Late Wednesday night, a report surfaced from TSN's Bob McKenzie that the Flyers and forward Wayne Simmonds agreed to a six-year contract extension worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $24 million.
The 23-year-old Ontario native posted career bests of 28 goals and 49 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games during his first year in Philadelphia, adding a goal and five assists in 11 playoff appearances. He was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in a package for Mike Richards on June 23, 2011.
Simmonds, who has one more year remaining on his current deal, was slated to make $2 million after banking $1.5 million last season, according to NHLnumbers.com.
Showing posts with label contracts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contracts. Show all posts
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Flyers, Coburn agree to multi-year extension
The Philadelphia Flyers announced this morning that the club and defenseman Braydon Coburn have agreed to a multi-year contract extension.
Terms were not disclosed by GM Paul Holmgren, but a league source indicated the pact is worth $18 million over four years.
The deal was first reported, albeit prematurely, on June 23 -- just prior to the blockbuster trades of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov.
Terms were not disclosed by GM Paul Holmgren, but a league source indicated the pact is worth $18 million over four years.
The deal was first reported, albeit prematurely, on June 23 -- just prior to the blockbuster trades of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Mair, Nylander cut; Hartnell to seek heart tests
Farewell to Adam Mair and Michael Nylander, as both players were released from their tryout contracts on Sunday.
The club's current contract situation, plus sub-par play from each, were apparently factors in the decision.
One nugget that made us sit up and take notice came when Scott Hartnell was limited to just over nine minutes of ice time in Friday's preseason win over Detroit.
Well, it wasn't due to poor play, or a different line rotation. Apparently, Hartnell had an elevated heart rate and was kept out of action as a precaution. The 29-year-old did not practice on Sunday and will not play in Monday's preseason game against the New York Rangers.
Hartnell is scheduled to see a cardiologist on Tuesday, per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com
The club's current contract situation, plus sub-par play from each, were apparently factors in the decision.
One nugget that made us sit up and take notice came when Scott Hartnell was limited to just over nine minutes of ice time in Friday's preseason win over Detroit.
Well, it wasn't due to poor play, or a different line rotation. Apparently, Hartnell had an elevated heart rate and was kept out of action as a precaution. The 29-year-old did not practice on Sunday and will not play in Monday's preseason game against the New York Rangers.
Hartnell is scheduled to see a cardiologist on Tuesday, per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Flyers sign van Riemsdyk to extension
The Philadelphia Flyers locked up a key component of their existing young core on Tuesday afternoon, signing forward James van Riemsdyk to a multi-year contract extension.
Terms of the deal were not immediately announced, but the 22-year-old revealed via his Twitter account that it is for six years, while multiple reports confirm that it is worth $25.5 million with a $4.25 million cap hit per year.
A native of New Jersey, van Riemsdyk posted career highs of 21 goals and 40 points in 75 games for Philly during his sophomore season. He added seven goals in 11 playoff contests.
“I couldn’t be happier, obviously," van Riemsdyk said on a conference call to announce the new deal. "Over the two years I’ve been here, and even prior to that when I was with the organization, I’ve seen how well they treat their players and how highly everyone around it talks about it. Even before I signed, Jim Dowd was actually telling me how lucky I was to be coming to the Flyers and how well they treat their players, and I’ve seen that first-hand. When these talks of an extension started to come up, that was in the back of my mind, and I knew this was the place I really wanted to be.”
A product of the University of New Hampshire and second-overall pick of the Flyers in 2007, van Riemsdyk has posted 36 goals ans 75 point over 153 regular-season appearances. The speedy winger has also contributed 10 goals and 13 points in 32 playoff games.
Terms of the deal were not immediately announced, but the 22-year-old revealed via his Twitter account that it is for six years, while multiple reports confirm that it is worth $25.5 million with a $4.25 million cap hit per year.
A native of New Jersey, van Riemsdyk posted career highs of 21 goals and 40 points in 75 games for Philly during his sophomore season. He added seven goals in 11 playoff contests.
“I couldn’t be happier, obviously," van Riemsdyk said on a conference call to announce the new deal. "Over the two years I’ve been here, and even prior to that when I was with the organization, I’ve seen how well they treat their players and how highly everyone around it talks about it. Even before I signed, Jim Dowd was actually telling me how lucky I was to be coming to the Flyers and how well they treat their players, and I’ve seen that first-hand. When these talks of an extension started to come up, that was in the back of my mind, and I knew this was the place I really wanted to be.”
A product of the University of New Hampshire and second-overall pick of the Flyers in 2007, van Riemsdyk has posted 36 goals ans 75 point over 153 regular-season appearances. The speedy winger has also contributed 10 goals and 13 points in 32 playoff games.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Roster shaping continues for Flyers
On Monday morning, the Philadelphia Flyers signed restricted free agent forwards Andreas Nodl and Tom Sestito to contracts.
While terms of both were not disclosed by the club, multiple sources quote Nodl's deal as being two years and worth $845,000 per year.
Nodl, the 24-year-old Austrian, notched 11 goals and 22 points over 67 games last season, his first true full NHL campaign. A hand injury sustained early in the first round prevented him from playing in all but two playoff contests.
He made $850,000 in the final season of his first professional contract in 2010-11.
Since breaking in with Philly back in 2008, the former second-round pick in the 2006 draft has posted 12 goals and 27 points in 115 NHL games.
Sestito, a 23-year-old native of upstate New York, has only logged 13 games of NHL experience, all with Columbus, before his acquisition on February 28 from the Blue Jackets. He played in 11 games with the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms before the end of the regular season.
On a two-way contract, he was making $585,000 at the NHL level and $62,500 in the minors.
Then, on Monday afternoon, the club dealt fourth-line forward and Princeton product Darroll Powe to the Minnesota Wild for Minny's third-round choice in the 2013 draft. The 26-year-old Saskatchewan native played here for three years, contributing 22 goals and 43 points over 204 games.
While terms of both were not disclosed by the club, multiple sources quote Nodl's deal as being two years and worth $845,000 per year.
Nodl, the 24-year-old Austrian, notched 11 goals and 22 points over 67 games last season, his first true full NHL campaign. A hand injury sustained early in the first round prevented him from playing in all but two playoff contests.
He made $850,000 in the final season of his first professional contract in 2010-11.
Since breaking in with Philly back in 2008, the former second-round pick in the 2006 draft has posted 12 goals and 27 points in 115 NHL games.
Sestito, a 23-year-old native of upstate New York, has only logged 13 games of NHL experience, all with Columbus, before his acquisition on February 28 from the Blue Jackets. He played in 11 games with the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms before the end of the regular season.
On a two-way contract, he was making $585,000 at the NHL level and $62,500 in the minors.
Then, on Monday afternoon, the club dealt fourth-line forward and Princeton product Darroll Powe to the Minnesota Wild for Minny's third-round choice in the 2013 draft. The 26-year-old Saskatchewan native played here for three years, contributing 22 goals and 43 points over 204 games.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Around The Rink: Mid-Winter Crabbiness Edition
by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor
Watch Hockey? It's only (insert month here)...
In yet another instance of this country, and this city's lingering preoccupation with all things football all the time, I have to defend the sport of hockey and the team which has logged 43 years of almost total success once again.
On Daily News live during the All-Star break, there was a segment welcoming e-mails into the program while the panel brayed on and on about the changes to the Eagles' coaching staff -- three whole weeks after the season officially ended with a home loss to Green Bay.
Host Michael Barkann read out one missive from a frustrated hockey fan, imploring the guests and host to turn their attention to the Flyers, whose very successful season was well underway. Without missing a beat, hockey maven and long-time DN columnist Mike Kern bleated out "But it's only January..."
Never mind that the Flyers are at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Never mind that they entered the break tops in the NHL for the first time since the 1979-80 team (you know, the one that went 35 games without losing) had losses in the single digits.
Never mind that they've been battling with a crippled Pittsburgh Penguins squad for supremacy at the top of the Atlantic Division and the conference, with the suddenly-hot Lightning nipping at their heels.
Never mind that their run of good luck, which manifests itself as the second-best record in the NHL (35-13-5 as of Tuesday, 75 points) is just four back of the league's best team, the Vancouver Canucks.
Never mind that throughout the year, Peter Laviolette's club has drawn comparisons that skip right over the Lindros Era teams that made two conference finals and one Cup appearance, and go right back to the heart-attack inducing top clubs of the mid-1980s who went toe-to-toe with the dynastic Edmonton Oilers.
It's only February...
Time for all you Eagles fans to come down from your perch atop the cables on the major bridges of the Delaware River. Time to snap out of the hypnotic rhythms of the constant drumbeat on TV and radio. Why not? Football fans and hockey fans are supposedly cut from the same cloth.
You both work hard, pay through the nose for tickets, support your teams unabashedly, and enjoy the consummate violence that makes each sport so much of an adrenaline rush and catharsis.
We'll forget about baseball supporters, whose stereotypical legions are at this minute staring out the window in a spineless depressive funk, endlessly waiting for the caravans to be swathed in warm sunshine and for the trees to blossom...let's claim the Flyers for our own, right here and right now.
Trade in your agita over Kevin Kolb. Let all fingernail-biting about Juan Castillo's suitability melt with the dirty snow. Get pumped over a rookie goaltender, veteran defense and youthful offense shooting to the top of the hockey world and staying there with unfailingly consistent play.
Block out all the talk about how anything not football or baseball related doesn't get ratings. Tune into the beat on the asphalt of South Broad Street, not in some musty studio in Bala Cynwyd.
Or don't. Keep spouting the party line about how hockey will never be a major sport in the USA, and how you don't need to follow hockey until the end because the regular season doesn't mean anything...while hypocritically whining and moaning about how each random January loss to Charlotte or Dallas hurts the Sixers' playoff chances.
By the way...NBA and NHL season? Same 82-game slate, plus best-of-seven for all playoff rounds...just thought I'd remind you folks.
It's only March...time for college basketball, and besides, the end of the season doesn't mean anything because the Flyers got into the playoffs on the last day and did all right.
It's only April...the Phillies are four-time defending NL East champions. They have the Four Aces. This thing is a lock.
It's only May...oh God, they're not in first place! There's something wrong!! Fire Uncle Charlie!!!
It's only June...the NFL and players' union haven't agreed on a CBA...what are we gonna do without football???
One thing's for sure, if it comes down to a parade on the second Friday in the sixth month of 2011, we don't want to see you celebrating. That is, unless you come to your senses and join the bandwagon. There's plenty of space...there's always space beyond the tight group of faithful who only number in the thousands and apparently don't count come each quarterly Arbitron period.
Can it all fall apart unexpectedly? You bet. The goaltending could fail. Mike Richards, the heart and soul of the team, could fall prey to a season-ending mishap. The Penguins could catch fire. The WFC could catch fire. They could lose in the first round. But that doesn't mean thinking of all the ways it could turn to ashes, means there shouldn't be any shift of emotional investment.
You get the same exact emotional tug-of-war with football, albeit in a compressed format. At least with the Flyers, your ulcers can take 6 months instead of 6 weeks to flare up.
That doesn't mean Kern, or Barkann, or The Cuz, or Mikey Miss has any right to try and convince football fans, and sports fans at large in this city, that things aren't the way they are outside of their sound-proof ego-fueled islands. You only want to talk about the Birds because they only want to talk about the Birds, and the cycle keeps feeding off itself endlessly.
And anyway, didn't the more successful and memorable Byrds once sing "To everything there is a season?"
The NFL is done, as of Sunday. Time to snap out of it.
This Flyers team is good. Scary good. Recipient of luck from the hockey gods the likes of which we have not seen in years. It practically begs for attention, because they are the one thing we demand above all else: winners.
It's only February, yes. But if things hold the way they have, the best is yet to come. Why not break free of your cocoon of stormy Eagles drama and drink some Orange Kool-Aid for once?
At least give it a chance until the first Spring Training game.
Leino shouldn't be held in Limbo
What do yo do with a player who was reclaimed from a Midwestern wasteland, and turned in one of the NHL's best playoff performances by a rookie?
Apparently, it's keep him in suspense over whether or not he'll be able to re-sign with the club in the off-season.
When Ville Leino, plucked from obscurity from Detroit for the equally obscure Ole-Kristian Tollefsen roughly one year ago, came to Philadelphia, it was safe to say nothing was expected of him. He was a spare of a spare forward, barely played by Laviolette in the regular season.
All that changed with his seven-goal, 21-point postseason jaunt. It equaled Dino Ciccarelli (Hall of Famer, that is) who put up the reverse in his first playoff foray for the North Stars in 1981. Leino's already notched career highs in goals, assists and points this year.
He's the best puck mover on the forward lines this franchise has seen since Pelle Eklund. He's a bargain, for now, at $825K before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. But still, because the club may want to deal for veteran depth before the February 28 trade deadline, Leino's future is up in the air.
I don't necessarily trust Paul Holmgren and the rest of the braintrust to make the right move, because they've finally, four years later, cleared themselves of the cap mess that came out of the desperate moves of 2007. I do envision them low-balling Leino in late June like in the case of Patrick Thoresen and then explaining the decision to let him walk as one of those hard choices a la R.J. Umberger.
That would clearly be the wrong decision.
Tim Panaccio reported that sources indicated Leino has two choices, either a $9 million or $12 million deal depending on length. Still, those are just hypotheticals, and wouldn't that mean someone else may be either deleted from the roster or not acquired for depth?
Who knows? A miracle may occur where Erik Cole is acquired and enough cap space will be cleared once he walks as a free agent that it may work out for the best. If not, it's been speculated that any deal Leino would get from the Flyers will be better than anything offered by any other team.
That's a powerful backhanded compliment to level at a young professional for any reason. Let's hope the organization does right by someone who clearly deserves it.
Your College Hockey Minute
Speaking of a sport that nobody in this city cares about...
The 59th edition of the Beanpot -- the annual round-robin that features the four Division I programs in Boston -- got underway last night at TD Garden in Boston, and the combatants for next Monday's final are set. Boston College will take on Northeastern, just the second 'Pot not to feature Boston University since 1994.
In the rotation between BC, BU, Harvard and Northeastern, the marquee matchup of the BC Eagles and BU Terriers inevitably occurs in the semifinals once every three years. There's been talk of revamping the process from the media, but predictably, all four head coaches like things the way they are and don't see much point in altering the process.
The crux of the argument is one of putting the underdog schools (N'Eastern and Harvard) on the prime-time slot of 8 PM in either the semifinals or finals more than they have. Of course, for that to happen on a reasonable basis, these programs have to beat BC and BU, which is a tall order because both have enjoyed national profiles for decades.
Yesterday, Northeastern blanked Harvard in the sparsely-attended early game. BC then edged BU in overtime in the prime-time slot that nearly filled the massive downtown arena.
In any case, the tournament recently dubbed the "BU Invitational" will not feature its namesake. Will that mean interest will wane? Maybe, but not enough to make an impact. After all, BC and BU once again stand a great chance to meet in the final based on the rotational matchups next season.
...and Finally
I've been known by many nicknames over the years, and have had my relatively unspectacular last name misspelled in some bizarre ways, but I've never managed to have my first name mangled -- until a couple weeks ago when I attended a Flyers home game for This Venerable Publication.
I've learned to let the following permutations roll off my back: Herper, Helper, Halper, Halpern, Hempen, Herren, Herman, Herpel, Heren, Hepburn.
But I'm never going to quite get over a first name with all of two letters: "B" repeated twice around an "O" with the last "B" left off.
Suffice to say, around the office, I'm now known as Bo. The only other mistake I could see on the horizon is "Obb Herpen." Let's hope it never comes down to that. Otherwise I'm giving up.
Phanatic Hockey Editor
Watch Hockey? It's only (insert month here)...
In yet another instance of this country, and this city's lingering preoccupation with all things football all the time, I have to defend the sport of hockey and the team which has logged 43 years of almost total success once again.
On Daily News live during the All-Star break, there was a segment welcoming e-mails into the program while the panel brayed on and on about the changes to the Eagles' coaching staff -- three whole weeks after the season officially ended with a home loss to Green Bay.
Host Michael Barkann read out one missive from a frustrated hockey fan, imploring the guests and host to turn their attention to the Flyers, whose very successful season was well underway. Without missing a beat, hockey maven and long-time DN columnist Mike Kern bleated out "But it's only January..."
Never mind that the Flyers are at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Never mind that they entered the break tops in the NHL for the first time since the 1979-80 team (you know, the one that went 35 games without losing) had losses in the single digits.
Never mind that they've been battling with a crippled Pittsburgh Penguins squad for supremacy at the top of the Atlantic Division and the conference, with the suddenly-hot Lightning nipping at their heels.
Never mind that their run of good luck, which manifests itself as the second-best record in the NHL (35-13-5 as of Tuesday, 75 points) is just four back of the league's best team, the Vancouver Canucks.
Never mind that throughout the year, Peter Laviolette's club has drawn comparisons that skip right over the Lindros Era teams that made two conference finals and one Cup appearance, and go right back to the heart-attack inducing top clubs of the mid-1980s who went toe-to-toe with the dynastic Edmonton Oilers.
It's only February...
Time for all you Eagles fans to come down from your perch atop the cables on the major bridges of the Delaware River. Time to snap out of the hypnotic rhythms of the constant drumbeat on TV and radio. Why not? Football fans and hockey fans are supposedly cut from the same cloth.
You both work hard, pay through the nose for tickets, support your teams unabashedly, and enjoy the consummate violence that makes each sport so much of an adrenaline rush and catharsis.
We'll forget about baseball supporters, whose stereotypical legions are at this minute staring out the window in a spineless depressive funk, endlessly waiting for the caravans to be swathed in warm sunshine and for the trees to blossom...let's claim the Flyers for our own, right here and right now.
Trade in your agita over Kevin Kolb. Let all fingernail-biting about Juan Castillo's suitability melt with the dirty snow. Get pumped over a rookie goaltender, veteran defense and youthful offense shooting to the top of the hockey world and staying there with unfailingly consistent play.
Block out all the talk about how anything not football or baseball related doesn't get ratings. Tune into the beat on the asphalt of South Broad Street, not in some musty studio in Bala Cynwyd.
Or don't. Keep spouting the party line about how hockey will never be a major sport in the USA, and how you don't need to follow hockey until the end because the regular season doesn't mean anything...while hypocritically whining and moaning about how each random January loss to Charlotte or Dallas hurts the Sixers' playoff chances.
By the way...NBA and NHL season? Same 82-game slate, plus best-of-seven for all playoff rounds...just thought I'd remind you folks.
It's only March...time for college basketball, and besides, the end of the season doesn't mean anything because the Flyers got into the playoffs on the last day and did all right.
It's only April...the Phillies are four-time defending NL East champions. They have the Four Aces. This thing is a lock.
It's only May...oh God, they're not in first place! There's something wrong!! Fire Uncle Charlie!!!
It's only June...the NFL and players' union haven't agreed on a CBA...what are we gonna do without football???
One thing's for sure, if it comes down to a parade on the second Friday in the sixth month of 2011, we don't want to see you celebrating. That is, unless you come to your senses and join the bandwagon. There's plenty of space...there's always space beyond the tight group of faithful who only number in the thousands and apparently don't count come each quarterly Arbitron period.
Can it all fall apart unexpectedly? You bet. The goaltending could fail. Mike Richards, the heart and soul of the team, could fall prey to a season-ending mishap. The Penguins could catch fire. The WFC could catch fire. They could lose in the first round. But that doesn't mean thinking of all the ways it could turn to ashes, means there shouldn't be any shift of emotional investment.
You get the same exact emotional tug-of-war with football, albeit in a compressed format. At least with the Flyers, your ulcers can take 6 months instead of 6 weeks to flare up.
That doesn't mean Kern, or Barkann, or The Cuz, or Mikey Miss has any right to try and convince football fans, and sports fans at large in this city, that things aren't the way they are outside of their sound-proof ego-fueled islands. You only want to talk about the Birds because they only want to talk about the Birds, and the cycle keeps feeding off itself endlessly.
And anyway, didn't the more successful and memorable Byrds once sing "To everything there is a season?"
The NFL is done, as of Sunday. Time to snap out of it.
This Flyers team is good. Scary good. Recipient of luck from the hockey gods the likes of which we have not seen in years. It practically begs for attention, because they are the one thing we demand above all else: winners.
It's only February, yes. But if things hold the way they have, the best is yet to come. Why not break free of your cocoon of stormy Eagles drama and drink some Orange Kool-Aid for once?
At least give it a chance until the first Spring Training game.
Leino shouldn't be held in Limbo
What do yo do with a player who was reclaimed from a Midwestern wasteland, and turned in one of the NHL's best playoff performances by a rookie?
Apparently, it's keep him in suspense over whether or not he'll be able to re-sign with the club in the off-season.
When Ville Leino, plucked from obscurity from Detroit for the equally obscure Ole-Kristian Tollefsen roughly one year ago, came to Philadelphia, it was safe to say nothing was expected of him. He was a spare of a spare forward, barely played by Laviolette in the regular season.
All that changed with his seven-goal, 21-point postseason jaunt. It equaled Dino Ciccarelli (Hall of Famer, that is) who put up the reverse in his first playoff foray for the North Stars in 1981. Leino's already notched career highs in goals, assists and points this year.
He's the best puck mover on the forward lines this franchise has seen since Pelle Eklund. He's a bargain, for now, at $825K before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. But still, because the club may want to deal for veteran depth before the February 28 trade deadline, Leino's future is up in the air.
I don't necessarily trust Paul Holmgren and the rest of the braintrust to make the right move, because they've finally, four years later, cleared themselves of the cap mess that came out of the desperate moves of 2007. I do envision them low-balling Leino in late June like in the case of Patrick Thoresen and then explaining the decision to let him walk as one of those hard choices a la R.J. Umberger.
That would clearly be the wrong decision.
Tim Panaccio reported that sources indicated Leino has two choices, either a $9 million or $12 million deal depending on length. Still, those are just hypotheticals, and wouldn't that mean someone else may be either deleted from the roster or not acquired for depth?
Who knows? A miracle may occur where Erik Cole is acquired and enough cap space will be cleared once he walks as a free agent that it may work out for the best. If not, it's been speculated that any deal Leino would get from the Flyers will be better than anything offered by any other team.
That's a powerful backhanded compliment to level at a young professional for any reason. Let's hope the organization does right by someone who clearly deserves it.
Your College Hockey Minute
Speaking of a sport that nobody in this city cares about...
The 59th edition of the Beanpot -- the annual round-robin that features the four Division I programs in Boston -- got underway last night at TD Garden in Boston, and the combatants for next Monday's final are set. Boston College will take on Northeastern, just the second 'Pot not to feature Boston University since 1994.
In the rotation between BC, BU, Harvard and Northeastern, the marquee matchup of the BC Eagles and BU Terriers inevitably occurs in the semifinals once every three years. There's been talk of revamping the process from the media, but predictably, all four head coaches like things the way they are and don't see much point in altering the process.
The crux of the argument is one of putting the underdog schools (N'Eastern and Harvard) on the prime-time slot of 8 PM in either the semifinals or finals more than they have. Of course, for that to happen on a reasonable basis, these programs have to beat BC and BU, which is a tall order because both have enjoyed national profiles for decades.
Yesterday, Northeastern blanked Harvard in the sparsely-attended early game. BC then edged BU in overtime in the prime-time slot that nearly filled the massive downtown arena.
In any case, the tournament recently dubbed the "BU Invitational" will not feature its namesake. Will that mean interest will wane? Maybe, but not enough to make an impact. After all, BC and BU once again stand a great chance to meet in the final based on the rotational matchups next season.
...and Finally
I've been known by many nicknames over the years, and have had my relatively unspectacular last name misspelled in some bizarre ways, but I've never managed to have my first name mangled -- until a couple weeks ago when I attended a Flyers home game for This Venerable Publication.
I've learned to let the following permutations roll off my back: Herper, Helper, Halper, Halpern, Hempen, Herren, Herman, Herpel, Heren, Hepburn.
But I'm never going to quite get over a first name with all of two letters: "B" repeated twice around an "O" with the last "B" left off.
Suffice to say, around the office, I'm now known as Bo. The only other mistake I could see on the horizon is "Obb Herpen." Let's hope it never comes down to that. Otherwise I'm giving up.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Flyers, Holmgren agree to three-year extension
by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor
The Philadelphia Flyers and general manager Paul Holmgren agreed to a three-year contract extension on Tuesday, outfoxing earlier reports that the pact would be announced on Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Delaware County Times reported earlier in the day that it will be worth approximately $4.5 million. Holmgren's current contract was set to expire at the conclusion of the current campaign.
"I'm particularly proud of the job Paul Holmgren has done with our hockey club and excited to offer him this three-year extension," said chairman Ed Snider. "He continuously finds the right opportunities to improve our team and gets us closer to our ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup."
Holmgren took over the GM role during an organizational shakeup on October 22, 2006 when Bob Clarke resigned and head coach Ken Hitchcock was fired after the Flyers got off to a rocky 1-6-1 start. That season saw the club struggle to a franchise and NHL-worst 22-48-12 record, but under his tutelage the team has become a Stanley Cup contender.
Despite being a seventh-seed in the playoffs last season, Philadelphia advanced to the Cup Finals for the first time since 1997 and made it to Game 6 before falling to the Chicago Blackhawks. The playoff run also saw the club become just the third in NHL history to rally from a three-games-to-none series deficit to defeat Boston in seven games in the conference semifinals.
Entering Tuesday's action, the Flyers sit atop the Eastern Conference with 63 points and, despite not having a player in the top-20 in points, lead the conference in scoring. Only Vancouver (29-10-6) boasts a better overall record in the NHL heading into a home game against the Washington Capitals.
"I am extremely grateful to Mr. Snider and (Comcast-Spectacor president) Peter Luukko for this contract extension," Holmgren stated. "I look forward to working closely with them, the coaches and our players in pursuit of our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."
Holmgren was a rough-and-tumble Flyers winger from 1975-84, an assistant coach under Mike Keenan from 1985-88, then the club's head coach from the start of the 1988-89 season through December, 1991. In a down period for the franchise, he guided the club to a record of 107-126-31 in four seasons which included a memorable run to the Wales Conference finals in 1989.
The native of St. Paul, Minnesota was a sixth-round pick by the Flyers in 1975 draft. After a brief stint in the World Hockey Association, he played in 500 games over parts of nine seasons for the franchise and posted 138 goals with 171 assists for 309 points. His 1,600 penalty minutes rank second to Rick Tocchet in club history.
Holmgren finished his playing career with the Minnesota North Stars, recording a total of 144 goals and 179 assists for 323 points in 527 games. Despite a reputation as a feared enforcer during his playing days, he became the first American-born player to record a hat trick in a Stanley Cup Final game, doing so in 1980 when the Flyers fell to the New York Islanders.
The 55-year-old also coached the Hartford Whalers in parts of four seasons from 1992-93 to '95-96, serving as general manager for part of the tenure, and compiled a coaching record of 59-93-14.
He was named assistant general manager with the Flyers in June, 1999 and served in that capacity until he was elevated to his current post.
Phanatic Hockey Editor
The Philadelphia Flyers and general manager Paul Holmgren agreed to a three-year contract extension on Tuesday, outfoxing earlier reports that the pact would be announced on Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Delaware County Times reported earlier in the day that it will be worth approximately $4.5 million. Holmgren's current contract was set to expire at the conclusion of the current campaign.
"I'm particularly proud of the job Paul Holmgren has done with our hockey club and excited to offer him this three-year extension," said chairman Ed Snider. "He continuously finds the right opportunities to improve our team and gets us closer to our ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup."
Holmgren took over the GM role during an organizational shakeup on October 22, 2006 when Bob Clarke resigned and head coach Ken Hitchcock was fired after the Flyers got off to a rocky 1-6-1 start. That season saw the club struggle to a franchise and NHL-worst 22-48-12 record, but under his tutelage the team has become a Stanley Cup contender.
Despite being a seventh-seed in the playoffs last season, Philadelphia advanced to the Cup Finals for the first time since 1997 and made it to Game 6 before falling to the Chicago Blackhawks. The playoff run also saw the club become just the third in NHL history to rally from a three-games-to-none series deficit to defeat Boston in seven games in the conference semifinals.
Entering Tuesday's action, the Flyers sit atop the Eastern Conference with 63 points and, despite not having a player in the top-20 in points, lead the conference in scoring. Only Vancouver (29-10-6) boasts a better overall record in the NHL heading into a home game against the Washington Capitals.
"I am extremely grateful to Mr. Snider and (Comcast-Spectacor president) Peter Luukko for this contract extension," Holmgren stated. "I look forward to working closely with them, the coaches and our players in pursuit of our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."
Holmgren was a rough-and-tumble Flyers winger from 1975-84, an assistant coach under Mike Keenan from 1985-88, then the club's head coach from the start of the 1988-89 season through December, 1991. In a down period for the franchise, he guided the club to a record of 107-126-31 in four seasons which included a memorable run to the Wales Conference finals in 1989.
The native of St. Paul, Minnesota was a sixth-round pick by the Flyers in 1975 draft. After a brief stint in the World Hockey Association, he played in 500 games over parts of nine seasons for the franchise and posted 138 goals with 171 assists for 309 points. His 1,600 penalty minutes rank second to Rick Tocchet in club history.
Holmgren finished his playing career with the Minnesota North Stars, recording a total of 144 goals and 179 assists for 323 points in 527 games. Despite a reputation as a feared enforcer during his playing days, he became the first American-born player to record a hat trick in a Stanley Cup Final game, doing so in 1980 when the Flyers fell to the New York Islanders.
The 55-year-old also coached the Hartford Whalers in parts of four seasons from 1992-93 to '95-96, serving as general manager for part of the tenure, and compiled a coaching record of 59-93-14.
He was named assistant general manager with the Flyers in June, 1999 and served in that capacity until he was elevated to his current post.
Sources: Holmgren to receive contract extension
According to the Delaware County Times, which quotes an unnamed source within the Flyers organization, Paul Holmgren will receive a contract extension.
The announcement will reportedly be made some time on Thursday, with Holmgren slated to be awarded with a three-year extension worth somewhere around $4.5 million, Anthony SanFilippo reports.
Neither Holmgren nor anyone in the organization would comment on the matter.
Holmgren has been the club's general manager since an organizational shake-up on October 22, 2006 -- a date known in some circles as Black Sunday -- in the midst of a franchise-worst 1-9-1 start.
Despite pulling the team out of an NHL-worst record in 2006-07, Holmgren has been dogged by constant salary cap concerns stemming from his efforts to bring the Flyers out of that season.
Nonetheless, he has been credited with such moves as signing Danny Briere to an eight-year contract from Buffalo, dealing Peter Forsberg for Kimmo Timonen, Ryan Parent, Scottie Upshall and Scott Hartnell, stealing Braydon Coburn from Atlanta and Ville Leino from Detroit, and trading for Chris Pronger and signing him to what is essentially a retirement contract.
The announcement will reportedly be made some time on Thursday, with Holmgren slated to be awarded with a three-year extension worth somewhere around $4.5 million, Anthony SanFilippo reports.
Neither Holmgren nor anyone in the organization would comment on the matter.
Holmgren has been the club's general manager since an organizational shake-up on October 22, 2006 -- a date known in some circles as Black Sunday -- in the midst of a franchise-worst 1-9-1 start.
Despite pulling the team out of an NHL-worst record in 2006-07, Holmgren has been dogged by constant salary cap concerns stemming from his efforts to bring the Flyers out of that season.
Nonetheless, he has been credited with such moves as signing Danny Briere to an eight-year contract from Buffalo, dealing Peter Forsberg for Kimmo Timonen, Ryan Parent, Scottie Upshall and Scott Hartnell, stealing Braydon Coburn from Atlanta and Ville Leino from Detroit, and trading for Chris Pronger and signing him to what is essentially a retirement contract.
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