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Flyers acquire rights to Bryzgalov |
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Headlines
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Written by Curtis Zupke
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Tuesday, June 07, 2011 21:05 |
The negotiating rights to Bryzgalov, who becomes a free agent July 1, go from Phoenix to Philadelphia for a minor-leaguer, a 2012 draft pick and "future considerations."
The Philadelphia Flyers shook up the off day in the Stanley Cup finals with a move that could have them playing this time next year.
Philadelphia acquired the negotiating rights to 2010 Vezina Trophy runner-up Ilya Bryzgalov from Phoenix for a third round pick in the 2012 draft, future considerations and Matt Clackson.
If Philadelphia can sign Bryzgalov, it would immediately address its gaping hole in net and make it a serious contender for 2011-12.
The Flyers were thought to be primed for a deep playoff run but none of their three goalies – Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky and Michael Leighton – could nail down the net in the playoffs as Philadelphia fell to Boston in the second round.
Now, the challenge for general manager Paul Holmgren is to nail down the mercurial Russian netminder.
Bryzgalov is set to become a free agent this summer. He made $4.5 million in 2010-11 and could ask for something closer to the $6.25 million that Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller earns.
The Flyers must also re-sign pending unrestricted free agents Ville Leino and Nikolay Zherdev this summer, but if they can retain their potent offensive unit and put a Chris Pronger-led defense in front of Bryzgalov it would make them an Eastern Conference favorite.
Bryzgalov finished second to Miller in Vezina voting last season, when he won 42 games and carried a 2.29 GAA with eight shutouts. A somewhat streaky goalie, he had 36 wins with a 2.49 GAA and seven shutouts in the regular season but allowed 17 goals in a four-game sweep by Detroit this past spring.
The bankrupt Coyotes were thought to be unequipped to re-sign Bryzgalov, and general manager Don Maloney said in a release that “after several discussions with Ilya and his agent, it became very clear to us that we were not in a position to sign Ilya to a long-term contract. We will now focus our efforts on adding another goaltender to our roster for the upcoming season.”
Clackson has spent the past three seasons in the AHL and racked up 555 penalty minutes in that span.
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