A NEW ERA!
Posted 10:15 AM ET | Comments 8
Philadelphia, PA. July 27, 2007
The puck drops in just over Two Months! Our Fly Guys begin a new season October 4th.
ARE YOU READY?
I AM!
Last Season was a mess. From an opening night shut-out disaster against the in-state rival Penguins (4-0 in Pittsburgh) to a General Manager hanging it up to the firing of a Hall-of-Fame Caliber Coach to the injury woes to finishing the season with the worst record in the entire league, last season is one that will not be repeated any time in the near future. Paul Holmgren has done everything possible to get this team back to the top, leaving us with a roster which, on paper, appears to be among the best in the entire league.
Last Season was filled with lowlights.
3.62 Goals Against per game, league worst.
2.6 Goals per Game, 8th worst.
14% Power play success, 3rd worst.
8-7 record when scoring first, 2nd worst.
22 total wins, league worst.
But there were some areas worthy of notice.
Penalty killing was among the top ten at 84.5% success.
12-1 record when leading after the second period, 3rd best.
Some would argue that last season was the worst in Franchise history. GOOD! Let last season be last season. There will not be a repeat!
We are beginning a NEW ERA!
The Paul Holmgren Era. The John Stevens Era. The Daniel Briere Era. This is a different team. A faster, more determined, more skilled T.E.A.M with great depth. But, what should we expect in the first season of this NEW ERA?
Will this team score? Will this team keep other teams from scoring? Will this team be able to hold on to leads? Will this team be able to come from behind? Will this team win games? Will this team make the playoffs? Can this team compete for the Stanley Cup?
Those questions will need to be answered when the games are played out…BUT…On paper, this team looks to be one of the very best that Philadelphia has ever seen.
Let’s take a look at the differences between the team that began last season and the team which will begin this season (assuming management is finished with making moves).
Subtractions:
Randy Robitaille, Nolan Baumgartner, Geoff Sanderson, Petr Nedved, Niko Dimitrakos, Freddy Meyer, Kyle Calder, Robert Esche, Joni Pitkanen, and Peter Forsberg.
Midseason Additions that will not be returning:
Mike York, Todd Fedoruk, Dmitry Afanasenkov, Michael Leighton, Denis Hamel and Alexi Zhitnik
Additions:
Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Jason Smith, Martin Biron, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul, Scott Upshall, Braydon Coburn, Lasse Kukkonen, and Ryan Parent.
7 first round draft picks. 3 Captains. A first rate goalie. 2 top prospects. 4 Solid young vets. ALL Speed. ALL Grit. ALL Determination. ALL Philly! ALL FLYERS!
Over the next few weeks, we will take an in-depth look at each of the nine players added to the Flyers roster this offseason, a solid mix of seasoned veterans, young players, and future prospects, which will keep this city on the edge of their seats for years to come.
Back to the question: what should we expect in the first season of this NEW ERA?
Expect BIG THINGS!
Expect more scoring. The additions of Briere, Hartnell, and Lupul are all going to effect the scoreboard in positive ways.
Expect more speed. All of the additions are guys known for their skating ability.
Expect better defense. The additions of Timonen and Smith solidifies an excellent core of balanced defensemen. The two will make for one of the best pairs in the NHL.
Expect more goals and fewer goals against.
Expect more wins! Period.
Let last season be last season, the Flyers are entering a NEW ERA!
Coming Soon: In-Depth breakdowns on the Newest Flyers!
The puck drops in just over Two Months! Our Fly Guys begin a new season October 4th.
ARE YOU READY?
I AM!
Last Season was a mess. From an opening night shut-out disaster against the in-state rival Penguins (4-0 in Pittsburgh) to a General Manager hanging it up to the firing of a Hall-of-Fame Caliber Coach to the injury woes to finishing the season with the worst record in the entire league, last season is one that will not be repeated any time in the near future. Paul Holmgren has done everything possible to get this team back to the top, leaving us with a roster which, on paper, appears to be among the best in the entire league.
Last Season was filled with lowlights.
3.62 Goals Against per game, league worst.
2.6 Goals per Game, 8th worst.
14% Power play success, 3rd worst.
8-7 record when scoring first, 2nd worst.
22 total wins, league worst.
But there were some areas worthy of notice.
Penalty killing was among the top ten at 84.5% success.
12-1 record when leading after the second period, 3rd best.
Some would argue that last season was the worst in Franchise history. GOOD! Let last season be last season. There will not be a repeat!
We are beginning a NEW ERA!
The Paul Holmgren Era. The John Stevens Era. The Daniel Briere Era. This is a different team. A faster, more determined, more skilled T.E.A.M with great depth. But, what should we expect in the first season of this NEW ERA?
Will this team score? Will this team keep other teams from scoring? Will this team be able to hold on to leads? Will this team be able to come from behind? Will this team win games? Will this team make the playoffs? Can this team compete for the Stanley Cup?
Those questions will need to be answered when the games are played out…BUT…On paper, this team looks to be one of the very best that Philadelphia has ever seen.
Let’s take a look at the differences between the team that began last season and the team which will begin this season (assuming management is finished with making moves).
Subtractions:
Randy Robitaille, Nolan Baumgartner, Geoff Sanderson, Petr Nedved, Niko Dimitrakos, Freddy Meyer, Kyle Calder, Robert Esche, Joni Pitkanen, and Peter Forsberg.
Midseason Additions that will not be returning:
Mike York, Todd Fedoruk, Dmitry Afanasenkov, Michael Leighton, Denis Hamel and Alexi Zhitnik
Additions:
Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Jason Smith, Martin Biron, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul, Scott Upshall, Braydon Coburn, Lasse Kukkonen, and Ryan Parent.
7 first round draft picks. 3 Captains. A first rate goalie. 2 top prospects. 4 Solid young vets. ALL Speed. ALL Grit. ALL Determination. ALL Philly! ALL FLYERS!
Over the next few weeks, we will take an in-depth look at each of the nine players added to the Flyers roster this offseason, a solid mix of seasoned veterans, young players, and future prospects, which will keep this city on the edge of their seats for years to come.
Back to the question: what should we expect in the first season of this NEW ERA?
Expect BIG THINGS!
Expect more scoring. The additions of Briere, Hartnell, and Lupul are all going to effect the scoreboard in positive ways.
Expect more speed. All of the additions are guys known for their skating ability.
Expect better defense. The additions of Timonen and Smith solidifies an excellent core of balanced defensemen. The two will make for one of the best pairs in the NHL.
Expect more goals and fewer goals against.
Expect more wins! Period.
Let last season be last season, the Flyers are entering a NEW ERA!
Coming Soon: In-Depth breakdowns on the Newest Flyers!
Great post! Go Flyers!
I'm so fired up I want to punch a baby seal and yell...LETS GO FLYERS!!!-nice post-
I'm still not totally sure about Biron, but I think we have a GREATLY improved team and we should be in the playoffs next year.
Biron is the man compared to the shit that we had between the pipes over the past 20 years.BELIEVE!!!!
Flyers have had their share of young goalies over the past 8 years (Boucher, Esche, Nittymaki) but all have had serious injuries.
Biron might be the best goalie on a flyers roster since Hextall. He might not be Brodeur, Hasek, Luongo or Kiprusoff but he is more than capable of helping this team win a Stanley Cup. With an improved defense not allowing so many scoring chances, Biron will be among league leaders in wins, save%, and gaa.
The Flyers are the most improved team in the NHL, no doubt. They do still have some holes to fill, a good faceoff man on the 4th line and another offensive defenseman would be nice, but this is definitely a playoff team, and they should develop into a cup contender over the next few years.
The Flyers will I repeat WILL make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs this year and no less. There is so much talent mixed with a QUALITY leadership core. Timonen/Smith/Briere/Hatcher/Gagne/Kapenen/Biron. Quality. As for Biron he looked good last season but still let up the goals. I am the first to blame it on the team in front of him, but he still needs to prove hes definitely the man we have been looking for since Hextall. We will wait and see but I expect big things from Biron. The team has improved dramatically and the best part is, we haven't gotten rid of any of the bright spots from last season. As little as there were the players who are still on the roster are the players who actually showed life last season. CAN NOT WAIT!!!! LETS GO FLYERS!!! LETS GO FLYERS!!!