[Drew]

Source: nhl.com

Overview

As usual, the Philadelphia Flyers come into the new season with a team fully capable of making a deep run into the Stanley Cup Playoffs come April.

Delivering on that promise has been the stumbling block for the Flyers in recent years as for one reason or another Philadelphia has failed to grab hockey's ultimate prize.

The 2003-04 Flyers will sport some subtle personnel changes to go along with the biggest change, in goal, where the enigmatic Roman Cechmanek was cashiered out of Philly following the Flyers' second-round loss to the Ottawa Senators last spring.

Jeff Hackett and Robert Esche will now handle the goaltending duties for a team that should be fully ensconced and familiar with the systems and demands of head coach Ken Hitchcock.

Hitchcock raised some eyebrows after the season ended with his stated desire to change some of the roles of his players, most notably opening up ice time and opportunities for Simon Gagne and Justin Williams while changing the roles of veterans like John LeClair and Mark Recchi.

"I think that they are in that group of probably six or seven players who are ready to take the next step, on paper," Hitchcock said of Gagne and Williams. "Now, seeing it from training camp on is going to be very exciting for us. We're very hopeful that with the way they played at the end of the year and the way they contributed, we're curious and excited to see if they are capable of taking that next step and earning more responsibility. That's kind of that second wave of curiosity I mentioned before, seeing who is going to earn more ice time."

There figures to be some subtle changes on defense for the Flyers as well, as the club has a number of young defensemen poised to grab fulltime roles. Most notable among the young defensemen is former first-round selection Joni Pitkanen, who signed with the club this summer. Taken fourth overall in 2002, he is an exciting prospect for the Flyers. Also vying for roles this season is Jeff Woywitka, the 27th overall pick in 2001 and a Canadian junior standout. These two prospects will battle with Jim Vandermeer and Dennis Seidenberg, who gained some NHL experience last season.

"There's going to be great competition," Hitchcock told philadelphiaflyers.com. "They're going to play a lot of exhibition games. You talk about a good situation, here we've got all four who are more than capable of playing in the National Hockey League. Whether they can play on a regular basis and play every day and every night, time will tell. They all have the skills, they all have individual strength, they all have the opportunity to have great careers."


Forwards

You look at the Flyers' forwards and wonder how this team can lose a game. There is a tremendous array of talent and depth with veterans and young players, checkers and scorers all working well together.

The Flyers tied with New Jersey for the fewest goals allowed last season (166), so there is ample evidence that the forwards paid more than casual attention to Hitchcock's demand for defensive accountability. Conversely, the Flyers' point totals weren't terribly high. Jeremy Roenick topped the Flyers in goals with 27 and was tied for the lead in assists with 32, so no one on the roster came close to a point-per-game average.

But keep in mind that the scoring is spread around over three solid lines so the impetus to score a lot of goals doesn't fall to one or two players.

Roenick remains one of the exciting players to watch in the League. Mouthy and charismatic, he is a show unto himself, and a pretty fair hockey player to boot. Six of his 27 goals last season won game for Philly and eight came on the power play, so Roenick is normally in the right place at the right time.

Being reunited with former Blackhawks teammate Tony Amonte for a full season may give the Flyers a jolt of offense. Acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes last March, Amonte was struggling offensively, having scored 13 goals and 23 assists in 59 games and he was a minus-12. In 13 regular-season games with the Flyers, Amonte had seven goals and eight assists and was a plus-12, so the change did him a world of good and bodes well for the 2003-04 season.

Injuries limited Gagne to 46 games and scuttled his offensive numbers -- nine goals, 18 assists -- but he entered the 2002-03 season as one of the NHL's emerging stars and the hope in Philadelphia is a run of good health coupled with more responsibility will set him on the journey to stardom. Gagne certainly seems to have all the tools to make it happen.

Williams also saw injuries wreck his 2002-03 season as he was limited to 41 games and eight goals and 16 assists. Being healthy should propel both he and Gagne back into the thick of things among the Flyers' lines. Center Michal Handzus was a pleasant surprise with 23 goals and 21 assists and should be a prime-time player this season.

Veteran Mark Recchi scored 20 goals during the regular season and seven more in 13 playoff games, so he still has the touch, although Hitchcock has hinted at a more defensive role for Recchi this season. No matter, he is the pro's pro and should handle whatever role comes his way with aplomb.

John LeClair was having a terrific season with 18 goals and 10 assists in 35 games when injuries scuttled his season. His role remains the big question mark for the Flyers early on. There were numerous reports that the Flyers were willing to trade him, but as camps came to a close, LeClair remained with the Flyers and Hitchcock sounded optimistic that he would find a productive role for the veteran.

Keith Primeau has gracefully assumed the role of checking center and his wide body fits the role perfectly. Primeau chipped in with 19 goals and 27 assists last season, showing that while his game has become more defensive oriented, it hasn't become one-dimensional.

Sami Kapanen's offensive struggles continued after he was acquired from Carolina last season. The speedy winger finished with just 10 goals and 21 assists. He figures to spend time with Primeau on the checking line. Veteran Claude Lapointe was re-signed over the summer and also will play a role that accents his speed and penalty-killing skills.

The Flyers are hoping Radovan Somik (18 points in 60 games) and Eric Chouinard (eight points in 28 games) have progressed enough to press for jobs.


Defense

The Flyers have all the pieces for one of the best defenses in the NHL. There is a terrific blend of veterans and prospects and the challenge will be melding the newcomers into a unit that allowed the fewest goals in the League last season.

It's a sign of just how deep the Flyers are that veteran Dmitry Yushkevich wasn't re-signed over the summer.

But the Flyers shouldn't miss a beat here. Kim Johnsson was the top point producer from the Flyers' "D" with 10 goals and 29 assists in 82 goals. He also averaged over 24 minutes per game. Eric Desjardins was re-signed over the summer and is coming off a solid plus-30 season in which he scored eight goals and assisted on 24 others. Eric Weinrich, a very capable and solid pro, didn't score much last season (two goals, 18 assists), but he logged over 20 minutes per game for Philly.

Marcus Ragnarsson, acquired early in the season from San Jose, was re-signed during the season and, like Weinrich, was a solid defensive presence, playing over 22 minutes per game. Youngster Joni Pitkanen is a top-notch prospect who impressed in camp. He looks to be a lock for the opening night roster, leaving one of the veterans on the outside looking in. Chris Therien, who was limited to 67 games, was left unprotected and exposed to the Waiver Draft. Therien had one goal and six assists last year during the regular season and two assists in 13 postseason games.

Jim Vandermeer, Jeff Woywitka and Dennis Seidenberg will also be in the mix. Vandermeer scored two goals and one assist and was a plus-9 in over 13 minutes per game in his outings. Woywitka has been a standout defenseman for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League and has an offensive touch as evidenced by 16 goals and 36 assists in 57 games last season. He also played for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships and is regarded as a terrific prospect.

Seidenberg, drafted by Philadelphia with the 172nd overall pick in the 2001 Entry Draft, may be the one who starts the season in the minors. The 22-year old defender scored four goals and assisted on nine others and was plus-8 in over 16 minutes per game in 58 games last season for the Flyers.

"Defense is an interesting position because players on defense mature later than any other position because of all the intricacies of playing defense, like playing without the puck, playing with a partner, reading the rush, stuff like that," Hitchcock said. "How quickly each guy individually adapts?obviously Dennis [Seidenberg] and Jim [Vandermeer] have an advantage because they played in the League this past season. Then you have Woywitka and Pitkanen who have tremendous upside. That part is going to be exciting for us, but I think it's going to be even more exciting for the fans. They are going to be able to watch that competition first hand right from the start of training camp, to when we decide who is going to make the roster. They all are going to end up playing games in the National Hockey League this year. I think there's no question about that. As this goes along, it's going to be really, really interesting."


Goaltending

Goaltending has seemingly been an annual riddle for the Flyers in recent years. The Flyers shared the Jennings Trophy with the Devils for fewest goals allowed in 2002-03 and Cechmanek was nearly flawless in the regular season with a 33-15-10 record, 1.83 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.

But in the postseason, the dissatisfaction with Cechmanek came to the surface. In 2002, the goalie was openly critical of his teammates in a opening-series loss to the Ottawa Senators. Last spring, Cechmanek was 6-7 in the postseason with a 2.15 GAA and .909 save percentage. Those numbers got the Flyers past Toronto in a grueling first-round series, but weren't enough against Ottawa and Cechmanek was faulted for some soft goals there.


Shortly after the Flyers were eliminated, Flyers GM Bob Clarke traded Cechmanek to the Los Angeles Kings, opening the door for Esche, who impressed when given the opportunity during the regular season. Esche, who came over from the Phoenix Coyotes prior to the 2002-03 season, appeared in 30 games, going 12-9-3 with a 2.20 GAA and .907 save percentage.

He figures to see much more ice time this season.

As insurance, the Flyers signed the veteran Hackett as a free agent. Hackett split last season between Montreal and Boston. In 18 games with the Canadiens, Hackett was 7-8-2 with a 2.54 GAA. He was traded to the Bruins in the three-way trade with San Jose that sent defenseman Kyle McLaren to the Sharks and Nicklas Sundstrom to Montreal. With the Bruins, Hackett was 8-9-0 with a 3.21 GAA. He was injured down the stretch drive of the regular season and didn't start Boston's first-round series against New Jersey, but he did post a 1.68 GAA in three games, going 1-2 as the Bruins were eliminated in five games.


Outlook

Hitchcock is enthused about the new season, knowing his players are now familiar with his system and he is better attuned to them. Keep in mind that the Flyers finished just one point back of the Devils in the Atlantic Division. As Hitchcock noted, that one point resulted in the Flyers being the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference in last spring's Stanley Cup Playoffs and not the second seed that the Devils grabbed.

Facing the fifth-seeded Maple Leafs in the first round produced a grueling series with Toronto. And while the Flyers were successful, they were not at their best for the second round against the top-seeded Senators. So, you can bet Hitchcock will remind his players all season that the regular season has plenty of meaning and that the Flyers can't afford to throw points away.

We are seeing the seeds of transition in Philadelphia from the veteran club that has been in place for the last several seasons to one that will accent a different look in goal, the infusion of more youth on defense and more responsibility for the emerging forwards up front.

While Hackett struggled last season and Esche is a relative unknown to many, expect the Flyers to get solid goaltending if for no other reason that the team's overall defensive awareness.

And despite the accent on defense, Philadelphia has the horses to put the puck in the net early and often. Amonte needs to get off to a good start, and chances are he will with Roenick as his center again. Gagne and Williams need to remain in the lineup and then let their natural talent take its course.

Recchi is game for whatever role is presented to him and he figures to excel. LeClair seems content and a run of good luck health-wise should show exactly what he has left in the tank after some tough luck in recent years.

The Flyers have scorers, checkers, hitters, veterans and kids, so all the elements are there. The biggest concern will be to avoid the pratfalls and bouts of inconsistency that have scuttled the team's chances in recent years.

"In talking to the players throughout the summer, they really feel like we're in a very terrific position to take a real run at this thing," Hitchcock said. "We've established a strong chemistry, the right commitment, so we think a lot of things are in place to really go after it. The interesting thing for us right now is that the Stanley Cup Champion is an hour and fifteen minutes down the road, so we know exactly what that's about. The team that won the Presidents' Trophy, we just finished playing in the playoffs (Ottawa). So we know what that's about too. We know where the bar is at, and our players want to take a run at the whole thing. That means we want to get off to a really fast start and really have a lot of things in place early. So, I think everybody's excited, and all of us recognize what a great opportunity we have in front of us right now."