Training Camp winding down, Roster seemingly set
So, since it’s been a while since anybody has posted anything, I’d thought it would be good to take a quick look at some of the stories surrounding the roster before the start of the season. With the season finally starting, I’ll try to contribute more often. The opener draws near, and the Flyers’ roster seems to be intact at this point. The past week has had some interesting developments as well.
First, Randy Jones time in the orange and black has seemingly come to an end. Awarded a 2 year, $5.5 million deal at the end of the 2007-08 season, the pressure and scrutiny have been intense for the once undrafted free-agent. Jones first cracked the lineup in the disastrous 06-07 campaign, displaying a good feel for the offensive game, while not showing any real willingness to play physical. Aside from a disastrous hit on Boston’s Patrice Bergeron in late 2007, he had a solid 07-08 campaign, which he parlayed into the new contract. The $2.75 cap hit was seen as too much for a guy who would at best play 15-18 minutes a game this season. The trade for Matt Carle last year seemingly sealed his fate. While a bad camp and poor showing this preseason may have attributed to it, he has almost an identical skillset to Carle, yet wouldn’t be seeing top-4 minutes. He’s cleared waivers, and may receive the Denis Gauthier treatment this year. Two things worry me. Personally, I love the guy, and have been one of his biggest fans, so seeing him waved doesn’t make me too happy. I understand he makes too much for a 5-6th defenseman, so his only choice was to have an outstanding camp, and he blew it. Sending him to the AHL creates 2 problems. One, he’s taking a spot away from a player who has a chance to see top-4 minutes, like say a Kevin Marshall or a Marc-Andre Bourdon. Two, there is the possibility that Holmgren brings him back through re-entry waivers, which means the team is on the hook for half of that $2.75 million. I’m sure both options, in addition to his whipping boy status, make a him public enemy number one for Flyers fans at this point. It will certainly be interesting to see how this one plays out over the course of the year.
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