“I envy people who drink- at least they know what to blame everything on.” – Oscar Levant
With hockey season just around the corner, fans continue to speculate on what surprises the season will bring. For the Flyers, there are any number of questions.
Was Ilya Bryzgalov worth it? Does Jaromir Jagr have enough left in the tank to be effective? Can Claude Giroux and JVR grab the reins as the future of the franchise? Can Chris Pronger stay healthy?
A lesser question on my mind, though, is whether Scott Hartnell and Matt Carle can avoid being this year’s goats.
Kris Versteeg, traded in July to Florida for draft picks, was quoted last April as saying he felt Philadelphia fans hated him. “I’ve never seen them like me, actually,” the 24 year-old winger said.
Never mind that he had 7 goals and 11 points in 27 games with the orange and black- his arrival coincided with the team’s downward spiral towards the end of the season and he retained the “he sucks” stigma until his eventual departure.
None of this is to suggest the organization shouldn’t have moved him, but rather that once a player has fallen out of favor in Philadelphia, it takes a Herculean effort to gain that appreciation back. It didn’t matter that Mike Richards was a machine in the 2010 playoffs, for now most fans think he’s a pill-popping drunk who is LA’s problem now. Same goes for Jeff Carter.
Which brings me full circle to Hartnell and Carle.
Hartnell’s worst year in the NHL was the same in which the team lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was Hartnell, in fact, who forced overtime in Game 6. He may not have matched his career best last season, but 24 goals and 49 points is nothing to shake a stick at.
It’s better than JVR’s output to date, and he will make more money than Hartnell after this season as a result of his extension (which many fans are adamant will end up being a bargain). Still, it’s difficult not to hear his name jeered at by fans, some of which even track how many times he falls down per game.
Carle was one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL last season, but his performance against Boston in the second round has dropped his credibility. In a year when both Braydon Coburn and Carle are fighting for a new contract, Carle already has an uphill battle based on public perception.
Part of me wants to see Carle pair with Andrej Meszaros again just to prove he doesn’t need Pronger.
Preseason starts in roughly two weeks. Only then will our questions begin to find answers. For Carle and Hartnell, they will hopefully find redemption, and not scorn.
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They’re already my preseason goats, especially Hartnell.
Philly fans are going to hate. I like the idea of advance watch on scapegoats. Here are my picks:
Flyers: Hartnell and Carle, why not, the cognitive dissonance of thinking Bryz or JVR aren’t all that great after the fans wanted them and they signed long contracts will never happen.
Eagles: Casey Matthews, people are already calling for his head.
Phillies: Whichever big three pitcher has the worst postseason.
Side note: I was a major Versteeg supporter and believe they never should have got rid of him. He plays with a lot of guts. Keeping him over Hartnell would have been a dream come true.