While the lockout is still going strong, a lot of players
have opted to go play in different leagues around the world. Some are lucky
enough to have 2-way contracts with NHL teams and their minor league
affiliates. Those Flyers that do not have the option to go and play with the Adirondack
Phantoms have gone and signed with teams in the KHL, DEL, and SEL, along with some others. Every
few days I am going to try and keep the readers posted on what is happening
with an individual player on the Flyers during the lockout.
Ilya Brygalov is who I am going to report on first. He is
the Flyers starting goaltender and was brought here in the summer of 2011 to
change the goaltending trend here in Philadelphia.
His first season with the Flyers was a shaky one. He had his ups and downs all
season long. He played extremely well at some times, and then at other times
was a bit shaky. As of now, he is playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)
for CSKA Moscow. Other than the NHL, the KHL is the most skilled league in the
world. Brygalov had his first start the other day and allowed 4 goals on 30
shots, in a 4-3 loss to Traktor Chelybinsk. I watched some highlights of the
game and the goals Bryzalov let in seemed to be similar to shots he had
problems with last season in Philadelphia.
Bryz tends to sit back deep in the crease and it has been giving players a lot
more open net to shoot at. There was one
highlight goal of the night scored on Bryzgalov by Andrei Popov that most
goalies, even on their greatest of nights, would have let in. Either way,
playing in the KHL during the lockout is a great sign for the Flyers. Their
goaltender is facing the best possible competition out there and when the NHL
does resume, he should be fully ready to start and have no rust to wear off.
Other notable players that are playing on CSKA Moscow are
Detroit Red Wings star, Pavel Datsyuk, Toronto Maple Leafs Mikhail Grabovski,
and on again-off again Nashville Predator, Alexander Radulov. CSKA is a very exciting team to watch, and any
hockey fan that is missing their NHL action should check this team out.
Come back and read more, as I will be keeping everyone
posted on Flyers players’ status through out the lockout.
-Brett Gibbs
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