Phil Sheridan: These Flyers are a likable bunch

PITTSBURGH - There are trades and then there are personality transplants. When Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren swung the stunning double blockbusters last June, he performed an especially risky overhaul.

The personality that had developed during deep playoff runs in 2008 and 2010 still exists. It's just in Vancouver, wearing the sweaters of the Los Angeles Kings. In Game 1 against the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference on Wednesday night, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter helped lead L.A. to an upset win.

Grit, persistence, an unflappability that borders on boring. You knew what you were getting from a Richards-led team in Philadelphia. That's one reason Holmgren decided it was time to try a different way.

On this side of the continent Thursday afternoon, the men acquired in those franchise-rattling trades were all talking at once. Practice had just ended. In the visitors locker room at the Consol Energy Center, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn stood on risers to accommodate the throng of minicams and recording devices. Jakub Voracek sat at his locker on one side of the room, while Sean Couturier sat across the way. Both were amiably answering reporters' questions.

It was tough not to smile at the contrast. Richards, as captain of the Flyers, would submit to off-day questions as if he'd been subpoenaed. You might get a sentence from him. You'd be lucky to get a word out of Carter.

Time will tell whether this new Flyers personality is better. It is most assuredly different - looser, more easygoing, and much more likable. And there is a connection between those qualities and the way this team stole Game 1 of its own first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

Voracek, acquired from Columbus in the Carter deal, scored the winning goal in overtime. He did exactly what Carter was paid to do: find a spot in front of the net and take advantage of an opportunity.

Couturier, who is just 19, was taken with the first- round pick obtained in the Carter deal. All he did in his first Stanley Cup playoff game was log nearly 17 minutes of ice time, usually while Evgeni Malkin was out there. The Penguins' 50-goal scorer was credited with three shots but zero points.

Schenn, who is only 20, assisted on the Flyers' first two goals and scored the tying goal in the third period. Richards, the man Schenn was traded for, had a goal and two assists in the Kings' victory in Vancouver.

Simmonds, the other piece in the Richards deal, was second only to Claude Giroux in ice time by Flyers forwards. He didn't score, but was plus-2 for the game.

Look, we're talking about one playoff game here. There are no conclusions worth drawing. But consider the alternative, if Richards and Carter had enjoyed a big night and the Flyers had gone down quietly after falling behind, 3-0. The pressure on the four kids from the two trades would begin rising.

"This year is maybe different from anything I've dealt with in the past," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "There's always rookies available, but it seems these young players are coming into the game now and they're ready to contribute at a really young age or without much experience. They've been impressive through the year. They handle a lot of responsibility."

These Flyers lost two captains, Richards in the trade and then Chris Pronger to his concussion issues. But the youngsters have been ably led by unofficial captains such as Jaromir Jagr and Danny Briere.

Like many young Czechs, Voracek grew up with a poster of Jagr on his wall. Now they are teammates, and Voracek's idol is his mentor.

"It was my dream to play against him one day," Voracek said. "Then he left [to play in] Russia and I thought that might be it. Then we met at the world championships, and now here I am playing with him. Obviously, it's pretty cool."

Guys like Briere and Jagr - outgoing, smart, gregarious - set a very different tone from the brooding Richards and Carter.

"Having Jaromir around the team has helped everybody develop," Laviolette said. "He's a positive person. He brings a good attitude to the rink. His work ethic is incredible. He had a terrific year on and off the ice. We had a lot of rookies and a lot of young players who aren't rookies - Simmonds, Claude Giroux. He's a steady, positive influence for all of those guys."

The same with Briere. Couturier lives with Briere and his sons, as Giroux did last year. Schenn is a regular in that sitcom-worthy situation.

In breaking with Richards and Carter, Holmgren and Laviolette changed the team's personality. It would be reasonable to expect the young guys to take a year or two to jell. One game into their first playoff journey, they seem to be well on their way.