WANTS TO SEE JVR IN A USA JERSEY
UPDATED: Michael Leighton will start in goal tonight for the Flyers in Minnesota.
Ray Emery will not play because of "tightness in his left hip," according to general manager Paul Holmgren.
EARLIER:
The Flyers made a depth trade with the Detroit Red Wings early on Saturday.
They sent defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, who has struggled with injuries this season, and a 5th round pick in the 2011 Draft to Detroit for forward Ville Leino.
Leino, 26, has 4 goals and 3 assists in 42 games with the Red Wings this season.
"Ville is a skilled forward that is going to give us some depth," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "I think he has the ability to play up and down our lineup and play with our skilled players. We're excited to have him."
Leino is expected to join the Flyers in Minnesota at some point today. Even if he arrives before game time, Leino will not be in the lineup against the Wild (8:00 p.m.) tonight.
Leino has showed a scoring touch in the past - it just hasn't converted to the NHL. He posted 46 points in 57 games with Grand Rapids (AHL) last season and an impressive 77 points in 55 games in the relatively low scoring Finnish League in 2007-08 with Jokerit. He was named league MVP that season.
Tollefsen, 25, was signed by the Flyers as a free agent this summer. He has missed 23 games with a concussion and sprained right MCL. He was also a healthy scratch for 14 contests. Tollefsen will represent Norway in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Leino's cap hit of $800,000 is $200,000 more than Tollefsen's, which leaves the Flyers with about $700,000 in cap room while carrying the maximum 23-man roster. If the Flyers needed to clear cap space for another move, Riley Cote ($550k) and extra goalie Brian Boucher ($925k) could be moved to the Phantoms through waivers to make room.
Follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers for the latest updates.
Earlier this week, before their win in Calgary on Monday night, some of the Flyers weighed in with their picks for Sunday's Super Bowl.
They may not be Vegas Vic but many of the Flyers have followed the NFL all season - especially with their fantasy football teams.
Here's what they thought: (for entertainment purposes only, of course)
Matt Carle: "I'm going to go with the New Orleans Saints because Drew Brees is my fantasy quarterback all year and I am pulling for him. I think it is going to be a high scoring game."
Scott Hartnell: "Saints, 35-28. Drew Brees is going to pick a part the Colts defense. Peyton Manning will have to throw the ball but it just won't happen."
James van Ridemsyk: "I'm going to go with the Colts by at least two touchdowns. Peyton Manning is probably the best player in football and they will figure out a way to win."
Danny Syvret: "I'm going to go with New Orleans because I had most of their offense in my fantasy pool. I will rooting for them. They are a good team. It will be a high scoring game but I think it will be pretty tight, probably three points or less."
Claude Giroux: "The Saints, 21-20, because they are a better team."
Assistant coach Craig Berube: "Indianapolos Colts will win because I don't think you can stop Peyton Manning. The Colts have too many weapons and a very good defense and they will shut down New Orleans. I know Drew Brees is a very good player but they will shut him down. I say the Saints win 27-21."
Ray Emery: "New Orleans will win the Super Bowl."
Simon Gagne: "I will watch the Super Bowl, that's for sure. I think Indy is going to win with Peyton Manning. They have a good offense but it will be a good game. It is fun to see that the best two teams meet in the Super Bowl. It is going to be a close game, 35-28."
Arron Asham: "Winnipeg Blue Bombers. No, actually I will pick the Colts by a touchdown."
Recap: 5-4 New Orleans. That's a pretty close call.
Who do you think will win the big game?
Personally, I'd like to see the Saints win but I'm not sure they can stop Peyton Manning. I'll take Indianapolis, 28-24, on Sunday.
Follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers for the latest updates.
Matt Carle can continue on with his Olympic break vacation plans, after all.
Just a few hours after Toronto defenseman Mike Komisarek announced yesterday that he would be unable to join the United States’ men’s hockey team in Vancouver for the Olympics – the second player to do so this week because of injury – U.S. general manager Brian Burke named his replacement players.
Carolina’s Tim Gleason and Anaheim’s Ryan Whitney were picked to replace defensemen Paul Martin and Komisarek, who were originally named to the team on Jan. 1.
That officially took the Carle out of the mix for one of the replacement jobs. Carle had a slimmer chance than most names mentioned to make the team because he did not partake in the U.S. Olympic Orientation camp in Illinois in August.
His hot play early in the season – when he led the NHL in plus/minus – put him on the list of possible candidates, as acknowledged by Burke.
Carle has chipped in 24 points from the Flyers’ blue line that is responsible for 119 points already this season. Flyers defensemen netted a combined 141 points over 82 games last year. The Anchorage, Alaska native is second on the team (behind partner Chris Pronger) with a plus-14 rating.
Follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers for the latest updates.
The Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes are over.
For the Flyers, the Atlantic Division just got a whole lot tougher.
The New Jersey Devils, who lead the division by one point over Pittsburgh and 13 points over the Flyers, acquired Kovalchuk on Monday night.
Kovalchuk was shipped to New Jersey with Anssi Salmela and their 2010 2nd round pick for Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier, 2010 1st round pick and their 2nd round pick.
Read more about the deal and how the Flyers played into it in Friday’s Daily News.
EDMONTON, Alberta – In a way, tonight’s starting goalie in Edmonton is no surprise.
It’s almost logical: the Flyers are playing against the last place Edmonton Oilers. It’s a perfect time to rest Ray Emery, who has started eight straight games since coming back from abdominal surgery on Jan. 17.
That’s why Michael Leighton will be tonight’s starter at Rexall Place (9:30 p.m. EST start).
The surprise here, though, is that Ray Emery won’t even be on the Flyers bench tonight. He’ll be in street clothes.
Brian Boucher, who has been a healthy scratch since Emery first started backing up Leighton on Jan. 12, will be the Flyers’ backup goaltender tonight. It’s Boucher’s first time on the bench in 11 games.
This is also Leighton’s first start in 9 games. When Emery and Boucher went down with injuries, Leighton stepped in and went 8-1-1 in 11 straight starts to turn the Flyers’ season around.
The Flyers have carried three goalies on their active roster since Emery returned.
It was clear that Emery needed rest: he did not partake in Tuesday’s practice in Edmonton and skipped the morning game-day skate in Calgary on Monday. The Flyers are clearly counting on him as their No. 1 for their run towards the playoffs.
That’s why tonight’s game matters. The Flyers know they need the two points.
Edmonton has won just once since Dec. 30. The Flyers have the far superior team. If they want to let the goaltender be the difference between winning and losing, they have no business walking with the two points anyways.
-
The Flyers’ lines (and defensive pairings) are expected to remain the same.
Here are tonight’s anticipated Oilers lines: (from Tuesday’s practice)
Penner – Gagner – Cogliano
Moreau – Horcoff - Comrie
Potulny – Brule – O’Sullivan
Stortini – Pouliot – Jacques
Possible extras: Nilsson, Pisani
Edmonton is still without Sheldon Souray, Ladislav Smid, Steve Staios, Ales Hemsky and Nikolai Khabibulin.
If you thought the Flyers’ cap situation is tough… try being in the Oilers’ shoes. They’re in last place and they are over the cap.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has said for weeks that he has been looking for a depth defenseman to round out his team.
On Friday, he found one – at least for the time being.
A team source has confirmed to the Daily News that the Flyers have signed Lukas Krajicek, who played with Tampa Bay this season, to a contract.
Krajicek, an unrestricted free agent, landed in Philly in interesting fashion.
He was originally
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has said for weeks that he has been looking for a depth defenseman to round out his team.
On Friday, he found one – at least for the time being.
A team source has confirmed to the Daily News that the Flyers have signed Lukas Krajicek, who played with Tampa Bay this season, to a contract.
. He cleared waivers on Dec. 12 and was sent to Norfolk (AHL).
From there, Krajicek played in 15 games with the Admirals. This week, he decided to leave Norfolk – his last game was Jan. 24 in Lowell – which gave the Lightning the ability to put him on unconditional waivers.
Once he cleared unconditional waivers, the Lightning were able to terminate his contract – making him an unrestricted free agent. The move relieved Tampa Bay of paying any team half of his $1.475 million contract if he was claimed on re-entry waivers.
Krajicek was due to become an unrestricted free agent this summer anyways.
Krajicek, 26, was in Philadelphia on Saturday for the Flyers’ game but did not play. He did, however, accompany the team on their charter flight to Calgary on Saturday night.
Krajicek – a former 1st round pick (2001, 24th overall by Florida) – played in 23 games for the Lightning this season. He had one assist as a minus-4.
The 6-foot-2, 196 pound Czech Republic native has played in 301 career NHL games. The Flyers are his fourth NHL team.
There has been no word yet as to what Krajicek signed for - presumably the league minimum - or how soon he could be in the lineup. Krajicek could replace Ole-Kristian Tollefsen or Oskars Bartulis on Monday night in Calgary.
It turns out that Krajicek's signing was the reason Mika Pyorala was assigned to the Phantoms on Saturday, to make room on the 23-man active roster.
Follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers for the latest updates.
Flyers forward Mika Pyorala will not be joining the Flyers this afternoon when they leave Philadelphia for a three-game trip that begins in Western Canada.
Pyorala, who was a healthy scratch in today’s game against the Islanders for the 17th time in 19 games, will be re-assigned to Adirondack (AHL) to sharpen his skills and get more playing time.
Pyorala’s last game was Jan. 14 in Toronto, when he filled in for late scratch Scott Hartnell just prior to warmups. The Oulu, Finland, native played 36 consecutive games to start the season before his first scratch on Dec. 21. The defensively responsible, third line forward has two goals and two assists for four points.
Barring an injury to one of the Flyers’ other forwards, Pyorala will likely remain on the Phantoms for the duration of the Olympic break when rosters are frozen (Feb. 15 to 23).
Pyorala, 28, is in his 9th professional season but his first in North America. His $500,000 salary will come off the Flyers’ cap hit. His AHL salary is $105,000.
The Flyers will fly to Calgary after today’s home game against the New York Islanders. They will face the Flames on Monday before traveling to Edmonton and Minnesota; they return home early on Super Bowl Sunday.
Follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers for the latest updates.
With a little more than a month to go until the trade deadline, now is the time to start hashing out deals for your favorite players.
Just don’t include Ilya Kovalchuk in a Flyers uniform.
Despite numerous reports to the contrary, including a Twitter post from USA Today yesterday, multiple team and league sources have told the Daily News that the Flyers are not interested in acquiring Kovalchuk from Atlanta.
That means tonight – unless Kovalchuk lands somewhere in the Eastern Conference – is likely Kovalchuk’s one and only appearance at the Wachovia Center this season.
Kovalchuk is slated to be an unrestricted free agent come July 1 and said he is finished negotiating a possible extension with the Thrashers, who have made the playoffs just once in franchise history.
Kovalchuk, 26, has racked up 613 points in 591 career games – all as a Thrasher, since he was picked No. 1 overall in the 2001 Entry Draft. He leads Atlanta with 30 goals this season.
If the Florida Panthers’ handling of Jay Bouwmeester – a similar soon-to-be unrestricted free agent – before last year’s deadline serves as a lesson, Atlanta GM Don Waddell would be wise to move his most valuable asset.
Sitting just points out of the playoff race, Florida didn’t receive offers with pieces they saw fit for Bouwmeester and decided to keep him for the stretch run. They lost a tiebreaker with Montreal for the 8th and final playoff spot.
They ended up moving Bouwmeester to Calgary for basically nothing: Jordan Leopold, also an unrestricted free agent, and a 3rd round pick during last summer’s Draft.
Atlanta, just one point behind the Flyers heading into tonight’s game, can’t afford a similar fate. It would cripple their already weak franchise.
The bottom line: Kovalchuk is simply too rich for the Flyers. They would need to tear apart their roster to fit Kovalchuk’s $6.389 salary cap hit.
And that’s just to use him as a rental for the remainder of this season.
As Toronto general manager Brian Burke said yesterday on the radio, “I’m not making that phone call.”
Burke said that Kovalchuk has reportedly declined a 10-year extension worth $85 million.
USA Today hockey writer Kevin Allen tweeted yesterday “If the Philadelphia Flyers want Kovalchuk, I believe they can be first in line. They have prospects and veterans they can move.”
Any team, at this point, could be first in line. The interest has seemingly, like Bouwmeester, a lot of hype. Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago are a few of the other teams rumored to be interested in Kovalchuk.
Atlanta has not – and will not, according to published reports – give an interested team the option of negotiating a contract extension before the trade is made.
He has always seemed destined to test the free agent waters at his first opportunity to leave Atlanta, a city that averages just 13,348 for hockey.
It is worthwhile to point out that though he is Atlanta's captain, Kovalchuk has never been heralded as a good teammate. That's important for a team looking to add him to the mix.
Would it be worth the Flyers sacrificing a few prospects (in an already bare cupboard) – and throwing the chemistry that has accumulated in their locker room – up in the air to land Kovalchuk for the final 20 games?
That’s a tough sell, even for a team that's always interested in the NHL’s biggest names.
Follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers for the latest updates.
Former Flyers coach John Stevens made his debut as a television analyst on Versus’ Hockey Central on Monday night.
It was his first public appearance since being relieved of his duties on Dec. 4, 2009.
Stevens joined Keith Jones, Brian Engblom and Bill Patrick at the Versus studio in Stamford, Conn. He will also be on the program Tuesday night when Phoenix visits Detroit.
Coincidentally, both of the Flyers’ coaches this season have done work on Versus’ Hockey Central this year. Peter Laviolette and Stevens are two of the four guest analysts to appear in the 2009-10 season. Mike Keenan and Darren McCarty have also participated.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said earlier this month that Stevens will begin scouting work for the Flyers sometime this month. Holmgren said that Stevens would probably take up scouting the amateur and college ranks, possibly looking for undrafted free agents.
Darroll Powe and Jared Ross are two undrafted players that found success at the NHL level under Stevens.
Stevens, 43, has maintained that he would be interested in coaching again should an opportunity present itself. He had a 14-10-1 record with the Flyers this season before he was fired and holds a 121-108-34 record as an NHL, including the Flyers’ worst season in franchise history in 2006-07.
Below is video of Stevens’ debut on Versus. What did you think? He didn’t shy away from talking about last Thursday’s fight between Dan Carcillo and Marian Gaborik or about watching a former player, Scottie Upshall, tonight against Detroit.
Besides tonight, there is no word yet on when Stevens will be on the tube again.
Follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers for the latest updates.
Frank Seravalli provides live updates from the Flyers-Penguins game Sunday afternoon:
 | Follow on Twitter |
