Peter Laviolette Is One of Flyers Few Moving Parts

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What’s wrong with the Flyers this year? Simple enough
question, yet one that’s sure to produce a variety of answers.

Some might say the front office failed to adequately replace
Jaromir Jagr and James van Riemsdyk in the offseason. Too much production was
subtracted from this lineup in the offseason.

However, the top line has come around without Jagr since
Jakub Voracek joined Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell, while JVR only suited up
in about half the games last season anyway. Scoring doesn’t seem to be as much
of a problem since the club got healthy, as Philadelphia has climbed to 13th in
the NHL with 2.78 goals per game – not tremendously far off from their 2011-‘12
pace of 3.17, which was tied for second.

Others would argue the talent isn’t there right now on the
blue line. That’s true to an extent. Depth is an issue, and they are lacking
defensemen whose strengths include playing the puck.

Is overall talent really the problem though? Sure, Kimmo
Timonen is getting up there, has looked a little worse for the wear at times,
but he can still get the job done. Nicklas Grossmann and Luke Schenn have both
looked strong in their own end. Braydon Coburn has had a rough go of it this
season, but in the past has generally been reliable. That’s not a terrible
core, one that should be able to get by at least with the Flyers’ combination
of veterans and prospects rounding out the group.

Then there are people from both factions who would claim
Ilya Bryzgalov simply is not the answer in goal. The numbers sure do support
those claims at the moment.

The problem with that line of thinking is we know Bryz is
capable of playing at a high level. We’ve seen him play at a high level, both
earlier this season and during his epic shutout streak leading up to his injury
last year. The fact is while he needs to be far better in one-on-one
situations, there is no denying Billy’s mates have left him hanging out to dry
far too often. You can’t honestly pin where they’re at on him.

Is Bryzgalov the best netminder in the whole big universe?
Probably not, but he can be as steady as what’s in front of him.

Each unit has flaws, some deeper than others, but this is
the team general manager Paul Holmgren constructed. Who should go?

Their hands are a bit tied.

Even if they wanted to the Flyers would have trouble moving
Danny Briere – an ideal candidate due to his contract – first because of his
no-trade clause, and then what’s the return going to be? The quality D-men they
do have are all locked up for the next few years, so should they move improving,
young forwards like Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Matt Read, and Sean
Couturier for another when players like Erik Gustafsson, Marc-Andre Bourdon,
and Brandon Manning are close to helping? There’s a lot of talk about amnestying
Bryzgalov in the offseason – which might be wise since they probably don’t want
to be paying him until he’s 40 – but his average salary is only eighth among
all goaltenders. Who is supposed to replace Bryz, for less at that, and does it
even matter if the breakdowns in front of him continue?

You can’t put anything past Homer ever since he shocked the
world two years ago when the Flyers shipped out Mike Richards and Jeff Carter,
but this is a young roster that doesn’t lend the appearance of a group that is
about to undergo dramatic change in the immediate future. A player here or
there for sure, but these are the Flyers.

Before the organization even thinks about blowing it up
again, they have to look at the head coach. I don’t say that lightly, but given
all of that talent on this team, is there any reason for the Flyers to miss the
playoffs entirely this season?

As of right now, Philadelphia’s placement in the standings
falls on Peter Laviolette. He is the easiest person to replace, and has the
most direct influence on what transpires on the ice. Lavvy may not have 100% of
the pieces he needs to bring home a Stanley Cup right now, but his club shouldn’t
be in the same boat as the New York Islanders, either. It’s his responsibility
to make it work.

The Flyers’ braintrust must consider making a switch sooner
rather than later, perhaps even this season. Bryzgalov told reporters on
Tuesday if they lose both games of a home-and-home with the Devils this week,
they are done. No doubt, the situation would be grim. The question is what will be different?

They can start with a change in philosophy.

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