When free agency opened on July 1, the Flyers added three players (Jaromir Jagr, Max Talbot and Andreas Lilja) who are the owners of at least one Stanley Cup ring. Of the three acquisitions, the signing of Lilja was the one that got the most indifferent response.

I agree with those who would have preferred to see the Flyers re-sign Sean O'Donnell (who signed a one-year deal with Chicago for $850,000) rather than going for Lilja. However, it was primarily the intangibles that the 39-year-old O'Donnell brought to the team (savvy, toughness and leadership) rather than a huge gap in their playing capabilities that made me prefer O'Donnell to Lilja.

I suspect that Lilja will quickly become a whipping boy among certain Flyers fans. Older stay-at-home defensemen who are 6th or 7th in the rotation are frequently instant dartboards for the fans. I find it amusing how such "worthless" players have managed to play so many games in the NHL when they never seem do anything right.

To be certain, there are limitations to the 36-year-old Lilja's game. He's big (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) but a bit slow, especially at this stage of his career. He's not a great puckhandler and he will turn over some pucks, especially on failed clearing attempts. But that's not to say there are no benefits to having him in the lineup.

For one thing, he is an accomplished (and fearless) shot blocker. Last season with Anaheim, he was credited with 113 blocks in 52 games played. He has always averaged well over a block per game. Secondly, Lilja has never been afraid to take the body on his check. He has usually averaged about 1.5 to 1.75 hits per game (last season, he was credited with 92 hits), and led all Red Wings players in that department in 2007-08 when he was credited with 133 hits in 79 games. Of all the labels you can pin on Lilja, "soft" is definitely not one of them.

Although the "hits" stat is highly subjective and must always be taken with a grain of salt, it is worth noting that O'Donnell was credited with just 53 hits last season in 81 GP (88 hits in 78 games the previous season in Los Angeles). He also blocked a modest 76 shots last year (98 with LA in 2009-10). I think it's fair to say that O'Donnell has to pick his spots to get physical or block shots at this late stage of his career. He does it intelligently, but the Flyers should get a few more hits and blocks out of Lilja when he's in the lineup. The flip side of the coin is that O'Donnell showed last season that he's still an every-game starter. Although Lilja is almost four years younger, I don't think he's someone you want starting 75-plus games anymore.

In Anaheim, Lilja averaged 17:25 of ice time, and was often paired with one of the young defensemen in their lineup. That was probably a little too much ice time. Lilja's effectiveness has declined each year since 2007-08 (when he comfortably handled an average 18:13 of ice time with Detroit and could have taken on more if needed). At this stage of his career, he can be spotted for about 14-15 minutes on the third pairing during the regular season without major risk of being exposed.

As a sixth or seventh defenseman making a modest $737,500 on the cap, Lilja has enough to offer to justify the contract the Flyers gave him. It would have been better for the team if it were a one-year deal rather than a two-year arrangement. But I think he'll be OK in his assigned role if he plays about 65 games and his minutes are controlled.

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