The January 1999 Prospects Report can be found here.
13 December 98
Who said you can never go home again? Someone should tell that to Mikael Renberg and Chris Gratton. A year and a half after GM Bob Clarke had Chris Gratton sign that doomed offer sheet, both Renberg and Gratton are back where they belong. The Flyers and Lightning pulled the trigger on a major trade yesterday, sending Chris Gratton and Mike Sillinger to the Lightning and Renberg and Langkow to the Flyers.
This is a deal that has been in the works for a long time. It was quickly apparent last year that the Gratton acquisition had been a mistake. Not only was he failing to contribute on the ice, his presence in the locker room was disruptive (not intentionally, but still true). Many other Flyers resented his 9 million dollar signing bonus and felt the absence of what Lindros termed Renberg's "goofy smile." In addition, Gratton never clicked with Rod Brind'Amour who was pushed from his deserved spot centering the second line and has one of the highest spots in the locker room heirarchy due to his many acheivements and long Flyers tenure. Gratton eventually hit the sixty point mark, but Renberg's season was marred by injury and he scored a career low 16 goals. He even considered leaving the NHL permanently and returning to Sweden to play hockey.
According to Renberg, Clarke first mentioned to Renberg that he was trying to reaquire him at the Olympics in Nagano. "This is awesome," Renberg said last night from Voorhees. "I was pretty sad when they traded me to Tampa. I saw Bob at the Olympics and he told me he was trying to get me back." This season, Renberg was increasingly more frequently named in trade rumors as the Flyers' need for a scoring right wing became more evident. Yet this entire past week, it seemed like he was destined for Toronto. Renberg and Toronto captain Mats Sundin have for a dynamic duo in international competitions in the past. And Tampa Bay desparately needed goaltending, with the injuries to both Bill Ranford and Darren Puppa. But Toronto's demands were so outrageous that Tampa GM Jacques Demers turned to Clarke and dealt his team captain.
Renberg had previously claimed he had no desire to be traded. But once the deal happened, he was (or at least acted) happy. He called it a homecoming. "Philadelphia is my second home. When I took the limo down the Turnpike and got close to Cherry Hill, it felt like I was close to home again. I called my parents (in Sweden) and they were happy because they feel the same way. It feels like I'm home again." No doubt aware of the spark Keith Jones has recently brought to the Lindros line, he added "I'll play wherever they put me"
Somehow, he also managed to get his old number, 19, back. Either Daigle made a classy move and voluntarily renounced his claim..or a couple of Renny's friends persuaded him to do so. I'm assuming it was the former. Both Lindros and LeClair were happy to hear of their former linemate's return. LeClair said, "I think everybody's happy to have Renny back...Renny was definitely a good friend of a lot of guys here." Lindros said, "He brings that big, goofy smile, and quick hands and really powerful legs, he's a terrific skater and he's got a dynamite shot. He's fun to play with."
This deal gives the Flyers a second scoring right wing, a great locker room presence, and some more speed. The Lightning get a young center cheap and a faceoff specialist. What could lines be like in the aftermath? My suggestions:
Renberg and Jones could easily alternate between the first two lines if they seem to be lagging. And it's great to see Brindy back in his role as second line center, with a genuine scoring wing.
Obviously I love this deal. Heck, I was dreaming about it last summer. Renberg, welcome back and I hope you have many many productive years here. Langkow, let's see what you can do. Gratton and Sillinger -- I realize it wasn't intentional, but you didn't fit. Goodbye and have better luck elsewhere.
5 November 98
After 12 games of the 1998-99 season, there is a lot of good and bad stuff we can see about this team that Clarkie built. The Flyers roared out of the gates 4-1-1, but have gones just 1-3-2 since. Their last game was at the Civic Arena in Pittsburg, where the Flyers jumped out of the gates to an early 3-0 lead. By the end of the game, a Pens rookie, Galanov, had scored his first two NHL goals, and the Flyers had given away a valuable point.
Let's look at a few basic areas
The Flyers are now carrying 14 forwards, after trading Daniel Lacroix for Valeri Zelepukin and Trent Klatt for a draft pick. These are: Lindros, LeClair, Maneluk, Gratton, Zubrus, Daigle, Brind'Amour, Podien, Zelepukin, Sillinger, Hull, Forbes, Bureau, and Kordic.
The first line seems to be clicking. Lindros and LeClair can still create wonderful havoc together and after a slow start, Mike Maneluk is showing signs of lighting up. He has 5 points in his last three games. Lindros has been playing like a man on fire, tied with Bill Guerin for the goal scoring lead, and shooting much more than he has in year pasts. I don't think it's too much to say that the Flyers could have two fifty goal scorers this year.
The big problem comes after these three. Rod Brind'Amour is producing, as always, but most of his points come on the powerplay when he plays on the first unit with 88 and 10. The second line -- three young, disappointing centers (Zubrus, Gratton, Daigle) -- have combined to score all of 1 goal -- and that was in the season opener against the Rangers. Zubrus is still without a point.
The rest of the forwards are, in my opinion, a superb collection of third line grinders who are fighting for ice time. After a poor camp and start, Colin Forbes is looking pretty good, with three goals. The rest are doing fine jobs defensively, but even though they aren't known as scorers, they need to contribute a little more to the cause. We have forward depth, but not scoring depth, and that can become a big problem.
My solution: a trade. Someone on that second line needs to go -- preferably Gratton or Daigle because I'm unwilling to give up on Zubrus (I'd love to send him to the Phantoms, though). Make a package and get Theo Fleury or, better yet, good ole Mikael Renberg. Renberg may be a player who only plays well with stars, but he plays pretty darn well with those stars!
Injuries have ravaged the vets of the defensive core: Eric "Rico" Desjardins, Petr Svoboda, and Dave Babych. This leaves only Richardson, Therien, and McGillis. The seventh dman is Dmitri Tertyshny, a rookie straight from Russia, who has been holding his own.
Desjardins has missed four games and no coincidentally, the Flyers have a four game winless streak. The reliability, wisdom, ice-time, and passion Desjardins' brings to the Flyers defense is priceless. McGillis is also having a surprisingly good year. He worked on his skating this summer and his shots from the points have simply been rockets. The Niinimaa trade isn't looking nearly as bad as it did last March.
Svoboda is a good vet, but still too injury prone. Richardson is the biggest bust since...well, Chris Gratton. He is a stay at home dman who doesn't even do that all too well. Babych does his job, but there are Phantoms who could do it just as well for less money and with more pep.
The Flyers' best prospects are mostly dmen. Tertyshny was a surprise of camp. He was expected to start with the Phantoms and didn't. Due to the injuries, two other dmen were called up. Ryan Bast, finally acquired from Calgary, is a crease-clearer, while Andy Delmore brings a nice offensive touch to the game. Delmore has been very impressive in his callup, gathering his first NHL point and playing in all situations: even strength, power play, and shorthanded. Both Delmore and Bast could steal Babych's job.
My solution: another trade. Please Clarkie, don't make me see Richardson out on the ice. And the thought of giving him the A with Desjardins out -- that's just painful. It should have gone to Johnny.
Hextall has been shaky. Vanbiesbrouch started well, shaky of late. Not much to do but pray here. Vanbiesbrouck has shown he still has it, he just needs to be a bit more consistent. Let's just say he could have made that tie a win if he was on top of things.
I like Neilson and definitely like what Craig Ramsay brings to the Flyers. I think the Flyers will be quick to buy into Neilson's effective system after this little slump...especially when Rico's out on the ice again, playing at his usual perfection. Clarke -- well, I still dislike a lot of his moves, but he can redeem himself by reaquiring Renberg. Or getting Fleury. Nuff said.
The report on the new Phantoms and top prospects can be found here
15 July 98
I've rethought my ideal lines for the Flyers next year. They would be:
I'm sure your first reaction is: uh, Renberg was traded. Sure he was...in my dream, never to exist world, we reacquired him. You can't buy the chemistry that the LOD enjoyed. Renberg would be acquired from Tampa Bay for Gratton and Daigle. Healey, Maneluk, and Lank are all Phantoms call-ups.
This would give us two genuine scoring lines. Brind'Amour would get two good wingers and would be able to play his natural position, center. The Sillinger line would have some speed (Healey is a good skater too), but would also be able to handle defensive assignments. The Bureau line would be the old Minny line, with Bureau instead of Otto. Kordic and LaCroix could be plugged in when necessary.
I know it will never happen, but I can dream, can't I?
15 July 98
I'll admit, I wasn't happy when I heard the Flyers had signed John Vanbiesbrouck to a 3 year, 11 million dollar deal. In fact, my gut reaction was to a) scream (which I promptly did) and to b) curse Bobby Clarke (which I did silently). But when my blood cooled, I realized this could turn out pretty good.
First, there's the issue of fiscal sanity. Small market teams have often classed the Flyers with those hated Rangers as financial vultures, stealing big talent with big money. Clearly, the top two goaltenders on the market were Curtis Joseph and Mike Richter. They also wanted 5 or 6 million dollars a year for at least four years. Bobby Clarke could have spend the money for one of the them. Remember this, however: Clarke also has to sign Lindros (restricted free agent next year), Brind'Amour (RFA this summer), and LeClair (RFA next year). At current market prices, these three players could together command at least 20 million dollars a year. Clarke didn't want to spend big money.
Then, there are three goaltenders in the Flyers farm system. First, Neil Little. He led the Phantoms to their first Calder Cup, notching three shutouts in the playoffs. Little has had exactly four shutouts since high school. All of them have been with the Phantoms, in the playoffs. That's what I'd call clutch. Then there is Brian Boucher. A 1995 first round draft pick, he could become a Brodeur type dominating goaltender. He was the WHL Goalie of the year in 1997 and shone at the World Juniors where he backstopped the Americans to their best finish ever, 2nd. His roomate at juniors is the third Flyers goalie prospect, Jean-Marc Pelletier. A 1997 second round pick (Flyers first pick that year), he had a great World Juniors in 1998 and an awesome playoff run for Rimouski of the QMJHL this past spring. It was only ended by an injury--and after he was out, Rimouski--even with LeCavelier--lost to Val d'Or in the QMJHL finals. One of these three goaltenders will be ready to play in the NHL in the next couple of years. The Flyers didn't want to make a long commitment to a goaltender. Again, that made Beezer the best choice.
Finally, there is the matter of Vanbiesbrouck's style. He flourished in Florida under Roger Nielson. Nielson's system--call it a trap if you will--pushes the play to the outside boards and the Beezer is a master at playing the angles. Vanbiesbrouck's GAA was only 2.87 last season, despite playing on Florida, a team that suffered in all aspects. His many losses were as much a result of his team's inability to score as his own poor play.
John Vanbiesbrouck wanted to come to Philadelphia. Mike Richter wanted to stay with the team that drafted him. Curtis Joseph wanted to go home to Toronto. I think the Vanbiesbrouck signing could turn out very well for the Flyers. If they buy into Nielson's system--and their embarressement after last spring suggests they will--Vanbiesbrouck could very easily turn around his career. At a press conference, Vanbiesbrouck said, "I don't think I'm a coat on a rack" in response to the allegation that the Flyers were playing bargain hunters. Hey, 11 million bucks is not what I'd call cheap! In the long term, the Flyers can come out of this smelling like a rose.
13 July 98
With the off season in full swing, the time is ripe to look back at the fantastic Phantoms of 1997-98. It's a team, unfortunately, that has already been scattered due to trades and expansion. At first glance, these Phantoms were very similar to the team that lost that heart-breaking series to the Bears the previous spring. Many of the veterans had returned, such as Peter White, Bruce Coles, Shawn McCosh, and Dave MacIsaac. There were many new faces, however, as Andy Delmore made his Phantoms debut; Jamie Heward was signed as a free agent; and most importantly, the young man tabbed as the "Flyers' goalie of the future" since draft day 1995, Brian Boucher, made his professional debut.
Transactions: A trade early in the season brought Mike Maneluk to the Flyers in exchange for Jason Bowen. This seemingly innocuous deal came to carry great weight in the post-season. For most of his early tenure with the Phantoms, Maneluk was scoring at a healthy although not amazing clip. The Flyers had injury problems early in the season, resulting in the callup of Colin Forbes. He was soon returned. Near the end of 97, Forbes was called up again, this time with Paul Healey. During one memorable shift against the Islanders on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Phantoms line of Forbes, Healey, and Prospal generated a ridiculous number of scoring chances. Forbes earned a permanant spot on the Flyers roster. Healey was returned. Another Phantom who was often called up was Neil Little. Unfortunately, he never saw any NHL playing time and spent his days riding the pine. As a result, Brian Boucher had a lot of playing time and a solid rookie first half. Little was slightly more inconsistent.
In December, the Phantoms went on a 9 game winning streak. They continued playing extremely well up to the all-star break in February. Brian Boucher, Craig Darby, and Peter White represented the Phantoms; Bill Barber and Mike Stothers coached PlanetUSA. Boucher was the best goalie in the skills competition but was shelled in the actual game. This time marked the beginning of the Phantoms' struggles. There were major injuries to captain John Stevens and Bruce Coles, but they were the not the main cause of the Phantoms poor play in February and March, when they allowed the other divisional leaders to challenge them to the MacGregor Kilpatrick Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the best regular season record. I truly believe that it was this time in which the Phantoms grew from a good team to a championship team. When they were playing poorly, I think they realized how important it was for them to follow Barber's system and to put team goals ahead of personal goals. A late surge in April combined with Albany losses helped the Phantoms clinch the regular season title. Neil Little got the majority of starts down the stretch as Boucher began to struggle. Another name was hot down the stretch: Mike Maneluk. He began a scoring rampage down the stretch that was to continue into the playoffs.
The team that entered the playoffs was not the team that lost to Hershey. The new faces had shown different attitudes from the old ones--especially a great commitment to defense. In the first round, Philadelphia played Rochester and defeated them in four games. Montogomery and Maneluk continued their fabulous play as Little was solid in the nets.
Little, however, truly shone in the next two rounds. In round 2, the Phantoms faced their arch-enemies, the Hershey Bears. Little, the veteran AHlers, faced the successor to Patrick Roy, the over-hyped Marc Denis. THe veteran won. Little was fantastic against the Bears who occasionally fired 20 shots a perioed against him. The rest of the Phantoms played smart, refusing to take stupid penalties, and even scored short-handed when they did take penalties. The media had predicted this series would last seven games and umpteen overtimes. Philadelphia begged to differ. Little clinched the sweep by standing on his head to shutout the Bears offense in Game 4.
In the semifinals, Philadelphia faced Albany, a team that had given them the fits during the regular season. Little had two shutouts in this series, and the Phantoms continued their offensive outburst, with clutch goals by players such as Paul Healey while Maneluk and Montgomery continued their thing. They won the series, 4-2.
In the finals, the Phantoms faced the St. John Flames, a team they had not played in thier short franchise history. The best defense was pitted agaist the best offense. The first three games went into over time, with the Phantoms emerging victorious twice. With the Phantoms leading the series 3-1, the Flames fought hard and dominated the PHantoms in their last game at home, winning 6-1. Determined to avoid game 7, the Phantoms won their first series of the playoff series at home in the hallowed Spectrum. Underneath the retired number of their coach, Bill Barber, and the banners of generations of Flyers, the Phantoms brought Philadelphia its first hockey championship in 23 years with a 6-1 victory.
There have been changes since the Phantoms drank from their cup. Craig Darby was lost in expansion; Jeff Stables and Roussel were traded to Nashville in exchange for a draft pick. There are three goalies in the Flyers fold fighting for the two spots on the Phantoms. Maneluk, Healey, and Lank may earn their way across the parking lot. Jesse Boulerice, who was expected to play with the Phantoms next year, has been charged with assault. The 1997-98 Phantoms are already gone. Although next years team may not have the spark needed to defend their title, we'll always have this magical ride to cherish.
8 May 98
Every Flyers fan has their own ideas on how to fix the team. So I might as well add my own two cents.
First, let's go over the main problems: 1) character/heart 2) discipline 3) defense 4) speed 5) special teams 6) goaltending
As you can see, most of these problems are fairly interrelated. Many of them can be solved by Neilson. With a full year with the team, he'll be able to implement his inevitably defense-oriented system. We have most of the components thus needed for a strong defense and specials teams. Our dmen had horribly inconsistent years, but look at them individually: Desjardins and Svoboda have some offensive plus, Richardson, McGillis, and Therien can make the big hits. The key will be getting the defense corps to know when to join the rush and when to stay back. Their lack of speed is sad, but not debilitating.
The major roster holes are a top-tier goalie, an offensive defenseman, and speedier forwards. For goalie, expect to see Richter, Cujo, or the Beezer (in that order). It is highly likely that Cujo and Richter will choose to resign. Hopefully, however, the Flyers can land one of them. For an offensive defenseman, sign Al MacGinnis or Steve Duchesne. They'll be expensive, but worth it. They will also be great on the point of the power play, a component that truly is missing on the power play. Finally, speedier forwards. With the need to resign Brindy, negotiate with Lindros, and to sign a free agent goalie and dman, I don't see a free agent forward arriving. I think any new forwards will come via trades or from the Phantoms.
Finally, the character questions. The captains have all voiced their understanding of the need for more vocal leadership. Yet it remains a fact that this locker room is quiet and sullen. My remedy is a new assistant coach and young blood. Bill Barber should replace Keith Acton behind the bench with the understanding that he will eventually get the big job. His fire and legendary career with give him the ear of the players. In addition, I believe that having an offensive-minded coach will help in the development of young forwards like Zubrus and Forbes. In addition, the Flyers need to use the Phantoms more. This season, the Phantoms had, by far, the least number of players called up. Mike Maneluk has already earned an audition with his strong second half and playoffs. Jamie Heward has an NHL caliber shot and would be a good 6th or 7th deman. Their enthusiasm would be a good influence in the locker room, and the vets would play better knowing they were fighting for a job.
Ideally, the lines should remain essentially intact throughout the season. That would build team unity and character; also the passing and communication on ice would hopefully improve. These are my lines:
One of the extras will be lost in expansion. I think Maneluk is more of a scorer than a checker, but the so-called third line has spark-plug Sillinger in center and is a scoring threat. Now for the defensive pairings:
Finally, the players all need to be defensively responsible. Nuff said on that subject matter. Gratton really needs to improve his defense. And the defense corp, as I said, needs to be solid, not trying to be flashy.
There are my thoughts. I think the key to success next season will be restraint in the front office and character on ice. The pieces are there. Let's see if the rest will follow.
A few days after the Sabres eliminated the Flyers in overtime of Game 5, I made my usual rounds of the AHL messageboards. A lot of posts ran along these general lines (these are not verbatim--from memory):
"I hope the Phantoms will be on TV more."--Disgruntled NHL Phan
"Phantoms are the number 1 team in town, now that the Flyers are
eliminated."--Ex NHL Fan
You get the idea.
A lot of this bitterness is understandable. The Flyers disappointed many people when they bowed out of the playoffs 15 wins short of the Stanley Cup. I personally wasn't too surprised, although I was sad. Having followed their roller coaster season, I had seen them veer from dominating to pathetic--even within single periods! That type of inconsistency is fatal in the playoffs, as we eventually saw.
The Phantoms do most of the things that the Flyers didn't. They played disciplined hockey against the Bears, refusing to take retaliatory penalties and to give the Bears' potent power play more opportunities. The Phantoms have fought through a number of series injuries during the year, especially the Coles and Stevens injuries, to earn home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. They have had production from many different players; their forwards are responsible on defense; they play short strong shifts. Of course they aren't perfect, but they play hard-working, passionate hockey--what most of us first knew as Flyers hockey.
So many Phantoms fans compare the big boys to the Phantoms and declare themselves AHL converts. They're finished with the NHL--until the Flyers start their now annual romp through December. As quickly as they jumped on the Phantoms bandwagon, they jump back to the Flyers.
I love hockey in general; I love the Phantoms and Yale hockey in particular. But I loved the Flyers first--they were the beginning and they'll always hold my first loyalty. I watched the Flyers dominated the Canadians in a 7-0 romp at the Forum back in February 1995 and was converted. It was just after the Recchi-LeClair-Desjardins trade and I was lucky to see the chapeaus fly to the ice in honor of LeClair's hat trick. They were playing good ole Flyers hockey then. Only later did I discover the AHL and the Phantoms. And I was converted a second time--and I've followed the Phantoms closely ever since. And I've loved them in their own right, because they're a great team.
There are all sorts of reasons to follow an AHL team like the Phantoms: interest in prospects, fondness for the style of hockey found in the AHL, loyalty to their affiliate. But don't use an AHL team as an emergency backup. It's demeaning to the team and the players. Follow them because you want to know the stars of the future. Follow them because they're your home team. Follow them because they play Flyers hockey. Don't follow them because the Flyers won't be playing until October.
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