Showing posts with label los angeles kings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label los angeles kings. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Philadelphia Flyers: Danny Briere's Statement Trade of Ivan Provorov

(Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers.)

Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Danny Briere made a statement with his first trade. 

He was not shy in making this major transaction during the Stanley Cup Final, albeit on an off day. The three-team deal he exacted delivered on the promise that he and others in the reconfigured front office have been making. The organization is genuinely rebuilding, was creative, and netted countable assets. 

The following is courtesy of the Flyers' media relations department: 

Hi, Danny. Just wondering about what was the timeline for this? When did you start having conversations about making this trade and specifically with Provorov and these teams?

Last couple of weeks, I've had a few different discussions on Ivan. There was other teams involved, but it really seemed like the best fit was with Columbus. The interest was really, really high on Columbus’ side. We started focusing on that a little bit more in the last couple of days.

 

Danny, I guess this is more of a bigger picture question, but what went into the decision to trade Ivan Provorov? What drove that decision on your part?

Well, part of it is that we are in a rebuilding stage. We felt that the picks and the direction that we wanted to go in, it was really enticing. Very exciting. We have a chance to really kind of start building the team the way we want it, the right way that we've talked about. I think it kind of starts with that. It wasn't an easy decision. Ivan has been a really good soldier for the Flyers for a lot of years. A lot of sweat, a lot of hits he’s taken, a lot of pucks he’s blocked. He's really poured his heart out into the Flyers. It wasn't an easy decision. For us, what we were looking at is young guys and picks. We've said it from the beginning, so that was the major reason behind it.

 

Yeah, just kind of following up on that. Obviously, Ivan has been for years your guys’ number one defenseman, the big minutes guy. That's a key piece for any team, not just in terms of trying to win now, but also in terms of how the rest of the depth chart fills out. Why did you feel like future assets matter more to the long-term plan than his present value here?

Well, sometimes you have to pay the price to get good assets back as well. We're not denying the fact that Ivan is a good defender and he's put in heavy minutes for us. It's going to be tough to replace him. At this time, we felt that the assets we were getting to build the team we want to build in the future. That was critical and you have to give up good players and good assets in return. You don't get first round picks for players that don't have interest from other teams. You've got to play ball with both sides, and we have to give up a good player for that.

 

Hey, Danny, thanks for doing this. I was just curious. In your conversations with Ivan, did he express the desire for a change of scenery? Just how were your conversations with him leading up to the off-season and in the days leading up to this trade?

Yeah, I'm not gonna get into the details of that. All I'd like to say is thanks to Ivan for being a great soldier for a lot of years. At this time, we felt it was the best of interest for everybody to make this trade.

 

This is a pretty significant move for you guys. You've used the word rebuilding a couple of times since you took over as GM, including today. Is this the first of many moves you're planning to make between now and the draft? Do you envision this being the start of kind of what you want to do as far as reshaping the team?

If it makes sense. It all depends if things make sense. We felt this trade made sense at this time for us. That's why we moved ahead. Like I've said earlier, there's always two sides to it - three sides in this case – so you never know. If it makes sense and there's a good return on other things, we'll consider it, but it's too early to tell.

 

Does having a second first round pick in this year's draft - it's considered an incredibly deep crop - how important was that to get this as part of the deal for Ivan?

That was the key part of the deal. We have the chance to get a really good player when you're drafting in the top-10 this year in this crop, but it's a deep draft, and we felt we wanted to acquire another pick in the first two rounds, not having a second rounder this year. So, having a chance to get number 22 was critical to the deal for us.

 

Can you tell us a little bit about the defensive prospect, Grans, that you got back? What are your impressions of him? Have you seen him personally play and what can you tell us about him?

No, unfortunately, I haven't seen him play. I had to rely on our scouts for him. I'm excited. He was a second-round pick, an early second-round pick, by the Kings. A right-shot defenseman - premium position - and a tall, lanky body so I can't wait to see him play. I don't know too much at the moment, so I'd be lying to you. I’ll wait and reserve my comments for after I have the chance to watch him a little bit more.

 

You're accumulating a bunch now. You have a couple extra picks this year, you have extra picks next year. Is this something where you would potentially consider maybe putting some of these together to kind of maybe move up in this draft considering how good it is? And is there an appetite for that from other teams to potentially look around and see if teams are interested in doing it?

We're open for business. We'll listen if it makes sense. If the value is there for us, definitely. That's kind of the luxury of having a lot of picks, and unfortunately, in the situation we're at when you finish a little lower in the standings, you have better picks. It's good and it's bad. You have to suffer for it. Nothing's off the table on our side.

 

Ivan is only 26. Was there any belief or thought that he had stagnated in his development and progression? I mean, it's not often, even if a franchise is rebuilding, that they trade a 26-year-old number one defenseman.

The points may make it look that way, but also, he wasn't really put in a position to succeed. What I mean by that is he didn't have a lot of power play time, so it's not just about the points for Ivan. He's a hard defender. He never bails and plays hard every single night. We have a lot of respect for that. We still consider him a top pairing for our team, but again, to acquire assets and a first-round pick in a deep draft like this year, you have to pay the price and we had to give up on a good player.

 

Was the situation with Pride Night back in January any factor in the decision to trade him?

No, it did not factor into the trade.

 

Hey, Danny, just changing gears real quick. In the trade, you got back Cal Petersen, goalie from LA. I guess, where do you see him fitting in? Given the fact that at one time, he was used very highly around the league, obviously now, it seems like his inclusion was more of a salary dump on LA's part, but where do you see him fitting in with you guys?

Well, it's very interesting. We're not too sure at the moment, we'll give him a chance that will make for a healthy competition at camp. It's a little too early to tell where he's going to fit in. But, you know, like you said, he was a good young goaltender. He had an off year last year, so we'll see where he's at.

 

Yeah, I guess kind of as a follow up on that. I know you've answered a few questions about this in the last few weeks. But in the wake of the trade, there were some rumors out there about the status of Carter Hart, obviously adding a goalie in Cal Petersen adds to that. But where are you at right now with Carter? Is he on the block or you guys just in the process of pretty much listening on everyone?

I'm still in the same spot I was. We're open for business. We listen on everybody. Everybody's being treated the same way for us on our side.

 

Hey, Danny, kind of in a similar vein about Cal Petersen. Obviously, you guys trade out a, you know, significant contract in Provorov, but you take back the five million in Petersen. With you guys probably not contending for the next couple of seasons. Are you more willing to take on contracts like that, you know, you get that short term kind of a contract to get maybe some extra pieces? Is that kind of where you guys are right now?

I think it's a deal that was helping all sides. Columbus wanted their defenseman, we were looking to acquire young assets, either draft pick or young guys. For LA, it was a chance to create cap space, you know, for what they want to do. So, for us, it made a lot of sense acquiring a young guy and a lot of draft picks in the process.

 

Where do you think Cam York is in terms of readiness? More minutes? More responsibility? It's going to kind of be a group effort to do that without Ivan. And do you feel that younger defensively? Zamula, once he's fully rehab, or Attard, are ready to step up to the NHL level as full-time players?

Well, we certainly hope so. We want to give our young guys a look. A bigger look. Cam York had a tough training camp. He went down, put his time in in the minors, really came back rejuvenated and was a great player for us. He's obviously an important part of the future for the Flyers. Egor Zamula, like you mentioned, Ronnie Attard and Emil Andrae – there’s other young defensemen that are coming up that are still in college or juniors that will also get looks eventually. I'm not saying right away next year but eventually. I mean it's exciting and you don't know sometimes, you look at last year where a guy like Tippett got the chance to play more and showed what he was capable of. Same thing with Morgan Frost, Noah Cates, Travis Konecny – so a lot of the young guys took a big step forward, especially upfront last year with having more opportunities. We hope we can do the same in the future with our defensemen. Now, there might be some nights where it's going to be tough but we want to see and have a clear idea of where our defensemen can stand. Hopefully, we give them the chance to show us that.

 

Danny, can you take us through this kind of deal from an internal standpoint, especially with Keith at the Stanley Cup Final? Did that make things more difficult? How much was he involved in the process of this?

No, actually, with Keith, it’s great. We're probably on the phone four or five times a day. And to go in deeper with that, it's been pretty amazing. Dan Hilferty was kept in the loop, Keith Jones was kept in the loop the whole time and brought in some good ideas. Same with John Tortorella. But if I went even deeper than that, the amazing part with this is how the different departments were involved. Obviously, the guys in my area and assistant GM, to the guys around me, were really involved, but our amateur scouts were involved with the picks, with the young players, what they remembered. Our pro scouts were really helpful with some of the players involved. And our analytics department was really, really creative helping with that deal. So, it's pretty cool how different departments kind of came together. Everybody was involved. It was definitely a team-oriented trade that we came up with. Pretty exciting how the team came together.


Saturday, February 4, 2017

Inside Access: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Los Angeles Kings

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Los Angeles Kings
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
February 4, 2017
Game Time – 1 p.m.


Pregame

The Philadelphia Flyers (26-20-6, fifth place in the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division) defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 at home on Thursday. That followed a 5-1 clunker loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday after three consecutive wins. Their opponent, the Los Angeles Kings (26-21-4, fifth place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division) shut out the Colorado Avalanche 5-0 on Wednesday. That victory marked the Kings fourth consecutive win.

The Flyers enter the game with a -17 goal differential. The Kings are +8. Philadelphia is 16-7-3 at home this season (going 11-2-1 since November 27), while Los Angeles is 11-13-3 on the road.

While analytics has clearly enhanced everyone's approach to, play within, and ability to analyze the game, there's no doubt that some simple stats still sing.

Michal Neuvirth started in goal for the Flyers. Peter Budaj handled the Kings' net assignment.

First Period

A lackluster frame. The Flyers tallied a number of shots toward the end of the period, which overtook the Kings total. The final line was 9-8 by the time the horn sounded.

Second Period

Sean Couturier hit the left-side post at 15:18, after moving in on a short breakaway after crossing the offensive zone blue line. It was the best scoring chance either team had to this point in the game.

Neuvirth made a brilliant, sprawling glove save against the ice which stopped Dustin Brown from scoring with approximately 12 minutes to go.

Brown slashed Radko Gudas at 11:43, which led to either team's first power play opportunity. Then, at 12:50 the Flyers had too many men on the ice, which negated their PP. Neither Philly's brief advantage, or LA's man-up worked as the game remained scoreless.

The shot total stood at 18-13, advantage Kings, by the time the second horn sounded.
It was an unusual contest to this point. The Flyers downshift to lower shot totals in recent games, as compared to their regular offensive thrust earlier in the year was interesting. Travis Konecny and Shayne Gostisbehere may have wondered the same thing on the press level as this scribe glanced over at them during the game.

MarkHowe is a regular attendee at Flyers' games, as he scouts for the Detroit Red Wings. Easily one of the most affable people in the building (ever), the best defenseman in Flyers' history can always be seen talking with the media, former players, Wells Fargo staff members and others as though he was a regular guy (which he never was). Just another example of how humility and class can allow someone to live a Hall of Fame life.

Howe's modest voice could be heard above where this scribe was sitting during the game, which prompted this necessary and deserved accolade.

Third Period

Brayden McNabb's interference penalty at 4:52 gave the Flyers another odd-man scoring chance. No dice, as the dual goose eggs continued their standoff. McNabb left the box relieved.

As this frame lagged, the thought of how many rebound shots Philadelphia or Los Angeles had emerged. A lack of sustained pressure, meaning even within one offensive effort, enabled the double-blanking.

Tanner Pearson attempted to backhand a shot across the goal line from the left side of the net, but Neuvirth used his left glove (again) to keep the scoreboard clean.

The Kings outshot the Flyers 27-17 through the end of regulation, including 9-4 in the third.

0-0 after 60 minutes played.

Free Hockey
(Overtime)

The three-on-three format is beloved. And so it was seen to start the fourth period, which is limited to a maximum of five minutes.

Neuvirth used that glove to stop Jeff Carter at 4:03. However, the former Flyer shot the puck into an open net on Neuvirth's open right side at 2:25. The game-winner was his 27th. Assists to Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty.

Budaj earned his milestone 150th career win. 

Three stars – Koptiar, Neuvirth and Carter. Neuvy deserved the first star, but his efforts earned his team one point by playing into the free frame. 

The Flyers play the St. Louis Blues on Monday as the home stand continues. The Kings travel to play the Washington Capitals tomorrow at Noon.

Postgame Quotes

Responses to media questions after the game:

Michal Neuvirth

This has got to be bittersweet for you, that might have been your best performance of the year. You clearly kept them in the game, you gave them the point.

“Yeah, it felt good but, we only got one point so I am not happy about it, it’s tough. You know, I feel really good, I see the puck well.”

Can you talk about the save on Dustin Brown there?

“It kind of happened quick, it caught me off guard a little bit. I just stayed with it, had my eye on it the whole time and it was a big save for us.”

Are you like a pitcher, in warm ups do you know you are going to be good this day? Today, did you know in the warm ups you might have a sharp game?

“Actually, I felt normal. I was coming into the game feeling confident, calm and just feeling good about myself right now and playing with confidence.”

The first time you have had consecutive starts within a couple of months, how did that feel to get that rhythm a couple of games in a row now.

“It’s definitely huge. Like I said, so many times the more I play the better I play, I felt really good out there. I am seeing the puck well, I was battling through traffic, PK was really good once again. It would have been nice if we could win that game but, it didn’t happen. We have to be ready for Monday because, we have another tough team coming.”

Pearson, Toffoli, Carter were all talking to themselves after some of your saves, did you catch any of the banter? Is there anything they said, was it loud enough so you could hear?

“They’re always saying something, I am not really paying attention too much, I am focusing on myself.”

You knew you were getting in their heads a little bit though?

“Yeah, they had great chances and they couldn’t score, they were getting frustrated for sure. But, I had a piece of it in the overtime goal.”

Flyers Head Coach Dave Hakstol

What do you think about the goaltending?

“I like the battle of our entire team. He’s part of it, he battled real hard and so did everyone else in the line up.”

A couple people talked about LA being a tough team to play against. Is that also something that you think is general for this time of year?

“Yeah. They play a hard heavy style. If you look at the makeup of their team, they are built that way. But yes, this time of year there is less and less space. We talked about that over the last couple of weeks.”

I mean with a 1-0 overtime game, it’s one of those where there is no other way. Are you generally happy with the your play and how things are, and not giving up too many quality scoring opportunities?

“I thought from the drop of the puck we worked hard, we battle pretty hard together, we played a pretty good hockey game. Effort wise, absolutely the guys left it all out there. There are stretches in the game when they get their game going and there’s not a lot of time and space. They force you into some tough spots in terms of managing the puck. We only had a couple of those stretches and we recovered from those. We talked about it and it was a good effort. Of course we wanted to get the second shot and the second point, because the second point is critical but it was a hard fought game all the way through.”

Dave do you guys think that at any point in the game you guys used defense almost to an extreme, and just pulled back from taking shots that you would have otherwise taken?

“No, absolutely not. Pulled back from taking shots? No, no I don’t. I would disagree with that. I think we had some shots blocked tonight. They’re a good team. They’re a smart, veteran team. They get sticks in the lanes; they make it tough on you to get pucks through. But no, I don’t think we turned anything down in terms of pucks to the net.”

This is the first time you have not dressed the two young guys for more than a game, are you just trying to make sure that they get the message or that they get the emphasis on what they need to work on?

“Trying to dress the best roster possible to win hockey games. Point blank.”

Do you have plans for Gostisbhere going forward as far as the next game?

“I haven’t considered that, we will consider that after we look at our performance tonight. We will consider who our opponent is. I said it yesterday - those two young guys are a huge part of what we are doing. They have been a big part of any success that we have had. They happen to have been out the last couple of nights, nothing more than that.”

Does Neuvirth strike you as a goalie that can kind of raise his game when the stakes get higher? He seems like the plays like last year in the playoffs. He just seems to have that ability to rise it up a notch.

“He had a calmness to his game today and I think that’s an important aspect. He probably made 3 or 4 big saves for us tonight and a bunch of other pretty good ones. He went out and he did his job. I thought he was the one of the group that went out and battled as hard as he could and he did a real good job for us. He was a big part of us gaining one point.”
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Saturday, June 8, 2013

NHL Playoffs: Why Keith Primeau was one of the Philadelphia Flyers’ greatest captains

Overtime NHL playoff games (like the 6/8/13 Kings-Blackhawks game) often remind me of one of my favorite hockey features. It was humbling when this piece received thousands of hits after its 2011 online publication...

Former Philadelphia Flyers' captain Keith Primeau played with grit and gusto during his fifteen years in the National Hockey League.

Primeau dominated the ice before concussions caused his career to prematurely end when he was 34-years-old in 2006.
Wikimedia Commons
Like Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby, he was also a victim of concussions. Hopefully one of the game's currently great players won't have his career affected like Primeau's was.
Before head-shots took their toll on his body, the Flyers behemoth had become one of the best red-light players in the game.
Spring 2000
A contract dispute allowed Philadelphia to acquire Primeau from the Carolina Hurricanes for Rod Brind'Amour(notes) in January 2000.
He had two goals and eleven assists for the Flyers in the playoffs that spring. One of those goals came during one of hockey's all-time classic contests.
The Toronto, Ontario native's game-winner, in the fifth overtime period of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Penguins, enabled the Flyers to tie that series at two games each. The eight-period epic was one of the longest games in National Hockey League history.
The 28-year-old returned to produce a 34-goal, 39-assist season in 2000-2001.
Domination
The 6'5", 220-pounder had nine goals in 110 playoff games before the 2003-04 season.
Primeau played as though he was possessed during the 2004 playoffs, amassing nine goals and seven assists in eighteen kinetic games. But those numbers hardly define how the rink appeared to tip towards him whenever his skates seared the ice.
Bilocation
Primeau scored two goals at home in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His second caused the strongest release of Flyers' fan energy since Game 6 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers in the Philadelphia Spectrum.
With less than two minutes remaining in that 2004 playoff game, the Flyers captain seemed to bilocate.
First, he tipped the puck with his skate through the crease from Lightning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin's(notes) right side. Then, he went behind the net and reappeared at Khabibulins' left side. He received his own pass and knotted the game at 4-4 when he tapped a willing puck into the net with his wooden wand.
The resulting crowd reaction resembled a volcanic eruption of orange blood throughout the cratered arena.
Primeau and Jeremy Roenick(notes) both later touched an overtime puck that eventually went to Simon Gagne(notes). He scored the game-winning goal which forced the series to a seventh game in Tampa Bay.
Ice Rushmore
Flyers' captains Bobby Clarke, Dave Poulin, and Primeau all have their busts permanently carved into South Philadelphia's Ice Rushmore.

A likeness of the captain who will hoist the team's third Stanley Cup will eventually join them.
(This feature was originally published by Yahoo Sports on August 26, 2011.)
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My interviews with famous athletes and sports' personalities

Martin Brodeur: Discusses His Record-Setting Shutout Total and Key Rivalries 
Jaromir Jagr: Current NHL Forward and Future Hall of Famer
Philadelphia Flyers' Bernie Parent: Postgame reflections 
Bobby Clarke: Philadelphia Flyers' Legend Talks Hockey
Ron Hextall Recalls His Greatest Season
Kerry Fraser: NHL Referee is Still Making the Right Calls

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The Night Lenny Dykstra Was Swinging In The Rain
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Philadelphia Flyers' Topps Hockey Card Mystery Revealed
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup and Philadelphia Phillies note

Over ----2.9 Million---- hits since my first Yahoo story was published on 2/1/11. The influence of positive social media friends matters.


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Stanley Cup


Full congrats to the Los Angeles Kings on their first Cup victory.

Having had the chance to talk with Ron Hextall at the Winter Classic Alumni game, I couldn't be happier for him and for all of the former Flyers who have earned this great (and unexpected) victory.
Enjoy it my friends.


Phillies

Chase Utley is getting ready down in Clearwater. Who knows where the Phillies will be in the standings by the time he returns to Philly (likely later this month).


Baseball cards

For those of us who are old enough to remember When Baseball Cards were King, the spring is always a special time of year.

Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of Topps cardboard gold never truly fade away.


Hockey


Here is a hockey story that all ice fans will like: The mystery behind these 1970s Topps hockey cards is revealed.


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Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans


My interview with Flyers' Hall of Famer Bernie Parent





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Model Management Agency - MMA Has Another Rising Star in Megan Irminger

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Monday, June 11, 2012

Stanley Cup Shot Tonight: Los Angeles Kings - New Jersey Devils

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Stanley Cup


The Los Angeles Kings will try to close out the New Jersey Devils for a third time tonight at home. Do they really want to go back to New Jersey with a chance to not only lose the Cup in Game 7, but also make history in so doing?

Pressure-cooker for sure.

Baseball cards

For those of us who are old enough to remember When Baseball Cards were King, the spring is always a special time of year.

Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of Topps cardboard gold never truly fade away.


Hockey


Here is a hockey story that all ice fans will like: The mystery behind these 1970s Topps hockey cards is revealed.


Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below:

Five traits old school Flyers fans possess

Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans


My interview with Flyers' Hall of Famer Bernie Parent





Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:

Model Management Agency - MMA Has Another Rising Star in Megan Irminger

Behind the scenes of the modeling world: An interview with Ellen Wasser-Hrin - MMA/Model Management Agency





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