Luca Sbisa set to return

by Travis Hughes on Apr 9, 2009 3:30 AM EDT in Philadelphia Flyers News

Rookie defenseman Luca Sbisa is preparing to return to Philadelphia. His Lethbridge Hurricanes were eliminated from the WHL playoffs last night by the Calgary Hitmen, making it probable that he will join the Phantoms for the final two games of their regular season this weekend. If all goes well, he could rejoin the Flyers roster for the playoffs. Sbisa wouldn't be able to play in a regular season game for the Flyers because he would put them over the salary cap.

Speculation Time: With Riley Cote out for the remainder of the season, Paul Holmgren doesn't sound all that excited about Andreas Nodl being on the playoff roster.

“I think Nodl has played okay for us when he’s been up," Homer said after Tuesday's game. "We’ll have other options if we get to that point, so we’ll just see. We’ll play it by ear.”

Could Sbisa be the guy that takes Cote's spot? Of course he's not a forward, but the Flyers won't be rolling all four lines in the playoffs anyway. A guy like Nodl or Jared Ross or Jon Kalinski would be kind of redundant in the playoffs and, frankly, not all that necessary. Sbisa would be a welcome addition to the playoff roster, especially considering both long playoff runs this decade (2004 and 2008) have ended because of injuries on the blueline. Depth back there in the form of an extra guy would be nice.

Besides, if necessary, Sbisa could play up front. He's already done it with the Flyers this year. Crazier things have happened.

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lol the calgary hitmen. Gotta love minor league team names

I dont get why homer doesnt wanna play Nodl in the playoffs. I would much rather have Nodl on the roster than Riley Cote or an 18 year old kid playing out of position. a 4th line of Powe, Nodl, and Asham/Carcillo would not be a liability. they dont need big ice time but they can steal a few shifts in the early going to keep the big guns fresh for the 3rd period.

by njh3293 on Apr 9, 2009 9:30 AM EDT reply actions

I guess he doesn't think Nodl's playin too well

It’d be okay to have Sbisa in the playoffs. We don’t use all 4 lines really in the playoffs, kinda just rotate in some players if we need to. It’d be good to have that extra defensive depth, especially since Sbisa’s good on the offensive anyway. I’d prefer having Sbisa up to Nodl. Not that I’m sure either one will happen.

by Alon on Apr 9, 2009 12:57 PM EDT reply actions

Smart move by the Flyers

This is a great move on the flyers part. Nodl obviously won’t ever be a top forward for this organization so bringing him up for a few shifts a night doesn’t help the Flyers or Nodl at all. But having Sbisa in the lineup gives you depth if a dman goes down, gives you a more defensive minded player on your fourth line and gives Sbisa important playoff experience that he can use in the future with the Flyers. And don’t worry about a defenseman playing forward, as they say the brains move out from the net. Forwards are a dime a dozen and there’s a reason, it’s easier to play. Also it’s not like this will be the first time Sbisa has played forward so it really shouldn’t be too much to worry about.

by Pondhockey on Apr 9, 2009 2:24 PM EDT reply actions