Leighton will have to clear re-entry waivers to re-join the team. The basic facts regarding the Leighton situation:
-He is due to earn $1.6 million next year, and under the terms of re-entry waivers, any team that claims him is only on the hook for half his salary ($800k).
-Any team that claims Leighton cannot play him this season or playoffs however.
-If Leighton is claimed, the Flyers will carry half of his salary on their cap next year ($800k).
So will he be claimed? Leighton cleared waivers a few months ago to get down to the minors, but things have changed since then;
-Leighton's health was still a little unclear at the time
-Any team claiming Leighton would have been claiming him at a salary of $1.6 million, not $800k.
-Leighton has been playing pretty well in the AHL (2 straight shutouts, 8-2 in last 10 games for a terrible team).
-Teams have no need to add a third goalie midseason, but might be looking for a bargain backup for next season.
So what's the end result? Darren Dreger says:
The Flyers have lived without Leighton all season, at half price, based on feedback around the NHL, he's likely getting claimed on re-entry.
I'll just say it's a 50/50 shot he gets claimed. If he is not claimed, Holmgren says he will play this weekend.
The last question is, why now? One game from Leighton is not going to change Bobrovsky's hold on the starting job for the playoffs. Maybe if they had called up Leighton 6 weeks ago he could've stolen the job, but Bobrovsky has been pretty good recently. I guess if I were Brian Boucher I would not be feeling the love right now--it doesn't make sense for the Flyers to expose Leighton to waivers and an empty cap-hit for next season for him to be a third goalie who doesn't dress for games.
Of course the other issue is that the Flyers are in freefall, so it may not matter who's in net. Last night's 5-2 loss to one of the worst teams in the league with crucial points on the line was pathetic. The Flyers look like they've forgotten how to play hockey. I wouldn't simply say it's just plain lack of effort, but they seem to lack purpose and clarity in their play.
It's always been the case with guys like Richards and Pronger that their season is basically going to be judged on their playoff performance, but it's looking like it will be too much to ask to expect a meaningful sudden turnaround for this team before the playoffs start next week.
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