A story at the Flyers website states that Branko Radivojevic and Patrick Sharp have accepted the club's qualifying offer. Details at the link below: http://www.philadelphiaflyers.com/pressbox/archive/2091.asp So I guess that's why TSN reported Esche as the only key restricted free agent left to sign. But, I still haven't heard anything about Seidenberg. One defenseman I forgot to mention below that's still a part of the Flyer's roster was Eric Desjardins. It appears he's still in the Flyer's plans this season. I still think he's overpaid and overrated. I thought the Flyers would make a trade with him or buy him out, but I guess I was wrong. He's slated to make $2.28 million this season and is 36 years old.

Yup, that's right. More Flyers news. What can I say. It's a way to get a few blogs written. Kim Johnsson accepted the one year $2.2 million qualifying offer. So, just like Gagne, this will make him an unrestricted free agent next season. Similar to Gagne, I feel this is another player that the Flyers will try to fit into the cap scenario next season. With the new style NHL, Johnsson's skating and passing abilities should serve him well. With a defensive corp of Hatcher, Rathje, Johnsson, Pitkanen, Seidenberg, and Therien, things look very good at defense for the Flyers. TSN reports that Esche is the only key restricted free agent yet to sign a deal. However, I have yet to hear of Seidenberg, Sharp or Radivojevic signing a deal. And I would consider all four of the above players key restricted free agents for this team.

The Flyers locked up Simon Gagne for another year today. With it only being a one year deal, he will become an unrestricted free agent next season. This one year deal will be his test to see if he can finally come out of his shell and rise to the expectations the team has for him. He's been a fairly solid player for the Flyers since he was drafted, but the organization seems to see much more potential in him. We will see if Hitchcock can get him to release that potential and prosper from it. If he does well this season, I believe the Flyers will decide to keep him for next season and maybe beyond that. Hopefully, he will improve this season and the Flyers have the cap space to include him in future seasons. I still believe Gagne can become a very quality player in this league. He has done well to improve his defensive play, and has become a solid two-way player. But I also think he can do much more for this team. He may find himself on a line centered by Peter Forsberg and Jeff Carter on the other wing. This could be an offensive juggernaut of a line. The Flyers still have a few Restricted Free Agents that are key re-signings. They are Robert Esche, Kim Johnsson, Branko Radivojevic, Dennis Seidenberg, and Patrick Sharp. We should hear more on these few over the next few days. The future looks very bright for the Flyers this season. I simply can't wait to see that future become the present!

First Bob Clarke solidifies the blueline by signing 3 defensemen, all 6'5". Hatcher and Rathje are great additions, and Therien's locker room presence was really liked by many of the players still here. Adding these three to the blueline corp is a huge improvement to the team. Now, today Clarke pulls the absolute blockbuster deal of signing Peter Forsberg. And in addition to that, he gets him signed for a 2 year 10.7 million dollar deal. Will be sad to see Roenick go, which will probably happen shortly, but when you get a guy like Forsberg to replace him, it's a great improvement to the team. You will be missed JR. Best of luck to you. The Flyers have very few weaknesses in their current lineup. Strong up the middle, on the wing, very solid on the blueline, and possibly the best tandem of goaltenders in Esche and Niittymaki. Not to mention one of the smartest coaches in the league. It's a good day to be a Flyers fan! And it's only just begun.