Nicklas Grossman: Philadelphia Flyers Address Need with Acquistion of Grossman

The value proposition. The bargain. Receiving a greater value than giving.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers acquired defenseman Nicklas Grossman from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2012 second-round draft pick and a 2013 third-round draft pick. Grossman is a beast of a man, standing at 6'3" tall and weighing a powerful 227 pounds.

Grossman is a prototypical stay-at-home defenseman. He rarely takes careless forays into the offensive zone, and he has a knack for taking offensive players to the ice. He is among the NHL league leaders in blocked shots and shorthanded minutes on ice this season.

One of the most glaring weakness of the Flyers is their ineffective penalty killing, particularly on home ice. Perhaps the youngsters like Sean Couturier and Matt Read are tiring with the rigors of an 82-game NHL regular season, perhaps the Flyers' defense corps lacks physicality or perhaps the goaltending has not performed to par.

Grossman is not a panacea for all the Flyers' woes, but his physical play, defensive positioning, shot-blocking ability and experience will prove vital to this Flyers' team.

The Flyers defense as a whole, sans Grossman, is built for the new NHL—a smooth-skating group that lacks physicality. In a game of constant motion, the Flyers would have one of the best back lines in the NHL. The game does slow down, particularly in forechecking situations and on power plays. Physical defensemen still have a place in the NHL.

Grossman attacks opponents with a blind, undiscriminating eye. He has dropped stars like the Edmonton Oilers' Ales Hemsky and the Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry this season, but he will also drop bottom six forwards.

Bottom line: NHL players should note when the new No. 8 is on the ice. If you are wearing a different colored jersey, you are a target of Mr. Nicklas Grossman.