Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
The Flyers announced their third signing to the big club via free agency yesterday. Danny Briere decided to add a Veteran to the defense corps, that will be littered with youth, such as, Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard, and Egor Zamula to name a few.
“We’d like to add a little bit more of a veteran presence, but at the same time, we want to be careful, our young guys, we don’t want to block them,” Danny Briere said on Saturday. “And we want to see what we have, also, it’s kind of important to find out what they’re really made of, if they’re ready for the next stage in their career. There are a few guys that are right there.”
Danny Briere, however, did not expect a player like Marc Staal who has played over 1,000 NHL games to want to play for a rebuilding Flyers team, “We talked about adding a little bit of a veteran presence to help our young guys. We never thought that a player like Marc Staal would have any interest in coming here,” Briere said of his rebuilding Flyers team yesterday. “So we were pretty excited when we found out that there was mutual interest.”
Staal knows the Flyers well, especially with playing with the New York Rangers over the course of 13 seasons. He was also a catalyst during the Florida Panthers improbable run a few months ago during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while playing a top 4 pairing role.
If the youth can’t win a spot from a veteran like Marc Staal, then they need more time in the AHL, it’s as simple as that. Let the youth earn spots, not give them one. There is no risk in adding depth to a position that needs it the most.
The Flyers are showing the rest of the league that even in a rebuild they will not be pushed around, rather they will claw and fight for every point. Tanking is not an option, “My belief and our belief about the future of this team, we don’t believe in tanking,” Briere said. “We want our players to improve. They need some guidance, they need some guys that have been there that have gone through it.”
Everyone knows the Flyers are not supposed to be a “Good” hockey club next season, however, that does not mean they should roll over and just lose miserably. Let the kids earn their spots, and if one outplays Staal this training camp and pre-season, so be it, let them play. Staal has only signed a one-year deal for $1.1 million. Egor Zamula is no longer waivers exempt, so more than likely he will be up with the big club for good anyways.
Staal is a good depth signing, nothing more, nothing less. Staal shows leadership on the ice, and has tons of experience that he can pass onto the youth to grow their games. Let’s help develop the youth with a solid Veteran that has played over 1,000 NHL games over the course of his NHL career.
“It almost makes too much sense to add a guy like that, who has played for Torts, understands what Torts is all about, and is willing to kind of pass that message,” Briere said. “Where is he going to fit in the lineup? We were very clear with him about what we’re doing here, where the process is going and he wants to help out.”
Briere continued, “Now, he’s also a competitor. He’s going to play hard and he’s going to try to push our guys, play more and more and more, kind of like what he did in Florida, which I think is great to have guys like that, that love to compete.”
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