The Ilya Bryzgalov saga, unlike that of Star Wars, has been drawn out way too long. At this point, despite being just two years removed from signing with the Philadelphia Flyers, Bryzgalov has overstayed his welcome.

It’s been a rough go in Philadelphia for Bryz (Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)

The majority of fans feel this way. Even some experts are in agreement. Heck, it even appears Bryzgalov wants out.

What does ownership think, though?

The answer to that question has been answered rather vaguely. Actually, ownership has been nothing but a contradiction when discussing Bryzgalov. Why is that?

Well, unfortunately, no one in the front office wants to take blame for the Bryz-aster because the repercussions could be costly. Who knows what the backlash could be from frustrated Flyers fans.

Looking back on the signing, it’s a really cloudy situation as to who played the biggest part in bringing in the former Phoenix Coyote. Originally, Ed Snider appeared to be the ring leader behind the move. In a story published by Frank Seravelli in The Daily News, Snider goes on the record as to saying, “I was part of making it happen.” The article also notes that Snider personally sent his private jet to pick up Bryzgalov before meeting with the free agent. In that meeting, Snider apparently felt the Russian “was intelligent, fun to be around.”

Yet, recently Snider has backtracked and is apparently trying to cover his tracks. In an interview published in The Courier Post, Snider made a very interesting remark as he seeks to keep his spotless image intact.

“First of all, I didn’t pick Bryz. That’s not my job,” he told Randy Miller.

Hmm.

So he either was the catalyst in bringing Brzygalov to Philly. Or he wasn’t. That seems like a, for lack of a better term, “humongous big” lie.

(Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Read it however you want, but it seems what happened is that Snider was, indeed, the driver behind the wheel in the negotiations two years ago. He was so jubilated in finally bringing a prized goaltender to Philadelphia so he wanted everyone to know it was him, not Paul Holmgren, who made the call on Bryzgalov. When you bring in one of the best goalies in the West and the biggest free agent that offseason, nothing can go wrong (or so they thought). So why wouldn’t Snider want to put himself out there as the engineer behind it all?

Things went downhill in a flash. From his 24/7 comedic relief to his underachieving play all the way to his postgame comments, Bryzgalov became the scapegoat for their struggles.

Flyers chairman Ed Snider (cr: Comcast-Spectacor PR)

When all of that came to fruition, Snider had no choice but to play it cool and tell the reporters he had nothing to do with bringing in Bryz. He chose to redirect the fire back at everyone else, thinking fans would have forgotten his remarks from two years ago.

Yet, his words have come back to bite him.

At the time, not many fans questioned Snider for reeling in Bryzgalov. He was the best option and the Flyers went out and threw the biggest dollar figure his way. In hindsight, it wasn’t a smart signing.

But that’s not the problem with this situation. It’s how management, specifically Snider, doesn’t own up to his miscue.

Snider has skated through his tenure in Philadelphia fairly unscathed, becoming a hero to many Flyers fans in the process. That shouldn’t hide the fact that he – and his staff – botched their scouting of the Russian netminder and didn’t do their homework on the free agent.

The least he could do is take responsibility for his actions.

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Kyle Phillippi

“Peter Laviolette sat there and for several seconds, his eyes seemed to tear up. The coach appeared to be overcome by another, frantic Flyers finish, played out against incredible odds that was a sheer act of defiance by a group of players who won’t succumb to the inevitable. No matter how daunting the odds.” – Tim Panaccio, CSNPhilly.com

Peter Laviolette (Icon SMI)

The team huddled around the coach, eager to hear what he had to say about the hole they’d dug themselves in.  He looked up at the scoreboard, a 3-0 deficit staring him in the face and the three words he said would stick with this resilient team:

“Just one goal.”

The Philadelphia Flyers had done the unthinkable already.  They had trailed the Boston Bruins 3 games to nil in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  The fact they’d won three consecutive games was an achievement all on its own.  But the bunny slope they once had to climb, had turned into Everest.

After being dominated for the first 15 minutes, and the Bruins having put up 3 goals to the Flyers’ none, the team’s wind had all but left their sails.  Peter Laviolette thought it was time for a regrouping.  He would call what would be known as “The Timeout”.

There was no need to chastise his players and tell them what they’d done wrong.  The team knew they came out flat-footed and needed to change their game plan quickly.  The Flyers had been down 3-0 in the series before, so a 3-0 goal deficit didn’t seem like anything new.  They now had just over 45 minutes to save face.

The kick-start was provided by James van Riemsdyk.  Late in the first, JVR found himself with an open shot to the right of Tuukka Rask.  The shot wasn’t clean, it wasn’t hard, it wasn’t pretty.  But it did deflect off the defenseman’s stick and past the Bruins’ netminder, giving a vote of confidence to the once downtrodden team.

The Flyers came out buzzing in the 2nd period.  Early in the frame, a solid effort by the Hartnell-Leino-Briere line forced Rask to make a kick save right to the backhand of Scott Hartnell’s blade.  The winger shoveled the puck into the open net and the lead had been cut to one.

The comeback no longer seemed impossible.  In fact, it seemed probable.

It wouldn’t be the last time that line would make an appearance.  Later in the period, Hartnell found himself inside the attacking zone along the boards with a streaking Danny Briere coming into the play at full speed.  Hartnell chipped a pass to the middle of the ice, Briere scooped it up, swung wide around the net and tried a wraparound.

The angle he had was absurd.  There was no way a puck could go in from that angle.  It wasn’t supposed to.  But it did.

When Briere threw the puck at the net, Bruins defenseman, Matt Hunwick, tried to poke the puck away.  The placement of his stick inadvertently allowed the puck to roll up the shaft, off his backside, and into the net to tie the game at 3.

Simon Gagne (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

A back and forth 3rd period melee resulted in countless shots that rang off the post.  Each team was exchanging waves of offensive pressure on the goalies hoping for that one lucky bounce to close out the game.  That was until the Bruins committed a Too Many Men bench penalty with a little over 8 minutes to play in the game.

On the ensuing powerplay opportunity, the Flyers cycled the puck around to Mike Richards along the right boards.  Noticing the screened goalie, the captain put a shot on net that was knocked down in front by Ville Leino.  It ended up on life-long Flyer, Simon Gagne’s blade.  With Rask already out of position on the original shot, Gagne settled the puck on his stick, saw the top left corner wide open, and wristed a shot that hit twine.  The hometown crowd was silent.

Fans were getting impatient.  The Bruins saw their powerful lead demolish before their very eyes.  They needed a spark to get themselves going again, but Claude Giroux would take out any sense of fight Boston had in them.  At the 2-minute mark, Giroux found himself with the puck behind the Boston net with two Bruins draped over him.  He held the puck, twisting and turning, successfully getting out of their grips.  When another defender came in to take the puck, Giroux somehow was able to keep the puck even longer, wasting more precious time off the clock.  In all, about 30 seconds had passed before Claude chipped the puck behind Rask’s net and went off on a line change.

Philadelphia would go on to hold the lead and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Boston crowd sat stunned in disbelief as their beloved team succumbed to the resilient Philadelphia Flyers.  The game highlights are below:

“Relentless.  Isn’t that our slogan?  It defines a lot of things.  We’re never going to give up.  We’re never going to count ourselves out.  Relentless in our belief of what we can do if we set our minds to it.” Chris Pronger said after the game.

The game was played in Boston, but Flyers management decided to open the doors to the Wachovia Center (now Wells Fargo Center) for fans to take in Game 7 on the jumbotron.  The mood in the arena started somber, grew to electric, and ended in sheer pandemonium.

Flyers faithful poured out of the Wachovia Center, ears still ringing as they sat in their cars and waited for the traffic to clear.  Car horns were honking all throughout the City of Brotherly Love.  It was a whirlwind of excitement for a town that was all but out of contention just a week prior.

Jim Jackson, the Flyers play-by-play commentator, said it best:

“This improbable, incredible comeback is complete!  History made in Boston tonight!  The Flyers defeat the Bruins 4-3!  They are the 3rd team in NHL history to come back from behind after trailing a series 3 games to none!  Celebrate Philadelphia!  You deserve it!”

Now if only it had been the Stanley Cup Finals…

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Shawn Reznik

Shawn started at The Hockey Writers in 2011 covering prospects for the site. In 2013, he became the Team Editor for the Philadelphia Flyers, a team he's followed his entire life. For any questions or comments, feel free to contact Shawn by email: shawn.a.reznik@gmail.com.

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Historically, though, the No. 11 pick hasn’t boasted as much top-flight talent as it’s positioning would suggest.

The Flyers last No. 11 pick? Jeff Carter.

Going all the way back to 1989, there’s really only five to six noteworthy players who were selected 11^th overall.

The biggest name on that list is future Hall of Fame forward and current Pittsburgh Penguin, Jarome Iginla. In 1995, the Dallas Starts selected the Canadian before shipping him off to Calgary for Joe Nieuwendyk. Since his NHL debut, Iginla has done nothing but succeed at the highest level, scoring 1,106 career points en route to six All-Star selections.

Behind Iginla are a pair of Los Angeles Kings, one of whom has a strong connection with the Flyers organization. In 2005, the Kings picked Anze Kopitar, who has gone on to make two All-Star trips.

In 2003, the Flyers tagged Jeff Carter with the 11^th overall pick. Of course, he wound up being shipped away to Columbus two offseasons ago before landing in Los Angeles where he would go on to hoist the Stanley Cup along with Kopitar.

After those three names, two defensemen highlight the list. Brian Rolston, chosen in the 1991 Draft, went on to have a terrific career with five different organizations, including a Stanley Cup victory in 1995 with the New Jersey Devils and three Olympic appearances with Team U.S.A.

Eleven years later, the Buffalo Sabres picked Keith Ballard 11^th overall. Until recently, Ballard was a reliable defenseman. However, during the Vancouver Canuck’s four-game sweep to the hands of the San Jose Sharks, Ballard was benched and never suited up. The Canucks acquired Ballard during the 2010 draft in a trade that involved Michael Grabner and Steve Bernier.

Two other names avid hockey fans will know who were selected in that draft slot are Brandon Sutter (2007) and Jonathan Bernier (2006).

Hopefully the Flyers’ scouting department can find the next Iginla, Kopitar or even Carter (minus the raging alcohol problems) rather than someone like Lauri Tukonen (2004) or Pavel Vorobiev (2000).

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Kyle Phillippi

Sergei Bobrovsky (Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)

When your last Vezina Trophy winner was back in the 1986-87 season, having to see a goalie who once donned your colors win the prestigious honor a year after being let go, would be a hard pill to swallow.

Hopefully the Flyers front office has plenty of water because that pill’s about to be the size of, for lack of a better term, the Vezina Trophy itself.

If Sergei Bobrovsky hoists the award in another month or so, there will be pain felt by every Flyers fan. This won’t be because they’re upset at him or that they’re just bitter fans.  It’ll simply be because the Flyers organization never was able to properly utilize him and allowed him to simply walk away.

The word “mismanagement” comes to mind.

In about a season’s worth of starts between his only two years in Philadelphia, the Russian product went 42-23 (.547) and a 2.80 GAA. A year later with a franchise that has made the playoffs just once in their existence, Bobrovsky’s 21-11 record, 2.00 GAA and daily heroics in Columbus came as a big slap in the face to everyone in Philly.

For an organization that has tried to fill the void left by Ron Hextall with players such as Robert Esche, Antero Niittymaki and Roman Cechmanek, allowing a future Vezina Trophy winner who was waiting in the wings get away is the biggest mistake this organization has made when it comes to their prolonged search for a goalie.

Of course this is all in hindsight, but there was never a time when Bobrovsky wore the orange and black that he ever looked out of place.

So how could the Flyers let a 24-year old goalie on the rise slip by that easily?

To correctly discuss this issue, fans will have to go all the way back to the day the Flyers signed the top goaltending free agent out of Phoenix. If not for the front office’s decision to force the matter and overpay for a player who they failed to properly scout, then this whole Bobrovsky ordeal may never have transpired. Understandably, the Flyers front office was in a “win-now” mode – however, that wasn’t the problem.  It was how they mismanaged Bobrovsky and failed to be patient with his development.

(Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE)

Without Ilya Bryzgalov being nothing more than a giant road block for Bobrovsky during his brief tenure with the Flyers, the youngster would have undoubtedly been exposed to more playing time. With more game experience, the Philadelphia front office would have been able to identify that Bobrovsky had a very bright future.

Basically, if the Flyers weren’t so enamored with Bryzgalov being “the answer” to their goaltending woes, a lot of things would be different, specifically Bobrovsky patrolling the crease at the Wells Fargo Center.

Correction, a future Vezina Trophy winner patrolling the crease.

Follow Kyle Phillippi on Twitter: @Kyle_Phillippi

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Kyle Phillippi

Seth Jones (Shoot the Breeze Photography)

Every organization in the NHL has “the talk.” In the hockey world, “the talk” is a double-edged sword. Do you take a gamble and ship off a proven veteran or a rising star to climb the draft board? Or do you sit where you are in the draft and take the best option on the board when your pick comes around? If an organization goes with the latter, they risk missing out on a can’t-miss prospect.

This draft features a few can’t miss prospects, none more so than defenseman Seth Jones. Being that the Flyers are a very young team and just a few pieces away from making some serious noise, is now the time for Paul Holmgren to orchestrate a monumental deal and move up in the draft for Colorado’s No. 1 pick?

For starters, who even knows if the Avalanche are seriously considering listening to offers for their top pick, but if they are, the Flyers definitely have some movable pieces.

Offensively, the Flyers can afford to trade either Brayden Schenn or Sean Couturier. Despite their high ceiling, they can be replaced. Schenn, of course, would be the easier of the two to sacrifice because of Couturier’s defensive prowess. With Scott Laughton looking to crack the lineup next year and veteran forwards on the open market this offseason such as Jarome Iglina, Alex Burrows and Valtteri Filppula, incorporating a player like Schenn or Couturier as the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal would be a smart move.

Still, though, the Flyers would need to put more together in the package if they want to persuade Colorado of passing up the chance to pick the consensus No. 1 player in the entry draft.

Philadelphia could put a together a deal involving Schenn, the No. 11 overall pick and Andrej Meszaros. Colorado would receive a promising forward who will be 22 at the start of next season and a veteran defenseman who’s more than reliable when healthy. Despite moving back to the No. 11 spot on the board, the Avalanche could still theoretically wind up taking an impressive prospect like defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen or Darnell Nurse. If there ever was a time to move down in a draft, this is the year. The group of prospects in the 2013 draft are, arguably, the best batch in recent memory.

Yet, the Flyers may be hesitant to involve Schenn in a draft day deal, or any trade this offseason for that matter, because of the chemistry between him and brother, Luke. There could be a major ripple effect in the locker room if Luke is removed from Brayden one year after coming to Philadelphia to play alongside him.

Is Couturier bait? (Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE)

Another proposal Philadelphia could make is one involving Couturier. In this package, the Flyers would have the 20-year old as the centerpiece along with the No. 11 pick and Meszaros. With this deal, though, Colorado may demand Philadelphia to include another scoring threat. Couturier is coming off a four goal season and showed hesitancy in the offensive end. To meet their request, the Flyers could include a player like center Matt Read.

Philadelphia fans would probably scowl the Flyers brass for shipping away two of the team’s top centermen, but in order to get the No. 1 pick, teams have to overpay. That’s just how it works. While it’s a long shot Philadelphia can convince Colorado to hand over the right to select Seth Jones (Denver native). It is definitely worth nothing that the Flyers have the pieces to pull off a colossal deal.

Your move, Paul Holmgren.

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Kyle Phillippi

Oliver Lauridsen (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

Now that the 2013 lockout-shortened season has come to a sudden and disappointing end for the Philadelphia Flyers, plenty of eyes will be looking forward to the future of this organization. After a letdown year in which fans came in with high expectations, changes are bound to happen. The Flyers will have to address their Achilles heel this past season: the defense.

While the numbers are not in favor of their blue line, the Flyers actually have a lot to be excited about when it comes to their defense. Hidden behind the unit’s occasional poor judgments, botched passes across the middle, and inability to clear the puck out of their own end, there were a few young defenders who made the most out of their time at the professional level this season.

Of course, the young defensemen had their fair share of mistakes as they progressed through the learning curve, but there were a lot more positives than negatives when it came to the midseason call-ups. The Flyers will more than likely look to bring in some defensive help in the offseason after failing to sign Shea Weber and Ryan Suter last offseason; however, the organization has to be enthusiastic about what they saw from their patchwork of a defense during the final stretch of the season.

Oliver Lauridsen

Standing at 6’6″, Lauridsen, 24, proved to be an intimidating  presence on the Flyers blue line after replacing Braydon Coburn in the lineup. In his 15 games played, the Danish native never backed down from a challenge. Whether it was along the boards, in the open ice, or in the ruckus after the whistle, Lauridsen could always be found engaged with an opponent. Everything about the 196th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft is gritty. He clearly plays with an edge when he’s on the ice, looking to take on an incoming winger and upend him before getting to the middle. In fact, his first professional goal pretty much epitomized his style of play: ugly. Thanks to a miscue by future Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara, Lauridsen was credited with the easiest goal he’ll ever get in the NHL. Since that goal, Lauridsen developed some confidence with his shot, including a game-winning blast from the point in the Flyers 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. After seeing that shot whiz by Kevin Poulin, he should pose as an offensive threat next year.

With “Ollie” becoming accustomed to the style of play at the highest level, he’ll certainly be a key cog for this blue line next season, even when all the injured veterans are healthy. Every defense can use a bulldozer like Lauridsen, especially when the Flyers can team him up with fellow hard-nosed defensemen, Luke Schenn and Niklas Grossmann.

Erik Gustafsson

Easily the best puckhandler among the young defensemen, Gustafsson, 24, was third on Philadelphia’s blue line with eight points (3 G, 5 A). When he wasn’t quarterbacking the offense from the top, the Swedish skater proved to be a valuable shot blocker, totaling 39 blocked shots. His all-around style of play comes as a breath of fresh air for a Flyers defense that consisted of three physical defensemen in Schenn, Grossmann and Lauridsen. Having a two-way defenseman like Gus, who is capable of handling the puck out of the zone and making smart decisions on the backend, is exactly what Philadelphia needs. His rapid growth this season was noticed by the coaching staff when he replaced Kimmo Timonen on the top powerplay line.

It’s not fair to compare a younger player to someone of such high recognition, but Gustafsson’s skill set resembles that of his counterpart, Timonen. Of course, he has a long, long way to go before reaching that level, but it’s definitely worth noting that, for comparison’s sake, he has all the tools to be a similar player.

Brandon Manning

Manning, 22, only played in six games, so assessing his future on this roster is a little more unclear compared to the two defensemen mentioned above. Still, Manning posted the best plus-minus (+5) compared to Lauridsen, Gustaffson, and Konan. His sample size this season was small, but Manning is a talented skater who can make plays on the offensive end. As a member of the Chilliwack Bruins in the WHL, Manning registered two seasons of 50+ points, including an impressive 21 goal season in 2010-11. He still has defensive aspects of the game to develop and, unlike Lauridsen and Gustafsson, he will more than likely start off in Adirondack next season as he continues to progress. There were times this year when he occasionally looked like a deer in headlights.  Most notably  when he failed to clear the puck out of the Flyers end and proceeded to get danced by David Krejci on the third period goal – a moment fans would like to forget.

At 22-years old, there’s no need to rush Manning into the NHL spotlight. The organization needs to allow him to strengthen his weaknesses in the minors and continue to gain confidence for a permanent stay at the professional level.

Matt Konan

Matt Konan, 21, made his NHL debut in the second to last game of the season and has the least experience of all the prospects. Like Manning, Konan will find himself back in the minors next season. He’s a fairly big defenseman at 6’3″ so physicality is definitely a factor in his game and is certainly something Flyers fans will love to see him bring to the next level. Despite his short stint with the Flyers towards the end of the season, the undrafted prospect demonstrated his ability to block shots, getting in the way of a two blasts in the season finale victory at Ottawa.

If he can mature into a gritty defender, the Flyers may have struck gold when they signed the California native back in 2012.

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Kyle Phillippi