Philadelphia Inquirer writer Sam Carchidi wrote a piece designing the projected Flyers’ line combinations for the 2009-10 season. He put Ian Laperriere on the second line wing and Mike Richards centering the third line with Arron Asham and Daniel Carcillo. Being moved by the article, I decided to take it upon myself to put together the groupings to start the season.
The Flyers are sure to acquire a semi-skilled right winger to replace Mike Knuble in the lineup. But even with the future player yet to be plucked, the Flyers won’t have the depth they did in the past.
Carcillo – Richards – Gagne
The line that used to feature Knuble, suddenly needs a big body in front. Carcillo isn’t as skilled as Knuble, but provides the energy and space creating ability to give Richards and Simon Gagne room. Taking Carcillo off the third or fourth line also spreads out the team’s scoring depth.
Hartnell – Carter – UFA
The Scott Hartnell – Jeff Carter connection remands intact, but the player replacing Joffrey Lupul has yet to be acquired. Laperriere is an option, but the team needs more of a sniper on Carter’s wing. Danny Briere is another option, but the Flyers want to spread out the wealth, keeping Briere with Claude Giroux on the third line.
Briere – Giroux – Laperriere
Laperriere gives Giroux and Briere some space to work and a target up front. Some believe that Giroux, Gagne and Briere will be the french connection for the Flyers, but it will actually be this combination that gives the Flyers the three scoring lines they desire.
Cote – Powe – Asham
Although the fourth line will be the toughest on the Flyers, Powe and Asham have proven they can put points on the board, as well as handle themselves in a fight. Powe’s speedy forecheck and Asham’s ability to finish on turnovers will give the Flyers some potency from what is typically known as an energy line. Prospect James van Riemsdyk is not ready for the NHL and regardless of what some writers say, is not in the Flyers’ plans this year unless he completely dominates camp, which is unlikely.
On defense, the Flyers also need to spread the talent, with four top-end defenders.
Timonen – Coburn
The former top pairing returns together, giving the Flyers size and puck-moving ability. A pure shut-down line.
Pronger – Carle
Matt Carle may be the weakest defensive defenseman on the team and should be matched with the strongest. Carle’s lack of size and ability to puck control, matches well with Pronger’s size and rangy defensive capabilities.
Parent – Jones
Not the strongest pairing, Parent is better defensively than Carle and will allow Randy Jones to work the puck more. Parent’s poise has grown immensely since coming into the league and it will be a nice test for him to see how he does being the shut-down guy in his pairing.
If the Flyers want to load up the first-two pairings, it will likely change to Timonen – Parent and Pronger – Coburn, leaving Carle and Jones together. However, with Pronger averaging 26 minutes and Timonen averaging around the same, the third pairing might not see that much time under this scheme.
Phila.Bright 
The Penguins have such better lines, we have smart GM’s and Coaches that know how to stack lines together. You don’t even know.
We are so good, like Crosby, and Staal…and malkin. What else do you need. Our GM’s know how to get us 13 #1 draft picks in a row, you don’t even know!
I’ve been watching hockey for at least 20 years, you don’t even know. Bettman made the league better, and its been great hockey since 2005. Just smooth, so smooooooth. You dont even know!
Pens in 2010!!!
Your GMs got five consecutive lottery picks by having a last place team for five consecutive seasons. What a strategy!
Why is that always such a blindspot for Pens fans? I’ve never seen a bigger case of collective amnesia.
Shart – are you stupid? You got five lottery picks because the Penguins were bottom feeders for five consecutive years! What a strategy!
Yeah, they really knew what they were doing…
Pens fans have very selective amnesia when it comes to the lean years in Pittsburgh. It’s really sad you folks can’t be honest with yourselves.
Dearest Author,
Cote has to be a Phantom next year. He’s the least of the Philly goon squad. Redundant and unnecessary to have him in the lineup.
Two cents.
True, but I’m not sure replacing him with Jared Ross or Jon Kalinski for four minutes a night, will make much of a difference. Also, don’t count out how much the team itself likes Cote. He’s good friends with a lot of the guys.
Well yeah, but so were Upshall and Lupul. Just sayin’.
I hope you’re wrong. I mean, five minutes a night of Ross is bound to produce more than five minutes a night of Cote. Ross would make the fourth line better.
Last season, Cote made sense. But with Carcillo, Laperriere, and Asham in the lineup this year, the Flyers have more than enough toughness, and a measure of skill to actually go with it.
I realize Cote was literally the face of the franchise two years ago (helloooo billboards), but the Flyers need to move on. Cote is the only Flyers forward on the roster that doesn’t have 10-goal capability.
Dear Wrongy-brook,
The only thing blind is your balls. You don’t know how to use them like Pens players and Pens fans. While I’m trying to be respectful to Phila-bite, I must apologizing for saying balls.
We just know how to develop talent. Crosby owns, Malkin owns too, Staal owns, Marc-Andre Fleury owns hard on Carter. Or should I say, CHOKER (playoffs).
Us Pen’s fans live in the city of champions. You live in the city of Schmampions.
Score one point for the good guys!
-Shart Ross
How hard is it to develop world class talent? They’ve been talking about Crosby since he was FOURTEEN years old. He’s a GENERATIONAL player, like Gretzky and Lemeiux. Dude, talk about being a blind homer. You absolutely take the cake.
Malkin and Staal came ready-made dude. Most people drafted in their slots do. The only player the Penguins “developed” was possibly Fluery, and all you had to do was watch him in the 2004 WJC to know he didn’t need much seasoning before he was ready for the bright lights.
Honestly, who cares about whether Philly won anything or not. What’s in dispute here is whether you know anything about hockey (you don’t. Really, you don’t).
Ronnybrook owns Shart. Sorry dude.
The best part about all of this Ronny is that I’m a Flyers fan. I just wanted to see how many of my own kind I could piss off, and how close I could come to sounding like a Pens fan. Looks like I did a good job and sounded exactly like the leagues worst fans.
Sorry you were the guinea pig to my experiment.
Everything you said was correct, and I was happy you weren’t a rude ignorant Flyers fan. There is no way to beat a Pens fan in a forum, or message board. They just won’t take anything that makes sense….
Then I suppose congratulations are in order. Well played, Sir. You definitely nailed it.
Pens fans don’t care what goes into the sausage. You’ll never get them to admit their team was built on five years of consecutive embarrassment.
I mean, tanking for that long solely to collect lottery picks…there’s more honor is using steroids.
like the line combos especially the defense.
but do you really think that carcillo can hang with richards and gagne??? that is an awful lot to ask of him.
and who would you like to see as the UFA winger for carter???
what are the chances of some of the lesser known newly signed guys making it on the roster such as lukas kaspar, mika pyorala, jason ward, krys kolanos, joey mormina, ole-kristian tollefsen, and ryan dingle? are they all phantoms and organizational depth?
and how bout the young guys like maroon, van riemsdyk, marshall, and syvret? are they all phantoms and/or potential call ups?
When the team acquired Carcillo, they did because they thought he could play on a scoring line. They will at least start him in a position to make a difference. Whether he stays there or not will be up to him.
In my personal opinion, the Carter-Hartnell line needs some breakaway speed. Which may suit Powe, however, he doesn’t quite have the finish I would want on that line. A cheap Afinogenov would be interesting, maybe even Nodl, if he ever gets his game together.
The new guys are all interesting. Kaspar is big and has a good shot, but he’s lazy and shy. Pyorala is a shutdown center, who has never played in North America, but could be a nice steal depending on how impressive he is in the AHL. Ward is a grizzled vet, who is likely to get the first injury call up, simply because of experience. Kolanos is an AHL sniper, but has had trouble bring it to the NHL. Any of these guys can open eyes in the AHL and be brought up. That’s the beauty of having excellent AHL depth.
Tollefsen IS the Flyers’ seventh defender. I would be surprised to see him spend any time with the Phantoms. If the team trades Jones or Carle, Tollefsen will enter the lineup as a full-time defender and likely Syvret would become the seventh guy.
Maroon has been the most impressive prospect in the offseason. If injury should strike, I wouldn’t be surprised or opposed to see him in a couple games, simply to give him a feel for it. I doubt he becomes a regular this season. JVR’s future is completely up to him. He has a Giroux-esque half season with the Phantoms, and he’s a Flyer by the end of the year.
i guess the only thing that i struggle to see is carcillo. where do you get the idea that they went to get carcillo with the idea of him being a scorer? or a first line guy? i was under the impression that homer would much rather have kept upshall but he needed to do what he needed to do in order to get under the cap and bring briere back from injury. so carcillo wasnt what he wanted to do but what was necessary.
as for the other winger for carter, i dont see it coming from outside the organization…at least not to start the season. maybe we make a trade mid-season to unload jones or carle and bring on a winger.
You’re not seeing the line order in the same way the Flyers do. First line and third line are going to be no different. What the Flyers had and will have this season is line 1a, 1b, 1c. Each line will get similar minutes, with only a difference in who plays special teams. In reality, since Mike Richards is the shut-down center on the team, his line is technically the third line.
And as far as where I’m getting Carcillo as a scoring line guy. Holmgren said it himself.
March 4, 2009
“There is a value in Dan Carcillo,” Paul Holmgren said. “He also scored [13] goals last year. Dan Carcillo is a good player who happens to be tough and aggressive. That’s the bottom line. We think he can play in our top nine. The fans are gonna love him.”
if thats your backup for carcillo being a scorer, i’m not convinced in the least. playing in the top 9 is totally different than being a scorer.
and your thoughts on the 1a,1b,1c lines. thats great in theory but that would mean that gags is technically playin 3rd line. while that doesnt much make much sense…i guess its more an issue of matchups than anything else.
and just out of curiousity, sometimes you speak (write) as if you have a “contact” within the organization…do you? or are you assuming things based off of press conferences etc?
Carcillo doesn’t need to be a scorer. No one believes he’s a sniper. But can he create room, sitting in front of the net? Can he go hard on the forecheck and create turnovers? Sure. That’s all they will ask him to do. He’s complementary player.
And as far as contacts, some of my information comes first hand and some comes from PC’s or other writers. I am equipped with full press credentials.
I respectfully disagree with your forward combinations, though I agree with your defensive parings. I think that the Flyers need to develop JVR and Nodl, and I think that getting quality ice time in the NHL is the only true way to develop these players. Since Richards is the captain, it is only appropriate to place them with the captain. I believe that the following lines are appropriate:
Briere – Giroux – Gagne
JVR – Richards – Nodl
Hartnell – Carter – Carcillo
Cote – Laperriere – Asham
Timonen – Coburn
Carle – Pronger
Parent – Jones
If JVR and Nodl are not brought up, I believe the Flyers still need a UFA. But what has changed since July 3rd? Prospal signed with the Rangers, Bertuzzi signed with the Red Wings, Shannahan signed with the Devils. From what I see, I do not know if there is a front of the net presence out in free agency right now. In addition, with all the grit and muscle already on the team, I do not see the need for a front of the net presence, but instead, a way of playing in the “new” NHL, with speed and scoring (which is why I believe JVR and Nodl need to be brought up). However, from other reports I have read, the Flyers seem inclined to have three two person scoring lines instead of two three person scoring lines. If they do such, I can see how your line combinations work, but for, who do you pair with Hartnell and Carter?
Leaving Powe off the roster? Nodl will play over JVR, he’s more refined. To make the team this year, JVR will have to either blow people away in training camp or do what Giroux did last season and have it all click during the first 30 games in Glens Falls. Other than that, I don’t see him being a Flyer for more than a few games this year. Think Bobby Ryan.
full press credentials eh? nice work!
whether we agree or not on the line combos, i’m crazy excited about our chances this year. how it all comes together is anyones guess right now but im lovin the additions of pronger and emery (2 true flyers)!