Showing posts with label trade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trade. 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.


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Writing a Top 10 Amazon Best-Seller




My illustrated children's book: Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile officially became a Top 10 Amazon best-seller as of January 29, 2014. 

Since December (2013) Maddie has appeared within Amazon's Top 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 illustrated children's books. 

The ongoing public response to this real-life story continues to be deeply humbling for everyone who was involved in creating this illustrated children's book.

Children's Alopecia Project

50% of all proceeds from the sale of our book (in both print and ebook forms) are being donated to the Children's Alopecia Project (CAP).

What a ride

This incredible and unexpected ride began in the spring of 2011. By August 2013, the book was published by the Children's Alopecia Project in print form. We have been very pleased with sales of that edition. Use, or share, this link --->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to purchase the printed book directly from CAP.

I published a special ebook edition within weeks of the print book release. After starting in the tens of thousands (in terms of Amazon's children's book rankings), Maddie broke into the Top 50 just prior to Christmas. It climbed through the 30s and settled in the upper 20s before breaking into the Top 10.  

Use, or share, this link --->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to see a 'free-view' of the special ebook edition. 

I've included extra bonus features in this version that provide background information, extra photos, and illustrations. Each item helps to tell the complete story of this book's birth. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a link to this great (print and online) article that the Reading Eagle recently published about our story Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile: Book chronicles Wyomissing teen's journey since being diagnosed with alopecia

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Thank you to Stacey Stauffer (Fox 29 Philadelphia). She interviewed Madison Woytovich, her parents (Jeff and Betsy Woytovich) and me about the latest chapter in this inspiring story. Here's a video link to Stacey's wonderful feature. 

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Feel free to click on any of 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
Here's a selection of my interviews with broadcasters, actors, models and more...
Fox Television's Erin Como Reveals Her Timeless Model for Success: Interview
Amazon.com is the number 1 online publishing platform in the world. That's why I used it to publish my first ebook: 

This mini-tome is a collection of stories and poems for readers who don't take themselves too seriously. I hope that you enjoy it and am always interested in your feedback. 

-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit my Examiner Contributor Page
or my Yahoo Contributor Page.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Philadelphia Flyers Trade Deadline Deal: Andrew MacDonald obtained from New York Islanders


General manager Paul Holmgren obtained a solid puck-blocking defenseman one day prior to the NHL's trade deadline by acquiring 27-year-old Andrew MacDonald for a prospect Matt Mangene, a third-round 2014 draft pick and a second-round 2015 draft pick. While not a star, he clearly deepens the orange and black's defensive contingent.

How about Meszaros?

The Flyers' have been rumored to potentially move one of their veteran d-men, Andrej Meszaros who's set to become a UFA at season's end, by tomorrow's deadline in response to this deal. 

Production and money matters

MacDonald, who makes a modest $500,000 is also set to become a UFA this summer as well, leads the NHL with 198 blocked shots. His acquisition should upgrade the Craig Berube's defense and surely offers a preview where Holmgren, Hextall and the rest of the front office will watch to decide if they want to offer this veteran a new deal in the off-season.
(Photo courtesy of fannation.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

My illustrated children's book: Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile officially became a Top 10 Amazon best-seller as of January 29, 2014. 

Since December (2013) Maddie has appeared within Amazon's Top 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 illustrated children's books. 

The ongoing public response to this real-life story continues to be deeply humbling for everyone who was involved in creating this illustrated children's book.

Children's Alopecia Project

50% of all proceeds from the sale of our book (in both print and ebook forms) are being donated to the Children's Alopecia Project (CAP).

What a ride

This incredible and unexpected ride began in the spring of 2011. By August 2013, the book was published by the Children's Alopecia Project in print form. We have been very pleased with sales of that edition. Use, or share, this link --->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to purchase the printed book directly from CAP.

I published a special ebook edition within weeks of the print book release. After starting in the tens of thousands (in terms of Amazon's children's book rankings), Maddie broke into the Top 50 just prior to Christmas. It climbed through the 30s and settled in the upper 20s before breaking into the Top 10.  

Use, or share, this link --->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to see a 'free-view' of the special ebook edition. 

I've included extra bonus features in this version that provide background information, extra photos, and illustrations. Each item helps to tell the complete story of this book's birth. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a link to this great (print and online) article that the Reading Eagle recently published about our story Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile: Book chronicles Wyomissing teen's journey since being diagnosed with alopecia

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to Stacey Stauffer (Fox 29 Philadelphia). She interviewed Madison Woytovich, her parents (Jeff and Betsy Woytovich) and me about the latest chapter in this inspiring story. Here's a video link to Stacey's wonderful feature. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feel free to click on any of 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
Here's a selection of my interviews with broadcasters, actors, models and more...
Fox Television's Erin Como Reveals Her Timeless Model for Success: Interview
Amazon.com is the number 1 online publishing platform in the world. That's why I used it to publish my first ebook: 

This mini-tome is a collection of stories and poems for readers who don't take themselves too seriously. I hope that you enjoy it and am always interested in your feedback. 

-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit my Examiner Contributor Page
or my Yahoo Contributor Page.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz to be traded?

We are more than 10 days away from the waiver trade deadline on August 31. If all goes well Roy Halladay could start for the Phillies this Sunday. If he performs as expected it's still possible that he could be traded. 



Carlos Ruiz' bat has shown signs of life. He's clearly another trade candidate, due to his also expiring contract. 
While both men would have to clear waivers, the idea of either being traded isn't certain. It's also not a stretch.
(Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Images.)

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Those who have been following the blog posts about my writing efforts know that my illustrated children's book has taken time and patience to create and produce. 

After successfully reaching a fund-raising goal, we are now set to release our book Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile!!!

This book is about the life of Madison Woytovich and the organization CAP (Children's Alopecia Projectthat her father Jeff Woytovich founded a number of years ago.

Three other people also share in the creation of this book:

Maddie's mother, Betsy Woytovich, served as an excellent editor. Her support was invaluable. 

Patrick O'Brien (who is my cousin) was the initial artist who established the visual reality that became Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile. Without his generous contributions, ongoing advice and support, this book might not have been born. 

Melissa Lascala (who served as my main illustrator) offered a sincere creative presence that saw this project through to completion.  

-->>>50% of all proceeds from this book will be donated to CAP. 
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Thank you to Stacey Stauffer (Fox 29 Philadelphia). She interviewed Maddie Woytovich, her parents (Jeff and Betsy Woytovich) and me recently about the latest chapter in this inspiring story. The feature will be aired during the 10 p.m. broadcast on July 30 (which is the date of today's post). 

-->>Here's a video link to Stacey's wonderful feature. 

Professional reporters and video journalists are vital in an ever-changing media world. Stacey and the Fox staff were first-rate. 


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Feel free to click on a selection of my interviews with broadcasters, actors, models and more...
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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It only takes a few minutes to read some of my other stories  whose links are shown below:

Horror Story: It Was Crawling Up My Chest!
Television Haiku Poem
My First Car Was An All-Time Classic
The Best Holiday Memories

When Baseball Cards Were King
Could One Baseball Shatter The Summer?
The Night Lenny Dykstra Was Swinging In The Rain
5 Traits of Hardcore Philadelphia Phillies' Fans

Philadelphia Flyers' Topps Hockey Card Mystery Revealed
5 Lessons Flyers' Fans Have Taught The Hockey World
5 Traits Old School Flyers' Fans Possess

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I look forward to becoming friends on Facebook  
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon.com is the number 1 online publishing platform in the world. That's why I used it to publish my first ebook: 

I am humbled by the reception it has received to-date and I thank everyone who has been responding to this digital creation.

This mini-tome is a collection of stories and poems for readers who don't take themselves too seriously. I hope that you enjoy it and am always interested in your feedback. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit my Examiner Contributor Pagemy Yahoo Contributor Pageor my Rant Sports Author Page.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Philadelphia Phillies: Trades, contract extensions, and other moves to be made


The Philadelphia Phillies can't possibly stay with the Atlanta Braves, or Washington Nationals in the NL East for long. They're already well behind the NL Wild Card contenders as well. So, a series of moves (trades, contract extensions, etc.) that will be made starting sometime this month. 

The only rumored-to-be-traded player that I would keep and not trade is Cliff Lee. Yes, he's in his mid-30s and makes a ton of money. It's also risky to hang on to someone who reasonably faces a greater chance of injury at this stage of his career. 

But, this left-handed pitcher is so exceptionally good that I simply wouldn't let him go. 

Ruben Amaro, Jr. has plenty of pieces to deal and resultant money to spend to rebuild this team in time for 2015 contention, which is the final guaranteed year on Lee's deal. 

I surely hope the Phillies don't deal the best left-handed Philadelphia starter I've seen since Steve Carlton.  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I look forward to becoming friends on Facebook  
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon.com is the number 1 online publishing platform in the world. That's why I used it to publish my first ebook: 

I am humbled by the reception it has received to-date and I thank everyone who has been responding to this digital creation.

This mini-tome is a collection of stories and poems for readers who don't take themselves too seriously. I hope that you enjoy it and am always welcome to your feedback. 
The Philadelphia Flyers' decision to buy out Ilya Bryzgalov had to happen. (Here's a link to my special Yahoo feature on today's deal, for more detailed information.)
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Bryz - Behind the Scenes

When one considers the impatience of this organization over the course of many decades, it seemed unlikely that the team would wait until next year to used it's second amnesty option (after using the first on Danny Briere).

Bryzgalov was quixotic behind the scenes in the locker room during game days and during practices. My own experiences with him weren't negative. 

It was easy for me to see that he's very uncomfortable talking with the media. At times he would avoid coming into the locker room, or not submit to team requests for him to speak to us (the reporters) after some games.

As to why that is touches upon his personality and goes beyond the realm of sports' analysis.

The man has skill for sure. Remember when he carried the Flyers on his franchise-record scoreless streak in March 2012? That was no fluke and came when the team's defense was as shaky as ever and Chris Pronger-less.

Mason

I don't know if Steve Mason will be the team's number 1 come the fall. It will be interesting to see who the 'other' goalie will be, as a veteran option would signal faith in the former Calder Trophy winner for the future.

(Photo courtesy of Sean O'Brien)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feel free to click on a selection of my interviews with broadcasters, actors, models and more...
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

It only takes a few minutes to read some of my other stories  whose links are shown below:

Horror Story: It Was Crawling Up My Chest!
Television Haiku Poem
My First Car Was An All-Time Classic
The Best Holiday Memories

When Baseball Cards Were King
Could One Baseball Shatter The Summer?
The Night Lenny Dykstra Was Swinging In The Rain
5 Traits of Hardcore Philadelphia Phillies' Fans

Philadelphia Flyers' Topps Hockey Card Mystery Revealed
5 Lessons Flyers' Fans Have Taught The Hockey World
5 Traits Old School Flyers' Fans Possess
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit my Rant Sports Author Pagemy Examiner Contributor Pageor my Yahoo Contributor Page.

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