As they assess season, Flyers have to address goaltending

THIS IS a lousy time for any sports team to make big decisions, in the hours after the kind of exhausting, emotional run like the Flyers just made. They are feeling what you are feeling right now, as the adrenaline of the last 2 months ebbs and then disappears completely. People on teams like these sometimes do little but sleep for days.

At a certain point, though, general manager Paul Holmgren will have to begin the final assessment.

With that, three points:

First, that Holmgren should be applauded for doing what he said he was going to do - that is, build a roster for the postseason. The Chris Pronger deal was worth it, period, and this playoff run demonstrated why. The hiring of Peter Laviolette as coach was the right move, obviously. This is a good group and a group that grew up a lot in the last 6 months. That is Holmgren's doing.

Second, that the danger Holmgren faces is the temptation to stand pat. It would be the biggest mistake he could make. The truth is that the Flyers are not going to be able to avoid both Pittsburgh and Washington in the playoffs very often, as they did this season. It was their great good fortune, and they took advantage of it, and the manner in which they did it will be to their everlasting credit. But it was good fortune and no one should ever forget it.

Third, that the goaltending needs to be addressed. Again.

I am not here to bury Michael Leighton, but everybody saw what happened. He was pulled in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, deservedly. He was pulled in Game 5, deservedly. In Game 6, he let in one goal on a wrist shot from the dot - the kind of puck that just needs to be stopped in the final - and he let in an impossible goal in overtime that decided the game.

It is true that the Flyers appeared exhausted in many ways. It is true, too, that the Blackhawks were the better team. To pin this exclusively on the goaltending would be an unfair reading of what happened.

But you cannot escape the way the thing played out. After Brian Boucher suffered his knee injuries in Game 5 of the second round against Boston, the Flyers built a wall in front of Leighton, for the most part. And while he got the win in Game 7 and pulled himself together, the truth is that he did need to pull himself together after waving at air in the first period as the Bruins built a 3-0 lead.