Here's the latest on Randy Jones, Ryan Parent and Danny Briere:
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I had to look at the NHL stat package twice to be certain that I didn't misread this stat given to me as part of Wayne Fish's daily media trivia:
Q - Which player who will be facing the Flyers in the days ahead, has the worst plus/minus in the league.
Well, we know it ain't "The Tank," Andrei Kovalenko or Michel Petit, because neither of them are still around ... I was stunned to hear it was Rod Brind'Amour. Roddy is MINUS-14!
Without looking it up, I'd bet Rod has never had a plus/minus that bad his entire career, let alone in the first quarter of a hockey season. And I'm betting the injuries to himself and the Carolina Hurricanes and everything that the club has faced so far, has a lot to do with it.
Onto better things ...
I really hope that the Flyers don't just jettison Mike Knuble outahere come December or January when they try to figure out their salary cap puzzle when first, Randy Jones, then Ryan Parent, return. Knuble's salary would almost clear space for both those players, who total $3.6+ million.
Knuble does so much for this hockey club. I love how he stands in the way and digs for pucks in the crease. I love his instincts. I love his candor. And much like Derian Hatcher and Kimmo Timonen, he is one of the brightest minds around. You can talk to Knuble pretty much about any subject.
I asked Knuble late last night after he had scored 2 goals in the Flyers' 4-3 win over Dallas how all these rumbling are affecting him and he said, they weren't, because he was focused on making himself a valuable asset to the Flyers. His attitude is, if he can be worth something more, then losing him because a liability to the club.
Guys like Knuble, who is 36 and been around a few years, are needed on growing clubs like the Flyers, who have had 6 rookies make their NHL debut this season. Guys like Knuble are needed to help steer the young, "Downtown Philly Clan" of Scottie Upshall, Joffrey Lupul, Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell.
“You can’t have a bunch of 22 and 25-year-olds running around here," he told me. "You need a bunch of older guys and you need to be a good influence, on and off the ice. I hope I am showing everybody the way to do things.”
I hope Paul Holmgren is reading the daily clips about what people are saying about Knuble and what he brings to a team. Guys like Knuble mean a whole lot more to teams in the dressing room than people often given them credit for.
Ask Ken Hitchcock why he kept Brian Skrudland, Craig Ludwig and Mike Keane around when the Dallas Stars won the Cup in '99. Knuble is of their ilk - and he won a Cup with Detroit, too.
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Jones and Parent actually practiced with the Flyers today ... First time since the regular season began ... Don't look for Danny Briere tomorrow night in Carolina.
For more on the Flyers today, check out my stories on CSNPhilly.com:
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Philadelphia Flyers Blogger • 
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