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.

Second, Blair Betts is still unsigned, something that from the looks of it, will change shortly. Betts was brought into camp as a free agent tryout after serving as a penalty killing specialist and 4th line center for the Rangers the past few seasons. His preseason play has illustrated just what he can bring to an already dangerous Flyers’ penalty kill. His willingness to block shots should endear him to fans as well, much like former Flyer Lasse Kukkonen. Unless something dramatic happens, Betts should end up with a contract and a roster spot by the end of the week.

James van Riemsdyk seems to have made the team at this point. It may come as a surprise, considering that his debut with the Phantoms last season was less than stellar. He’s shown a knack for scoring goals this preseason, and has had a fine camp so far. Andy and I were fortunate enough to witness his performance at the rookie game versus the Washington Capitals, where he was clearly the best player on the ice. He still might not be physical, or defensively polished, but it appears that he can contribute on the scoresheet at the NHL level this season. Where he is going to slot into the lineup is another good question, as it will be hard to crack the top-6 this season, provided that they stay healthy. Perhaps he is being carried on the roster as insurance, in case Gagne or Briere suffer any setbacks from injuries.

With Jones gone, it seems that Danny Syvret has made the team as the 6th/7th defenseman. Acquired from Edmonton last offseason for Ryan Potulny, Syvret had a great campaign with the Phantoms, culminating with an All-Star appearance at the AHL classic, as well as a short stint with the Flyers. He seems to have figured out the defensive game well enough to earn a shot at the NHL level, and his offensive talent has finally started to click. Still only 24, Syvret enters his 5th professional year with 28 games of NHL experience, with 1 assist, and a -12. Last season saw him score 12 goals and 45 assists, with a +7 to boot, as the primary offensive threat from the back end for the Phantoms. Primarily doing his damage on the powerplay last year, it will be interesting to see if he can crack the rotation for the man-advantage. He’s certainly earned a shot at this point, but I’m thinking it will be hard to gauge success early on for him, since he won’t see too many minutes initially, in all likelihood.

When the season starts, I’ll probably take a closer look at the free agent signings, and their early success. Ray Emery has had a strong preseason, Brian Boucher is out for about a week, Johan Backlund has an outside shot at seeing NHL action, and Mika Pyorala looks like he will contribute at the NHL level in his first season in North America.

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