After the 2007-08 campaign it was no secret that the Flyers were going to address a big need on defense during the off-season. It appeared early on that the Flyers were going on an all defensive diet next season, but the roster is now a little more balanced and clear after a couple of days of free agency.

The Flyers drafted two defensemen with their first two picks before choosing a goalie. Obviously defense is a pressing need for the orange and black, but rarely in the NHL does a player make an impact immediately after being drafted. Perhaps it would have made more sense to draft Thomas McCollum, the top goalie in the draft, but the Flyers figure they can find a goalie in the free agent market whenever Martin Biron’s time runs out.

The Flyers have added a myriad of defensemen so far this off-season, but who will we actually see come October? What will be interesting to see is what happens with Derian Hatcher. As the roster stands now, the Flyers are over the salary cap by a little over $1 million according to HockeyBuzz.com. Hatcher’s $3.5 million contract this season provides a giant question mark as to what to do with him. His knee is still in bad shape, but he is trying to see if he can rehab it in time to play one more year.

Steve Eminger was signed for $1.2 million this year, so he will surely make the team. Eminger only played 20 games for Washington last season, so hopefully he will be the type to succeed in a change of scenery. Randy Jones was re-signed for two years on Wednesday along with Riley Cote, making an absurd $3 million in 2008-09. They overpaid big time for Jones. Ossi Vaananen signed on July 1 for one year and $1 million. Vaananen could be a plesant surprise this year. He played in Sweeden last season to improve his game for the NHL’s standards. We’ll see if his work overseas pays off. Between Timonen, Coburn, Jones, Eminger, Vaananen, Parent, and possibly Hatcher, the top six defensemen might be figured out already.

After losing R.J. Umberger to Columbus on draft day, the Flyers had a void in their lineup. They made a relatively quiet, but very helpful signing in forward Glen Metropolit from Boston. He had 33 points last season, playing in all 82 games for the Bruins. Listed as a center, he could perhaps fill in as a fourth line center for Jim Dowd (from Brick, NJ in case you didn’t remember from every time his name was mentioned on Versus). Also look for Claude Giroux to make the roster and take retired Sami Kapanen’s spot.

The Flyers knew (but apparently I was a little naive) they wouldn’t have the money available to get a big name like Brian Campbell. Other defensemen like John-Michael Liles, Wade Redden and Mark Streit became unavailable also, but the Flyers have done pretty well for themselves thus far. Metropolit could be a great fit here surrounded by talented players and not having some of the pressure to take the offensive load like he did in Boston. Vaananen and Eminger are toss ups at this point, but in the right situation, hopefully they can fill roles that this team needs.

KEY ADDITIONS

• D  Ossi Vaananen
• D  Steve Eminger
• C  Glen Metropolit

KEY SUBTRACTIONS

• C  R.J. Umberger
• RW  Sami Kapanen

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