After spending my last few months playing NHL 13, drudging through Twitter for glimpses of hope and the scum of the /Hoc/ image boards on 4chan for lols, a deal was finally reached between the owners and NHLPA on January, 6th. Unbelievably, it was ratified by both sides, a 48-game schedule was written up and fans everywhere rejoiced (well, except for Scott Gomez and Wade Redden. They're pissed).
Only days ago did the league reopen its doors and things are like nothing had ever happened. The stragglers who hadn't been signed before the bomb went off have found a home, trades have gone down (Booooooooosh), RFA's are being resigned and everyone still refuses to play for the Islanders. To be honest, it's great to be back. The final piece to the puzzle however is playing meaningful games, and for our boys in Orange and Black, it couldn't have been written up any better with the Penguins kicking everything off this Saturday. Despite being an early cup favorite, Pittsburgh will be worse (however, no hatred will be lost on my part) thanks to the departure of Jordan Staal (thank god) and defenseman Zbynek Michalek, but what happened with the Flyers? What kind of team will they be sporting come the 19th? Let's make a list, shall we?
1.) Your new captain, Claude Giroux, has risen.
2.) James van Riemsdyk was shipped north, after being traded to Toronto for right-handed d-man and Brayden Schenn's older brother, Luke. (I know I wrote about this before, but I still saw it meaningful seeing as it will probably have a huge affect on the season).
3.) Danny Briere will start the season on the non-roster/injured list with a wrist injury he sustained while playing in Germany during the lockout....
4.) ... But this gives Flyers first overall pick, center, Scott Laughton a chance to stick with the big club. All underage players will get a five-game tryout at the beginning of the year, and if they like what they see, he'll stay for the duration. If not, Laughton will go back to the minors (BTW, he'll wear #21).
5.) In addition to inking Bruno Gervais, the Flyers also signed journeyman defenseman Kurtis Foster. A powerful right-handed shot, he could help on the power play at the point, but will mainly be used as depth on the third pairing with Andrej Meszaros.
6.) As stated before, BRIAN BOUCHER IS BACK! Serving is 4th term in orange, Boosh was immediately sent to the Phantoms, but don't be surprised if he makes a few starts in the NHL.
7.) And finally, with the departure of Matt Carle, Max Talbot changed his number back to 25... Because he f*cking hates me.
So here we stand, on the edge of a new season. It's a slate cleaner than the ice that is waiting to be played on. The potential for this team is infinite. Youth and determination drive them. The next few months will prove to be incredibly exciting... And I for one cannot wait for every. Single. Second.
Welcome back hockey. Welcome back Flyers. Now make us proud.
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