Sean Couturier

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.

NEWARK, N.J. - Based on their seven exhibition games and their season-opening, 2-1 win in Boston on Thursday, maybe the Flyers slogan should be, "The Kids Are All Right. " It's unusual to thrust a rookie onto the penalty-killing units, but that's what coach Peter Laviolette did with forwards Sean Couturier and Matt Read - and both were effective in the hard-fought victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions. Couturier, who is just 18, played more time on the penalty kill (4 minutes, 34 seconds)

First in a series   THE FIRST order of business for Paul Holmgren this summer is determining which unit was more a cause of concern for the Flyers: the offense or the defense. For me, it's a clear answer. Even if they remained completely healthy all season, the Flyers' biggest weakness remained on the back end, where they entered the season one or two solid pieces away from even being considered a true contender. Yes, the Flyers scored nearly a half-goal less per game during the shortened season, but they also gave up more than they scored.

If Danny Briere is emotional about possibly playing his last home game in a Flyers uniform, he isn't showing it. Because of his high cap hit - $6.5 million per year - the Flyers' 35-year-old forward is expected to be bought out or traded after the season. If that happens, that would make Thursday's game against the New York Islanders his finale at the Wells Fargo Center as a member of the Flyers. "I'm not thinking about that. . . . Things change fast in the hockey world," the always-classy Briere said after Wednesday's practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees.

The Flyers announced Wednesday that they will host the Washington Capitals in a preseason rookie game at 5 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Wells Fargo Center. The game will mark the conclusion of a Flyers rookie and prospect camp held before the main Flyers camp, which will begin with on-ice workouts Sept. 17. Prospects scheduled to participate in the camp and game include recently acquired center Brayden Schen; 2011 eighth-overall pick Sean Couturier; 2011 draft picks Nick Cousins, Colin Suellentrop, Marcel Noebels, and Derek Mathers; and Jason Akeson, Oliver Lauridsen, Zac Rinaldo, and Eric Wellwood.

Flyers' first-rounders Flyers' low first-round draft pick history since 2000: No. 11 overall 2003: Jeff Carter: 516 GP, 202 G, 175 A. Traded to Columbus on June 23, 2011. No. 19 overall 2008: Luca Sbisa: 195 GP, 7 G, 35 A. Traded to Anaheim on June 26, 2009. No. 22 overall 2006: Claude Giroux: 285 GP, 78 G, 165 A. No. 24 overall 2003: Mike Richards: 527 GP, 151 G, 242 A. Traded to Los Angeles on June 23, 2011.

First in a series OTTAWA - All season, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has steadfastly insisted he likes the team he has put together. His attempted offseason moves last year, however, suggest otherwise. By trying to bring free agents Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Zach Parise to Philadelphia, Holmgren, in effect, was saying the Flyers needed major upgrades. Holmgren can be applauded for trying to add the marquee players, but when he struck out on those three stars, his Plan B - adding recycled free agents such as Ruslan Fedotenko, Kurtis Foster, and Bruno Gervais - was a step backward.

The Phantoms will play Albany, the New Jersey Devils' AHL affiliate, on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. It is open to the public and free. The Phantoms' lineup will include Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Zac Rinaldo, Eric Wellwood, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Harry Zolnierczyk and Erik Gustafsson, all of whom spent considerable time with the Flyers last season. The Oct. 11 NHL openers and the first few weeks of the season are expected to be canceled later this week.

The NHL's discipline department has been busy thus far in the playoffs, and the hearings will continue. The league has scheduled two separate hearings Tuesday with Penguins forward James Neal and another with forward Arron Asham for their actions in Sunday's Game 3 loss to the Flyers. Both players could face suspensions. The series resumes Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center with the Flyers leading three games to none. Neal faces discipline for hits on Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier.

If there is an NHL lockout, the Flyers may send a handful of their young players to the AHL Adirondack Phantoms to start the season. Players who are exempt from waivers could be sent down, and that list features Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn, Erik Gustafsson, Eric Wellwood, and Zac Rinaldo, general manager Paul Holmgren said on Friday. The Flyers would have to loan the players to the minors before the possible Sept. 15 lockout. The Phantoms will report to camp at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on Sept.

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.

First in a series   THE FIRST order of business for Paul Holmgren this summer is determining which unit was more a cause of concern for the Flyers: the offense or the defense. For me, it's a clear answer. Even if they remained completely healthy all season, the Flyers' biggest weakness remained on the back end, where they entered the season one or two solid pieces away from even being considered a true contender. Yes, the Flyers scored nearly a half-goal less per game during the shortened season, but they also gave up more than they scored.

  Coach Peter Laviolette's attacking system didn't work for the Flyers this season. The fact is, opponents had the better scoring chances, had many more odd-man rushes, and had goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's head on a swivel as he watched teams cycle the puck around him. Do not be misled by the shots-on-goal figures that show the Flyers averaged 29 shots per game (15th in the 30-team NHL) and allowed 28.6 (tied for 12th). A majority of the Flyers' shots came from outside, while many of their opponents' attempts came on three-on-twos, two-on-ones, and breakaways.

General manager Paul Holmgren said the Flyers, who completed their lackluster season on Saturday, need just a little offseason tweaking to return to the playoffs. "I still think we have good-enough talent to win," Holmgren said. In a far-reaching, 24-minute media session Sunday after the Flyers cleaned out their lockers at their Voorhees practice facility, Holmgren said that bolstering the defense, which was decimated by injuries this year, will be a priority. "We're always looking to get better on the back end. We're always looking to get bigger," he said.

First in a series OTTAWA - All season, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has steadfastly insisted he likes the team he has put together. His attempted offseason moves last year, however, suggest otherwise. By trying to bring free agents Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Zach Parise to Philadelphia, Holmgren, in effect, was saying the Flyers needed major upgrades. Holmgren can be applauded for trying to add the marquee players, but when he struck out on those three stars, his Plan B - adding recycled free agents such as Ruslan Fedotenko, Kurtis Foster, and Bruno Gervais - was a step backward.

OTTAWA - Given the way it started in October, even Jason Akeson probably couldn't have predicted tonight's finish to the season. Imagine leading the Phantoms in scoring last season and training relentlessly during the summer, only to find out that you were demoted to the neglected depths of the ECHL. The Flyers simply said Akeson - who netted 55 points in 76 games in his first profesional season - was a victim of numbers, since the likes of Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Zac Rinaldo were filling up top six forward positions.

If Danny Briere is emotional about possibly playing his last home game in a Flyers uniform, he isn't showing it. Because of his high cap hit - $6.5 million per year - the Flyers' 35-year-old forward is expected to be bought out or traded after the season. If that happens, that would make Thursday's game against the New York Islanders his finale at the Wells Fargo Center as a member of the Flyers. "I'm not thinking about that. . . . Things change fast in the hockey world," the always-classy Briere said after Wednesday's practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees.

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes, underachieving teams that have tumbled out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, played a meaningless game Saturday night at PNC Arena. But don't tell that to Wayne Simmonds. The 24-year-old right winger scored his first career hat trick, sparking the Flyers to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Simmonds had such a good night that even when he blocked a shot it led to a Flyers goal. He finished with a career-high four points.

ILYA BRYZGALOV slammed his stick on the crossbar after watching Matt D'Agostini's shot bounce out of the net as quickly as it entered, simultaneously letting out one last gasp of frustration as the Flyers' maligned season drew its last breath. Any previously exaggerated reports of the Flyers' death were finally confirmed. Not even a miracle will help the Flyers avoid watching the Stanley Cup playoffs go on without them for the second time since 1995. After Thursday night's sleep-inducing, 3-0 shutout loss to the visiting Devils, the Flyers are seven points back of a berth with four games to play.

The Flyers on Thursday signed a speedy, late-blooming right winger who was a second-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010. Petr Straka, a 6-foot, 195-pound free agent who reportedly was courted by 12 NHL teams, signed a three-year, entry-level deal to start next season. He will earn $925,000 next year, including a $92,333 signing bonus, and likely will play for the AHL's Phantoms. Playing for Baie-Comeau of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Straka had 41 goals and 41 assists in 55 regular-season games this year.