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Ole-Kristian Tollefsen: A Columbus Perspective

Given that the newest member of the Flyers, defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, has played his entire career in Columbus, fans in the Philadelphia area probably don't know too much about his game. Luckily, Andy Newman, a Blue Jackets writer over at The Cannon, took the time to answer a few of our questions.

The first thing we'll realize about Tollefsen is the fact that he plays a very "Philly style" of hockey, and that's presumably why general manager Paul Holmgren picked him up off of free agency.

"Tollefsen is a physical defenseman who plays with no fear," Newman said of OKT's desire to win. "He's got a lot of heart and is just an all-around good guy to have on your team. He sticks up for anyone without question. You can't question his heart."

But that seems to be where the accolades end for the player affectionately known as Tolle.

"His on-ice skills are lacking," Newman continued. "I recall Blue Jackets fans calling him 'scary' with the puck. He won't add any offense, and in Columbus was utilized on the bottom pairing. He wasn't brought back to the Blue Jackets mainly because we have too many defensive-defensemen like Tollefsen, but they all have more upside, like Marc Methot."

If Tollefsen can't crack any higher than the Jackets' third pairing, what evidence is there to think he can do the same thing here, especially if the rumors are true that he'll be replacing Randy Jones in the lineup. Some of the biggest criticisms of Jones are that he is atrocious while carrying the puck and in the decisions he makes with the puck, so if Tollefsen is "scary" with the puck, how is that an improvement?

Say he does perform well though and he becomes a solid bargain for a team snug against the salary cap. There's no guarantee that he'll stay healthy, as noted earlier in a frightening breakdown of Tollefsen's injury history.

"The biggest issue with Tolle is the growing injury concerns," Newman said. "Since becoming a full-time NHLer in 06-07 when he played 70 games, he's gone from playing 51 games two years ago to just 19 last year. The injuries are getting worse, too. He's dealt with a concussion or two, and played out part of the 07-08 season with a cracked vertebrae in his neck."

"In short, he's a great guy, and will defend his teammates until the end. It's just everything else that's a concern."

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Wow. How desperate is Holmgren going to be to get rid of Jones now? If there were whispers before, those voices are going to be a dull roar now!

Are the Flyers going to be able to get rid of Jones without having to include another asset in the deal? I wonder if mgmt even cares at this point….

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by Cheap Seats on Jul 31, 2009 3:17 AM EDT reply actions  

"Some of the biggest criticisms of Jones are that he is atrocious while carrying the puck and in the decisions he makes with the puck, so if Tollefsen is "scary" with the puck, how is that an improvement?"

Well, he’s nearly $2 million a year cheaper. I’ll take scary at under a million versus scary at almost 3 million, but that’s just me.

"When you make your final stand
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Believe"

by The Dark on Jul 31, 2009 7:46 AM EDT reply actions  

took the words outa my mouth

by philiafan14364 on Aug 2, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions  

Worst case scenario is that he gets injured and we bring up Marshall and/or Bourdon. Probably not such a terrible situation.

Travis, do you know what his turnover per game number is?

by Ben Feldman on Jul 31, 2009 7:50 AM EDT reply actions  

what’s the deal with oskars bartulis. this guy seemed like a pretty good prospect.

by asmallvictory31 on Jul 31, 2009 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions  

Why does everyone think he’s replacing Jones? He’s replacing Kukko as the 7th D man, sitting in the box as a healthy scratch unless someone gets injured.

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by HockeyOutsiders on Jul 31, 2009 9:24 AM EDT reply actions  

It’s because of the initial report that came out that said he’s going to be in the NHL plans.

Kukkonen spent practically the entire season with the Phantoms last year.

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by Travis Hughes on Jul 31, 2009 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions  

well, it’s not like the Flyers have the luxury of shuttling a D-man back and forth from the Phantoms all year like they did last year.

At $600K, they can afford for the guy to sit in the press box every night.

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by HockeyOutsiders on Jul 31, 2009 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions  

Not really.

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=36150

Kuks was on the roster from the start of the season until February 10, back on the roster for 4 more days later that month.

So he spent half of February and all of March with the Phantoms, and October-January with the Flyers.

by MarioD on Jul 31, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions  

This is interesting. A Norwegian newspaper that spoke to OKT says he received the same offer from both the Pens and the Flyers, but he chose the Flyers because of “Philly tough style.”

He actually said a couple things that I don’t think players would (or could) say to media over here. He thinks that since his style fits in well, if he plays well, he’s got a better chance for a contract extension and raise here than in Pittsburgh. Plus, he says he has the “understanding” that we want to keep him if he lives up to expectations. He was also quite blunt that the reason he got for the offer of $600,000 is because we couldn’t offer him any more, even though we’ve traded players to free money (…we haven’t done that…yet?). He’s sorta concerned that we won’t be able to keep him for 2010-11 because of “young stars on the rise that will need raises,” and that he might again be the odd man out like he was in Columbus.

One slightly reassuring point? That physical included a “special check” of his damaged knee. So at least we know it’ll probably be something else that gets injured first.

by Ben Feldman on Jul 31, 2009 9:28 AM EDT reply actions  

I like it... What an intimidating team!

I like the extra heart and toughness this guy brings to our team. With Lappy, Pronger, SmAsham, Carcillo, and now OKT, this team is built to punish the opposition.

by SanDiegoScraps on Jul 31, 2009 2:08 PM EDT reply actions  

Ossi Vaananen just signed with the KHL, which would probably explain why we didn’t hear anything about trying bring him back.

by Ben Feldman on Jul 31, 2009 3:39 PM EDT reply actions  

Showing Jonesy the door

I think he is still gone even if OKT is cheap enuf to sit. Giving Marshall and Bourdon a shot as mentioned before gives us a little more cap space. He was undrafted so we lose nothing there, send him somewhere for a bag of pucks and a roll of tape. Who cares get his $3 mil off the books. Not real familiar with waiver rules, but maybe that’s an option.

by Crosby sucks on Jul 31, 2009 3:41 PM EDT reply actions  

with his size and physical play, who better to learn from than hatcher and pronger. hopefully he will pan out.

by flyersfanin10ac on Aug 2, 2009 6:39 PM EDT reply actions  

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