September 2003

Preseason Questions Pondered

By Anthony Mingioni

As September begins, all thoughts turn to the changing color of the leaves, the return of school and, for ice hockey fans, the beginning of training camp.

When training camp does open on September 9 in Voorhees, the Philadelphia Flyers face questions on a number of fronts:

Was a quiet off season actually be a good thing for the Flyers?

It just might. It’s been said that the longer a group is together, the better they get. The only issue is the group isn’t getting any younger. With only a change in net in veteran Jeff Hackett, the Flyers will get to see if that theory holds true.

Is Hackett the answer in goal? Is he an upgrade from Roman Cechmanek?

Ah, yes, the age old question in Philly. His performance will dictate what the Flyers can do in the postseason. Cechmanek finally got over his playoff drought with a series win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his Jekyll and Hyde play didn’t win any confidence in the locker room.

The 35-year old Hackett is the anti-Cechmanek in that he is known to have strong technique and fundamentals. He is ultra competitive and has the support of a number of veterans. However, his injury problems are a cause for concern, as is his lack of postseason experience. Those factors give No. 2 goaltender Robert Esche a chance to finally prove that he can be a starting NHL goalie if he puts together a good run of starts.

Are Justin Williams and Simon Gagne ready for larger roles this season?

Gagne, after an injury-plagued season, has the past offensive qualifications to make it work. He will have the benefit of playing with center Jeremy Roenick and right winger Tony Amonte from the season start. But concerns over his groin pulls bring to mind another former 30-goal scorer…Mikael Renberg. His recovery will be important to the Flyers’ chances.

Williams will battle veteran Mark Recchi for the second line right wing position. He was a surprising force in the Toronto series, playing smart physical hockey while capitalizing on his scoring chances. He disappeared against Ottawa, but considering his quick recovery from a knee injury during the regular season, the Flyers will take his overall performance into account. He signed a one-year contract, so he has a great chance to cash in on a bigger contract if he takes the next step in scoring, which figures to be 20-25 goals and 60 to 70 points.

Are the veterans ready for reduced roles?

If Hitchcock’s plan comes to fruition, the Flyers are going to have one expensive third line this season. It will be interesting to see if Recchi and left winger John LeClair react well.

It’s going to be difficult to justify LeClair, who is making $9 million per season, being in a third line left winger’s role. Unfortunately, the wear-and-tear of playing in front of the opposing net has taken its toll on LeClair who likely will never reach his lofty scoring heights of the mid to late ‘90’s.

Recchi was solid last year with 20 goals and 52 points, but his production has been in decline as well. Luckily, he’s an excellent two-way player and gives Hitchcock options. He’s getting by on his savvy and guile much more than his physical abilities at this point.

Other than Gagne and Williams, who are the other youngsters to keep an eye on up front?

Right winger Radovan Somik was better than expected in a checking role last season. The Flyers would love to get more production out of him, but it may be difficult with him likely locked into a third- or fourth-line role.

Forward Eric Chouinard faces a make-or-break season this year. A player with bountiful physical gifts, he must prove that he is a legitimate threat to score. Power forward types take time to develop and he is only 23, but management wants to see development in his game this year.

Despite a broken leg, Patrick Sharp had a solid first professional season with the Phantoms. In 53 games played, the former Vermont star scored 33 points. He has an excellent chance to stick with the big club.

Finally, Alex Drozdetsky will get a chance to show what he can do. The former 2^nd round draft choice of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft had a very good showing with the Central Army team in the Russian Elite League, scoring 27 points in 46 games played.

Is the sixth defenseman’s job Joni Pitkanen’s to lose?

The Flyers see it as an open audition to the four defenseman (which includes Jim Vandermeer, Jeff Woywitka, and Dennis Seidenberg) to try and earn the spot, but they would be ecstatic if Pitkanen won it. A potent combination of size and skill make Pitkanen the most attractive, but Hitchcock will likely take the best player. He was especially pleased with Vandermeer’s tough play last season. His experience could help him.

If anything, the plethora of young defensemen coming in should give some of the veteran defensemen some motivation this season, as they have larger contracts that the Flyers would attempt to move if they don’t play up to expectations.

Are the Flyers going to take a step forward for Stanley Cup contention or move back into the Eastern Conference pack?

Unlike in the ultra competitive Western Conference, the Flyers are better than most of the teams in the Eastern Conference, but they have two major roadblocks in front of them: the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils.

The defending Cup champions and President’s Trophy winners are potent teams that seem to make the Flyers look vulnerable.

The Devils’ reliance on a stifling defense, opportunistic system, and Martin Brodeur gives them every chance to repeat. The Flyers only managed a single victory against them last season.

The Senators, who go into this season as the vogue pick of many media outlets to succeed New Jersey, have superior speed, depth, and a goaltender in Patrick Lalime who is outstanding and just entering his prime. They also have motivation after the Devils dumped them out of the playoffs at home. The Flyers stayed with them for four playoff games before running out of gas in Games five and six.

They also have to concern themselves with teams on the rise in the conference such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, who earned a level of respect with their first ever playoff victory, the Atlanta Thrashers, with former Colorado head coach Bob Hartley at the helm for his first full season, and the Boston Bruins, who have two of the leagues elite scorers in Joe Thornton and Glen Murray.

Despite those considerations, the Flyers should be in the East’s top four again this year, but whether they can make that deep post season run depends on if the above factors work out in their favor.