I was caught a bit off-guard by yesterday's news that the Flyers will be inviting Michael Nylander to training camp on a tryout basis. The more I thought about it, though, the more it makes some sense for Philly to take a look at the soon-to-be 39-year-old center.
First and foremost, there is no risk involved for the Flyers to at least see if Nylander has anything left in the tank. He has been struggling with back and neck issues for several years and has largely been unable to play. The Capitals buried his contract in the AHL, and he also played a short stint in Finland with Jokerit Helsinki but has been limited to a combined 45 games over the last two seasons.
The player, who recently played against Peter Forsberg's IceBreakers team during its annual August charity fund-raising series of exhibition games, and is supposedly feeling better than he has at any point since 2007.
Detroit Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg also played during the exhibitions. He said of Nylander, "If he can avoid injuries, he can still play in the NHL. He looks really fresh and strong. There's a good chance that he's back in the NHL."
Is that all a bunch of pre-training camp nonsense? Quite possibly. But why not at least put it to the test when there's nothing to lose?
In addition, the decision to invite Nylander to camp sends a message to Jaromir Jagr that the club will do everything possible to maximize Jagr's comfort in his first NHL training camp in four years. Nylander centered Jagr in both Washington and New York. The two had outstanding chemistry together, especially in New York. Always a fine playmaker, Nylander found the perfect finisher in Jagr, and racked up seasons of 56 and 57 assists in the first two years after the lockout.
While Nylander has always been known first and foremost as an offensive player, he improved as a two-way player (as has Jagr, by the way) later in his career. He was never a physical player or strong in the corners, but he became adept at tying up or lifting the stick of the player he was checking.
The odds are stacked against Nylander earning a spot on the Flyers' opening night roster. He would not only have to play extremely well during the preseason but there would also either need to be an injury elsewhere or else Brayden Schenn would have to struggle to the point of not looking ready to open the season in the NHL. There is also an option of having Nylander play on the third line with Schenn and Wayne Simmonds and also seeing power play time with Jagr.
Nylander will no longer command a big salary given his age, health concerns and disappointing play in recent years. Even so, if he were to sign, the club would need to do a little bit of roster juggling. They have very little cap space (even with an LTIR allowance for Ian Laperriere) and they are also currently maxed out on contracts.
With all that said, however, it can't hurt to look at a player with whom Jagr enjoys playing and who has topped the 60-point mark four times in his career (including seasons of 79 and 83 points in the first two seasons after the lockout).
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This week's
Across the Pond at NHL.com looks at a quartet of youngsters on Swedish club Brynäs IF Gävle: Johan Larsson, Mattias Ekholm, Calle Järnkrok and Jakob Silfverberg. All four players players are under 21 years of age, and all four have emerged as fine NHL prospects after being drafted in the second round or later of recent NHL Entry Drafts.
The 18-year-old Larsson is Minnesota Wild property and the 20-year-old Ekholm is property of the Nashville Predators. Both signed entry-level NHL contracts in May. Larsson, who just captained Team Sweden at the Lake Placid World Junior Championship evaluation camp and led all players with 13 points in 5 games, is slated to spend one more year in Sweden. Ekholm, who won the Elitserien Rookie of the Year award last year will probably play in the AHL this season. Larsson was a second-round pick in 2010, while Ekholm was a fourth-round pick in 2009.
Järnkrok, selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round of the 2010 draft, is arguably the most skilled offensive player of the bunch. The 19-year-old led all Elitserien rookies last year in both goals and points, and was runner-up to Ekholm in the Rookie of the Year race. He is signed for two more years in Brynäs but will in all likelihood sign an entry-level deal with the Red Wings before his rights expire next June.
Silfverberg, an Ottawa Senators second-round pick in 2009, is another offensively talented player. He had a breakout season with Brynäs last year, scoring 18 goals and 34 points. He's got some work to do on other aspects of his game, but he's already got a very heavy righthanded shot that is NHL caliber right now. Already a veteran of 131 regular season and playoff games at the Elitserien level despite being just 20 years old, he signed an entry level deal with the Senators on May 31. He'll spend one more year in Sweden before coming over.
While it's almost inevitable that at least a couple of these guys will disappoint, it's also likely that at least one or two will go on to be NHL impact players. By the way, there's a fifth player among this cadre of young talent whose rights belonged until recently to the Flyers. The Flyers chose Brynäs defensive defenseman Simon Bertilsson in the third round of the 2009 Entry Draft. Unfortunately, his development so far has been hampered by frequent injuries, and the Flyers relinquished his rights after electing not to sign him by June 1.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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