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Irresponsible journalism strikes again.

Despite numerous reports to the contrary, the Flyers are NOT interested in Swedish forward Peter Forsberg. Such rumors have shown up on Yahoo! Sports, XM Radio's NHL Home Ice, Eklund at Hockeybuzz, NHL Network's NHL Live program, and The Fourth Period. 

These reports all say that Flyers scout Ilkka Sinisalo is in Finland for the Karjala Cup scouting Forsberg. The Daily News has reported on several occasions, however, that Sinisalo was planning on attending the tournament, which features national teams from Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Russia, prior to Forsberg ever making it known he'd be taking part.

Here's an excerpt from the Daily News article...

As first reported in the Daily News in September, the Flyers have zero interest in Forsberg. That much has not changed, two different NHL sources confirmed on Tuesday. Reports surfaced this week that the Flyers sent European scout Ilkka Sinisalo to Helsinki to watch Forsberg. Instead, Sinisalo had planned to attend the tournament before Forsberg committed.

And as the Inquirer's Sam Carchidi reported on his blog on Tuesday, general manager Paul Holmgren himself said that "to say [Sinisalo] is scouting Peter is a stretch." So no matter how many media outlets ignore the facts and try to make a story out of nothing, do not believe that the Flyers want him back. It's simply not true. Let him go to the Rangers -- Forsberg will not be a Flyer again.

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Comcast-Spectacor will begin taking orders for fans wishing to own souvenir seats from the Spectrum on Monday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m., exclusively through RememberTheSpectrum.com or by phone at 215-952-5691.

A pair of seats can be reserved for $395 while a single seat can be reserved for $295. The Spectrum folding chairs will also be available for $195. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Comcast-Spectacor Foundation.

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We all kind of assumed this would happen, and just in time for the Holidays, we can purchase Spectrum seats. What a perfect addition to any sports room, or Terminal D of Philadelphia International Airport, where a few seats from the Vet call home today.

While we look forward to having these awesome artifacts in our homes, the news that the seats are now for sale, bring to reality the fact that the Spectrum is officially closed. Just last week, the last event was held in the building, a Pearl Jam concert, and the building will presumably be taken apart slowly from here on out. Demolition is expected to begin in the spring, although there is no official word on when the final pillar will fall.

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The Randy Jones era is officially, unequivocally over in Philadelphia.

Called up from Adirondack and placed on re-entry waivers a day ago by the Flyers, Jones was claimed by the Los Angeles Kings today, just before the 24-hour window to place a claim was closed. The move means the Kings take all of Jones' rights, but the Flyers have to pay half his salary without getting anything in return. He makes $2.75 million this year (and his contract expires in July), meaning that Philadelphia is on the hook for about $1.37 million. That money goes against the salary cap.

It's a smart move for the Kings, who essentially get Jones at a price he's actually worth. As Flyers fans know quite well, his performance with the orange and black was not worth his hefty salary, causing him to fall out of favor with the faithful, before eventually doing the same with management. His demotion to Adirondack was a clear indication from Paul Holmgren and company that a mistake was made when Jones was given that contract back in July of 2008.

This move is painful for us in Philly. Some may look at the plus side and say that Jones is off the roster, but the fact of the matter is that the guy did have some worth, and the fact that we're now getting nothing for him while still having the insult of paying half his contract is plenty of fuel to make us bitter. In fact, it's really unacceptable.

Here's what former Flyers head coach and current Kings head coach Terry Murray had to say about Jones, courtesy of LA Kings Insider:

"Well, he’s a pretty good player. He’s a player who plays in all situations. He can play on your power play. He’s a good penalty-kill defending player. He’s a pretty good all-around player, so when he does get into the lineup, there won’t be any hesitation in any one of those situations."

Murray also said that Jones is "thrilled" to be getting back into the NHL.

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According to both Bob McKenzie and Tim Panaccio, the Flyers have placed defenseman Randy Jones on re-entry waivers.

There is no word yet on whether he will be playing, but with Simon Gagne expected to go on the LTIR, the Flyers will have the cap space to fit Jones under the salary cap.

If a team does claim him, both the Flyers and the claiming team would be responsible for half of his $2.75 million cap hit.

From Tim Panaccio:

This may be an indication that Simon Gagne will go on long-term injury, which would allow Jones to come back onto the Flyers' roster and give them more defensive depth.

My question is, if Jones plays, does he get more than 8:38 of ice time?

UPDATE - 4:23 PM: In a conference call, Paul Holmgren has told the media that Simon Gagne will indeed head to the long-term injury reserve. Surgery has been recommended for him, but he will seek a second opinion. He said that, despite the extra cap room that is now freed up, the team has absolutely no interest in acquiring Brendan Shanahan, despite reports that came out over the weekend.

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The Flyers have announced that the Monday, November 2 home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning has been switched from a 7 PM start to a 5 PM start. The Phillies will host Game 5 of the World Series that night across the parking lot at Citizens Bank Park. That is, of course, if they don't sweep the Yankees or the Angels in four games.

Regardless of whether or not there is a Game 5, though, the 5 PM Flyers start time is permanent. They will not switch back to 7 PM out of respect for Tampa's travel schedule. You've got to imagine some people with tickets to this game won't be happy with the switch, considering a lot of people are either still at work at 5 PM or they wont be able to get to South Philly in time for puck drop.

This isn't the first Philadelphia sports event to alter its start time to accompany the Phillies in the World Series. The Eagles and New York Giants moved their Sunday, November 1 game at Lincoln Financial Field from 4:15 PM to 1 PM to accomodate World Series Game 4 at Citizens Bank Park.

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What is already more than a trend, the Flyers added yet another tough guy to their team.  Today, the team traded defensive prospect Michael Ratchuk to the Columbus Blue Jackets for right wing Stefan Legein.

Legein was a second round pick (37th overall) in 2007 after back to back 100 PIM seasons in the OHL.  He showed some scoring touch in the OHL, netting 135 points in 109 games over his last two campaigns there, but has only 4 points and 4 PIM in 34 career AHL games. 

In return the Blue Jackets received Michael Ratchuk, a second round pick (42nd overall) in 2006, with 85 AHL games under his belt.  Last year, he managed 17 points in 77 games, finishing a minus-7 on the year. 

Legein, you may find out by Googling him, "retired" from hockey at the age of 19.  Puck Daddy did a story on the strange retirement in which this bit of information was mentioned:

Portzline offers another theory: Legein came back from a shoulder injury last season and wasn't the same guy, either as a player or a person. He wasn't in great shape at Columbus developmental camp, and didn't stand out there either. "Right now, they've been told only that he's 'lost the passion' needed to play the game," writes Portzline.  He also gets this quote from Howson: "We knew there were issues with Stefan going back to last spring. We've talked through it with him and we haven't had any success."

Interesting.  After returning, Legein had one goal in 26 games.  This year, he's off to a better start with 2 goals and an assist in 6 games.  Needless to say, this looks like the Flyers taking a chance on a guy.  Here's the scouting report on Legein from Hockey's Future:

Blessed with blazing speed, the Oakville, ON native plays a game tailor-made for the new, less-restrictive NHL. His work ethic and dedication to improving his game have been lauded by coaches, teammates, and scouts alike.

As far as Ratchuk goes, Phantoms reporter Tim McManus reported that he was a healthy scratch for both games this past Saturday and Sunday.  If the team wasn't going to play Ratchuk, taking a chance on a forward doesn't appear to be a bad idea.

Lastly, the SBNation Blue Jackets blog, The Cannon, had this to say about Legein in their Draft Preview:

Legein had a promising junior career with Niagara of the OHL, being a part of two Team Canada world junior teams in the process. This past summer however, Legein announced that he was retiring from hockey. There are many rumors out there as to why he made that decision, but this past January he returned to hockey joining the Syracuse Crunch. He is still a solid prospect, who can play in the bottom six an agitator with scoring ability, but he has a long way to go to regain the trust of the CBJ brass.

After the jump, a few YouTubes for you.

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced their final 23 man roster today. Randy Jones is officially headed to the Adirondack Phantoms, two days after clearing waivers. Danny Syvret and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen both made the roster, meaning that the Flyers will carry seven defensemen on their NHL roster.

Finnish forward Mika Pyorala has made the Flyers roster as well. Pyorala had an impressive training camp and his hard work and good hockey sense impressed the coaching staff. He led the Flyers in scoring this preseason. Rookie James van Riemsdyk, also coming off of an impressive camp, has also made the roster.

Blair Betts is now a free agent. The Flyers did not complete a deal with the forward, meaning that he is now free to sign anywhere he chooses. Paul Holmgren had until today's 3 PM roster deadline to negotiate exclusively with Betts.

The Flyers have three goalies on the roster due to Brian Boucher's injury. When he comes back and Johan Backlund is sent to the Phantoms, the Flyers will have room for one more position player. If Betts is signed, which is looking unlikely at this point, he would presumably get that spot. Otherwise, they could look elsewhere for help.

With these moves, the Flyers sit $1.61 million under the salary cap, according to numbers from capgeek.com. After Backlund comes off the books, they'll sit $2.46 million under the cap.

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Defenseman Randy Jones cleared waivers Monday afternoon, two days after being placed on the wire by the Philadelphia Flyers. His status is currently unknown, as the Flyers now have a number of options now that he has cleared. While he could be traded to another NHL team, the most likely outcome is that he is sent to the Adirondack Phantoms, where he could potentially play the entire season. Regardless, he will still earn his full salary, but his $2.75 million cap hit comes off the Flyers' books. That opens up space for the team to offer a contract to forward Blair Betts, as well as keep James van Riemsdyk and Mika Pyorala on the opening night roster.

Jones will have company on his way to upstate New York, if in fact that is where he ends up. The Flyers have cut forwards David Laliberte, Patrick Maroon, Lukas Kaspar, and Jason Ward, and all four players will report to the Phantoms. Maroon, 21, was hopeful to make the roster out of camp this year before a nagging injury held him out of most action. Accompanied by the emergence of JVR, Pyorala, and Betts, his demotion to the Phantoms at this stage is not difficult to understand.

It now appears as though the Flyers will keep all three tough guys, Dan Carcillo, Arron Asham, and Riley Cote, on the roster over the long haul of the season, although one of them could be sent down temporarily to keep goaltender Johan Backlund on the roster. Backlund was called up on Sunday due to a minor injury to goaltender Brian Boucher, who is expected to miss a week to 10 days. Darroll Powe could also be the odd man out for the time being.

The organization has until Wednesday at 3 PM to get the official roster down to 23 players. Including Backlund and excluding Jones, the roster currently stands at 24 players - 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 3 goalies. See the entire updated roster here.