We all remember a year ago when the Flyers were swept out of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Bruins. That was quite a disappointment after the Flyers reached the Final in 2010.
Fast forward to today and how good you feel about this Flyers team with its unlimited potential. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made some of the boldest moves Ive ever see a GM pull off last June, trading away Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. How could we have anticipated the immediate impact Jake Voracek, Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds would have had on the club? Holmgren deserves a ton of credit for realizing the team was flawed and it needed a shakeup.
The moves allowed Claude Giroux to be the centerpiece of the team and he has responded in a big way. Holmgren, unfortunately, wasnt recognized as a finalist for 2012 GM of the Year as determined by the leagues 30 general managers and a panel of NHL executives and media members. Holmgren would gladly pass on the award and hoist the Stanley Cup, the true barometer of a GMs success.
All this wouldnt have worked if it werent for a head coach, who figured out how to put the pieces together. Peter Laviolette also wasnt a finalist for the Jack Adams award given to the NHL Coach of the Year. Laviolette knows what it takes to win a championship. He did in Carolina in 2006 and he has played a valuable role in getting the most out of this Flyers team.
E-mail Neil Hartman at nhartman@comcastsportsnet.com.