Waiting for the shoe to drop
The NHL's holiday roster freeze on Saturday presents an interesting dilemma for Flyers management. Do they wait until after the freeze ends on Dec. 27 to make a move or pull the trigger now and hope for change?
Waiting for the shoe to drop
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
That noise?
Oh, that’s the ticking time bomb inside the Flyers’ locker room.
You may not need to wait much longer for the shoe to drop with this Flyers team; they could be within hours of a major implosion.
The NHL holiday roster freeze goes into effect on Saturday at 12-midnight and doesn’t lift until Dec. 27, which would leave the Flyers’ hands tied during an entire five-game stretch. During the freeze, teams are restricted from trading or making any types of call-ups, demotions or moves on the waiver wire so players can rest easy during the holiday season.
They have won just three times in their last 14 games and have dropped into a tie for 14th place in the Eastern Conference.
At the Flyers’ optional practice on Wednesday – less than 12 hours after returning from a 6-1 drubbing in Pittsburgh – Scott Hartnell must’ve felt the pressure. Hartnell was one of the only non-injured Flyers that skated, with the exception of new goaltender Michael Leighton and Riley Cote.
“Call it what you want,” Hartnell told the Daily News. “You have to pay the price. Sooner or later, heads are going to roll.”
He joined Simon Gagne, Blair Betts, Darroll Powe, Cote and Leighton to “wheel around” on the ice.
Like his team, Hartnell has had a particularly rough stretch of games: his three penalties on Monday nearly cost the Flyers a big win and a late turnover (combined with uninspiring play) resulted in Pittsburgh’s fourth goal last night. That’s why his name has been circulating through the rumor mill.
With a salary that pays him $4.2 million, Hartnell could be hard to move.
Another name that has been mentioned is Jeff Carter, who is scoreless in his last four games. Though his play has been lifeless of late, the Flyers could be reluctant to move a 46-goal scorer from last season.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said on Wednesday that he doesn’t think a trade is warranted, yet. He said that he has had general manager Paul Holmgren’s full attention over the last few days and after lengthy chats about his new team, Laviolette has left “nothing bottled up.”
Still, Laviolette isn’t the one that pulls the trigger.
Holmgren may have his finger on it. Or he may give Laviolette a chance to turn things around from within the four walls of the Flyers’ morbid locker room.
It’s just that five more games may put this team in a spot where it could be hard to challenge for the playoffs – let alone a high seed.
Nodl, Backlund reassigned
The Flyers sent forward Andreas Nodl and goaltender Johan Backlund packing for Adirondack yesterday, fresh off a three-game road trip.
Nodl has one assist in 10 games this season. He could very well be out of chances with the Flyers, who harped on his lack of scoring touch this summer.
Leighton, acquired from re-entry waivers on Tuesday, will dress in Thursday’s game in the place of Backlund. Backlund did not see a single minute of action – starter Brian Boucher has started the last six games.
Blair Betts is expected to take Nodl’s spot in Thursday’s rematch with Pittsburgh. He has been out since Nov. 21 when he dislocated his right shoulder for the sixth time in his career. The Flyers are 10-3 with Betts in the lineup this season.
Gagne met with a doctor on Wednesday and is waiting news on his status while Powe (shoulder) may be able to play as soon as this weekend.
Read more in Thursday’s Daily News.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers.
Comments (66)
I've got an idea...lets trade for another goon..that always seems to work— pucky88- Trade Hartnell for whoever and picks. Dude is a turnover machine. They need to replenish the draft picks anyway. Pronger trade is looking worse and worse, he gets beat for goals every night. That's not what "the best defenseman in the league" does.— sla6yer
- wait can't we get an old defensmen and a wacky goalie...oh we did that already....darn.... that is Ed and Paul's stardard remedy for things every year....they both are a joke....retire ed...and get a real gm...26 years and counting— nuggett
- The way Homey doles out cash and NTCs, he'll probably have to package picks through 2015 to get rid of these flea-bitten mongrels. Way to go Homey!!
- Actually, the Flyers need a good skating goon who can forecheck and not be a liability on the ice. (For example, Dave Brown, Craig Berube, Terry McCarthy, (to a degree) Donald Brahear). We were totally over classed by the toughness of the Pens, hell, Cote doesn't scare anybody at 5'10". Plus we need a big tough D to clear the crease (wait, we somebody who used to fit that role....), Boosh was hung out to dry in Pittsburg.— NickFotiu4HOF
- I liked the team the last two years, I can't stand this team. Eveybody demanded Lupul be traded, well there goes 25 goals, Knuble was let go for nothing and I never liked the Umberger for Carcillo trade, they were all bad and the goalie situation, never thought I'd say this, come back Baron and Nittymaki, we miss you. We may never win the Stanley Cup with you but at least we can make the playoffs and have hope, Emery and Boucher will lead you to last place.— neddyflanders
- It was Upshall for Carcillo. Umberger was a salary cap casualty trade for (esentially) Pronger (via Sbisa). Knuble also salary cap casualty. I still think Lupul was soft, but you have to wonder how all these players leaving affected chemistry. And goaltending really ain't the problem...it isn't Emery and Boucher leading us to last place.— mikemcnhl
- It seems like the chemistry between CARTER and HARTNELL is becoming an issue...hmmm...I wonder why?— lackey13
- It was Upshall who was traded for Carcillo, and Biron was the goalie. I'm surprised this team hasn't made a trade, way to go homer you DOPE.I'm getting sick of this team— EvoXMike
- I guess my comment wasn't appropriate enough to make the cut....— lackey13
Comment removed.- Who is Baron? And Umberger was a free agent. Scottie Upshall was traded for Carcillo.— jr7597
- Anyone who gets a Flyers Santa Sack for Christmas will feel like they are getting coal. Carter needs to go, and so does Briere and Hartnell. Possibly try moving Coburn, only good thing about him is he is not really damaging the cap.— djax10
- Comment removed.
- To all the GM's on this site- It's not easy moving these high salaries. Get rid of this one and that one. We may have to eat some salary in order to do this. Holmgren pulled us out of this a few years ago and I have faith he will do the same. I'm not liking our team recently either but have faith. It's hard but have faith.— Iceman65
- Horsesareathletes - I would absolute agree with you if this team was out there playing with heart and showing absolute effort. However, this team shows no desire (Besides a few) to put their hearts into the game. Injuries, for example, would be greatly excused if they came out trying hard and showing heart. However, it is not an excuse because they are simply not doing that.— djax10
I have several key questions. Why are the current flyers seemingly afraid to go near the opposing net? Why are they afraid to take the body on a puck carrier? Why can opposing forwards cut to the center with impunity? Why our are fowards always tightly marked in the defensive zone, seemingly unable to generate space? How do so many of our clears, passes, or shots manage to hit opposing skates or sticks? Why is there never a Flyer in the path of a rebound, and always an opponent, in both zones? Why do the Flyers continue to dump and chase, instead of crossing the line with speed and possession? Why do they seem to be unable to create space anywhere on the ice, whatever Flyer has the puck, there's always an opponent right on top of him?— Pelti
We need Chris Chelios— primo- Can you say "PLAY WITH PRIDE"? That's what Flyer teams have always been. These guys are playing with no pride. To wanna play for one another takes heart and these guys clearly don't wanna play for each other. Hell, they don't even play for love of the game. That's what hurts more than losing to those D-bags in western PA. Pronger doesn't hit anyone because he's tired of pulling the line all by himself. What a disapoointment.— f_ckthepens
- Betts- my god this guy is a 4th liner. When you can't wait to get a 4th liner back what does that say about this team. It's really time to get someone in charge of this team with no past ties to the organization and who also is not from the 70's -80's— ghost78
- Comment removed.
- Halak wants out of Montreal.....send Boucher to them for Halak hes cheaper and can't be any worse.— CAN fan
- I say package Carter up with a few others, including prospects and bring in someone who has some energy. LeCavilier is an option, but he plays moody like the Flyers. It is just so tough with the cap. The biggest issue is the players not believing in the goalie. They should have gone after Luongo a few years ago when they had the chance. They blew that, no they need to find someone the skaters can believe in.— LGbalsac
- I've been a fan of the Flyers through good and bad since 1970 and one thing was for sure. The Flyers didn't always have the most talent, but they always had the most heart. This team has no heart!— sixgunsound
- Don't make any desperate moves. That is the worst thing this team could do. I wouldn't trade anyone unless we got full value for them, unlike the Upshal trade last year. Give this coach time to get things turned around. It isn't easy to get a team playing well when the players (like Richards) are more interested in partying then playing hockey.— ChrisM
- Last February, the Pens were listless, in 10th place with a loser coach. They hired another loser coach but he was able to lead those losers to a cup. (I am a homer so they are all losers) This team may be bottoming out so a turnaround could be possible. Could be.— keith7470
- Don’t ever compare the pens to the flyers .... Keith. It starts with the top. The GM's overpaid for Hartnell, Danny, Gags, Carter, Pronger and now they are stuck with high priced assets that have lesser market value. It is similar to the housing bubble created by the residents of Cali and FLA. You guys don’t understand – they cant trade these guys because of there contracts.— ThomasPaine
- so NickFotiu4HOF wants a Craig Berube or Donald Brashear type player.WRONG,WRONG,WRONG.It's this type of thinking that has got us mired in this 30 plus years drought.We need skilled players not Bobby Clarke goon guys.Smash those bodies,beat the hell out of them yeah,what's that ever got us since the 70s?I can't believe the thinking behind that philosophy.Win the fights and lose the game.QUIT LIVING IN THE PAST.— gatherer47
- Penguins fans are laughing at us. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.— bigphillydad
- So Keith this guy Therrien who coached the Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals is a loser?And this guy Byslma who coached them to the Stanley Cup championship is a loser?And this team the Penguins who have been the finals the last two years are losers?And we Flyers are what-winners?The loser is you because you've LOST YOUR MIND.— gatherer47
- Gagne, Hartnell and Carcillo would be my first three to go. Eat salary...do what you have to do but get them out. Gagne should have been moved years ago when he had some value.— ant8817
- fly58 - what are the Hartnell/Carter rumors? I haven't heard any, but I'm admittedly not the most "in touch" person out here. I haven't understood all of the "trade Carter" talk, but there could be something to it if there's a serious division on the team. Then again, maybe a nice, spirited fight (OFF-ice) between teammates is what this team needs. At least it would show SOME spirit SOMEWHERE.— uncle meat
- don't make any trades- although a real captain would be nice. but as the pens prove you don't need one to win a cup.— finalsay665
- mikemcnhl states is correctly (adv.)— Rhinobo
- get over the hartnell/carter thing, not true at all. they were together the other night in the city.... Hartnell will be traded for Halak.— fman727
- It would be a major mistake to break this team up. This is a highly skilled young team that has been building for 3+ years now, generally getting better and better. This slump, while frustrating and inexplicable, is not because of some lack of talent, regardless of what it may LOOK like (what team DOESN'T look talentless while slumping)? The last thing we should do is make some panick move and trade away the young rising stars we have because they are having a bad stretch over a matter of weeks. That would be really stupid and I can guarantee you it would solve nothing and absolutely come back to haunt us. Trust me as a Flyers fan for 30 years, this is one of the most talented lineups we've ever had, and maybe the most talented young group ever. Breaking that up out of panick is suicidal. Let the holiday break come, let Gagne & Betts come back and get the team healthy and have some days OFF with the new coach to learn and practice the system. Does anyone honestly think they will not return to form??? All we need to do is get it together after the Olympic break anyway, as any momentum leading into that break would have been lost anyway. I'm just shocked at how quickly fans are turning on these guys. I don't recall the Pens fans asking for their top players to be traded when they were playing like minor leaguers for MOST of the season last year before finally turning it around in March. Be patient, this is good team - don't be fooled by a slump.— dollarland
- Fire ED SNIDER!— downthemiddle
- horsesareathletes: It's already too late. Don't waste your energy. No I'm not a Flyers hater; I've been a loyal Flyers fan for 27 years (still am and always will be) but I'm also a realist about this season after having watched every game this season. The last time they played this badly was the post-lockout year when they had a franchise low 56 points.— LeafsSuck
- Heads have to roll. what else can you do? It's a lose lose situation. What would the Hockey God , Robert Earle Clarke do.— King of All Tards
- dollarland: Talent and heart are two different things. While this team has talent, they have no heart. Look at how they finished the regular season last year; they couldn't even keep home ice advantage. This season's problems go back to early March 09. They need a trade to shake things up. I understand all the salary implications but Carter and/or Briere need to go. They offer nothing to this team anymore.— LeafsSuck
- Is there a website that let's you exchange Santa Sacks for something of value? Who in their right mind would pay for these with this team on the ice? What a joke! This team sucks so bad right now. Get rid of them all and bring in the Phantoms and I don't think we'll do any worse but at least the Phantoms will play like they care.— Kanayd
Lavi should have them skating every single day until they win or drop dead from exhaustion. These guys are single-handedly making me forget the horrible teams of 1990-91, which I thought were the worst Flyers team to date. Hartnell and his terrible penalties, combined with watching the penguins fly in circles around our team is tough to stomach. I will continue to watch them, but it is a struggle to score 2 darn goals in the last month; I remember the Islanders game, and that bogus 3rd goal against Boston the other night- what other games since Thanksgiving have they scored more than 2 goals?— kjuggs77- Vancouver has a plethora (not dearth) of goaltending...get one of those studs stuck behind Luongo!— kjuggs77
- Who is Baron? Murray Baron, of the 87-89 Flyers, if I remember correctly...— kjuggs77
- Briere has been brutal this season. He's a turnover machine who has lost his scoring touch and typically commits one stupid, selfish penalty every game. Unfortunately, there's no GM with a brain who would trade for such a highly paid do-nothing. Hartnell has been equally as useless this season. Trading Carter, I think, carries a risk. He's still young and has considerable upside. There's no reason why he shouldn't score 25-30 goals a season. However, he might be one of the few Flyers with any trade value right now. The last time there were rumors of a Carter trade, the Flyers kept him and he started playing really well.— Snap Crackle Propp
- this team seems too fragile. gagne, briere, emery, betts, coburn..........and others with nagging injuries. i don't think the season is over. i think they will make the playoffs, but would anyone bet they will beat the penguins in a best of 7? not me.— stanley
- crybabies on this list— EndTheDrought
- Comment removed.
- Trade Hartnell for 2 sticks, a bag of pucks and some tape. That's a good deal.— Tar Heel 1
- Over under on how many times they push tickets for future games? I feel I'm getting spammed watching the game.— Living_Legend
- Yes they need to make a trade . . . they need to get their # pick back from the Pronger deal. What a disaster of a season.— shane-56
- It's one thing when a team loses because it has no talent, its another when they lose because they have no heart. This team has talent, but no winners - they are heartless. I hope they lose every game until they revamp, otherwise, if they are able to somehow win a few, it just hides their true identity and prolongs the cleaning house and the inevitable rebuilding. Pronger's a stiff, I'm totally unimpressed with him.....and Coburn, what a bust he's turning into.— tim17600
- Sixers and Flyers are PUTRID... Think ED SNIDER!! a True Doofus!— Philly-d-kidder
- This team needs to get to the basics.....go to the net, shoot the puck. Is there anyone on this team that checks? There is no puck support, no forechecking. Thats a long way of saying this team has pretty close to nothing.— PhillyInVa
- CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS. What a DIVER, CROSBY SUCKS.— LuckyDog
- Yea Lucky Dog Beats us tonight in shootout he sure does suck— gatherer47
- You obviously can't read or comprehend. I didn't say pit loses. I said what all the other players in the league says. CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS. He's the best diver ever. CROSBY SUCKS.— LuckyDog
- Keep chanting. Please.— MisterHate
- CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS. What does every other hockey player say about Crosby? CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS.— LuckyDog
- CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS. What does every other hockey player say about Crosby? CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS.— LuckyDog
- Comment removed.
- Lucky Dog- the guy scores the winner against us in a shootout,gets a power play goal,and wins the majority of his face offs and he sucks.Do you have an objective braincell in that miniscule cranium of yours? What sucks is that goon Carcillo high sticking him leading to a goal.If he were a Flyer you'd be cheering him on.I feel sorry for guy like you filled with so much hate just because he plays for the opposition.And as for the rest of the players ALL hating him,well when he's their teammate on the Olympic team,we'll see how much they hate him.Go look for dog bone.and remember hate gets you nowhere.Try to think before you speak.— gatherer47
- Hey Hoorse - Boosh is consistent - consistently bad.— BeerGrills
- CROSBY still SUCKS, CROSBY still SUCKS, CROSBY still SUCKS. GOD, I will root for Iran before I root for the greatest USA diver around. Go IRAN. CROSBY SUCKS. (And I never said he was a bad player, you need to pay attention here. He is a diver. Every player in the NHL agrees that he can't stay upright when the breeze of a passing player hits him, that's why he sucks. Got it now class?) CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS.— LuckyDog
- now lucky dog your sick thinking has branded you a traitor to our country with your go Iran.You are one SICK dude.I won't be responding anymore to your moronic statements. You're just not worth it!— gatherer47
- Excellent. CROSBY SUCKS, CROSBY SUCKS>— LuckyDog
1
Popular Posts
About this blog
Frequent Flyers is your home for news and analysis of all things orange and black.
Reach Frank at seravaf@phillynews.com.
Frank Seravalli
Daily News Sports Columnist
Search this blog:
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
