Posted: Friday, February 17, 2012, 9:00 AM | 21 comments |
 

Don't expect blockbuster deal; JVR returning?
options
 

With crease-clearing Nicklas Grossman acquired from Dallas on Thursday, the Flyers' defense got some much needed physicality, and opened the possibility they could trade puck-moving defenseman Matt Carle, a potential free agent after the season.

Will the Flyers move Carle? Will they make a play for Columbus' Rick Nash?

Doubtful on both counts.

Nash is available, and Columbus had a scout and an executive at the Wells Fargo Center Thursday, watching the Flyers' 7-2 win over Buffalo.

A source, however, said the Flyers and Jackets have not had any conversations about Nash, who has a whopping $7.8 million cap hit.

If they do, the Flyers should say "no thanks." Columbus would probably want draft picks, Sergei Bobrovsky and two of the Flyers' three prized rookies (Matt Read, Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn). Those rookies are the franchise's future cornerstones.

From here, I do not sense the Flyers making a blockbuster deal.

Then again, not many of us saw the Mike Richards trade coming.

* * *

Grossman, who appears much thicker than Chris Pronger, practiced with the team Friday in Voorhees.

 To make room for Grossman on the roster, Erik Gustafsson will be sent to the Phantoms.

Gustafsson scored his first career goal on Thursday.

* * *

After Friday's practice, James van Riemsdyk didn't rule out the possibility of returning for Saturday's game against the visiting Penguins.

Van Riemsdyk, sidelined since Jan. 12 with a concussion, has missed 15 games. The Flyers are just 6-6-3 in his absence.

The 22-year-old left winger said how he feels when he wakes up Saturday morning will probably determine if he plays.

* * *

Winger Tom Sestito will have surgery to repair a torn groin, the Flyers announced.

Sestito was injured in a fight during Thursday's game against Buffalo. He will have surgery Tuesday and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks.

* * *

Jaromir Jagr and Andrej Meszaros returned to practice Friday after missing Thursday's game. Both are expected to play Saturday. Danny Briere wore a non-contact jersey in practice.

Briere and Tom Sestito left Thursday's games with injuries. Wayne Simmonds (battered lip) did not practice Friday.

Despite being shorthanded because of injuries and illnesses Thursday, the Flyers overcame a 2-0 decfit and trounced Buffalo by scoring seven straight goals.

"A character win," said center Max Talbot, who scored a pair of goals.

No one showed more character than Wayne Simmonds. In the pregame warmup, Scott Hartnell's shot hit iron and then struck Simmonds in the mouth. Two teeth were moved around and he needed 25 stitches to close his upper and lower lip.

Then he went out and scored two gritty goals on power-play rebounds.

"He' a warrior," goalie Ilya Bryzgalov said.

Sounds about right.

* * *

When the Flyers host Pittsburgh in a Saturday matinee, it will match the NHL's top two scorers: Evgeni Malkin (69 points) and Claude Giroux (67), who climbed back into the race with a career-high five assists Thursday.

The Flyers and Pens are battling for the fourth spot in the East.

* * *

Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 9:00 AM  Permalink | 21 comments
21
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:09 AM, 02/17/2012
    we should pick up defensemen L. Schenn from Toronto and defensemen Mathieu Carle from the Ducks. Then we can have B. Schenn & L. Schenn and M. Carle and M. Carle tandem on D. That would confuse the heck out of Torts.
    — Inchon
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:22 AM, 02/17/2012
    Interesting on Nash since yesterday his agent released, I believe, five teams he would agree to be traded to and the Flyers were not on that list. Although the Rangers were.
    — NYluvsPhylers
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:51 AM, 02/17/2012
    Why wouldnt you trade say Read/Schenn for Nash? Its Rick Nash the guy has beeen a stud on a really bad team. Imagine what he could do with some help.
    — shanehockey28
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:02 AM, 02/17/2012
    The cost in cap spacef or Nash would cause serious issues for our FLYERS. With injuries you always need some cap space to make moves. Nash would look great in as a FLYER but the over all cost is too much. Our rookies will be the future of this team and we need to keep them unless we use any of them to land WEBER in the off season. Then we should trade a rookie or other players. Carle if he gives us more cap space make a trade and get a few picks we could use to land Weber.
    — srcdaddy1216
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:46 AM, 02/17/2012
    yeah, we don't have the cap space for nash and forward is not the position where we need the most improvement. we're stuck with bryzgalove, for better or worse. we need to improve our defense in front of him. assuming pronger is done (which me might be), we are going to need to find a true #1 d-man this offseason. and there should be a few available, either as a FA or trade. trade carle or let him walk (he's not a #1 and we don't need another #2 or 3, we have those). that's where our limited cap dollars should be spent. you have to keep the young guys because their cap #'s are low and will be for a few years. we already have enough cap $'s tied to big contracts (briere, hartnell, timonen, bryz). nash just doesn't make sense when you consider the cap ramifications and what this team needs going forward to win. bryz is a whole other subject, but we are stuck with him. put better, stronger D in front of him and hope he doesn't completely go in the tank.
    — The Boston Strangler
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:11 AM, 02/17/2012
    Watch this move: we're going to trade Bob, Bourdon, and send Voracek back to Columbus (combined cap hit 4.7M) for Nash (7.8 Cap hit). We have approximately 3.3M in cap room, so this would fit. Then we'll put enough cap room in the minors to bring up Leighton.

    Defense pairings: Coburn/Timmonen, Mesz/Carle, and the sweddish connection of Gustaffson/Grossman.

    Then Nash plays on the second line with Briere and Simmonds.

    We'll have improved significantly and lost nobody critically important in the process.

    GET IT DONE!!!
    — lawsuit time
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:35 AM, 02/17/2012
    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
    — Spider Rico
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:47 AM, 02/17/2012
    simmonds is one tough SOB, man.
    — sore richard
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:53 AM, 02/17/2012
    I'd be thrilled to see Matt"Turnover" Carle sent away. I've never seen an NHL defenseman throw so many faulty drop passes in his own zone as him. The sooner we deal him the better.
    — bradco
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:13 PM, 02/17/2012
    Where the heck can we get a tough guy that can win fights? The last guy we had that won more fights than he lost was Brashear and he could play a little too. Shelley, Sestito and Rinaldo are all fearless warriors but it would be nice to see the other teams guy go down first once in a while.
    — JudgeReinhold
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:49 PM, 02/17/2012
    JVR will wait to see who has or hasnt been traded to decide if he is healthy enough to play haha. I agree with the post above Carle is not very good and definately not worthy of a hefty contract. I think he will be dealt for another defenseman.
    — shanehockey28
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:53 PM, 02/17/2012
    It would be nicer to just see the teams play hockey without all the staged, dance card fighting. There's always somebody who thinks the answer to the goaltending, defense and special teams issues is to find a goon.
    — 1980
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:15 PM, 02/17/2012
    Flyers lead the league in goals for, we don't need another forward. We need a D man who can help the goals against number. JVR was under the wings of Richards and Carter and should have been dealt when they were. JVR for Schenn. Worry about Suter in the offseason when we have a more clear picture of what is going to happen with Pronger.
    — uscg60


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About Sam Carchidi
Sam Carchidi is in his fourth year as the Flyers' beat reporter. He became an Inquirer staff writer in 1984 and covered mostly South Jersey high school sports and the Phillies before taking the Flyers beat.

Carchidi has written three books _ the nationally acclaimed Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, which he co-authored with Scott Brown; Bill Campbell: The Voice of Philadelphia Sports; and Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also contributed to a 1993 Inquirer book on the Phillies.

A lifelong South Jersey resident, Carchidi lives in Wenonah with his wife, JoAnn, and their two children, Sara and Sammy.

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