The Flyers have generally done a good job at locking up the players they most want and need to keep before the players reach unrestricted free agency. They will have some challenging decisions to make over the next year about what do about Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle.

Both defensemen will become unrestricted free agents after the 2011-12 season. The 26-year-old Coburn currently earns $3.2 million on the salary cap as part of the two-year deal he signed last offseason. Carle, who will turn 27 during training camp, will earn $3.44 million against the cap ($3.8 million in actual money) in the final season of a four-year deal he signed in 2008 prior to his trade to Philadelphia.

While there is a contingent of fans who feel that Carle is not worth the money and that Coburn is a little too inconsistent in his play to be worth much more than he currently receives, both defensemen are pretty highly regarded around the NHL.

Like most of his teammates, Carle did not have a good series against Boston. His power play work this season was not as good as it was the previous season (especially when he got off to a red hot start offensively). Some also gripe about Carle's lack of a physical game. Nevertheless, he remains arguably the Flyers' second-best outlet passer starting the rush (I'd give the nod to Kimmo Timonen) and he is usually reasonably reliable in own end of the ice. He has generally made a very solid partner for a healthy Pronger.

I thought Coburn was one of the Flyers' two best defenseman (along with Andrej Meszaros) during much of the post All-Star break juncture of the season where little else seemed to be going right for the club. I have always thought that Coburn, who is a really bright guy off the ice, sometimes falls victim to paralysis by analysis.

When Cobie keeps things simpler and simply plays his game, not worrying about mistakes, he is more effective. There was a point this season where his confidence seemed to be soaring and he had a run of games where he was a monster physically and he used his unusual combination of size and speed to pinch effectively in the offensive zone. His play was not as good in the playoffs.

With Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen both aging and in iffy health, I think it's imperative that the club be able to sign both Coburn and Carle beyond next season -- or at least be able to acquire another bonafide NHL defenseman if one player (more likely Carle) were to be traded.

There is really not a slam-dunk replacement in the farm system right now. Erik Gustafsson will get his chance next season to crack the top six or least top seven, but still has work to do on the defensive side of the game. Oskars Bartulis is coming off a major injury and has often seemed to lack confidence in his game. Farmhands Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon remain rather suspect as viable candidates for promotion.

Matt Walker and his $1.7 million cap hit are still around for two more seasons. He will receive $1.9 million in actual dollars this season. With Sean O'Donnell slated to become an unrestricted agent on July 1, Walker currently stands to compete with Gustafsson and Bartulis for the number six spot on the depth chart. However, the 31-year-old Walker's health remains a concern and his salary alone makes him a candidate to once again be waived in an effort to clear cap space next season.

Personally, I would really like to see the Flyers find a way to manage their cap numbers sufficiently this summer to re-sign O'Donnell to another one-year deal. I think the veteran showed in the playoffs, as well as early this season (before hitting a wall midseason, largely due to injuries) that he is a true pro who can still play effectively in a third pairing role. O'Donnell has such a good head for the game.

Apart from his defensive play, no one on the team was better or smarter than O'Donnell in knowing when to pick a spot to drop the gloves if the team needed an emotional lift. Quite frankly, I think O'Donnell did a better job in that department than Jody Shelley. There were at least two games this season where a well-chosen fight by O'Donnell was a turning point in a game that turned into a Flyers victory after starting out poorly. I will never forget how O'Donnell even managed to take Nathan Horton off for five minutes in the Boston series. Alas, the rest of the Flyers team failed to build momentum off what should have been a spark for the club.

In his postseason wrapup, Paul Holmgren said that he told O'Donnell -- who is leaning toward playing one more season, and would like to do it here -- that the two sides will stay in touch over the summer. It is far from a certainty that O'Donnell (who received $1.3 million this past season) can be fit in under the cap. It should also be noted that O'Donnell came to Philly last season despite the fact that his family makes its permanent home on the west coast. He will turn 40 on October 31.

It will be understandable if the Flyers have to say goodbye to O'Donnell after his one season here. But his professionalism on and off the ice, mind for the game and play over the balance of the season and postseason will be missed if he does not come back. Given the roster choice between Walker and a soon-to-be 40-year-old O'Donnell, I'd still take O'Donnell. If Sean goes, Walker's physicality will have to be weighed against his salary when planning next year's roster. One thing is for sure -- there is no shot the Flyers enter next season with both players. The cap won't allow it.

Join the Discussion: » Comments » Post New Comment

» Lightning Strike Takes Down Jets

» Practice Day, Ersson, Jay Greenberg, A Personal Note

» Flyers Gameday: Game 12 vs. BOS

» Wrap: Brink Lifts Flyers over Blues, 2-1

» Game 11 Preview: Flyers vs. STL