The Flyers acquired goaltender Steve Mason from the Columbus Blue Jackets last week at the trade deadline and, now, it looks like he will be around for a little bit longer. Reports surfaced last week that the netminder wanted to resign with the Flyers for next year. The team announced today that the goalie got his wish and has resigned with the Flyers. He was slated to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and had a $3.2 million qualifying offer. He will take a big pay cut and earn $1.5 million next season. Mason made his Flyers debut in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Winnipeg. He made nine saves on nine shots in one period of play. On the year, he is 3-6-1 with a 2.87 GAA and a .901 save percentage. - Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 (Photo: Tim Kolupanowich/CM) Rinaldo suffered the injury in the second period of Wednesday night's 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers had newly acquired Jay Rosehill was in the lineup last night against the Maple Leafs to give the Flyers a physical presence. The 22 year old had 3 goals and 2 assists in 32 games this season but he leads the team with 143 hits, which ranks fourth in the NHL. - Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
Newly acquired goaltender Steve Mason wants to stay in Philadelphia already. His agent, Anton Thun, told CSNPhilly today that he expects to get a contract extension done with the Flyers within the week. “If Steve were not to sign till he got a qualifying offer, then [the Flyers would] have to offer $3.2 million. Unless he signed earlier. And he will sign earlier. This is a reset for Steve. We understand that. We’ve had numerous conversations about the opportunities that may exist for him to press that reset button somewhere else and Philly was at the top of his list.”
Thun said that had Mason remained a Blue Jacket through the season, “it would have been highly, highly unlikely” that his client would received a qualifying offer of $3.2 million, anyway. There are many in the Philadelphia area who believe that the acquisition of Mason all but guarantees that current starting goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who gets the start tonight for the Flyers in Toronto, will be amnestied at the end of the season. If Mason is willing to take a pay-cut, and all indications are that he is willing, then the Flyers could either make him their backup or have a platoon in goal. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with the decision but it gives the Flyers some flexibility with the cap that they might not have had prior to the deal. - Steve DolanFollow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 The Flyers and Coyotes got a bit of disturbing news back in August when prospects Nick Cousins (Flyers) and Andrew Fritsch (Coyotes), along with South Jersey native Mark Petaccio, were charged with sexual assault in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada where they play junior hockey for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Court appearances were repeatedly pushed back until today the Ontario Court withdrew all charges from the three junior players under certain conditions according to SooToday.com. "Nick Cousins, Andrew Fritsch and Mark Petaccio were present in court Thursday morning to hear their charges were withdrawn on condition that they agree to keep the peace, not communicate with the complainant or to come with in 500 metres of her home, place of work or place of school."
It clearly came as a big relief to Cousins who took to Twitter to express his relief.
The Flyers third round pick in 2011, Cousins was third in the OHL in points with 103 (27 G, 76 A) while Fritsch, the Coyotes sixth round pick in 2011, had 27 goals and 25 assists this season for the Greyhounds. Neither team commented on the withdrawal of charges. - Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 Goaltending coach Jeff Reese and new Flyer Steve Mason (Photo: Sam Carchidi/Philly.com) The Flyers approached the trade deadline with three options: buy, sell, or stay. They chose to stay making two very small moves by claiming Adam Hall off of waivers then trading Michael Leighton and a 2015 third round pick to Columbus for backup goaltender Steve Mason. With the Flyers scheduled to play their second game in a back-to-back tonight in Toronto, many expect Mason to make his first start for the orange and black. Ilya Bryzgalov has started 20 straight games for the Flyers and could probably use a breather before getting back at it on Saturday. Bryzgalov is 16-14-3 with a 2.82 GAA and a .899 save percentage this year while Mason is 3-6-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .899 save percentage. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. - Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 (Photo: Claus Andersen/Getty Images) The NHL trade deadline is the time of the season in which many players try to avoid their televisions, radios, and the internet as rumors swirl about their potential destination for teams gearing up for the playoffs or the offseason. The Flyers, for the first time in years, were not clear-cut buyers at the deadline. Sporting a 15-17-3 record and sitting six points out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, many wanted the Flyers to be sellers and regroup for next year. That isn’t in general manager Paul Holmgren’s make up so the Flyers did make a move. They trade goaltender Michael Leighton and a third round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for goaltender Steve Mason. Mason, the 2008-09 Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) winner, has served largely as a backup this year to former Flyers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky . Mason is 3-6-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .899 save percentage this season. In his Calder winning year, he was 33-20-7 with a 2.29 GAA and a .916 save percentage. He has not had a goals-against-average below 3.03 since then until this season. He is 24 years old with a $2.9 million cap hit. He is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer. - Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 The Flyers pulled within two points of the eighth and final playoff spot with last night’s 5-4 overtime with against the Capitals. With thirteen games to play, the Flyers are still within reach. With the loss of Max Talbot, the Flyers could be in the market for another gritty veteran known for playing two-way hockey. A man that would fit that description is Sharks forward Ryane Clowe and it sounds like it might be happening quicker than fans realize. The St. John's Telegram’s Robin Short is reporting that the Sharks trading Clowe to the Flyers is “all but done” citing sources. Short cites other sources that claim the Flyers already have a multi-year contract extension in place with the winger. This comes out hours after Flyers beat writer Dave Isaac noted that the Sharks had two scouts in attendance for last night’s game against Washington, including San Jose’s Director of Pro Scouting. On the heels of the Telegram’s report, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted that a possible Clowe trade could happen today and he followed it up with a list of teams interested in the forward beginning with the Flyers. The 30 year old has no goals and 11 assists this season in 28 games. Last year the 6’2” 225 lbs. right wing had 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points. His best season came in 2010-11 when he registered 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points. Is this an April Fool’s Joke? It seemed like it at first but not so much anymore. It has been no secret that Clowe has been on the trade block and he does fit the type of player the Flyers like on their team. - Steve DolanFollow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 (Photo: Michael Perez/Philly.com) The Flyers were dealt a huge blow in last night’s 5-4 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals. Two-way forward Maxime Talbot went down with just over a minute remaining in the second period. He was entering the corner to hit Capitals defenseman Mike Green when the injury occurred. He went down immediately and made his way to the bench without being able to put weight on his leg. He was carried immediately to the Flyers dressing room when they announced he would not return with a “lower body injury.” Today, the team announced that Talbot will be out indefinitely with a broken left leg. An injury this late in the season likely puts Talbot out for the year. He was one of five Flyers to play all 35 games this season. He had five goals and five assists while leading the team with an average of 3:28 penalty kill time on ice. His loss will be felt in the defensive end, on the penalty kill, and in the locker room. The 29 year old forward is signed through the 2015-16 season with a $1.75 million annual cap hit. - Steve DolanFollow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 Flyers fans are blaming everybody for the team’s 13-15-1 start this season. Peter Laviolette can no longer motivate the team. Ilya Bryzgalov as returned to his middle-of-the-road play after his stellar start. Danny Briere cannot score anymore. Paul Holmgren didn’t bolster a defense that has struggled since Chris Pronger was injured. Along with these complaints, there has been an outcry for change. There are those amongst the orange and black faithful who want head coach Laviolette fired. Others want Briere traded (although he has a full no-movement clause) and while some want the team to amnesty Ilya Bryzgalov after the season. Finally, there are fans who want the Flyers to part ways with general manager Paul Holmgren. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi reports this morning that those who want Holmgren on the hot seat might be out of luck. Carchidi cites sources close to the Flyers that state that the general manager’s job is safe and that he needs nothing more than to point at his body of work to support the decision. Holmgren has been the general manager of the Flyers since the 2006-07 season when former general manager Bobby Clarke stepped down. Holmgren has been with the Flyers front office since the 1995-96 seasons when he joined as the Director of Pro Scouting. Holmgren also played for the Flyers from 1976 to 1984 where he racked up a then-franchise record 1,600 penalty minutes. - Steve Dolan
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