Flyers/Sixers roster breakdown
We all agree that this year’s Flyers and Sixers seasons got flushed down the toilet several months ago, but it is only fair that we point out that both teams have gotten better as the season has gone on. Of course they really couldn’t have been any worse than they were early in the winter, but improvement is improvement nonetheless.
So with nothing better to do, I thought I’d waste a sizeable chunk of my afternoon running down the rosters of these two teams and just leaving a brief comment on each player.
Philadelphia Flyers (17-37-10)
Dmitry Afanasenkov - He’s actually played pretty well for the Flyers since they picked him up off waivers. Not a bad 3rd/4th line player to have on the club.
Marty Biron - I’m still not really sure why the Flyers traded a second-round pick for him, but he and Niitty are a nice 1-2 combo for now.
Jeff Carter - I don’t buy into a lot of the Flyers brass hyping up their young guys, but I think Carter is gonna be an NHL All-Star. He has a great wrist shot, nice hands and a good feel for the game.
Braydon Coburn - My first reaction from last night’s game is that he’s too lackadaisical with the puck, but it’s too early to judge.
Ben Eager - He fits somewhere between bad player and goon, but I kind of like him. That being said, 5 years from now I’ll be like “Ohh Ben Eager? Didn’t he pitch for the Phillies? Or maybe he was a Flyer.”
Robert Esche - He deserves to at least be an NHL backup and maybe still a starter. I think he’ll be a good signing for some team this offseason.
Todd Fedoruk - He actually has better hands and a better hockey sense than most people give him credit for. I don’t mind him on the 4th line.
Simon Gagne - I still believe that Peter Forsberg morphed Gagne from a good player into a great one the last 1 1/2 years. I’d like to see him create more for his teammates, but obviously Gagne’s the least of this team’s issues right now.
Denis Gauthier - He’s horrible, just a bad NHL player. He gives the puck away literally 8 out of 10 times. I am still furious that the Flyers not only traded for him, but immediately signed him to a three-year deal before they saw him play. And if he was on another team, the Flyers announcers would admit he’s a dirty player.
Denis Hamel - He’s basically accomplished nothing in seven NHL seasons. And any time you’re on your third team in one season, that’s never a good sign.
Derian Hatcher - I still say he’s overmatched by the new NHL, but I believe he’s trying his hardest out there. And he’s red-hot offensively with 3 of his 4 points coming in the last month!
Randy Jones - I think he’s better than he was a few months ago, but I need to see more to judge if he’s a long-term solution.
Sami Kapanen - I’m a supporter of Sami Kapanen, even though he is pretty streaky out there. He goes games where he’s all over the place and then the next night he’s nowhere to be found. But I think he’s a good player to have on the team.
Mike Knuble - I think the guy is flat-out a winning hockey player. He does the dirty things but also has an underrated skill set. This was a rare excellent signing by Clarkie.
Lasse Kukkonen - Saw some good things and some bad things in last night’s game. But anyone named Lasse is alright by me.
Antero Niittymaki - I think he’s been the Flyers best player this season. I don’t care what his record or GAA is, he has made a ton of great saves, kept them in games and so many of the goals he’s allowed are a result of the Flyers’ turnovers, horrible defense and overall lack of talent.
Alexandre Picard - I think he’s going to be a nice player. He’s still really young, but he’s shown me some promise. At least he turns the puck over less than most of the Flyers defensemen.
Joni Pitkanen - I’m actually disappointed in Pitkanen’s overall progress. I thought he’d really be a top-flight offensive defenseman by now, and he just isn’t. Too may of his shots miss the net and he also loses the puck too often. But he’s still a pretty good player.
Mike Rathje - Classic horrible signing by Bob Clarke. And I don’t want to hear about his injuries. Even when he was out there, he was terrible. The guy is totally overwhelmed by the new NHL. He is the definition of a hockey stiff.
Darren Reid - Having Reid and Fedoruk on the same is basically like giving up offensively 1 out of every 4 shifts. He probably shouldn’t even be in the NHL.
Mike Richards - He’s really an enigma for me to this point. I’m pretty sure he’ll never be a scorer in the league, but I’d still like him to better resemble the tough, captainy, third-line center the Flyers want him to be for the next 10 years.
Stefan Ruzicka - I think he’s the most underrated player on the team. He has really nice hands, a good feel for passing the puck and the type of playmaking attitude that this team needs. I think he should play more often, especially on the power play.
Geoff Sanderson - I believe he’s a good player on a good team. And on a team like the Flyers, he just plays down to the level of talent around him. He’s still pretty fast, but where is the consistent production?
R.J. Umberger - Another enigma. He does score some goals, but he really never has a major impact on the game. Even less talented guys like Kapanen and Richards tend to affect the game more than Umberger.
Scottie Upshall - No doubt about it, the guy has made a nice impact since coming up from the Preds. I can’t even count how many times, however, I’ve seen players/teams improve immediately upon a trade or coaching change. So I want to see more out of Upshall before I declare him the savior. But that goal last night was really spectacular.
Mike York - I have not been impressed at all. I think he’s become an increasingly less effective player with every team he’s gone to in his career. Nice trend, Mike.
OK that post took longer than I thought. I’ll do the Sixers either later tonight or tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll all be on the edge of your seats.
PS Do any of you guys know of any poker home games in the area? None of my poker-playing friends live around here any more and I was looking for a friendly game to get involved with.
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Posted on March 2, 2007 by Drew | Filed Under Sixers, Flyers, Philadelphia
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The Flyers actually look like a new NHL team these days. Young, fast, but with limited experience. I find them a little more watchable these days.
Drew, I’m looking for a game in the area too. Email me if you wanna maybe try and get something started.
Scott & Drew, do you think it would be worth starting a website that focused on local poker games in the Philly area?
Hmm I think there are websites where you can search for poker games by state. But I can’t name one off the top of my head, so they probably aren’t too effective. I guess it’s a good idea, Micah.