Flyers Roster Review: Offense

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FORWARDS: Last of three parts on the Flyers' roster this season and what's ahead.

Part 1: Goaltenders Part 2: Defense

There is a school of thought out there in Flyerdom that believes general manager Paul Holmgren should forget about going after Ryan Suter or Shea Weber this summer and target someone closer to home.

Just how close, you ask? Just up the Jersey Turnpike, where Zach Parise is playing for the New Jersey Devils. Parise will be unrestricted and command a nice raise over the 6 million cap hit he carried this season.

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello will have his hands full this summer trying to re-sign more than a dozen UFAs.

Now heres the rub.

Parise is another one of those players a cash-strapped club like New Jersey might be willing to deal prior to free agency by trading his rights. But Lamoriello has never done a deal like that with the Flyers, and frankly, its unthinkable hed do it with a division rival.

Also, players like Parise just dont come along very often. Lamoriello will do whatever it takes to re-sign him rather than a rights deal in advance of free agency.

The Flyers under Bob Clarke for generations were a team that was exceptionally strong down the middle. The current group is exceptional up front and could be exceptional on the back end(pending health of certain players) if it signs an impact player such as Suter or Weberwhich is why Parise doesnt make sense. The Flyers are already loaded up front.

One trait that Holmgren might want to address this summer is whether he believes this club was mentally and physically tough enough against New Jersey when confronted with relentless board pressure and one-on-one battles.

If not, he needs to tweak the roster at forward.

Danny Briere
Age next season: Turns 35 on Oct. 6
Cap hit: 6.5 million

The loss of Ville Leino to free agency impacted him the most. Briere came into camp without a set line and rotated around five primary units the entire season, spending most of his time with Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmondstwo wingers he openly professed that he enjoyed playing with. Brieres 16 goals were the fewest hes had since 2008-09 (11) as a Flyer, but he was again a dominant force in the playoffs with 13 points though he was minus-6. Again, you overlook his defensive lapses for the offense he brings.

Sean Couturier
Age next season: Turns 20 on Dec. 7
Cap hit: 1.375 million

It was lucky for the Flyers that Couturier fell in last summers draft because of a bout with mononucleosis. No one could have projected the kind of rookie season he had. This kid is going to be a tremendous two-way centerman someday and already is being honed in a shutdown role. Hes got natural penalty kill instincts, too. Along with Claude Giroux, he would be deemed untouchable in any deal this summer. Much like Simon Gagne when he first arrived, Couturier is expected to add weight and muscle in the off-season.

Claude Giroux
Age next season: Turns 25 on Jan. 12
Cap hit: 3.75 million

He studied and emulated all the good traits of Mike Richards without picking up the bad ones (moodiness, poor media skills), and came into training camp by stepping into the role as this teams on-ice leader, taking over the role especially after Chris Pronger left the lineup with injury. Over the course of the season, Giroux showed he has all the qualities of being an effective captain if the C leaves Prongers jersey next season. His defensive abilities, much like Richards, nicely compliment him now and will in the future, too.

Scott Hartnell
Age next season: Turns 31 on Apr. 18
Cap hit: 4.2 million

Hartnell had a career season, scoring 37 goals. The big difference was his attitudeterrific from the day he came into camp until the day the team broke up. A lot of the off-ice baggage Hartnell carried on his shoulders in recent years is now far inthe past, making him a happy guy in the room. Hartnells conditioning and weight were top notch too, in part, because of Jaromir Jagrs influence.

Jaromir Jagr
Age next season: Turns 41 on Feb. 15
Cap hit: UFA

He seemed to be a slam dunk to re-sign with the Flyers, but Jagr three times avoided saying he would do so on break-up day, openly questioning what kind of role awaited him. He also said he didnt likesitting on the bench with fewer minutes at seasons end when he was taken off Girouxs line. The truth is, Jagr was gassed the final two-plus months of the season, possibly due to overtraining, even during the playoffs when teammates were resting. A lot of people credit him as being the glue in the dressing room between the younger and older players. His loss would be huge in that respect. Its questionable whether he re-signs.

Matt Read
Age next season: 26
Cap hit: 900,000

TSNs Bob McKenzie boldly predicted during training camp that Read would win the Calder Trophy as the NHLs Rookie of the Year. Among the most versatile older rookies to ever wear orange n black, Read led his classmates in goals (24) and game-winners (6). Alas, he didnt finish among the finalists, undoubtedly because he was six years older than the majority of his class. Hard to say whether Read continues to move around between wing and center or gets locked into one spot next season.

Zac Rinaldo
Age next season: 22
Cap hit: 544,444

Rinaldo gives you everything you had with Dan Carcillo with fewer mindless penalties. Unquestionably, he is the hardest hitter the Flyers have ever had in the lineup. He still gets too revved up and loses control, which is why he was benched during the Pittsburgh series. At the same time, the energy, enthusiasm and compete level Rinaldo brings is exactly what the Flyers lacked in the Devils series.

Brayden Schenn
Age next season: 21
Cap hit: 1.75 million (likely) but could be 3.11 million (unlikely)

His cap hit is complicated, but as TSNs Darren Dreger pointed out last season, to earn the higher cap hit Schenn would have to average 25 minutes a night, which is six more minutes than he did this season. No Flyer averaged those minutes this year. Schenn had a series of unfortunate occurrences and injuries, which wrecked the first half of his season, but he became a very pleasant surprise in the second half. He figures to be a 20-goal scorer next year. The question is, do the Flyers leave him on the wing with Briere or move him to full-time center?

Tommy Sestito
Age next season: Turns 25 on Sept. 28
Cap hit: RFA

Sestito played well in 14 games in a role reserved for Jody Shelley, then suffered a torn groin that ended his season. He seems destined to replace Shelley at some point given he is younger, more mobile and, obviously, fights.

Jody Shelley
Age next season: Turns 37 on Feb. 7
Cap hit: 1.1 million

Shelley is one of the deep thinkers in the Flyers dressing room and perhaps the most well-spoken player on many subjects this team has had since Mike Knuble. Players in the room genuinely respect Shelley and the job he does, even though he fought few times this seasonsixwhich is half the number of fights he had a year earlier. He will have to battle hard to retain his job in training camp.

Wayne Simmonds
Age next season: 24
Cap hit: 1.75 million

No one really knew what to expect of Simmonds when he arrived here from Los Angeles, but he showed the willingness to take and dish out punishment in front of the net en route to scoring a career-high 28 goals. And then he simply vanished in the playoffs. His moxie and toughness in the slot disappeared against New Jersey. But along with Schenn, his value in the Mike Richards deal will yield dividends in the years ahead.

Max Talbot
Age next season: Turns 29 on Feb. 11
Cap hit: 1.75 million

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said it best early last season when the Flyers visited Pittsburgh. Walking down the hallway near the Pens dressing room, Bylsma spied Talbot walking toward the Flyers room. Since when are you a goal scorer? Bylsma asked. Indeed, one more goal this season and Talbot would have had 20 as a Flyeran unexpected surprise. He seemed very comfortable moving around the lineup and was a tremendous asset on the penalty kill.

James van Riemsdyk
Age next season: Turns 24 on May 4
Cap hit: 4.25

After such a dynamic playoff the year before, his season was nothing short of a nightmare. Just one injury after another, some that even seemed to have the club perplexed. JVR has the physical tools to be the next Hartnell. Every time you think hes going to make that transition to the next level, he takes a step back. The Flyers have turned down trade offers on JVR before,yet you sense if an offer comes along this summer, theyll be inclined to listen more carefully.

Jakub Voracek
Age next season: 23
Cap hit: RFA

Around the NHL, it was widely accepted that Voraceks leaving Columbus for Philadelphia would benefit him right away just from a change of scenery standpoint. It did. Despite a slow first quarter, Voracek blossomed into a speedy, skilled winger who nearly scored 20 goals (18). Again, Jagrs influence on himthe two were virtually inseparable off the icecant be understated. The Flyers havent fully tapped into Voraceks total skill reserve, but consistency remains an issue. He simply disappeared in the playoffs with just two goals. That concerns the Flyers and impacts his new contract this summer.

Eric Wellwood
Age next season: Turns 23 on Mar. 6
Cap hit: 580,000

General manager Paul Holmgren was asked on break-up day whether Wellwood deserved strong consideration for a full-time roster spot next season. He answered rather affirmatively that he did. Wellwood has deceptive speed and might be the fastest player on the roster. Now he has to figure out how to use that speed to generate points.

Harry Zolnierczyk
Age next season: Turns 25 on Sept. 1
Cap hit: RFA

A capable fill-in when players were injured this season, Harry Z. played in 37 games, but was an alarming minus-11 against just six points scored. Between the first week of February and the final game of the regular season, he played just three games as a call-up.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net

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