Of all of the off-season question marks the Flyers need to address, adding size and grit to the scoring lines the one that it most likely to go unaddressed. I think the need for a goaltender and a long-term plan on defense are the top two priorities right now.

Team toughness is just that -- a teamwide trait. You need your skill lines to be competitive physically, the same as you need your role players to do. It matters less who your enforcer is or where the team ranks in terms of fighting majors as it does about being a hard team to play against.

One likely departure on the team that I think will hurt in terms of team toughness is Sean O'Donnell. He knows when to pick his spots and understands the difference between smart toughness and undisciplined play.

I know that some people believe that Jody Shelley served as a deterrent to other teams taking runs at Flyers skill players, but I just didn't see it. Shelley wasn't on the ice nearly enough to make a difference and, when he was, he was mostly likely to engage with the other team's heavyweight (or closest facsimile thereof). He got suspended for a couple questionable hits this season but, generally speaking, Shelley mostly did some mucking and grinding and dropped the gloves. He wasn't a liability when given some shifts, but I don't think he made enough impact on the ice to justify his salary.

Although his effort can't be faulted, Shelley is not enough of a "playing enforcer", at least not in comparison to players like Donald Brashear or Sandy McCarthy. One legitimate criticism levied at Brash was that he sometimes fought on his own agenda rather than the team's. With McCarthy, the criticism was that he'd score a few goals and think he was suddenly a high-skill player rather than being there for toughness.

But both of those guys could skate some shifts on lines other than the fourth unit. As such, they did create some extra operating room for their linemates. Who could Shelley create room for, Blair Betts and Darroll Powe? Playing just an average 6:13 per game, there is only so much that Shelley can do to make a difference.

While I recognize that there are intangibles involved -- locker room presence, work habits, etc -- I would argue that the Flyers would not only be better off capwise going with a younger, cheaper player such as Tom Sestito and there would be little practical difference on the ice or in the win-loss column.

To some extent, I think the Flyers missed Arron Asham this past season. He had a good season in 2009-10 and no one really filled the role he played. When Asham is on, he can be highly effective on the ice even apart from dropping the gloves. But Asham was a player who also took his fair share of games off, plus he reportedly was not a favorite of Peter Laviolette's (despite dressing throughout the 2010 playoffs). I will not comment about any off-ice rumors because I don't know if there's any truth behind them. I do know that he was well-liked by his teammates and he seemed like a personable guy in my own limited dealings with him.

Dan Carcillo is an interesting case. Should the Flyers give the RFA a qualifying offer or turn him loose to free up salary cap space?

I thought he had a strong season in 2009-10, but was not nearly as effective this past season. Whether it was his recovery from sports hernia surgery or whatever the case may be, he was ineffective early in the season and played his way onto the scratch sheet. As the season progressed, he was inconsistent.

There were stretches where he gave the team energy and toughness -- and popped a few timely goals -- but just as many where Carcillo either invisible or noticeable for the wrong reasons. He did himself no favors with his constant yapping at officials and his reputation for embellishing also works against him.

The Carcillo of 2009-10 is arguably worth qualifying at his $1.075 million salary. The player we saw this past season is absolutely not worth it. Zac Rinaldo can provide the same sort of reckless play at half the cost. Like Carcillo, Rinaldo can play a little bit, too, but he'll never score double-digit goals (as Carcillo has done twice so far in his NHL career).

Ultimately, the decision on Carcillo will come down to the outlook on signing Ilya Bryzgalov and the other move(s) that get made between now and July 1.

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