Sure Mike Richards and Jeff Carter may get the last laugh this year, but they are no more than rooks in Jonathon Quick’s game of chess. Not unlike the New York Rangers, the Los Angeles Kings success can be heavily weighted upon the shoulders of the soon-to-be starting goalie for team USA next Olympics. After shutting out the measly Coyotes last night, Quick earned his second shutout in the playoffs and his seventh straight road win.
Carter put in a hat-trick during the Kings 4-0 dismantling of the Coyotes and for the first time in ten games became relevant in the playoffs. The Flyers got Jakub Vorachek and the 8th overall pick which they used to pick up Sean Couturier along with a future third round pick in return for the winger. Couts proved he is the two-way forward everyone was hoping on the Flyers penalty kill this season, but really made a name for himself when he shut down an aggravated Evgeni Malkin in the first round of the playoffs.
Yes, Carter and the Kings are probably going to beat Phoenix and head to the Stanley Cup finals, but the forward who has trouble finding the net can kiss his days playing on first lines goodbye. On the other hand, Couturier has nowhere to go but up from here and Vorachek has proved to be a timely Johnny-on-the-spot seemingly getting forgotten in defenses’ shut down Giroux schemes.
Mike Richards was a solid player, he led by example but was not the guy Laviolette wanted wearing the C in his locker room. The Flyers received Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn in return for the former first round pick. Schenn was regarded as the best prospect to never play in the NHL prior to start of the season and has played a hard-nosed style of play that at age 20 has already been able to get into the heads of some of hockey’s premier superstars. Simmonds is a hard working player living up to the Broad Street Bully mentality and never hesitating to drop the gloves. But don’t forget the 23-year-old netted 28 goals, a career high, this season.
Richards and Carter are solid players and their success is because of many variables. The West plays a less physical game than the Eastern Conference, the two forwards can hold the puck in the neutral zone without immediately having a shoulder pound into their chests. Since the Kings have ample talent on their first line, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, the former Flyers are playing on Los Angeles’ second line. This means they are not matching up against the top two defenders like they had been in Philly, which frees up space in the slot and lets them use their natural talent to work the cycle.
Richards and Carter have been best friends since coming up through Philadelphia’s system together and LA gives them the freedom to snort whatever they’d like and party as much as they want after games. Philly wasn’t the city for these two forwards and a change was necessary. They weren’t the role models Laviolette was looking for and it may not be apparent this year but the trades will work out for the Flyers by the end of Schenn and Couts’ tenures in Philadelphia.
No not really, I think Holmgrem did enough to make him look bad by Signing
Goalie Bryz to that ridiculous 8 Year Contract to a Goalie … this will come back to Haunt this Organizatin in years 3,4,5,6,7 & 8 …It was a assanine Deal any way that you look at him, the length alone was stupid, the amount was way over the top and now what and then you have to know who your delaing with and the Eastern Europeans/Russians have not proven to be players to commit a long-term deal with …many of them never get acclimated to the US/American way of life which ultimately effects their play and pshyce and especially for a Goalie who are fickle players to beging with..
Have to agree with you, paulman.
Holmgren has made many excellent moves, but the Bryz contract was an “all in, make it or break it” deal. If Bryz doesn’t get to the level of elite goaltender next season, all the rest of Holmgren’s moves can’t possibly do enough to compensate. You can take almost any random minor league starting goalie to the NHL and they can produce about as well as Bryz has.
It’s just tragic.
The trades were for the future of the flyers not to win now
Kings got players to win now
Bryz is what he is. He’s not going to get better between now and next year. I’m pretty sure Holmgren was given a mandate from higher up, “Get a top shelf goalie”, and he was doing his job as best as he could. It would have been cheaper to stick with Bob while he develops, and that would have left a lot more cap room for next year, which could let us resign Carle or chase Suter. I think Holmgren did not have that option, though.
Richards is in a better situation now. He is not the captain, as Brown is a much better captain than he ever was. All of the pressure is off. Also he is actually playing with skill players now, so of course he would have more points. Lavs always had him on a shutdown line.
These trades worked out great for both teams. We hust have to hope that the next labor agreement has an amnesty clause in it.
I agree Horatio, there is no doubt in my mind that signing Bryz was mostly OWner’s Ed SNider call… I can’t stand Ed Snidee, he thinks he’s a GM and hires “YEs men” as GM’s to answer to his beckon call ..
if Carter and Richards win the Stanley Cup — then the Paul Holmgren gets the ed wade gm award ——-
People People La is winning because of there goaltending period point blank you Philly fans are so two faced one minute Holmgren is a genius for the moves he made and just because LA has played great in the playoffs now you wanna question Holmgrens moves just stop that okay!!!
The Carter & Richards trades were fine. We got rid of 2 locker-room cancers, got younger, with major upside. Couturier & Schenn alone will make these trades look like steals for us. If LA. didn’t have Quick, they wouldn’t have even of made the playoffs. Dude is a flat out stud, & carried them on his back, all year. Paul, I agree with the Bryz signing. Major mistake of epic proportions. But that blame goes to Snyder, not Homer, he forced Homer’s hand to sign him, & ZERO contracts are approved without his John Hancock. Unless we get an Amnesty in this CBA, we are screwed for 8 more years. WOO HOO!!!
Turk, ever used punctuation, or is your comments copacetic to you? Just saying. Why are you calling Philly fans two-faced? Apparently you aren’t a Philly fan. Go to another site, if you don’t like it. We tell it like it is. Homer is a great GM, but that doesn’t make him perfect, or devoid of mistakes & our criticism.
I’m a die hard Philly fan DCar the length of Bryz was a mistake but not the signing he was the best goalie on the market so I have no problem with the signing!!!
No GM is perfect and you guys gotta understand that being a GM is not fantasy sports and I think we got to remember that.
The Goalie Postion is probably the most fickle in all of Sports.. It’s like a FG kicker, or a Closer in Baseball.. So much of it is mental.. To give any player
an 8 year Contract in probably the most critical position in Hockey is just plain stupid.. and the fact that he’s eastern Eurpoean/Russian just emphasizes the fact that it’s even more difficult to measure the intangilbles/mental sides of things..
It’s not like Bryz was winning playoffs games out in Arizona or would ever be compared to Broduer, Lunquist, Miller, Thomas or any other of the TOp Consistent Goalies in the NHL… He’s a good Goalie, but not a Great Goalie and will never live up to his contract or everyones unrealistic expectations..
I expect him to play thru 2013,maybe 2014 and then he’ll claim he’s homesick and move back to Russia so the slimy, Mafia Wanna-Be Owner Ed Snider can get out of his contract and pay him out a settlement out on the side under the table so as not to hurt the Franchise in future years..
Just checking Turk, I was a little confused, I thought you were a Kings fan, ripping our fans. That’s what it sounds like. LOL!!!
Richards and Carter winning a cup says nothing about Holmgren. Neither of those guys are the center or the main reason why the Kings are winning. They are playing a part. I do think that the Kings are using Richards better than anyone did here though. I don’t think that the Flyers would have had any more success with those 2 still on the team. The team had issues then and they have issues now.
That being said none of that takes away from the seasons and potential seasons for Simmonds, Coutuerier, Schenn and Voracek. Personally I think that the team is a lot brighter outlook now than it did 1 year ago at the same time.
I love how people are talking about how the Bryz signing is going to end the Flyers. He was one of the better goalies to be signed that year. Is 9 years a long time? Yes. Are goalies playing well into their late 30’s?Hmmm, I’m not sure…ask Boston, Tampa and New Jersey. Now, is Bryz up to par with 2 out of 3 of the goalies…no way. But can he do what we need him to do for the next 4 to 5 years to win a cup, ABSOFU$*INGLUTELY. He isn’t the reason we aren’t playing. Homer has plenty of cap and moves to be made to insure that next year is ours. You people worry about the Eagles, us hockey people will worry about the Flyers. Homer has this team to win for the next 2 to 4 years. Everyone can be quick to point out this and that. the only reason LA is in it because of Quick. Same for NY. Jersey is in it because of team play, same for PHX. If the team from game 6 of the Pitt series showed up in front of the way Bryz played for 4 games of the last series, you’re gonna tell me that this team is playing in the ECFs? Yeah, hello. you don’t know hockey.
US, Hockey people, YOU, Eagles people. WTF, I thought we were PHILADELPHIA fans? That is a fan of ALL. Since when we have one sport against the other. Deasr, I’ve heard alot of dumb $#!T on here, but that is at the tops of the list of idiocy. If we weren’t hockey fans, we wouldn’t comment on it. I might be 1 of only 5 or 6 people, that ever comment on the Flyers articles, so I hope that wasn’t directed at me? The throwing out of false, unfair & ill-informed labeling on here, is getting out of hand. Why can’t anyone make a critical comment, without being ripped. Some of us can make criticisms, that are backed up by 100% fact, but are still labeled as haters & non-fans. If you don’t agree, that’s fine, but saying you are a fan & someone else isn’t, because you don’t agree, doesn’t make you right & doesn’t make you anymore of a fan than anybody else. Plain & simple. If you don’t like the truth, too bad. Mindless, thoughtless, step-ford, pom-pom waving, is idiotic & nauseating. Just saying. If I’ve been mistaken, or took your post wrongly, I apologize. If not, read my prior comments. BTW, if BRYZ, keeps playing like a quadriplegic, giving up horrendously cheap goals, doesn’t get his head out of his @$$, & doesn’t grow a thicker skin, he ABSOFU$*INGLUTELY WON’T win us a cup. I don’t care if we have an All-Star cast of defense-men in front of him. His goals against & save % was pitiful & unacceptable.
Richards and Carter were not working her for some reason, and the club needed to make a move before before their long term contracts, containing NTCs, kicked in. I was happy with the Carter move, but HATED trading Richards.
Ultimately the trades got us: Schenn, Cousins, Cout’s, Simmonds, Voracek, Grossmann (used LA’s 2nd rounder in the Richards trade to get him, then locked him up) and made some room for Bryz (which is probably the biggest negative, but could turn out to be excellent). That is one hell of a return, and if the Flyers D could have stayed healthy we would probably be destined to meet the Kings in the SCF (A healthy Pronger, Grossmann and Mez would have made this team a monster, and probably the #1 seed in the East).
The Kings have a better/healthier D than the Flyers; a goalie playing out of his mind; and, the luxury to have Mike Richards as a roll player. Going into the season the expectations for the Flyer’s were for them to be a fringe playoff team, however, they exceeded that expectation. The Flyer’s are in a position to trade some F depth to sure up the D, and will be a FORCE in the east for the next decade.
Also, I hope the Kings win it all. Mike Richards is the type of athlete that deserves to win a championship. Good luck LA!!!!
there will or there is all ready?
Dcar- Bryz is not the reason but he is an average goalie that makes elite goalie money. He wasn’t the only reason why the Flyers are out, but his inconsistency didn’t help at all. That is why I am upset.
Whose this “There will be Paulman” character…
He spells and writes much too nice and correctly…Someone needs to have a talk with him for his ruining my reputation….