Over the next week, I will be writing blogs related to the Flyers' offseason priorities and the outlook for the players on the roster that reached the Stanley Cup Final. The most obvious place to start is in in goal.
With Brian Boucher signed for another season, I think the Flyers should thank Michael Leighton for everything he did after being picked up off waivers and then move on. If Boucher is waived or dealt -- which is a distinct possibility, because the club has already re-signed Johan Backlund -- I certainly would not mind seeing Leighton re-signed as a backup who has shown he can step in as a starter if needed. I don't foresee that happening, though. If Boucher stays, Backlund is still the number three NHL goaltender and would return to the AHL to start next season.
If the Flyers go the free agent route for a new starter, I'm not convinced that someone like Dan Ellis is going to be a team's definitive goaltending answer for the next four years or so. Marty Turco reportedly wants a multi-year commitment from his next team -- which he's not going to get, in my opinion -- and may be sitting out there for awhile during the summer. If the Flyers are unable to land a player like Ellis or trade for a goaltender, Turco could enter the picture if he's willing to take a shorter-term contract.
If they are going to trade for a young goalie, it all depends on the price tag. I still do not think Carey Price is the way to go. First of all, he will command a ransom and the Flyers don't have the assets to get it done without opening holes elsewhere. Secondly, Price's mental toughness at the NHL level is still very much a question mark as is his ability to consistently stop shots high to the glove side.
In terms of other prominent young goalies that commonly get tossed out in rumors, Vancouver's Cory Schneider is an intriguing possibility, as are LA's young goaltenders (Jonathan Quick and top prospect Jonathan Bernier, the latter of whom will probably overtake Quick as the Kings' goalie of the near future, and whom I doubt will be traded). I'll throw out one more name that doesn't get mentioned as often, but may be worth pursuing. Buffalo has a fine prospect in 22-year-old Jhonas Enroth, who seems NHL ready after two AHL seasons but is stuck behind Ryan Miller.
Looking within at the Flyers' farm system, recently signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is a completely unknown quantity. The 21-year-old played well for bad KHL teams, but it remains to be seen how well he adjusts to the North American game and how long it takes him to get comfortable off the ice. Even in a best-case scenario, he will almost certainly need at least full one season in the AHL, and it cannot be stated with confidence right now that he's going to be an NHL-caliber goalie. That said, he was highly sought by NHL teams, and I doubt the Flyers would have signed him if they didn't think he had NHL potential. In an organization that lacks goaltending prospects, Bobrovsky instantly became the club's top netminding prospect.
Joacim Eriksson will need Elitserien experience before he enters the discussion and is likely several seasons away, but his pro career is off to a promising start.
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In today edition of Swedish newspaper Expressen, Peter Forsberg
revealed that the Flyers offered him a contract for the final 8 games of the regular season this year. He would not have been eligible for the playoffs but, with the club fighting just to reach the postseason, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was looking for any possible boost to get into the playoffs.
Forsberg declined the offer. In today's paper, he said that he was not satisfied with his own play or health this past season and his foot was giving him problems again. Forsberg did not feel he would have been of much help to the Flyers although "it would have been cool [to rejoin the Flyers] because I know so many of the guys."
Forsberg remains uncertain if he wants to attempt to play hockey next season after countless failed attempts to solve his chronic foot problems and a disappointing (by his standards) stint with Modo and the Swedish Olympic team this past season.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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