Flyers Sign "Sea-Bass" To Aid Their Sinking Playoff Hopes

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

In a desperate attempt to add some goaltending depth, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has gone way off the chart to sign Sebastian Caron.

Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (86th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Caron has most recently played in the Swiss Elite League with HC Fribourg-Gotteron where he compiled a 21-17 record with a 2.68 goals against average in 2008-'09.

Caron (who is nicknamed “sea-bass”) has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Anaheim Ducks over the course of his career, compiling a 25-47-12 record to go along with his bloated 3.45 goals against average in 92 career NHL games.

With all the goaltending talent available at the deadline one has to think Holmgren’s latest acquisition is both desperate and foolish.

Fact is, Caron has been out of the NHL since 2006-'07, and has not seen significant action in the NHL since he played 26 games with the Penguins in 2005-'06 when he compiled a 8-9-5 record with a  3.74 GAA and a brutal .883 save percentage.

Caron has never played in an NHL playoff game and will not be eligible for this year's playoffs if the Flyers should qualify. There is no reason to expect he will not clear waivers, something he’ll have to do at noon today if he is to be added to the Flyers roster.

The Caron signing is laughable and a slap in the face to the Flyers depth goalies in the AHL—clearly there is no confidence that any of them can get the job done.

The Flyers will need to address their goaltending in the offseason, both for next season and long-term. There have been plenty of rumors around the Internet that the Flyers will make a pitch for under-appreciated Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price in the offseason, with Jeff Carter possibly headed the other way.

Other options include trading for Boston Bruins veteran goalie Tim Thomas or signing the likes of Dan Ellis, Marty Turco, Marty Biron (amongst others), or current Flyers goalies Ray Emery or Michael Leighton to a free-agent contract this summer.

All of these goalies are either struggling or will come with a large price tag, which does nothing to solidify the Flyers' goal tending situation, although I think they’d be wise to bring Leighton back into the fold.

Best thing the Flyers can do? Draft the best goalie they can this summer and hope he develops quickly. A long-term fix is needed, not Band-Aid solutions.

If and when Caron gets into action, don’t expect miracles. It is more likely he’ll get shelled playing behind a team that is very fragile and, on more nights than not, defensively challenged.

Talk about your sacrificial lambs!!! Good luck Sea-bass— you’re gonna need it!

Until next time,

Peace!