Everybody who follows hockey knows about the disaster that was Ilya Bryzgalov's season last year. He was creating all kinds of controversy and playing quite poorly. However, he turned it around in the last couple of months last season; and though the numbers don't agree, I'd argue he was as decent in the playoffs, showing flashes of brilliance and flashes of poor goaltending.
Bryzgalov was the story on the minds of most this year when thinking about how the Flyers would do this season. Well, that needs to change because after two games Bryzgalov has shown that he will be a fine goaltender. Maybe he won't steal as many games as he should at his price point, but it sure doesn't look like he's going to be the problem.
Instead, the Flyers are going to need to rethink their defensive corps. After Kimmo Timmonen, the team doesn't have a true puck mover on the back end. They lost that in letting Matt Carle go in free agency. Meszaros and Coburn are solid enough, but this is a team built for the counterattack and to control the puck in the offensive zone. Meszaros, Coburn, Schenn, Foster, Grossmann, and Gervais (and Lilja who is in the minors) aren't going to be able to do that. Not unless they're paired with a puck mover.
The worst part for Flyers fans is that I'm not sure if they've even got the assets to trade for a puck moving D if one were to become available. They're not going to part with their core forwards; they have an empty cupboard of prospects; they need their picks; and I don't see a D for a D deal being made.
I still think the Flyers are a playoff team - their forwards are awesome and as I said, Bryzgalov will be solid - but without adding some D that fit with the team's up-tempo style, I don't see them making any noise in the playoffs this year.
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