The Flyers were my first favorite team. Before the Sox. My room at home has Flyers posters, wallpaper, bedsheets, pillow cases, blankets, etc. So the team is sort of like my first love. You always come back to your first. Or something like that, right? Love isn't real, right?
So anyway, this week the Flyers seriously risked my fandom with their trades. If you're not a fan or under a rock, they traded two cornerstones of the franchise, Jeff Carter and the captain Mike Richards. Both 26 years old, entering their prime. While the Flyers were terrible in 2006, they were promoting Richards and Carter as the future. Now they're the present. They both signed long term deals (11+) because they wanted to play here. Together. They didn't take so much money that the team would be crippled financially, they wanted to win in Philadelphia.
The Flyers have an overflow at the forward/center position. Richie and Carts are the most tradable of them. The Flyers have a glaring weakness at goalie - I wrote about this several times. It's like a curse. We went through 3 goalies in one series - none replaced due to injury. So they wanted to sign Bryzgalov. So they needed to make the cap room.
I can't really wrap my head around it until I see it in person. I don't know anything about these players we picked up - I've lost touch a bit with everything around the league since the lockout - baseball replaced it. Anyway, so I have no idea about these players we got. I know about the players we gave away. Not okay.
I believe in loyalty. In life. In sports. In everything. Richie and Carts committed to the Flyers. The fans committed to believing in the Flyers goal that the future was coming with Richards and Carter. So I think everyone feels betrayed by the Flyers. Everyone who bought a $200 jersey. Everyone who watched all 82 games every year for the past several years.
I think I/the fans somewhat get blinded by what's best for franchises because of our affections for the players. The office management are more cutthroat and know what is best. I would rather drown with the ship personally. I don't have the balls to pull the trigger like that. That's why I don't work in sports.
I couldn't believe it. I don't want to believe it. I had a rough Thursday. I wanted to give up on the Flyers. I've sobered up a bit from that stance, and believe the Flyers know what they're doing. At least I'd like to believe they know what they're doing. Time will tell. We got the goalie we desperately needed, I just don't know if the price was worth it.
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