Posted: Sunday, January 31, 2010, 8:05 AM | 24 comments |
 

Flyers' new defenseman adds experience
options
 

  OK, so he's not Dion Phaneuf.

   But Lukas Krajicek, the player the Flyers signed as a free agent late Saturday night, WILL give the team some much-needed depth on defense.

   He was cheap _ according to a source, he signed for about $650,000, which will be prorated for the final 29 games _ and he fits under the Flyers' salary cap. Phaneuf ($4.1 million cap hit), who was traded from Calgary to Toronto Sunday,  wouldn't fit.

   Krajicek, 26, had played with Tampa Bay this season before being demoted to the AHL. He had one assist in 23 games with the Lightning this season.

  In 301 career games with Florida, Vancouver and Tampa, he had 10 goals, 70 points, a minus-20 rating and 231 penalty minutes. Krajicek is a former No. 1 pick (24th overall in 2001) with Florida. 

  Defensemen Danny Syvret and Ryan Parent are injured, causing the Flyers to seek more depth.

    Look for Krajicek to replace Ole-Kristian Tollefsen in the lineup, probably on Monday night in Calgary. He is much quicker than the injury-prone Tollefsen, and he could be paired with rookie Oskars Bartulis.

    After Sunday's practice, coach Peter Laviolette wasn't ready to name his starting goalie for Monday. Ray Emery has started the last seven games.

   Calgary has struggled mightily, losing nine of its last 10, but the Flames could be invigorated by Sunday's seven-player deal with Toronto. Calgary sent all-star defenseman Phaneuf, forward Fredrik Sjostroma prospect to the Maple Leafs for forwards Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Jamal Mayers and defenseman Ian White.
Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 8:05 AM  Permalink | 24 comments
24
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:45 AM, 01/31/2010
    This is one of the all time conference changing moves, isn't it? Never heard of this guy and with the exception of this morning's announcement, I doubt that we ever will again, until he is released when another big announcement will take place.
    — Mark1npt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:46 AM, 01/31/2010
    This is one of the all time conference changing moves, isn't it? Never heard of this guy and with the exception of this morning's announcement, I doubt that we ever will again, until he is released when another big announcement will take place.
    — Mark1npt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:33 AM, 01/31/2010
    thanks for your 1npt Mark.
    — potus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:36 AM, 01/31/2010
    231 penalty minutes, 70 points. still living in the 70s
    — pointgiven28
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:39 AM, 01/31/2010
    Maybe you have never heard of him cause you don;t follow hockey ? Other than the Bolts, he has played with the Panthers and Canucks. He is not a top dman but he is a decent-sized, solid defensive dman who can handle the puck and make that pass out of the zone. He will not compete for the top 4 spots, but he will be more than able to take over #5 or 6. Will this solve the Flyers problems, no, but it will help out the struggling 5-6 pairing.
    — bsbullie
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:45 PM, 01/31/2010
    It's a move to help with depth, and he'll be enjoying upstate NY as soon as Parent and Svyet are healthy.
    — pizano13
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:57 PM, 01/31/2010
    Parent is a bust. Whether its the injury causing his poor play, only time will tell. I also don't see him really coming back with any real strength this year. Plus, back injuries like this aren't necessarily fixable. There is the outside chance he will never be right.
    — bsbullie
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:38 PM, 01/31/2010
    Love it ... Flyers add a guy that couldn't play on the worst team in the NHL. Meanwhile the Maple Leafs trade for Giguere and Phaneuf.
    — jcu123
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:00 PM, 01/31/2010
    Lets see, we have one of our starting D-men lost to injury, and our seventh d-man went down. Our 8th and 9th defenders on the depth chart are playing every game. This guy isn't here to challege Pronger or Timonen for the top spot, he's here because he's better than OK Tollefsen.
    — Pelti
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:56 PM, 01/31/2010
    pointgiven28 / BSbullie: wrong again, both of you. his total were over 300+ games, not a season. no, i follow hockey and this guy is a nobody, but like OKT is a non-factor. scap heap pickups because Holmgrem is a bad judge of talents (and our scouts) and he is a terrible Cap manager. Jay McKee would have been an excellent addition, but no, he'll enjoy another run for the Cup with the Pens. disgrace.
    — MichaelZoe
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:14 PM, 01/31/2010
    Parent is still too young to be declared a bust. He has a lot of raw talent. He is being hurt by the Flyers' inability to develop defensemen. I can't even think of a quality defensemen develped by the Flyers system.
    — AreaMan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:17 PM, 01/31/2010
    How about Chris Therien Areaman.
    — Danno
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:35 PM, 01/31/2010
    therian?oh yea he was a big tough offensive defenseman,lol
    — soliteryman
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:03 PM, 01/31/2010
    Danno was kidding, at least hopefully he was for his sake. AreaMan is right. We never develop dmen. Hopefully that is changing with guys like Marshall and Rathcuk in the system. Clarke really blew it after the lockout when the signed Hatcher and Rathje and gave away Markov (who had a very good season in 05-06). They could have had guys like Rafalski and Teppo Numminen for 6 mill combined. Who knows what could have happened with Pitkanen if he had a fellow countryman on D in Teppo there to guide him along. The 05-06 forwards with a Desjardins/Rafalski/Teppo/Markov led defense would have been an pretty good team.
    — duffers
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:24 AM, 02/01/2010
    the Flyers will not make the playoffs
    — BHite15


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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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