Inside the Flyers: With concussions and lack of depth on defense, will Flyers be buyers at trade deadline?

OTTAWA - Give the Flyers credit for where they sit at the all-star break: They have a 29-14-5 record and are just three points behind the first-place New York Rangers in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.

Aided by the quick development of several rookies, they have overcome a slew of injuries, a subpar first half by their expensive starting goalie, and a brutal schedule that saw them play 20 of 29 games on the road during one stretch.

So what are the big questions as the season's unofficial second half starts Tuesday?

Is the defense, minus Captain Nasty, the injured Chris Pronger, physical enough to bring home the franchise's first Stanley Cup since 1975?

Can quirky goalie Ilya Bryzgalov regain the form he displayed in Phoenix - and caused the Flyers to give him a nine-year, $51 million deal? If not, how long is it before Sergei Bobrovsky, who was the team's best goalie in the first half, gets a majority of the starts?

General manager Paul Holmgren has less than a month to address the first question. The trade deadline is Feb. 27, and Holmgren must decide whether his defense - which includes four talented veterans and two promising rookies - needs tinkering.

All-star Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, and Andrej Meszaros are the Flyers' big four, the guys showing youngsters Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson the way.

Bourdon and Gustafsson have played well, but, collectively, the defense has not done a good job of clearing bodies out front.

Yes, they miss the crease-clearing Pronger, whose presence seemed to bring an edginess that spread to his fellow defensemen.

There are rumblings that Nashville might make all-star defensemen Shea Weber ($7.5 million cap hit) and Ryan Suter ($3.5 million) available. Weber can become a restricted free agent in the summer, while Suter can become an unrestricted free agent.

Of the two, Suter is the more likely to be traded, but the Flyers don't want just a rent-a-player for the stretch. They want assurances they could sign him to a long-term deal.

Suter says he wants to stay in Nashville, but that won't stop the Flyers from pursuing him.

If the Flyers go to Plan B, two Carolina defensemen with the potential to become unrestricted free agents are on their list: Tim Gleason ($2.75 million cap hit) and Bryan Allen ($2.9 million). The latter has a no-trade clause that would have to be waived.