Updates on Pronger, Jagr, Bryz et al
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Updates on Pronger, Jagr, Bryz et al
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Flyers cleared out their lockers in Voorhees on Thursday, and there were many newsy items that were learned.
Here are some of them:
** Jaromir Jagr was given several chances to say he wanted to return to the Flyers. He did not bite. It appears he will test the FA market.
** GM Paul Holmgren expects to re-sign defenseman Matt Carle, a potential free agent, at a below-market price.
** Ilya Bryzgalov, with a year of playing in Philly behind him, will be a much better goalie next season, Holmgren said. In a good-natured tone, Holmgren said Bryzgalov’s duties weren’t performing for “Comedy Central” but stopping the puck.
** Holmgren said Chris Pronger is "the same," meaning he still has concussion symptoms. The GM added he was a "glass half-full" guy and still believed Pronger would play next season. Out of respect to Pronger, he will not even think about naming a new captain (Claude Giroux appears to be the leading candidate) at this point.
** Holmgren said he would have injury updates later tonight. Speculation is that Kimmo Timonen, Nick Grossmann and JVR will need surgery.
** By the GM's estimate, the cap will rise from $64.3 million to around $69 million.
** Holmgren said he hopes Mike Richards and Jeff Carter win the Cup with the Kings, but that he was happy with the deals and would "do them again."
** Timonen, 37, will return next year, and perhaps beyond next season, Holmgren said.
** Coach Peter Laviolette said center Sean Couturier, coming off an impressive rookie year, could get more playing time next season and work his way onto a power-play unit.
Comments (57)
Comment removed.
Holmgren also said out of respect to Bernie Parent, the Flyers have no intentions of winning the Stanley Cup as long as he is GM of the team— ghost78- LOL
...well played Ghost— BuddyBall92 - Still suffering symptoms from last summer bike accident!One too many!!!— quigly46
- Still suffering symptoms from last summer bike accident!One too many!!!— quigly46
- None of you are funny.— kingofpoker
- Timonen is too old and too beat up to be effective. Why would Carle sign at below market value?— brio
- wrong. timonen still has good years left. he played way too many minutes this year due to the injuries to pronger & meszaros. he played hurt and should be commended for that. he's still a very intelligent and capable d-man that a lot of teams would love to have. plenty of d-men have played into their late 30's, early 40's that are similar to timonen. he's not a #1 d-man, but is a solid #2/3 on most teams. you know nothing.
- Agree Boston...Timo is the unsung cornerstone of the defense. He is an iron man who contributes more than noticed. He is not flashy, but blocks shots and is a smart defenseman. Personally, I hope he returns.
— dogman5 - Don't forget the lazy give away that led to the game 4 clincher and the stupid move to "pass" it to your (sucks at puck handling) goalie! Brilliant!! Bottom line, I like Timonen, but he sucked against the Devils! — kchaz
- Why would we want Carle? We need front line D-men, and we might have to part with some forwards in order to do so, unfortunately.— Witz79
- excuse me... he's going at "below market price". We wont be getting rid of anyone. Also the cap is supposed to go up approximately 4 million so we'll be fine — hockeyguy144
- excuse me... he's going at "below market price". We wont be getting rid of anyone. Also the cap is supposed to go up approximately 4 million so we'll be fine — hockeyguy144
All's I have to say is......1975! LMFAO!!!!- I really don't understand the obsession with Matt Carle. He was a solid defenseman, but I think we know what we're getting out of him, and it's time to turn the page. If Timonen is retiring, different story, but I'd rather the Flyers saved $4 million and had a defense core of Grossman, Coburn, Timonen, Mez, Gus and then either another young, physical guy, or a free agent who brings more physicality to the back line.— hunsinator
- I don't even understand where you get "solid defenseman". He's a turnover machine. — n62
- he is a solid D man. You just choose to see all of his flaws instead of his positives. 82 games 4 goals, 34 assists +6 only behind kimmo in points amongst Dmen in the team. In the playoffs he had 6 points in 10 games, the most from Dmen throughout the NHL playoffs. Go read some more news N — hockeyguy144
- If the Kings win the cup you can't change your evaluation of the trades. Would those two players have made this team better this year? It would have been the same team that got swept last year - you couldn't have traded everyone but Richards and Carter to the Kings for all of their players.
Couturier, Vorachek, Simmonds and Schenn have a lot of upside and this team is better as a result of Homer's trades.— TongueWagger - What happened to all the "love" Jagr was saying about this team? Now he doesn't want to stay? NJ won because they are fast & played smart. We need to improve the "D" and lose old legs!— chase26TJ
- I would love to see some turnover as far as the D is concerned, but i'm not sure how likely that is other than losing Carle and Lilja as FA. If we can replace them with one top 4 competent D man its a start, but I would like Timmo to call it a career and use his contract money for a more useful D man. On O, not too sure there will be much turnover, maybe a possible trade of JVR but I doubt it, and I wouldn't do it. Shelly has another year I believe, but should be sent to the minors for more cap space, lappy's contract is off the books, I would like for Jagr to return, but if his heart is elsewhere, no need to overspend on him. Let the young guys develop. Finally bid adieu to Leighton and try to fetch a nice player for Bobs.
I think lavy needs to step it up as well, and use his strong forecheck (full court press) situationally and develop another strategy to fall back on when its not working.— 17cygnus17 - Holmgren made huge mistakes. Bryz we all know was a franchise crushing decision...we are locked into a goalie who is a backup for years. he will not get better he is technically not sound and he lacks focus. He is what he is a Moon Man. The trades will come back to haunt us for years. Richards and Carter are top tier Forwards. What we got for them are hope and pray prospects. When the going got tough they disappeared. we wasted career years from Hartnell and Simmonds not likely to see that productionm from them next year. Let Jagr go love the guy but he is overmatched in a tight checking game. Nothing they do is going to matter though because the cant fix their biggest flaw which has been their achilles heal forever GOALTENDING!!Way to go Hom,er you crippled the organization for years— flyers1000
- Did you even watch the series with the devils. the only reason that the flyers were not completely blown out in every game they lost was because of Bryz. It does not matter what goaltender you have when you only score 1 goal. The devils out worked the Flyers in every aspect of the series. That is why they lost not because of their goaltending. — djw623
- Proud to be a fan of this organization. Homer wants to win as bad as anyone else. I don't agree with every move, but this man wants a cup.— NYPHILLYPHAN
- Jagr is way to slow and old. Jagr plus Pronger= 8.2 millon— EDDYEDEAGLES
- Let Jagr go. He was toast in the 2nd rd of the playoffs. Let Carle go also.. he was toast most of the year. Good offense, bad defense.— JWB109
- He had a Quad issue in the 2nd round. Soemone eneds to read more and read other posts. He's amongst the top 100 wanted UFAs out there right now and rated one of the top 100 players in the league because of what he brings to this team. You need to read a bit more good sir — hockeyguy144
- Watch the Caps win....another gut punch on the way tomorrow night...follow that with Richards and Carter skating around with the cup....and you know what, good for them if they do. All Richie did was play his heart out every night.— philly thug
- ok, but who, besides Bryz, played good in the 2nd series...noone! They got outplayed and outclassed in every aspect...so don't single out Jagr. Giroux and Hartnell have average years without him— philly thug
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** Holmgren said he hopes Mike Richards and Jeff Carter win the Cup with the Kings, but that he was happy with the deals and would "do them again."
lOL Homer. Nice try;)— debbyt - oh no,,,,you mean that russia goalie is coming back next season,,he cannot even glove a puck or smother one,,,they keep bouncing off him for rebounds,ship him back to the motherland,,— hardball
- To repeat what I have mentioned in other threads, the UFA D market is not that great. Everyone wants to run Carle out of town and replace him with ????. People mention Suter, but he's the white whale of this year's UFA, and we won't be the only team wanting him. Many of the UFAs are pretty old. If you want a stay at home guy, then B. Jackman or Bryan Allen could be upgrades. Do you all really like Wideman better than Carle? People need to be realistic about how to replace him. I think if Carle signs for the same amount or even less, then he's a good ROI.— puttinonthefoil
- It is hardto find a stud D_MAN in thisleague who won't cost an arm and leg to get and then a huge contract too! Suter is an intersting guy would look good as a FLYER but if we are going to spend huge money on a D-MAN than go after Weber he is in that Pronger type mold plays the game with a nasty edge! and he can shot onthe power play andI believe he is also right handed which we need on our team. To get him it will cost us most likely JVR and maybe another player or two. as long as it isn't Guss, Schenn, Couts or Wellwood I would really think about making a move for Weber. Just my opinion here just like everyone here we will have to wait to see what Hommer does next.— srcdaddy1216
- No way we resign Carle....maybe for $250k per year. He's a turnover machine and needs to be gone. He's awful. I'd like to see JVR get dealt too....he's a waste of a #2 overall pick. He's lazy and flat out a BUST! Anyone that wants Timmonen gone knows nothing about hockey. He's our best defenseman, by a wide margin!— Tar Heel 1
- as much as I hate that we are stuck w/ Bryz for 8 more years, you can't blame Holmgren for that. That was 100% from Snyder. Although Richards and Carter have found success in LA (not in Columbus), I would definitely make those trades over again...they were VERY good deals for the Flyers.— Tar Heel 1
- Flyers got beat by the Devils pressure system. Lavy never adjusted. He needs to take significant responsibility here. Look at the Florida tape.— Jnico
What the Flyers should do first is hire a better Goaltending Coach.- Kimmo is serviceable in a 3rd pair. They need another front-line defenseman to go along w/ 5,8,41.— brio
- The Bryz haters clearly did not watch the series closely. He was playing well. I think he can play even better if he gets hot. If we played D like in 2010, we would be walking away with the Cup... I think the Flyers need to clearly boost the forechecking, get a goal scorer and a great defenseman....with the Cap, i say get one of those pieces in the draft...and they need to keep what they have...minus Jager and with the cap space left over..add a Star...this team is very close to being very dominant...you can see it...they also need to find a way to stay healthy...injuries plagued the entire year...great season...bad series against the Devils...we will be better next year...hopefully Prongs comes back at the end of the season next year...boy it would be nice to have him back there...— feudal_nobility09
- Why anyone would rip Holmgren is beyond me. The team he has put together is remarkable. They are young fun and full of promise. They accomplish much more this year than most thought was possible and have a really bright future. Conversely, the Phillies have aging stars and when they go to rebuild we will be saddled with 10 years of bad teams. Congrats Flyers and Congrats Holmgren.— LGbalsac
- First Union Center Circa June 2011:
Bullhead Ed: We must get that goalie from Phoenix.
Homer: But it's a well known secret that he is a total head case.
Bullhead Ed: I'm tired of that (bleep) Milbury making fun of our orgi ni zation
Homer: But the guy wilts under pressure.
Bullhead Ed: I'm ED SNYDER DAMMIT! Get him or your a gonner homer.— jking91 - All you fans that are crying need to stop it. Holmgren did a great job. I agree. I hope Richards and Carter win the cup in LA. It doesn't effect my opinion of the trade. Lets face it, Kings are so successful because of their captain Brown and Quick the goalie. Richards and Carter are second unit guys. Good players, but I would still make the deals we made again as well.— ChrisM
- Is it possible for Bryzgalov to be worse next year? Probably it's impossible. He was worse than my dog this year. My dog can catch any ball thrown his way. Really, I'd suggest signing my dog as goalie next year. We'd win the cup. He comes cheap!— 4thand10
- some of you guys are real idiots! Holmgren is doing a great job especially compared to when Clarke was running the show, I will give you the Ilya deal was a big mistake but everyone seemed to think Ilya was THE goalie to get (not sure how everyone missed him being a head case though!).— connorjr
- I really wouldn't even want to sign Jagr. I'd rather use the cap space to sign Suter. Jagr disappeared in the playoffs and I can't imagine him getting better at his advanced age. This team had a sneaky good rebuilding year. Let the team grow together and add more young good pieces to secure a bright future. I'd rather have Suter, Meszaros, Coburn, Timonen, Grossman and Gus on the blueline, than sign Jagr and Carle to contracts above their value which would preclude better signings. It's weird that we had to sign Shelly and Lilja to the length they are signed for; horrible and unnecessary deals by Holmgren. Also, I would let Hartnell and Timonen play out their contracts and then let them walk.
Go with a nucleus of forwards that include: Giroux, JVR, Schenn, Talbot, Couturier, Voracek, Simmonds, Briere, Read, Wellwood.
Pray for an amnesty clause to drop Bryz.— dsh129 - Carle: 82 games, 4 goals, 34 assists, 38 points, and a +4, 2nd amongst flyers D men in points. Why the HECK would you not resign him? Are you all that oblivious to the fact he carries this team in points (minus kimmo) defensively? You people see his flaws, not the small smart plays he makes throughout the game. Learn hockey and then you'll have room to talk.— hockeyguy144
- I think overall Flyers had a great season. If you think about the massive roster changes, & the tough division we are in, over 100 points etc, all things considered, would you have thought we'd get by the Penguins in the first round? Granted it was disappointing losing to the Devils, but they finished one point behind us. And anyway if we got past them , what face the Rangers? What would have come of that. Bryz was a disaster, the D needs work, but injuries played a part of the D's demise. So overall I give the team a B+. & Holmgren I believe has done a great job. Shore up the D, & get Bryz to the best psychiatrist money can buy.— philadavephia
- Someone needs to talk Snider into selling. The one constant these last 37 cupless years--Snider. And don't go on about his charity work. It's called PR. He is developing future hockey fans/ticket buyers. Charity work does good things, but he wouldn't be doing it if it didn't benefit him.— stonelamb
- Laviolete is coming back? With his ice capades approach, his stubborn refusal to dress Sheely and/or Rinaldo, his defense always backing up and never guarding the blue line, his total inability to beat any team that jams the Flyers passing attack up in the middle of the ice, and his all out wuss approach to hockey in a tough city. Imagine bringing back a guy that actually neuters his team?— uts
- Don't forget his imaginative "strategy" to defeat the Tampa 1-3-1 that made Philly the laughing stock of the NHL for about 2 weeks.
— icarus - You people that want Holmgren gone are so shortsighted, and ridiculous ( and probably the same ones, who thought he got robbed in the GM of the year voting) !!! This team exceeded our expectations for the regular season, but disappointed us yet again in the playoffs...GET OVER IT! This team was not suppose to do anything this year...The goalie was a product of Snyder, not Holmgren....let Jagr go, he was great during the reg season, but No gas in the tank for the playoffs...Timmonen is hurt, hopefully he can give us another year..sign Suter ( the D, Pronger replacement), and hope the Bryz can show us what he can really do!...Would you rather be Montreal, or Toronto? This is their Country's sport, and they SUCK!— plaurie
- Ahhh...I still have fuzzy/faint images of a toothless Bobby Clarke hoisting the Stanley Cup Trophy ....Kate Smith singing God Bless America at the Spectrum....Nuns holding signs "God Saves Souls, Bernie Saves Goals"....Rick Mcleash, Bill Barber...Moose Dupont, Don Seleski, Dave Schultz, Reggie Leash, Gary Dornhoffer....ahhh....those were the days.....its been so long....oh well, as Cubs fans dream, so can us Flyer Phans now. Heck, its only been 37 years...imagine what us Phillies Phans felt like in 1980.....this is not even a drought compared to their long wait...— drhoffman
- God no, please do not resign Carle, that was the only bright spot of losing knowing, hopefully, he played his last game....And PLEASE dont anyone try telling me is a good Dman, he STINKS, is flat out awful and probably the dumbest Dman I have ever seen.....Yea he puts some pts but not worth what he does on the blue line...just awful whether at market value or below, please for the love of God Homer, let him walk,please!!!!— CROSSI
- why has bernie parent never been goalie coach for the flyers? has anyone else wondered the same thing?— lfran55
- I think Homer did a good job. It's like seeing the iceberg on the horizon--some people would be in denial after the 2011 campaign and say, "We'll rebound!" But Homer worked to address the shortcomings and managed to get out of long-term contracts AND get talented youth. Team knew it was going to be a weird year, but the results turned out nicely.
I feel pretty confident the Flyers will get either Weber or Suter. I'm hoping for Weber (not sure what the cost would be). A line consisting of Hartnell, Giroux, ? (Simmonds? Couturier?) with Weber and Grossman in front of Bryz would be physical and have offensive spark, and +defense (well, for 18-20 minutes a game).
In the loss to the Devils, you could see what a huge impact losing Pronger proved to be--lack of leadership and weakened defense. Flyers need to remedy that situation.— pillsbury - I think it's funny that Jagr said not long ago that his best season ever came this year with Philly, but yet he would not commit to returning. His best season ever?? I guess NOT winning a cup with the flyers was better than winning two with the Pens. Go back to Europe.— F_The_flyers
- I really hope Pronger comes back healthy next season. He is a huge difference maker. IF he can't and retires, I hope we make a serious run at signing Shea Weber because he's arguably the best d man in the league hands down.— simanlee
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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
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