General manager Bob Clarke confirmed the team is now operating under the assumption they will need to make a deal for a backup goalie.

Here's my erly story on Philly.com:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15621934.htm

***

They’re expecting the worse this afternoon in Flyerdom.

When was the last time the Flyers had an injury to a key player and it didn’t require some kind of surgery to at least one body part? That’s why the organization is not optimistic about Antero Niittymaki this morning.

His MRI will be reviewed by orthopedist Thomas Byrd in Nashville, Tenn.

“Right now, all I know is that there is no way I can play,” Antero Niittymaki told me before the start of the third period of last night’s revolting 6-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Niittymaki thinks that not only will he need surgery to repair his torn left labrum, but that his timetable for a return would actually be closer to three months, not two, as the club estimated.

Robert Esche said after the game that any time an athlete tries to rehab a torn labrum after surgery while “in-season,” it is usually longer.

With that mind … two things emerge. One, to quote general manager Bob Clarke, kidding with me last night, “Well, at least Hitch knows who his starter is because it’s off his plate now,” and two, who do the Flyers go after in a trade?

Clarke said no to Sean Burke even though we all know Burke is the perfect confidante to Esche. My guess is they will try to get Brian Boucher from Chicago. Several sources told me over the summer that the Flyers held “exploratory” talks about signing Boucher, in the event that they decided to make a major trade involving Esche.

But Clarke never pulled the trigger because he was not certain that Niittymaki was his No.1 for this season. I applaud him for that because had he traded Esche and gotten a stud defensemen, the club would be in worse shape right now without a No. 1.

That Niittymaki will have had both labrums repaired within five months of each other, is going to raise a red flag with management as to his long-term health.

In other words, I don’t see Esche going anywhere, this season, even if Niittymaki comes back to full health. Hey, Esche hasn’t been the model of health in recent seasons either, so this is a very dicey area for Clarke right now.

Boucher would likely accept the backup role. He enjoys Philly and relished being part of the Flyers organization. It’s a better team and a better fit. This would be a “comfortable” fit all around, as the Flyers are fond of saying.

Chicago also has Sebastien Caron, but I would think the Flyers would want Boucher over him. I’m not big on Caron.

We all know that Vesa Toskala would like out of San Jose because with Evgeni Nabokov being paid $5 million a year, Toskala is going to sit. Toskala probably figures if he can go to a team where the No. 1 is not clearly defined _ as Hitchcock said it was on the Flyers _ then he has a chance to steal a job. Toskala’s cap figure is reasonable at $1.375.

Keep in mind, that when Niittymaki goes under the knife and begins his rehab, he’ll qualify for long term injury and his $1 million salary won’t count against the cap.

There is some talk that Ilya Bryzgalov would be available in Anaheim. GM Brian Burke and Clarke are good friends. They have done some trades together. Don’t discount what it means to have another GM you can swing deals with.

Toronto has Mikael Tellqvist or J-S Aubin. Both of them are making under $600,000, so it becomes an easy cap fit if the Flyers go that direction.

And if I am Buffalo GM Darcy Regier, there is no way I trade Marty Biron to the Flyers, a team I might have to play in post-season, unless I get a major prospect in return.

The point is, the Flyers won’t have trouble finding a No. 2 goalie. They’re out there. Question is, who is the right fit.

***

Hitchcock was deeply troubled by his team’s overall defensive play after giving up 10 goals in the last two exhibitions. He also said that Esche needed to “get up to speed” quickly.

The final week of pre-season is turning out to be hell week for the Flyers …

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