Philadelphia Flyers: Roster Decisions; Who's in and Who's Out?

I decided to let the dust settle before giving my take on the Flyers future, as it is difficult to be objective when you are filled with rage and disappointment.

Although, if there is one positive from the early playoff exit, it’s that general manger Paul Holmgren gets almost two months to weigh his options.

And since it is still too early to start pondering free agents and potential trades, I am going to focus on the Flyers current roster and decide which players should remain and which should start to pack their bags.

Players to Keep

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 02: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 2, 2011 in Philadelphia, Penns

Claude Giroux: May be the best all-around player on the team.

James van Riemsdyk: Playoff performance could be just the beginning.

Mike Richards: Only a poor leader when the Flyers lose, he is the team’s best penalty killer.

Andrej Meszaros: Holmgren’s top 2010 offseason move, second on the team in hits.

Braydon Coburn: Steady defenseman, starting to show a physical side.

Sergei Bobrovsky: Unquestioned athleticism to be a starting goaltender, and he will still be 22 when training camp begins.

Keep, But There is No Choice Anyway

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 30: Danny Briere #48 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrates a Flyers goal against the Boston Bruins in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 30, 2

Danny Briere: One bounce-back season isn’t enough for teams to take on the four years, $26 million left on this contract.

Chris Pronger: Still important to the team, but his age and back injury make him a keeper.

Re-Sign If the Price Is Right

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 26: Ville Leino #22 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates down the ice against the Buffalo Sabres in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 26, 2011

Ville Leino: Poor second half and playoff showing may cost him millions, with only 11 goals and 11 assists in his last 42 games 

Darroll Powe: Nice third-or-fourth-line player, he led the team in hits with limited ice time. He is solid for under a million a year.

Daniel Carcillo: Decent middleweight fighter, which is really all you need in today’s NHL.

Don't Re-Sign

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PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 03: Nikolay Zherdev #93 of The Philadelphia Flyers in action against the Toronto Maple Leafs during their game on March 3, 2011 at The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Nikolay Zherdev: He will continue to be the go-to whipping boy if he stays on the team

Nick Boynton: We hardly knew ye, and don’t really want to either.

Brian Boucher: Laviolette has too much confidence in him, so Holmgren can’t leave him as an option.

Mostly Likely to Be Traded

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 12: Kris Versteeg #10 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against the Atlanta Thrashers on March 12, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Kris Versteeg: He never clicked with Richards, although it may be a hard sell to trade a guy to his fourth team in a calendar year.

Matt Carle: His numbers are inflated from playing with Pronger, and hopefully other teams didn’t notice his frequent poor decisions.

Should Be Traded, but Won't

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Jeff Carter #17 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Buffalo Sabres during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2011 in Philadelphia

Jeff Carter: His name is coming up in trade rumors, however, Holmgren isn’t one to admit he made a mistake, and trading Carter within six months of giving him an 11-year, $58 million contract would be doing just that

Jody Shelley: If he’s so great in the locker room, you can trade him to another team and let him lose fights for them.

Blair Betts: If he’s so great on the penalty kill, you can trade him to another team and let him lose puck battles for them.

Should Be Traded but Can't

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BUFFALO NY - JANUARY 11: Scott Hatnell #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers shoots the puck into the empty net against the Buffalo Sabres during their NHL game at HSBC Arena January 11, 2011 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

Scott Hartnell: A 25-goal and 25-assist guy with a tendency to disappear, making his $8.4 million over the next two seasons difficult to unload

Kimmo Timonen: He is injured or he is getting old. Either way, there is no way to dump the two years and $12.6 million owed to him

Matt Walker: The Flyers would love to get rid of his $1.7 million salary (just like the Lightning did), but his injury makes that nearly impossible

Michael Leighton: Even if he admits that he is still hurt, the Flyers are going to have to swallow the $1.55 million left on this contract.

No Opinion

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 14: Andreas Nodl #15 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against the Buffalo Sabres in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 14, 2011 in Philadelphia

Andreas Nodl: At least he is getting better. May be a fallback option to replace Betts

Sean O'Donnell: He had a solid first half of the season and a poor second half, and he turns 40 in October.

Oskars Bartulis: He didn’t thrill me before he was injured.

Danny Syvret: He is turning 26 in June and has yet to make an impression in the NHL.