The Rebuilding of the Philadelphia Flyers

We keep hearing that the key to success in the “new” NHL is the draft.  Whether referencing Pittsburgh’s knockout run of Top Two picks (Fleury, Crosby, and Malkin) or Washington’s jam-packed youth corps (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Green, Laich, Gordon, Fehr,... plus the entire Hershey Bears squad) or Detroit’s miracle late-round success (Datsyuk, anyone?), powerhouse teams know how to leverage their draft choices to create solid lineups. Which brings us to the Flyers.  Journalists rave about Holmgren’s clever trades, attributing the entire revitalization to new acquisitions .  And in a sense, that’s all true. Kimmo Timonen provided the reliable defense missing since the retirement of Eric Desjardins.  Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall brought gritty agitation to the forward lines, while Danny Briere added finesse and skill to the power play.  Meanwhile, Marty Biron supplied the needed netminding. But paying for ... (link)