Pittsburgh Penguins fans have been worried now for quite some time about star Sidney Crosby and his concussion issues. There were reports earlier that he would be doing some on-ice workouts in Los Angeles, but the latest news kind of cancels that out.

Bob McCown of SportsNet 590 is reporting that Crosby saw a specialist in Utah who found abnormalities in his C1 and C2 vertebrae.

Yikes!

Crosby is supposed to meet with team doctors this week to get an update on his post-concussion symptoms, and I’m not sure if this news will affect any of that.

But, this can’t be good. He’s only 24, but concussion and neck problems aren’t a good thing. While many people hate the guy, the fact remains that the NHL as a whole is better off when this hero/villian is on the ice.

Last night there were a series of trade rumors that cropped up involving the Philadelphia Flyers’ James van Riemsdyk. With Chris Pronger out for the season and the defense not exactly keeping their goalies clean, the Flyers could use some help in the back. It was floated that GM Paul Holmgren would be speaking with the Nashville Predators when the two teams this meet this weekend regarding Ryan Suter. There was also the Toronto Maple Leafs rumor that would have them sending the Flyers Luke Schenn in exchange for JVR.

But, you can probably squash all that talk for now. JVR has been diagnosed with a concussion and is out indefinitely.

“James was hit in the head in each of our last two games,” Holmgren said in a statement. “He reported yesterday not feeling like himself. He will be out indefinitely with a concussion.”

That sucks. JVR had 11 goals this year even though his play is down from the level of last season. He’s only 22-years old and hopefully the Flyers don’t just ship him out for a few Mac Miller CD’s.

“It’s unfortunate it happened, I actually like the way he was moving on that line,” said coach Peter Laviolette. “I like the way it was moving. When guys come out, it’s a setback for them and a setback for the team. Now, Zac [Rinaldo] comes back in the lineup and brings his energy. We’ll move other lines around a bit. We’ve been through it before and we’ll get through this.”

I’ll be curious to see what happens to those trade rumors now.

People in Philadelphia knew that there were going to be some fairly serious changes to their Flyers team this past offseason. Sure, it was shocking that they traded both Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, but you knew one was going to be moved and it was most likely the latter. The Flyers had grown tired of his partying ways, questionable attitude and injuries that routinely keep him out of the playoffs.

And now, the Columbus Blue Jackets are finding out why the Flyers would part with such a prolific goal scorer. The Jackets sent the No. 8-overall pick (used to get Sean Couturier) and Jakub Voracek to the Flyers in exchange for Carter, and we’re guessing that now they are sorry that they did.

Carter separated his shoulder on a hit by Anaheim’s Francois Beauchemin on Sunday and will definitely miss the next two games. Not sure exactly the timetable for his return after that, but it’s not like the team needs him. They are flailing about with 27 points at the bottom of the Western Conference’s Central Division and are already playing under an interim head coach.

Plus, Carter has been a steaming heap for the Blue Jackets. He has 10 goals and 17 points in 30 games, which is not what they traded for. Maybe he needs to be surrounded by more talent. If that’s the case, Columbus should be working on trade offers as we speak.

Jaromir Jagr has flat-out been one of the best players on the Philadelphia Flyers this season. He’s got 12 goals and 31 points in 33 games and has been absolute dynamite with Claude Giroux.

So, when he gingerly walked off the ice during the Winter Classic, Flyers fans weren’t thrilled. He’ll be 40-years old in February, so nagging injuries are a concern. Initially projected to be out 7-10 days with a groin injury, Jagr could be ahead of schedule, according to Sam Carchidi.

“Jagr said he probably won’t play Sat., but “hopefully” Sun. #Flyers,” the Flyers beat man tweeted.

The Flyers have a home-and-home with the Ottawa Senators this weekend.

On December 20th, Pittsburgh Penguins defensman Deryk Engelland thought he could make Jello out of the head of Chicago Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger. The big man launched himself into his head and pasted him up against the boards. It was pretty nasty.

And the NHL would tend to agree with that last sentence. Its Department of Player Safety came down on Engelland today, levying a three-game suspension.

This is precisely the kind of crap the NHL wants to get rid of. So, Engelland will sit for a while and will be eligible to return against the New Jersey Devils on December 31st.

Thanks to Ben Pavlovic for passing this along, it’s one of the sickest hockey goals we’ve ever seen. Based in Chicago, Ben says that there’s been a lot of talk about this goal in his Vinesprout offices, but maybe too much talk.

Regardless, some talk is required of Chicago Blackhawks super stud Patrick Kane’s shootout goal two days ago against the Minnesota Wild. How much is too much? We’ll let Ben decide.

But seriously, someone counted 14 dekes? This is pretty insane, take a look.

Do you remember Mason Raymond of the Vancouver Canucks? If you’re a Canucks fan you surely do. You may also know him as the guy who got folded like a birthday card along the boards in the Stanley Cup Finals last year against the Boston Bruins.

Photo Caption: Yeah, that guy.

Raymond suffered a pretty serious back injury that night and it’s kind of amazing, but he’s going to return to the ice Sunday night against the Calgary Flames.

Supposedly, his return was delayed by some paperwork issues and the fact that his back hurt a lot. But, good for him, that was a nasty play that could have theoretically (or non-theoretically) ended his career.

You thought Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was mum on injuries? He might have nothing on the Philadelphia Flyers. We kept hearing how defensman Chris Pronger has been out with some mysterious illness. Now? They’re telling us that he will miss four weeks after undergoing knee surgery to clean out some loose bodies.

So, was he really sick?

“He’s been playing through it up until this recent bout with the virus,” GM Paul Holmgren said through a translator.

I’m not saying he wasn’t sick, but I’m sorry if I don’t trust the Flyers when it comes to injuries. They are always telling us someone has an “upper body injury.” What is that? Head? Arm? Ribs? Could be anything.

The Flyers have had up-and-down goaltending play this season, so losing Pronger is a pretty big blow.

Wednesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers skate with the mighty and powerful New York Islanders. And they’ll be getting some much needed help as they try to slay the behemoth.

Coming back to the lineup are winger Jaromir Jagr (groin) and defensman Braydon Coburn (bruised kidney).

“I’m glad I’m back, that’s the important thing,” Jagr said. “Hopefully, my legs are gonna be good. That’s the main thing to me.”

It will be good for them to have Jagr back out there with their dynamo Claude Giroux. He’s played very well on that line even though he’s cooled a little bit in the last few games.

Coburn is a much-needed addition to a defense that’s gotten pretty sloppy in front of Bryzgalov and Bob at times.

It looks like the Anaheim Ducks will be without the services of defensman Lubomir Visnovsky for quite a while. And when we say “quite a while,” we mean about four weeks.

According to beat writer Eric Stephens from the Orange County Register, Visnovsky busted his finger blocking a shot in Friday night’s win against the Vancouver Canucks.

“Ducks D Lubomir Visnovsky to miss next four weeks due to broken finger on right hand,” Stephens tweets. “No surgery required for Visnovsky. Broke it while blocking a shot in third period.”

So, this is a head’s up to everyone who plays fantasy hockey: Pack up your tent on Wall St., dust off your resume and start looking for a job. Seriously.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Columbus Blue Jackets haven’t been doing so hot lately. This week, they lost 4-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs and then followed that up Saturday night with a 9-2 shellacking at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. Sean Couturier even had two goals for the Fly Guys. Why does that matter? He was drafted with the No. 8-overall pick that they got from the Blue Jackets in the Jeff Carter trade.

And if you’re scoring at home, Carter was scratched with a busted foot. Fitting.

“We’ve hit a lot of bottoms this year,” Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said, “and this is another big one.”

So the Blue Jackets are now 2-11-1, which most experts would agree isn’t very good. Especially for a team that had some hope to start the season. So one would have to think that with four days off upcoming, changes will be made. Changes as in firing Arniel and GM Scott Howson. Not to say that will happen, but it’s most certainly on the table.

“It’s tough to take,” Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash said. “Guys are embarrassed for the effort we put out for the coach and coaching staff, and management. It’s just not good enough. It’s undisciplined hockey. We’re getting caught with three guys deep. Coach and staff informed us. It’s just poorly executed.”

Arniel was asked point blank if he was concerned about his future with the team.

“Nice question, all right. Nice question. I’m not in charge of that. I’m worried about what I have to do tomorrow with this hockey team.”

On the surface, you can make a case that Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindey Ruff is just doing what he did last week: Start Jhonas Enroth in the middle of a three-game set. Or, you can say that he’s not happy with Ryan Miller’s play right now.

But, regardless, Ruff is starting Enroth Friday night against the Calgary Flames.

I thought the crowd was a little rough on Miller in the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. Yes, he got beat on some shots that he usually stops. Yes, he let in three quick ones and his team was in an immediate hole.

But, he’s still Ryan Miller. All the fans booing him are forgetting just how good he is and just how hard it is to find a goalie of that caliber. It happens. You have bad nights or a bad streak of games. But, overall, he’s still your best bet.

Now, he happened to be less than stellar in the playoffs last year when the Sabres lost to the Flyers, so maybe that’s lingering a bit with the fans.

Tyler Seguin has arguably been the Boston Bruins best player this season. However, ESPNBoston.com is reporting that his long-term health could be an issue. The site is told by league and team sources that Seguin has a congenital hip condition that makes him susceptible to hip injuries down the road.

But, Seguin doesn’t necessarily agree with those reports. And when we say “doesn’t necessarily agree with,” we mean he calls BS.

“Tyler Seguin on report he has congenital hip issue: “I’m 100 percent healthy. Anything about my hip is really false. Wasn’t born w/anything,” tweets Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com.

The initial report said that he will develop problems in that area if he doesn’t work to maintain and develop that area of his body. They even went to far to get a doctor to comment on the injury, even though he hasn’t examined Seguin.

“The worst-case scenario is they start to develop recurring symptoms consistent of a groin pull, hip flexor strains, difficulty getting their hips in certain positions, reduced rotation, increase in pain and reduced levels of performance,” renowned hip expert and surgeon Dr. Bryan Kelly tells ESPN.

That is, if the report is true. And according to Seguin, it isn’t.

Pittsburgh Penguins super stud Evgeni Malkin has been out since October 13th due to lingering issues with his surgically repaired knee. He missed a lot of last year with a torn ACL.

But, according to Penguins’ head coach Dan Bylsma, he could actually be a go for Saturday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

“He had a couple of practices — good, hard practices with Sidney,” Bylsma said. “(Yesterday) was his first one back in full practice, so that’s a good sign. He’s doing pretty well, and we are still seeing about (Saturday night’s game).”

We don’t know for sure, but one would have to think that they’ll err on the side of caution. No use rushing him back only to have more damage done. Especially with no timetable for Sidney Crosby’s return, they really need Malkin.

When we think of awful free agent signings in sports, a few come to mind. Barry Zito’s seven-year, $126 million deal with the San Francisco Giants usually comes up first. If something doesn’t change for Carl Crawford (the guy the owner didn’t want), he’s going to be on this list.

But, maybe the worst is the deal that the New York Islanders gave to Rick DiPietro. We’re pulling for him because he’s a Boston University guy, but this contract has been flat-out awful and now he’s hurt…again.

In 2006, the team signed him to a 15-year, $67.5 million deal. It’s not that he’s been bad on the ice, it’s just that he can’t stay on it. He could be absolutely awful, but he can’t play long enough to prove one way or the other.

This time? He’s out indefinitely with a concussion and there is no time frame for when he comes back.

In 2006-2007, he played in 62 games. The following season, he played in 63. Not bad. After that? 5, 8 and 26 last season. 39 games the last three seasons. Not average…that’s total.

So yeah, DiPietro is hurt again.

Usually we don’t bother you with NHL minutiae. But, it’s Saturday and we’re sitting here at our computer listening to Jason Ashworth on ESPN 97.5 FM crap on Kyle Lohse, and we get very upset and like to post about NHL injuries when he does this.

So here goes. Pavel Datsyuk is flat-out one of the best players in the entire NHL. We love watching him play on the off chance that we catch NHL Network if the woman lets us. Which is usually never.

However, he’s got a bum back and lucky for your fantasy team, the Red Wings are being careful with him.

“Pavel Datsyuk ruled out of this weekend’s preseason games. (Back),” the Red Wings tweeted collectively as a team.

Datsyuk likely won’t see the ice until the regular season. The injury isn’t serious and the team is just being careful.

So, the Philadelphia Flyers played an exhibition game against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night in London, Ontario. The Flyers lost 4-3 in a shootout, but that’s not the real story.

The real story is that when Wayne Simmonds, a black guy, skated in for his penalty shot attempt, a fan threw a banana peel onto the ice. Seriously.

“I caught it from the side of my eye,” Simmonds said. “It was a banana. Hopefully, that wasn’t directed towards me being black. Because if it was, that’s just somebody being ignorant.”

Oh I’m sure it was because you’re black. You can probably bet money on that. Sadly, Simmonds is just used to getting that kind of treatment.

“When you’re a black man playing in a predominantly white man’s sport, you’ve got to come to expect things like that,” Simmonds said. “Over the past 23 years of my life, I’ve come to expect some things like that. But I’m older and more mature now, I kind of just left things roll off [my back]. I try not to think about stuff like that.”

One teammate, who asked not to be named, told the Daily News what he’d have done if he had found that fan.

“I would have went and kicked that fan’s ass myself,” he said. “That’s just not right.”

The fan didn’t get caught. Awesome. That guy needs to be beaten into oblivion.

Many thought that last year would be Teemu Selanne’s final year of hockey. Some prayed it would be (no they didn’t). But, in a stunning turn of events (not really), Selanne has signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

“Teemu Selanne to return to Ducks. Just signed for one year, $4 million,” tweets Helene Elliot of the LA Times.

Selanne had 31 goals and 80 points in just 73 games last season, so it’s clear he can still play.

This should go a long way to lifting the spirits of the Anaheim locals. Many are devastated by out-of-control spending in Washington and the huge budget deficit. This signing will go a long way towards quelling those fears and letting them know that everything is going to be okay with the world.

In other news, Israel and the Palestinians made up and agreed to stop their senseless bickering. It’s not known at this time if the Selanne signing had any impact on that outcome.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is getting the party started early for the NHL’s return to Winnipeg. He’s celebrating by getting hammered on a boat, even though authorities don’t appreciate it.

Byfuglien was taken into custody in Minnesota on Wednesday (we’re a little late, sorry) when he refused a field sobriety test. Authorities don’t really appreciate that either and got him on suspicion of boating while intoxicated.

Photo Caption: I can’t stay mad at that face!

Perhaps more of a concern for the Jets is Byfuglien’s weight. He weighed in a 286 lbs.! He usually plays at 245-250 lbs. Jesus! Did he eat the boat?

Training camp starts in a several weeks, so he’s got some time. But, he might want to start hitting the rowing machine.

New York Rangers goon and part-time fashionista Sean Avery was arrested on Friday morning at his home in Los Angeles. Police responded to a noise complain about a party he was having and things didn’t go so well.

The police report says that he was arrested for shoving a cop and he’s charged with battery of a police officer. Hindsight being 20/20, that was probably not in his best interests.

His bail was set at $20,000.

By most all accounts, Avery is a douchebag. However, he does support same-sex marriage so he can’t be all that bad.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin got himself into a little bit of trouble back in February 2010 in Arizona. There was a bit of an issue when he decided to have a little drinky drink and then get behind the wheel of a car.

He was charged with extreme driving under the influence and speed. Now that’s some charges right there. The Arizona authorities apparently didn’t appreciate it because they sentenced him to 30 days in jail. He was sentenced before this past season, but was appealing the verdict.

Well, he gave up on that appeal and now he’s going to have to spend a couple weeks in jail.

iNews880 reported that the veteran netminder would “spend 15 days in jail, with the other 15 days to be served at home with an electronic monitoring device.”

Just so you know, Nikolai, the term “five hole” means something entirely different in jail, so just be careful.

The Florida Panthers just signed big defensman Ed Jovanovski to a four-year, $16.5 million contract today. At 35-years old and coming off of a 14-point season, we aren’t so sure exactly what he’s going to contribute to the club unless he’s a hilarious locker room prankster who really enjoys keeping the team loose.

They are keeping it going with adding guys who aren’t going to help much by trading for Philadelphia Flyers forward Kris Versteeg. The Panthers gave up 2nd- and 3rd-round choices to get a guy that excels at disappearing during games.

The Flyers needed a goalie last year, but instead traded for Versteeg. He successfully did nothing to help the team. However, he did cause many fans to openly wonder why they traded a first- and third-round pick to get him.

In 27 games with Philadelphia, he had seven goals and four assists, with each and every one of them going unnoticed.

The Florida Panthers have plenty of cap space, that much we know. They needed to spend some money soon just to get to the salary cap floor. They apparently wanted to get there quickly, because they signed aging defensman Ed Jovanovski to a four-year, $16.5 million contract.

You read that right.

The former first-overall pick in the 1994 NHL Draft, Jovanovski is 35-years old and has played more than 66 games in a season just twice in the last seven years. You give a guy like that $16.5 million over four years? Seriously?

Oh, and he had 14 points last year. I know he’s a blue liner, but c’mon.

This would have been great news for Philadelphia Flyers fans just 10 years ago. But, since they just traded away Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, they needed to add some firepower in the front.

Multiple sources are reporting that the Flyers have indeed signed Jaromir Jagr.

Apparently, the Pittsburgh Penguins got fed up with his nonsense and pulled out. The Detroit Red Wings pulled out as well, which all but handed him to the Flyguys.

It’s a one-year contract worth a reported $3.3 million. Previously, the Penguins pulled a one-year, $2 million contract offer off of the table.

Jagr is 73-years old and has been playing overseas for the past three seasons with the Omsk Avangard, who may or may not be good. Paul Holmgren must be pretty confident that this guy can play because that’s an ass ton of money for a guy that old.

It was about a year ago that I sat in OTR’s very own, Micah Warren’s German luxury car (Volkswagen Jetta). We were headed to the range to hit some golf balls when I suggested an interesting, yet unlikely scenario. “The Eagles should make a move for Albert Haynesworth.”

It was evident that this guy was unhappy in Washington and first year head coach, Mike Shanahan, was switching to a 3-4 scheme. Among other things, pride slashed with an undoubtedly poor attitude left the Redskins with a very unhappy, very unmotivated and VERY expensive player for the year. That said, it wasn’t hard to assume Washington would look to move this guy either by trade or simply cutting him after the season.

Despite all this, I repeated my interest in acquiring his services. He is a big, dominant force in the middle who, when motivated, is one of, if not, the best DL in the league. I thought it made complete sense to give him a 2 year, incentive laden deal and an opportunity to rejuvenate his reputation and career. This was a specific position of need for the Eagles that could be filled and possibly exceeded with the addition. Still, I was called a fool and others wanted no part of my scenario.

Just curious: Who is one of Fat Albert’s main potential suitors once a CBA is reached? Who brought in his former tutor to coach the defensive line? More importantly, why is it accepted as a possibility now…when it was rejected vehemently when proposed in your German engineered sedan? Is it only worth considering when SportsCenter runs a VO on it or if Adam Schefter says its possible?

The 2010 MLB season came and went. The Phillies ran into the heavy arms of the S.F. Giants and were eliminated in the N.L. Championship Series. Despite trading for Roy Halladay and adding Roy Oswalt at the break, the Phightin’s came up short and were out classed on the mound. Is it any surprise that pitching wins championships? No. So even though they had a great rotation already, why is it so farfetched to think they would make a play for Cliff Lee?

I repeated myself over and over again that the Phillies could bring back Lee if they wanted to. Despite moving him to clear space for Halladay, the minute the trade went through to Seattle both Lee, the fans AND the Phillies knew something didn’t feel right. A fan favorite, who was at the top of his game, was moved across the country despite his relationship with the fans and outward desire to play in this city. So why wouldn’t the Phillies take a peek at the guy once he hit the open market?

If a few things happened, the Phillies would have just as good of, if not a better shot at signing the lefty. First, we all knew they would have to let Jayson Werth walk. Done. Second, they would have to find a suitor for Raul Ibanez’ contract. Third, they would need to rely on Lee taking a little less money. Plain and simple. Okay, so the Phillies decided to go over budget rather than find a new home for Ibanez, but all the right things happened prior to signing him. Very similar to how the Eagles are positioning themselves for Haynesworth (although not nearly at the same level).

So when news struck in the middle of the night that Cliff Lee signed a deal with the Phils, were you one of the ones completely caught off guard… or simply excited that your team took advantage of an opportunity in front of them? 

So why can’t Steven Stamkos become a Flyer? Ah, finally we’ve arrived at my point (EDITOR’S NOTE: Finally). I’m hearing nothing be negativity and doubt regarding the Flyers ability to sign Stamkos. He is 21 and arguably the 3rd best player in the game (behind Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby). So let’s address some of the facts.

Fact: Flyers would have to clear cap space
Fact: Whoever signs Stamkos to an offer sheet would have to give up four first-round draft picks
Fact: Tampa Bay owns his rights as a RFA so he would have to refuse the initial offers prior to July 1

To clear the cap space, the Flyers cleared up nearly $108 million in long-term contracts by dealing home grown studs Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards. Cap space achieved.
In both of those trades the Flyers got young and talented. Highlighted the Richards deal was Braydon Schenn, the 5th-overall selection in 2009 and a guy nearly every team coveted. Thanks to the Carter trade, the Flyers scooped up Jakub Vorecek (6th overall in 2008) and also landed the 8th-overall pick this year.

With that selection, these guys got Sean Corturier. This guy was once ranked the #1 North American born skater and debated as the top overall pick. He slipped down to 8th where the Flyers bag an absolute steal. And let us not forget the 2007 No.2-overall selection in JVR.

So to recap, the Flyers now own the rights to the 2007 No. 2-overall pick, 2008 No. 6-overall pick, the 2009 No. 5-overall pick and the 2011 No. 8-overall pick. Signing Stamkos to an offer sheet at the expense of four future first-round draft picks doesn’t seem so extreme now…does it? They would be putting themselves in a great position to WIN now while securing youth for the future. Plus, if things go as expected, the picks would be at the bottom of the first round.

Finally, none of this is possible if Stamkos simply signs with TB prior to July 1st. How has that gone so far? In order for any of this to be possible, Stamkos and the Lightning have to come to an impasse on a new deal and allow him to test the waters. So far, the on again, off again talks have proven to provide just that.

Of course, if/when a team signs him to an offer sheet, TB has the right to match the deal. It is being reported that TB is offering around $7-7.5 million per season. Really? Crosby is getting upwards of $9 million/per and Ovechkin is just over $9 million/per. Do we really think this guy is going to sign for $7 million without at least letting other teams drive up that price tag? In addition, who says the Lighting can pay him top dollar even if they wanted to? Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Ryan Malone are all on the books for long-term, high-cap contracts. I didn’t see any of those guys get moved yet… did you?

So if a team, like the Flyers, would come in and offer part of the $108 million saved by moving Carter and Richards to Stamkos… do we really think TB can match it? In a curious move, the Flyers moved Darroll Powe earlier this week. Why? He wasn’t going to cost too much and was critical to the PK. Why make that move if you were trying to save every penny you could for a much larger plan?

Do we really think Snider isn’t eying up a big move? After all, he has given up control of the Sixers and has full attention on his prized baby. I’m not saying this is definitely happening, but what I am saying is… look at the facts. Teams, like the Flyers, can pull off a move like this if certain things fall in line. In fact, it’s really the only way moves like this get done. The Phillies took those moves, the Eagles are trying to make some moves and it appears the Flyers are doing the exact same thing.

THINK BIG!

A source tells OTR that Ilya Bryzgalov has a done deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. The problem is that they can’t announce it before July 1st because it would put them over the cap. And there has been much speculation about who could be dealt in order to make cap room.

Jeff Carter? Mike Richards? Matt Carle?

Many Flyers fans are hoping that it’s Carter. Yes, he scores a nice amount of goals during the regular season, but what has he given you in the playoffs?

Not much.

For those hoping for Carter to get moved, we have some bad news. A source tells OTR that “it’s not looking like Carter is going anywhere.”

Carter is due $6.25 million this season and would provide some cap relief. But according to our source, it looks like he’ll still be a Flyer this season.

UPDATE: Whoops.

A source close to the situation tells OTR that Ilya Bryzgalov has a deal in place with the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s not shocking since the Flyers traded a 2012 third-round pick, future considerations and forward Matt Clackson for the former Phoenix Coyote goalie. I don’t think anyone really believed that he would sign elsewhere as a free agent.

“It’s definitely a done deal and will be announced on July 1st,” the source said.

The source added that the announcement could come sooner if the Flyers were able to trade salary between now and then.

We didn’t get many details on the numbers, but the source believes that it is a seven-year deal.

Ever since the Heat meekly went out in Game 6 to the Dallas Mavericks, all the talk has been about LeBron James. He’s a choke artist. He wanted no parts of the ball in the fourth quarter. He has no heart. He’s not an elite player. We’ve been hearing it all.

But, while the NHL doesn’t get as much attention, there is a “superstar” playing in the Stanley Cup right now for the Vancouver Canucks that is coming up much shorter than LeBron ever did. Roberto Luongo is in the second year of a 12-year, $64 million contract and is supposed to be elite. However, in every single game in Boston this series, he has been horrific. Game 3 they lost 8-1. Game 4 it was 4-0 and he was yanked for rookie Cory Schneider (who has played extremely well by the way). And with a chance to close out Game 6, he gave up three quick ones and the Canucks were never in the game. Again, he was pulled for Schneider (who played extremely well by the way).

Now, Luongo has to step up in Game 7 and be the guy they thought they signed to a huge contract.

“It’s one game, winner take all,” Luongo said. “I’ve been in those situations before. I know how to handle it. I’ll be ready for it.”

He better hope he is. Because that performance in Game 6 was about as bad as it gets. Sure in the three losses, the only difference between his defense and a hot bucket of hamster crap has been the bucket. But, last night was softy after softy.

Hopefully, playing at home has something to do with it.

“I’ve had some success on the road all year, and before this series started I said I enjoy playing in this building,” Luongo said. “I am not going to make any excuses. It just didn’t happen for me all three games. I’m just going to move on right now. We have one game to win a Stanley Cup. That’s what we’re looking forward to now.”

But I’m not putting all of this on Luongo. Where have the Sedin twins been? And the Canucks have seemingly placed whining and complaining above tough, physical play. That said, Luongo needs to remove his head from his ass if he wants to be known as a big-time player.

If not, then he’s Lebron On Ice until further notice.

When you have a goalie that signed a $64 million contact not too long ago, that headline will tell you that something has gone very, very wrong. How many goalies would you take over the Vancouver Canucks’ Roberto Luongo? Exactly, not many. So the idea that you’d consider not starting him in a crucial Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins, tells you that something ain’t right.

But yes, it seems that after the last two horrific games, the Canucks are going to stick with Luongo for Game 5. He allowed 12 goals on 58 shots the last two games, but it wasn’t all his fault. His defense in front of him was nothing short of garbage.

“This is not a one-man affair,” said head coach Alain Vigneault. “Our whole group can play better and will play better. In the two games in Boston. I liked the way we started the game. For some reason in the second period they’ve been able to come at us and capitalize on some of our mistakes. We’re aware of that, we’re excited about the opportunity in front of us. We’ve playing for the Stanley Cup final, two out of three in this great city with these great fans. It doesn’t get much better than this.”

Regardless of Luongo or no Luongo, the Canucks need to get it together. The last two games they’ve lost a combined 12-1. That ain’t going to get it done.

The Philadelphia Flyers may have finally added a goaltender! In case you didn’t notice, and judging by the ratings you didn’t, the Flyers had awful netminding in the playoffs this year (and end of the regular season).

Brian Boucher might start, but Sergei Bobrovsky would finish the game. Or vice versa. Or maybe Michael Leighton would get thrown in there. But the bottom line is that none of these guys were good enough to start on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.

But now, the team has made a trade that should help shore up the goalie position. Phoenix Coyote’s GM Don Maloney announced the trade that many thought would happen, as he shipped the rights to Ilya Bryzgalov to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2012 third-round pick, future considerations and forward Matt Clackson.

“After several discussions with Ilya and his agent, it became very clear to us that we were not in a position to sign Ilya to a long-term contract,” said Maloney. “We will now focus our efforts on adding another goaltender to our roster for the upcoming season.

Bryzgalov is a free agent on July 1st, as is Clackson. So there is no guarantee that the Flyers will be able to keep him. But I think it’s safe to say that the Flyers wouldn’t be trading for his rights if they had any doubt that they’d be able to sign him to a new deal.

Bryzgalov is now free to pursue a life of religious fulfillment.