto Maple Leafs
14. New York Islanders
15. Atlanta Thrashers

Two things stuck out at me when I first saw it.

First, the Atlantic Division is the toughest division in the conference. The winner, in my mind, should be the Eastern Conference Champion and represent the conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. With four of the top six teams residing in the Atlantic, no team will be better prepared for the playoffs.

I'm making that prediction right now.

Second, why is the Southeast Division getting so much credit all of a sudden? The Capitals made the playoffs thanks to the rule requiring each division winner to have one of the first three spots. At the end of the season, the Caps were the third seed with 94 points and Boston was the eighth seed with 94 points.

Also, Burnside is obviously tending to his former colleague Barry Melrose. The worst team in the east last year is a playoff contender without even playing a game.

I just have a few problems with the Southeast getting three teams in the top eight. But then again, the depleted Northeast Division may be the Southeast of last year. Montreal should dominate for nothing less than they have no competition within the Northeast.

The Western Conference looks like this:

1. Detroit Red Wings
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Dallas Stars
4. Anaheim Ducks
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Chicago Blackhawks
7. Calgary Flames
8. Nashville Predators
9. Minnesota Wild
10. Columbus Blue Jackets
11. Phoenix Coyotes
12. Vancouver Canucks
13. Colorado Avalanche
14. St. Louis Blues
15. Los Angeles Kings

So basically get set for another Pens vs. Red Wings final. If only it were that simple.

Pre-season rankings are stupid. Why does anyone pick for these? It's almost as stupid as seeing Valdosta, GA win 'Titletown USA.'

This has got me thinking.  Look for my own power rankings to be posted soon.

The rumors about Bouwmeester and Philadelphia aren't surprising.  It's no secret that Holmgren is on the prowl for a defenseman.  Bouwmeester is an amazing young blueliner just about to hit his prime.  To all the naysayers out there - imagine a defense corps built around Bouwmeester and Coburn.  They're young, about to enter their peak years, have size, and can skate.  If you're not salivating at the very thought, you're either dead or a Penguins fan.

Could the Flyers still acquire Bouwmeester?  Certainly.  Bill Meltzer suggests it would require a "top-level prospect, a proven young roster forward, and a first round pick."  The Flyers have all three available to give.  While I tend to favor the build-from-within approach when it comes to trades, Bouwmeester is worth the gamble because of his age and the high commodity of defensemen.  At present, the Flyers still have depth at forward without much coming on the blueline or in goal.  Acquiring a top-pairing type guy would be worth the cost.

I'm excited to see how Holmgren moves forward with his team.

The black team won 6-5.

Here is the Roster to help you through
No. Pos. PLAYER
61 C Beaulieu, Josh
51 C Cabana, Frederik
46 C Kalinski, Jon
68 C Matsumoto, Jonathan
36 C Powe, Darroll
60 C Raduns, Nate
63 C Rinaldo, Zac
52 L Clackson, Matt
59 L Klotz, Garrett
62 L Maroon, Patrick
10 L vanRiemsdyk, James
53 R Bellamy, Rob
27 R Downie, Steve
56 R Giroux, Claude
47 R Kempe, Mario
57 R Laliberte, David
42 R Lukacevic, Ned
41 R Nodl, Andreas
65 R Roberts, Scott
69 D Anderson, Chad
49 D Anderson, RJ
58 D Bartulis, Oskars
66 D Bourdon, Marc-Andre
71 D DeSantis, Jason
72 D Marshall, Kevin
77 D Parent, Ryan
38 D Ramholt, Tim
55 D Ratchuk, Mike
26 D Sbisa, Luca
64 D Smith, Marcus
73 D Zarb, Chris
70 G DeSerres, Jacob
35 G Duchesne, Jeremy
30 G Eriksson, Joacim
67 G Phillips, Brad
33 G Teslak, Michael-Lee

Selections
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2704539041/in/set-72157606392428865/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2705367090/in/set-72157606392428865/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2704564033/in/set-72157606392428865/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2704559317/in/set-72157606392428865/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2704590199/in/set-72157606392428865/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2704620065/in/set-72157606392428865/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2704686895/in/set-72157606392428865/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2704739869/in/set-72157606392428865/

Full Set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/sets/72157606392428865/detail/

On the Flyers and the cap - it appears that Philadelphia is about one million over the cap.  Those numbers include 7 defenseman.  So if you put Derian Hatcher on the LTIR for the first half of the season due to his degenerative knee condition, his $3.5 million hit becomes $1.75 million.  Problem solved.

I am not saying that the Flyers won't make a trade.  But freeing themselves from the potential of exceeding the cap alleviates the pressure to trade now.  And that saves the Flyers from negotiation from a position of weakness.

As for Brendan Shanahan: Explain to me why the Flyers would need Shanny.  They have a veteran, fourth-line guy in Glen Metropolit.  Should Holmgren require a second vet, Jim Dowd would be an affordable and adequate option, especially given his faceoff-winning talents.  The only benefit to Shanahan is his power-play prowess - and the Flyers power play was not the struggle last season.  It simply doesn't make sense at this point in time.

FROM YESTERDAY:

Eklund just posted a blog citing a source that says the Flyers are talking with a Central Division team about swapping a roster forward for a puck moving defenseman.

The obvious puck movers in the Central Division come from Chicago - Brent Seabrook and Dustin Bfyuglien.  But I doubt even offering up Scottie Upshall (the likely tradebait here) would satisfy the Hawks management in such a trade.

My guess:  Ville Koistinen from Nashville in exchange for Scottie Upshall, possibly some picks/prospects involved on both sides.  The Koistinen-to-Philly rumors have swirled all summer.  Koistinen may not be ready for the top pairing, but he's young with tons of potential.  He'd fit in nicely with a young, up-and-coming team poised for a successful year.  Combined with the strong trading history between Nashville GM David Poile and Paul Holmgren (see Forsberg for Upshall and Parent, draft picks for Timonen and Hartnell), this is a plausible swap.

Thoughts, anyone?

First up, some good news for the Blaze. After Sylvain Clouthier announced his retirement the other day, they needed a pick-me-up, and boy have they got it. Paul Thompson confirmed Thursday that 32 year old Canadian winger Adam Calder has signed on for another season in Coventry. The man is a proven star in this league, racking up 168+185 for 353 points in just 251 games. Pretty reliable then! Personally, i found this news to be a little surprising. I had it on fairly good authority that either one or both of Calder and Carlson would be out, but they've both signed! As usual, you can't discount Coventry now.

Next, a big signing for the Vipers. HUGE former-NHL defenseman Chris McAllister has re-signed for the club he played for during the lockout. McAllister, who lists New York Rangers, my Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalance and the Toronto Maple Leafs under his former employers will surely add a massive presence to Newcastles blue line and looks like being one of the signings of the off-season. The 33 year old Canadian lists as tall as former-Panther Steve McKenna, and we could barely fit him in the NIC. I can't wait to see Newcastle come down now. Also for Newcastle, it turns out that Joel Irving won't be turning out for them after all. 'Personal reasons' were cited for his decision, and Newcastle seem to have accepted it with good grace.

Also this week, the Bison get physical. Surprisingly-young Jeremy Cornish has brought his 'talents' to Planet Ice for the forthcoming season. The 29 year old Canadian has played for London (Racers), Newcastle and Sheffield previously and comes with an already-established reputation for goonery, with 593 PIMS in just 5 seasons. I'm not the guys biggest fan, i don't like someone who comes over as a specialised goon and can't play hockey to save his life. Here's hoping he turns it around and manages to add to his modest points total of.....44

Finally for today, Hull Stingrays have announced the re-signing of young Brit forward Lee Esders. The 19 year old winger had a decent rookie season for the Rays, and will look to progress on his 6 point total of last year. Good to see the future being considered up there in Hull.

Speaking of returning to action, the Flyers prospects camp is wrapping up this weekend.  I haven't made the trip down to Voorhees to catch the action yet, but I'm hoping to catch the scrimmages tomorrow.  University of New Hampshire forward and 2007 first-round pick James van Riemsdyk has been blogging about the camp on the Flyers' website.  True, it's a standard player blog.  But JVR does give a little insight into the schedule and experience from a player's perspective, so it's worth a read.

And speaking of prospects, the Flyers signed defensive prospect Kevin Marshall to a contract this week.  Marshall, who plays for the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the QMJHL, reportedly plays similarly to Denis Gauthier.  Unlike Gauthier, Marshall is also a smooth skater.  To me, this is a classic Flyers signing: big, hard-hitting D-man (and bonus points for skating well).  

I think it's a great signing.  Every team needs to have a punishing, hard-hitting defenseman on their blueline.  Washington hurt for the lack of one in the playoffs, and PIttsburgh benefitted greatly from having Orpik among their top six.  Whether Marshall plays for the Flyers, the Phantoms, or returns to the QMJHL for another year of development, he can be a serious asset for the Orange and Black.

And speaking of signings, Joffrey Lupul inked a four-year extension with the Flyers, officially announced on Monday.  Lupul and Richards demonstrated remarkable chemistry together thoughout the season.  Since Richards is going to be here for 12 years, signing Lupul was a logical move.  The big question marks that will define this deal: Lupul's health and consistency.  Early in the year, Lupul struggled to put up points - and at times to even hit the net with his shot.  And injuries sustained from friendly fire (the big Hatcher hit in Toronto) and a high ankle sprain limited the 24-year-old Lupul to 56 games in 2007-08.  Hopefully Lupul spends all of 2008-09 with the physically aggressive, puck shooting style that won him this contract.

That's it for now.  I'm hoping to crank out a blog on Bodrov over the weekend.  I also wanted to give a quick shout out to the Hockey Blog in Canada, who linked to my blog this week.

Thank you to all the Flyers prospects for a great day.

I missed the opening act for this day due to bad online directions.  When I got there the players were doing group shots on the beach.

I believe they may have gotten done sooner then expected.

When talking to Jim McCrossin later in the day he provided insight to this part of the day.  He said he puts "players that have participated before on the bikes.  Players that have never been on the water or seen the ocean in the Kayaks and running on the beach"  I thought that was pretty cool.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2696788853/in/set-72157606342757443/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2697610668/in/set-72157606342757443/

We killed some time then went to the Autograph session.  We were one of the first ones inside.  They had the Kayak that they were raffling off on display inside.  They got a huge turnout for autographs.  The players signed for 2 straight hours.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2697627682/in/set-72157606342757443/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2697633828/in/set-72157606342757443/

Then it was time for the softball game.  The Prospects won 10-8.  Jonathan Matsumoto did an outstanding job pitching.  The players rotated in and out so everyone got a turn to play and bat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/2696888185/in/set-72157606342757443/

It was a great day.  I think this was a cool way to see the players do something different.

Here is the full set of pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neat1325/sets/72157606342757443/detail/
(some pictures were taken by Brenda)