UPDATE 9:00 AM EDT
The Flyers have finally issued an update on the team's
post-season surgery list. This does NOT appear to be the complete list, however.
Wayne Simmonds – Had surgery to repair broken left index finger. Recovery time is 4-6 weeks.
Matt Carle – Had surgery to repair torn stomach muscle. Recovery time is 4-6 weeks.
Claude Giroux – Had surgery on his right wrist to repair torn cartilage and surgery on his left wrist to remove bone spurs. Recovery time is 6 weeks.
Kimmo Timonen – Will have surgery next week to remove a disc fragment from his lower back. Full recovery is expected in 8-10 weeks.
James van Riemsdyk – Will have surgery next week to repair a torn labrum in his right hip. Recovery time is 6 weeks.
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After the Flyers made the dual blockbuster trades with Los Angeles and Columbus last summer, one of the most common questions asked was whether the Flyers would have enough goal-scoring in the lineup one season after tallying 259 goals. As it turned out, the team scored 262 goals in 2011-12.
It was the defensive side of the puck -- 232 goals against this season after allowing 223 in 2010-11 -- where the Flyers regressed.
The day after the Flyers acquired Wayne Simmonds from LA as part of the Mike Richards trade, this is what I wrote about Simmonds in my
trade-assessment blog of the two major trades:
The Flyers needed to add a little more grit and size on the wings, and the 22-year-old Simmonds can help immediately in that area. His scoring touch has not yet developed as some had hoped it would, but he's eminently capable of evolving in a 20-plus goal scorer in the near future.
A second-round pick by Los Angeles in the 2007 Entry Draft, Simmonds seemed on the brink of a breakthrough after the 2009-10 season. He wasn't as good this past year (his 3rd NHL campaign), but the upward climb isn't always a smooth path. I think he's a player than most Flyers fans will come to like.
As it turned out, Simmonds did become almost an instant fan favorite in Philadelphia. Despite his toothpick-like legs, he is extremely strong and has good athleticism. He was one of the more effective forecheckers on the club as well as being a good fighter.
Even better, the Scarborough, Ontario native showed the ability to get hot at times offensively. He collected 28 goals and 49 points in the regular season, both NHL career highs. From January onward, Simmonds replaced Jaromir Jagr on the top power play unit. For the season, Simmonds tallied 11 power play goals among the 28 he scored.
That is not to say that Simmonds does not still have considerable room for improvement next season and beyond. Specifically:
1)
He needs to develop greater offensive consistency. Simmonds is a very streaky player, and he was ice cold in the postseason.
Apart from one critical goal he scored late in the second period of Game 3 of the Pittsburgh series, Simmonds came up empty on his scoring opportunities in the playoffs. Worse, in the New Jersey series, he wasn't even getting many good scoring opportunities or winning puck battles he usually won during the season. It led me to wonder if his name would show up on the post-season injury report. It did.
During the regular season, Simmonds had three stretches where he notched four or more goals over a span of four or five games. His best streak was a five-game goal streak (March 26 to April 3) in which he racked up six goal, including four at even strength.
On the flip side, Simmonds also went long stretches where he was invisible offensively. He had a 16-game goal drought (3 assists) during one span where he primarily played on the second or third line at even strength and the number one power play unit. In the playoffs, he had just the one goal plus five assists in 11 games.
2.
He needs to improve defensively. Simmonds is still no better than an average player in his own of the ice. He got exposed a bit in this area in both the Pittsburgh and New Jersey series, as well as periodically during the regular season.
While many power forwards are far from Selke-caliber defensive players, Simmonds has the skating ability to improve considerably in this area. For all the blame that fell on Ilya Bryzgalov and the Flyers' defensemen for the club's mediocre GAA, the lack of attention to defensive detail by Philadelphia forwards was an equal part of the problem.
Next season, it will be up to players such as Simmonds to work just as hard at becoming part of the defensive solution as they do at being valuable pieces of the club's goal-scoring depth puzzle. Part of it is positioning without the puck (specifically narrow the gap between themselves and the defensemen), the other part is making smarter decisions when they have the puck on their stick.
3.
He needs to work on his puckhandling. Simmonds is never going to play a playmaking winger, and he doesn't have to be. But he is so strong on the puck along the walls that it's a shame to lose possession so many times when he peels off the boards and tries to wheel out into the slot.
As always, any player can be nit-picked. Simmonds is a player whom I like quite a bit, and I think will be in Philadelphia for quite some time. He already adds some needed dimensions to the hockey team. If he can improve even marginally in his weaker areas, both he and the club will better for it.
As for the goal-scoring department, I don't know if Simmonds will match his 28-goal output from this season but I do think 20 to 25 goals every year is a reasonable expectation now that he's proven he can do it.
Simmonds will be a restricted free agent after next season, and will likely be in line for a salary bump. This past season, he provided a lot of value for his $1.75 million cap hit.
COMING MONDAY: A look at Scott Hartnell's career year and impending unrestricted free agency next summer. Tomorrow is a travel day for me, and I will likely not have opportunity to blog.
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