Zherdev Clears

I said yesterday I thought Zherdev would probably be claimed, but if he wasn't, it would absolve the Flyers from criticism on their handling of Zherdev. Looks like the latter turned out.

Kind of funny how it all turned out, with some philly sportswriters let it rip on Zherdev.

Tim Panaccio;

Zherdev declines to talk. Gets in Lincoln town car and off he goes. He was smiling. Hollmgren says agent wanted Z waived

never saw a guy so happy to get waived.

My favorite Zherdev moment: He tells Holmgren he wont talk to me because "that guy is Russian mob." Homer tells him, "he's Italian."

Grinning ear-to-ear for the first time in weeks, Zherdev left the building saying “No” to interviews, hopped in a black Lincoln Town Car, and rode off into the sunset

....

For more than a month, Holmgren had tried to trade Zherdev, but was unsuccessful.
“His agent and Nik obviously they’re not very happy with the situation and asked us to look around for options; nothing really came of that through trade,” Holmgren said. “We’ll see what happens with this.”

...

He was a healthy scratch for six consecutive games under coach Peter Laviolette, who makes just one demand of his players: Make a consistent effort

....

“It was a little bit of an experiment,” Holmgren said. “Seeing what he can do. For a period of time it was good.
“Obviously, he has 15 goals and limited power play time, limited minutes, but over the course of time here, things have eroded and Nik’s work ethic has dropped off. Right now, he’s just not fitting in.”

...

Holmgren also said Zherdev didn’t “respond the right way” to being a healthy scratch.
There was no way Laviolette was going to play Zherdev again as a Flyer.

...

Incidentally, though Zherdev had a driver’s license, he used a limo service to and from practices and games the entire time he was here because he did not have a car.

Frank Seravalli;

Never really seen anything like it. Zherdev bolted out the side door to avoid media and hopped in a limo and left with a smile on his face.

After clearing, it appears Zherdev will stay with the Flyers. Who knows when he will play again.

Zherdev out

So it finally happened. The Flyers waived Nik Zherdev today.

He has 15 goals and obvious talent, but was unreliable and never was more than fringe player on the squad.

I previously wrote that I thought he had little trade value, but could be a wildcard off the bench in a playoff series or could be traded for a depth defensemen. Perhaps the Flyers had enough of his attitude issues and gave up on pursuing a trade.

Of course the reaction of many fans will be 'OMG, he has 15 goals, so much better than Nodl or Powe!"

I do think it's likely the he gets claimed off waivers. Surely some team out there is looking for a rental to boost their secondary scoring with a highly skilled player like Zherdev. If he isn't claimed, I guess that absolves the Flyers from most criticism they could receive for getting nothing in return for Zherdev.

The only question on my mind is, was his attitude that disruptive? For now I will presume the Flyers have other plans for his newly available cap space, rather than simply dumping a skilled depth player.

QUICK UPDATE:

Tim Panaccio on Twitter: "Flyers brass met all morning; Zherdev waived. Will Walker try to come back? Flyers needs 7th def"

I don't know Walker's status right now, but waiving Zherdev and calling up Walker is kind of like trading Zherdev for a depth defensemen, as was speculated. *shrugs*

Trade Deadline Looming

There has been far more trade activity in the weeks leading up the trade deadline than is traditional in the NHL. The Flyers have already made their big move by getting Versteeg, but look for them to try and add a depth defensemen at low cost. Perhaps for Zherdev?

After watching Jody Shelley dress over healthy scratch Nik Zherdev - and his 15 goals - twice in the last week, many were left wondering whether we have seen the last of Zherdev in a Flyers uniform.

Some rumors had the Flyers waiving Zherdev and his $2 million salary to create room under the salary cap. Another rumor, from Russian reporter Dmitry Chesnokov, said yesterday that six NHL teams have contacted the Flyers about obtaining Zherdev's services before next Monday's trading deadline.

"I must have missed those calls," Paul Holmgren deadpanned.

Despite missing 12 games this season as a healthy scratch, Zherdev would still lead the Ottawa Senators in scoring. That's an insurance policy Holmgren won't exactly give away, in case of injury.

"Yeah, I would be [reluctant]," Holmgren said. "A little bit. Because he's a highly skilled player. And, in case something happens, it'd be difficult from an insurance standpoint."

Zherdev has clearly fallen out of favor with coach Peter Laviolette - and the Flyers couldn't even find Zherdev in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday night when Mike Richards came down with a stomach illness after warmups.

"We were scrambling around, about 8 minutes before the game and the only guy they could find was Jody," Holmgren said. "I think Nikolay has struggled with being in and out of the lineup. Perhaps his work ethic has dropped in practice as a result. But he needs to tough it out here and work hard if he wants to get back in the lineup."

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20110222_Leino_sets_aside_salary_talks_so_Flyers_can_add_Versteeg.html#ixzz1Ei4Hwnob
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As I said before, Zherdev for a low-level defensemen makes sense to me.

Will also be interesting to see how Bartulis plays the next two weeks with O'Donnell injured. I've never been a big fan of Bartulis, and was surprised when the Flyers signed him to a multi-year contract after playing in just a few NHL games. I guess we'll see if he's trustworthy for spot duty in the playoffs.

And then there's Leino (my current obsession on this blog).

Not wanting to ruffle the feathers of Leino, his biggest playoff hero last year (seven goals, 14 assists), Holmgren asked Leino how he would feel about the team pulling the trigger on a deal. Now, Versteeg is here - and Leino is stuck until the offseason. Even so, it was a no-brainer for Leino, who makes more than only Darroll Powe, Oskars Bartulis and Blair Betts.

"He's got to sit tight now," Holmgren said. "We have about $2 million in tagging space, so that's probably not enough to get it done right now.

"I think there's an open dialogue. I think my conversations with Ville and his agent, he wants to be here. He knows we want him here. That's a topic for another day."

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20110222_Leino_sets_aside_salary_talks_so_Flyers_can_add_Versteeg.html#ixzz1Ei4Hwnob
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And;

Holmgren reiterated that there is not enough room to sign Leino until after the season. He does not expect any problems resigning the winger.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20110222_Flyers_Notes___Flyers__O_Donnell_to_be_out_up_to_two_weeks.html#ixzz1Ei4NhQbC
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Interesting. Not to beat a dead horse, but there is no cap room to sign Leino without moving a significant piece off the current roster. It is also possible the Flyers are resorting to new tactics to convince Leino to resign;

Updated Cap Outlook

My current projection (with assumptions) for Flyers cap next year:

Forwards

Leino? (???) -Briere (6.5) -Hartnell (4.2)

Versteeg (3.083) -Richards (5.75) -JVR (1.654)

Nodl [.8925] -Carter (5.27) -Giroux (3.75)

Powe [.761] -Betts (.7) -Shelley (1.1)

Total: 33.6605

D

Pronger (4.9) - Carle (3.4)

Timo (6.3) - Coburn (3.2)

Mesz (4)-O'Donnell [1]

Bartulis (.571)

Total: 23.371

Goal

Bobo (1.75)

Total: 1.75

Overall: 58.7815

Cap 10-11 - $59.4

Assumptions

-Nodl and Powe will accept the Flyers' minimum RFA qualifying offers

-O'Donnell will resign for the same amount.

-The following players will not be on the roster next year.

Laperriere

Carcillo

Walker

Zherdev

Boucher

Leighton

-The cap next year will go up by a few million. Let's say it goes up by $3.6 to an even $63 million.

So, given all these assumptions, the Flyers will have approximately $4.2185 million in cap space to sign Leino, a #13 forward, and a backup goalie. The Flyers have also indicated in the past that they want to enter the season with at least $1 million in cap space to provide some flexibility during the season. That would reduce the functional signing space to $3.2185 million.

If the Flyers sign a #13 forward and a backup goalie for $700k each, they will have $1.8185 to sign Leino or another everyday forward. This math also assumes a very modest increase for Nodl, which may be unlikely.

Or, in other words, the Flyers plan on trading Carle in the offseason, or the team has already given up trying to retain Leino.

After Versteeg, what now?

Versteeg has yet to actually play for the Flyers, but that won't prevent a "day after" post.

First, I am pretty confident that the Flyers won't be able to sign Leino now that they've committed $3 million more to another player next season.

Second, will the Flyers move anybody else? I think that's what a lot of people are waiting for. They have more forwards than they need, and Carcillo and Zherdev aren't going to have very prominent roles sans injuries. On the other hand, I think each player has little trade value and the Flyers don't need to dump salary if they don't want to.

Eklund at hockeybuzz says Zherdev might go on waivers soon. As an Eklund rumor, it is slightly more believable than a story my 4-year old niece might make up.

Personally, I think Zherdev is a mentally lazy player. When he gets room on the rush, his stickhandling and shooting is unmatched on the Flyers roster. The rest of the time, he's slow to react and has lapses in concentration at both ends of the ice. Because he can score, he'd be an attractive waiver wire option to teams, but I can't see many teams giving up an asset of any value to acquire him. I'd love to be wrong, however. For that reason, I'd hang on to Zherdev, because I think he has value as a wildcard that can keep opposing teams off balance over the course of a long series.

Maybe the Flyers are looking a few other options, but I doubt there will be much of consequence coming back to the Flyers. There's just no room among the skaters, and what goalie options are there? If they really wanted to do something big, they could trade JVR, who the Leafs reportedly wanted. I'm glad they didn't, and I expect they're not pursuing options down that road.

UPDATE: Maybe the Flyers will trade Zherdev for another defensemen? Zherdev for a team's bottom pair guy (who would be a #7 on the Flyers) is plausible. From the reliable Dreger Report:

Kris Versteeg gives the Philadelphia Flyers another top nine offensive weapon and sends a direct message to all of Philadelphia's rivals - the Flyers believe this is the year.

Paul Holmgren is still looking for a defenceman to round out his roster, but landing Versteeg was a priority for the Flyers GM.

Brian Burke was keenly interested in forward James Van Riemsdyk, but Holmgren made it clear that JVR was not going to be part of this deal.

Philadelphia is stronger today and because of that, Boston, Tampa Bay and all teams who consider themselves contenders may now be eagerly trying to measure up.

Another team source involved in trade discussions says as soon as the Versteeg trade to Philly was announced, his phone started ringing.

Flyers trade for Kris Versteeg

I am caught a little off-guard by this one. I have heard some rumors about the Flyers talking to the Leafs for a trade, maybe for Giguere, maybe for Versteeg, but there never seemed to be enough momentum to any deal to think anything was imminent, and thus worthy of being passed on to the loyal Mostly Flyers readership.

I just didn't see the Flyers and Leafs interests aligning, and I'm still not sure I do. The Leafs are clearly in rebuild mode, looking for youngsters and picks. The Flyers have few of both, but they decided to part some of the few picks they have.

Versteeg is a quality young player. He can play anywhere in the lineup, in all situations, and was a valuable member of the Hawks during their cup run. But did the Flyers need another forward? They seem to have enough trouble spreading around the ice time for the forwards they already have.

I presume Versteeg will be playing with Richards, and Nodl or JVR will be bumped off their spot there. Or I guess they could use him to stabilize the Carter-Giroux line that has seen Zherdev pass through. Either way, Nodl or JVR will be fighting for their ice time, and Zherdev and Carcillo are one step further out to the fringe of the squad.

The good news is that the Flyers didn't lose anything off their roster for this season. It appears they're going all-in for this season, and this may have been the best acquisition available to them to improve this year's squad (even if Versteeg is something of a luxury for a team that is already deep at forward). Goalie is their obvious achilles heel, but there may not have been any good options out there. I would've liked to see Erik Cole too, but I have to think acquiring Versteeg is the end of that.

Lastly, Versteeg is signed for next season at approximately $3 million. Hmm, exactly the same amount the Flyers have reportedly offered to Ville Leino... And then there's this report from over the weekend;

Meanwhile, contract talks with left wing Ville Leino appear to have stalled. The Flyers are believed to have offered Leino three- and four-year contract extensions worth $3 million a season. Leino, who is making $800,000 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, apparently believes he is worth more on the open market.

The writing is on the wall for Leino's future with the Flyers I think.

Matt Cooke is a terrible human being

Why not have a post to trash players on the Flyers rival? Not that trashing Matt Cooke is hard. Easily top-5 dirtiest player in the league, if the not #1.

Served up another gem last night.

Really? Leaving your feet to make an illegal board? That is pretty low. Never mind the absurd rationalization by the Penguins announcers that Cooke 'glided' in, which is laughable. Of course this hit comes right on the heels of a very questionable hit on Ovechkin.

And let's not forget his hit on Marc Savard, who was just announced as out of for the season with lingering concussions issues. Surely this hit was on everybody's mind when passing the new blindside hit-headshot rule.

Of course those hits might be his specialty. Never mind leaving his feet in an attempt to contact the head. Kind of the definition of headhunting.

But can't leave out some other knee-to-knee hits or boards.

I'm not sure you can find more evidence of a player that hits to injure vulnerable players. Let's hope for a long suspension.

Also needs to be mentioned the absurd homer-ism of Pens announcers on some of these clips. These are all blatantly bad hits; easy boarding calls, headhunting, and sticking out the knee. It's hard to take these announcers seriously when they give some squirmy, obviously wrong, defense of the hit.

Terrible, terrible human being.

UPDATE: Jeremy Roenick bonus contribution! (Partial transcript of radio appearance)

Roenick: "Does it surprise you? Does it surprise you that Matt Cooke would be so ..."

Ross: "Dumb?"

Roenick: "Chickenshit, and do that?

"Right from behind. Blatant from behind. Fedor Tyutin didn't even turn. Didn't move. Was standing there for three or four seconds, and he still hit him from behind."

Roenick: "Not one second did he see anything but his name and his number. It goes back to so many different things that I talk about when it comes to the respect factor. Matt Cooke, No. 1, doesn't have respect for anyone. He's one of the least favorite guys in the League by the players for a reason. Hitting Savard, having that all situation ... granted, you decide what you think on that. But this situation last night is exactly what gives players bad names, gives guys bad names. It's why we have injuries. It's why someone's going to get either paralyzed or killed on the ice one of these days. Because of idiot, idiot, idiot people and plays like Matt Cooke did last night."

Roenick: "He might be a great player for a team. But all in all, when it comes down to it, you have most of the people don't like you, most of the people don't respect you. And the respect factor becomes big. Because when you lose that respect, you've lost a lot.

"I totally disagree about taking him on your team. You want a guy that has integrity that has class, that has hard work. You don't go to that disrespect aspect or that lack of integrity that's going to make your team look bush league, and last night was a terrible display of gamemanship (sic).

Roenick: "That situation last night did not happen instinctively. It did not happen quickly. He had three or four seconds to make up his mind and drive those numbers into the glass."

"That's a situation where you take Matt Cooke, because of his history, into the office and you give him 20 games flat. Twenty games, gone, thanks for coming."

A case of the mondays

A few tidbits today.

-It's now expected that Emery will sign with the Ducks, then spend a few weeks on their AHL team.

-The top scorers for the Flyers' opponents are dropping like flies. It's expected that today the Bruins will announce Savard as done for the year. Malkin is likely out for the year, and Crosby is still out indefinitely (though I would expect for the playoffs, no doubt). Good news for the Flyers I guess.

-Tim Panaccio reports that the Flyers have two options on the table for Ville Leino.

Several sources tell CSNPhilly.com that the Flyers are offering a three and four-year contract worth between $9 million and $12 million, depending upon length.

At least one prominent executive in the Flyers organization believes the 27-year-old right wing won’t get a better deal in unrestricted free agency this July than what the Flyers are offering.

Bill Zito, the agent for Leino, said he remains optimistic that an agreement will be reached before free agency. Zito would not comment on the two proposals or why his client hasn’t accepted one yet.

Others believe Zito wants to wait out the season and see how Leino’s numbers stack up against other players in free agency, and what his overall impact was on the Flyers.

Today, incidentally, is the one-year anniversary of Leino becoming a Flyer.

Leino said he remains optimistic on re-signing. On Friday, Leino said no formal offer has been presented to him.

As I understand it, the Flyers can't sign Ville Leino until after the season because that would put next year's payroll over the current cap, even if they expect the cap to go up next year. I previously calculated the Flyers have roughly $2.5 million in contract space to sign Leino without making other sacrifices. I think that's still more or less accurate. As Leino carried on at almost a point/game pace this season, however, I began to wonder if that would be enough.

It's good to see both parties want to make a deal. I'm sure the Flyers love how Leino fits this roster so perfectly, and honestly it's the perfect place for him to flourish. That said, if Leino has another big playoffs, other teams might be willing throw money at him as an UFA and it's hard to walk away if a significantly larger bid comes in. Personally, I will be nervous about Leino staying with the Flyers until the ink is dry on his new contract.

Emery?

Building off reports by Dreger about the Flyers being in the running for signing Emery, you really didn't think I'd entirely refrain from comment, did you?

First, the latest:

Our daily update on Ray Emery's future presents a challenge for the veteran goalie.

Emery, admittedly, needs conditioning time in the American Hockey League. The problem is, if he negotiates and accepts a one-way contract, his conditioning stint can't be longer than two weeks without having to go through waivers.

If Emery agrees to a two-way contract, because of his age and experience, he would also have to clear waivers to remain with the team he originally signed with.

Emery needs to decide whether he can pull his game together in the AHL with a 2 week stint, or face the risk of being claimed by another NHL team.

The possibility of Emery signing with the Flyers is a tough one to measure up.

First of all, no, I would not have predicted the Flyers would make much of a play for him. Second, I think the Flyers are willing to go with Bobby Boucher into the playoffs, but are nervous about it.

The risk of signing Emery depends on your perspective. On one hand, he is high risk because questions about his volatile personality were never entirely put to rest, and he hasn't played in a year because of a career threatening injury. On the other hand, he is low risk for the Flyers because he will sign for a low amount that can be fit under the cap without making other moves, and can be stashed in the AHL.

Dreger provides good info about Emery's waiver wire exposure. If the Flyers could've signed Emery on a two-way contract, and kept him in the AHL indefinitely with no waivers complications, the signing would have been very low risk. Even as it is, if I were the Flyers, I wouldn't let the chances of him being claimed on waivers prevent you from even trying to make a move that would help the team. I guess you could make the point that it hurts the confidence of Bobby Boucher if the Flyers publicly try to get another goalie but then are 'stuck' with the guys they have, but I don't buy that (Boucher's had plenty of ups and downs in his career, and Bob seems level-headed).

I'd peg the chances of Emery signing with the Flyers low, but realistic. If they can sign him as an insurance policy with no guarantees of him seeing NHL time, there may not be much harm in signing him. In the somewhat unlikely case that he is 100% physically and mentally, I think he offers the Flyers more in net than either Boucher or Bob. If he doesn't perform in the AHL, the Flyers just never call him up the NHL. Given that Emery is still in "comeback" mode, I think he is prepared for that possibility to be in the mix for a Stanley Cup contender.

Of course Michael Leighton is also somewhat of an insurance policy. He is currently 2-7 on a dreadful Phantoms team with a .912 save percentage (for point of comparison, Johan Backlund is 6-12 with an .883 save percentage).

I think we'll see one way or the other by Monday.

Bracing for the stretch run

It has been widely reported recently how the Flyers have the best record they have had at this point in the season in quite a while. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but their record so far is on the same pace with the mid-70s cup teams, and the mid-80s teams that were so good. Better than any of the 90s Lindros teams.

Looking at the roster it shouldn't be surprising. I still say their defense is the best in the league quite confidently, and their forward depth is really up there. The Flyers don't have a number one line, but they have three lines teams have to worry about. In Carter, Briere, Richards and Giroux, the Flyers have 4 centers who would be a top-2 center on nearly every team in the league. Having team captain Mike Richards on what could almost be considered the 3rd line (with Nodl and JVR) is an incredible luxury. Best group of skaters I have personally seen on the Flyers, hands down.

This season, the Flyers may not always looks invincible, but they are never out of it and just keep piling up the points. Honestly I think Bobby Boucher's stats flatter their play, but that just speaks to how few breakdowns the Flyers have. Otherwise it's hard to find many faults with this team. A mediocre and inconsistent powerplay is all I can come up with. There is every reason to think the Flyers will keep it up for the rest of season despite last night's stinker (the Flyers have had 2 long breaks this season, and have been blown out in 3 of the 4 games framing those breaks...go figure).

Of course with the defense and offense so solid, the goaltending questions never really go away. Darren Dreger, a VERY reliable source of information around the league, reports the following;

February 1:

Veteran goaltender Ray Emery will be ready to return within the week. Emery's agent, JP Barry says there are three NHL teams with interest and after some fine tuning this week, expects Emery will be ready to consider offers and a temporary assignment to an AHL team. Emery has spent months rehabilitating a rebuilt hip. Unlike Evgeni Nabokov, Emery will not have to clear waivers as he did not play in Europe or have an existing contract at any point this season.

February 3:

At least three NHL teams have expressed interest in goaltender Ray Emery.

Sources have confirmed both the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers are in the mix as two of the three teams, however neither team is at a point where they're prepared to make an offer to sign the unrestricted free agent. Although, the expectation is teams will make their move on Emery within the next 48 hours.

Former Ottawa Senators goalie coach, Eli Wilson has been working with Emery, focusing on the technical side of his game following extensive hip surgery.

This morning, Wilson proclaimed his client is good to go, "he's ready now!"

Emery fully expects to start his comeback in the American Hockey League which may be enticing for teams willing to take a chance, while looking to add goaltending depth to their organization.

"Ray feels great and wants to be playing next week. We are now exploring all possibilities and will have to make a decision relatively soon," said Emery's agent, JP Barry.

I shall make no further comment and leave it at that.