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Wednesday, November 8, 2000
'L' train: Lindros gone ... LeClair next?
By Rob Parent
Special to ESPN.com
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How could you possibly top a season that included all the angst, anger, melodrama, comedy and adventure that last season's soap-opera-script-trip to the conference finals offered the fans in Philadelphia?
The confluence of performance and personalities – young and old, winners and weasels – that made up the ever-changing Flyers last season cannot be matched. This is a club that had three match-point chances to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, but couldn't break the Devils' sure-handed serve. After a tumultuous season of injury and strife, it all came crashing down, only to see management bring in several new faces over the summer to shake things up even more.
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Wed., Sept. 27
The play of Brian Boucher is critical for the Flyers. He is still untested as a No. 1 goalie from the beginning to the end of the regular season. And the Flyers still don't have a proven backup. There is no John Vanbiesbrouck, who now plays for the Islanders. For a young goalie, knowing there is a quality goalie who is also a quality partner backing him up is kind of an emotional safety net. That net has now been taken away. He will feel the pressure of being No. 1 and having to get it done.
Remember, too, the Flyers are one of the best teams at limiting opposition shots. That's another reason goaltending is so important to them. If they get good goaltending, they will always be competitive. The other key will be who – or if – they get anyone for Eric Lindros. I think he will play, and the Flyers may be in a position to get something pretty good back for him. He is not supposed to play until Christmas, so I don't know who would bother pulling the trigger on a deal. |
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Not that that's such a bad thing ...
"I think we have more talent in this camp than we've ever had since I've been here," John LeClair said. "It's going to be fun to be a part of."
But of all the new faces in the house, the most recognizable won't be on hand to help. It'll be the first time as a Flyer that LeClair won't be enjoying the fruits of Eric Lindros setting him up for all those goals for at least part of a season. After a string of concussions and public battles with club president Bob Clarke, Lindros is in Toronto, his rights owned by the Flyers but knowing as well as all the other players that his Philadelphia story is over.
Asked what it means to not have Lindros there, LeClair said, "I think we'll be a good club. That's one of the things we gained last year. We got some confidence in each other. I played a lot of games without him last year, so it's not going to be that foreign to me."
But the past has been educational. To show how jocular he's going to be this season, LeClair began camp by entrenching himself in a battle for a long-term contract. Though the Flyers were offering him around the same $8.5 million salary Lindros made the last few years, LeClair said no thanks; he'll play out the season under the one-year, $7 million arbitration award he received.
Unless he gets traded, which will remain likely as long as he doesn't sign a contract, LeClair's returns without Lindros might be very limited.
Of course, what's that little bit of controversy when compared to a year in which the GM ripped his best player's family, and that player was inflicted with four concussions, and that player's favorite coach first got cancer, then was pushed aside by the GM?
"Getting the Eric situation cleaned up is kind of nice," said Keith Jones. "We did a good job of moving past it last year. He'll probably play somewhere else, anyway. But now, we know what we have and we can move forward."
Perhaps. But if the Flyers really think all it'll take is a little peace and quiet to push them over the top, then maybe the craziness of last year affected everybody more than even they realized.
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Bottom Line on the Flyers
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Power play
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Scoring depth
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Goaltending
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Speed on defense
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SEASON OUTLOOK: With additions like Kevin Stevens, Paul Ranheim and Derek Plante, head coach Craig Ramsay pointed out, "We're a second-chance kind of a club." Unless Stevens and Plante, who was awful in camp, don't fit in fast, they could be a second-division kind of club early on. There are holes on right wing and at center, and the forwards are supposed to be this team's best strength. Still, if all pieces come together and Brian Boucher has a solid second year in goal, the Flyers could once again be a Cup contender. Expect Philly to fall from the 45 wins and Eastern Conference championship to a more appropriate 40 wins and the third seed in the East. |
Rob Parent covers the NHL for the Delaware County (Pa.) Times. His NHL East column appears every week on ESPN.com.
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New York Islanders preview
New York Rangers preview
New Jersey Devils preview
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