Betts' trade deadline impact
BLAIR BETTS has not played in a single one of the Flyers' 45 games this season because of injury.
Betts' trade deadline impact
BLAIR BETTS has not played in a single one of the Flyers' 45 games this season because of injury.
Betts, 31, does not count against the Flyers' salary cap since he is in the bonafide long-term injury list.
In nearly every way possible, Betts - one of the most reliable and consistent 4th line centers in the league over the past few years - has had very little impact on the Flyers' overall season and standing.
Yet, Betts could have made a serious impact on the Flyers at the Feb. 27 trade deadline. And not as trade bait.
How?
The Flyers were hoping to get Betts rehabbed and back in the lineup before the trade deadline so that he was playoff eligible. Having a semi-healthy Betts, an experienced, defense conscious face-off guy, in the lineup would allow the Flyers to trade an offensive piece straight-up for a defenseman without the need to replace him.
The theory goes that Betts on the 4th line would allow Sean Couturier to seamlessly slide into the spot of the forward who would be traded. The beauty of Couturier is that he can also play wing.
If you'll recall, Betts was placed on waivers on the first day of the season (Oct. 5) and claimed by the Montreal Canadiens.
He reported to Toronto for the Canadiens' season-opener but did not clear a physical conducted by Montreal team doctors and the waiver claim was voided. He was back with the Flyers, the team who suddenly had no use for him, later that weekend.
Betts' wonky knee problems were reportedly what made the Canadiens' doctors question his health.
Betts, an Edmonton, Alberta, native who now lives in South Jersey, has remained in the area and has occasionally been seen working out at the team's facility. Betts said at the time, in October, that he was disappointingly told he would not be a part of the team.
Now, it appears that the Flyers' plans to get Betts back this season are shot.
“I met with Blair [on Wednesday]," Flyers' general manager Paul Holmgren said. "He’s having a tough time, not just with his knee, but he’s got a lot of things going on in his life.
"I would say it’s safe to say he’s not going to play this year. I don’t think he’d be able to pass a physical or play right now."
Betts has been hampered with knee and shoulder issues since he arrived in Philadelphia on a tryout contract in 2009. He missed time when a blocked shot shattered the tip of his finger. Now, he has also been struggling to keep his energy levels up, as Holmgren alluded to, which has kept him away from most physical activity.
The thought was that Betts, who showed progress by skating on Monday, might be able to get back in shape by late February.
"We were hoping to get him a game here or a game in the American League just to see how he held up," Holmgren said. "He skated yesterday morning before our meeting and it didn’t go very well. He’s not responding very well. He had a period of time where he was off and he didn’t do very much, he had a period of rehab where he tried to get some strength back. It just hasn’t gone as well as anyone wanted."
Betts made the team out of training camp and then signed a two year extension shortly into his first season. His $700,000 per year contract expires on July 1.
Betts was at the Flyers' 4-1 loss to the Islanders on Thursday night, one of the few games he's attended in the press box this season. This time, he was sitting with goaltending coach Jeff Reese and assistant coach Joe Mullen, acting as an additional eye-in-the-sky.
Betts is one of the hardest workers, on and off the ice, to ever put on the Flyers' jersey. He is a brilliant hockey mind, especially when it comes to the penalty kill and positioning, a genuine person and he would be a solid addition to the Flyers' coaching staff - at least temporarily until he can get a better diagnosis on what's ailing him. He's still just 31 years old.
"We’re hoping there’s some little area we’ll see we can get him involved in," Holmgren said. "I’m not sure what that is."
Perhaps, at the very least, Betts will find a permanent home in a relationship that has always taken care of their own. Right now, it's just not in the role that they all - Betts included - had hoped.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
A couple things in this story sound real vague
He's got a lot going on his life? Yeah, well, many of us do but is that a valid reason for not fulfilling his contract?
More importantly, of course, as far as his financial commitment to the team, is his health. "Struggling to keep his energy level up?" After this much time off?— VicM- the idea that we should trade vorachek is just stupid, this guy has nothing but upside potential that we've seen flashes of all season he's a great playmaker, and can finish around the net, he basically has the same game style as jagr, yes he's no jagr but they play the same type of game. Vorechek will not be traded, Homer won't even consider it. you forget already when G was out he was the best player on the ice during those games, why would u trade some one who shows that type of ability to step up like that— mos19delta
- All Betts are off.— phillyborn4
- yes he does say couturier would slide into the spot of trade bait. but holmgren would be nuts to trade him and so is this writer to even say this. couturier is going to be one hell of a player, like a toews.— wlgj
- Send Schenn and Carle to Carolina for Andreas Nodle and give Nodle a huge contract— whilly
- JVR is not getting traded this season next season maybe if he flops in the playoffs. And I don't know how many times I have to say this it makes no stategic sense to take courts of of the fourth line right now, not that he isn't capable of playing on a higher line, but a talent like him will give opposing coaches fits trying to put capable defenders out against a fourth line center of his caliber. which would give less ice time to those better defenders to go up against the top three lines.— mos19delta
- Frank write an article of how the entertainment value of the NHL has gone down with the removal of tough guys from the game. $165 a tickets and they are pushing out some of the most entertainingfan favorites? It is a joke. I won't buy an NHL ticket for $50. with no enforcers, let alone $165.— Ferrell31
- right so you would rather see head hunters and goons instead of the fast paced exciting skill oriented games that are a result of the rule changes, that why there are less of those guys on the rosters there is no need for them. & if you haven't noticed NHL ratings are better than they have ever been so some one must like it. — mos19delta
- not that i'm not a fan of hard nosed hard hitting hockey which actually the rule changes create more of because of more open ice high paced collisions — mos19delta
- Holmer mismanages the little things. Resign Nodl but let Powe walk? Powe could have worked on his faceoff skills and filled this role. Take Couturier, who is having success at center, and move him to wing? They can trade Harry Z and Voraceck with a pick for a top D Man within the salary range. But they need to clear house of Walker and Lilja. Good lord.— MichaelZoe
- Frank, I have to call you out on this one. WTF? Find a diagnosis about what ails him? So it's NOT a bad knee? He can't his "energy" levels up? He has a lot going on "in his life"? I am SO sick of these stories with mysteries illnesses about Hartnell's falling down, then it Pronger's virus, and now it's Betts. Concussion? Alcohol? Why even start riling everyone up about if the medical side needs to stay confidential? Why even stoke the fire? He's out. We don't miss him. We'd like him to come back. But he's not. End of story. No one is asking about him, so why the story to start making people wonder?— MichaelZoe
- i'm not a fan of trading JVR unless you're able to get a young, proven player that is already under contract. That said, who would trade a young, proven player under contract for a young, unproven player under contract? frankly, we need Betts b/c defensive zone faceoffs are a big problem. go get tim gleason if you need a "stay at home" defenseman to clear the porch. don't need to go trading JVR.— AndyReidsMustache
- bummer.— ej610
- Yes. Couturier replaces JVR when he (JVR) is traded for defense and fourth line depth. That is the point Frank is trying to make. He is also tying in the Betts story line because if Betts was healthy it would reduce the need for fourth line depth and we would be able to trade JVR for a #2 or #3 defenseman. Instead we must trade JVR for #4 or #5 quality defense in addition to fourth line depth. Faceoffs are a huge problem right now. Can we bring back Joel Otto please?— otown philly fan
- What about going after Hal Gill instead of L Schenn. He does not have Pronger's talent, but he does have his size - something they sorely need to clear the net. And I think he would be on sale. Montreal is going nowhere.— gob1234
- I say if he can give even 5:00 of decent ice time, play him and make the trades you need to to replace Pronger (he ain't coming back, likely ever). Even if ailing, Betts is still more of an asset than Rinaldo or Shelley is in the long run.— toph314
- So instead addressing the toughness they lacked against Boston, and will most likely need against teams like the Rangers and Ottawa this year, Blair Betts is your man.— RDiddy2580
- Fred get back in the closet.— rockinrob
- Maybe trade someone for a pair of two front teeth for Couturier— dontlikeneocons
- Jvr and Carle, picks - are getting traded for Suter or Weber. Why Carle if we need D? Bc suter and weber are stay at home Dmen, gustafeson is basically the same type as Carle. Carle not coming back here next year since Voracek and Simmonds (restricted FA) will both need to be resigned— fman727
- i honestly didn't even know he was still on the roster.— Ryan
- Do you idiots have nothing better to do than criticize every writer on this site? Seravalli, just doing his job andtrying to give you something to think about, not just 2 paragraphs that say Betts' knee still hurts.
This isn't huge news but it is informative and real fans want all the details and different perspectives.— DigroJones - So when Homer says "trouble keeping his energy level up" and "he is struggling" is it concussion related? It seems those are the same terms they throw out there today to describe post concussion issues.
I think a player like Betts would help this team allot. They need to clamp down defensively (from the forward position) and having a guy to PK and win faceoffs is never a bad thing. I wish him the best in either case, he seems to be a hard luck guy with all of the injuries.— NJStevieV - They're also symptoms of excessive use of pain meds. To be clear, I'm not saying that is Betts' problem. But with everything he has been through, his pain must be an issue one way or the other. On a brighter note, Betts is the kind of player that makes the best coach - they know how to get the most out of every player because they had to work the hardest for everything they got.
— icarus 
Shame about Betts. A good soldier, certainly. And I like the idea of a coaching gig for him. As to JVR, when he is over the knee/hip thing + the concussion, it is silly to trade him. Remember the playoffs last year? He can play. He needs to beef up and get healthy. When he is, he will be a key part of the team. Any other talk is stupid.
— Poppys- Eh I dont think its that big of a deal, if anything it helps saving his salary off the cap.— shanehockey28
- Don't get it...says Betts can fill in 4th line, move Couterier up, and take out a forward to trade. Love that plan, but then the article says forget it, Betts is not going to play this year anyway. Thanks for wasting my time.— gob1234
- JVR and a 2nd rdr for L. Schenn and Steckel...maybe throw in Sestito. Couts moves to wing on B. Schenn's line.— dave1walsh
- Tough for Betts, he's a pretty good player but has never really been healthy here. And the reasons look pretty murky plus some personal problems? Good luck to him, hopefully he can find a way to help and feel more a part of things. And not bad $$ for not playing.— PhillySubsMac
- JVR, is the one, once declared ready, will go for a d-man...the writing is on the wall.— Romus
- So what you are saying Frank is they need Betts to get healthy so we can trade Giroux? Sorry NYluvs I could not resist.
Frank saw you on CSN the other night. You have a face for radio.— rockinrob - Did Betts see anything from the press box that would help the coaches?— mikemaddog
- NY...he didn't say the Flyers are going to trade Couturier. He said when the team traded ANOTHER forward (JVR comes to mind) for a good Dman that C could fill that void and Betts could go center the 4'th line as he's very capably done.— hero
- NYluvsPhylers -- It says nowhere in this article that Couturier would be used as trade bait. It says the exact opposite, actually. That he would be used to replace whichever forward was used as trade bait on their line.— vvvmetallicavvv
- Why would the Flyers use Couturier as trade bait??? He's a 19 year old kid with a lot of talent. That makes little sense.— NYluvsPhylers
- NYluvsPhylers is referring to the line in this article that reads, " The theory goes that Betts on the 4th line would allow Sean Couturier to seamlessly slide into the spot of the forward who would be traded..."
— snad264 - Best of luck to Blair. I true fighter— Inchon
- Seravalli should go back to fighting with other beat writers and making up trade stories.— FABER
- So hopes of hoisting the Cup this summer rests on one Blair Betts. C'mon man— TommyGun
