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Meltzer's Musings -- Talbot, Injury Updates, Prospect Signings

May 22, 2012, 8:43 AM ET [523 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Whenever people talk about the Flyers' roster moves from last summer, they inevitably focus on the two blockbuster trades and the Ilya Bryzgalov contract. But the addition of Max Talbot via free agency was one of Paul Holmgren's biggest coups.

At the time of the signing, a lot of people lambasted the GM for the contract -- which ended up having to be adjusted to be cap-compliant -- because they felt that Talbot was not worth a five-year deal or $1.75 million cap hit.

Well, that talk ended in a hurry, didn't it? Talbot ended up being a high-value acquisition. He posted career highs in goals (19) and points (34) while providing the sort of two-way, agitating presence that drove the Flyers to distraction when Talbot was a member of the Penguins. In the locker room, he was one of the veterans who helped to instill a winner's mentality and kept things loose with his sense of humor.

Talbot's presence was one of the more underrated factors in the Flyers' impressive first-round playoff win against Pittsburgh. He basically did to the Penguins what he used to to do for them. He was a forechecking machine, scored a few clutch goals and created power play opportunities.

Talbot played both wing and center as needed throughout the season. I thought he was a little better at wing, but his versatility was a boon to the club. The goal scoring was a real nice bonus, but if he gets even 14 or 15 next year, it'll still be plenty of support offense from a role player primarily counted on for energy and penalty killing.

Looking ahead toward next season, the only real question mark with Talbot is whether he'll start the year on the third line or the fourth line. But there is little doubt that Peter Laviolette will continue to plug in the 28-year-old wherever there's a need in the lineup, and he'll keep on answering the bell for the hockey team.

To me, Talbot is just about the prototype of the sort of role player that virtually every Stanley Cup champion has on the roster. All he really lacks is size, and he makes up for it in a variety of other ways.

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Philly Metro's Dave Isaac did some magnificent work in pulling together more details about the nature of James van Riemsdyk's series of injuries this season and impending hip surgery.

It is now confirmed by the player himself that he tried to play through a meniscus tear in his hip, an oblique tear, a concussion and a groin pull, in addition to a late-season broken foot. It also turned out that, during the Flyers-Devils playoff series, JVR's surgically repaired foot became infected and had to be drained of fluid.

No player ever wants to use injuries as an excuse for a subpar season. At the same time, I think the rest of us also need to be fair in recognizing that when someone is dealing with that sheer number -- and short-range severity -- of physical problems, it's going to show up in his performance on the ice.

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I received some additional information on Nicklas Grossmann's injury status yesterday, via his Sweden-based agent Lars Cederström. According to Cederström, it was the right knee injury suffered late in the regular season that ultimately forced Grossmann to turn down an invitation to play in the World Championships.

While surgery was initially considered the recommended course of action, the prognosis improved upon re-evaluation. Rest and rehab should do the trick.

Wrote Cederström via email, "The knee is still bothering him but will be fine without surgery. That's what I heard but I'm not a doctor."

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The Flyers signed two forward prospects yesterday: 2011 7th-round pick Derek Mathers and overage SJHL standout Andrew Johnston.

Mathers, 18, is an old-school enforcer with good size and above average skating ability for a teenager who packs 225 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame. He has yet to skate regularly above the fourth line for the OHL's Peterborough Petes. Mathers dressed in nine late-season games for the Phantoms this season, recording 26 penalty minutes. He is likely to return to the OHL next season under the entry-level contract slide rule.

Johnston, 20, has never played major junior hockey. The left winger, who will turn 21 on July 6, has been a top offensive performer at the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League level. He is eligible to play for the Phantoms next season.

The Flyers are unlikely to offer entry-level contracts to 2010 draftees Ricard Blidstrand or Brendon Ranford. The latter, while a dominant junior scorer, has been dogged for several years by question marks about his conditioning, skating, size, defensive play and ability to be an effective player at the professional level. However, some other organization may want to give him a shot for his offensive ability.

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