The Philadelphia Flyers had all the pieces of a championship
team in 2010-11 except a goalie to get them to the promise land. According to Bob
Mckenzie the Flyers made a move in hopes of changing that fact by acquiring
the rights to goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in exchange for Matt Clackson, a 2012 3rd
round pick and future considerations.
Bryzgalov would fill a long standing need within the Flyers organization
giving them a legitimate frontline goalie for the first time since Ron Hextall
was in net.
Bryzgalov might did not get the attention he deserved league
wide because he was in Phoenix, but his numbers and game are among the elite in
the league. This past season he went
36-20-10 with a 2.48 goals against average and .921 save percentage. If the Flyers can lock him up, which is an if
given their current cap situation they will be a leading contender in the
division and for the championship next season.
That will also partially depend on what the Flyers have to trade away to
make room under the cap.
