The wild ride that was 2009 draft weekend faded away as quickly as it came. The Flyers already had their big name. Pronger was locked up for the year, and the orange and black only had minor holes left to fill. One of those spots still open on the roster was supposed to be saved for Mike Knuble, a veteran unrestricted free agent who was well liked in the city of Philadelphia and on his team. He had posted six straight 20 plus goal seasons in a streak that extended to before the lockout, and had done so four years in a row with Philadelphia. At nearly 37 though the Flyers expected him to come in and be a player the younger guys looked up to in order to show them how to conduct themselves on and off the ice. Along with that the Flyers expected him to take a pay cut to stay here in Philadelphia.
Unfortunately for the Flyers it was likely Knuble’s last chance at a major contract, and, despite the four years of memories it was time for him to move on. Washington offered #22 a two year deal where he’d make some solid money, and that was that. July 1st, 2009 became the day that the Flyers and Mike Knuble parted ways, likely forever.
It is a shame to see such a likeable guy and class act leave the organization, but things change. We will be left with the memories, especially the memorable 2nd OT winner against the Capitals (who he signed with) in the first round of the 2007-08 Stanley Cup playoffs.
As for the fans in the following video, as a writer I’m not supposed to condone their language…but you know I wanted to be right there with them. I take you back to game 4 of the opening series of the 2007-08 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals on home ice in double overtime:
As for a better angle:
Some more Knuble magic:
There are plenty of moments I could pick to remember Knuble by, but I think it’s time to move on to our acquisitions.
Today the Flyers brought in a guy some of you may or may not remember. Netminder Brian Boucher was a goalie the Flyers selected in the 1st round (22nd overall) in 1995. He was stellar as a rookie as he took us through the 1999-00 playoffs but never really found his NHL consistency. He moved on to a number of NHL teams from there and even spent time in the AHL. As a back up for San Jose the last couple of seasons though, he was able to perform pretty well. Because of that the Flyers were hot on his trail at free agency to sign him as a cheap back up to Emery. At $0.93m a year over two years he adds a solid veteran net presence to give Ray a rest.
As for our other signing, Ian Laperriere, he adds something that the Flyers needed. While some might say that he is too old and isn’t necessarily the answer at forward that the Flyers should have been looking for, there is another side to Lappy that many Flyers fans haven’t seen. He is the ultimate teammate and a solid presence on the bottom six that the Flyers can move around the lineup. Whether he ends up playing 3rd or 4th line center for the team, he will certainly become yet another presence for other teams to fear. At $1.16m a year he certainly comes cheap enough to make him worthwhile.
Right now the Flyers have nearly $2m left in cap space to work with and would likely add to the forward depth. It’s still possible that Carle is moved, but right now it’s looking more likely that Jones’ $2.70m will have to be shipped to the minors or traded in order to add another 3rd line threat player like John Madden to the lineup.
While nobody knows what Holmgren is planning to do he is certainly not done just yet. Close of course, but this team isn’t quite complete.
