roenickscores08204

Greenfield, MA • United States • 19 Years Old • Male

Flyers add Niskala to Depth on D

Yesterday the Flyers traded Tristan Grant and a 7th Round Pick in 2009 for 26 year old Defenseman Janne Niskala. This trade is a low risk-high reward deal in my opinion. The Flyers lose a probably AHL lifer and a 7th Round Pick, but gain a defenseman who has loads of international experience and recently had an all-star caliber rookie season in the AHL. With two simple trades Homer has solidified one of the Flyers' greatest weaknesses: Defensive Depth. Niskala, Syvret, and Platil give the Flyers 3 potentially NHL ready defensemen. I was also one of those who was quite high on the Flyers signing Lars Jonsson, and we all saw how that panned out. The key difference between these two is obvious. Look at the numbers they both put up. Jonsson's best season in the SEL left him with 27 pts and his best season on the Phantoms left him with 18 points. Whereas Niskala's best season in the SEL left him with 49 pts, and his first season in the AHL left him with 44 pts.

Niskala, 6'0" 200 pounds, could possibly fight for the 6th or 7th spot on the Flyers roster next year with the potential loss of Hatcher and Smith the Flyers are gonna need some replacements. Niskala brings a fast, accurate one timer that the Flyers desperately need from the back end. The way I see it, the Flyers may come out with an NHL defenseman, and the worst case scenario is we lose a lower round pick and an AHL Fighter/Grinder. A+ move by Homer.