Mike Knuble returns to Flyers
By agreeing to terms with unrestricted free-agent Mike Knuble on Thursday, the Flyers are getting an unquestioned leader and someone who can cause havoc in front, especially on the power play.
Mike Knuble returns to Flyers
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
By agreeing to terms with unrestricted free-agent Mike Knuble on Thursday, the Flyers are getting an unquestioned leader and someone who can cause havoc in front, especially on the power play.
The move was made because Scott Hartnell has a broken foot and will be sidelined for four to eight weeks.
Knuble, 40, will sign a one-year, $750,000 deal and have a physical performed Friday. It’s safe to assume he’ll pass, since he was playing for the Detroit Red Wings’ AHL team, Grand Rapids, on Wednesday.
“He’s a big, strong forward, a quality person in the locker room,” coach Peter Laviolette said after the shorthanded Flyers outlasted the visiting New York Rangers, 2-1, for their first win of the year Thursday. “I think that can be real helpful. Our group of forwards is young….and to have a guy like that with his leadership and experience is important.”
In four seasons with the Flyers from 2005-06 to 2008-09, Knuble averaged 28.5 goals per year. He’s not the same player he was back then, but he DID play well for Washington in last year’s playoffs. That followed a regular season in which he managed just six goals in limited time.
Knuble,a 6-foot-3, 230-pound right winger, has 274 career goals, and he is immensely respected by his peers.
“He’s played a long time in this league. He’s a good player and has great presence,” said winger Wayne Simmonds, who had a goal and six shots Thursday. “I think I can learn a lot from him. “
“He’s a big guy in front,” forward Max Talbot said. “He tips a lot of pucks and is a dangerous weapon in front of the net. We always need a guy like that.”
Talbot acknowledged that Hartnell, who led the Flyers with a career-high 37 goals last year is a “tough guy to replace….but Mike is going to bring a lot and I am excited to have him.”
Meszaros injured. Andrej Meszaros, arguably the Flyers’ best defenseman in the early going, was injured when hit by the Rangers’ Ryan Callahan late in second period and did not play in the final period. He appeared to injure his left shoulder, and he had his arm in a sling after the game.
GM Paul Holmgren said Meszaros, who had Achilles surgery in the off-season, would be re-evaluated on Friday.
If Meszaros is lost for a significant amount of time, it would be a major blow.
Veteran Andreas Liljais is being recalled from the AHL Phantoms. Players do not have to go through re-entry waivers in the new CBA.
By the way, the Phantoms' Erik Gustafsson, recovering from a foot injury, is making progress and is close to being ready to play.
Breakaways. With Hartnell sidelined, Braydon Coburn was one of the alternate captains Thursday…..Because of the compressed schedule, the Flyers are being given a lot of days off. They will not practice Friday and will play in Florida on Saturday……Nick Grossmann (five blocks, tone-setting check on Marian Gaborik) had his best game of the season……The line of Tye McGinn (22 years old), Sean Couturier (20) and Scott Laughton (18) has an average age of 20 years, four months….The top line Thursday had Claude Giroux centering Simmonds and Matt Read, and they combined for 11 shots. The Flyers outshot the Rangers, 33-19.
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Flyers should have never let Knuble go in the first place.— Mike Boryla- Why haven't the Flyers made an offer to PK Subban or a sign and trade with Montreal? They are desperate for defensemen.
- There's no such thing as a sign and trade in the NHL. Semantics, really. Any team would want to speak to Subban to ensure he'd sign with them before agreeing to a trade. It would cost at least Courturier or Schenn, then some other somewhat useful stuff. — sklandog
- Love the 18 - 20 - 22 Line !!!...scrappy youngsters— blombard
- what no witty sarcastic comments today kids ?— deatheater
- Hartnell is faking it...he's got the persian princess...no rush to come back on his part. how's that deatheater?— Friend to All
- laughton isn't going anywhere. especially with hartnell out. i hate to burn a year on his contract, but the kid can flat-out play.— mrkmcc
- Wake the Tonner when they get above .500.
- I'll call you Tuesday night after the game. Better have a Genny Cream Ale on hand! — CoettaGarner25
- 23-man roster. 2 "out". 3 "in". Someone else must go. Hartnell and Meszaros "out" - will be placed on IR. Knuble, Briere, and Lilja "in" - will be added.
Who will be the 3rd player taken off the roster? Adding Knuble may have cemented the return of Laughton to Jr's. We hope not.
Would Homer send Shelley to the Phantoms for the remainder of this shortened season before he retires? That would allow Laughton to stay. Then what happens when Rinaldo comes off of IR to go over the 23-man roster? As Homer looks ahead to these things, might he feel pressured to send Laughton back to Jr's after tomorrow's game at Florida (Laughton's max 5th game - decision time)?
Adding Knuble to the 23-man roster may have doomed Laughton to being sent out. Hope not
— PhillyTeams - As of last night's game, Hartnell was "out" and Laughton was "in" so that would make them a "wash" no? Then the issue become Knuble, Briere, Lilja. Assuming Meszaros is IR'd, then that makes a wash w/ Lilja. Then becomes an issue of Briere and Knuble. Do we know that they were at the 23 limit as it was? Also, until Hartnell got hurt I think the feeling was Laughton going back anyway, b/c Briere would be back sooner rather than later. So signing Knuble may have just ensured sticking with that plan. But the kid has played well enough that I'd be comfortable keeping him around, but only if he actually sees minutes on a regular basis. Once he plays five he can't go to the AHL. And it's pointless for his development to keep him on an NHL roster just to ride the bench. — AEPi71
- The guy who would likely come into play when it comes to deciding what to do on Laughton is Briere. Knuble doesn't play center, and Laughton has exclusively played up the middle in juniors. While he looks like a good young player, I still think sending him back would be the best long-term move for the organization. He hasn't looked out of place, but it's not as though he's blowing the opposition off the ice. — sklandog
- Fools, they waived Hovinen to make room already and still have a spot available. Even with that said, Laughton isn't ready...not strong enough on the puck, though shows enough potential to think he'll be ready next year.— philly thug
- 23-Man Roster w/o Hartnell and Meszaros and Laughton:
15 Forwards:
Briere, Giroux, Couturier, Talbot
B.Schenn, Read, Fedotenko, McGinn,
Voracek, Simmonds, Knuble, Wellwood
Rinaldo/Sestito/Shelley
6 Defencemen:
Grossmann - Coburn
Timonen - L.Schenn
Foster - Gervais (problem - 2 RH, Right Side, Defencemen)
2 Goaltenders:
Bryzgalov, Leighton
Would we rather have Laughton over Shelley or Rinaldo or Sestito?
How about waiving Shelley to the Phantoms for 2 1/2 months, the remainder of his pro career. His intangible, veteran presence in the "room" will be replaced by Knuble.
— PhillyTeams - How did those first 3 games work out when they had no physical presence on the ice? Wellwood is nothing more than a speed skater. You probably thought Zherdev was a good player too. Laughton is good but needs to go back, too many guys unless they trade a couple of them for Subban which isn't happening before sunday, Laughton's 6th game. They have way too many young finesse players on this roster, see games 1-3 to see how that effects the outcome of a game. — oobeyboobey
