Friday, June 20, 2008
Posted on Wed, Jun 18, 2008 Zoom + | Zoom -
SanFilippo: Biron is only going to cut it for so long
The Flyers’ offseason schedule will begin in earnest Friday at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Holding the 27th pick in the first round, and only four more the rest of the way, the Flyers aren’t in a great position to replenish their crop of prospects.
It’s no secret that general manager Paul Holmgren would like to acquire more picks. With several players in need of bigger contracts and the Flyers close to the salary cap as it is, this weekend could see the team shipping a couple of players out of town in exchange for more draft picks.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Flyers could use the cap relief brought about by trading known entities for future prospects. Not to mention, they need some depth at positions that seem barren in the system.
So if Scottie Upshall, Mike Knuble or even R.J. Umberger lands in a new city, don’t be shocked.
When asked who his top five prospects in the organization were, Holmgren mentioned right wing Claude Giroux, the 2006 first-round pick who will be on the big club’s roster next season; 2007 first-round pick and left winger James vanRiemsdyk, who will play another season at the University of New Hampshire before donning the orange and black; Russian defenseman Denis Bodrov, a player the Flyers took a chance on with a second-round pick in 2006, not knowing if he would leave Russia (and they still don’t know); right wing Andreas Nodl, another 2006 second-rounder, who starred in college at Saint Cloud State and had a cup of coffee with the Phantoms last season; and speedy defenseman Michael Ratchuk, another second-rounder from ’06 who Holmgren said is the fastest skater in the organization.
What’s missing? Center and goaltender.
Considering the Flyers’ roster is deep at forward, especially down the middle where Danny Briere is locked in for another seven years, Mike Richards for another 11 and pending restricted free agent Jeff Carter for who knows how long whenever he finally re-ups ... forward is not a pressing need.
Goaltending clearly is.
Marty Biron is undoubtedly the starter, but he is 31 and he has one year left on his contract before he could become an unrestricted free agent.
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Backup Antero Niittymaki, 28, is no longer a young prospect and is destined to be what he is — a solid compliment goaltender to a better alternative.
Beyond those two, there’s not much.
Scott Munroe was the go-to guy on the Phantoms after Brian Boucher was pilfered from the team by San Jose at the trade deadline. However, with an inconsistent effort in the AHL down the stretch and in the playoffs — first-round series against Albany aside — Munroe showed he’s not ready for prime time.
After that, there is Martin Houle, who had a 3.73 GAA in the ECHL with Wheeling; Jeremy Duchesne, who also spent most of his first pro year in the ECHL with Dayton; Michael-Lee Teslak, a 22-year-old who signed a free agent contract with the Flyers out of Michigan Tech and still has a lot to prove; 2007 seventh-round pick Brad Phillips, who is headed to Notre Dame; and Jakub Kovar, mediocre at best in his second major junior hockey season in Windsor.
Simply put, the Flyers need a goalie.
“We don’t have a clear-cut young guy,” Holmgren said. “Nobody has stepped up to say, ‘I’m an NHL prospect.’”
Holmgren went on to say there were three or four goalies in this draft that he thought could go in the first round. Yet most mock drafts have only one or two goalies going in the top 30.
Holmgren did say that when the draft reaches a certain point, the guy you want to draft at 27 might be there at 40. With that in mind, a scenario could have the Flyers trading out of that spot and into the second round. That would get them additional picks and leave them with a chance to snag a goalie they covet.
Holmgren mentioned the Los Angeles Kings as a team with whom they could work. Holmgren’s buddies, Dean Lombardi and Ron Hextall, are running the show in L.A. and the Kings have 15 total picks and 10 of the first 101.
Sounds like the three will be talking on the floor of ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa this weekend.
Nevertheless, a goalie of the future has to be the Flyers’ top priority. Everyone wants to draft defensemen. In many ways, with the way the NHL has changed post-lockout, it’s the marquee position in the sport — especially if a guy can skate, can carry the puck, and is equally adept at defensive responsibility.
However, another telling comment from Holmgren recently was this: “We feel we can improve our defense over the summer.”
In other words, the Flyers will draft defense, but it isn’t a priority. That will be addressed in free agency.
So it’s goalie or bust for the Flyers.
The most intriguing goalies in the draft are Buffalo native Thomas McCollum, ranked as the top goaltending prospect in North America by the Central Scouting Bureau; Swedish-born Jacob Markstrom, who compares to Biron in size and (butterfly) style; and Canadian-born Chet Pickard, who some scouts compare to Olaf Kolzig or Montreal’s Carey Price.
Any way it’s sliced, McCollum, Markstrom and Pickard are considered future go-to goalies. There’s a good chance that each will represent their country in the 2009 World Junior Championships.
The Flyers would be wise to have their name linked to one of them.
To contact Anthony J. SanFilippo, e-mail
asanfilippo@delcotimes.com
Ok, so this is my first posty-thingy! I hope it works!!
A ;p
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SanFilippo: Biron is only going to cut it for so long 
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