OK. about the defense...

[BobClarkeRulesAll]

Because I can't sleep right now...

Well, let's be honest: No one who roots for the Orange-and-Black is likely thrilled about the free-agent signings of Nolan Baumgartner and Lars Jonsson.

At best, I would assume that the majority of fans are ambivalent, while some may feel that even with the signings, the Flyers haven't improved at all -- and we all saw what that means. (I, for one, can still see Tim Connolly going three-quarters of the ice, then backing off Eric Desjardins and Denis Gauthier because they were too afraid to step up at the blueline, then going top-shelf on Robert Esche from the bottom of the freaking circles, in the slot, in the playoffs. As you can tell, I may NEVER forget that goal. But I digress...)

So, worst-case scenario: Baumgartner is no better than Desjardins -- who was brutal down the stretch and in the playoffs, and I've got the videotape to prove it -- and Jonsson, well, can't play. So then what do the Flyers have?

D1: Hatcher-Meyer
D2: Pitkanen-Rathje
D3: Gauthier-Baumgartner

I have no way of knowing what's going to happen, obviously. I have no insight, really, into the organization's thinking. But after watching Bob Clarke's moves for 20 years, I feel comfortable saying one thing:

Simply put, one of Hatcher or Rathje won't finish the season with the team. But I'll go one step further and guess that one of them won't START the season with the team. Clarke has been wrong before with some of his moves, yes, but one thing I feel he's always done is been honest about what he has and what he doesn't have, at least internally. I'm sure he knows that he can't have the threesome of Hatcher, Rathje and Gauthier -- at most, you can only carry two of the three.

Gauthier's the youngest, and the meanest. So I've got to believe, deep down, that Clarke is going to move one of the other two guys this summer -- and yes, I know that Rathje has a no-trade, and I wouldn't be surprised if Hatcher does, too.

Yet, under the radar, Clarke recently signed '01 draft pick Jussi Timonen (brother of Kimmo of the Predators) to a TWO-YEAR deal. Everybody knows one thing about European players: They don't come over to play in the minors, you know? Now, since I've never seen the guy play, I'm not saying that Timonen's going to be one of the top 6 -- but I sure feel comfortable saying that Timonen's not planning to be on the Phantoms, either, you know?

So, knowing that LA GM Dean Lombardi loves Mike Rathje (he drafted him in San Jose and recommended the Flyers sign him) and that Ken Hitchcock has absolute faith in Derian Hatcher -- hey, a guy captains a Cup winner for you, that makes sense -- I've got to believe that the Flyers have at least thought about how to get Rathje to waive that no-trade, if not talked about it with another team.

Can a deal get done? Hell, I don't know. It's 2:00 in the morning, and I'm not smart enough to figure that out.

But right now, the Flyers are bringing over two Euros in Jonsson and Timonen who can skate very well, if you believe what you read. And the Flyers desperately need that. And Alexandre Picard is, at most, another season away. And everybody who has watched Bob Clarke's moves over the years should know this by now: He doesn't bring guys free agents in to not play them.

So...who knows? Just something to talk about/think about...

[Blindside]

I'm happy with the signing of Baumer as a #4-6 blueliner. Alot of Vancouver fans were more upset by him leaving than Jovo. He can skate, he makes great outlet passes and he can QB a #2 PP unit (as long as he doesn't shoot). I would have preferred Joe Corvo or Filip Kuba or Mark Eaton, but Baumgartner is a BIG step up over Rico at this point. Plus maybe the other guys were too much of a financial commitment with several key RFA's still unsigned.
I think Jonsson has TONS of potential and a huge offensive upside. Boston drafted him in the first round a few years ago and that's from a team that drafted stars like Thornton (although that was an easy pick), Samsonov and Boynton. This guy is still young, has a good set of wheels and has consistently been improving his game in Europe.
Also, even more overlooked are the signings of Robitaille and Murray. Both these guys can fly and contribute in both ends of the ice. Both are big-time upgrades over cement-footed Stevenson and the useless penalty minute sponge Brashear.

[puckhead63]

I wish we would have somehow gone after Kubina

[sh0ck]

Originally Posted by puckhead63

I wish we would have somehow gone after Kubina

I was hoping the Sens were going to sign his as well. But it turns out after a little bit research and reading some articles, he wasn't worth the price tag.

In Kubina at $5 million/year you get:

5 goals ($1 million/goal)
38 points (26 from the Power Play)
-12 +/- during the season (-6 in 5 games in Round 1 of the playoffs)

----------

I think right now Philly is looking for help at keeping the puck out of the net. 2 maybe even 3 defensively responsible Tier 2 and Tier 3 defenceman could be signed and they'll do a lot more than Kubina.

[Blindside]

I wanted absolutely no part of Kubina, especially at $5M per year. What a waste that was in TO.