Chris Pronger

Flyers Look Foolish A Year Removed From Trading Vezina Finalist Sergei Bobrovsky

May 8, 2013

Since dealing two of the franchise's most prominent stars of the 2000's, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, it seems the Philadelphia fan base has surgically dissected every single move made by the Flyers front office.

The two most scrutinized moves in the past two years though are the dealings of young stars James van Riemsdyk and Sergei Bobrovsky. To be fair, the former was an even trade that benefited both the Flyers, who got Luke Schenn, and the Maple Leafs, who landed the scorer in van Riemsdyk.

As for the latter, Bobrovsky was traded this past offseason to the Columbus Blue Jackets where he won the starting job over now-current Flyers back-up goaltender Steve Mason. After turning the Blue Jackets around and nearly making the post season, Bobrovsky is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's best goaltender.

(Pictured: Serge Bobrovsky against the Stars on April 25, 2013. Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)

Flyers Making Due With "Patchwork Defense"

April 17, 2013

John Russo

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“Patchwork” may not be the nicest word to use to describe Philadelphia’s defensive situation right now, but it is the most appropriate.

After last night’s 4-2 win at home over division rival New York, Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette was asked a question that was worded in a way which Laviolette had to point out.

"They probably wouldn’t like to be called that, if I was guessing," Laviolette said when asked about his “patchwork defense,” drawing some laughs from the reporters after the game.

He was quick to follow with praise for some of the guys stepping in at the most desperate of times.

(Pictured: Kimmo Timonen (left) and Luke Schenn (right) during warm-ups. Photo by John Russo/The Checking Line)

Concussion Update: Briere Could Play Thursday; Grossmann Out Another 2-3 Weeks

April 10, 2013

John Russo

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Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren gave reporters some updates today concerning injured forward Danny Briere and defenseman Nicklas Grossmann, both battling concussions.

Holmgren said that of all the injured players, Briere has the best chance of playing Thursday against the Senators. He sounded optimistic in his assessment of Briere's situation.

Philadelphia Flyers Not a Playoff Team

March 8, 2013

Jordan Kuhns

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Now 5-9-0 in games against the current playoff set, acrimoniously booed off the Wells Fargo Center ice after a sadsack performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves at a crux. Are they a playoff team?

Is this team, that needs to be bailed out by magical timeouts on a daily basis, that can only play 20 minutes on any given night, that cannot get the big save when they need it, a playoff team?

(Photo by Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images)

Mandatory Visor Debate Rages Again

March 6, 2013

Jordan Kuhns

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The decision remains optional, but recent history suggests that the use of visors on hockey helmets should be mandatory.

Simply put, the eyes are the most important part of a hockey player, and they must be protected.

Last night in a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers, a Kimmo Timonen slap shot deflected off of a Flyer stick and straight up into the face of Rangers defenseman Marc Staal. Staal was left in a pool of his own blood on the ice, holding his right eye.

Staal left the game immediately after being hit directly in the eye, and is out indefinitely. According to a tweet by Nick Kypreos, the injury is not believed to be career-threatening.

(Pictured: A trainer tends to Rangers defenseman Marc Staal after getting hit in the right eye by a puck Tuesday night. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Let's talk about Concussions: Part I - understanding Traumatic Brain Injury

February 14, 2013

Shahbaz Syed

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Sidney Crosby, Chris Pronger, Mark Savard, to name a few. There has recently been a plethora of concussions and head injuries in the NHL – and with some of the game’s biggest stars on the sidelines, officials and spectators are attempting to gain more insight into the mechanism of this form of head injury. I want to step outside the hockey realm for a moment, and talk about concussions from the point of view of a physician - information relevant to fans and athletes.

A concussion is a subset of disease (yes, it is a disease) within the category of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and results from a traumatic blow that causes an...

Failure to Develop a Blue Line May Have Cost the Flyers JvR

February 3, 2013

Matt Bernot

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Saturday night against Carolina, the Flyers dressed Kimmo Timonen, Luke Schenn, Braydon Coburn, Nicklas Grossmann, Kurtis Foster, and Bruno Gervais as their defense.

All six shared one thing in common -- not a single one of them were drafted by the Flyers.

In fact, the Flyers have a consistent issue with things like that. Since the lost season of 2004-05, the Flyers have not gotten more than 150 games played from a defensemen they drafted and only one home grown defensemen has played more than 200 games in a Flyers uniform since that time, Randy Jones, an undrafted defender.

(Pictured: Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

UPDATE: Claude Giroux Named Flyers Captain

January 15, 2013

John Russo

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The Flyers couldn't wait until Thursday.

It has been made official today that Claude Giroux has become the 19th captain in Flyers history. He replaces Chris Pronger, who has not played in 15 months, nor looks like he ever will return to the ice due to post-concussion symptoms.

Hartnell: "Giroux is ready to be captain"

January 11, 2013

John Russo

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Hockey will finally resume on January 19, but the talks concerning a certain letter in the alphabet has already begun for the Flyers.

Chris Pronger is nowhere nearing a return to the ice. And with his retirement inevitable - but not official due to his contract - the designated captain slot will remain vacant until the Flyers decide to finally fill the void.

Three names have been on the lips of fans during the 2011-12 season: veterans Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen, and the young leader of the team, Claude Giroux. Only one of those players has remained a hot topic for the captaincy and it's the one who many around the NHL view to be the future of the Flyers and the league.

Sam Carchidi threw up a tweet that shouldn't come to a surprise to anyone. Giroux's best friend and locker room leader Scott Hartnell said that "Giroux is ready to be captain."

Free Agency 2012: Philadelphia Flyers Make Offers to UFAs Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, and Matt Carle

July 1, 2012

Kim Pollock

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According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi, the Philadelphia Flyers have made offers to unrestricted free agents Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, and Matt Carle. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed Carchidi’s report.

All three UFAs have been rumoured to be targeted by the Flyers, especially defensemen Suter and Carle.

Parise, one of the elite forwards in the league, is one of the top sought-after free agents this summer. After playing in just 13 games in the 2010-2011 season due to injury, he posted 69 points in 82 games during the 2011-2012 regular season, and another 15 points in 24 games during the playoffs.