GET TO THE PLAYOFFS ALREADY!
The Flyers are off to a good start, which is nice. But I'm
thoroughly convinced that we won't have any idea what to expect
from this team for at least another week. That's when the New
Jersey Devils come to town.
With the exception of goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, the Flyers
are basically the same team that got spanked by anti-christ
Matthew Barnaby and the rest of those uppity Sabres last spring.
And that debacle was merely the culmination of a season-long
trend. The Flyers struggled mightily against the league's better
teams all last season. So is there any reason to believe that
this year's edition will fair any better against the elite teams
of the league?
The answer is "maybe." Although victories against a paper-thin
Rangers squad and the Disney-backed softies from Anaheim don't
amount to much, there are signs that the Flyers may be a more
cohesive unit this year.
For starters, consider the way the team has responded to physical
challenges. When Anaheim's Kevin Haller took some liberties with
Chris Gratton Sunday night, Eric Lindros immediately responded by
pummeling his former teammate into the boards. Later, supergoon
Stu Grimson attempted to goad Lindros into a fight. But before 88
could even discard his gloves, defenseman Luke Richardson stepped
up to the dish and risked his life to stick up for his more
valuable teammate.
That type of team spirit was noticeably absent last season. So
maybe Roger Neilson's training camp mantra of "togetherness" got
into some heads. Who said volleyball is good for nothing?
The play of John Vanbiesbrouck has also been encouraging. Sure, a
naked anorexic could have shut out the Rangers for the last two
periods on Friday night. But that doesn't diminish the fact that
Vanbiesbrouck has yet to allow one of those ugly, deflating
five-hole goals. Perhaps that steadiness will give the rest of
the team enough confidence to avoid becoming scared stiff and
tentative against the stronger teams in the league. We'll know
soon enough.
NEW FACES, NEW PLACES
It's still early, but right wing Mike Maneluk (pronounced
Man-uh-luk) looks like a good fit with Lindros and LeClair. He's
a faster skater than Trent Klatt and much better with the puck.
And he also seems to have some chemistry with his new linemates.
He made a nifty pass on Lindros' second goal against the Ducks.
Dmitri Tertyshny looks like a player, too. He's the most mobile
defenseman on the squad and an excellent shooter and playmaker.
But at 178 pounds, he might not be able to push around Kate Moss.
And that, combined with Bob Clarke's well-documented love of
Russian players, will probably limit his playing time for now.
He'll get some PT in the next week with Chris Therien out. But
he'll probably become the seventh defenseman again when Therien
returns. Expect Tertyshny to contribute more in the second half
of the season.
Not all of the Flyers' new players are making such a strong first
impression. Free agent acquisition Marc Bureau was a healthy
scratch in his first game. That's a pretty big surprise
considering the fact that the Flyers shelled out $3.3 mil to get
him in orange and black.
Bureau's down-time is partially due to Alexander Daigle's move to
center. The Daigle move certainly makes sense in some respects.
Coach Roger Neilson believes that Daigle will have more room to
use his superior wheels in the middle of the ice. It's possible.
But unless Daigle shows a lot more offense, expect the experiment
to be short-lived. God knows he's not likely to compete for the
Selke Trophy.
MR. OCTOBER
After banging homeruns in three consecutive at-bats in the 1977
World Series clincher, the sportswriters christened Reggie
Jackson "Mr. October." But for me, the real Mr. October is #88,
Eric Lindros. He's at it again. Perhaps because of all that
gentle prodding from Bob Clarke, Lindros was a terror throughout
the exhibition season. And he carried that intensity into the
first two regular season games, as well.
A lot of people around Philadelphia are convinced that Clarke's
comments and Lindros's unresolved contract situation will finally
give him enough incentive to have the season the Flyers have been
waiting for. Even though he's off to a strong start, I'm not so
sure. Lindros continues to respond to interview questions like
his old passionless, robotic self. And even if does have a
monster regular season, there's nothing in his past to suggest
that he'll be at his best when the Flyers really need him to be.
Bob Clarke is taking a very big gamble with Lindros. Even though
he has a handshake agreement that the center won't shop himself
around the league next summer when his contract expires, there's
no guarantee that it won't happen. The league office called the
handshake deal "a figment." And that puts the team in a
precarious situation.
What if Lindros and the Flyers fall short again next spring and
contract negotiations turn sour? At that point, the Flyers will
be forced to overpay to retain him - just like the Red Wings had
to do to keep Sergei Fedorov in the fold. I believe that the
Flyers should have traded Lindros when he refused to sign for the
long-term. If the nightmare scenario plays out, I'm sure most
fans will agree with me.
GOODBYE TRENT KLATT?
The signing of Jody Hull forced the Flyers to put a roster player
on waivers. They chose Trent Klatt. That's a sure sign of how far
Klatt's stock with the team has fallen in the past year.
Personally, I think Klatt is still a good player. He's an
excellent defensive player, perhaps the Flyers' most enthusiastic
hitter, and a decent goal scorer. Sure, he looked terrible on the
Lindros line last year. But his failure there was Bob Clarke's
fault, not his. If Clarke had been able to trade for a proven
scorer on the right wing, Klatt would never have been forced into
the scorer's role.
Fortunately, his recent pay raise will probably discourage most
teams from claiming him. And if no one claims him by the end of
today, he'll remain property of the Flyers. Here's hoping he gets
another chance to be just a solid, two-way player.
