Flyers Ready to Sign Defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen
by Travis Hughes on Jul 26, 2009 2:28 PM EDT
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Defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is in town today undergoing a physical with the Philadelphia Flyers, and should he pass that exam, the team will sign him to a contract. Anthony SanFillippo of the Delaware County Times first reported the news this morning, also mentioning that Tollefsen "would be part of the NHL plans, and not as a defenseman for the Phantoms."
Tollefsen, currently an unrestricted free agent, has played for the Columbus Blue Jackets since being drafted 65th overall in 2002. He played in just 19 games last year before a January knee injury ended his season. He is a big, bruising defenseman who accumulated 37 penalty minutes in those 19 games last season, and 111 PIM in 2007/08. He plays a physical game, is very aggressive in the defensive zone, and has good defensive instincts. Some say that he hits too often, however, and that he needs to learn how to reign in his physical game.
Signing Tollefsen could lead to a trade of one of the Flyers current defenseman, presumably Randy Jones and his expensive $2.75 million cap hit. Tollefsen had a cap hit of just 675k last season and would be a serious discount over Jones, and the extra cash could be used to go after another offensive player such as Petr Sykora, Todd Bertuzzi, Miroslav Satan, or Brenden Shanahan.
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Great
I’d support that, if for no other reason than the net effect of Tollefsen signing + another signing will certainly outweigh the effect of just Jones. Spending $2.75m on a guy that’s probably as good as Jones (worse offensively, better defensively, younger) and another guy as compared to spending $2.75m on just Jones should almost certainly guarantee a better team.
I doubt Tollefsen is too different from Andrew Alberts, so hopefully this does mean we have a #6 d-man worth #6 d-man dollars as opposed to #3 d-man dollars.
Oh my, oh my.
If this means the end of Randy Jones, I’ll be ecstatic.
On a side note – has anyone heard about the Flyers alleged interest in Max Afinogenov?
Let's go Flyers!
by OrangeAndBlackk on Jul 26, 2009 5:11 PM EDT reply actions
I read about that on Phila.Bright a bit ago. We could probably get him pretty cheap. He would be a nice addition. A change of scenery might help him have a better season than his disappointing one last year. Dumping Jones signing someone like Tollefsen for a lot less opens the door to a lot of different players to fill that final forward spot.
Max
Please stay away from Max. As a FLyer fan in exile in Buffalo trust me Sabres fans have had their fill of him. Yes he makse some spectacualr plays but 90% of the time he simply turns it over.
by Fr. Orange and Black on Jul 26, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Not to mention...
I don’t think anybody can forget what he and Briere are capable of doing when the click. A line of Briere, Giroux, and Max would be fun to watch for sure…
Let's go Flyers!
by OrangeAndBlackk on Jul 26, 2009 5:44 PM EDT reply actions
I'm for it
Jones made too much money for his work last year. He’s a solid defenseman but lacks a lot offensively. I’ve never heard of this guy Tollefson, but if he’s anything like Alberts i’ll be happy.
The extra money means we’ll be able to get a decent scorer. I’m not too worried about the scoring though with a full year of Briere and Giroux.
if we could pull all this off..
I would have no reason why the Flyers wouldn’t be one of the top contenders for the Cup this year, for sure(who could argue it?). Getting someone like Afinogenov or Sykora would give us that little extra boost in scoring; as well as, giving us another defensive-minded d-man in Tollefsen. Think this could be a very interesting deal when everything including is all said and done.
Nash for 8 More, Baby!
Forget Sykora.
I don’t think I want him anywhere near a Flyers uniform. However, I do agree that this year could be special if we’re not injury plagued. Actually, it better be, because with the financial restraints we’re going to be in if the cap goes down as far as it’s predicted, we’ll be a tad bit screwed.
Let's go Flyers!
by OrangeAndBlackk on Jul 26, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Tad bit? Though I’m starting to wonder if it really will go down as much as initially expected. Gotta imagine we’re just about through the worst of this and most not-Nashville/Phoenix/“Florida” markets are doing fine in terms of season ticket renewals. Given the economic news we’re seeing now as opposed to October, there’s a better than not chance that the cap will go down, but not the multi-millions some are suggesting.
Here’s the cap hit of the mentioned players from 2008
Todd Bertuzzi – 1.95 Mil 2008 Cap Hit
Peter Sykora – 2.50 Mil 2008 Cap Hit
Max Afinogenov – 3.33 Mil 2008 Cap HIt
Miroslav Satan – 3.5 Mil 2008 Cap hit
Out of these people, I’d like to have Bertuzzi. As long as we’re going with the physical, hard hitting style this year. He’s a good scored and would give us some size up front. (6’3 230)
NOOOO!!!
I’m telling you, Todd Bertuzzi is an absolute waste of time and money at this stage of his career. He was good until about halfway through November of this past season, then he was pretty much garbage the rest of the way. I watched the Flames a lot this year. We don’t want Todd Bertuzzi here.
Of ANY of this crop, Sykora is the only one I’d take. Max Afinogenov is a less-productive, more turnover-prone Joffrey Lupul; Satan, like Bertuzzi, is finished. Sykora can still pop one in and contribute occasionally. Plus, he’s got a couple of Stanley Cup rings.
Still, I agree with Mario; any extra money should be spent on a faceoff guy.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Agreed
Plus, signing Bertuzzi wouldnt exactly do wonders for our sparkaling reputation either.
by philiafan14364 on Jul 27, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions
What about Robert Lang
Lang last year was the best player with the canadiens before he got injured. Everybody says that he is a great teammate and I don’t think he will command to much money. I see him playing with Asham and Laperriere (or maybe JVR)
Not sure, but I think he might be injured/retired
by philiafan14364 on Jul 26, 2009 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions
The Flyers don’t need more scorers.
They need a faceoff taking center. There was a rumor Bonk was going to Russia, was that finalized? And I believe Malhotra is still unsigned.
Sign this guy, trade Jones for a 2nd round pick, and sign Bonk or Malhotra.
Though I would’ve preferred to have resigned Alberts at $1m, signed this guy, and traded Randy Jones so that they could carry 7 Dmen.
Jones
Anyone care to explain to me how exactley were going to get rid of a #4 Dman in Jones when hes making over 2mil this year. I doubt many teams will be intererested in him…
by philiafan14364 on Jul 26, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions
He’s not entirely worthless. I’m sure there are teams that could use a Randy Jones. If you get a good year out of him (or see potential), you can probably get him to sign for a lower price come next offseason. And I doubt we’re going to be asking much. I’d be very happy to get a few later-round picks for him.
by Ben Feldman on Jul 26, 2009 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Because he’s young.
I could easily seeing a team like Toronto wanting Jones. They’ve got about $7m in cap room, no problems spending that money, and established veteran defensemen ahead of him; he’d be their #4 behind Komisarek, Kaberle, and Beauchemin, plus give them enough depth to again flirt with trading Kaberle at the deadline. For the Flyers Jones is a #5 and if Parent develops this season he could suplant Jones at that spot. Randy is a good player, but in the cap era the Flyers can’t afford to pay #4 money to a #6 guy.
by MarioD on Jul 26, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This sounds good
Maybe he’d go to Columbus and be reunited with Ken Hitchcock and RJ Umberger. But I could see him on the Leafs.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
toronto
toronto has like 10 defenseman .. komiserk kaberle beauchemin schenn finger and they have one or two more
by jack is better than asante on Jul 27, 2009 1:50 AM EDT up reply actions
no way
Schenn is already exceptional. Maaaybe he gets PT over Finger, but it’s semantics — i agree they might be interested in him, although I suspect it would be as a #6 d-man
noo
they dont wany jones .. no one does .. maybe columbus because he was a hitchcock guy .. but thats it
by jack is better than asante on Jul 27, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Eklund says we’re working on a deal to send someone to Phoenix or LA so we can sign Tollefsen. Take that for what it’s worth.
Sure.
I thought Eklund was unreliable? You know, the opposite of Pelle Eklund?
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
maxim
Maxim has tremendous upside ,i honestly dont think he’s lost the scoring touch. If we can get him cheap this could be the steal of the offseason. Put him with his old linemate briere and see what happens. Maxim, danny, & giroux could be a nasty line ..goals galore!
Just for the hell of it we should kick the tires on kessel just to see who the B’s would want in return. Kessel has orange and black written allover him, be a great fit.
The ultimate deal would be briere, get rid of his huge contract ....but the b's are cap strapped too ..so that wont happen. I dunno maybe jones,carle,cote and a couple prospects .
The ultimate deal would be briere, get rid of his huge contract ….but the b’s are cap strapped too ..so that wont happen. I dunno maybe jones,carle,cote and a couple prospects ha ha one can dream right??
Some people are ragging on homer ..but i really like the moves he made , especially up against the cap. Pronger and the flyers go together like peanut butter and jelly, and he scored a cheap goalie with tremendous up side if he keeps his head clean. Then he got another heart and soul penalty killer type guy in lappy.
Now we sign tollefson , move jones , dump that worthless punching bag cote ,,and take a chance on maxim. This could be the feelgood story of the year ..with maxim and razor having comeback type years. Also i truly believe JVR and bourdon will make team out of camp …bourdon is gonna be a stud ..mark my words.
And I don’t know if Homer’s been credited enough for dumping Upshall. Yes, I said dumping. Scottie wants a multi-year $3-4m hit deal from the Coyotes. Homer knew it all along. So he dumped him and got back someone who is going to be an integral part of his strategy for this season. The draft pick we sent with Scottie may have been too much, and that’s because I bet Phoenix had a feeling that this would happen, but it’s obvious that they see Upshall as an integral part of their strategy this season. If Homer signs OKT and dumps Jones, someone give the man a cookie.
Razor will, I think, make or break this season. I think we’ll know how he’s going to do very early on this season. I wonder if Maxim will work for us though, cause wouldn’t there be some pressure to put him with Briere? If you make an adjustment like that, wouldn’t we need to move to a more balanced three offensive lines as opposed to two power lines (top 6), a grit line (Lappy, Malhotra/Bertuzzi/etc., Carcillo) and a goon line (Asham, Powe, Cote/Kalinski/Nodl/Phantom of the week)? Do we want to do that? I would love to see Maxim here, but I wonder if he would upset things. Or would he and this setup fit in perfectly to Homer and Stevens’ new “up-tempo” system?
Or do we just want to say “the hell with it,” sign Bertuzzi, become the Broad Street Bullies II?
Lots to think about, both enticing in their own ways… but once I read about Upshall’s demands, I gained a LOT of confidence in Homer and his decisions.
by Ben Feldman on Jul 27, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Well bertuzzi would def fit in our bullies scheme. He paralyzed a guy, jones almost ended bergeron’s career …and razor beats up his trainers….and pronger is just a nasty mofo . lol .Broad street bullies part 2 would def be in effect. If i remember right at one time the man could put the puck in the net too. Maybe we dont need to sign anyone …ive read nothing but good things about patrick maroon . He has alot of potential as an NHL goal scorer, so they say .
by EastBeast18 on Jul 27, 2009 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d be really surprised if we don’t sign anyone. We need someone who has some experience (even if it’s just a few years). Maroon does have a lot of potential, but I don’t think we want to rush him and we’ll probably give him another good year in the AHL. That said, he should be joining the group of players first to be called up.
by Ben Feldman on Jul 27, 2009 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions
They need more experience at forward? Really? Let’s look at the lines (not really a prediction of lines, just as a way of organizing discussion)
Gagne-Richards-Briere
Hartnell-Carter-Giroux
Carcillo-Ross-Laperierre
Cote-Powe-Asham
I’ll grant you Giroux, Ross, and Powe as inexperienced, all of them have less than one full year of NHL experience, and have playoff experience.
The other 9 guys on the roster, in order of complete seasons of NHL experience:
2 – Carcillo, Cote
3 –
4 – Richards, Carter
…
8 – Hartnell, Briere, Asham
9 – Gagne
…
13 – Laperierre
Those nine guys have a combined 58 seasons of NHL experience.
And that’s not counting the experience on the backline with Pronger, Timmonen, Coburn, Carle, and Jones.
They don’t need any more experience.
I don’t think you can ever have enough experience (…unless your core’s average age is over 30), and did you not say that Homer identified it as a need?
I’d rather put someone like Malhotra in there than Maroon at this point. This is a team that is built to win now. I have nothing against Maroon at all and I have no doubt that he can be a good NHL player one day. But where we are, I want a proven player in there over an unproven player who, given some time, can become better than the proven player. I’d be more than happy to see Maroon get some time up from the Phantoms in case of an injury.
by Ben Feldman on Jul 27, 2009 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions
What did Holmgren identify as this team’s weakness?
- Proven leadership
- Penalty killers who aren’t 30 goal scorers
- Faceoffs
Maxim Afinogenov fits none of those needs.
2 out of 3 ain't bad.
I say we go for Malhotra, unless Homer is banking on the fact that Richards’ healed shoulders will improve his faceoff percentage.
But we’ve been saying this for a while. I guess there’s no use speculating until we sign “Don” Tollefsen, assuming he even passes the physical (Kyle McLaren) first.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
If this is it for the offseason, I’m fine with 2/3 needs fulfilled.
But don’t go acquire players (aginogenov, sykora) that don’t fill that last need.
That said, I don’t expect them to sign any of the garbage players inexplicably being clamored for to provide “more scoring”.
I hear ya mario ..i truly believe with our core and our prospects ..we have plenty of offense.
by EastBeast18 on Jul 27, 2009 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
3rd line
Carcillo-Ross-Lappy third line in my opinion is pretty weak. I much rather see Powe in the center there but Manny Malhotra would be a great fit. Carcillo-Malhotra-Lappy is a solid checking line that might punch in 30 goals plus Manny and Lappy can kill penalties with the best of them. Giving Richards and Carter some time to catch their breath. I wouldn’t mind loading up the 4th line with a bunch of kids and see what they can do but it is not our style to bring up top prospects and give the very little playing time. A 4th line of Asham-Powe-Cote would okay as line banging line, but I am not seeing Cote on this roster next year. We got tons of grit in our line up and he is not needed. If we add another scorer our 3rd line is going to take on a scoring role but I much rather have 2 scoring a checking and an energy line to round out the lineup.
Homer told the Daily News that OKT checked out “okay.” Is that Homer’s way of saying the results weren’t what they wanted or was everything as expected?
I guess they’re not going to sign him until they can trade Jones. Homer also said they haven’t spoken to Afinogenov.
Probably.
In this case, “okay” probably means “fine.” I think you are probably right – they won’t sign him until they get rid of Jones or someone else. That’s why they’re “not taking any direction at this point.” Keep in mind that Tollefsen is still “a player of interest.”
No Afinogenov = No problem.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
I wonder if Homer will try to bring Vinny Prospal in on the cheap since the Lightning announced they are buying out the remainder of his contract…
He did have some good chemistry with Briere last time he was here – plus he might be willing to sign on the cheap since he is already getting paid by Tampa…
I would rather see Vinny back in the Orange and Black instead of Sykora, Satan, Afinogenov or Bertuzzi.
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