Philadelphia Flyers: NHL Lockout Update for Their Players in Europe

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Several Philadelphia Flyers players have gone overseas during the lockout, and a few players, such as Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds, have come back to North America.

We have seen a number of NHLers return to North America over the last few weeks, but with the lockout still not over, some guys are still enjoying their time in Europe.

There are several Flyers continuing to play overseas, so let's look at how they have been performing for their new teams.

Daniel Briere

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Daniel Briere went to Germany to play during the lockout and has been a fantastic playmaker for the Berlin Polar Bears this season.

He has scored six goals with 21 assists in 17 games thus far. Briere hasn't scored many goals in Germany, and he didn't score many last season for the Flyers.

Briere's 16 goals in 2011-12 comprised his lowest single-season total since he scored 17 goals for the Phoenix Coyotes in 2002-03 (seasons in which he played in at least 65 or more games).

The Flyers will be hoping that Briere's goal-scoring improves when the 2012-13 season begins because unless the team scores a lot of goals on a consistent basis, it will be incredibly difficult for Philadelphia to win the Atlantic Division.

Maxime Talbot

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Maxime Talbot added scoring, toughness and Stanley Cup-winning experience to the Flyers' bottom-six forward group last season.

During the lockout, Talbot has been playing in Finland for Ilves Tampere of SM-liiga.

He has scored five points (two goals and three assists) in 10 games thus far, and is playing solid defense.

Talbot scored a career-high 19 goals last season for the Flyers, and the team is hoping that he will be just as productive offensively this year.

Ilya Bryzgalov

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Ilya Bryzgalov has played in just 10 games for KHL team CSKA Moscow during the NHL lockout despite being with the club since September.

The Flyers goaltender has failed to play at a high level overseas. He has a 4-5 record with a mediocre 2.44 GAA and a lackluster .907 save percentage.

Bryzgalov will have to be much more consistent when he returns to the Flyers if they are going to have any chance of contending for the Stanley Cup this season.

Ruslan Fedotenko

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Ruslan Fedotenko is currently playing for Donbass HC of the KHL during the lockout. He has scored 14 points (five goals and nine assists) in 26 games, along with 16 PIM.

Fedotenko has played with five different teams over the past 10 years, but has played a role on two Stanley Cup-winning teams (Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009).

He won't score a ton of points for the Flyers next season, but his toughness and leadership will be important.

Signing him as a free agent in the offseason was a smart move by general manager Paul Holmgren.

Jakub Voracek

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Jakub Voracek suffered an injury in October while playing overseas in the KHL for Prague Lev, but he has returned to the team and is playing well offensively.

He has scored 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in 18 games this season, and also has a three-game point streak.

Voracek has been impressive following his injury, which is good news for Flyers fans because the team needs him to be productive offensively this season because he's likely to play on the first line.

Recap of Players Not Playing Overseas Anymore

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The following Flyers players went overseas to play during the lockout but have since returned to North America.

Player	Team	GP	G	A	P
Claude Giroux	Berlin Polar Bears (Germany)	9	4	15	19
Wayne Simmonds	Liberec Bili Tygri HC (Czech Republic)	6	4	2	6
	Crimmitschau ETC (Germany)	9	4	10	14