James Van Riemsdyk

TORONTO - When the Flyers sent left winger James van Riemsdyk to Toronto for defenseman Luke Schenn last summer, both players were considered underachieving former first-round draft picks whose careers might be jump-started by a change of scenery. A little more than three weeks into the season, that's exactly what has happened. Both are thriving with their new teams. Schenn, 23, has become one of the cornerstones of the Flyers' defense and is in their top pairing with Kimmo Timonen.

First-year wingers James van Riemsdyk and Mika Pyorala ?were on the 22-man roster that the Flyers submitted to the NHL yesterday. Center Blair Betts was not. Betts, 29, is trying to make the team on a tryout contract. After yesterday's practice in Voorhees, general manager Paul Holmgren said he was still negotiating with Betts' agent, Steve Kotlowitz. The two sides appear to be at a stalemate. Betts, whose?agent did not return phone calls, made $615,000 with the New York Rangers last season.

Pete Mahovlich, Brad Park, and Marcel Dionne. Brendan Shanahan, Chris Pronger, and Patrick Marleau. Evgeni Malkin, Eric Staal, and Bobby Ryan. What do the above stars - some from the past, some from the present - have in common with Flyers prospect James van Riemsdyk? All were No. 2 overall selections in their respective draft classes. No one is saying van Riemsdyk, who is known as JVR, will be nearly as productive, but he took a step in the right direction by bypassing his final two years at the University of New Hampshire and signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers on Wednesday.

1. Tim Thomas, Bruins: The goalie was the difference after a shaky start. The Flyers fired 54 shots and he stopped 52 of them. 2. James van Riemsdyk, Flyers: Wearing No. 21, he sure looked like Peter Forsberg out there. 3. David Krejci, Bruins: He killed the Flyers in Game 1, and did it again last night by beating Brian Boucher top shelf in overtime.  

The Flyers will have some decisions to make this offseason. They have some flexibility given the development of their young players. UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Mike Knuble Marty Biron Antero Niittymaki Andrew Alberts Josh Gratton Boyd Kane Lasse Kukkonen RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Nate Raduns Nate Guenin Danny Syvret Jared Ross PROMISING ROOKIES Claude Giroux Luca Sbisa ...

Chris Pronger and Ville Leino are the only players on the Flyers' roster to have played in the Stanley Cup finals. For the other guys on the roster, Saturday's Game 1 will be a long time coming. The first number next to the player's name is his number of games played; the second is the number of Stanley Cup finals he's been in: Chris Pronger 1104, 2 Ville Leino 68 1 Ian Laperriere 1083 0 Kimmo Timonen 812 0 Scott Hartnell 679 0 Danny Briere 666 0 Simon Gagne 664 0 Arron Asham 648 0 Blair Betts 402 0 Jeff Carter 381 0 Mike Richards 372 0 Lukas Krajicek 328 0 Matt Carle 307 0 Braydon Coburn 297 0 Brian Boucher 280 0 Dan Carcillo 225 0 Claude Giroux 126 0 Darroll Powe 103 0 Michael Leighton 103 0 James van Riemsdyk 78 0 Oskars Bartulis 53 0  

Atlantic champ: Pittsburgh. Northeast champ: Buffalo. Southeast champ: Washington. Central champ: Detroit. Pacific champ: San Jose. Northwest champ: Vancouver. Eastern Conference final: Washington over Pittsburgh. Western Conference final: Vancouver over San Jose. Stanley Cup Final: Washington over Vancouver. Most improved team: Tampa Bay. First coach fired: John Tortorella, Rangers. MVP: Henrik Sedin, Vancouver.

So, with the Flyers done for the season, who are the players fans can look to as the offensive stars of next season? James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux are the obvious answers. Here's why: Van Riemsdyk On Friday, he once again led the team in shots in the game, with five; had two hits; and played 25 shifts. He either led the Flyers or tied for the lead in shots in nine of the 11 playoff games. He finished the playoffs with a total of 70 shots over 11 games. He also had seven goals to rank among the playoff leaders.

Ed Barkowitz FLYERS POINTS: 104 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL FOUR: Sabres, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL FOUR: Red Wings, Kings, Sharks, Canucks LEAGUE MVP: Steven Stamkos, Lightning STANLEY CUP WINNER: Penguins FLYERS MVP: James van Riemsdyk BRAYDEN SCHENN POINTS: 33 JAROMIR JAGR POINTS: 68 GAMES CHRIS PRONGER PLAYS: 47 --- Chuck Bausman FLYERS POINTS: 99...

The Flyers need help. They missed the playoffs for just the second time in the last 18 years, and their offseason wish list figures to include a productive winger and a top defenseman. In other words, they will try to add players similar to those they have traded - or lost in free agency - in recent years. Here is a team of former Flyers and how they compare to this season's team. The ex-Flyers get the edge on offense and at goalie. The defenses are fairly even, though they are difficult to compare because of the Flyers' injuries on the blue line this season.

General manager Paul Holmgren said he was not considering a coaching change, and he criticized the Flyers' "compete" level during an impromptu news conference at the team's practice facility in Voorhees on Thursday. At first, Holmgren gave coach Peter Laviolette a seemingly lukewarm endorsement. Asked if Laviolette was on the hot seat, Holmgren said, "I don't think so. " Holmgren later added: "I haven't even thought about" making a coaching change, and he was "not at the point" of consummating a major trade.

DOCTORS ARE optimistic that New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal will recover fully after being struck in the eye by a deflected puck. Staal was injured Tuesday night in the third period of New York's 4-2 victory over the Flyers. The 26-year-old defenseman will be sidelined indefinitely, but was already showing improvement on Wednesday, the Rangers said in a statement. Staal's specific injury hasn't been disclosed. "Marc Staal was examined today in New York by Dr. Mark Fromer, ophthalmologist, and Dr. Mendel Markowitz, maxillofacial surgeon," the statement said.

Even though his Flyers have not been over .500 this season and have had their share of major injuries, head coach Peter Laviolette has remained upbeat. Laviolette playfully chided reporters Thursday for their negative questions and wondered why he couldn't get some positive energy at his daily news conferences. Well, out of respect to the coach's Dr. Norman Vincent Peale plea, here are some positive observations you may not have known about the Flyers: The Flyers have won their last two road games.

For the sixth time this season, the Flyers had a chance to reach the .500 level. Again, they failed to scale Mount Mediocrity. Toronto, getting goals from four players, scored a methodical 4-2 win over the Flyers on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers (9-11-1) have lost all six attempts to reach the .500 mark, and have allowed five goals in five of them. They have been outscored in those six games by a combined 29-12. "We're not going to make the playoffs if we keep playing the way we do," left winger Scott Hartnell said.

JVR had dreamed of his return, but his nightmare was coming true. James van Riemsdyk sat in the penalty box midway through the third period. He had held and he had hooked and he had drawn two minor penalties, and the Flyers had just cut his Maple Leafs' lead in half - into the first power play. He envisioned maybe winning the game himself; something dashing, down the left boards, late, giving the Flyers get a whiff of what they wasted. Instead, thanks to him, the Flyers whittled the lead to one. Worse, he had another 2 minutes to watch, and to wither.

For the sixth time this season, the Flyers have a chance to reach what coach Peter Laviolette calls the "starting point" - the .500 mark. The Flyers (9-10-1), winners of three of their last four games, finally can reach the international symbol of mediocrity if they can defeat improved Toronto and their old pal, James van Riemsdyk, on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. "We had a couple of chances to go to .500 this year," captain Claude Giroux said. "We have to make sure we get those wins.

TORONTO - Charging like a runaway freight train, James van Riemsdyk rounded the corner after blowing by Luke Schenn and tried to corral the puck on a clear break. As he neared Brian Boucher in the Flyers' net, perhaps with a tinge of nerves playing against his former team for the first time, van Riemsdyk fumbled the puck as he went to snap off a shot. He recovered just in time to slip a backhand past Boucher, skating past the Flyers' bench with a fist-pump and a roar. "Yeah, that felt better than a regular goal," van Riemsdyk admitted, after scoring his eighth of the season to pull into a tie for fifth-most leaguewide.

TORONTO - The Flyers have gone from road warriors to roadkill. They scored in the opening minute Monday night, lost their momentum with a series of senseless penalties, and watched Toronto score three goals early in the second period en route to a 5-2 victory at the Air Canada Centre. Inexplicably, the Flyers are 1-6 on the road. A year ago, no NHL team had more road wins than the Flyers. "They were hungrier, and when that happens you're usually first to the puck," defenseman Kimmo Timonen said of the Maple Leafs.

TORONTO - When the Flyers sent left winger James van Riemsdyk to Toronto for defenseman Luke Schenn last summer, both players were considered underachieving former first-round draft picks whose careers might be jump-started by a change of scenery. A little more than three weeks into the season, that's exactly what has happened. Both are thriving with their new teams. Schenn, 23, has become one of the cornerstones of the Flyers' defense and is in their top pairing with Kimmo Timonen.