1. Philadelphia Daily News- Ovechkin: Bryz to Philly is "not very nice"

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1 Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips- August 30, 2011 FLYERS/NHL Headlines 1. Philadelphia Daily News- Ovechkin: Bryz to Philly is "not very nice" 2. CSNPhilly.com- Observations from Skate Zone 3. NHL.com- Flames, Coyotes pull off Langkow-Stempniak swap 4. NHL.com- Jets look to make the playoffs in return to Winnipeg FLYERS/NHL Articles 1. Philadelphia Daily News- Ovechkin: Bryz to Philly is "not very nice" Frank Seravalli Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is busy spending his last days of summer in Moscow before heading back to North America for the start of another season. But that doesn t mean he hasn t kept up on the NHL s summer happenings particularly in net. Ovechkin s Capitals made the steal of the summer when they signed free agent Tomas Vokoun to a one-year deal worth just $1.5 million. Vokoun was the second-best available goaltender behind Ilya Bryzgalov, who signed here in Philadelphia for a full $49.5 million more. (In fact, as our friends at BroadStreetHockey.com pointed out, Vokoun s career evenstrength save percentage is.919, just a shade lower than Bryzgalov s.931) The Capitals then traded 23-year-old Semyon Varlamov, one of Ovechkin s close friends, to Colorado in exchange for first and second round picks. We reported in July that it very well could have been the Flyers and not the Capitals that sent their young Russian goalie to the Avalanche in order to restock their prospect cupboard. Ovechkin said yesterday that Our GM George McPhee did everything right. But that doesn t mean Ovechkin thinks facing the Flyers will be any easier this season. In an interview with Yahoo s Puck Daddy, Ovechkin sounded disappointed that Bryzgalov went to a conference rival. Yes, it s not very nice, Ovechkin said. It s going to be more difficult to score against the Flyers now. But I was shocked when the Flyers traded Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards. And then Bryz came over. He came to a good team that plays tough, defensive hockey.

2 Bryzgalov would have played in a charity game to support deaf and blind children in Moscow this week with Ovechkin and Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk if he was not already in Philadelphia preparing for training camp, which opens on Sept. 17 in Voorhees. 2. CSNPhilly.com- Observations from Skate Zone Tim Panaccio Happy Simmonds Wayne Simmonds says he can t wait to get his Flyer career going. He admits life in Philadelphia is a tad different than that in Hermosa Beach, where he lived a few blocks from Kings assistant coach and ex-flyer head man John Stevens. Fans are totally into hockey here. This is such a different environment, Simmonds said. I m really pumped to play in this city. The day I got traded, Justin Williams called and told me how much I was going to love playing in Philadelphia. Not that I didn t like L.A., but you got the Lakers, you got the Clippers and then you got the Kings. Hockey is big here. Simmonds admits he was always a closet Flyer fan as a kid. I loved watching Eric Lindros play, he said. That Legion of Doom line with John LeClair, they were special. Others hanging around Oh yeah, literally bumped into Mr. Happy, Chris Pronger. Said he s feeling pretty good. I looked at Pronger and he seemed more fit up top than perhaps we were led to believe. Yeah, he hasn t been lifting weights this summer because of the back surgery, but I didn t think Pronger looked skinny or emaciated from not lifting. JVR tells me his parents house in North Jersey had some water damage with basement flooding from Hurricane Irene. Their boat had some minor damage, as well. Ilya Bryzgalov is temporarily living in Center City Philadelphia. His family is about to settle on a house in Cherry Hill.

3 Bryzgalov and Michael Leighton worked out in the scrimmages. A surplus at center Very good turnout this morning here at Skate Zone in Voorhees, as some of the rookies and veterans scrimmage among themselves. This is old hat for the Flyers in August. Players have been on the ice for awhile. Wayne Simmonds, acquired in the Mike Richards deal with Los Angeles, is wearing Jeff Carter s former No. 17 sweater. They re doing some drills with Ian Laperriere handling the supervision at the chalk board, setting things up. Among the vets in attendance: James Van Riemsdyk, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, and former Flyer Todd Fedoruk, who still makes this his home in the off-season. Here s a question for Flyer fans: The assumption is that Brayden Schenn makes the roster. But what about first-round pick Sean Couturier? I ve never saw him play in junior at Drummondville, but every Canadian writer I spoke to at the NHL Draft in June flat out predicted he would make the roster. The interesting thing here is the Flyers talked about their overabundance of centers and needing more wings when they dealt Carter and Richards. So what if Couturier, a centerman, makes the roster? Where does he fit with Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Blair Betts, and Schenn? Not to mention Ben Holmstrom. And how does this impact Michael Nylander, who will be in camp on a tryout? Nylander is going to get every opportunity to make the roster as Jaromir Jagr s centerman. Obviously, we have a crowd of centers coming into camp in a few weeks. There s going to be some terrific competition on a turned-upside-inside-out Flyers roster that general manager Paul Holmgren keeps saying may or may not be as good as the last two years, but is very, very different from what we ve seen in the past. 3. NHL.com- Flames, Coyotes pull off Langkow-Stempniak swap Dan Rosen

4 Daymond Langkow says he's 100 percent healthy and excited to be heading back to the Arizona desert. Lee Stempniak's health was never in question, but he appears just as thrilled to be moving north to Alberta. The Coyotes and Flames pulled off a trade Monday that sends Langkow back to Phoenix, where he played from , and Stempniak to Calgary. The trade is contingent on Langkow passing a physical examination that will be conducted Tuesday in Phoenix. Phoenix is looking for its own proof that Langkow is healthy heading into the final year of a contract that will pay him $4.5 million this season. He was out for more than a full calendar year, 88 games in all, with a neck injury he suffered on March 21, 2010 in Minnesota. Langkow missed the final 10 games of the season and the first 78 of the season before returning on April 1 in St. Louis. "What's first and foremost is your health, especially if you have a family because you have to think about them first," said Langkow, who has 642 points over 1,017 career NHL games. "That's why it took so long to get back, I wanted to make sure I was 100 percent and I am. If I had any doubts at all I wouldn't be back playing." That said, Phoenix GM Don Maloney will remain optimistically nervous until he sees the results of Langkow's physical exam. "By indication from the player to the trainers to their medical staff to the people Daymond talks to like the Shane Doans of the world, he's never felt better," Maloney said. "I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that there won't be any surprises that pop up." Stempniak's excitement is more about the market than anything else. "You want to play in a place where hockey matters," he said according to the Flames' official Twitter feed. "You love being in a market like that. I'm so excited to come to Calgary." This is Stempniak's encore in a Canadian market, as he spent parts of two seasons in Toronto before being dealt to the Coyotes at the trade deadline in He sizzled when he arrived in Phoenix with 18 points, including 14 goals, in 18 games to help the Coyotes reach the playoffs. However, Stempniak barely doubled that production (38 points) over 82 games this past season. Regardless, Calgary GM Jay Feaster believes that Stempniak can fill several roles for coach Brent Sutter's Flames. Maloney also believes Stempniak is the kind of player that "can score 20 goals in a bad year."

5 He's entering the final year of a contract that carries a $1.9 million cap hit. "Because of our depth and options at center ice, this trade presents us with an opportunity to positively impact the organization in a number of ways," Feaster said. "It makes us younger and provides an opportunity to evaluate a player who may factor into our plans for the future. It provides Brent with options as Stempniak can play either wing and can be used on both the power play and the penalty kill. And it creates healthy competition among the forward group for ice time." Maloney said he and Feaster began discussions on a potential trade a few weeks ago. He's been searching for help at the center position "for months" and figured with Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata already on the right side, giving up another right wing like Stempniak was something the team could handle provided the return was a formidable pivot. Langkow, though, had to waive his no-trade clause in order to make the deal happen. He said he did soon after Feaster informed him of the potential deal, and added that playing with Coyotes captain Shane Doan again was "a big reason why I decided to come back." "The more we looked and analyzed and did our due diligence on Daymond, the more we came away thinking this guy is going to be tremendous for us if healthy," Maloney said. "With Daymond, what you see is what you get. There isn't a lot of flash and dash to him, just a good, solid player, and that's the way we need to play in order to be successful. "I believe if you look at our roster today, we're a much better looking team on paper than we were yesterday. So, we're happy." Feaster is confident he can say the same thing about the Flames, who not only saved on the cap with this deal but also got younger by acquiring the 28-year-old Stempniak and dealing the 34-year-old Langkow. Moving Langkow opens ice time in the middle for guys like David Moss and Mikael Backlund. Adding Stempniak also gives the Flames better stability on the right side behind Jarome Iginla. "(Stempniak) is a guy who has shown he can score goals at a pretty decent rate," Feaster told the Flames website. "He's a player that plays off of confidence. When he's going, he's the guy who scores in bunches. When he loses confidence in himself, you really need to get him picked back up because that's a big part of it for him. He's in the final year of a contract so he's a guy playing for that next deal." 4. NHL.com- Jets look to make the playoffs in return to Winnipeg Corey Masisak While the newly-minted Winnipeg Jets haven't made a lot of personnel changes, this has been an incredibly busy summer in Manitoba.

6 The Jets are back in the NHL after a 15-year hiatus, and there has been plenty of work to be done in order for the organization to be ready since True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd. agreed to a deal to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers on May 31 with the plan of moving the club to Winnipeg. "We've hit the ground running here. Everything is happening is so fast," coach Claude Noel said. "Normally [this] is the offseason but for us it felt like being in season with trying to get things started. You just try to use everyday to try and continue to build and be ready for this. [Fans] are pretty passionate up here. They've been out of the National League for 15 years, and I think it is going to be quite the frenzy up here." True North hired Kevin Cheveldayoff to be the general manager, and he then brought in Noel to coach and filled out the rest of the staff both on the ice and off. Noel was an interim coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets and knows the market well from his time as coach of the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League. There are plenty of people in the organization, from players to different staff departments, who have prior connections to the Moose and that could help ease the transition. The Jets are expected to play in front of sold-out crowds all season at the MTS Centre, and while the building will be the League'e smallest, the intimate setting could also prove to be one of the NHL's most raucous atmospheres. "I think it will be good for our players from a standpoint of knowing that you're going to have a lot of people in support of you and cheering for you," Noel said. "We hope it possibly leads to more home wins than in the past. "There's an accountability factor here, where it is a full building and it is in Canada with the fans watching games here and having opinions and there is so much media attention. From an accountability standpoint, I think that is good." While the anticipation for the return of the Jets is high, they will need to improve on the ice for the organization to contend for a playoff berth after missing out the past the four seasons. Winnipeg has a young roster, and the Jets did not lose any of the key members of the franchise. Anthony Stewart had 14 goals and 39 points for the Thrashers last season, but he was not extended a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent and signed a two-year deal with Carolina. Eric Boulton was a popular player in Atlanta during his six seasons, but his production shouldn't be tough to replace, as he is known more for his work with his fists than in the offensive zone.

7 Radek Dvorak joined the club at the trade deadline, but signed as a free agent with Dallas. He had one assist in 13 games for the Thrashers. The Jets also have to deal with the loss of Rick Rypien, who died earlier this month. Rypien signed with the organization this summer after spending the past six seasons with Vancouver. He was a local favorite, having played more than 100 games for the Moose. The newcomer likely to have the biggest impact is right wing Eric Fehr, who was acquired from the Washington Capitals for a fourth-round draft pick. Fehr, who grew up in Manitoba and already had a home in Winnipeg, has been productive for the Capitals when healthy -- but that has been an issue for him and he had shoulder surgery in May. "We're looking at some big things for Eric moving forward," Cheveldayoff said. "He's got to get through a shoulder injury, but we're going to put him in a situation where he can grow more and become an even more productive player." Other additions who could be key role players include forward Tanner Glass and defensemen Randy Jones and Derek Meech. Glass appeared in 73 regular-season games for Vancouver last season, and earned a sweater 20 times during the Canucks' run to the Stanley Cup Final. Jones had 13 points in 61 games for Tampa Bay last season and has averaged at least 17 minutes per game for the past four years. Meech appeared in 90 games for Detroit in the and seasons, but spent all of last year in the AHL. The defense corps was already a strength for the Jets, but those two should improve the depth at the position. Dustin Byfuglien made the move to defense after being traded to Atlanta last year and was an offensive star at the position. He and Tobias Enstrom both earned All-Star Game invites because of their offensive production. Johnny Oduya and Ron Hainsey are solid veterans who can log plenty of minutes when needed. Mark Stuart arrived last season in a trade with Boston and signed a three-year contract extension, and he certainly adds some toughness to the group. The wild card on defense is Zach Bogosian. Expectations remain very high, and should he develop into the player many scouts think he can be, the Jets could have one of the top defense corps in the League. Bogosian is a restricted free agent and remains without a contract however. Ondrej Pavelec had a breakout season in for the Thrashers, and the goaltender, who turns 24 on Tuesday, could earn a big contract with more improvement this year. The questions for Winnipeg are up front. There are a couple of young forwards with star potential in Evander Kane and Alexander Burmistrov. Captain Andrew Ladd has a long-

8 term contract and proved he can produce more with an increased role last season after leaving Chicago. Whether Bryan Little can be a consistent, top-line forward remains in question, and Nik Antropov had a down year last season. Fehr and Blake Wheeler could give the team a pair of 20-goal scorers on the wing, and if Little or Antropov improve the Jets could surprise on offense. There may not be any 40-goal scorers on the roster, but six or seven guys with at least 20 (including Byfuglien) is a possibility. Other teams in the Eastern Conference that didn't make the postseason have also improved, or expect to be better this season so making that leap forward will not be easy. Still, there is a feeling that this group of players underachieved in the second half of last season after staying with Washington and Tampa Bay for the first half. "I think realistically we have to look at making the playoffs," Noel said. "We have a lot of competition for those spots and it is so intense right from the opening games to get those points. "You see sometimes like last year that [you have] 95 points and it doesn't get you in. For us, making the playoffs is going to be really important." -FLYERS-