Philadelphia Flyers: Is It Time To Shore Up Their Defense?

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

With the news that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ryan Parent will need four to six weeks to recover from his recent back surgery, it appears as if the Flyers will need to look at acquiring defensive depth.

To be fair, the Flyers are not in dire straights on the blue line. That said, the loss of Parent is serious enough that Flyers' GM Paul Holmgren would benefit his team greatly, both in the now and for the playoff run, if he was to get his hands on another defenseman.

For now, the Flyers are expected to give Ole-Kristian Tollefsen a shot, a player that has been decent, but hardly impressive thus far. On the horizon, the Flyers have Marc-Andre Bourdon, an offensive minded D-man, and Kevin Marshall, a stay-at-home defenseman developing with their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.

Both Bourdon and Marshall still require some more seasoning before they become legitimate threats to crack the Flyers lineup on a regular basis, something Holmgren is well aware of.

With both Western and Eastern Conference teams struggling to get into a top eight position, many teams will be holding on to their assets past the Feb. 12 Olympic trade freeze. With that in mind, Holmgren will be hard-pressed to acquire a player of significance before said deadline, but I am sure this would be preferable.

More Likely, the Flyers will have to wait until after the Olympic trade freeze has been lifted (Feb. 28) before they can make a depth move, which may coincide with Parent’s return.

Parent’s injury serves as a red flag, which suggests that, in the face of injury, the Flyers' depth on defense is not what it should be and, in fact, may need an upgrade in order to make both a successful bid for a playoff spot and a successful playoff run.

Whatever the case, rest assured Holmgren is looking, so let the rumors begin...

Until next time,

Peace!