On Friday morning, 23-year-old Boston Bruins forward and restricted free agent Blake Wheeler was signed to a one-year, $2.2 million arbiter-ruled contract with the team.
On July 21, 22-year-old St. Louis Blues forward David Perron inked a two-year deal with a salary cap hit of $2.15 million.
Why is this relevant to the Flyers? Because come next offseason when budding forward Claude Giroux hits restricted free agency, these players could very well be a bench mark for his next contract.
Filed under 2009-10 season
According to a study by ESPN.com, the Wachovia Center had 15% of its vendors in “critical violation” of the health code in 2009.
“Inspectors found evidence of mouse and fruit fly infestations at one bar location.”
As revolting as that sounds, the home of the Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers ranks as the most compliant professional venue in the state of Pennsylvania and is in the upper echelon of all the arenas graded.
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Courtesy of CarolinaHurricanes.com
On Monday, the Carolina Hurricanes unveiled the official logo for the 2011 NHL All Star Game, which will take place on Jan. 30, 2011 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC.
The logo was designed in almost complete red as a hat tip to Hurricanes fans, nicknamed ‘Caniacs’, who come to home games drenched in red. The logo’s banners were influenced by the North Carolina state flag.
Due to the Olympic break in 2010, the 2011 game in Carolina will be the first since 2009, when it was held at the Bell Center in Montreal.
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Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)
Immediately after trading forward Simon Gagne to the Tampa Bay Lightning for 6’4 depth defenseman Matt Walker, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren attempted to explain his reasoning behind the move.
“When we came out of the Stanley Cup Final loss to the Blackhawks, we had specific objectives in mind,” Holmgren told CSNPhilly.com. “And the No. 1 thing on our list was to improve our defense, and No. 2 on our list was to get a little bigger.”
And he seemingly achieved both this offseason by signing Walker, 6’3 forward Jody Shelley, as well as defensemen Sean O’Donnell and Andrej Meszaros, who both stand at 6’2.
But despite the appearance of greater size and talk from the GM, the truth is in the numbers — the Flyers are no bigger than they were last year.
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According to Capgeek.com, the Flyers have tied up the final loose end of the offseason by re-signing RFA forward Darroll Powe to a one-year, $725,000 deal on Wednesday night.
The contract is a $205,000 raise from what he made last season.
Powe, 25, heading into his third full season with the Flyers, is currently slated as the 13th forward for a Philly team that is log jammed at that position. However, the Princeton Alum is expected to get a fair shot at making the active roster in training camp due to the potential absence of Flyers fourth-line center Blair Betts, who is recovering from shoulder surgery that is estimated to keep him sidelined until Nov.
The gritty speedster and penalty kill specialist averaged just over 12 minutes a game of ice time and ranked second on the Flyers in hits with 183 in 63 games last season. He scored nine goals and six assists during that span.
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Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America
In an interview with CSN on Tuesday and confirmed by CSNPhilly’s Sarah Baicker, Flyers center Blair Betts hinted that he may miss training camp and the start of the regular season as he recovers from major offseason shoulder surgery.
“It’s probably closer to four months before I’m able to play again,” Betts said, which would set him up for a Nov. return. “So we’ll see what the doctor says in a couple weeks.”
Filed under 2009-10 season
With sadness but understanding, the wait is mercifully over — the Flyers have officially traded forward Simon Gagne to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Matt Walker and a fourth round pick in the 2011 NHL entry draft.
Filed under 2009-10 season
VOORHEES, N.J. – From the little league rink at Ice Line Arena in West Goshen to the professional practice ice at the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J., 18-year-old Westtown native Nick Luukko has come a long way to make his National Hockey League dream a reality.
“I remember back to when I learned to play at Ice Line, when I was four and five,” said Luukko, who was all smiles after finishing up Day 5 of an exhausting nine-day prospect camp with the Philadelphia Flyers. “Starting with the Quakers and then the JR Flyers, I always wanted to chase the dream (of playing professional hockey). Some kids get older and lose interest, but for me I never lost interest.
“Growing up in the area, this is pretty special for me.”
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When the Flyers acquired big-bodied forward Jody Shelley, on July 1 for $1.1 million a year for three years, fans shrieked in confusion. Why? They asked. Why would general manager Paul Holmgren pay that much for an enforcer that will only play a shift or two, take a penalty and ride the bench?
The answer is simple — Holmgren sees 6’3, 225 lbs. Shelley as a player, not just an enforcer.
“We feel we got a guy who can play a role for our team we haven’t had in quite some time and play a third or fourth line,” Holmgren told the media after the signing. “He’s a bigger body, so I’m very happy.”
Filed under 2009-10 season
According to a press release by the organization on Tuesday, the Flyers have officially signed restricted free agent Dan Carcillo to a one-year deal worth just a shade over $1 million ($1.075). He will remain a RFA after next season.
“We are happy to have Dan under contract for the 2010-11 season,” Holmgren said in the official release.
Filed under 2009-10 season
Phila.Bright 