Flyers showing interest in once-troubled goalie
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Flyers showing interest in once-troubled goalie
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Flyers have shown interest in signing a goalie who helped the Ottawa Senators reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, but has a history of off-ice problems.
Ray Emery, who put together a 12-3 record in the first three playoff rounds two years ago to steer the Senators into the Finals against Anaheim - and excelled in Russia this season - is on the Flyers' radar screen, general manager Paul Holmgren confirmed on Monday.
In 2006-07, Emery had a 33-16-6 record, a 2.47 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage, and he was 13-7 in the playoffs. The next year, he slumped to 12-13-4, 3.13 and .890.
Known for his flashy clothes, exotic cars and extravagant lifestyle, Emery conceded he was a heavy partier in a 2008 interview with USA Today. During his time with Ottawa, he was involved in some well-publicized confrontations with teammates, and there were rumors about Emery and drug use.
Emery, 26, nicknamed “Sugar Ray” and “Razor,” could not be reached for comment early today, but in the USA Today interview last summer, when asked to describe his use of recreational drugs, he said: "I really don't want to go into details. I'm not a saint and I'm not in jail, either. I think I've learned a lot of lessons. I didn't feel comfortable. I got myself into some bad ways. It took some time to clear my head."
The Senators waived him and then bought out his contract after the 2007-08 season, and he subsequently signed a $2 million deal to play last season in Russia.
"I don't think anyone would disagree that Emery is a sound, competitive goalie that just two years ago won 13 playoff games in leading his team to the Stanley Cup Finals," said Holmgren, who admits to having a soft spot for players with a troubled past. "Before we look at signing any player, we do our homework on that player, especially with his off-ice lifestyle and work habits."
In Russia’s Continental League, Emery posted a 22-8 record, 1.86 goals-against average and .926 save percentage this season.
The Flyers’ two goalies, Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki, are unrestricted free agents. Holmgren continues to have talks with Biron's agent.
Emery's career NHL numbers (2.71 GAA, .907 save percentage) are slightly below Biron's (2.59, .911).
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Upgrading the defense should be the Flyers' off-season priority if they want to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
The team's wish list should include signing free agent Mike Komisarek and dealing for Jay Bouwmeester _ and signing him before he becomes a free agent on July 1.
The economy is down and Komisarek is coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued season, so perhaps the Flyers can sign him to a backloaded deal that will only absorb, say, a $2.5-$3 million cap hit next season. We shall see.
I've outlined the moves I would make in Sunday's Inquirer. Click here to read the story.
Comments (78)
was this article necessary?— bitlrc- I disagreed so much. If they can keep Knuble: Gagne-Richards-Giroux, Hartnell-Carter-Lupul, VanRiemsdyk-Briere-Knuble, Carcillo/Cote-Powe-Asham. This allows JVR and Knuble to protect Briere and Knuble will definitely need to backcheck for Briere and rookie JVR. If Knuble goes, they need someone like Moen, Pahlsson, Axelsson, Niedermayer or Betts to check and kill penalties. On D: Timonen-Coburn, Bouwmeester-Parent, Sbisa-Oduya. Timonen and Coburn are better together and Parent would stay at home to free Bouwmeester. Oduya is a Devils defenseman, making him extremely responsible.— Fandink
- That's a nice thought Sam, but whose salary are you dumping for this? You've gotta dump Lupul before the his contract extension and NTC clause kick in July 1st. PLUS we still need to sign a goalie, Marty or Nitty don't cut it. They need to get Giguere from the Ducks and dump some salary to do it. Komisarek is a headcase, why the Flyers want him. I think you have to try to keep Knuble since he's the only one in the Flyer's dressing room with his name on the Cup.— CarterRocks
- bitlrc, of course this article wasn't necessary but he's afraid that no one read his other delusional article. Fandlink, you're not gonna be able to keep all of the forwards because of Cap issues.— CarterRocks
- Fan, how do you plan to pay for all those guys and be under the cap? Besides, Oduya sucks unless he plays the Flyers.— realdeal91
- Do you understand that a backloaded deal doesn't matter to the cap? It's the average yearly payment. Briere is getting paid $8mm this year, but his cap hit is $6.5mm. If Komisarek signed a deal that paid him $2.5mm this year and $6mm the next, his cap hit would be $4.25mm BOTH years.— JSaq
- I love the three sentence analysis...very intriguing!— Diamond Jim Brady
- In what league is Komisarek getting $2.5MM? Jones makes more than that, and he never even hit the open market. Getting those two players would cost over $12MM at the very least. Maybe that could be worked out...if they didn't sign a goalie. Priority #1 is obviously goaltending, by default. With no one under contract and no candidates in the farm system to take the reins, getting someone to play between the pipes will be the first (and second and third) thing the Flyers look to accomplish.— sheerrw
That sounds great, but we don't have room against the cap for more than 1 major move, and a couple of minor ones. We can sign guys, but not without trading expensive pieces. Lupul, Jones, Knuble, Biron, Nitty, and possibly Gags & Carle. Would have to be moved or unsigned in order to do most of these things. It's not a question of 'who do we sign' as it is 'who do we let go'? My thoughts are Lupul, Jones and Nitty. Possibly Biron if we seriously upgrade in goal. Everyone else is either Maturing, or brings too much to the team to let go.— flyler- So you are telling me that Ray Emery will lead this team through the Stanley Cup playoffs??? Actually, what I am hearing is we can get this bad boy goalie .... cheap!— RJM16
- Emery stinks....yet another re-tread in goal. This is why we can't find one! Burke, Hackett, Vanbiesbrouck, Cechmanek, Esche, Biron, Emery....they are all the same! Why would Ottawa unload him if he was any good? Did anyone see Ottawa last year? They didn't exactly have a Plan B, and they dropped off considerably. The goalies I'd pursue are possibly Giguere (if he comes cheap) or Josh Harding from Minnesota. Maybe Price if the Canadiens have given up on him. But no no NO to the scrubs like Emery, Fernandez, Biron, etc. ENOUGH!— UncleEddie
- What about Manny Legace? A little old, but a good goalie who can't be asking for big money after St. Louis demoted him this year...— jpb
- Ray Emery is a cancer in the clubhouse. I don't think this is the kind of attitude adjustment the Flyers need.— BobbyD
And how do you justify Ray Emery being a cancer in the clubhouse? You've had mistakes in your too haven't you???? Emery would be a major upgrade over Biron. Carey Price? Are you dumb? Why would Montreal give up on this 21 year old former first round pick?— jamarder- Thumbs down on Ray Emery. I'd rather just keep Biron.— tdcuse
- another year another goalie....more of the same.....way to go ED....thanks for the stability.....let's bring back clarkie....then let him go again, each team has a reputation and the Flyers rep is the goalie go around...— nuggett
- Ray Emery was great a couple years ago before he lost his way. If he's suddenly reborn, you have to look into him. My 1st choice would be to trade for either Kari Lehtonen or Giguere. Emery is still young though and you wouldn't have to trade anything for him. Again, if he's cleaned up, he's certainly worth looking at.— rwright611
- Chico Resche!— Tacklebury
Comment removed.- So after we bring in Emery, are we going to sign Sean Avery and bring back Steve Downie??? Not what we need— cote32
- So after we bring in Emery, are we going to sign Sean Avery and bring back Steve Downie??? Not what we need— cote32
- Some might say he's a quirky goalie, but when we showed interest in him before the trade deadline i called a buddy in Ottawa. All he could say is, i hope for the Flyers sake they pass on him. He is very distructive in the room.He'll TO you, was something else i recall.— Clarkeisgod
- Heheh, I just looked up and found that Emery assaulted the Russian team's physical therapist during a game a couple of months ago. Beautiful!— rwright611
- Let's not sign any goalie just for the sake of signing a goalie. It would have to be an upgrade over Biron, not a downgrade.— billro3
- This town has been trying for years to come to grips with a black quarterback. Imagine the pitch-forks and torches that will be headed towards Homer's house if he gets a black goalie...— SPM519
- Emery to the Flyers is a done deal and they are bringing back Niitty as the back up at a slight pay cut, Niitty is happy in philadelphia being a million dollar goalie, Biron and his 5 million per year demands will do well elsewhere...Good riddance to marty— BHite15
- Emery to the Flyers for a one year deal at 2.25 million is the rumor in Russia— BHite15
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- I'm in for Ray Emery ... i think we bring him in & bring Nitty back then go after Boemester. Biron didnt do a bad job at all but it'll probably cost too much to re-sign him. We can use that extra coin to go after one of the defencemen mentioned in the article.— Kennedy
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- Sam, your suggestion that somehow the Flyers will get Mike K and JayBo are ridiculous. They need cap space for Cup space. They have to dump a number of salaries and sacrifice some of the goal scorers to become better balanced on defense and goal. As for Ray Emery, he WAS a cancer in the locker room, fought with the coach, and fought with his team -- maybe he sobered up in Russia.— MichaelZoe
- So is Emery the PacMan Jones of the NHL ? heheh— morvak
- If there's a way to get new fans in free agency, I'd suggest doing it!— phillysteel
- Even if Emery's cleaned up his game, the fact remains that he's apparently volatile and emotional - hmmm, can't imagine that being a problem for a goalie in a city like ours. :)— elpel
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- jamarder - you are the dumb one! They've given up on him in each of the past two playoffs!!— UncleEddie
- jamarder - you are the dumb one! They've given up on him in each of the past two playoffs!!— UncleEddie
- How about investing the money instead in some alarm clocks so the team can wake up year when playoff time comes around? Sorry, they had some good games against the Pens, but they weren't ready for Game 1 and what happened after they went up 3-0 in Game 6 is one of the all-time Flyers chokes. No excuse why this franchise can't get a Cup after 35 years!— KDH
The Flyers MUST get rid of Briere because they will never get what they paid for and he is a defensive liability when he isn't on the injury list. They need to let both goalies walk and sign anyone to mind the nets. And most importantly - they need to deep six this Broad Street Bully mentality. It yielded two Stanley Cups nearly three-and-a-half DECADES ago.— Atomic Fury- The Flyers MUST get rid of Briere because they will never get what they paid for and he is a defensive liability when he isn't on the injury list. They need to let both goalies walk and sign anyone to mind the nets. And most importantly - they need to deep six this Broad Street Bully mentality. It yielded two Stanley Cups nearly three-and-a-half DECADES ago.— Atomic Fury
- Emery sports images of boxers on his mask. Got in trouble once for a controversial Mike Tyson mask. Wonder if he'd do a "Rocky" mask here?— KDH
- Really? Emery? Why not re-tread Esche from the Rusky league. PLEASE! I agree that keeping Biron is the better choice. I use to be on the give Niity a chance side, but if he still has hip problems, it's time to move on. Forget Komisarek, please. Stop with the man-crush on this guy. Really, add Bowmeester, let Knuble, Niity walk, get some picks for Jones, Carcillo, Lupul and take it from there. For those who are calling for Gigure, the price is too steep. There's not enough to trim on the Flyers roster to sign both, and I believe that Bouwmeester is the better prize.— pizano13
Why are we even considering this? I'd rather stay with Marty. Look, Biron would be a lot better if he had a solid defense in front of him, including a crease-clearing machine (a la Ed Van Imp), and one more veteran blueliner, like JB, to help bring along Parent and Alberts. One more requirement would be someone who can win face-offs. I wouldn't go wholesale with the team. It just needs a few tweaks to get it moving in the right direction.— DaveCicc
Ray Emery...interesting, but I'd pass. Unless he was completely/drug and alcohol free, and remained dedicated 100 percent on getting back to the NHL, then no way. I didn't study the article, but it seems the last interview with Ray is from 2008, and that didn't sound like he was totally clean. Keep digging...— kjuggs77- He hasn't quit, aside from the 5 notable fights he had in Ottawa, including with Jason Spezza during the practice in the playoffs, he had a falling out in Moscow too. From Wiki: (Fallout with Atlant) During a game in which he was pulled following the first period, team doctor Roman Sokolov attempted to put a hat on Emery's head. Resisting the action, the two engaged in a verbal dispute which resulted in Emery attacking Sokolov once, and upon being restrained by teammates, chasing him down to assault him a second time.— kjuggs77
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- Oh yeah, here's some more...caught racing by the police, doing 150km/ in a 100km zone 2 months ago; and was sued last fall for a road rage incident against some old Canadian guy. He claimed to have been stopped more than 30 times in his Hummer. We don't need another Pelle Lindbergh- the only difference is this guy doesn't have any class, like Pelle did. Pass on Emery.— kjuggs77
- Wasn't it fun seeing Rod Brindamour playing for Carolina last night? That was a great trade wasn't it?— bvl390
- Ahhhhh the quest for greatness between the pipes is a long and winding road. But it is what's missing!— jcpaul
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- Not sure Emery is the answer. But Biron had his chances. I'm sorry, but he was at fualt against the pens. The puck he didn't reach out and grab when Crosby slid into first, the one he couldn't reach out and cover up as it sat in front of him, the way he freaked and couldn't calmly close his hand on that floated up by his chest? Go back to the first game against the Rangers when they walked around him and wrapped around like he was standing still. His brain just seems to shut off. It's been going on all season. I feel terrible saying, but he has to go. I have no confidence in him.— dahlster
- ray emery stinks. he is a locker room cancer and he has a lucky playoff run once.— kenzo9126
- C0kehead goalies are the best kind. This will put us over the top.— PuPuMan
- C0kehead goalies are the best kind. This will put us over the top.— PuPuMan
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- The only advantage I could see Emery offering, would be the possibility of him accepting a ridiculously cheap one year deal for the opportunity to re-establish himself as an NHL starter and then cash in as a UFA after the season, ...but then, that was the whole point of him going to Russia in the first place, ...to prove he could be a first rate goaltender, and solid team member; because nobody in the NHL would touch him after the problems he had in Ottawa, ...unfortunately he apparently still wasn't able to keep his nose clean(pun intended) over there either.— andyd
The Senators only made it to the finals because they were the favored team that year, the team Gary Bettman was rooting for. The league has been helping the teams that pushed for the the lockout as much as they can, which is why Buffalo, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and others came out of the lockout strong, but are fading away as the bias in their favor wears off, except for Pittsburgh where the bias is still a stiff wind behind their sails.— Pelti- knuble is done, he's to slow for todays NHL. We need the cap money for defense. On pitts game winning goal parent back up so far he was almost in the net.— slapshot45
- The Billy Tibbets of goaltending! Pass...— Repubrebirth
- Uncle Eddie, The goalies I'd pursue are possibly Giguere (if he comes cheap) Just so you know, Giguere's average salary (cap hit) is $6 million, but it would give us a goalie who's won a Stanley Cup.— CarterRocks
- Forget Emery. I vote for getting Giguere— whsbuss
- Biron > Emery. People need to understand that aside from like 5 goalies, all the others are basically at the same level.— bobbyd24
- No, please. We've tried these "troubled" players before and it never works out.— rstone
- Please, God, NO!!!
- Wonder how Biron (if they keep him around) would feel about that. Especially since Emery got thrown out of a game back in Feb '07 for fighting with Biron & Peters in Buffalo.— CJ_818
- Biron is the safest bet in terms of goaltending considering you'd be paying around the same for any of the other mentioned names (without knowing what product you'll get back). he's worth about $4million a year as a starter, and while Nitty is a capable back up, there's no indication that he's anything BUT a back up. it would be interesting to see if the Flyers could pull off a trade for either Price or Halak (one will eventually have to go) and it is feasible considering the Flyers have an excess of scoring forwards which Montreal sorely lacks.— yantastic
- Can Emery hook us up?— rockinrob
- I think Emery would be a lot of fun to have on the team…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZzyOBhk5Uw&feature=related Check out the grin on his face throughout the whole fight… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulyEnFh9Wvo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSMuzYxukrc&feature=fvst In all seriousness if they can get him cheaply why not try it? Maybe being exiled to Russia has calmed him down.— jspangler21
- Ray Emery destroyed the Ottawa locker room. He is T.O. on skates.— OMIGODEAGLES
- Hmmm.... "sugar ray"... "razor".... wonder what "recreational drug" he liked. Looks like the Flyers need to draft a goalie in the first round this year.— echosmyron
- BIG mistake. Biron is as good and 100% better man on/off the ice than Emery. He's the TO of hockey.— stanley
- How about dump Stevens first? Bring in a new coach then get some D & and goalie.— jt126
Nooooooooooooooooooo way you should sign this guy- @ jamarder - Emery is a major upgrade over Biron. How? Why? Really?— mikeyhigs
- You gotta be f'ing kidding me. Ray Emery sucks more than Sean Burke...and that is saying alot. If you think the Flyers would actually get him over resigning Biron...then you are smoking crack.— Diamond Jim Brady
- I say bring back Doug Favell— AnthonyJB
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Broad Street Bull is the Inquirer's blog covering the Philadelphia Flyers and the National Hockey League.
Reach Sam at scarchidi@phillynews.com.
Sam Carchidi
Inquirer Staff Writer
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