In the Crease

BY MIKE CASEY

The big question in Philadelphia these days -- besides "Wit Whiz or without?" -- is: When is Brendan Shanahan going to sign?

The Flyers waived defenseman Lasse Kukkonen last week in what appeared to be a cap-clearing move to give them enough space to sign the veteran winger to a one-year deal worth $1-$1.5 million.

But as of Sunday night, the Flyers hadn't heard back from Shanahan about accepting the deal. The (South Jersey) Courier-Post reported in its Flyers blog last night that it would make the most sense for Shanny to sign now, as the Flyers are in the midst of a four-day layoff, which would give him plenty of practice time to get acclaimated to their system.

Either way, I can't help but think this is a desperation move for a Flyers team that hasn't been able to piece together a legitimate Cup contender since they got swept by Detroit in 1997.

Anyone who saw Shanahan play during the last half of the '07-'08 season with the Rangers knows his best days are long gone. His lack of speed was a hindrance and he wasn't getting himself in position to score. (I'm still puzzled about why Tom Renney insisted on using him on the penalty kill when it was clear Shanny could have used all the rest he could get.)

The Flyers started this season on a six-game winless streak and have struggled to break .500. Their goaltending is in shambles again (who else saw that coming?) and Daniel Briere can't seem to stay on the ice. Wingers Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul have both spent time in coach John Stevens' doghouse.

They have a bunch of young guys and new players on defense who haven't gotten straightened out yet. Their only bright spot has been the scintillating play of Simon Gagne (11 goals in 16 games), but with his injury history, Flyers fans must hold their breath every time he takes a hit.

Need more proof of Philly's desperation? Witness this comment by Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, a 10-year veteran whose panicked tone must be unsettling for Philly phans: "I don't think we are where we wanted to be. You start looking around the room and see if we can improve some way. Maybe [Shanahan is] the key to do something for us -- leadership or whatever. [GM Paul] Holmgren is trying to find something to help us."

Doesn't sound too encouraging, does it?

* * *

All the struggles on the Philly defense have led to some fairly intense speculation that the Flyers may try to acquire soon-to-be-free agent defenseman Jay Bouwmeester from the Panthers. After scoring 15 goals and 37 points last year, Bouwmeester is off to a rough start (no goals, six assists) in Florida.

So we ask ourselves: Is Bouwmeester the answer for the Flyers?

No.

Throughout his career, Bouwmeester has earned a reputation as a good power play guy, but with an alarming tendency for mental lapses and poor defensive play.

And because the man advantage is the one consistent aspect of the Flyers' game -- they're ranked fourth in the league -- we have to wonder what they'd gain by trading for him.

The Flyers already have some developing blueline talent in Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle, both of whom are capable of playing the point, along with the veteran Timonen.

Bouwmeester won't improve the Flyers' defensive play or their goaltending, which has been their Achilles' heel once again. Maybe Philly should instead look into reacquiring R.J. Umberger, whose grit and two-way ability has been missed on their third line.

* * *

After reports came hot-and-heavy out of Canada yesterday that a Marian Gaborik trade could happen "any day or any hour," there seems to have been a lot of pushback from cooler heads.

To which we say: Yeah, of course! Gaborik is sidelined with a "lower-body injury" and I can't remember the last time I heard of a star player being traded while he was injured.

Multiple reports stated that only a few teams have shown legitimiate interest in a trade for Gaborik (Ottawa, Montreal and the Rangers are among them), but that will definitely change once Gaborik returns and shows he is healhty.

* * *

Rumblings around cyberspace are that Rangers center Scott Gomez has a broken ankle, not a deep bone bruise, as the team is reporting. If that's the case, the Rangers are going to have to get more out of Brandon Dubinsky and his linemates. Read more in today's article by Steve Zipay.

* * *

The feedback from yesterday's blog focused around people saying, "Why would the Rangers want to bring in Gaborik or Mats Sundin to mess up their chemistry?"

Well, I can tell you that chemistry has had relatively little to do with the Rangers' 14-5-2 start.

They've won because:

A) Henrik Lundqvist has been as unbelievable as a goalie can be during the first quarter of the season, winning four shootouts and allowing just one goal in 13 attempts.

B) The Rangers' penalty killing has been outstanding. They stopped three of three atempts by Ottawa Monday night, including overlapping minors that included a brief 5-on-3 and a lengthy 5-on-4. Their PK is ranked second in the league at 91.0%, behind only Minnesota (93.1%).

C) They've been great in third periods. They've stolen four points against Pittsburgh and Boston in two-goal, third-period comebacks (tying the game in the final minute both times). They also overcame a 2-0 deficit against Edmonton after a lackluster first 30 minutes, picking up a point for a shootout loss. And they got two more points Monday night by overcoming a less-daunting 1-0 third-period deficit against Ottawa before winning in a shootout.

Improved chemistry has certainly helped the Rangers look like a more relaxed team, but I don't think that adding a veteran like Sundin would shake up the locker-room dynamic drastically. And if there is one thing the Rangers are sorely missing, it is a game-changing offensive player.

Unlike most of the Rangers' top forwards, Sundin is big (6-5, 231 pounds) and has the ability to create goals on his own. His credentials as a leader make it unlikely he would negatively impact the team's chemistry.

Signing Sundin would also enable the Rangers to move Chris Drury to the wing on one of their top lines, which would help not because Dru has struggled at center (he hasn't), but because it would enable them to drop Aaron Voros to the third line, where he's probably better suited to play.

As for Gaborik, I think Tom Renney would have some work to do in order to get him to play the Rangers' defensively responsible system. Granted, Gaborik has spent the first eight years of his career playing for Jacques Lemaire, but I would compare Gaborik more to a Jaromir Jagr, who needs to be allowed to freelance and work outside the system in order to be great.

So for those of you who argue that Gaborik could screw up the Rangers' chemistry, I concede you may have a point. But let's keep in mind that chemistry has had very little to do with the Rangers' success.