For Flyers, it's all in on Ray Emery
by Travis Hughes on Jul 2, 2009 10:47 AM EDT
in Commentary
28 comments
When the Flyers announced their trade for Chris Pronger on Friday night, it was seen widely as a "win-now" move. They were trading away a huge chunk of their youth -- two first round picks, a solid player in Joffrey Lupul, and a potential defensive gem in Luca Sbisa. In essence, the Flyers traded away four first round picks for an aging superstar and a career minor leaguer, Ryan Dingle.
If you look at the trade in that sense, it's easy to understand why people are upset. But the truth of the matter is that the trade gives the Flyers all the depth they need at defense, while trading away only a minor piece of the offensive depth they enjoyed last season. Pronger is a game changer, one that flat out scares the other teams.
"It certainly doesn't help us," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau told the media in Montreal. "Everywhere he goes he makes that team a threat to win the Stanley Cup. I believe he's going to do the same thing for Philadelphia. Philadelphia got a lot better. We'll just have to dig deep and hopefully we're able to get by them."
The consensus at the draft this weekend among people from around the Eastern Conference is that the acquisition of Pronger makes the Flyers one of the best teams in the league and it makes them an immediate contender for the Cup. There is, however, always that "...but..." moment, and it always comes back to the goaltending.
On Wednesday, the Flyers went without signing a goaltender that could challenge Ray Emery for the starting position. That's not to say that Brian Boucher isn't a good signing. He can be a solid mentor for Emery and when he needs a break, Boosh can step in and hopefully play admirably -- as he did last season when Nabokov went down in San Jose.
But to say that the Flyers goaltending woes are solved cannot be determined as of now. Boucher isn't a starter and Emery is a gigantic question mark. It's not as if he played poorly in Russia -- his GAA was below two -- but there's no guarantee that success will translate back to the NHL. Second chances are deserved and it's good that he's getting one, but isn't it shocking to anybody that he's getting one without even a challenge?
Emery is a guy that can lead a team to the promised land. He has the skill and if he can bring the work ethic and an unyielding desire to win, he can get the job done. For the Flyers and for the fans, he better put it all together. There is no safety net. Is that too much faith to put in one guy?
He wanted his chance for redemption. Here it is, Ray.
special thanks for Pension Plan Puppets, who contributed audio for this report
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Travis, riddle me this. Emery has head problems (hopefully had), no? DO you think part of that was the mishandling of him in Ottawa…from the attention to the splitting of time with Gerber. Perhaps if he was given the support he looks to be getting right now…he would’ve lasted? After all, we have his former coach (IIRC) here in the system, and we still got him. Makes me truly wonder WTF happened in Ottawa…
by AshburnAlley on Jul 2, 2009 11:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
about losing the 4 first round picks
the Flyers traded away four first round picks for an aging superstar
ya never know with first round picks
take a look at a list of flyer first rounders since the lindros trade and you can see its a hit or miss: i count trading players away like zubrus, jani and jason as a hit but technically a miss… its debatable…
2008-Luca Sbisa (?)
2007-James Van Riemsdyk (?)
2006-Claude Giroux (hit)
2005-Steve Downie (miss)
2003-Jeff Carter (hit)
2003-Mike Richards (hit)
2002-Joni Pitkanen (hit-miss traded)
2001-Jeff Woywitka (miss)
2000-Justin Williams (hit-traded)
1999-Maxime Ouellet (miss)
1998-Simon Gagne (hit)
1996-Dainius Zubrus (hit-traded)
1995-Brian Boucher (hit or miss-debatable)
1992-Ryan Sittler (miss)
1992-Jason Bowen (miss)
1991-Peter Forsberg (traded for Lindros)
by fitzy first on Jul 2, 2009 11:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Emery
Ray Emery should be the most motivated player in the NHL this season. That is if he wants to remain in the NHL and earn a new contract. The defense in front of him will be vastly improved over last season. I know there is a lot riding on his shoulders. I hope he’s up for the challange.
by bd22 on Jul 2, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Emery definitely has the skill. I remember being worried in 2007 because the senators had found a starting goalie that didn’t collapse in the playoffs.
However, he does have some character issues. He’s a bit of a party guy and can’t keep time to save his life. At the end, even the notoriously soft ottawa media were piling on. Toss in the fact that he started that year injured and Gerber was hot and I think a lot of things came together to cause that terrible season.
If Stevens and Holmgren can keep him happy this could be a high reward situation.
Of course, Philly is a hell of a goalie’s graveyard…
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
by PPP on Jul 2, 2009 12:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well yea..
The last time we had real promise was Lindbergh and Hexy.
However, had we given Niitty a shot, I think it would’ve been OK. He has a wicked glove hand.
by AshburnAlley on Jul 2, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nitty's glove
His glove is only “wicked” because he is small and goes down too early leaving the top shelf open everybody shoots high glove or blocker on Nitty. Yes he will snap up and catch more than he lets in and it looks flashy but that is the book on Nitty. Two years ago he couldn’t catch a cold with that giant glove.
by chrislanci on Jul 2, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He has undeniable glove speed. How he gets there is half the battle, sealing the deal is diff. You can see a marked improvement over the past 3-4 years in how his glove developed.
So I’d still call it “wicked”.
by AshburnAlley on Jul 2, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Backup
This is going to be the 1st time in a long time that there is a clear number 1 goalie in Philly. I think the fact that every year there is a “goalie controversy” in this city hurts the team. Emery is our guy he knows and everyone on the team knows it. Signing Boucher shows Ray that the organization has confidence in him and when he has a bad game or two he doesn’t have to worry about being benched. I am looking forward to Emery playing 60+ games and back to back situations just run with him and hopefully it will work out. I still think Emery at worst is Marty and with Pronger in front that should mean a sub 2.50 GAA..
Knowing your role is the key to success in team sports.
by chrislanci on Jul 2, 2009 2:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Exactly. The org putting their weight on him, combined with the fact that he has to improve or he’s screwed, is key. I love Marty’s heart, but let’s be honest with ourselves, he’s a 1A at BEST. Emery still has the time, and the talent, to be a solid 1. And remember, he WAS a 1, and as a 1, he got a team to the Stanley Cup Finals.
by AshburnAlley on Jul 2, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But
And right now it is a small but. What if he does have an outstanding year? Do you think we will be able to fit another high contract under the cap? If he plays like he did when he took the Sens to the cup final he will warrant a very large raise (4 mil?) Again we will be scrambling to make it work. I guess if that happens though the reward for one year is awesome. On the other hand Pronger probably won’t need the 6.25 he is making right now to stay for a couple more years, but on the other hand of that some of that money saved will need to go to Coburn to get him resigned.
by blackandorange on Jul 2, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We’ll have some contracts coming off I believe, like Rathje and such. And who knows where the goalie market will be, particularly with a rumored lower cap number next year. I think we need to get Prongz locked so we know what we’ll be working with exactly.
by AshburnAlley on Jul 2, 2009 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rathje is LTIR, his salary doesnt count I thought.
by blackandorange on Jul 2, 2009 5:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wish that was true, but I don’t think it is?
by AshburnAlley on Jul 2, 2009 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes it’s true in a way.
Putting a player on LTIR means that you are allowed to exceed the cap by their amount of money. So if they guy you’re putting on LTIR has a cap hit of 3 million, then you can exceed the cap by 3 million. The person’s money still technically counts toward the cap, but with the allowed exceeding it’s as if it’s not there at all. It’s just simpler to figure things out by saying it’s not there. It’s not the fact that if we somehow got rid of Rathje we’d be freeing up 3.5 mil.
by SJPhillyVT on Jul 2, 2009 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m assuming all of the current cap calculations include this?
by AshburnAlley on Jul 2, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If by including it you mean not including Rathje’s cap hit, then yes.
by SJPhillyVT on Jul 2, 2009 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Our team this year is clearly among the top in the league, but yes… the question is always goaltending and still is. Thankfully though (?), it’s not about skill, it’s about mental … ‘issues’. That said, I fully trust that Homer and Stevens are going to keep a close watch on not only Emery’s off-ice situation, but every single player’s. And we’ve all seen the Emery news conference. Homer is a very intimidating person, to say the least, and Emery’s face showed that he recognized that pretty damn quickly.
I think we’ll get a better picture of Emery’s mental state once the first ten or so games are played, and he’s sure as hell motivated enough to do his absolute best.
And I dread next offseason if things go well. We’ve got problems, but that’s still a while off.
by Ben Feldman on Jul 2, 2009 6:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Next year might be crazy....
Jones is coming off at 3 million and some from Pronger if he takes a lesser deal which he should since JBo’s salary is the new standard at 6.6 million I think you can get Pronger for a 4 million cap hit if you extend him for 8 years. Kinda like what CHI did with Hossa front load a long term contract to lessen the cap hit. If the cap does drop next year Timmy P. on CSN Philly reported a potential 5 million dollar drop then everyone in the league is screwed. If that happens I might expect some type of work stoppage I can’t see NHL All-Stars and future Hall of Famers being sent down to the AHL because the league wants to put teams in impossible markets. Phoenix, Columbus, Nashville, Florida etc… that are killing the revenue while the big clubs would be more than willing to spend 75 to 90 million on team salary to pay for them.
by chrislanci on Jul 3, 2009 2:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So they're going with Boucher and Emery...
Preface: Please forgive my ignorance/lack of information. Being stuck in Utah and away from any credible hockey news, let alone Flyers news is maddening…
So is Nitty being sent to the Phantoms again, or is he just going elsewhere…and I’m assuming it’s way too early to figure out where Biron’s going to end up?
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Gretzky
"Never turn your back on friends..." - 'Nightfall' by Blind Guardian
by dwarvenpanzer9 on Jul 3, 2009 3:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Niitty and Biron...
… will be on other teams next year. The Flyers won’t re-sign them as they cannot afford to do so.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
by mikefive on Jul 3, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My bet is that Niitty won’t return to the NHL this season. His hips are too big of a problem.
by Ben Feldman on Jul 3, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You might also want to add another casualty in this trade: Mike Knuble. It might have been hard to resign him even with the pre-Pronger cap situation, but $2M of cap space was taken up with this trade (Pronger at $6.25M – Lupul $4.25 = Net Cap Loss of $2M). Knuble signed with Washington for $2.8M/Year. That leaves the Flyers without 52 goals (20% of total goals for) from last year, and leaves the team down two top-six forwards, and no room to replace them. There are more question marks on this team than just Emery, even if Emery remains the largest one.
"Oh, buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!" - Mike Lange
by gorgalor on Jul 6, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sbisa had an $875,000 cap hit, so it’s more around $1m and change of net cap loss. It wasn’t just this trade that killed re-signing Knuble. We knew that the chances were pretty slim regardless. A full season of Briere (knock on wood) and a full season of Giroux plus Pronger’s 50 points and whatever Lappy can chip in should be fine to even everything out.
What other question marks do we have on our team besides how Emery does? We’re still really deep offensively, we’re much much improved defensively, and unless Emery self-implodes (again, knock on wood), we have the same if not better goaltending.
by Ben Feldman on Jul 6, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Knock on wood = question marks :)
Another issue (question mark) that I see the Flyers having is discipline. The Flyers did their part to add more grit to the roster for next year, but will adding additional players (Pronger, Lapperiere, Emery to a degree) with high PIM’s to a team that already led the league in PIM’s result in more wins? That also puts a lot more pressure on Emery (most cited hockey cliche, “goalie needs to be your best penalty killer”). There just seems to be a huge possibility for disaster with a lot of blow-up/melt-down games with the Flyer’s roster as it stands now. To pose it as a question, “Will grit get in the way of talent, as opposed to supporting it?”
"Oh, buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!" - Mike Lange
by gorgalor on Jul 7, 2009 5:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I also sense Powe and Carcillo putting up bigger seasons than expected.
by SJPhillyVT on Jul 7, 2009 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lupul and knuble = what? 50 some goals and 50 some assists…??? its all about players fitting into a role. lupul lacked two way ability and knuble lacked consistency during 5-5s… i have full confidence we will be over their departure very soon. i for one am excited about a much more quick and skilled first line with knuble out of the picture
by fitzy first on Jul 6, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Flyers needed a Goaltending Change...
The team needed a change between the pipes, but whether this is the right one, remains to be seen…
after 2 seasons, I think the team realized that Biron was better than what they had, but not good enough to take them to where they wanted to go. Biron appeared to be a great leader, good athlete, and tremendous teammate…but he looked like he wasn’t fundamentally sound, and would take chances or make mistakes in the clutch moments of games that result in OT or a loss. Head to head, Biron was not better than Marc-Andre Fleury..and he’s certainly not better than the guy in New Jersey…. and Lundqvist was about even….
Nittymaki I thought was better fundamentally than Biron, but didn’t have the leadership qualities……there was a handful of times he had the opportunity to take Biron’s job and didn’t do it….
Ray Emery, despite the off-ice stuff, has played a big role in getting a team to the Stanley Cup Finals..and the Senators did beat the Penguins (Crosby, Malkin, Fleury) on their route to the finals. But, the Penguins are a different team now then they were 3 years ago. Whether Emery is the right change or not remains to be seen, but I have this feeling that if he can stay healthy and return to his capabilities…Emery is going to like Philadelphia
Brian Boucher, has had an up and down career (but playing for the Coyotes….how can anyone have an up career?)….he played well last year in San Jose….and is a career back up (I guess)….he’s been in the organization before……and even though he’s suited as a back up…let’s not forget, at one time he played a major role in leading this team to the 1999-2000 Conference Finals…who can forget that 5-time OT game against the Penguins? So, if something happens to Emery….Boucher has helped this team before…maybe, somehow, he could do it again if his number is called.
by FlyersGoalies1and27 on Aug 9, 2009 8:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Jersey
|
58 | 36 | 20 | 2 | 74 |
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Pittsburgh
|
59 | 35 | 22 | 2 | 72 |
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Philadelphia
|
57 | 29 | 25 | 3 | 61 |
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New York Rangers
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New York Islanders
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Next 5 Games
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Montreal
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Fri 02/12 | 6:00 PM EST |
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Montreal
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Tampa Bay
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Florida
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Last 5 Games
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New Jersey
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Mon 02/08 | W 3 - 2 |
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Minnesota
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Sat 02/06 | L 1 - 2 |
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Edmonton
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Wed 02/03 | L 0 - 1 |
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Calgary
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Mon 02/01 | W 3 - 0 |
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New York Islanders
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Sat 01/30 | W 2 - 1 |
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