Wishful Thinking

The Flyers are an exciting team that looks formidable on paper, though their goaltending this year has basically been a joke.  Yes, the team defense is very loose, as I have previously written, but the goaltending has simply been bad as well.

Flyers fans desperately want to believe Bryzgalov will sort things out in time for the playoffs.  My opinion is, it is unreasonable to expect Bryzgalov to flip the switch and look like a different goalie when he has struggled otherwise all season long.  Still, the Flyers didn't sign him after a flash in the pan season in Phoenix--he had multiple excellent seasons so there has to be something there.

The best (reasonable) hope is that Bryzgalov builds some momentum into the playoffs.  Recently there have been some encouraging signs, though they are less than concrete indicators.  His body language looks better.  There is less shrugging and sighing and throwing back of his head when conceding a goal, and his movement in the crease has been much quicker.  It creates the impression that he's getting some fire and determination back in his game.

What do the stats say?  Here's how his save percentage has tracked this season;

The empty spaces are the end of a calendar month.  You can see a moderate improvement recently, with his season being dragged down by runs in late October and approaching New Year's.

One thing hidden in that chart is the little peak in Mid-December.  The high point there come on December 13th.  24/7 aired it's first episode on December 14th and Bryzgalov's play quickly fell off.  Coincidence?  Probably not.  The Flyers tried to shut him off from the media earlier in the season seeing it as a distraction for him, and being a star on 24/7 was the complete opposite of that.

It may be simple wishful thinking on my part, but I think Bryzgalov will continue to moderately improve.  It's a shock for most athletes, nevermind goalies, to play in Philadelphia.  You cannot look at his performance in games like Calgary the other night and call it a game well played overall, but we're beginning to see a few gut check saves and moments.

Also, a lot was made of Bryzgalov's comment about "finding the peace in his soul to play in this city," and how it was a very bad and discouraging sign.  I disagree and say it was a good thing.  It may sound like a defeated attitude to some, but Bryzgalov is brutally honest.  I think most Philadelphia fans would proudly state it takes guts and a certain kind of person to succeed in this town.  Here Bryzgalov is accepting of that state of affairs and seeking to adjust to it.  He's not in denial of the challenges of playing in Philly, he's not saying he's lost in the woods and terrible, just saying I need to figure this thing out.  That's okay with me.

Dullest Deadline Day Ever

So basically nothing happened.  The Flyers didn't do anything (which makes sense), but neither did anyone else.  No trade for Nash, Brown, Bernier, Nabokov....nada.

Regarding the Flyers, there was no room on this roster.  Their major obstacle is goaltending, but they already have so much committed to goalies this season and in Bryzgalov long term, how can you make a short term fix?  There was no simple way to manage the situation.  I thought bringing in Nabokov was an option, mainly because he is having a very good season and will be a UFA, so it would be a clear upgrade with a finite end point.  As for some chatter on guys like Giguere or Theodore, why bother?

JVR also can finally exhale, at least until the offseason.  Multiple reports said the Sharks made a hard push for him this morning, but the discussions never got far.

Outside of Philadelphia, apparently trade prices were very high, scaring off most buyers.  That makes sense for teams to say deadline acquisitions are overrated and we're certainly not going to pay these prices, however I would expect the market to correct itself.  If the prevailing prices are so high, you would think that teams who were leaning against selling would jump in if their assets were fetching such high returns.  Apparently the Jets were the only team to get that memo, trading Oduya even though they are still in the playoff hunt.

Bromance Rekindled

After a tumultuous year, the couple that has been together since they were teenagers have found each other again.

 

If the Kings weren't already "Flyers West" with all their former flyers players and coaches, it could get even more uncanny.

The scorecard;

-Dean Lombardi, Kings GM, former Flyers scout

-Ron Hextall, Kings Assistant GM, nearly 500 games played for the Flyers

-Terry Murray, Kings coach until early this season, former Flyers coach

-John Stevens, interim Kings coach, former Flyers coach

-Active players: Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Justin Williams

Then there's this nugget from Bob McKenzie this morning: "Why trade Brown? IMO, LAK like Brown as "player," not as enthused about Brown as captain. IMO, only matter of time til Mike Richards gets C."

In short order the Kings could be a team coached by John Stevens, captained by Mike Richards, with Jeff Carter as their leading goal scorer.  Sound familiar?

Carter Trade II 

If you're keeping score at home, the return the Blue Jackets received for Carter is a mid-first round pick and Jack Johnson.  The return the Flyers received was a high first round pick, Jake Voracek and a 3rd round pick.  Columbus did well to salvage a trade that has been disastrous for them, but the Flyers can be pleased they got more value and appear to have sold high on Carter.

In on Brown

Both Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie say the Flyers are involved in talks for Brown, so I'm going to take it as truth.  Dustin Brown is the captain of the Kings, is generally good for 25 goals and 60 points, and hits everything that moves.  The question is, can the Flyers afford his cap hit this season?  Brown's cap hit of just $3.125 is generally very desirable, but the Flyers are already up against the cap this season.  If the Flyers were to trade JVR+ for Brown, they would still need to trim ~$1.5m elsewhere on the roster.  Ironically, making this trade would increase cap space for the Flyers next season as JVR's cap hit rises to $4.25 next year.

The Flyers roster this season doesn't have any clear holes anymore, so a trade for Brown is bordering on gratuitous, though it would make the Flyers a better team this year and next.  Either way, only a few more days of the trade rumors before the deadline.  Until then, JVR will probably be very nervous.  Also, FWIW, Pierre LeBrun wrote on ESPN.com this morning that a few weeks the Flyers were talking JVR for Jack Johnson, but obviously it didn't happen (perhaps due to JVR's concussion?).