Updated: Major shakeup in Philly as Flyers deal Carter, Richards; Byzgalov signed for 9 years
Carter traded to Columbus The Philadelphia Flyers have cleared needed salary cap space but in doing so, parted with a core player in center Jeff Carter. The Flyers this afternoon have traded Jeff Carter to Columbus in exchange for RW Jake Voracek, 2011 1st round pick (No. 8 overall) and a third round pick. Carter who carries a $5.27 million cap hit is signed through the 2021-2022 season. Carter was not a player Philadelphia wanted to get rid of but got an excellent return in a potential 20 goal scorer in Voracek, plus the No. 8 overall pick. For Columbus, they get an impact center to play with Rick Nash, something that they have coveted for sometime. Richards on the
Flyers acquire negotiating rights of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov
The Philadelphia Flyers appear to be taking the goaltender position seriously for the first time in over a decade. The Flyers tonight acquired the negotiating rights of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes, inexchange for a 3rd round draft choice in 2012 and forward Matt Clackson, (a Pittsburgh native, who played in the Pittsburgh Hornets organization for several years.) Clackson is not signed for next season. The Flyers though will have to get creative to sign Bryzgalav who is said to be looking for a deal in excess of $6 million per season. Philadelphia has over $58 million committed to 18 players for the 2011-2012 season, according to capgeek. One possible deal in the works? The Flyers have been
Latest NHL Buzz: Agents in no rush to establish market
Around the NHL *Several agents and GM’s (including Pens GM Ray Shero) are in Slovakia for the World Championships and discussions are going on but don’t look for a flurry of signings for impending free agents to happen in the next couple weeks. With it being early May, there is no incentive for agents to establish the market. Most agents like to wait until after the draft to engage in serious negotiations with a players current team before July 1 hits. The reason is there’s so much tampering that goes on during draft weekend, agents often get a good idea which teams are going to be hot after their client. *The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers each getting swept in
Pens and Flyers tied with 104 points going into final regular season game
The battle for the division title will go right down to the wire. On Friday night, a Penguins 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders and a Flyers 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo has both teams tied with 104 points going into the final the game of the season. Pittsburgh (48-25-8, 104 pts) finishes the season on Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Thrashers and the Flyers (46-23-12, 104 pts) host the New York Islanders Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia has lost 5 straight and 14 of 20 games. The Flyers are 5-0 against the Islanders this season. The Flyers own the tiebreaker against Pittsburgh and Flyers a win on Saturday night will clinch the title.
Playoff Race: Pens pull within one point of Flyers; Lightning also lose
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Atlantic Division is up for grabs. The Pittsburgh Penguins (47-25-8, 102 pts) defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Tuesday night to pull within one point of the Philadelphia Flyers (46-22-11, 103 pts) for the division lead. The Penguins tonight took care of business and got some help as the Flyers suffered a disapointing 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Tampa Bay Lightning (44-25-11, 99 pts) who came into tonight’s action one point behind the Penguins for the No. 4 seed, had their five game winning streak snapped, losing to the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. Pittsburgh has now moved three points ahead of Tampa. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals are in the
Pens playoff positioning uncertain going into final week of the season
After an off-day on Sunday, the Penguins head into the final week of the season with some uncertainty but one thing the team knows is that they control their destiny for home-ice in the first round. The Penguins (46-25-8, 100pts) and Tampa Bay Lightning (44-24-11, 99pts) are neck and neck for the No. 4 seed as Pittsburgh holds just a 1 point lead over Tampa Bay in the standings, going into the final week of action. The streaking Lightning collected their fifth straight win on Sunday to pull within one point. Both teams have three games remaining. The Penguins finish the season against New Jersey (36-37-5, 77pts), New York Islanders (30-37-12, 72pts) and the Atlanta Thrashers (33-33-12, 78pts). Pittsburgh figures
Post-Game Wrap: Wide Open Game benefited Philadelphia in the transition game
Post-Game Wrapup — In a statement game, the Philadelphia Flyers (46-20-10, 102 pts) put a dent in the Penguins (45-24-8, 98 pts) Atlantic Division title hopes, defeating Pittsburgh 5-2 on Tuesday night at the Consol Energy Center. Philadelphia pushed their division lead (game in hand) to four points and improved to 3-0 at Consol Energy Center this season. The Flyers have taken 4 of 6 games from Pittsburgh. Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves to improve to 3-1-1 against Pittsburgh this season. He is 3-0 at Consol Energy Center. Bobrovsky out dueled Marc Andre Fleury who made 19 saves in the loss. Fleury came into tonight’s game, 6-2-0 in his last 8 starts with a 1.68 GAA. — Tonight was a
With eye on division crown, must-win game for Pens tonight
Game 74 Pittsburgh 42-23-8, 92 pts) @ Philadelphia (44-19-9, 97pts) PHI Home Record: 21-10-5 | PIT Road Record: 20-10-6 PHI Last 10: 4-3-2 | PIT Last 10: 6-2-2 | Season Series: Philadelphia leads, 3-1 Game Buzz Although the Penguins are very close to clinching a playoff berth, the Penguins enter tonight’s pivotal matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers in a must-win situation, when it comes to their chances of winning the division title. “They’re in our sights,” head coach Dan Bylsma said on Wednesday. “We’ve gotta win two games against them to think we have a chance of getting them.”
Flyers keep adding to their dynamic offensive attack with addition of Versteeg
The Philadelphia Flyers coveted a top-9 forward and got their guy, acquiring 24 year old winger Kris Versteeg from the Toronto Maple Leafs, inexchange for a 1st and 3rd round pick in 2011. “Kris is an exciting young forward,” GM Paul Holmgren said in a released statement. He’s 24 years old and he’ll fit in with our group of players here. He’s a quality forward that can play in a lot of different roles for your hockey team. He can move up and down our lineup. He can kill penalties. He can play on the power play. We think he’s a guy that over the last few years, particularly in Chicago, has really blossomed into a good forward and wethink
NHL RUMORS MONDAY: Latest Buzz around the league
With the Trade Deadline two weeks away, here’s the latest buzz around the league for Monday, February 14th– Forsberg calls it quits: Petr Forsberg’s comeback has lasted just two games. The Brett Favre of hockey will announce his retirement today. Bruins see opportunity in East: With the Pittsburgh Penguins depleted by injuries and likely to take a step back this season, even if Sidney Crosby returns, Contenders in the East are said to be seeing a prime opportunity in front of themselves. The Boston Bruins are believed to be one of those teams. The Bruins are actively seeking a puck moving defenseman with Tomas Kaberle at the top of their radar and they could also explore making a splash. The