Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers
Q: What went into the Jagr signing?
“Well, obviously it sort of just started innocently yesterday. I just sent a text to Petr Svoboda, his agent, who also represents Jake Voracek, and I didn’t know who was involved. I read over the last few days it was just Detroit and Pittsburgh were the teams, so I just sent him a text about if Jaromir would have interest in playing for Philadelphia and it just kind of went from there, and culminated today with our signing of him. So we’re excited to have Jaromir. He’s going to bring a lot of leadership and we still believe he’s a guy that’s capable of putting up a fair amount of points. We’re excited to have him.”
Q: How do you envision Jaromir fitting into your system, and did you consult Peter Laviolette?
Well, Peter knows guys we’re talking about for sure. Jaromir Jagr is one of the better players at the cycle game that there is in the game. He’s a big strong guy who can really control the puck in the offensive zone, and he’s a big body in front of the net too. He’s still a good player, and people forget, I think because he’s been away from the NHL for three years, that he’s been playing and been playing at a fairly high level. [At the World Championships], our guys who saw him there thought he was – well, he was one of the better forwards, he was named to the All-Star team at the World Championships. We think can play at this level. We know he can. And we believe he can still put up a lot of points. So we’re certainly excited to have him.
Q: Was there any concern about his age?
You know what, I think Jaromir – he’s always been a very gifted player. I think that goes without saying. I think over the last few years he’s really taken on an approach where fitness is a real big thing with him. I know at the World Championships, whenever they finished a game, he spent the next two hours working out hard. I know Chris Pronger and Danny Briere, some of our players have talked to him, and he’s real big in training now and looking after himself and making sure he can still play at a high level. We talked to Peter Laviolette, he wanted to know how our practices were, do we practice a lot, what types of practices do we go through. [He said] I need to be on the ice, honing my skills and working on things, so I think all those things were a positive for us.
Q: Are you interested in Brad Richards?
Well, for sure. Whether we’re in it or not, that’d be a tough one for us to do now.
Q: Do you feel like you’re done?
We still have a little flexibility. I don’t know. You never know what could come up.
Q: At what point did you bow out on Leino and decide it was going to be too expensive?
“Well, just over the course of time [unintelligible] on a lot of these guys that we had down in terms of wingers. I don’t need to really mention any names, but you look at the guys that are signed, we felt all along that it was going to be higher than we really wanted to go. In terms of Ville, I spent a lot of time talking to Ville’s agent yesterday and quite a bit of time talking to him this morning. I think the sense for us was that Ville was going to get multiple opportunities to get a lot more than we were prepared to offer him. So I guess it went up to probably 11:45, when it got to that point, he was going to take a look. Bill Vito did make a call back to me and told me kind of where it was at some point later on. I think Ville had a lot of offers in that range, maybe even some higher than that. I think Ville was really good for us, and we wish him all the best. I’m happy for him.”
Q: Would you have still been interested in Jagr if you were able to get Ville at a number you wanted?
“That would have been tough.”
Q: When you traded Versteeg, was that to open some cap space or did you think someone else was available?
“You mean when we made the trade? Yeah, it gives us flexibility. We have some younger guys here that we want to take a look at, but it also leaves the door open for maybe something else. Right now we’re in a spot where we have a little flexibility. We signed Matt Read back in the spring and he’s a guy that we really think highly of, and obviously Sean Couturier – we’re anxious to see how he does this upcoming week at our development camp, and be able to spend some time with him. So right now we have some flexibility for some of our young guys that we’re really high on, and also doesn’t close the door on maybe doing something else. Once the first wave is over with and everybody kind of goes crazy, things settle in. There are still some players who are unsigned, and the price might drop on those players, is there something that might come up that’s really attractive to us, we don’t know. We don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring, or even later tonight, for that matter.
Q: Do you think Brad Richards will decide sometime tomorrow?
“I really don’t know. I’ve talked to his agent a few times. I think they’re just going to take their time. As far as I know they’re still listening to a few teams. So I don’t know where that all sits. There’s a lot of teams that are waiting around to see if they can add a player of that caliber.”
Q: How much did the Flyers scout in the KHL and who did you have at the World Championships, and how much input did they have for you on Jagr?
We have a guy that scouts full-time in the KHL, and all three of our European guys scouted him heavily at the World Championships, or watched his team play a lot. We got feedback from those guys, and from talking to Jaromir, from watching him our guys believe that he can still play at a high level. The one thing that he’s really excited about is something that we pitched, is that we do have a younger group and a guy who’s kind of been there, done that, and he was excited about that. I know some of the other teams he was talking to are good teams, and I think he picked us, and that’s exciting to me.”
Q: By signing Talbot, does that mean you don’t think Schenn will be on the team this year?
“Not at all. Maxime Talbot is a guy who can play left wing, he can play center, he’s a useful guy who can move up and down your lineup. I think we all witnessed that in Pittsburgh. You probably called him a [pain] a few times too in Pittsburgh, but now he’s on our team. He’s got a lot of qualities that Ian Laperriere has. I think more than anything, he’ll [be good] for Brayden [Schenn]. Maybe he’s a guy who can play with Brayden, or Sean Couturier down the road. It’s not closing the door on anyone. I think he’s going to help in involving the young kids that we have high hopes for.
Q: So if someone had to move to wing between Schenn and Talbot, it would be Talbot?
“Yes.”
Q: What is the status of Wayne Simmonds?
“Well, we’re continuing to talk. I don’t think it’s fair to say that we’re close.”
Q: Was there any discussion today internally or with other teams about Sergei Bobrovsky?
“No, there wasn’t.”
Q: Did you identify Talbot all along or did other dominos fall?
“He’s a guy that we identified right away. Jaromir, because of coming from the KHL, we could do a lot of work prior to noon. We identified Max as one of the first calls that we made.”
Q: Is Simon Gagne still on your radar?
“I talked to Bob Sauve a couple times. I think he’s still in the feeling-out process. There’s probably interest from both sides. We’ll see how it goes. I’m not sure what level he’ll be at, but he’s certainly a guy we’re willing to talk about.”
Q: How much of this was keeping flexibility with the cap with Leino vs. Jagr?
“Well, certainly I’ve got to say it was probably part of the equation. It certainly does give us flexibility down the road.”
Q: Can you talk about Andreas Lilja, and was there any discussion on Sean O’Donnell?
“I didn’t talk to Sean. I knew he had interest in coming back here, and just in talking to Chris Pronger and some of the other guys, Danny Briere, I knew that Sean wanted to play again and he was a guy that if things fell through with Andreas, he was probably a place to call, but it would have been too late because he signed pretty quickly with Chicago. Andreas is obviously a little bit younger than Sean, they’re both very competitive players. I don’t think Andreas does the fighting that Sean does but he’s a good penalty killer and a good stay-at-home guy. He’d be a good fit, whether it’s with Erik Gustafsson or Oskars Bartulis or Andrej Meszaros, I think he’s a guy that could play with any of those guys in a penalty-killing role. He’s a steady guy who’s very competitive, and obviously he’s a big body.”
Q: Anything else tonight?
“I’m still in the office.”
Q: Is Lilja a guy you see as a 6th or 7th (defenseman)?
I think he’s going to play a lot of games for us. You need a lot of defensemen over the course of 82 games. He’s one of the guys we picked and we’re excited to have him on our team because of the experience he brings from winning the Stanley Cup when he was in Detroit and the number of years he’s played. He’s a useful guy and we’re happy we were able to get him.
Q: Do you still have a specific need identified?
“We’re still looking around. You just never know. As I said earlier, the first wave I think is over. Now you get the second tier wave. Whether it starts today or tomorrow, I don’t know. But I’m going to hang around for a while, anyway.”
Showing posts with label Holmgren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holmgren. Show all posts
Friday, July 01, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Pronger will have hand surgery
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that D Chris Pronger will undergo surgery on Tuesday, March 15 to repair a fracture in his right hand, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.
"Chris had a CT scan on his right hand on Sunday and a small fracture was discovered,” Holmgren said. “Our doctors believe surgery is the best route to take with the injury. Surgery will be done Tuesday morning in Cleveland by Dr. Tom Graham. Chris will be able to return to play in 3-4 weeks."
Pronger has appeared in 50 games for the Flyers this season, recording four goals and 21 assists for 25 points. He is a plus-7 on the season and leads the Flyers in average time on ice per game (22:09).
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that D Chris Pronger will undergo surgery on Tuesday, March 15 to repair a fracture in his right hand, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.
"Chris had a CT scan on his right hand on Sunday and a small fracture was discovered,” Holmgren said. “Our doctors believe surgery is the best route to take with the injury. Surgery will be done Tuesday morning in Cleveland by Dr. Tom Graham. Chris will be able to return to play in 3-4 weeks."
Pronger has appeared in 50 games for the Flyers this season, recording four goals and 21 assists for 25 points. He is a plus-7 on the season and leads the Flyers in average time on ice per game (22:09).
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Holmgren transcript on Pronger 3/12/11
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers
“Yes. Day-to-day.”
Q: Can you give us an update on Pronger and his cast?
“It’s just to help with the soreness and the healing. It’s the same as it was yesterday, day-to-day.”
Q: Is he wearing a different cast than he has been?
“No, it’s the same. He’s had this on for a couple of days now.”
Q: He has had the hand x-rayed, right?
“X-rayed, MRI-ed.”
Q: Everything was negative, right?
“So far.”
Q: The fact that he is wearing a cast now, he can’t play with this kind of cast, right?
“He was better today in practice and that’s all we can do about it. It’s going to get better each day, and we’re hoping by the next game he feels good enough to play. As it continues to get better, we’ll see how it goes.”
Q: Can you be more specific? Is the problem in the wrist? Is the problem a tendon in the wrist to the hand that affects his ability to grip?
“Well, there is obviously something going on in there that’s inhibiting the strength of it. As I said, he will continue to get better each day. If you are a hockey player and you can’t grip your stick, you’re going to have a hard time.”
Q: Will he make the road trip?
“Yeah.”
Q: No thoughts of shutting him down, for say a week maybe, to let it heal?
“No. If we get to that point, obviously that’s not an issue. Chris [Pronger] wants to play, and when he feels like he can play, he’ll play.”
Q: When you say that you haven’t seen anything on the MRI or x-rays so far, is that because of swelling?
“No. The swelling went down. I’m not worried. I think everything is clear.”
Q: Would he consider seeing a specialist?
“He is seeing specialists in our own town. Dr. Culp is a hand specialist. Dr. Graham is one of the top hand specialists in the world. He is at the game tonight. I don’t think that’s an issue.”
Q: Did something happen at the Edmonton game? Did he take a shot?
“No. It’s just, he thought it was good and obviously it wasn’t. He wasn’t completely 100% when he played that game. Now he is taking a little bit of a step back but like I said, he has gotten better the last few days. [He has] not really taken part of anything with a puck.”
Q: Are you worried at all?
“Not at all. Some of that is because of our depth at defense. I happen to like it when Meszaros, Carle, and Coburn play more minutes. I don’t think that’s the issue.”
Q: So he is day-to-day at this point?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Flyers place Zherdev on waivers
by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor
Per general manager Paul Holmgren, the Flyers placed forward Nikolai Zherdev on waivers Wednesday afternoon.
"His agent and Nik, they’re obviously not happy with the situation here," Holmgren said. "They’d asked us to look around for options. Nothing really came of that through trades, so we’ll see what happens with this."
The 26-year-old Ukrainian hasn't played since February 10 against Carolina, and was memorably lost in RBC Center on Friday night at Carolina, forcing Jody Shelley to take the place of a flu-ridden Mike Richards.
Zherdev has collected 15 goals and 19 points in 47 games this season, his first with Philadelphia after a year in Russia's Continental Hockey League.
"I think at times for me it was just the level of play," Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette said. "It wasn’t the skill thing, it was the level that he played. There were other guys that were performing better. So there’s only nine that can go in there — the nine I felt were playing."
Teams have 24 hours in which to claim Zherdev. Holmgren did state after announcing the move that no teams have inquired about the Kiev-born winger. Given his rumored departure from the club's practice facility in Voorhees this afternoon without talking to anyone, and his recent behavior and declining work habits, a demotion to the minors is highly unlikely.
Should he clear by tomorrow afternoon, Russia could come calling. Zherdev notched 13 goals and 39 points in 52 games with Atlant Moscow in 2009-10.
Phanatic Hockey Editor
Per general manager Paul Holmgren, the Flyers placed forward Nikolai Zherdev on waivers Wednesday afternoon.
"His agent and Nik, they’re obviously not happy with the situation here," Holmgren said. "They’d asked us to look around for options. Nothing really came of that through trades, so we’ll see what happens with this."
The 26-year-old Ukrainian hasn't played since February 10 against Carolina, and was memorably lost in RBC Center on Friday night at Carolina, forcing Jody Shelley to take the place of a flu-ridden Mike Richards.
Zherdev has collected 15 goals and 19 points in 47 games this season, his first with Philadelphia after a year in Russia's Continental Hockey League.
"I think at times for me it was just the level of play," Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette said. "It wasn’t the skill thing, it was the level that he played. There were other guys that were performing better. So there’s only nine that can go in there — the nine I felt were playing."
Teams have 24 hours in which to claim Zherdev. Holmgren did state after announcing the move that no teams have inquired about the Kiev-born winger. Given his rumored departure from the club's practice facility in Voorhees this afternoon without talking to anyone, and his recent behavior and declining work habits, a demotion to the minors is highly unlikely.
Should he clear by tomorrow afternoon, Russia could come calling. Zherdev notched 13 goals and 39 points in 52 games with Atlant Moscow in 2009-10.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)