Flyers Busy on Draft Night, Lose Umberger, Add Defenseman June 20, 2008
Posted by Dave in Flyers, Philadelphia.Tags: Philadelphia Flyers, Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger, Luca Sbisa
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According to earlier reports, Jeff Carter
re-signed with Philadelphia for three years and at least $15
million. The Flyers have not yet announced this deal, so it isnt
quite done yet. This could be a money issue.
There were doubts that the Flyers would not be able to afford both Carter and R.J. Umberger. But on draft night, the Flyers dealt Umberger to the Columbus Blue Jackets along with their 118th (fourth round) pick in return for the 19th overall pick and a 67th (third round) pick.
With that 19th selection, the Flyers chose defenseman Luca Sbisa from the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League.
Then the Flyers shipped their original 27th pick to Washington in return for defenseman Steve Eminger.
Shipping Umberger to Columbus frees up some cap space for the Flyers. It should make a Jeff Carter signing a little easier, and will hopefully happen soon. If he remains unsigned, Carter will be a restricted free agent on July 1, which means although the Flyers would have had the chance to match an offer sheet, Carter could be getting bids from other NHL teams.
The acquisitions of Sbisa and Eminger are interesting. Despite the fact that GM Paul Holmgren said the Flyers would take the best player available and not stock up on defense, it appears that is what they’re doing. Many speculated that the Flyers could chose a goalie early in this draft because they really lack an up-and-coming netminder in their farm system. Although this draft was supposed to be deeper than last year, apparently there wasn’t a goalie worth taking at 19. Sbisa probably won’t make the opening day roster this September. Draft picks rarely do that their first year after being signed. As for Eminger, he only played 20 games for the Capitals last season and was often a healthy scratch. Although Eminger could potentially give somone a fight for a roster spot in training camp, he won’t be anything spectacular.
Look for the Flyers to sign Carter soon, maybe draft a few more defensemen and possibly a goalie. Umberger’s departure also makes it more likely that the orange and black could land a big name on the blue line, so they will start scouring the list of potential free agents and begin calling their agents on the morning of July 1.
Photo courtesy: Neat1325 on Flickr
Don’t sell Eminger short, he’ll definitely make the team. He’s a puck moving d-man, should fill in nicely on the second or third pairing.
The Flyers followed up a very shrewd move in getting a first rounder and moving up 55 spots from the fourth to the third round in the draft with one of the absolutely dumbest moves imaginable. Why on earth would you trade a first round pick for a scrub defenseman like Steve Eminger, who was a first round bust a year ago and a guy who probably wouldn’t even have received a qualifying offer from the Capitals? The best quote is from Paul Holmgren, who said he “hoped” Eminger would make the team.
You HOPE he makes the team? The Flyers have ignored the goalie position for years and have filled it with scrubs like Martin Biron. With the 27th pick and two very good goalie prospects sitting there for the taking, the Flyers did this move. This just shows that there’s no difference between Clarke and Holmgren. They both have no idea or clue what to do about their goalies. They can’t draft them, develop them or cultivate them. This has to go down as one of the dumbest moves I’ve seen from a Philadelphia team in years. Don’t tell me about the goalie they got in the third round, whose projected to be an NHL backup, or the guy they got in the seventh round. They had a golden opportunity to get a solid goalie prospect, and they completely blew it. What idiots. What morons.
[...] Flyers drafted two defensemen with their first two picks before choosing a goalie. Obviously defense is a pressing need for the [...]