Nicklas Grossman: Does He Solve the Flyers' Defense Issue?

We all knew the Philadelphia Flyers would make a trade to address their defensive issues.

We’re just not sure if this is that trade.

For the Flyers, the blue line has been an issue all season. Coming into 2011-12 with five established defensemen in Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros, the team looked like defense would be an afterthought while a rookie-heavy offense tried to develop.

Instead, the offense has thrived and the defense has dealt with the loss of the team’s captain, Pronger, as well as poor performances from Meszaros and Coburn in their own zone. As the team cycled through worn-out veteran Andreas Lilja and a litany of rookies in Kevin Marshall, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustaffson, it became painstakingly clear that the team needed to add something to the back end.

Rumor had everyone from Shea Weber to Luke Schenn to Hal Gill joining the Flyers, but at its core, the Flyers simply needed size in the defensive zone.

With Bourdon and Gustaffson in the lineup as the fifth and sixth defensemen, the Flyers only had two blue-liners over six-feet tall. While puck-moving, offensive threats like Kimmo Timonen and Matt Carle have their place in the lineup, the team needed size in front of their own net to keep opponents from capitalizing on rebounds and screens.

At 6’4”, 230 pounds, Nicklas Grossman’s size, if nothing else, is a welcome addition.

Offense will not be a part of Grossman’s contributions, as the former Star has only three goals and 31 points to contribute in the last four seasons of his career. Despite helping the Flyers in their own zone, where they need it most, Grossman will not replace the power play production.

The acquisition of Grossman creates a dilemma: Do the Flyers consider their squad rounded out, or do they continue to pursue a stronger defensive presence?

Grossman appears to fit the mold of a former midseason acquisition, Andrew Alberts: big, physical and entirely focused on defense. As a fifth or sixth defenseman, Grossman is ideal. However, some would argue that the Flyers were shopping for a more highly-touted defenseman, one with better PP presence and the ability to log more ice time.

The Grossman trade almost seems to be problematic. The Flyers haven’t truly addressed what they lost in Pronger, but they also haven’t left themselves with enough roster space to make a second move for a defenseman. By acquiring Grossman, Holmgren appears to have made a half-commitment to improving the defense. He will either leave the team lacking something on the blue line or he will end up over-investing in the defense, leaving capable players like Grossman or Bourdon in the locker room.

Unless, of course, Holmgren puts Matt Carle on the market.

This Grossman trade just may have made things more interesting.