Meltzer's Musings: Much Ado About....
A few days ago, on Aug 5, I wrote briefly about the 39th anniversary of the August 5, 1977 trade that sent defenseman Mark Suzor to the Colorado Rockies for forward Barry Dean. The trade was a pretty big deal at the time, but was ultimately relegated to a footnote in team history.
At the time,though, it was an intriguing swap.
Suzor, the Flyers' first-round pick in the 1976 NHL Draft (17th overall), was coming off a strong AHL rookie season (24 goals, 49 points, 108 penalty minutes) that also saw him earn his first NHL callup (four games) to the Flyers. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 220 pounds, Suzor had puck skills, a heavy shot and a bit of a mean streak.
Meanwhile, Dean had been the second overall pick of the 1975 NHL Draft; selected right after the Flyers chose Mel Bridgman with the draft's first pick. The free-spirited forward was slow to recover from a severe skate laceration that required surgery, but his potential was considerable.
If an equivalent trade happened in the internet age, it would have been fodder for weeks of articles (some with detailed analytics charts and NHL equivalency data, no doubt), editorials and blogs. There would be weeks of message board debates and call-in show content about which side won the trade.
As it turned out, neither player really panned out at the NHL level. Of the two, Dean had the more substantial career. In the bigger picture, though, it ended up being a fairly minor deal in terms of its long-term impact.
It would be interesting to hear readers share their recollections of other Flyers deals that once seemed to be big trades but which ultimately had little impact.
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TODAY IN FLYERS HISTORY: AUGUST 8
1979: The Flyers sign former Kansas City Scouts defenseman Dennis Patterson as a depth player, ticketing him to play mostly for the AHL's Maine Mariners. In future years, Patterson will go on to become a long-tenured Flyers scout after his retirement as an active player. He will also accompany Bob Clarke to the Minnesota North Stars and Florida Panthers before returning to another lengthy stint in the Flyers organization.
1991: In a future considerations deal, the Flyers trade high-scoring AHL center Don Biggs, who played three highly productive seasons for the Hershey Bears and dressed in 11 NHL games for the Flyers in 1989-90, to the New York Rangers. In 1992-93, Biggs will go on to rack up 138 points in 78 games for the AHL's Binghamton Rangers.
2002: The Flyers sign minor-league standouts Neil Little and John Slaney to multi-year extensions.
2012: The Flyers sign 2012 first-round pick Scott Laughton to an entry-level deal. On the same day, they sign restricted free agent defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon to a two-year contract extension.
Flyers Alum Birthday: American-born defenseman Scott Sandelin was born Aug. 8, 1964 in Hibbing, Minnesota. The Flyers acquired the former Hobey Baker Award finalist and University of North Dakota graduate from the Montreal Canadiens in the Nov. 1988 deal that sent J.J. Daigneault to the Habs.
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2016 Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp
The 2nd annual Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp is sold out.
The camp will be held Aug. 19 -22, 2016 in Atlantic City. The Alumni have assembled an excellent group of instructor/coaches this year, including Hockey Hall of Famers Bernie Parent and Mark Howe, along with the likes of Danny Briere and Flyers assistant coach Ian Laperriere.
The official Flyers Alumni website will soon have a camp preview and exclusive photos afterwards of the various on-ice activities, end-of-camp tourney and off-ice festivities.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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