Lilja's injury is a blessing more than anything. I don't think this changes how Holmgren saw his depth anyway. He was likely already searching for another piece so all this really does is get rid of unnecessary noise.

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@tlucarelli on twitter

Yeah, it's pretty amazing considering the Flyers lost Carle & Kubina to free agency, and Pronger & Meszaros to injury, ...but Lilja was pretty much on the outside looking in anyway.

The Flyers have Timonen, Coburn, Grossman, Schenn, and Gervais locked in as 5 of their top six, and still had Manning, Gustafsson, and Bourdon as better on the roster, with only Manning being waiver ineligible.

So the injuries to Meszaros and Lilja mean the Flyers can fit both Bourdon and Gustafsson on the roster without losing one of them to waivers or having to trade them, and they'll get a chance to get a good look at both of them before deciding what they want to do.

I'm guessing Grossman and Coburn form the number one minute eating unit, and Timonen winds up anchoring the second unit so they can keep his minutes down, and let him tutor one of the young defensemen (probably Bourdon or Schenn), with Gervais playing with the other young defenseman on the third pair.

I figure Manning's waiver status means he starts the season in the AHL.

I know the Flyers feel that Gervais is an upgrade over Lilja on the third pairing, and obviously they don't want Timonen taking on big minutes so he figures to anchor the second unit. Grossman's not a good fit with Timonen because he's not comfortable on the right side. Coburn's comfortable there, but I figure the Flyers are going to want to feed him more minutes than Timonen, so Grossman likeley winds up with Coburn on the top pair, ...and I'm guessing Schenn winds up with Timonen, but if he struggles or the Flyers don't want to put pressure on him, it might be Bourdon there instead.

Either way, it's not exactly a cup caliber defense, so they'll probably be looking to add a good one at the deadline, but it should be a solid corp. and give them lots of time to look at all three of the young defensemen to see where they're at.

I'm also guessing the changes mean 4 forwards on the powerplay units as well with Timonen getting one slot, and probably Gustafsson and Coburn getting very good opportunitys.

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CBS 8 team keeper(5-8) - Points only

C: Tavares, Duchesne, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins
LW: Parise, Benn, Neal
RW: Kessel, Giroux, Stewart
D: Green,Karlson, Carlson, Whitney, Edler, White
G: Rinne, Lundqvist
2LW,2C,2RW,4D,1G pts.= G=2, PPG=3, SH=5, A=1, W=3, S=.2, GA=-1, SO=4,


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I dont know guys. Lilja wasn't a major cog in the wheel, but he could play on the team when we needed him. Thinking Gus, Bourdon and Manning can step up is a big ask. We only have 5 NHL caliber Dmen right now. Another injury and we are in the shit. Let's put it this way.... if a couple more guys get injured, they'll consider calling up Danny Syrvet. No one wants that.

Grossmann - Coburn
Schenn - Timonen
Gus - Gervais
Bourdon/Manning/Kessel/Syrvet

As an IT professional, when measuring risk, I try and figure out what the worst case scenario that can conceivably happen. I'll assume the riskl, if I can live with the worst case. Homer has to decide if he can live with Timonen blowing an ACL. If that happens the Flyer are screwed for the season. I'm thinking he can't live with that. Now I wonder what he will do about it. Nothing crazy I hope.

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O&B Dream Team
Bill Barber - Bobby Clarke - Tim Kerr
Mark Howe - Chris Pronger
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I know youve been around long enough to know how Holmgren would address any of those situations Wedgy. Cheap veteran free agent signing (plenty available...hell even Kubina is an upgrade over Lilja if they want to give him one more year) or they'll trade for someone. Don't be surprised if hes kicking the tires on Yandle.

Bottom line, it's not really that big of a deal that Lilja is gone. If anything it gives them more space to make the kind of move they were already probably working on.

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@tlucarelli on twitter

Lots of times in this thread it's been mentioned that the Flyers won't trade Couturier, Schenn or some other player. Out of all the teams in the entire league, if there is one team where no player is safe, it's obviously the Flyers. Holmgren doesn't care if he's just signed a guy to a lifetime contract, he'll shove him out the door anyway if it suits his needs. So why do you guys keep saying that player X is untouchable and will not be traded?

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GO WINGS!

12 team H2H dynasty, most categories under the sun, incl. hits/blocks. Main team, farm

C: Kopitar Backstrom Stepan Cammalleri Little Bolland Laich Johnson
LW: Parise Lupul Erat McDonald Martin Silfverberg Nyquist Schwartz Morin Nieto Conacher
RW: PKane Doan Pominville Nash Clowe Lupul Rinaldo Stafford Rattie Stone Chiasson Ritchie
D: Green Suter Seabrook Dillon Beauchemin Schenn Letang Schultz Hamilton McNabb Rielly Harrison
G: Bryzgalov Pavelec Holtby Neuvirth Nihlstorp Lack CalPickard Andersen Stalock Sateri Eriksson
IR: Halak

I won't speak for anybody else here, but I can tell you why I am saying Schenn and Couturier won't get traded.

1 - Money. Lord knows Homer and the Flyers have no problems spending money, but the simple fact is that if you trade them for a big money player, you have to replace them. Chances are the replacement will cost more, and even if the Flyers don't mind shelling out the bucks there is still the cap to consider. Having Schenn and Couturier play at a discount rate allows you to spend elsewhere, thereby maximizing the production you'll get out of your cap room.

2 - No better options. When the Flyers traded Richards/Carter, they had Giroux/Briere/Schenn (and eventually Talbot) to fill the void at center. When they traded JvR they had Hartnell/Schenn/Read/Simmonds/Voracek to play wing on the top six, making him expendable. If we trade Schenn or Couturier, who do we have that can step into that role and produce, let alone do it at a reasonable cap hit?

3 - Luke Schenn. You don't trade for Luke Schenn to just trade away Brayden. Getting Luke was like giving Brayden a NTC, at least for the time being.

4 - Pride. Even before the Kings won the Cup, but even moreso now, there were always going to be questions about whether or not those deals should have been made. Fair or not, Schenn and Couturier will now forever be associated with Richards/Carter, and trading one or both of them would be admitting that the trade was a mistake. You can't tell me that doesn't gnaw at Homer a bit, and that he doesn't want these two to become successful NHLers and Stanley Cup champs for the Flyers, just so he can tell everybody he was right.

5 - If they weren't untouchable, one of Nash/Ryan/Weber/Yandle would be a Flyer already.

Don't get me wrong, if this team isn't clicking by the deadline all bets are off, but I think that Homer isn't prepared to move these guys before the season, especially not after Couturier was able to shut down one of the best players in the world as a 19 year old and Schenn put up 9 points in 11 games this postseason. I think you sit back and see what you have here, and if you make a move you try to do it by shopping Read instead.

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16 Team Dynasty League
Skaters:
G=3.6A=3.6PPP=.9SHP=.9FOW=.1FOL=-.1Blocked Shots=.3SOG=.2Hits=.2PIMs=.2+/-=.7
Goalies:
W=5L=-5GA=-.75Save=.5SO=12.5OTL=2.5
CCrosby,Backstrom,Giroux,Shaw,Goc
LWLucic,Tlusty,Ponikarovsky,,G.Bourque,M.Martin
RWHeatley,Umberger,Clarkson,Prospal,Setoguchi,N.John son
DEnstrom,Boyle,Burns,Nikitin,Diaz
GLuongo,Nabokov,Bernier,Bobrovsky
IR
FGranlund,Yakupov,K.Palmieri,Jarnkrok,Khokhlachev,H ertl,Girgensons,Paajarvi,Beach,Beck,Eakin,Ashton,R undblad,Gormley,Spurgeon,Morrow,Schmaltz,Campbell

VOORHEES, N.J. -- The Flyers are expected to name Claude Giroux their 19th captain Thursday, at the team's open practice at the Wells Fargo Center, according to league sources.

It had been speculated that the naming could come Tuesday, as both Ed Snider and Chris Pronger were at Skate Zone for Day 3 of Flyers training camp.

Instead, it appears the team will do it in front of fans at the Wells Fargo Center, as part of a special event that will be televised and streamed online.

Pronger had been the team captain, but hasn't played since Nov. 19, 2011, because of post-concussion syndrome.

E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net or Sarah Baicker at sbaicker@comcastsportsnet.com.

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Fantasy Hockey Keeper Leagues
{Linden Cup Year 7: 16 GM Points only - Hockeydraft} "2012-13 Champions!"
{SSFHL Year 2: 20 GM Multicat. Salary cap}
{TBIM Year 1: 20 GM H2H - Fantrax}
{CHDL Year 1: 28 GM H2H - Fantrax} "2012-13 Division Champs"
{IFFHL Year 0: 24 GM H2H Salary cap- Fantrax}
{FHL Year 1: 16 GM H2H- ESPN}

I wish they would give it to one of the veterans like Timo or Briere. Not that Giroux coulnt do it.

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UFHP - Y! 12 GMs - 23/8 pro/farm - keep 17 + all farm
G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, GWG, SOG, Hits, FW; GS, W, L, GA, GAA, SA, SV, SV%, SHO

C: Backstrom, Carter (RW), Duchene (LW), Ribiero
LW: Hall, Ladd, Heatley, Clowe, Fleishmann, Stalberg,
RW: Yakupov, Tarasenko, Briere (C), Hemsky
D: Keith, Voynov, Schultz, Hamilton, Siedenberg
G: Hiller, Price, Bernier, Greiss

Farm:
C: Granlund
RW:
LW: Schwartz, Toffoli
D: Rundblad, Orlov
G: Lack, Visentin, Enroth

Would you happen to know who has the A's? Maybe Timo and Briere?

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Fantasy Hockey Keeper Leagues
{Linden Cup Year 7: 16 GM Points only - Hockeydraft} "2012-13 Champions!"
{SSFHL Year 2: 20 GM Multicat. Salary cap}
{TBIM Year 1: 20 GM H2H - Fantrax}
{CHDL Year 1: 28 GM H2H - Fantrax} "2012-13 Division Champs"
{IFFHL Year 0: 24 GM H2H Salary cap- Fantrax}
{FHL Year 1: 16 GM H2H- ESPN}

It is Roux's team now. He's the heart and soul. The first shift in Game 6 when he hammered Crosby and scored a goal was the actual moment he became captain of the team. They only delayed the announcing of it.

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Bill Barber - Bobby Clarke - Tim Kerr
Mark Howe - Chris Pronger
Bernie Parent
Farm: Giroux