Hockey is a business. First and foremost, let’s get that cliché out of the way.

That fact was made abundantly clear on Thursday afternoon when the Philadelphia Flyers decided to part with their franchise cornerstones for most of the past decade in centers Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. In a matter of an hour’s time, they were gone from Philadelphia; leaving the team’s fan base collectively gasping their breath wondering what just happened.

Carter, the team’s leading scorer, had been rumored to be part of a salary clearance for two weeks when the team made the decision to acquire Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in the wake of the team’s disastrous second round sweep at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, led by arguably the most dominant goaltender in the league in Tim Thomas.

Carter’s trade was always a possibility due to his long term contract extension, salary cap number (11 years at $5 million per), and the fact that his no trade clause wouldn’t kick in until the 2012-2013 season.

When the deal was announced that Carter would be taking his sharp shooting stick to Columbus in exchange for winger Jakub Voracek, along with the Blue Jackets’ first round (8th overall) draft choice, and a third round selection, there was a sense of surprise but not shock.

It was in the minds of many that the Flyers would either deal multiple parts from their roster or they would deal one major part. One could sense that as negotiations between Rich Winter who is Bryzgalov’s agent and Flyers management continued, that it might take a little bit more to safely fit the 2009 Vezina Trophy finalist into the team’s salary structure.

There were initial reports that the Flyers were going to send winger Kris Versteeg to the Florida Panthers in order to clear an additional $3 million off the books. Made sense and would give the Flyers a chance to both afford Bryzgalov and take on another player salary, possibly RW Ville Leino, due to become an unrestricted free agent as of July 1.

Those reports were immediately shut down by several major outlets.

Then the unexpected became reality.

Multiple reports came in that Richards was “in play”. The sound you heard was the Delaware Valley’s collective jaws dropping to the floor as it all happened with the suddenness of a tactical strike, leaving shock and awe in its’ wake.

Mike Richards, 26 years old, captain of one of the most storied franchises in the NHL, was on his way to Los Angeles, in exchange for uber prospect Brayden Schenn, power forward in training Wayne Simmonds, and a 2012 2nd round draft pick.

This was followed by the proverbial cherry on top: Bryzgalov agreed to terms with the Flyers on a nine year, $51 million contract with a $5.6 million cap hit and a $10 million pay grade in the first year of the deal, making him the highest paid goaltender in the league.

Nine years? Five years was expected, perhaps six, but nine?

Bryzgalov as Catalyst

So, who in fact, is Ilya Bryzgalov and is he worth the cost the Flyers paid?

Since his waiver wire acquisition from the Anaheim Ducks several years ago, Bryzgalov has built up a reputation as being one of the league’s best goaltenders.
Impressively built at 6’3 and 209lbs, tremendously athletic going from post to post, he looks the part of the modern top flight NHL goalie.

Three out of four seasons in the desert saw the Russian goaltender post GAAs of less than 2.50 and save percentages in excess of .920.

This is not to say he is without flaws.

Mind you, this is a goaltender who has played out of the first round only once in his career and had a terrible first round series against Detroit this year (4.36 goals against average). At the same time, one could argue that the Coyotes wouldn’t have gotten into the postseason without Bryzgalov’s workhorse ways.

One can find positives and negatives on every goaltender in the NHL. At times, Stanley Cup winning goaltender Tim Thomas does some things in net that can be highly criticized. Certainly, Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo can attest to that, albeit to his detriment.

That stated the Flyers are banking on the fact that Bryzgalov’s pros, especially behind their highly touted blue line, will outshine his cons.

While Bryzgalov’s acquisition and subsequent signing can be seen as the catalyst for the trades, it doesn’t change how these deals defy logic for many outside of Philadelphia. How does a GM trade his leading scorer and team captain, on the same day?

Richards and Carter are acknowledged best friends and resided in downtown Philadelphia. Some will point to them enjoying the Philly nightlife a little too much as reasons. Perhaps unsubstantiated locker room tensions between Richards and other players and coaches led to his exile. The end result was the same: a ticket out of town.

Carter: Square Peg In A Round Hole?

Carter, while nominally a center, was often a player without a proverbial country. He is most comfortable playing center, but his style of play is not conducive for that position unless you have a play making winger. Doing that counters the normal offensive flow for a team. Centers are usually distributors and puck possessors. Carter is neither. He likes to skate and shoot…pure and simple.

At the same time, there were indications that Carter’s game was beginning to evolve; that he wasn’t just a scorer, but could be a defensively conscious player as well as he posted a career best plus minus rating of +27.

However, Carter’s postseason production since the 2007-2008 postseason doesn’t indicate that he steps up his game as in nearly 50 games, he has posted 13 goals and 21 points. When the heat of the playoffs rises, it seemed that Carter became more of a bit player.

So why sign him to such a long term contract? In many ways, the contract that theoretically showed the team’s commitment to him also provided them with a limited time out clause. It was acknowledged that for a top flight scorer like Carter, the cap hit was not only eminently good for the Flyers if they kept him, but was a very trade-able commodity for another team that would want him…and there were plenty of suitors for him.

So when the need arose to significantly upgrade the goaltending, GM Paul Holmgren made the difficult decision to move him.

Richards: A Greater Conundrum

The reasoning behind the Richards trade, however, is a bit more complicated.
Richards’ regular season numbers reached their apex during the 2008-2009 season when he tallied 30 goals and 50 assists for 80 points. In the two seasons since, his point totals dropped by 18 and 14 respectively and he had his lowest goal scoring totals since 2006-2007 with 23.

He has alternated good and bad postseason performances with his best performance during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final appearance with 23 points in 23 games played, juxtaposed with an injury saddled 1 goal and 7 points in 11 games this year.

It can be argued that Richards has played at the level expected for him at the NHL level since he was drafted. He was a jack of all trades for the Flyers, playing against other teams’ top lines, working the power play, and penalty kill units, and playing with a controlled edge. At the same time, Richards’ difficulties in the faceoff dot are well documented, though the wrist injury he dealt with all season can be attributed as a legitimate reason.

So why trade him? Were the Flyers worried that if they traded Carter that Richards play would diminish as a result? Beyond his rocky relationship with the media and possibly his coach, did Flyers’ management also become concerned about his statistical performance as an indicator that Richards had reached the apex of what his capabilities were and it was time to cash out of the investment (12 year contract with a no movement clause set to begin in July 2012) while they had the chance?

Structural Re-engineering Based On the Boston Method (No Hair Jokes Please)

So looking at the returns the Flyers got from the deals, they got a whole lot younger and most noticeably bigger on the wings with Voracek (6’3, 210lbs) and Simmonds (6’2, 185lbs). If you look at the acquisitions closely and how they fit into the Flyers’ lineup next season, it becomes plain to see that the team is basing their structure on the Stanley Cup champions’ model: strong goaltender, good physical defense, and an offense in which the parts up front fit, with a balance of skill and physicality especially on the wing.

The Flyers seem to be a more balanced team up front than they have been in the last few years. If they are able to resign Leino and Darroll Powe, they could sport the following forward lines: Hartnell-Briere-Leino, vanRiemsdyk-Giroux-Voracek, Versteeg-Schenn-Simmonds, Powe-Betts-Shelley/Nodl. A pretty solid four lines to be sure.

The big concern about losing Richards and Carter is the perceived weakening of the centers. Up front, Danny Briere and Claude Giroux anchor the top two lines after being bounced around from wing to their natural positions. Barring moves in free agency for another pivot for the third line, it appears that Schenn has the early lead to get that position. At 6’1, 190lbs, he has a similar body type and game to the man he was traded for, but to expect the same level of play would be assuming too much.

Therefore injuries to either Briere or Giroux, who are both under 6’, would have a potentially devastating effect. Unless the Flyers are counting on Schenn or 6’4 draft choice Sean Couturier to be ready to go in camp, it would behoove Holmgren to acquire a versatile player in free agency who can play center such as Washington’s Brooks Laich or Pittsburgh’s Max Talbot, if possible, instead Dallas’ Brad Richards or a winger such as Erik Cole, pending their free agency costs.

In short, Holmgren’s work in putting finishing touches for his team is far from over.

Going Forward

The concern for the team going forward is that they have a much younger group up front, with a veteran laden defensive corps led by Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen, and a 31 year old goaltender in Bryzgalov. The back end is a “win now” group, while the forwards may or may not be ready to mesh because of their relative youth.
At the same time, with a puck pursuit system like Peter Laviolette’s in place, young legs up front might be just what the Flyers needed as Voracek is known for a solid two way game and likes to engage along the boards while Simmonds has been described as a runaway train with his physical play.

Voraciousness and tenaciousness, with a clear line of communication from the coach down to the players could go a long way to positively shifting the Flyers’ fortunes this season. But if the team struggles during the season, many will point to the deals conducted Thursday afternoon and question why a team moves out its’ core just as they were reaching their prime.
If we have learned anything about the Philadelphia Flyers over the years, they are always a study in extremes.

Follow Anthony on Twitter: @anthonymingioni

*photo by del Tufo.