INSIDE HOCKEY

With the Red Wings still one win away from hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup, Paul Holmgren and the Flyers front office are reportedly already working on the cap maneuvers needed to contend in a division that will see them playing Crosby and Malkin (not to mention Martin Brodeur) seven times per year. According to a report from Ed Moran in Philly.com, the Flyers will sign goaltender Ray Emery to a one-year deal for a modest $1,500,000.

Emery played last year in Russia after being run out of Ottawa for acting like Terrell Ownes on skates, despite the year before taking the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals. Emery can’t sign with the Flyers until July 1, 2009 because he has played in the NHL in the past and the free agent market doesn’t open until July.

Emery is a boom or bust decision by Holmgren. There is no doubt he has the skills to pay the bills between the pipes. The question is: does he have the fortitude between his ears to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals and actually win? Anything less than winning the Cup is considered a failure in the City of Brotherly Love...

With a lot to prove if Emery ends up being just an OK goalie, the Flyers aren’t committed to him long term as Jean-Sebastien Giguere at 33 will be looking for a Cup contending team to play on assuming Jonas Hiller keeps his starting job in Anaheim. The Flyers could be a perfect location for Giguere if Emery doesn’t pan out. If Emery does play well, the Flyers can sign him for a longer term deal as he is 27.

The Next Shoe To Drop For The Flyers...
Could Be A Beach Sandal?

Like a not-so-subtle crush in high school, the Flyers lust for Florida Panther defenseman Jay Bouwmeester who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this July. The Flyers who are quite close to the cap just freed up 1.5 million dollars assuming the numbers are right on the Ray Emery report and are reportedly likely try to trade for J-Bow before the UFA market opens up. The most likely candidate to be moved is Joffrey Lupul and his $4,000,000 salary for next year. Pair that with the $1,500,000 the just saved from releasing Marty Biron and you have $5,500,000 for starters. Honestly, I don’t think that will be enough to sign Bouwmeester as I bet he gets closer to $6,000,000 a year however to play in Philly, he might defer some of his money to later in his contract. There is also a little wiggle room in the event the Flyers don’t resign Mike Knuble however they seem to want to ink the veteran forward.

Critics suggested that the Panthers blew it at the trade deadline by not dealing Bouwmeester however at the time the team was in the playoff race. Dealing for the future then would have killed the moral of the fans and teams are willing to pay for the hard-hitting defenseman in order to pull off a sign and trade much like the Flyers did with their star defenseman, Kimmo Timonen.

Keeping an eye on the cap, Flyers GM, Paul Holmgren has to be mindful to sign Braydon Coburn after next season and with Randy Jones out much of this past season, Coburn was asked to be much more of a stay-at-home-mom than an up-on-the-play defenseman. Expect higher offensive production from Coburn in this coming season as his role will be more offensive with the Flyers. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Holmgren look to move Matt Carle in order to sign a more defensively minded Mike Komisarek and save a little money in a bit of a defensive switcheroo.

Do Emery and J-Bow Make The Flyers Cup Contenders?

Without question Ray Emery is the key to the season for the Flyers in 2009-2010 assuming he signs there. This boom or bust goalie will have a powerful group of forwards in front of him that all put the puck in the net. He will have Coburn and Timonen in front of him and with the potential addition of ball-breaking Jay Bouwmeester – the Flyers have all of the pieces needed to get past the Penguins and to the Stanley Cup Finals. Emery has a lot prove and the possible addition of Bouwmeester simply makes the Flyers a much better defensive team.

Known for his fighting on the ice (as well as in the locker room) if Ray Emery wants to make the Flyers faithful learn to love him quickly all he has to do is drop is glove and blocker in an early game and rearrange another goalies face, or helmet… The Philadelphia fans will not be impressed with Emery’s bling bling Lamborghinis but with a few shutouts under his belt and a low goals against Emery could become a fan favorite with a little Ron Hextall flair.