The Pros and Cons of Bringing Ray Emery to the Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers reportedly will sign goalie Ray Emery to a one-year contract as soon as the free-agent period opens on July 1. No financial terms were available as of yet.
 
Playing for Atlant Mytischi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) last season, Emery posted a 2.12 goals against average and .920 save percentage with a record of 22-8.

Talks with Marty Biron continue, but it is believed he is asking for too much money and a long-term deal that the Flyers are not willing to accommodate.

Emery, a Hamilton, Ont. native, is 71-40-14 lifetime with a 2.71 GAA and eight shutouts in 134 NHL games. The Senators waived him after a rocky 2007-08 season despite having two years left on his deal.

Emery helped lead the Sens to the Stanley Cup final in 2007, but then a wrist injury and a series of issues led to dissension within the dressing room. His goals-against average ballooned to 3.13, with a lowly .890 save percentage in 31 games in '07-08.
 
There are two ways to look at this....
 

The Positive
Philly is his kind of town, and he's our type of player. He fights and battles like Ron Hextall. Maybe Biron took the Flyers as far as he could go....it could be time to move on. The current Flyers team is lacking in personality and Emery certainly could provide some.

He once ate a cockroach in the locker room to win a $500 bet from Daniel Alfredsson. He is covered in tattoos, has a pet python, drives fast cars and once had Mike Tyson painted on his mask.
 

The Negative
He's been pulled over 30 times by his count during a two-year span...Had a road rage incident with a 65-year old motorist. He's been a notorious night owl who has been late for practices and missed team planes. Depending on who you ask, he is either a good teammate or a clubhouse cancer.

Biron was one of the most popular players in the room. Ottawa is a franchise similar to the Flyers in that goaltending has been their achilles heel over the last ten years, and aside from the '07 playoff run, Emery was not the answer there.
 
But the big question is...Can he play?
 
Fans in Philadelphia seem to be far less enthusiastic about this than when the Sixers hired Eddie Jordan to a chorus of crickets and tumbleweeds blowing through South Philly. 
 
The fact remains that the franchise has not had a consistent stud goalie since Hextall. Biron may not have been the reason the Flyers lost in each of the last two playoff years, but he certainly didn't carry the team on his back.

Interestingly, Emery may be best remembered for his fight with Biron a few years back...and this year he went after a trainer...
 
The Flyers are strapped by the cap. Mike Knuble is a free agent that the club wants to re-sign. Rumors remain that Jay Bouwmeester is still on their wishlist. Where will the cap space come from?
 
Biron and Antero Niittymaki are both UFAs this summer. Biron made $3.5 million last season, while Niittymaki earned $1.225 million. Emery is a cheaper alternative which would free up space to concentrate on the blueline and/or adding a faceoff man.
 
If Emery does become a Flyer, one thing is for certain...it will be interesting to see how it plays out, one way or another.

Just for fun, here are the contracts of some other goalies rumored to be on the move or free agents this summer...
 
JS Giguere
Making 6.0M next season and 7.0 the year after
 
Kari Lehtonen
Restricted free agent after making $3.0 Million in 08-09
 
Nik Khabibulin
UFA after making $6.75 this season
 
Josh Harding
Restricted free agent after making $750K this season
 
Craig Anderson
UFA after making $575K this season
 
Roberto Luongo
1 year remaining on deal at $7.5 million
 
Scott Clemmensen
UFA after making $500K this season
 
Jaroslav Halak
Will make $800K in 09-10 before becoming RFA
 
Carey Price
Will make $850K in 09-10 before becoming RFA
 
Source: NHLNumbers.com

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