Ed Moran: Rookie defenseman Sbisa has earned his spot with Flyers

LUCA SBISA was getting a stick ready in the Verizon Center, long before most of his teammates had arrived.

As he was putting the finishing touches on the tape, a line of Flyers began arriving, led by Mike Richards.

Without looking directly at Richards, Sbisa began hopping up and down and grinning. Richards got the message and he began hopping up and down until, at just the right moment, the two hopped into each other, a kind of sideways chest thump.

The little byplay brought an ear-to-ear grin from the Flyers captain.

"Kids," Richards said as he turned the corner out of the hallway and into the dressing room.

It was pure Luca Sbisa.

When the Flyers drafted this 18-year-old Swiss kid after trading R.J. Umberger for the pick, there was no indication that he would be with the Flyers 42 games into the season.

But here he is. Injuries to other defensemen gave him a shot and he has been a story line for the team all year: Should he make the team? Should he stay and then be sent back to junior hockey? Can he develop at the NHL level? What will happen when the defense gets healthy? Will he have to go back now that Danny Briere appears ready to come back and the Flyers need cap space?

Sbisa has answered all of the questions he has anything to do with. He has played well, managed to develop and proved himself a versatile addition to the team, capable of filling in even on wing.

But the Flyers are back to the question of what they should do now that they need the cap space. Sending Sbisa back to juniors is an option, but for what they would get - $875,000 in salary - and what they might lose in the development of the kid, I hope they find a way to keep him.

He brings so much to the team. He's fast, has great skills, is tough and can take the physical play. Alex Ovechkin tried to flatten him in Washington and Brad May tried in the 4-1 home win over Toronto on Saturday, and Sbisa just kept playing.

He also adds intangible "kid" chemistry and I think that alone has earned him the right to stay.

"Hopefully he does," Richards said. "He's a good player and if he goes back he's going to play a lot. He's a really good defenseman now. In a couple years he's probably going to be scary good."

Injury help