Wednesday, October 04, 2006
The NHL Opens Tonight; Flyers Start Tomorrow
The Flyers enter the 2006-2007 season with very little national fanfare, but the local phans have higher expectations. The Sporting News chose the Buffalo Sabres as their pick to win the Stanley Cup. They did not even mention the Flyers among their contenders (Sharks, Hurricanes, Predators, Ducks, and the hated Rangers). ESPN.com picks them to finish 8th in the Eastern Conference. That is a long, hard fall from third in the conference. I still have higher expectations though. Four players will be vitally important to their success or failure this year.
Peters Forsberg- The new captain is returning from off-season ankle surgery and needs to be the best player in the world for the Flyers to have the season they are capable of. He also needs to replace Keith Primeau as the captain and be a leader in the clubhouse. He will also be Ken Hitchcock’s go to guy in the locker room.
Derian Hatcher- To say that Hatcher was a disappointment in his first year, but has worked very hard this off-season to get quicker and become a better player in the new NHL. Hatcher needs to be a big-time defenseman for the Flyers this year or the defense will continue to be at the bottom of the pack and let the team down. Hatcher will play hard and hopefully improve on last year’s performance.
Robert Esche- With news that Antero Niittymaki is out for an extended period of time, it is up to Esche to step up and become a true number one goalie. He has a month or two to win the job and his performance will dictate how the Flyers address their goaltending issue. Hopefully plays well although in the long run I think Niittymaki has more potential. Goaltending is very important to this season and for the first month or two that will fall on the shoulders of Robert Esche.
Kyle Calder- He had a terrific year for an awful Chicago Blackhawks team last year. Calder will play on the wing for the Flyers and will be counted on to play like he did last year. He had 59 points for the Blackhawks. He will contribute to a potent offense and they may have to outscore some teams this year especially early in the year.
The key to this season rests with the defense and goaltending. Robert Esche needs to play like a superstar especially early to cover as the defensive pairings get used to working with each other. Esche may need to cover for some mistakes. Niitymaki, injured his hip and will be out, allowing Esche to play almost everyday for two months. This could be Esche’s last chance in Philly. If he does not establish himself, Hitchcock may be ready to make Niittymaki the number one goaltender. The other big question in training camp is the defensive pairings. Who partners with Hatcher, or Mike Rathje, or maybe do they pair together. Reportedly both have been playing well in training camp and are both determined to improve on last year’s poor showing.
Replacing Keith Primeau will not be easy. Primeau provided great leadership and was trusted by Hitchcock. Peter Forsberg needs to step up and fill that void in the locker room. Hitchcock relies very heavily on his captain to find out what the players are thinking and what they want. The “C” is not just an honorary designation for Hitchcock; it requires extra work and a good relationship with the coach.
Bobby Clarke tied up two loose ends before training camp. He got Simon Gagne signed to a contract extension. Behind Forsberg, Gagne is their best offensive talent and probably a captain in training. Second, Clarke extended Ken Hitchcock’s contract. I feel it is never good to go into a season with a coach with only a year left on his contract. I feel like it creates distractions and may empower the players to take more liberty even creating a mutiny if things don’t get started right. Clarke avoided all these potential distractions by tying up these loose ends before the season gets started.
The Flyers should be a potent offense with some struggles defensively. They should be exciting and I am holding out hope that they can make not only the playoffs but advance and make a run at the Stanley Cup.
The Flyers will open the 2006-2007 season on October 5th across the state in Pittsburgh.
Tomorrow on Phrustrated Philly Phan- Preview of the Flyers-Penguins game and hopefully and review of the infield of the Phillies.
Peters Forsberg- The new captain is returning from off-season ankle surgery and needs to be the best player in the world for the Flyers to have the season they are capable of. He also needs to replace Keith Primeau as the captain and be a leader in the clubhouse. He will also be Ken Hitchcock’s go to guy in the locker room.
Derian Hatcher- To say that Hatcher was a disappointment in his first year, but has worked very hard this off-season to get quicker and become a better player in the new NHL. Hatcher needs to be a big-time defenseman for the Flyers this year or the defense will continue to be at the bottom of the pack and let the team down. Hatcher will play hard and hopefully improve on last year’s performance.
Robert Esche- With news that Antero Niittymaki is out for an extended period of time, it is up to Esche to step up and become a true number one goalie. He has a month or two to win the job and his performance will dictate how the Flyers address their goaltending issue. Hopefully plays well although in the long run I think Niittymaki has more potential. Goaltending is very important to this season and for the first month or two that will fall on the shoulders of Robert Esche.
Kyle Calder- He had a terrific year for an awful Chicago Blackhawks team last year. Calder will play on the wing for the Flyers and will be counted on to play like he did last year. He had 59 points for the Blackhawks. He will contribute to a potent offense and they may have to outscore some teams this year especially early in the year.
The key to this season rests with the defense and goaltending. Robert Esche needs to play like a superstar especially early to cover as the defensive pairings get used to working with each other. Esche may need to cover for some mistakes. Niitymaki, injured his hip and will be out, allowing Esche to play almost everyday for two months. This could be Esche’s last chance in Philly. If he does not establish himself, Hitchcock may be ready to make Niittymaki the number one goaltender. The other big question in training camp is the defensive pairings. Who partners with Hatcher, or Mike Rathje, or maybe do they pair together. Reportedly both have been playing well in training camp and are both determined to improve on last year’s poor showing.
Replacing Keith Primeau will not be easy. Primeau provided great leadership and was trusted by Hitchcock. Peter Forsberg needs to step up and fill that void in the locker room. Hitchcock relies very heavily on his captain to find out what the players are thinking and what they want. The “C” is not just an honorary designation for Hitchcock; it requires extra work and a good relationship with the coach.
Bobby Clarke tied up two loose ends before training camp. He got Simon Gagne signed to a contract extension. Behind Forsberg, Gagne is their best offensive talent and probably a captain in training. Second, Clarke extended Ken Hitchcock’s contract. I feel it is never good to go into a season with a coach with only a year left on his contract. I feel like it creates distractions and may empower the players to take more liberty even creating a mutiny if things don’t get started right. Clarke avoided all these potential distractions by tying up these loose ends before the season gets started.
The Flyers should be a potent offense with some struggles defensively. They should be exciting and I am holding out hope that they can make not only the playoffs but advance and make a run at the Stanley Cup.
The Flyers will open the 2006-2007 season on October 5th across the state in Pittsburgh.
Tomorrow on Phrustrated Philly Phan- Preview of the Flyers-Penguins game and hopefully and review of the infield of the Phillies.
