Not even two weeks after their season ended at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Philadelphia Flyers are already making moves to improve their team heading into next season. Yesterday, they took the first step in improving their defense, trading Ryan Parent to Nashville for Dan Hamhuis and a conditional pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
This was almost a necessary move, as Parent was seen as more of a burden during the later rounds of the playoffs, especially the Stanley Cup Final against Chicago. He only saw the ice once against the Blackhawks, and that was onyl for 41 seconds, as the Flyers didn't see him as someone that could skate with the stronger faster Blackhawks. Now, they have Hamhuis, who is a great step in the right direction, but it comes with a price as well.
Rather than having Hamhuis already under contract, the Flyers have the rights to negotiate with him before he becomes a free agent this summer. I doubt that Paul Holmgren would have traded for him if he didn't think that they could work out a deal, but the fact remains that he could never see the ice as a member of the Flyers. Any Philadelphia fan worth his salt wants to see Hamhuis with this team for quite a few years, as a grouping of Chris Pronger, Kimo Timmonen and Hamhuis would make one of the better defensive units in the Eastern Conference. They still have to get him signed, though, and make room under the salary cap in order to do that.
Regardless, this is a step in the right direction for a team that needs to make a few more. Let's be honest now: that run to the Stanley Cup Finals was one of the most improbable of all time. To have Washington and Pittsburgh both knocked out before the Conference Finals played directly into the hands of the Flyers being able to make it as far as they did. Next year, they likely won't be as lucky, and are going to have to face at least one of them in the postseason. In order to get past them, they're going to need players like Hamhuis to be on this team. It's not that the Flyers are a bad team, it's far from that. It's just that they need to keep making adjustments, like this one, in order to ensure that they can remain near or at the top of the Eastern Conference for the next few seasons.
This isn't going to be the last move the Flyers make this offseason. I expect a few more deals to free up some more cap room so that they can make a run at a solid goalie, which is one of, if not the biggest weakness that this team has right now. If they can do that, and continue to tinker with what they have, this is going to be an even better team next season. It's shaping up to be a fun offseason.
ESPN.com: Flyers trade Parent to Nashville
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