Meet the new Flyers

Right, now that I've got a little free time, it's time to recap the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The most glaring need for the Flyers going into next season was on defense, so naturally Paul Holmgren and co. decided to look in that general direction. Along the way, we picked up a couple of goalie prospects and a center, not to mention trading for Caps blue-liner Steve Eminger. Apparently, we did Steve a favor by getting him out of DC. Anyway, here are the newest Flyers:

1. Luca Sbisa, D - 6'2", 190, Lethbridge (WHL)
2. Marc-Andre Bourdon, D - 6'0", 206, Rouyn-Noranda (QJMHL)
3. Jacob DeSerres, G - 6'2", 195, Seattle (WHL)
4. Zac Rinaldo, C - 5'11", 169, Mississauga St. Michael's (OHL)
5. Joacim Eriksson, G - 6'1", 189, Brynas Jr. (Sweden Juniors)

I wouldn't expect to see any of these guys wearing orange and black for at least three years, if that. Holmgren and John Stevens are true believers in allowing young players to fully develop in the minors before getting thrown into the mix. Sbisa would be the logical choice to be the first one called up to the NHL, especially if Derian Hatcher decides to call it quits. The one major worry I have is that these guys aren't exactly big. Granted, six feet and two hundred pounds is nothing to sneeze at, but there's no one here that can be called intimidating. I hope that the organization isn't leaning to far towards the mobile puck-moving defenseman and too far away from the big, knock-you-on-your-butt bruiser we've been known to have around.

Rumor out of South Philly is that the Flyers are close to re-signing both Riley Cote and Jeff Carter. It sounds like Carter's deal is just waiting for a final dollar amount. I'm hoping this goes OK because I don't want this dragging on past July 1, when another GM can raise Carter's asking price knowing that we're pressed as far as the cap is concerned. There has been talk on message boards that Philly is looking at veteran D-men such as Brian Campbell, Mark Streit, and John-Michael Liles, but that all depends on how much cash Holmgren has to work with. Campbell's going to want a lot of money, plus I think we're done raiding the Buffalo Sabres for their best players.

Now that the draft is over and Pierre Mcguire can stop gushing over EVERY SINGLE PICK THAT EVERY TEAM MADE (Seriously, how can you like all 211 players?), we now get a bit of a break until the silly season kicks off on the 1st. The cap is projected to be around $56 million, so we've got some wiggle room, but not much.