Thursday, June 23, 2011

Bryzgalov Will Tend the Flyers Net

After all the wheeling and dealing done by the Flyers to revamp their roster and make some salary cap space, they quickly turn around and announce the deal that everyone was waiting for.  The Flyers have signed goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a new 9-year deal, reportedly worth $51 million, which works out to be a cap hit of $5.7 million (rounded up).  Bryzgalov was set to become an unrestricted free agent next week and the Coyotes did well to deal his rights to Philadelphia, just so the Flyers could get the job done before he hit the open market.

It's a pretty long and steep deal for the the veteran goaltender, but his 36 wins and 7 shutouts for 86 points in the hockey pool suggest that they may have spent some wise money on a quality keeper in this deal.  Bryzgalov was ranked 6th among all keepers in pool points in the 2011 season, 12th overall.  The move to Philadelphia should ensure that he gets picked early in the 1st round of the hockey pool draft in September.

ForwardsDefenseGoalies
Claude GirouxMatt CarleIlya Bryzgalov
Daniel BriereKimmo TimonenSergei Bobrovsky
Scott HartnellAndrej MeszarosMichael Leighton
Kris VersteegChris Pronger
James Van RiemsdykBraydon Coburn
Blair Betts
Jody Shelley
Ian Laperriere

Salary Cap
Well, I don't know how long I would keep three goalies on the Flyers' new team table, but Leighton will remain on for the time being.  Something will have to happen there.  No Voracek, Simmonds or Schenn, as the new acquisitions are either not signed or haven't earned their stripes in the league, so there is still those holes to fill. So, for right now, the Flyers have a projected cap hit of $53 million for 16 players, including the 3rd goalie.  That will leave $11.3 million to play with for five to seven players, in theory.

In terms of cap hits for the 2012 season, Bryzgalov only ranks 6th in the league, which works out well, since he was the 6th best goalie in the pool rankings in 2011.  This deal doesn't begin to look too bad, except for the length of the deal, which is atrociously long.  Bryzgalov only trails Henrik Lundqvist, Cam Ward, Ryan Miller, Niklas Backstrom and Miikka Kiprusoff in cap hits for next season, which isn't bad company to be stuck behind.

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