The Philadelphia Flyers were very busy Thursday changing the makeup of their team a year removed from the Stanley Cup Finals.
Gone is forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.
However say hello Flyer fans to Ilya Bryzgalov.
In order to make room to sign the former Phoenix Coyote goaltender to a 9 year $51 million dollar contract, the Flyers shipped Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forwards Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and a second-round pick. Richards on the other hand was sent to the Los Angeles Kings for forward Jake Voracek and the club’s first and third round picks from the Blue Jackets.
In the end the Flyers shed roughly $100 million dollars worth of salary but also lost 314 goals and 692 points from the duo.
The sudden facelift of the Flyers’ roster came as a total surprise to everyone. Mike Richards said he was shocked while Carter declined to comment. Carter’s agent however did come out later saying his client was extremely disappointed.
Flyers chairman, and founder, Ed Snider told The Associated Press the team is closer to winning a Stanley Cup now, rather than before the shakeup.
“Yes, I do,” he said. “I like our goaltending, I like our defence, I like our forwards. We moved things around a little bit. I really think we’re stronger.”
Bryzgalov and his agent Ritch Winter were in Philadelphia two days last week trying to finalize a deal after the Flyers obtained the rights to Bryzgalov in a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes. Once everything with the contract was hammered out, Bryzgalov will reportedly make $10 million in 2011-12, then the number will gradually decrease until it hits $1.25 million in 2019-20.
“When you get a goalie you view as an upper-echelon goalie,” Holmgren said, “you know you have to pay him.”
Hopefully Bryzgalov has more success in the post season with Philadelphia than he had with Phoenix. But for some reason I think the Flyers just got their own version of Roberto Luongo, an over paid, overrated goaltender that will can’t quite get over the hump.
Source: TSN.ca