All Hockey Talk

Well, the Flyers have pulled him back from the Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, back up to the big club. Sergei Bobrovsky hasn't played all that bad though for the Flyers in recent weeks, so this move comes as a surprise to some. Brian Boucher hasn't been very steady in net though, so this may be a back-up move for Bobrovsky throughout the playoffs. No one is really sure how Leighton will perform though, in his one game back from in the NHL for the Flyers, he did not perform very well. Also, his numbers are not very good down in the AHL either so this is why the move is kind of unsettling to alot of Flyers fans as the team must have very little faith in their current goaltending situation even though Bobrovsky has had very nice stats. Maybe Leighton will be able to pull off another miracle run for the Flyers this postseason, but he didn't get the regular season warm-up that he had last year to do so. The playoffs are looming, so we will shortly find out exactly what their plans are.

Alot of the Flyers current problems seem to stem from the absence of Chris Pronger. Since Pronger has been out, the Flyers have just been stumbling through games, barely winning games that they were easily winning earlier in the season, and losing games that should never be lost. The power play has just completely sputtered and died, and with all the offensive talent the Flyers have, you wouldn't think a defensemen would really make that much of a difference, but apparently it does in the Flyers case. It is obvious that they miss his breakout ability, as the breakouts for the Flyers have oft times been horrendous and leave you with a shocked look on your face wondering exactly what it was that a predominantly veteran team was thinking. It also leaves to question, what is the future of this young team? Without Pronger's veteran leadership abilities on and off the ice, the team is collapsing. He is getting up there in age, so who knows where this team will be when he can't put anymore good years in. The core of the Flyers is here to stay it seems like, so if this is the team they will be minus Pronger, they have a long way to go. Other players need to step up and carry the load, this is too good of a team to be failing as bad as they are. Laviolette has to get this team in gear or he might find his head on the chopping block, even after the Flyers amazing run last postseason. Philadelphia is a sports town of here and now, and they haven't been able to bring the championships home. Let's see how this pans out.