Phantoms Add Marginal Defenseman, Flyers Blue Line Discussion

The Flyers acquired D Janne Niskala from Nashville for Triston Grant and a 7th round pick.

Niskala was drafted in the 5th round by Nashville in 2004. He signed an entry contract before last season and played for their AHL affiliate last season. He scored 19 goals and had a total of 44 points, which were among the AHL leaders.

He's a fringe NHL player, and with Nashville's depth on the blue line, it was unlikely he would get an opportunity there. He has to improve his game in his own end, but you can't score as many goals as he has without having some ability.

One problem. According to his tsn.ca profile, he has already signed a contract in Russia. We'll have to wait to see what it takes to get him to void that deal.

After the trade of Eminger, the Flyers emerged with a clusterfuck of defensemen. Here's how things shake out right now:

Timonen
Coburn
Hatcher
Kukkonen
Parent
Eminger
Syvret
Guenin

Jason Smith and Jaroslav Modry are UFA's, and Randy Jones is a RFA. I doubt Smith or Modry come back, and whether or not they re-sign Jones, which I think they will, they have a lot of players with seven spots to fill.

We all know the Flyers need to improve their defense, but quantity doesn't necessarily equal quality. We can all agree that Timonen and Coburn are great players and a clear number one pair. After that, it's anyone's guess. The Flyers don't even know whether or not Hatcher plans on lacing the skates next year, and if he retires, it leaves another gaping hole on the #2 pair to fill. His departure could definitely free up cap space, but they would need to find a quality player to fill his shoes.

Right now, I'm not sure who could be a #4 defenseman with Hatch. Randy Jones played well in the playoffs, and other than him, I don't think anyone else in the organization right now is good enough. They have so many players that are adequate third pair and seventh defensemen, but the Flyers still need to add one more quality player.