Recently the Flyers signed Niko Hovinen to an entry level contract. At 6-7 200 pounds, Hovinen is a big goalie from Finland and was originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2006 but never saw any NHL action. If anything Hovinen will add depth to the Flyers goalie staff and could compete with Bob for a starting spot next season. I like the signing because the young 23 year old has a lot of potential.
With the signing it has become evident that the Flyers are probably not going to re-sign veteran goalie Brian Boucher. Boucher did a solid job this year but he is probably on his way out due to his age. The acquisition mostly like means an end to Brian Boucher's time in Philadelphia but does it mean the Flyers have ruled out signing a big name goalie?
I'm still on the fence on whether or not I want the Flyers to go into next season with Bob as their starter or go out and trade for a big time goalie. If the Flyers stick with Bob they run the risk of another goalie carousel which could be detrimental to their hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup. Also I'm not so sure that at Bob who will turn 23 in September is a Stanley Cup caliber goalie.
One possible goalie the Flyers are reportedly interested in is Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes. A source on CSNphilly.com stated that:
“He would love the adulation he’d get in Philadelphia,” the source said. “This is a big guy, who plays back in the net and can play a lot of games for the Flyers. Phoenix and the Flyers have had some talks this season about trades, including Jeff Carter."
But in order to trade for Bryzgalov the Flyers would possibly be forced to part ways with Carter. Even though Carter is at times inconsistent he still scored 36 goals this past year and would be greatly missed.
And does the addition of a number 1 goalie really make the Flyers significantly better?
Geoff Detweiler of broadstreethockey.com wrote an excellent article about why the Flyers shouldn't waster their money on a big name free agent goalie. If you haven't read the article I strongly recommend that you read it HERE.
The Flyers goalie situation is going to be hot topic of debate during the off season. Stay with Bob or go out and sign a top free agent? Ultimately time will tell.
Stay updated to Broad Street Marching for continued Flyers off season/goalie coverage.
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