Metrpolit happy to be in Philadelphia

From Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

When the Flyers signed free-agent forward Glen Metropolit on Tuesday, general manager Paul Holmgren compared his versatility to R.J. Umberger's.

He could have called him a poor man's R.J. Umberger.

The Flyers signed Metropolit to a two-year, $2 million deal. Umberger, who was traded to Columbus June 20 because the Flyers didn't have enough cap space, will eventually sign a much pricier contract with the Blue Jackets.

Read the entire article here.

Aside from being versatile, Metrpolit isn't really that similar to Umberger. The diminutive forward is a nice 3rd/4th line pick up for the Flyers and will be a good addition both on the ice and in the dressing room.

Umberger going to Columbus?

From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:

R.J. Umberger could be headed back to central Ohio.

Rumors are spreading in Ottawa that Umberger, who attended Ohio State,
could be headed to the Blue Jackets at some point this weekend. No word on what
the Blue Jackets would be trading to Philly.

Read more from Portzline here.

Looks like the Blue Jackets are intent on acquiring the rights players before they become UFAs. Earlier this week the rumor was Ryan Malone, now the rumor involves R.J. Umberger. If Umberger is moved, Columbus would be adding a good all-around forward to their top-two lines. Umberger has really come into his own the past couple seasons.

Flyers looking to add defenseman via free agency

From Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The Flyers are negotiating with potential restricted free agents Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and Randy Jones. Holmgren said he was hopeful of signing them but was not especially close.

He was close to signing Riley Cote, another potential free agent on July 1.

In addition to signing the Big Three, one of Holmgren's off-season goals is to add a defenseman. Brian Campbell, John-Michael Liles, Mark Streit and Mike Commodore are among potential free agents who could fit the bill.

Bolstering the roster and staying within the salary cap, which is expected to reach $55 million, will be tricky, but Holmgren seemed confident.

Read more about the Flyers off-season here.

The Flyers will most likely look to sign a second-tier defenseman via free agency. Their cap number currently sits at $48.2 million and they haven't even re-signed Carter, Umberger and Jones. Taking that into account, the Flyers may have to look at the trade route as their best bet at improving their defensive corps.

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Roy MacGregor of the Globe & Mail would love to see the Habs play the Senators in the playoffs.
• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail reviews Richard Peddie's interview with Gary Bettman on XM Satellite Radio yesterday.
• Bruce Arthur of the National Post has an entertaining article about the Leafs' conquest for the playoffs.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today takes a closer look at the teams chasing playoff spots in both conferences.
• Allen also has a very interesting article about the possibility of huge salaries being throw around in the free agent market this off-season.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Leafs are hoping Mats Sundin can suit up for tomorrow night's game versus Buffalo, writes Mark Zwolinski. Here is the Leafs' schedule for the remainder of the season.
• Newly acquired Mike Smith was terrific last night for the Lightning, as he led the team to a 3-1 victory over the Bruins. Smith is also looking sharper these days with his new pads and helmet.
• The Senators looked a lot like last season's team in their 3-0 road victory at Montreal last night. Jason Spezza has the Habs' number, writes Allen Panzeri.
• Greg Logan of Newsday says it is time for the Islanders to call up Kyle Okposo from Bridgeport of the AHL.
• Jamie Langenbrunner scored the only goal in the shootout last night to cap the Devils' comeback victory over the Wild, writes Rich Chere. A couple of Devils made their homecoming last night.
• "We won't get out of the east until we find a way to beat these guys," said Habs forward Christopher Higgins after his team's 3-0 loss to Ottawa last night.
• The Panthers have some high praise for their backup goalie Craig Anderson in this morning's South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Panthers have less than 1,000 tickets available for their upcoming home game versus the Rangers.
• Since he decided to start skipping morning skates, Capitals netminder Olaf Kolzig has been playing a lot better, writes Tarik El-Bashir.
• With the Flyers set to face-off against the Penguins on Sunday, Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a feature on Flyers forward R.J. Umberger who grew up close to Pittsburgh.
• Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the playoff possibilities and what the Flyers need to do to make it in. The Flyers will get a lot of help this weekend, when it is expected that Mike Richards will return to the lineup.
• With the way the team has been playing the past month, the Rangers feel very confident moving forward, writes Mike Puma. John Dellapina tells readers that Jaromir Jagr has yet to decide on his future.
• Luke Decock of the News Observer is sure to cause some controversy with his claim that Canadian teams get a break when it comes to suspensions. Here is the injury report for the Canes tonight.
• The Sabres' young players are not accustomed to losing, writes John Vogl.
• The Bruins continued their free-fall last night, with a 3-1 loss to the Lightning. The Bruins had some of their long-time injured players on the ice yesterday, but that doesn't mean they are close to returning to the lineup.
• Ilya Kovalchuk told his team before yesterday's game that he wants them to play for pride, and then he went out and led by example. Last night's match up versus Calgary was Mark Recchi's 1400th career game.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province is wondering where the Sedin brothers have disappeared to. Botchford's colleague Tony Gallagher thinks the reason for their struggles may be the fact that they are being physically punished by opponents.
• The Coyotes penalty killing and goaltending was terrific last night in their 2-0 home victory over the Canucks, writes Jim Gintonio.
• Any chance the Oilers had at making the playoffs probably fell by the wayside last night, writes Jim Matheson. The Oilers' youngsters made a number of important mistakes last night, writes Derek Van Diest.
• The Avalanche have played very well in March over the past two seasons, writes Adrian Dater. The Avs got a strong performance last night from Peter Budaj, in their 5-1 home victory over Edmonton.
• The Blackhawks still don't believe they are out of the playoffs, writes Chris Kuc.
• The Calgary Herald has a short review of the Flames' 6-4 loss at Atlanta last night. (Writer's note: The Herald didn't send a beat writer to last night's game.)
• This season has proved to be a coming out party for Pascal Leclaire, writes Aaron Portzline. The Columbus Dispatch has five questions with Rick Nash. Here are the Jackets' probable lines for tonight's contest.
• The Stars collapsed down the stretch last night to lose 5-3 to the Red Wings, writes Mike Heika. The Stars will certainly be helped by the return of Sergei Zubov once he is healthy enough to return to the lineup.
• The Red Wings came back from down 3-1 last night, to record a victory over Dallas and, in turn, be the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
• The Kings upset the Predators last night by a score of 4-1.
• The Wild couldn't hold a couple of leads last night, and then lost, of course, in the shootout, writes Michael Russo.
• If the Predators don't make the playoffs, they will probably look back to last night's game, writes John Glennon. On the injury front, David Legwand still hasn't skated on his injured foot.
• Even though they have won ten straight games, the Sharks still don't have much room to relax atop the Pacific Division, writes Mark Emmons.
• Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses the improved play of Blues rookie Erik Johnson.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Fanatsy Watch: Scouring the Waiver Wire

F Radim Vrbata, Phoenix Coyotes
After posting a career best 41 points last season with Chicago, Vrbata finds himself on pace to eclipse that total in his first year with Phoenix. Scoring 14 points in 21 games, Vrbata has been a a great surprise and a key contributer on Phoenix's squad. Receiving over 20 minutes of ice time in the last two contests, Vrbata has notched three goals and two assists in those games. With nine points in total this month, Vrbata has been extremely productive should continue to give Phoenix an offensive boost.
Fantasy Take: Vrbata has always been a streaky player so it's advised to wait and see if he can produce on a consistent basis before inserting him in your lineup.

F Colby Armstrong, Pittsburgh Penguins
After being predicted to be a great sleeper pick last year, Armstrong turned out to be one of the biggest busts of the season, totaling only 34 points. Off every fantasy radar this season, Armstrong continued to struggle, scoring only one point in the first month of the season. After being regulated to the third line, and eventually becoming a healthy scratch, it appears that Armstrong has finally gotten the message. Receiving playing time with Crosby over the past few games, Armstrong has scored one goal and three assists. Although those numbers aren't eye-popping, Armstrong may soon make his way back onto the fantasy radar if he continues to play with Crosby.
Fantasy Take: Armstrong's fantasy value rests in the hands of Crosby. If Armstrong is playing with Crosby then he could be a decent injury fill in, if not, then stay away from him.

F R.J. Umberger, Philadelphia Flyers
In his third year with Philadelphia, Umberger is having his best start as a pro, scoring 13 points in 20 games. Although he gets overlooked in Philadelphia because of bigger names, Umberger has been the most productive point scorer on the Flyers this past month not named Briere or Richards. Although he won't receive as much playing time as the other superstars, Umberger has given Philadelphia another offensive weapon who has demonstrated a great passing ability.
Fantasy Take: Umberger has had a very successful month thus far, scoring eight points in 12 games. Look to see if he can continue his success before making a claim for the third year forward.

D Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix Coyotes
After battling injuries throughout last season, Jovanovski has been 100% healthy so far, and has also been quite productive. Scoring 15 points in 21 games, Jovo has reclaimed his status as one of the top offensive defenseman. Although he struggled to find his form in the first month of the season, Jovo has since gotten hot, scoring 12 points this month while currently riding a four game point streak.
Fantasy Take: Point scoring defeseman are hard to find, so if Jovo is on your waiver wire pick him up immediately. Although his point per game pace this month will fall, still expect a 40 point output from the former Canuck.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis