It’s just too easy to compare the Kings to the Flyers.
The connections are deep – from General Manager Dean Lombardi to Assistant GM Ron Hextall to coach Terry Murray to assistant coach John Stevens. On the ice, there’s also Michal Handzus and Justin Williams.
So, when trying to figure out what Trade Deadline Day might bring in LA, perhaps a look out east to Philadelphia might be in order.
Last year, the Flyers were considered one of the Stanley Cup favorites heading into the season.
Then, they went through early season troubles – where the weren’t producing up to expectations.
At the trade deadline they did little to improve their club, as their sole deal for the second half push was acquiring forward Ville Leino from Detroit for defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth round draft pick.
He scored two goals in the remaining 13 games for the Flyers. Hardly a major addition offensively.
In the standings, the team pushed hard to dig out of the hole they created for themselves in the first half. It took all the way until the final day of the season for the club to officially qualify for the post season.
They entered the playoffs in the eighth seed with 236 goals scored in the regular season – fewer than powerhouse teams like Washington (318), Vancouver (272), Chicago (271), San Jose (264) and Pittsburgh (257).
What happened?
As everybody knows, they rode some hot goaltending and strong defense all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Flyers went 12-5 through the first three rounds of the playoffs – only losing once in the first round and once in the Conference Finals.
While the Chicago Blackhawks ultimately won the Cup, the Flyers easily could have come out on top in the series.
Minimal tweaks on Trade Deadline Day resulted in near maximum results.
Maybe there’s something to be said for not messing with chemistry.
We shall see.
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
