Posted: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 9:30 AM | 79 comments |
 

Will trade winds blow for Flyers?
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If the Flyers need to make a trade, could Jeff Carter be the player on the move? (AP Photo / Matt Slocum)

COLUMBUS, Ohio _ The Flyers insist they are not having a hangover from last season's remarkable playoff run.

Could have fooled us.

Their power play has been alarmingly bad, and their offense has resembled Ryan Howard in the post-season - lots of chances, but little productivity.

They are 3-4-1 after Monday's listless 2-1 loss in Columbus, and they have failed to put together any winning streaks in eight games.

If not for Brian Boucher's oustanding goaltending, Monday's loss could have been 5-1.

Afterward, coach Peter Laviolette ripped his team in the media, saying they had no energy and no passion - and that they played "mindless" hockey.

The Flyers will try to ride this out for a while, but the hunch here is that if things don't improve by, say, Thanksgiving, major charges are in order.

The team is overloaded with quality centers. Claude Giroux, who is currenly playing out of position at RW to accomodate Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Danny Briere aren't going anywhere.

So....

If things don't improve, Carter - who can become a restricted free agent after the season - could be offered in a trade for a much-needed, high-quality winger. (Thus far, Nik Zherdev has been a disappointment.)

The Flyers don't want to trade Carter, but if the puzzle pieces don't fit.... 

Give me your take.

  * * * * * * * * * 

    For constant Flyers updates, follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BroadStBull.

 
Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 9:30 AM  Permalink | 79 comments
79
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:14 AM, 10/26/2010
    Reminds me of the the mid 90s when they started off slow and traded Recchi for Desjardins and Leclair. Flyers are definitely overloaded at center and need a legit scoring threat on the wing. Carter would be the most logical to go.
    — way of the jeep
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:17 AM, 10/26/2010
    Too early to contemplate changes, though I agree the team's been disappointing so far.
    — 88etrain
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:17 AM, 10/26/2010
    If only, if only. I'm so tired of watching Carter come down the wing and shoot wide from a bad angle and have the opponents counter attack. How does he lead so many rushes up ice if he is defensively responsible? Shouldn't he be down low in the zone and then headman the puck to his wingers? His Flyers career can be summed up in 3 points.
    1. Not scoring on Fleury with a wide open net, Flyers lose the series and Pens win the cup.
    2. Not scoring on Niemi with a wide open net and Hawks win the Cup.
    3. Quoted during a possible suspension for a dangerous hit "Everybody knows that playing physical is not my game."
    — puckgodz
  • 0 like this / 1 don't   •   Posted 9:17 AM, 10/26/2010
    Wow, we have a world record. Only three weeks into the new season has Carchidi tried to drum up a story out of nothing. At this pace, by next week we should expect the obligatory "goalie controversy" column, and by December we should have the "Laviolette has lost the team" piece. Year after year we get the same tired and predictable journalism. Hopefully Seravalli doesn't fall into this routine.
    — UncleEddie
  • 0 like this / 1 don't   •   Posted 9:21 AM, 10/26/2010
    Absolutely. Richards has always played center. Past attempts to play Briere and Giroux at wing have failed. Both players are at their best at center. Carter (2 goals - both in the same game) has not played well at all. He's a good 2-way player but is very streaky and does not play well in the postseason.
    — philly57
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:25 AM, 10/26/2010
    im completely shocked that zherdev is struggling.....wink wink.....
    — DON17
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:25 AM, 10/26/2010
    We should've traded Carter in the off-season instead of Gagne. We'd have Gagne and potentially a scoring winger/solid D-man who makes less than Meszaros not named Matt Walker/more experienced goaltender in return for Carter. Plus, we wouldn't have Jeff stealing my buddy's date at some Delaware Ave. club/deck/bar.
    — JimmyPerl
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:28 AM, 10/26/2010
    Carter never could play defense, but since he got his "California bleach blond" boy look, he plays like he is from California. Too "lay back".
    — dogman5
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:29 AM, 10/26/2010
    Time to move the coach----didn't we do that last year with John Stevens---that always works (tic). Trade Carts & Coburn to Ducks for Ryan and Sbisa.
    — Romus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:34 AM, 10/26/2010
    Sbisa isnt a star, people need to get off that kid. he was a young prospect, but he didn't pan out. let him go.
    — jsavino
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:38 AM, 10/26/2010
    Trade Carter for Spezza...I can't watch this guy anymore. His is ruining the legacy of the #17.
    — uCanTseeMe19
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:42 AM, 10/26/2010
    Bad sign this early in the season when the Flyers can't play with passion. The young core for whatever reason doesn't get it. This is the third year in a row that the Flyers have played lackadaisical hockey for long stretches. Shake it up now.
    — JBP
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:45 AM, 10/26/2010
    IF we trade Cartsy, then we need to have a back up plan at center. Knowing our luck, the game after we trade him, Richie or Giroux will end up getting hurt and then just like that, a strength has become a weakness.
    — The Reddgie
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:51 AM, 10/26/2010
    Bad start, they are getting outworked and both Pronger and Timonin have looked very slow. Carter seems out of place and the "Zherdev" experiment may be over before any others are moved out. Carcillo has not been good, JVR can't get the ice time. Talent wise this is a better hockey team....its time for the leadership to step up...or Chiardi is correct someone will be moved out.
    — Landros
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:53 AM, 10/26/2010
    Ive been saying trade Carter for a long time now...Reason being now besides the fact that he has the worst basic fundamentals on the team..(cant make a pass, cant recieve a pass, can't ht the net, doesnt play physical for his size) He is an obvious CHEMISTRY KILLER!
    1) Carter gets hurt last year, the Briere line is formed and becomes the best line on the team..while Harts and Briere struggled playing with him all year
    2)Richards and Gags have a productive playoff all the way up to the finals until Carter is inserted on their line (Carter also had the Game 6 winner on his stick, but fanned)
    3) Present day, Zherdev's playing time suffers now that Carter is given every opprotuinity to suceed when Z has proven he needs to play with Giroux.
    Carter needs to go..his time is done, he is predictable and he has no chemistry with anyone on this team...HIs turnovers are also a killer...SEE YA JEFF LETS GET A WINGER AND GIVE Z SOME PP TIME!!
    — hottnikks97


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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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