Philadelphia Flyers 2013-14 Season Preview

2013 Recap
Good lord. Where do I start? This team was downright bad last year. The Flyers were poor at even-strength, the defense was a mess, injuries decimated the team and the goaltending was once again a disaster. Needless to say, the Flyers didn’t make the playoffs.

So how did they improve to get back to the playoffs? Paul Holmgren made a mockery of the salary cap, spent a ton of money of forwards, some more money on an old defenseman, and brought in a goalie that went unbeaten in regulation off the bench for the best hockey team the league has seen in years. At least he did SOMETHING right in buying out Ilya Bryzgalov and Danny Briere, but everyone expected that to happen.

So now that they’re finally healthy and the circus brought on by Bryzgalov is gone, are they better off for it?

Give me a reason to post a picture of a guy with a sweet mustache, and I’m going to take it. Claude Giroux has plenty to prove heading into an Olympic year.

Forwards
Perhaps only the Penguins can say they boast a group of forwards as dangerous as this one. Not something you’d expect to hear about a team that missed the playoffs.

Claude Giroux is back from a freak golfing injury, and is joined by a stellar supporting cast that features Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds, etc. I like the addition of Vincent Lecavalier to the second line. While he may not be the offensive he once was, he’s still an effective player that will help the team out. Jakub Voracek had a great year last year, but he’s been hurt for most of the preseason.

Guys like Matt Read, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Max Talbot are all capable of scoring from the third and fourth lines. Zac Rinaldo is still on the team, and will probably be suspended more often than not.

Defense
When healthy, this defensive unit isn’t bad. But health was a big problem last year. Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Luke Schenn and new Flyer Mark Streit make up the top-four. Nicklas Grossmann and the oft-injured Andrej Meszaros make up the remainder of the top-six.

Again, not an awful unit, but they can’t afford to suffer any serious injuries. They have a nice mix of physical guys and pucker movers, but they all need to be better to keep the focus off the goaltending.

Who am I kidding? There will always be complaints about the goaltending.

Goaltending
I don’t hate the move to bring back Ray Emery. He had a nice year with Chicago last year and the Flyers got him for a good price. But he ain’t playing behind the defensive juggernaut that the Hawks had last year. He and Steve Mason are going to be tested alot this year. Mason was good after being traded to Philly, but that was for a team heading nowhere. It will be fun to see how they both fare in a full year in goaltending hell. But wake me when someone starts talking about bears in the forest. I demand to be entertained!

The Hat Trick

1. Even Strength Nightmares
Did you know the Flyers finished in the top-10 in both special team areas this year? I didn’t until I actually looked. That just goes to show how bad they were at 5-on-5 last year. Since that’s where most of the game is played, the Flyers need to clean up their act in order to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.

2. Who Carries the Mail in Goal?
Some things never change. I expect the Flyers to use a platoon in net until further notice. At some point, I expect Emery to earn the bulk of the starts. But how will they both fare behind a questionable defense? Man is it gonna be fun to watch.

3. All About Giroux
I don’t know if there’s a player in the league that has more to prove this year than Claude Giroux. After being touted as the “best player in the world” after the team’s win over Pittsburgh in 2012, Giroux had a bit of a rough year in 2013. Now he has some incentive not only to re-establish himself as a player that’s at the same level as Sidney Crosby, but he’s in the mix to represent Canada in the Olympics. I expect a big year from Giroux, who is one of the most entertaining players in the league to watch.

Prediction
They’ll score alot, but they’ll give up alot of goals. In this division, that’s a recipe for trouble. I think the Flyers will be in the mix for a playoff spot, but come up just short. Fifth in Metropolitan.

Must-Follow Flyers Twitter Account
Follow Scott Hartnell and enjoy his special brand of self-deprecation. Just do it.

–I am Ryan Thomas, and these previews are only gonna get shorter. Follow me on Twitter @rthomas_22, because I could use the followers.

2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

A Look Back to 2010-11
The Leafs finally took a step back in the right direction last year. Young players finally got their chance to step in to the lineup and perform. That led to career years for Mikhail Grabovski, Nik Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur gave Phil Kessel the support he needed. The Leafs also got production from grinders such as Tyler Bozak and Colby Armstrong, and they became the kind of team that Brian Burke loves to build; a tough, physical team that’s tough to play against each night. The team still had trouble when it came to keeping the puck out of their net with J.S. Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson struggling each night. That problem may have been solved with the emergence of James Reimer. Reimer took over when both Gustavsson and Giguere were hurt and brought the team all the way back into the playoff hunt. They fell short, but with the talent they got for Tomas Kaberle and how the team finished last season, this team is finally back on its way to relevance. Grade: B (I didn’t expect them get back into contention the way they did. Strong effort by the Leafs last year.)

A Look Ahead to 2011-12

Forwards

Tim Connolly could be the center help that the Leafs have needed for years.

The team’s top offensive option remains Phil Kessel. Kessel still has one of the top shots in the game and isn’t afraid to let that shot rip. He’s the team’s safest bet offensively. Now, as good as MacArthur, Kulemin and Grabovski were last year, they need to do it again if this team wants any chance to make a run at the playoffs. Kulemin and Grabovski found a home playing with Kessel and MacArthur had a great season on the second line. Joffrey Lupul will be with the team for his first full season and is someone that can take some pressure off Kessel if he’s able to stay healthy. The team got some much needed help at center by adding Tim Connolly from Buffalo and Matt Lombardi from Nashville. When healthy, Connolly and Lombardi bring outstanding speed and play-making ability. However, Connolly has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his career and Lombardi suffered a concussion early last season and sat out the rest of the year. Lombardi may not be ready for the season, but Connolly will be and needs to stay healthy in order for the team to compete. Playing on the bottom two lines is a lot of toughness and sandpaper with Armstrong, Bozak, Darryl Boyce, Joey Crabb, Jay Rosehill and Colton Orr. This group of forward won’t be easy to play against each night. Even better news for Leafs fans, is the amount of help in the minors. Joe Colborne, Nazem Kadri, Jerry D’Amigo, Luca Caputi and Robert Slaney could all challenge for roster spots, but the team expects Colborne to be a major part of their future. Grade: C+ (Still plenty of questions about guys producing the way  they did last year and the health of Connolly, Lombardi and Lupul.)

Dion Phaneuf remains the most inportant part of the Toronto defense.

Defense

I know I’ve said it in the past, but this year the Leafs are loaded on the back end. Too many bodies and not enough spots on the Toronto defense. The guarantee is that Dion Phaneuf will be in the lineup each night. I’m thinking that with as much help that he’s going to have this year, Phaneuf will have a rebound season and see his stats go back to what they were in his first couple of years in Calgary. While Phaneuf brings the offense and physical play, newcomers Cody Franson and John-Michael Liles join Phaneuf and Carl Gunnarsson as four d-men that can produce from the back end. Franson could be the steal of the offseason, as he was great for Nashville last year and only 23. Mike Komisarek looks to actually be healthy this year, but if he’s not, Keith Aulie and Luke Schenn will round out the Toronto defense. This defense is still very young, but with Phaneuf, Komisarek and Liles on board, they’ll have ample mentors and the number of goals against for the Leafs should go down considerably. Not far down the road, top defensive prospect Jake Gardiner will be ready to join this group. Yikes. Grade: B (They’re deep, but for some reason the Leafs have had trouble preventing goals with good defenses. This should change this year as Aulie and Schenn continue to improve.)

James Reimer looks to build off of a solid rookie season that saw him post the lowest GAA for a Leafs goalie since 2004.

Goaltending
Can anyone name the last time the Maple Leafs entered the season with a starting goalie that came through their system? It was Felix Potvin all the way back in 1993. Since then, imports Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph, Vesa Toskala, Giguere, and Andrew Raycroft have all been brought in to be the solution in net. While Joseph and Belfour were each very good, the latter were all very, very bad. So it’s a breath of fresh air for Leafs’ Nation to see a good young goalie in Reimer get his chance to play. They could have taken a run at Tomas Vokoun in the offseason, but elected to reward Reimer for his great play last year. I love that Brian Burke did this, and I think Reimer is ready to be the starter. He’s a big goalie that takes away plenty of net. He’s going to have to grind out the long NHL season, but he will have Gustavsson back to spell him when he needs it. If Gustavsson is dealt away by the Leafs, which is possible, Jussi Rynnas or Ben Scrivens could step into the backup role. Rynnas is the team’s top goaltending prospect and is the most likely to get a shot at the team this year. No more spending on big name goalies for Toronto, and it’s about time. Grade B- (Reimer will struggle through a whole season, but he’ll be just fine late in the year.)

Prediction
Leafs fans have been waiting for eight years to see it, but they’ll be back in the playoffs this year. They could struggle to score at times, but Brian Burke is aggressive enough to make a bold move to add a scorer. If, and I stress that word, Connolly, Lombardi and Lupul are healthy all year, they will give the East’s top seed a tough series in the opening round. 3rd in Northeast, 8th in East