Philadelphia Flyers: 2012/2013 Stanley Cup Odds

Philadelphia battled its way to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. The Flyers stunned Pittsburgh in the first round, eliminating its Atlantic Division rival in six games only to then fall to New Jersey in five games in the conference semis.

 

 

Philadelphia was busy this past week making sure its current roster stays intact by signing multi-year contract extensions with forwards Wayne Simmonds and Scott Hartnell. Both players were key contributors this past season to a Flyers' offense that was ranked second in the league in scoring with an average of 3.17 goals-per-game. Simmonds tallied 28 goals and 21 assists for a career-high 49 points while Hartnell turned-in an All-Star performance with a career-high 37 goals including 16 on the power play. He added 30 assists to finish with 67 points, which was second most on the team. The terms of Simmonds' new deal were not disclosed, but Hartnell's is reported to be a six-year deal worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $28.5 million.

 

 

Philadelphia remains one of the more veteran hockey clubs in the NHL but, with an eye fixed on the future, they selected seven prospects in this year’s draft. The top choice as the 20^th overall player selected was center Scott Laughton, who played for Oshawa last season in the OHL. He ended the season with 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) in 64 regular season games.

The Flyers went on to select goalie Anthony Stolarz in the second round and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere in the third. Stolarz finished his first season in the NAHL with a save percentage of .920 and a 2.84 goals-against-average. Gostisbehere played for Union College in the ECAC and posted five goals and 17 assists in 42 games this season.

Philadelphia moves on without Shea Weber

The Flyers made a bold attempt to lure one of the top restricted free agents in this year’s pool, going after Nashville defenseman Shea Weber, but the Predators fully recognized his worth and matched the offer. While disappointed at the outcome, Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren remains confident that the players the team has currently on its roster are more than capable of competing with the Rangers and the Penguins for the top spot in the highly competitive Atlantic Division. Holmgren quickly turned his attention towards re-signing forward Jakub Voracek, who was one of the Flyers’ own restricted free agent and remains interested in possibly still signing Shane Doan, who remains the biggest free agent on the market.

Cousins making his presence known

Over the years, the Flyers have gained a reputation for developing young talent and staying true to form; one of the next players to keep an eye on is forward Nick Cousins. The third-round pick in the 2011 draft finished-up last season with 88 points in just 65 games for the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds in OHL. He will most likely return to the junior leagues for the start of this season, but do not be surprised to see him in a Flyers’ uniform in the not too distant future.