Nick Deschesnes, C (FA); Jeff Hackett, G (FA-Bos); Joey Hope, D (FA); Boyd Kane, LW (FA-TB); Freddy Meyer, D (FA)
Roman Cechmanek, G (T-LA); Mark Greig, RW (FA-Europe); Tomi Kallio, LW (FA-Europe); Marty Murray, C (T-Car); Jamie Wright, LW (FA); Dmitry Yushkevich , D (T-Wsh)
The goaltending carousel in Philadelphia continues. In his constant effort to get a dependable netminder who won't fall apart in the playoffs, general manager Bobby Clarke scoured the free-agent market and found Jeff Hackett.
Hackett is a good goaltender, but don't expect him to put up Roman Cechmanek-type numbers during the regular season. It will be interesting to see whether he can finally shake an injury bug that has plagued him the last three seasons.
The Flyers can cause a significant amount of offensive damage if Ken Hitchcock ever decides to cut the reins on his players. The problem is that Hitchcock will never let that happen.
Defence has taken first priority in the new Hitchcock era, so Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte aren't going to post any gaudy offensive numbers despite their credentials as two of the top goal scorers in the league.
While the team has had to make some sacrifices in the new defence-first system, the Flyers have already seen the benefits. They finished tied for first with the New Jersey Devils in goals-against with 166. Their defence is a solid combination of mobility and consistency. Kim Johnsson is a fine offensive rearguard, while Eric Desjardins and Eric Weinrich play solid two-way hockey. Marcus Ragnarsson is a good defensive defenceman. Look for rookie Joni Pitkanen to get his share of ice time.
The 12-year veteran is determined to put his sub-par 2002-03 season behind him. Amonte made quite an impression when he was obtained late last year, scoring seven goals in 13 games. The same kind of production is expected this year from Amonte, especially since he's expected to be on the same line as Jeremy Roenick. Look for him to score a lot of points on the power play.
