Flyers 07-08 Season Review

The Big Turnaround Season Review:
The Philadelphia Flyers’ 07-08 Season in Depth
By The RipperEagle-Flyer

After what transpired during the Flyers’ 2006-07 season campaign, nothing could be worse in the 2007-08 season: the year prior, the Flyers finished up with a woeful 56 points and only 22 wins en route to the worst record and point total in the league. During the days leading up to the trading deadline last year, Paul Holmgren, who was appointed General Manager after the team relieved long time GM Bobby Clarke of his duties, went to work making trades right away, and John Stevens, who had coached the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL to the Calder Cup in 2005, was put in charge of the bench after the team fired Ken Hitchcock. Knowing the team was mathematically alive to make the playoffs yet realistically eliminated, Holmgren found willing trade partners for veteran forward Peter Forsberg, the big name free agent the Flyers signed prior to the 2005-06 season and had originally drafted by in 1991 prior to the Eric Lindros mega deal, and defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. In exchange, the Nashville Predators acquired Forsberg for young forward Scottie Upshall and defenseman Ryan Parent, and the Atlanta Thrashers gave up defenseman Braydon Coburn, their first round pick in 2003, for Zhitnik.

And the off-season noted many more huge trades and one free agent signing, as the team lured Buffalo Sabres center Daniel Briere away from his ex-team to the tune of a 8-year 58-million dollar contract. Holmgren also went to work with trades, moving veteran forward Geoff Sanderson and defenseman Joni Pitkanen to the Edmonton Oilers for grizzled veteran defenseman Jason Smith and promising forward Joffrey Lupul, and acquiring prolific defenseman Kimmo Timonen and annoying forward Scott Hartnell from the Predators in exchange for their 1st round pick and the one that they got months earlier in the Forsberg trade.

But now, after that long drawn out paragraph and a half, you may be asking yourself, “Did these trades pay off or what?” And I am here to say that it certainly paid off…BIG TIME!

The meshing of this team was seamless for one that had undergone nearly a full facelift, and the end result was far better then anyone on the team probably was hoping for and it far exceeded the critics who wrote the team off as being in a slump. With a new captain in charge (Smith) and assistant captains (Timonen and Mike Richards) the Flyers showed off early why they would make a big comeback, and by the end of the season, they completed a turnaround which included 20 more wins (from 22 to 42) and 39 more points (from 56 to 95) from the season before. The Flyers also had a penchant from drawing scoring from many a different source, as they led the league with six players who tallied 20 or more goals on the season (although, that would be five original players, since Vinny Prospal was brought back to Philly the day prior to the trade deadline because he had 33 goals).

But while those changes were good, not everything was rosy for the team: going into the month of February, the team was tops in the Atlantic Division and 2nd best in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Ottawa Senators by as few as four points prior to their ten game losing streak, which saw them go 0-8-2 and gain only two points out of a maximum 20 possible. Injuries, like with most teams, also affected the Flyers as well, as Lupul missed 26 games this season (thanks in large part to Derrian Hatcher, who decided to run him over and in the process he suffered a spinal cord contusion and a mild concussion) and Simon Gagne missed 57 games and the playoffs due to a concussion, and then soon after coming back, suffered from post-concussion syndrome. Hatcher himself would miss 38 games while Richards, RJ Umberger, Coburn, and Randy Jones all missed time at one point or another.

Another issue with the team was goaltending: the duo of Martin Biron and Anterio Niittymaki both went through streaks where they dominated (hence the fact that, even though he was the back up, Anterio still won 12 games) and then times where they were not able to be carried by the defense or times where they were let down by the defense. In all, Biron still managed to win 30 games, the first one since Roman Chechmanek to do such, and gained a proper head of steam going into the playoffs with two straight shutouts over New Jersey and Pittsburgh.

And who could forget the defense: this unit was often victimized by not only opposing forwards but also injuries as Hatcher missed the most time, and the play of “Captain” Smith was hardly anything to write home about. On the other hand, Timonen perhaps came off as the best all around acquisition the team made during their rebuilding mode this past year, and Coburn and Jones both improved by leaps and bounds as the year progressed into the playoffs.

But enough about this summary stuff, as I want to review the players on the team and what kind of impact they ended up having on each unit (forwards, defense, goaltending, and special teams).

Flyers Forwards:
#18 Mike Richards
Having been compared to a young Bobby Clarke, Richards has started to live up to the mantra in every respect from scoring to making plays and being a team leader, although I doubt you will see guys like Dave Schultz protecting him the minute he is touched because Richards can also throw nasty checks. Richards, who was signed to a huge 12-year 69-million dollar deal back in December, will likely remain a Flyer until he retires, but that is only good news for Flyers’ fans and the coaches. This past season, Richards set a career high with 28 goals and 75 points despite missing nine games due to injuring his knee in a game against Florida back in February. Richards also was awarded the “A” symbol on his jersey, the first in what is inevitably a foregone conclusion…him being the next team captain soon enough.
Player grade: A+ (99%)

#48 Daniel Briere
The city of Philadelphia was buzzing when they learned that Paul Holmgren had signed Ex-Buffalo center Briere to a contract to provide the Flyers with more firepower then the team could hope for, and they had every right to be. Briere was coming off of two spectacular seasons prior to his contract running out and Buffalo decided to let him and another high profile free agent in Chris Drury go as well (Drury signed with the New York Rangers). However, his season ended up being one big rollercoaster ride: after starting off well, he went into a mid-season ditch and couldn’t score, prompting him to doubt himself and for the fickle Philly fans to boo him. But his fortunes changed at the trading deadline when the team brought back former Flyer Vinny Prospal, and the two hit it off right away, leading to Briere entering the playoffs as the hottest Flyer on the team. Briere was the only season long Flyer to net over 30 goals (he had 31) and 41 assists for 72 points but his plus/minus ratio was a horrific minus-22.
Player grade: B (85%)

#40 Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal
Originally drafted by the Flyers back in 1993 and played for them from 1996 to 1998, Prospal went on to do tours with the Senators and the Lightning before the trading deadline in February, when Holmgren brought him back to Philly for prospect defenseman Alexandre Picard and a 2nd round pick. Even though Prospal came back to Philly with 29 goals, he scored only four upon rejoining the team to the end of the season but his assists total boasted by setting up Briere right and left: for the year he finished with 71 points (33 goals and 38 assists).
Player grade: A- (90%)

#22 Mike Knuble
The 35-year old scrappy winger was never a prolific scorer, so 29 goals this season from him is something that we should all be very grateful for. Of course, his health also is something we should be happy for as well: he was one of only two players this year to play each and every season game. Knuble, a blue collar worker who had previous stints in Detroit, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York, led the team with 15 power play goals mainly due to standing right in front of the goalie and either Coburn or Timonen firing away from the point and trying to hit the puck off of him. For the year he finished with 55 points (29 goals and 26 assists).
Player grade: B (88%)

#17 Jeff Carter
A guy who knows that the chance to be a difference maker is for his ability, Carter got off to a very slow start and did everything right except for score goals, but after the trading deadline, he finally got that down pat. Rumored to be moved prior to the deadline, Carter remained in orange and black and rewarded the Flyers with 15 goals in the final month and a few days of the season to tally 29 for the year and 53 total points. Carter was also the other Flyer (along with Knuble) to play all 82 games on the season, and he led the team with 260 shots on net.
Player grade: B- (81%)

#20 RJ Umberger
A player on the verge of breaking out, Umberger finally started to show his value as a 2nd line winger and 3rd line center with a career best 50 points this past season. Umberger, the native from nearby Plum, also proved to be a lethal foe to the hometown Penguins, as six of his 13 goals came at their expense this year. And his one and only career hat trick came against the (SURPRISE!) the Penguins back on December 11th 2007 in an 8-2 rout in Philly.
Player grade: B- (80%)

#15 Joffrey Lupul
The former Anaheim Duck and Edmonton Oiler, Lupul was brought to town back in July after the four player trade between the two teams, and almost immediately proved his worth. However, Lupul would miss 26 games on the season due to three assorted injuries although the latter two (a concussion and a spinal cord contusion) were caused by his own teammate Hatcher (the first, an ankle injury, was the only one he suffered himself). Still, Lupul netted 20 goals and 46 total points mostly between the 2nd and 3rd lines and seven power play goals from the 2nd unit.
Player grade: B (83%)

#19 Scott Hartnell
A very annoying guy if you are on the other side of him but a good teammate if you are on his side, Hartnell was acquired with Timonen on July 1st when the Predators made a deal with the Flyers. Hartnell is highly compatible with all situations, having played left wing on the 1st line but is best from the 2nd line and had a very hot month in January, when he scored 14 of his 24 season goals in that month alone and ended up with 43 points total. He also added ten power play goals and finished tied for the team lead with six game winning goals and second with 159 penalty minutes.
Player grade: B (83%)

#9 Scottie Upshall
A 2007 trade deadline pickup when the Flyers traded away Peter Forsberg, Upshall closed out the 06-07 season with high hopes he would make the team this year, and he did, although he wasn’t always a starter. While Upshall finished with 14 goals and 30 points, he only played 61 games this year not because of injury, but because Coach John Stevens would get frustrated with his attitude and inconsistent play. Upshall, however, remains a very promising player who is as nasty and as agitating as Hartnell is if not more so then him (scary, I know).
Player grade: C+ (78%)

#12 Simon Gagne
The longest tenured Flyer left on the team is also the face of the franchise and was the long running captain until he ran into injuries this season, starting in training camp. His concussion slowed him down even when he did play and he was soon put back on the IR in January for the remainder of the season. When he did play, he notched 18 points (7 goals and 11 assists) in 25 games, and to think that a healthy Gagne probably would have done even more wonders for Briere this year. When Gagne is healthy, he can bring it, and he is still only 28, so having him back for the start of next year makes things that much more exciting.
Player grade: B- (81%)

#27 Steve Downie
Downie, a 1st round pick for the Flyers back in 2004, was set to make a serious push up the depth chart this year, but a 25-game suspension for leaving his skates to deck then Senator Dean McAmmond shut that down, and a minor league demotion didn’t help him either. Still, with that aside, Downie proved to have a goal scorer’s touch as he netted six goals on only 25 shots (a 24% shooting number) and 12 points total in only 32 games. It’s possible that he might have done more had he not been suspended, but we can only assume that.
Player grade: C (75%)

#34 Jim Dowd
A former cup winner with the New Jersey Devils, the 39-year old career 3rd and 4th liner was brought to training camp to workout for the Flyers and ended up earning a one year contract and went on to play in 73 games this season, posting five goals and ten points with one goal shorthanded.
Player grade: C- (70%)

#24 Sami Kapanen
The third longest running Flyer on the team (came here originally in 2003) Kapanen was once known as the fastest skater in the NHL but at age 34, he is simply known as a hard worker. Kapanen played in 74 games, recording five goals and eight points including a shorthanded goal and a game winning goal, although he was tied for second worst on the team with a -12 rating.
Players grade: C- (71%)

#25 Patrick Thoresen
Acquired in February off of waivers from Edmonton, Thoresen played most of his time on the fourth line and did not score a goal, instead carrying two from Edmonton: played in 38 games and tallied a -10 rating.
Player grade: D- (60%)

#53 Dennis Tolpeko
A long time bouncer between the AHL and the NHL, Tolpeko played in 26 games and tallied a goal and five assists.

#23 Stefan Ruzicka
Ruzicka, like Tolpeko, has been a long running member of the Phantoms and the Flyers: this year he played in 14 games posting a goal and three assists.

#32 Riley Cote
Resident tough guy and MMA and boxing trained fighter, Cote led the league in fighting majors and piled on 202 penalty minutes for the year. He only scored one goal and four points in 70 games played and, heck, he only shot the puck 17 times, but when you fight, who cares about the minor details right?
Player grade: C (75%)

#14 Ryan Potulny
A Phantoms mainstay, he played in seven games upstairs and had an assist.

#29 Jesse Boulerice
Played fives games without a point for the Flyers: most noted for his 25-game suspension for jumping up and elbowing Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Keslar in the head three games into the season.

#56 Claude Giroux
Giroux was a February call-up who played two games during the Flyers losing streak and was put on the top line with Briere and Hartnell just to spark the offense: due to him playing for the QMJHL back in Canada, he was only allowed by league rules to participate in two games before he went back north, but this former first round pick in 2006 looked to have a nose for the net during that time.

#65 Kyle Greentree
Greentree, like Giroux above, played only two games for the Flyers during the same time that Giroux was brought in, although why Greentree only played two games is not understood: he played for the Phantoms, which meant that they could use him as long as they wanted to.

Other forwards no longer here:

#55 Ben Eager
Most well known for being a talent less fire starter, he got his butt beat by 41-year old Gary Roberts back in December during the 8-2 blowout win over the Penguins: was promptly dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks for a defenseman.

Flyers Defensemen:
#44 Kimmo Timonen
I stated above that Timonen was the best all around acquisition that we made, and I stand by that: capable of facing off with and shutting down the opponent’s top line with various defensive partners, Timonen was one of two all-stars on the team and the only one from the blue line. Funny he shares the same number as another Finnish defenseman we had in Janne Ninimmaa because they have the same instincts: he played in 80 games and recorded eight goals, 36 assists, and 44 points along with three power play goals, one shorthanded, and one game winning goal while pulling a zero in the plus/minus column. And the good thing is that Timonen is still only 31 years old, so he still has quite a bit of hockey life left in him (a decade and a half, using the Chris Chelios grading scale!)
Player grade: A+ (99%)

#5 Braydon Coburn
No one quite knew what we had on our hands when Atlanta dealt us a 22-year old defenseman (their 1st round pick in 2003) for an aging but still agile Alexei Zhitnik, and a year later, look how that one worked out too (in case you are wondering, quite well for us, such as the other Holmgren led trades). Many people think that Coburn is the next Paul Coffey, but I have to disagree because I see more Eric Desjardins in him then anything: he can play his own end, he can hit you, he can move the puck, he can play the point on the power play, and he can score goals and set up the big guns in front of the net. Coburn played 78 games this year (missing only four due to a freak injury where he ruptured a vein in his butt on the goal post) tallying nine goals and 27 assists for 36 points with five power play goals, two game winning goals, and a team best plus-17 rating. As of late, the real hot pair has been Coburn and Timonen, and it is no surprise why.
Player grade: A (95%)

#6 Randy Jones
Jones, a floundering rookie a year ago, seemed to play much more confident this year and also seemed to take on a much larger role in the defense, especially with Hatcher injured and the trading in and out of other defenders. Jones played in 71 games and logged five goals and 25 assists for 31 points, a power play goal, and a plus-8 rating, good for third best on the team. He is not an offensive presence like Coburn and Timonen, but he is just as good from the defensive aspect of his job.
Player grade: B (85%)

#21 Jason Smith
As tough as nails and as rugged as a rodeo cowboy belt, Smith was acquired in July to give the Flyers a much needed veteran presence along with Timonen and mainstay Hatcher. Smith was awarded the “C” for Captain before the season began with Gagne suffering from concussion issues, and he provided strong arm defensive play, posting a goal and nine assists for ten points but he was a rather disappointing minus-4 for the year. And considering that he was brought to the team for his defensive skills, this doesn’t seem to be a fair trade-off.
Player grade: C (74%)

#26 Jaroslav Modry
Acquired prior to the trade deadline to “shore up” the defense, Modry is a veteran of the NHL and a long running Los Angeles King prior to the team giving him up for a 6th round pick. In hindsight, I was led to believe that Los Angles got the better of that trade: Modry is supposed to be 36-years old, but he played like he was about 60 sometimes. Modry had one goal and nine points between both cities and was a disappointing minus-9, again, between both teams.
Player grade: D (65%)

#2 Derrian Hatcher
At certain times this year, Hatcher drew my praise as a fan, and at certain times this year, Hatcher drew my ire as a fan. Thus I was left with a predicament: was this team really better off without the 36-year old former captain of the Dallas Stars, or could we carry him through repeated knee injuries? Hatcher played in 44 games, logging two goals and seven points with one game winning goal, which came in a 1-0 victory over the Florida Panthers in January.
Player grade: C (72%)

#28 Lasse Kukkonen
At first I must admit, I was not a very big fan of this guy, but after being brought back up after being sent back down to the Phantoms, I noticed that he played a lot better, specifically in his checking ability, and his pairing was seamless with the other defensemen. Kukkonen played in 53 games this year, tallying a goal and five points with a plus-3 rating.
Player grade: C (77%)

#8 Rory Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick, a former New York Islander and Vancouver Canuck, played 19 games for the Flyers this year and tallied a 2nd worst minus-12 rating. Supposedly, Fitzpatrick got injured and was put on the IR, but later on I saw his name on the Phantoms roster, so he must have needed cleared to play downstairs.

#13 Nate Guenin
Arguably the best defensive defenseman for the Phantoms, Guenin was featured in two contests for the Flyers this year, tallying a plus-2 rating.

#77 Ryan Parent
The other piece of the puzzle in the February 2007 trade of Forsberg for Upshall and him: he might wear the number of an offensive minded defenseman, but Paul Coffey or Ray Borque he is not. In 22 contests upstairs, he tallied no points with a minus-4 rating and only nine shots, but his best skills were his ability to handle his own end on defense and clearing the puck away from the onslaught of forwards. With some more time, I think he could be a good 2nd pair defenseman.

Other defensemen no longer here

#28 Jim Vander Meer
Originally a Flyer back in 2003-2004, he was traded to Philadelphia back in December for Ben Eager to go to Chicago: Vander Meer lasted no longer then the trade deadline before he was sent packing to the Calgary Flames.

#45 Alexandre Picard
A promising prospect, Picard was traded along with the team’s 2nd round pick in 2008 to Tampa Bay for Prospal.

Flyers Goaltenders:
#43 Martin Biron
The first big trade that Holmgren made back in 2007 was Biron for a 2nd round pick in the ‘07 draft, and if this wasn’t a steal for the Flyers, I am not sure that criminals can be guilty of stealing either. Biron, who was benched years ago in favor of Ryan Miller, was given a chance with the Flyers and entered the 07-08 season as the undisputed starter, and he posted a 30-20-9 record with five shutouts, a 2.59 GAA, and a 918 save percentage in 62 games played. At many times, Biron was the dominating goalie he was who took over for Dominick Hasek in Buffalo, and at some times, he looked like the guy who lost his job to Miller. But, luckily for the Flyers, we got the former version of Biron (BEE-RON, or if you ask Mike “Doc” Emrick what his name is, BEER-RON!)
Player grade: B (85%)

#30 Anterio Niittymaki
Niittymaki, a rookie for the team back in the 03-04 season, had been in a war with Robert Esche for the starting job until the team landed Biron from Buffalo, then Niittymaki became the backup and Esche became nothing. For the season, Niittymaki posted a 12-9-2 record with a shutout, a 2.91 GAA, a 907 save percentage in 28 games, and is perhaps most well known for his 52-save game in a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs back in December.
Player grade: C (75%)

Well, that concludes my season review: I will also be doing a playoff review whenever the time draws near, as I am currently keeping track on the playoff stats (through two rounds so far).

LET’S GO FLYERS (CLAP X5)