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.

Nabokov Claimed by Isles

"I was surprised they picked me up. I was like, 'Wow, what's the point?'''

That pretty much sums it up. Not surprisingly, Nabokov is telling the Isles to piss off, and is refusing to report.

Why would the Isles, a team going absolutely nowhere this season, claim a player who clearly only wants to come back to the NHL to play for a contender?

"I dont see why somebody who has this opportunity would not want to play and fulfill his contract," Wang said. "It's nuts, right? I don't understand any of it."

It would explain much of it, if this was an executive decision by clueless/mysterious/insane meddling owner Wang.

I can't see any scenario under which Nabokov plays out the season for the Isles. He was willing to walk away from bigger contract offers in the offseason, so presumably he won't hesitate to walk away from a small contract with an irrelevant NHL team.

It will be a matter of how long the Isles will push, or if some kind of arrangement can be reached. By his own admittance Nabokov is not ready to jump straight into action, so maybe he could spend a few weeks with the Isles, getting himself together and help them get through an injury crisis, then they'll put him back on waivers.

Hard to predict anything the Isles will do though.

Nabokov?

Reports tonight are that Nabokov has signed with Detroit for $570,000.

Wow. Nabokov is getting old, but by any account, he still would be an above average goalie.

The real interesting part is that as a mid-season signing from abroad, Nabokov has to clear waivers. Will no one put a claim on a goalie of his caliber for such a small price tag? I find that hard to believe.

Two things to consider-- 1) if a team like the Isles take him, he can say 'forget this' and refuse to report, and 2) a team can't claim him and trade him (he would have to clear waivers again before a trade could go through).

13.23 In the event a professional or former professional Player plays in a league outside North America after the start of the NHL Regular Season, other than on Loan from his Club, he may thereafter play in the NHL during that Playing Season (including Playoffs) only if he has first either cleared or been obtained via Waivers. For the balance of the Playing Season, any such Player who has been obtained via Waivers may be Traded or Loaned only after again clearing Waivers or through Waiver claim.

So, that means only teams who are looking for a number one goalie and are competitive should put in a claim. I know one team that fits that description....

Unfortunately I believe the Flyers would be dead last in waiver claim priority as they currently have the best record in the NHL. But as I said above, Nabokov might walk away if a crap team takes him, so all the teams with high waiver priority might not bother. Other playoff bound teams like Vancouver, New York, Pittsburgh, Boston, Dallas, Anaheim, Montreal, Phoenix...etc, are set in net.

I was planning on a future post on the Flyers' goalie options later, but suffice it to say for now that Bobby-Boucher in net is the obvious achilles heel of this otherwise outstanding team. And if I recall correctly, there were a lot of reports in the offseason that Nabokov was the Flyers number one choice in net but they couldn't reach an agreement on salary in the Flyers tight cap situation...

If it were me, I'd put in a claim for Nabokov, and if the Flyers got him, send Bobs to the AHL for the rest of the year. They could swallow Nabokov's dirt cheap salary no problem. Maybe the Flyers felt okay with Bobby-Boucher for the moment, but I just couldn't pass up on goalie like Nabokov with 300 career NHL wins who could fall right into their lap at a super cheap price.