Update 2:45 PM EST
Following are transcripts of today's media conference call with Paul Holmgren and Michael Leighton, courtesy of the Flyers' PR department.
The most important parts:
1) The team has filed for an extension of Leighton's rehab assignment. If granted, he will remain with the team for two of its three games over the weekend.
2) The club is in no big hurry to activate Leighton from LTIR until they are sure he's healthy.
3) When he is activated, the plan is to carry three goaltenders for the short term. That would necessitate either a roster move or placing Ian Laperriere or Matt Walker on LTIR.
PAUL HOLMGREN
Q: Can you give us your update on Michael Leighton now?
“In terms of his health?”
Q: In terms of his health and what you’re going to do with him at this point.
“Well, he through the games on the weekend good, in my opinion he still needs more work. Right now we’re in the process of, or we already have this morning, filed for an extension for his conditioning assignment, as per the CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement] we can file. Hopefully they’ll grant us another two games. We should hear by today or tomorrow.”
Q: Paul if they do grant you the two games he’ll go back to the [Adirondack] Phantoms?
“Yes.”
Q: At that point, after two games, first of all, do you think two games is enough to get him into game shape for NHL action?
“Well, two more games is better than no games at this point. I think Michael needs to play. Rather than sticking him in with the Flyers, it’s a better option for us right now. He’s a big guy and he hasn’t really played a full game since September. I think, to get him a couple more games it’s going to be better for him and better for us.”
Q: Paul, does this kind of mean he’ll stay on long-term injury now for another week or so?
“Certainly for the time being he’s going to stay on, yes.”
Q: Paul, when you do bring him back after the two games, assuming you’re getting the two games for him to play, will you have to make a roster move to get him back onto the roster and would you be hesitant to carry three goalies?
“Well, we wouldn’t, I’m not sure we’d have to do anything given that Matt Walker and Ian [Laperriere] are still…well let me rephrase that. We would probably have to make some kind of a roster move and no, I would not be opposed to carrying three goalies for the short term, anyway. I think it’s, when Michael does, when we do take him off the long-term injured list and add him to our team, I’m a little leery about where he’s at physically still and I’d be a little leery of not having the insurance policy of the other goalies.”
Q: When do the Phantoms play?
“They don’t play again until Friday.”
Q: And then they play Saturday or Sunday, do you know?
“Actually they play Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
Q: So he could only be on the roster for two games?
“The way it’s worded in the CBA, the first window for a guy on the long-term, you have six days or three games. So, we utilized six [days] and there was two games in there and you can file for an extension of two more games, which is what we did this morning and we’re hoping to hear back.”
Q: If you’re granted that, then you have to make a decision after Saturday, is that correct?
“Well, I only have to make a decision on what to do if we take Michael off long-term injury.”
Q: Paul, I’m reading into what you just said there, if you had to take Michael off long-term, do you look at him right now and say he’s nowhere near ready to come off that list in your mind?
“Well, I think, on one hand I’m saying he needs to play more games, which is what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get the league to accommodate us to allow him to play more games in the American League. The back-side of what I’m saying is because of what he went through with his injury… like right now he’s healthy, his back is, but he does have some issues with his leg and I’m a little leery of doing anything else, whatever else might entail, and not leave ourselves covered. You guys asked the question about carrying three goalies, so I guess what I’m saying is, when Michael does come back, we’re probably going to carry three goalies.”
Q: Just to clarify, if he plays with you…if you want to take him off long-term injured reserve or bring him back, does he have to come back after Saturday’s game or does he have Sunday’s game as well?
“Well, that’s a good question. I think once we hear back from the league that we’re granting the two games, I guess we can ask the question at that point in time – can he play Friday/Sunday as opposed to Friday/Saturday. Does it have to be the next two available games.”
Q: But it is only two games that he has left?
“Right, according to the CBA it’s only two games.”
Q: Paul, can I ask you really quickly about [Sergei] Bobrovsky? I think a lot of us know about him, but, has his first two months in the regular season made this a jumbled situation for you as a GM?
“Well, it’s a nice problem to have. With the way it all played out for Sergei, he got opportunities and he obviously seized the opportunities. That’s good for him. And now we’re in a situation where it looks like we’re going to carry three goalies, at least for the foreseeable future, and that’s, you know, it’s not ideal but it is what it is. These guys are pros and they just have to deal with it. We certainly have no intention of sending Sergei down right now because we can, he doesn’t need waivers or anything. We’re not thinking like that.”
MICHAEL LEIGHTON
Q: Can you talk about your weekend with the Phantoms, both health-wise and game play?
“First of all, it was good for me to just get out and play some games. I got a good four days of practice in, which I think for me, was the biggest thing just to get out and get a whole hour, hour and a half practice and get a full net to myself. The weekend for me, it was obviously disappointing. We had two losses. But, on the other hand, it felt good to get back and play some games. I’m happy with the way things went. I felt pretty good. It was just a matter of getting back into games and playing again.”
Q: Paul [Holmgren] said that your leg was bothering you. Is it one leg, both legs?
“Well it’s still kind of the issue I had a little while ago. It has gotten better, but it’s still not to the point where I can say that it’s at 100%. The back feels good. Playing back to back, that was a pretty good test for it and I feel pretty good today. That’s a good sign. On the other hand, I still want to kind of make sure the foot is going to be good, and in the long term be good.”
Q: Which leg is it? Or is it both legs?
“That same leg I had a problem with.”
Q: Which leg is that?
“Left.”
Q: Is this something you expected and did the doctors say it will eventually go away?
“Yeah, it’s something that… it’s not just numbness, it’s just strength. The doctor did say that the nerve has to regenerate itself. It just takes time. It’s been longer than I expected, and the doc wasn’t quite sure how long it could take. I played two games with it, and I felt pretty good. It’s just certain movements and it doesn’t feel right. So we’re probably going to give it an extra week, which is going to be next Saturday. I think that will be good for me.”
Q: You’ve been through some uncomfortable situations in your career. Does this fit into that category, with Bobrovsky feeling so well?
“Well obviously I want to play. On the other hand, I don’t want to come back when I’m not at 100%. It’s not ideal for me to come back and not be at 100% and I don’t think its good for the team either. Me and Paul [Holmgren] and Jeff Reese talked this morning and it came to where this was the best thing for me and the team, for me to go down and play more games. I haven’t played since September. I played one game. Before that was the last game of the Stanley Cup Final. It has been a while, so I think the more games I get in, the better for me. If I have an opportunity to go down and play a few more games, then I’m fine with it.”
Q: Is your hope that your leg will be better by the end of the week?
“Well, I think in a way I could come back right now. But, again, I said that I would probably not be at 100%. These two extra games will definitely give me an extra week, an extra week of practice, and two more games so I should feel more comfortable. I’m hoping that the leg has progressed over the last two weeks. I’m hoping in a week that it’s going to be better and I’ll be closer to 100% than I am now. It’s probably going to be similar to what we did now. I’ll finish Saturday and we’ll have to reevaluate. If Paul [Holmgren] wants to take me off IR then, then great. But if I feel and he feels that I’m not ready, and the doc is still questioning it, then maybe I will stay on IR. It’s just kind of a wait-and-see thing. But right now the call is to go down and play a few more games, so let’s do it.”
Q: What does the leg affect? All aspects of goaltending, or just lateral movements?
“It’s not really hard to figure out. If you have a weakness in your foot and you’re moving around the net, you’re not going to feel as comfortable. Moving around, with certain movements, are going to trigger it a little bit. It just doesn’t feel like the other one does. The other one is at 100% and this one is not as good. It’s just kind of a comfort thing. I do feel somewhat comfortable but I just have to get to that point where I think that I can perform my best in the NHL instead of just being OK in the AHL.”
*****
The bottom line of the Flyers' weekend matinees against the lowly New Jersey Devils and the even lowlier New York Islanders is that Philly came away with four points and won both games in regulation. It wasn't pretty at times, and the Flyers had to come back from a pair of deficits against New Jersey and a third-period deficit against the Islanders, but they got the job done in the end. If this were last year in the regular season, I suspect the Flyers would have left at least one point on the table when all was said and done.
Yesterday's game was typical of many Flyers-Islanders games in recent years. Despite Philly's dominant record against the Isles -- 18 wins in the last 19 games -- many of the games have seen the Flyers scramble to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Yesterday, the Flyers played a solid (if rather dull) first period and then let themselves get lulled to sleep for the next 26 minutes of hockey. Next thing they knew, some loose play and a horrendous goal allowed by Sergei Bobrovsky turned a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 deficit in the span of 36 seconds. At that point, Philly finally woke up, played with urgency and found a way to prevail against an Islanders team that expects bad things to happen and has made it a self-fulfilling prophecy even when it plays hard.
Let's be brutally honest here: The current Islanders are basically the little sisters of the poor hockey team, and there really wasn't much for the Flyers to gain from this game.There was an opportunity for some players to pad their stats if Philly could manage a blowout and a chance to work out some of club's power play issues and correct its PK stumbles of the previous two games. The Flyers fell short of this ideal scenario, but it's still a win and that's all that matters.
You have to feel for Islanders fans. The team has dropped 17 of its last 18 games, gone 11 games without a single power play goal, and is playing without Kyle Okposo, Mark Streit, Doug Weight, Mike Mottau and Bruno Gervais. They've made a change behind the bench and drawn more publicity for banning blogger Chris Botta and for announcer Howie Rose bemoaning the already long season and depressing state of the team when he thought his mike was turned off than for any progress the team has shown on the ice.
Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com looks at the Islanders' sad situation from an on-ice perspective.
****
Speaking of bleak situations, the Adirondack Phantoms continue to be an utter mess. With their pair of losses this weekend, the Phantoms have now lost 10 games in a row for the second time this season. Their record before Greg Gilbert was fired was 2-10-1. Since John Paddock took over, their record is 1-10-1.
The more pressing issue from a Flyers standpoint is what to do with Michael Leighton. The goaltender played a decent game in his rehab start on Saturday, but followed it up with a poor game yesterday in the Phantoms 4-2 loss to Albany at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Afterward, Leighton pronounced himself fit and ready to return to the big club.
Paul Holmgren, who attended the game, wasn't so convinced. He noted that the player is still on LTIR and strongly suggested that he's in no rush to activate the goaltender. He also hinted that he may try to get an extension approved for Leighton to continue his rehab assignment -- either for the Phantoms or elsewhere.
“We’ll get him checked out [physically]” he told Chuck Gormley. “I’m not sure if he’s ready for NHL action. Ideally, we’ll try to get him some more games somewhere else.”
Asked what options other than the Phantoms the Flyers have available to them, Holmgren cryptically replied, “We’ll do what we need to do and you’ll find out then.”
Click
here for Gormley's blog and
here for Phantoms beat writer Tim McManus' take.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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