Philadelphia Flyers: The 8 Best Post-Lockout Moves

The 2004-05 NHL season was lost to a lockout that lasted 44 weeks and 2 days.  It stands today as a significant dividing line for the league.

Events are referred to as "pre-lockout" or "post-lockout" due to the amount of changes to teams, play and even uniforms. The Flyers emerged from the lockout looking poised for success.

Having made it to the conference finals in 2003-04 the Flyers made a big splash in free agency signing Peter Forsberg, Derian Hatcher, Mike Rathje and Mike Knuble. But the game had shifted rendering big, physical defensemen like Hatcher and Rathje less effective than pre-lockout.

Forsberg's tenure was short lived and injury riddled. The following season the Flyers hit the skids and suffered their worst record in the history of the franchise.

Due to some shrewd personnel decisions the Flyers had a quick turnaround and returned to being perennial Cup contenders. Here is a list of the eight best post-lockout moves made by the Flyers.

Honorable Mention: Signing Ilya Bryzgalov

Other goalies have been brought to Philadelphia with expectations of being a savior, but Ilya Bryzgalov recorded 7 more shutouts last season than the three previous Flyers’ goalies combined. 

And that was behind a much worse defense in Phoenix than the Flyers had in 2011-12. With Philly's defense and Bryzgalov’s skill, the Flyers should be harder to score on.  That should translate into more wins, a deep playoff run and serious contention for the Stanley Cup over the next few seasons.

The 2009-10 Flyers caught a lot of breaks in the playoffs, but they also took advantage of them. Had they had a goaltender of Bryzgalov’s caliber instead of shuffling two career backups in Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher, the outcome of the Stanley Cup Finals against Chicago almost assuredly would have been different.

Bryzgalov's signing shows that the team is finally serious about addressing the issues they have had in goal for pretty much the past two decades.

Should Bryzgalov become the backbone of the team in net and live up to the expectations that would bring the Flyers the franchise's third Stanley Cup Championship, this could well become the best post-lockout move.

8. Hiring Peter Laviolette

The Flyers struggled mightily to start the 2009-10 after a disappointing first round playoff defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins the previous season. Then coach John Stevens was seen as a players' coach and his close relationships, friendships really, with a lot of the younger players on the team seemed to be stunting their progress and limiting the Flyers' success.

Having seen enough, GM Paul Holmgren fired the player-friendly Stevens and brought in task master Peter Laviolette. Laviolette had a Stanley Cup Championship with the Carolina Hurricanes and it was this entry on his resume that management felt the players would and should respect.

The Flyers improved but still struggled down the home stretch, barely making the playoffs. Once in the playoffs however, Laviolette shined. He out-coached the legendary Jacques Lemaire in the first round.

In the second round he wouldn't let his team roll over and die after the Bruins took a three games to none lead.  Calling a timeout after Boston took a 3 - 0 lead in the seventh game stalled the Bruins momentum and allowed the Flyers to regroup and right their ship.

They eventually won the game and the Series.

In his first season as Flyers coach, Laviolette was able to do what his predecessors Wayne Cashman, Bill Barber, Ken Hitchcock and John Stevens were unable to do: make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. In all of Flyers' history, it is a feat that only Laviolette and Mike Keenan were able to accomplish their first seasons.

7. Trading Jeff Carter and Mike Richards

June 23, 2011 may go down as the greatest day in recent Flyers’ history. When the Flyers traded Mike Richards and Jeff Carter within an hour of one another it certainly sent shock waves through the NHL.

After six seasons of being touted as the dual faces of the franchise the Flyers cut loose this inconsistent pair who seemed to be attached at the hip. Carter was a one dimensional player who spent most of his time without the puck coasting around the ice.

His offense, which was his strong suit, was also deceiving. His 10.7 shooting percentage was awful especially for a player who was supposed to be a top tier goal scorer. Only three players who scored over 30 goals had a worse shooting percentage.

That doesn’t even count his bread and butter: the high and wide shot.  Carter also had a tendency to miss the easy goals, most notably his chance to give the Flyers the lead with 1:30 left in the third period of game six of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.

With a wide open net glaring at him Carter, for one of the very few times ever, failed to get any real elevation on the puck and his shot hit prone goalie Anti Niemi right in the shoulder. The Flyers ultimately lost in overtime.

But it wasn't just that one moment that sealed Carter's fate. During that Finals appearance he and linemate/best friend Mike Richards were virtually invisible and Carter's overall career playoff numbers are less than impressive.

Just 21 points in 47 playoff games is not enough from one of the team's highest paid players and supposed offensive superstar.

Bryzgalov's signing meant that Carter would more than likely have to go in order to clear salary, which would not have sat well at all with Captain Mike Richards.  Richards complained publicly in the past when the team traded friends of his and admitted it would be difficult for him to continue with the Flyers without Carter during an interview with WMMR’s morning show.

Richards, who was a good two way player, would also have found himself with a more limited role on the team with the emergence of Danny Briere and Claude Giroux as a scoring center.

It doesn’t make much sense for a team to be paying their third line center as much as the Flyers would be paying Richards, especially considering he was under contract until 2020 and his no trade clause was due to kick in.

There were rumors of a split in the locker room with Richards and Carter on one side and veteran leaders like Chris Pronger, Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen on the other. Added to that was the questionable off ice “Dry Island” nonsense and a questionable work ethic.

Former Sixer Allen Iverson was rightly crucified for blowing off practice.  When Mike Richards skipped practices they were called “maintenance days." Not many professional athletes in their prime 20s need to take "maintenance days" off.

Trading Richards and Carter will transform a reputedly negative locker room. It sent a message to budding stars like Giroux and James van Riemsdyk to make sure their commitment to the club and to winning is unquestionable.

It will also allow the proven leaders on the team to take charge. Not to mention, receiving Jakub Voracek, Brayden Scheen and Wayne Simmonds in return is nothing to sneeze at either.

In March 2010 as the Flyers were sliding their way down the standings to possibly missing the playoffs, Paul Holmgren said big changes may be in order. It seems that improbable playoff run in 2010 only delayed the inevitable for Richards and Carter.

6. Trading for Martin Biron

In the 2006-07 season the Philadelphia Flyers were a mess. The team was falling apart, the Peter Forsberg signing was failing to pay any kind of dividends and they were mired in the franchise’s worst season in history. 

On February 27, 2007 the Flyers made a huge upgrade in goal by acquiring Martin Biron from the Buffalo Sabres. Biron immediately became the No. 1 goaltender, something the team hasn't had since Roman Cechmanek imploded in 2003.

Biron’s friendship with Danny Briere has also been mentioned as a factor in Briere's signing. In 2007-08 Biron posted a 2.50 goals against average and a .918 save percentage on
his way to 30 wins.

The entire Flyers team only had 22 wins the previous season. Biron also played remarkably in the playoffs against the high powered Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens.

BIron's stability in goal led to a quick turnaround for the franchise. Just one season removed from their worst in their 40 year history, the Flyers were in the Conference Finals and have been a legitimate Stanley Cup contender ever since.  

5. Drafting James Van Riemsdyk

As if the 2007 season could not get any worse, the Flyers lost the coin flip determining who would get the number one overall pick to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks selected Patrick Kane and won a Stanley Cup on his overtime goal; the Flyers selected James van Riemsdyk…and waited.

Van Riesmdyk chose to put his professional career on hold opting instead to stay in college and play for the University of New Hampshire. In 2009 van Riemsdyk decided to forgo his last two years of college eligibility and spent the remainder of the 2008-09 season with the Philadelphia Phantoms.

During the 2009-10 preseason van Riemsdyk so impressed the Flyers that they aborted plans to have JVR spend the season in the AHL with the Phantoms and put him in the opening night roster.

He had a decent regular season and his goal in game seven against the Boston Bruins in the playoffs helped turn the momentum of that game. The Flyers would go on to record their fourth win of the series completing their historic comeback from being down to the Bruins three games to none.

He improved in his second season, scoring five more points despite playing in three less games. But it was his performance in the playoffs that had the Flyers and their fans excited about JVR’s progress.

He scored the game winning goal in game seven against the Buffalo Sabres and he was easily the best player on the ice for the Flyers during their second rounds weep at the hands of the Bruins.

His seven playoff goals tied with Danny Briere’s for the team playoff lead and there were times on the ice when he purely dominated.

James van Riemsdyk seems poised for a huge breakout season in 2011-12.

4. Trading for Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell

Faced with turning the franchise around after the debacle that was the 2006-07 season, Paul Holmgren made a trade bringing veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen and gritty scoring winger Scott Hartnell to the Flyers.

Timonen and Hartnell were part of the huge face-lift the Flyers underwent that summerinf 2007. Timonen brought needed veteran leadership to the defense and became the team’s best blue liner, winning the Barry Ashbee Award in 2007-08 and 08-09.

Hartnell became an important cog in the Flyers’ offense. Nowhere was this move evident that his play in the 2010 playoffs. Hartnell scored 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points as he and his line mates Danny Briere and Ville Leino became a huge part of why the Flyers were able to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

3. Drafting Claude Giroux

Bobby Clarke selected Claude Giroux 22^nd overall in his last ever draft as Flyers’ General Manager. He was called up to the NHL midway through the 2008-09 season and played well enough to stay with the team.

In his first full season Giroux kept improving and by the time the playoffs rolled around his offensive skills, his superb stick handling and his soft hands were on full display

In 2010-11, just his second full NHL season, Giroux was named to the NHL all star game. It was clear that in just two short years Giroux matured from decent prospect to becoming the Flyers’ best player; a feat that was recognized when he won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team MVP.

He led the team in the regular season in both assists and points.  He also had the second best shooting percentage on the team and was an impressive plus 20.

During the disappointing 2011 playoff run, Giroux led the Flyers in points and was one of only four Flyers to post a plus (+2).

With the trades of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, Giroux will have more ice time especially on the power play and should excel with his increased work load. Also, he can continue to mature into a leadership role as the team that was once Richards’ becomes his going forward.

2. Trading for Chris Pronger

With Mike Richards struggling with his leadership role, the Flyers looked to Chris Pronger to come in and help Richards with his captaincy.  He was also meant to shore up a Flyers defense that already included Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Colburn.

In his first season with the Flyers, Pronger stepped in and became a vocal leader in
the locker room.  He was also the team’s best player and best defenseman, winning both the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP and the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the team’s most outstanding defenseman.

Pronger’s dominating defense helped lead the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals despite the team’s shaky goaltending from Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton. The Flyers appearance in the Finals would almost have certainly not happened without Pronger.

Now with Richards gone the charade that this is anything but Chris Pronger's team can end.

1. Signing Danny Briere

In the summer of 2007 there were three big free agents available: Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Danny Briere.

Many people felt the Flyers should target Drury, even more felt the Flyers should target Gomez. The New York Rangers shocked the hockey world by somehow signing both Drury and Gomez. Briere was almost assuredly going to sign with the Montreal Canadiens.  

The Flyers, however, persuaded him to sign with the club. Gomez lasted only two seasons in New York. Drury was eventually named captain of the Rangers, but New York never enjoyed the postseason success the Flyers had with Briere.

This summer the Rangers bought out Drury’s contract since a knee injury most likely means he'll be out the entire 2011-12 season. Briere’s signing in the summer of 2007 played a gigantic part of the franchise’s turnaround from the league’s worst team to Stanley Cup contender.

While Briere has posted good regular season numbers when healthy, (routinely winding up near the top of all scoring categories with the team) it has been his postseason performances that have stood out.

Briere was a huge factor in the Semi-Finals run of 2008, recording nine goals and seven assists for sixteen points in seventeen games. Briere’s play in the first round that season against the Capitals in the playoffs was especially good.

During the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup Finals run it was Briere’s line that led the offensive charge, scoring huge goals and posting big numbers. Briere himself scored 12 goals and 18 assists for a team-leading 30 points.

During the disappointing 2011 playoffs, Briere was second on the team in points amassing seven goals and two assists. He dominated aspects of the first round series against Buffalo.

In the future the Flyers look to have a great, skilled and fast one-two punch at center with Claude Giroux and Danny Briere.

Of all of the big name free agent signings made on that first day of free agency in July of 2007, the Flyers signing of Briere unquestionably was the best.