Over the course of the entire 2010-11 regular season, Peter Laviolette has steadfastly refused to publicly name the starting goalie for the next game until game day. Therefore, it was newsworthy that on the same day that Michael Leighton cleared re-entry waivers and rejoined the team, Laviolette announced that Sergei Bobrovsky would be the starting goaltender on Friday night in Buffalo and for the start of the playoffs. He also said the Brian Boucher would remain in his current role.
The rationale behind it was obvious. Laviolette wanted to proactively eliminate a goaltending controversy and take a little pressure off Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher. Will it work? I doubt it. The next time either Bobrovsky or Boucher lets in a bad goal in a loss, the Leighton questions will surface all over again.
That said, the Flyers clearly had no choice but to bring Leighton back up when they did. Teams routinely carry three goaltenders during the playoffs, and the chances of getting Leighton successfully through re-entry waivers would have been much lower if the Flyers tried to do it in an emergency during the playoffs.
For example, suppose the Flyers play Buffalo in the first round (which they currently would) and there's an injury to either Bobrovsky or Boucher. If the Flyers were to try to recall Leighton then, there would be nothing to stop the Sabres -- or a potential opponent in the next round -- from claiming Leighton. Even though Leighton would not be eligible to play for the other club until next season, the other club could force the Flyers to go with Johan Backlund -- who had an awful season for the Phantoms -- or ECHL goaltender Nicola Riopel as their second goaltender.
The Flyers have played with fire all year with their goaltending rotation. They gambled that they could make due with a rookie and a journeyman veteran if they upgraded the blueline. For the most part, the goalies have delivered. However, the jury is still very much out on the rookie Bobrovsky and veterans Boucher and Leighton (especially in light of his still-iffy back).
I had a back-and-forth text message discussion with Eklund yesterday about the Flyers goalies. He feels that the club's cap-related inability to bring in a proven veteran starting goaltender at the trade deadline has contributed to the club's struggles down the stretch.
I pointed out that, with the exception of the March 17 (in Atlanta) and Washington losses, goaltending really hasn't been a factor. He responded that there's a lack of confidence issue in the locker room that also existed last year, and that at least last year's club played with more confidence in front of Leighton than Boucher -- both offensively and defensively.
I'm still not sure I buy it. The Flyers' inability to produce on the power play and the stretches in which they simply fail to move their feet has nothing to do with the goaltending. However, one could argue that a lack of faith in the goalies would play into their skittishness protecting leads (even if the resulting opposition goals were not the fault of the goaltender).
Ultimately, though, I think to say that the Flyers' issues significantly stem from lack of confidence in the goalies -- no matter how the goalies have actually been playing in the decided majority of the games -- is to make excuses for the rest of the team. In a non-cap world, they probably would have had a goalie like Tomas Vokoun between the pipes right now, but that's not the landscape of the league anymore.
I have no idea what Bobrovsky will do in the playoffs, nor do I have an inkling of how much of a positive or negative the goaltending will prove to be for the club. I do know this, however. If the rest of the team plays with the focus and intensity they showed in the Washington game and the win in Pittsburgh, the Flyers should be poised for another deep run. If they play like they have for most of the post-All Star break period, they could have Bernie Parent in his prime in goal, and I still wouldn't like their chances.
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With Ben Holmstrom having been sent back to the Phantoms, it looks like Danny Briere (groin) is going to play tomorrow. Blair Betts (knee) and Jody Shelley (fractured orbital bone) seem less likely to be ready. There has not been an update on Chris Pronger (hand surgery) so far this week.
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Sad news today: Former Flyers assistant coach and VP of NHL Central Scouting E.J. McGuire passed away today at age 58 after losing his battle with cancer.
He was one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. He was helpful to me whenever I had a draft related question for articles I worked on. No matter how busy he was, he found time to answer emails or return phone calls.
McGuire, an extremely bright and articulate man who obtained a Ph.D. in kinesiology (with a sports psychology specialization) was best known in Philadelphia for his stint as one of Mike Keenan's assistant coaches. He joked that his main job under Keenan was to "clean the blood off the walls" after Keenan's infamous -- and often premeditated -- locker room meltdowns. Keenan often turned to McGuire to serve as the good cop after a tirade by the head coach, offering chastised players encouragement to build them back up again.
He also worked as Keenan's assistant in Rochester and with the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as serving as an Ottawa Senators assistant coach and a scout before heading the NHL's Central Scouting bureau.
Away from the NHL, he put his doctorate to use by writing several professional journal articles and book chapters in his field of expertise. He was a frequent presenter at various academic symposia. He also conducted hockey coaching clinics across North America.
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Former Flyers forward Sami Kapanen, who is the majority owner of the KalPa Kuopio club in Finland's SM-Liiga, announced that he will be returning to the ice next season as active player for KalPa. He had retired after the 2009-10 season.
Current Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen and forward Scott Hartnell are minority owners of the KalPa club.
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Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com looks at the controversial Marian Hossa goal that changed the momentum of last night's Chicago vs. St. Louis game.
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