By Steven Lienert
Peter Forsberg said all the right things before he boarded a plane bound for Tennessee on Thursday night.
He liked it here in Philly, the team is turning a corner, Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble were the greatest teammates ever. Blah, blah, blah.
So Peter Forsberg goes from worst in the NHL to first in the matter of minutes. For the Flyers and their fans, there's a feeling that they have just been left behind.
First and foremost, this was something the Flyers absolutely had to do. They had to deal him, especially since he may retire after this year. To get nothing for him in a going-nowhere season would have been a crime.
He just never got what it actually meant to be a Flyer, which among other things, is displaying commitment to the organization. In the end, despite Mr. Snider's best sell job, Forsberg couldn't commit to playing next season with the Flyers. In other words, he abandoned the city.
He may retire, he may re-sign with Nashville. Anaheim and Detroit are interested too. He'll look at how Philly has progressed. But Forsberg said he's not going to sign anywhere before July 1.
His options will remain open, and if the Flyers can show improvement, maybe he'll want to come back. But should the Flyers want him at his current asking price? Absolutely not. Why cripple the team's salary cap for two more years of a declining Forsberg?
Perhaps Forsberg's ship has sailed. His final tallies as a Flyer? One-hundred games played (out of a possible 138), 30 goals, 85 assists for 115 points. But he has scored just 11 times in 40 games this season and he leaves Philly with a career-low plus-2 rating thus far this year.
However, Nashville is the perfect place for Forsberg to ride off into the sunset. He won't be counted upon to be great nearly as often as he had to be in Philadelphia. He won't have to lead a young group of players on his own.
In the playoffs, the Predators' mix of veterans will allow Forsberg to be more free than he ever was here -- Forsberg won't have to be the leader both on and off the ice. Maybe this is just what he needed, a Ray Bourque-esque final hurrah. I wish him well.
Perhaps without the weight of a 'C' on his jersey, he can lift another Stanley Cup.
Think Forsberg is hockey royalty? Kindly address all hate mail to slienert@phanaticmag.com
2 comments:
I thought you said Forsberg sucked. Are you sober or did the comments bashing you change your mind?
Aren't you the same guy who got that Beef & Ale ad on the site in exchange for free beer for yourself?
Talk about team players.
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