Four Flyers to try out for Team Canada

It was a quiet day in the office of Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren.

That doesn't mean he wasn't on the phone talking about and to players in the second day of the NHL free-agency period. But there were no new additions yesterday.

There was news, though.

Four Flyers were invited to Team Canada's first pre-Olympic camp: new defenseman Chris Pronger, two-time Olympian Simon Gagne, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.

"That's great," Holmgren said of the news. "The Olympics are great, especially for North American fans. The players love it and it's a huge honor for these guys. I'm proud of them."

This will be the first time both Carter and Richards will participate in the selection process.

The camp, which will help coaches determine Canada's roster for the 2010 Games in Vancouver, will be held Aug. 24 to 27 in Calgary.

"It's going to be fun," Richards said in a statement. "Going down there and being on the ice with everyone. It's the first step in becoming a member of Team Canada if you want to be in the Olympics next year."

"It's great. It's definitely a huge honor with how many great players there are in Canada," Carter said. "Any time you get a chance to represent your country it's a great honor, and hopefully I can have a good trial and just go from there."

Holmgren said he was still looking at available free agents but was more focused on the start of the team's rookie conditioning camp on Tuesday.

The Flyers don't have a lot of cap space to work with after adding right wing Ian Laperriere and backup goalie Brian Boucher during the first day of the free-agent market. *