PHILLY (AP) –
Earlier today the Philadelphia Flyers held a press conference to announce the acquisitions of Steve Yzerman, Paul Kariya, and Richard Matvichuk, pending approval of the Board of Governors. The players come from Anaheim, who receive Craig Conroy, Tony Amonte, and young defenceman Toni Lydman in return.
The Flyers had been very public in recent weeks that they were looking to add increased veteran leadership, and that is what the team has done in this deal. Although Conroy and Amonte were experienced themselves, GM Matt MacInnis says you simply cannot compete with a guy like Steve Yzermand. “You know, Stevie has been one of the great leaders of this era, so having the opportunity to add him was just something we could not pass on.”
The trade sees the Flyers with an overabundance of left wingers and missing a right winger. The team is planning on switching Mark Parrish to the right side. “Well, we had a bit of an imbalance in terms of strength on the wings. Our right wings were doing a little more than the left wings, so this should help to fix that little problem,” commented MacInnis.
Flyers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock was quiet in answering questions about lines in the coming weeks leading up until the playoffs. “Well, we’re going to try some things out. Some times you may see the big line of Mario, Paul, and Hejduk, other times we might mix things up a little bit. We’ll see. A lot depends on how Stevie is feeling too.”
Fortunately the team has a second off-day in a row tonight. The newcomers aren’t expected to arrive until late this evening. The players will have two more days of practice to get used to their new teammates before playing their next game. The Flyers are off until Monday night.
The move also provides a significant boost to the defensive capacity of the team. “It sucked to have to move Lydman in this deal. We didn’t want to do it, but we had to jump at the opportunity to bolster out centre position and switch the strength of our wings a little bit. Matvichuk is going to fill a role with us and I hope he’s ready to impress because we gave up a lot to get him,” said MacInnis.
After 60 games, the Flyers sit in 5th place in the powerful Eastern Conference, sandwiched directly between the Maple Leafs and Penguins. This deal does not mean the team is done either. “Well, we got some time left and we have some assets that could be moved if the right deal came around. We’re not in a position to add much salary, but we still would like to bolster our defence a little more before the end of the season.”