Why the Flyers suck right now

Ok, so they don't suck. But there is a lot of trepidation that they will duplicate their 10 game winless streak from last year coming out of the All-Star break.

There seems to be a consensus that the main reason the Flyers are struggling (Or possibly will be struggling) is a lack of effort/energy/enthusiasm/hard work/etc. And while, at times, I can see that as a problem, I see something much more concrete. And perhaps cliche.

The Flyers struggle because they don't execute. Passes are off the mark - most often into a teammates skates; pucks are sliding off a player's stick as they go to shoot or pass; pucks bounce away from players. To put it simply, they just aren't as sharp as they were when they were winning consistently. It's a hard thing to notice to the untrained eye (Yeah, the guy who's never worn a pair of ice skates has a "trained" eye), but at the NHL level, being a "tad off" is often the difference between winning and losing.

I find it hard to believe that this team isn't working hard enough. In hockey, a team follows their captain more than any other sport. And Mike Richards is shaping up to be a fantastic captain. Based on how hard he works, the team follows suit. It also helps that he has a handful of teammates who are natural leaders and hard workers. Work ethic is not the issue with this team.

There is one area that they do appear to be getting lazy in; decision making. I think that because of the success they've had earlier this season, certain players have become a little too comfortable with the puck. Jeff Carter's line is a prime example. I could see around the turn of the calendar year that, despite their amazing success together, a slump was coming. How could I tell? They were getting too cute with the puck. They were trying to make the pretty play. At the time, it was still working. But now it's not. That line needs to get back to the basics by just getting the puck to the net.

While they have not played terribly lately, they are losing games they shouldn't lose. And, quite frankly, they can't afford to lose out on these points with the competition the way it is in the East. The Flyers need to break out of this mini-funk they're in before it turns into a season altering funk. Despite the streak last year, they still made the playoffs, and made a nice run in the playoffs. But they lost out on home ice advantage. And judging by how well some of the teams in the East are playing at home this year, they will need it this time around.

Warning Received by Flyers

In the Flyers' first action after they were hit with their fifth suspension of the young season, and received a stern warning from the league regarding further indiscretions, they skated to a 3-1 win over the home Minnesota Wild. And in the process, they perhaps learned what the league meant by "warning." The door to their penalty box is going to open much more frequently than the opponents for the remainder of this season.

Within the first minute of Wednesday's game, the Danny Briere was sent to the box after being pushed into the Wild goalie. Within the first two minutes of the game, the Wild had their first two man advantage when Mike Richards was caught for "slashing" when his stoke broke on the ice within a crowd of players. In all, the Wild had eight power plays, including two man advantage time totaling 3:24, to only two power plays for the Flyers.

Ok, granted; sometimes this happens. Sometimes one team is forcing the play and that is causing the other team to "chase" and the penalties are soon to follow. However, that was not the case on Wednesday. Despite three power plays to none in the first period, the Flyers entered the dressing room with a 2-0 lead, only being outshot 10-9 in the process. The Wild were not forcing the play.

And it wasn't just what was being called against the Flyers. Sometimes games are called tight. I'm fine with that. But this was not an example of that. The Wild, while they didn't get away with murder, they got away with much more than the Flyers. Thankfully for the Flyers, Nittymaki was on his game and they held the Wild to just 1-8 on the PP.

Maybe it's a bit of conspiracy theorist in me when I say this game was the result of the league bringing the hammer down against the Flyers. Maybe it's the referee's taking matters into their own hands, and keeping an extra close eye on the Flyers (at the expense of an eye on the other team). Whatever the reason for the clearly uneven officiating, the Flyers need to be prepared for it the rest of the season. Whether it's fair or not, they have gained a reputation of being dirty, and that is something that is not easily ignored by officiating crews. So far, the Flyers have dealt with that in the right way....by winning.

Flyers earn more than just two points with win

So far this young season, the Flyers have exorcised a number of demons that remained from last year's effort (I use that word effort loosely). But there was one that remained - until last night. The Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1, on the strength of two quick goals, earning them their first victory over the Penguins since April 11....in 2006. And by doing so, not only did they earn two more points and add a little space between them and the second best team in the Atlantic division thus far, but they proved to themselves that they can compete, and beat, their cross-state rivals

The "Oh-fer" against the Pens last year epitomized most things that were wrong with the team. They were too slow, they got poor goaltending, and their offense was non-existent when their top line wasn't on. All three of those things happened all eight times they faced off against Pittsburgh. The story of the Flyers early season turn around has been well documented (even if the growing suspension total has been arguably more well documented), but they still hadn't proved they could compete with young, fast, and aggressive teams. That changed Wednesday night.

The Flyers turned the tables on Pittsburgh on the first shift of the game. They forced Sidney Crosby, who has owned the Flyers in his young career, into a turnover in his own zone which the Flyers converted into a Joffrey Lupol goal. About five minutes later, Jeff Carter converted another Pittsburgh turnover into another goal and a 2-0 lead. Pittsburgh fought back the whole game, but they could never recover from the poor start.

The Flyers move on to play the Devils on Thursday, but you can be sure that their Saturday rematch with the Pens will be on their mind at least a little bit. In fact, the Devils will probably be thinking about the Pens too; they got throttled by Pittsburgh 5-0 in their previous game. With a win over the Devils, the Flyers can finish their season long road trip with a 4-4 record, and hit the 15 game mark with a 10-5 record; a mark that would surely meet even the loftiest of expectations heading into the season.

Odds and Ends:
Eric Lindros officially retired on Thursday, putting an anti-climactic end to his 13 year career. Not many athletes have come through Philadelphia and created more "controversy." And that is saying something. The Flyers mortgaged the house to bring "The Next One" (the first Next One before Crosby took the term) to the Orange and Black. He was supposed to bring numerous Stanley Cups to Philadelphia over the next 15 years or so, and during the first 6 years or so, it looked like that would really happen. But it all got derailed because of injuries and numerous off ice "crap," as ex-Flyers GM Bobby Clarke termed it. I look back on Lindros' career with a certain level of sadness, and despite how badly things turned out here when he left, a certain level of "Woulda, coulda, shoulda-ness."

Penguins provide true test for Flyers

After a 6-1 start, the Philadelphia Flyers have slipped to 8-5, and are now tied for the Atlantic Division lead...with the Islanders. I think it's pretty safe to say that the Flyers are light years beyond the basement dwellers of last season, but are they the team that roared to a 6-1 start? It appears the answer is no. But who really knows this early in the season. In the next three games, the Flyers play Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh again, in the first home game after their season long 8 game road trip. And that is where we will learn a great deal more about where this team actually is.

Wrap your head around this: The Flyers played the Penguins 8 times last season to an 0-8 record, getting outscored 42-19 in the process. They were simply a team that couldn't match up any worse against the Pens, and the stats show it. Granted, the Flyers lost to most teams last year, and lost bad in some situations, but the Penguins were, and are, a type of team that dominated the Flyers. They were fast, skilled, and played an aggressive style of defense. In fact, the Flyers' biggest struggles came against teams that played that way.

Despite this season's early success, and relatively speaking amazing success, the Flyers still have shown that they struggle against that style of play. Teams that bring the pressure with flying forwards and pinching defenseman have had success against the Flyers this season, even when it didn't end in victory. The Flyers can thank Marty Biron for that. Two specific losses on the current road trip that demonstrated that weakness against that style of play were against Tampa Bay and Montreal. Both those teams made the Flyers look a little like they did last year, and in those situations, Biron was not able to bail the team out.

If the Flyers truly are as improved as they have looked at times this season, then they need to show it in the upcoming three games; specifically against Pittsburgh. They simply need to show that they can beat the Pens, and they need to show it right away. The longer they go this season without knocking down Pittsburgh, the harder and harder it will be to finally do it, as those demons creep closer and closer to the forefront of everyone's psyche.

They have two chances in the next three games to exorcise those particular demons, and if they do, they will prove to everyone - the fans, the Penguins, and, most importantly, themselves - that they truly are a team improved to the point of being a season long threat to take the division.

Flyers' Richards not waiting for "C"

What is the most encouraging aspect of the Flyers' early season success? If you say the quick gelling of all of the new additions, the early dominance at home, or the clear #1 status and play of Martin Biron, you wouldn't necessarily be wrong. But as far as the continued success of the Flyers goes, the most important development we've seen this season is the emergence of Mike Richards as a team leader.

If there was one thing the Flyers added this past offseason, it was leadership, as Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen, and Jason Smith were all captains on their previous teams. No disrespect to Smith, who was named the team's newest captain, but it has been the leadership of a player who was already here that has been the biggest reason to be confident for continued success. Mike Richards, now in his third year, was named an alternate captain this season, and he is wasting little time in proving the organization right in giving the young player such a leadership role.

Richards was drafted the same year as Jeff Carter, who is also beginning to live up to his high expectations this season. But Richards, while he might never be the natural scorer that Carter might be, has always been a natural leader. From the moment he was drafted, he was tabbed as the future captain of this team. And his play this season, after experiencing a season last year that no one, whether rookie or veteran, wants to experience, has proven that prediction a smart one.

In the season's first ten games, he has simply done it all. And he has done it all more consistently than anyone on the team. Through ten games this season, Richards has six goals and six assists. Not really MVP type numbers, I know, but that's the beautiful thing about hockey: the best leader doesn't need to be the biggest scorer. Out of his six goals, two came at even strength, two on the power play, and two while shorthanded. And two of those goals have been game winners. And in addition to the scoring, Richards has been the Flyers best hitting forward, and best backchecking forward.

Richards might not lead the league in scoring, or any category for that matter. In fact, he may not lead his team in any category, but he will be everything a leader is supposed to be. Again, Jason Smith appears to be a very good captain, and could be their captain for a number of years to come, but it appears inevitable that he will pass the "C" onto Mike Richards when he retires or leaves the team. But in the mean time, Richards will just pretend that "A" is a "C," and that can be nothing but great for the Flyers.

The Broad Street Bullies are NOT Back

With 47 games in suspensions during the first 10 games of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers are beginning to regain the reputation created by the 1970s version of the team. Or at least that's what seems to be the prevailing line of thinking outside of the Tri-State area. I suppose it's only natural that if you see three big hits resulting in injury, you conclude that these Flyers are making a conscious effort to get back to mean, physical hockey. However, the situation deserves closer examination before a conclusion is made.

All three suspensions that make up that number of 47 can be classified as isolated incidents. First, let's get to the one "hit" that can't be defended. The Jesse Boulerice stick attack has no place in the game, and the Flyers quickly, and rightfully, cut ties with him by placing him on waivers. The other hits were just that: hits, and therefore immediately lose all connection with Boulerice's assault. The first hit, by Steve Downie, was an example of a young player who needs to learn how to control his body while on the ice. Had he not launched his body at Ottawa's Dean McAmmond, it would've been a clean hit replayed on ESPN over and over. But, he did launch himself, and therefore deserved the punishment.

That brings us to the most recent incident involving a Flyer injuring an opposing player. It happened during Saturday's 2-1 win in Boston, when Randy Jones ran Patrice Bergeron into the boards behind the Flyers' net. Bergeron didn't get up from the hit and was carted off, but did regain consciousnesses and movement in his extremities after the game. Jones followed Bergeron down the wing, and then behind the net. Jones, like any defenseman, had to assume the forward would continue around the net. When Bergeron put on the brakes, he put himself in a vulnerable position, and Jones took advatage and drove him into the boards. Bergeron toppled forward, and his head just about went through the dasher. Jones was given a five minute major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct.

Jones, owner of zero major penalties in his NHL career, was extremely apologetic and remorseful for the hit. There was simply no intent to injure, and that combined with his history of Gandhi-esque non violence, surely played into his punishment of a two game suspension. The hit was definitely illegal, and he deserved to be kicked out of the game. No matter what your intent, you have to be in control of your body. But, when handing out a suspension, intent has to be the main factor. Not results, as is too often the case in the over-reactive NHL.

Back to the Broad Street Bullies. During the Flyers' championship years in the mid-seventies to early eighties, the organization did seek out players that could not only beat you, but also beat you. But, they continued to get away from that type of play as the game changed throughout the eighties and nineties. And when the game really changed after the lockout, in favor of quicker more skilled players, the changed even more. But as evidenced by last season's record, they didn't change enough. And as the story goes, the Flyers retooled and are now a force in this young season.

The Flyers organization can not, and should not, be blamed for these acts as an attempt to bring back the Broad Street Bullies. The most vicious of the acts was quickly taken care of by cutting Boulerice. Randy Jones is obviously not a player that would make a Flyers team from the mid-seventies. And that only leaves Steve Downie, who is a recent high draft pick, with a history of aggressiveness to match his talent. He is still young, and there is time for the organization to round the rough edges. He should not be given up on yet.

All three acts were isolated, no matter how vicious or benign you consider them. It does not make any sense to accuse a team that made a complete 180 shift toward speed and skill, in order to compete in the "new" NHL, of Bullying up their squad. And, all the worst, all this talk about a few unfortunate incidences is taking away from an amazing turnaround being performed by the Philadelphia Flyers.

It's Official: Hockey is Back in Philadelphia

There wasn't much debate that the Flyers "won" the offseason by becoming the league's most improved team. But how often has that victory led to success in the regular season? And how much improvement can a team that finished dead last in the league truly expect. Well, after Saturday's 3-2 OT thriller of a victory over the similarly resurgent Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers have officially passed the point of "improved team." They are now a force in the NHL, like last season never happened.

The Flyers are now 6-1, and in first place in the Atlantic Division. After Gagne scored the game winner in OT against Carolina, the Flyers improved to 4-0 at home in the young season. Last year, they Flyers didn't get their fourth home victory until February 10! Despite the good start, their were critics who felt the Flyers hadn't beat any really good teams. And that was true until they beat the Hurricanes, who are playing much more like the team that won the Cup two seasons ago instead of the the team that missed the playoffs last year.

The Flyers have proven that they are capable of playing with, and beating, any team in the league. So, at this point, they have to be considered one of the top teams in the league. And while a lot of outcomes of this season would have been acceptable after what happened last season, with this start, expectations are right back to pre-2006-2007 levels. That means this team is expected to contend for a Championship.

The Flyers now embark on an eight game road trip. If the Flyers haven't already put last year behind them, a successful trip here will all but exorcise any remaining demons from last season.

It'll be a happy homecoming

There is no doubt that the Flyers were one of, if not the most, improved teams in the NHL coming into this season. But what that exactly meant on the ice was something that wouldn't be answered until the first puck drop. Well, the exit polls are in: In their first three games, on a rare West Coast trip to start the season, the Flyers are back. And on Saturday, the fans throughout the Philadelphia area will get to see their real hockey team, and not that impostor they painfully watched last season.

The Flyers return home with a 2-1 record, most recently of which a 8-2 drubbing of the Vancouver Canucks; widely considered one of the top teams in the West. The Flyers bare zero resemblance to last year's squad. That is bound to happen when you dress nine guys who were on different teams one year ago. But they also have a different attitude, and a different style of play. Last year's squad seemed agonizingly slow; in all zones. This year, the Flyers are flying. Whatever they have done so far this season, they have done it at full throttle. As a result, they are scoring more, but they are also keeping the puck out of their net more than last year by putting pressure on whoever has the puck on the opposition; whether that is on the forecheck or behind their own net.

Danny Briere, the Flyers' most prized offseason acquistion, has been as advertised to say the least. He has seven points in his first three games. Other newcomers Lupol and Hartnell are playing well, and Jason Smith and Kimmo Timonen have provided so much stability on the blue line. But it is not just the newcomers. The guys that remain from last year have new life and new energy playing with these new guys. Gagne, Richards, Carter, and Umberger are just a few who are playing like they have rockets up the asses. But most importantly, their is a winning attitude that is settling over this team.

With a 2-1 start, coming home to face a division rival in the Islanders, who also have gotten off to a good start, the Flyers have a chance to truly cement themselves as "back." And they can make their fans really excited about hockey again, seeing as how they started their season during Phillies' playoff baseball on the West Coast; home of those annoying 10:00pm start times. Yes, it is a long season, but we have seen, in the post lockout NHL, how a fast and aggressive team, that believes it can win, can turn a good start into a good season. One thing that is for sure is that they will certainly have the home crowd of a winner.

Is Biron the Answer?

It’s late August, and that means two things: Baseball pennant races and the start of football is upon us. So the next logical step is to talk about hockey, right? No? Well, I’m going to do it anyway. With the Flyer’s off-season transformation complete, there is a lot of optimism coursing through the Philadelphia area. But considering the team is coming a franchise worst season where they finished last in the NHL, is there too much optimism? That remains to be seen, but there is one position in particular where that may be the case. Martin Biron came over in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres before the end of last season. He helped the team finish relatively strong, and was later signed to a contract extension. He is being penned by many as the clear cut starting goaltender that the Flyers have consistently lacked. But should he be?

Maybe Biron shouldn’t be built up to be a savior in goal. After all he did lose the starting job in Buffalo to Ryan Miller. Yes, Miller is a great young goaltender, but how smart is it to call a backup goalie the answer for your team. Now if the Flyers went out and got a backup, like Ilya Bryzgalov, who has proven his ability to lead a team in the playoffs, there would be more reason for the optimism.

Secondly, the idea that a team needs one clear cut star in goal to win is a little antiquated. Granted, a great goalie can make a team dramatically better, but it is not a necessity. In today’s game it is more important for a team to have two solid goalies, and for one of those goalies to get hot come playoff time. Last season, the Ottawa Senators made it to the Stanley Cup finals with an average goalie in Ray Emery. They won from balanced offense and solid defense.

Finally, and most significantly, goaltending has not been the Flyer’s problem over the past 5-10 years. No matter how much anyone tries to tell you this, don’t believe them. Last year the problem was simply everything. Take a look at all the quality chances opposing teams got game in and game out, and it’s hard to put the blame on Antero Nittymaki. The team started to win when Biron arrived largely due to the improved play of the defense. In previous years, they’ve continually had great goaltending performances. Brian Boucher, Roman Czekmanek, Robert Esche have all put on great playoff performances. If ‘Manek could have gotten any offensive support, the Flyers could’ve went deep into the playoffs. Both Boucher and Esche took the team within one win of the finals.

Is Biron an upgrade at goal? Probably. But at the very least, he gives the Flyers two very viable options in goal – a requirement in today’s NHL. It is a little inappropriate, however, to label Biron the “answer,” considering that the question came from everywhere on the ice except the goal.

Oh Captain, My Captain

I was thinking of starting this article with a few lines from that famous Walt Whitman poem (the one where the title of this blog is taken from for those who didn't pay attention in High School English; oh wait, I was one of those people. I had to look it up), but I quickly realized that it was about a captain, dead, at the end of his ship's voyage. And the ship I want to write about is far from the end of it's voyage. I am speaking of the Philadelphia Flyers; whose journey is just about to begin anew. Only, the USS Orange and Black has no captain.
In hockey, the role of a captain is much larger and significant than any other sport. In football, there are multiple captains each game, and they often change from game to game. And in basketball and baseball...well, I don't think they even have captains. I direct your attention to exhibit A: The year is 2004 and the Flyers are beginning their "second season." They start against their arch rival, the New Jersey Devils. It didn't take long for the captain to make his mark. In game 1, Keith Primeau comes flying down the wing. Devils goaltender, Martin Brodeur, assumes that Keith will take it around the back of the net. And looking at the size of Primeau and the speed he had going in that direction, it was a pretty safe asumption by Brodeur. But, out of nowhere, Primeau makes a move to the front of the net and slides it by Broduer. I bring this particular play up because it was the beginning of Primeau's transformation. Primeau would go on to literally put the team on his back throughout the playoffs, only to tragically fall a game short of the Stanley Cup Finals. Had they made it, Primeau would have easily won the Conn Smythe throphy; awarded to the most vauable player throughout the playoffs. While he had been captain all year, he never displayed the skill, athleticism, physicality, determination, and leadership all at once, like he did throughout every moment of that playoff run. So when he made that move on Broduer in the first game of the playoffs, no one knew what they were about to witness over the next month. Without the play of their captain, the Flyers would not have made it past the second round.
Keith Primeau rose to such high levels of leadership after that season, that when he was injured the following season (following the lockout) the team never again had the sense of direction and leadership they had with Keith in the lineup. That injury, an elbow to head by a player this writer can't seem to remember (eventhough he swore he would never forget), proved to be career ending as Primeau retired following the season. The Flyers tried to name a new captain in Derian Hatcher later that year following the injury, and in Peter Forsberg the following year. With the "C" on Hatcher, the team coasted aimlessly into the playoffs and got ousted by Buffalo in the first round. And when the Flyers gave the "C" to Forsberg following Primeau's retirement, the team stumbled to their worst performance in franchise history; due largely in part to Forsberg being out of the lineup for much of the year due to injury.
The point is that the "C" on a player's sweater is so much more than a letter. On, the right person's sweater, it can be a force more powerful than any pass, deke, save, hit, or statistic. Now, the Flyers have a retooled team ready to erase the nightmares of last season. On paper, they look like a definite playoff contender; a huge step from last season. But they also have yet to name a captain. Naming the right one can immediately transform a playoff contender into a Stanley Cup contender.
So who on this current Flyers roster is the right guy? Well, I'm a strong believer in not giving the captaincy to a new addition, unless there is no clear alternative. And in this case, that is not the situation. There a few players from last season who could hold the "C" quite nicely. My first pick, and he's been my pick since Primeau got hurt, is Sami Kapanen. Kapanen may not have the biggest numbers, and he is certainly not biggest guy, but he is a guy that everyone in that locker room respects. He never shies away from contact, and he will always do whatever it takes to help the team win. He leads by example. There has been much talk about making Simon Gagne the captain. Now, before last year, I was totally against this. Not because he is a bad player, but because he seemed reluctant to accept it. You can not force leadership on somebody. However, after last season, he showed a lot of maturity, and appears ready to accept his role as the team's leader. That said, there are still better alternatives. His linemate, Mike Knuble is one of them. Mike, since his arrival after the lockout, has been a strong presence on the ice and in the locker room, and he can provide some offensive punch.
The Flyers had plenty of leadership in their locker room following last season, and they have even more now after adding three players who were captains on their previous teams (Daniel Briere, Jason Smith, and Kimo Timonen). I think Kapanen is the right choice for captain, but that's certainly not saying the other players mentioned couldn't get the job done as well.

These ain't Clarkie's Flyers

As a huge hockey fan living in the Philadelphia area, the 2006-2007 NHL season was about the worst sporting experience of my life. Things got so bad, I would scower the national sports websites for their power rankings; praying that the Flyers would rise out of the last spot. On a couple occasions it did. And those were the best moments of the season. In case you missed it, the Flyers had the worst season in their franchise history, finishing with a league low 22-48-12 record for 56 points - 11 points worse than the next worse team. A couple weeks into the season, Bob Clarke resigned as GM and Ken Hitchcock got fired after the team achieved just one win in that time. You can't tell from the results of the rest of the season, but that was the moment when things took a turn for the better. Not exactly a sharp "youie," but a turn none the less. Paul Holmgren became the new GM and within a couple months began undoing the mistakes Clarke made coming out of the lockout. Like a gravitron, Holmgren began sending slow, ineffective players every which way in an attempt to evolve into a quick post-lockout team: Freddy Meyer to the Islanders for Alexi Zhitnik (who in turn was later traded to Atlanta for young, quick, big defenseman Braydon Coburn), Kyle Calder to Chicago for another young defenseman Lasse Kukkonen. Then the big move came: Peter Forsberg was traded to Nashville for a 1st round pick in the 2007 entry draft, Scottie Upshall, and Ryan Parent when it became apparent that the Flyers season was over and Peter could not give any assurance that he would play beyond the season due to injuries. The next day, the Flyers acquired Martin Biron from Buffalo for a second round pick in the 2007 draft in a deal that not only served to provide a solid goaltender, but also, we would soon find out, as a bargaining chip in acquiring top free agent center, and former roommate of Biron's, Daniel Briere.
Holmgren's genius didn't show through though until shortly after the Nashville Predator's season ended in the first round of the playoffs (about four months after the Flyer's ended). Realizing that the Predators were in dire financial straits, "Homer" sent a first round pick (the one he received in the Forsberg trade from the same Predators) to Nashville for the rights to soon-to-be unrestricted free agents Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell. Holmgen quickly negotiated 6-year deals for both players.
That brings us to the draft where the Flyers still had the number two overall pick, which they "earned" for their performance the preceding season. With the pick they chose big boy, James vanRiemsdyk. Shortly following the draft the Flyers entered free agency where they signed Briere, as previously mentioned, to an heavily front-loaded eight year deal. Holmgren then capped off (at least so far) the rebuilding offseason by trading much-maligned defenseman Joni Pitkanen to Edmonton, along with Geoff Sanderson and a third round pick in the 2009 draft, for Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul.
So in less than a year as GM, Paul Holmgren, at least on paper, has simultaneously erased the damage Bob Clarke did after the lockout as well as built a team that looks to have a deadly mix of youth and veteran leadership (three of the new players are former captains), size, speed, skill, and grit. It's now up to coach John Stevens to throw all these puzzle pieces on the table and fit them together into a complete team. Judging by the way the team progressed late in the year, despite a lack of tools, and played very competitive under the first year coach, Stevens seems to be up for the challenge. And if he is, we may witness one of the most drastic turnarounds of any team in the history of sports.