After many off-season changes, the Philadelphia Flyers come into the 2009-2010 season with high expectations.

The Flyers wanted to improve their defense after last year s first round playoff exit to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins. The other main concern was the goaltending as both Marty Biron and Antero Nittymaki were free agents. The team had salary cap problems last year so they didn t have all the money in the world to spend. The other big free agent was Mike Knuble.

The Flyers decided early who was going to be their starting goalie for this before free agency. Going off the board, the team signed Ray Emery who had been playing in Russia. A big surprise, Emery had been forced to go to Russia after being bought out of his contact with the Ottawa Senators after some issues on and off the ice. He had led the Senators to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. That essentially meant the end to Marty Biron, who went to the Islanders.

When the draft came the Flyers made the biggest splash by pulling off a huge trade. The Flyers acquired one of the best and biggest defenseman in the NHL in Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks. Along with Pronger, they acquired minor league forward Ryan Dingle for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and a couple of draft picks. Pronger then signed a 7-year contract extension.

The Flyers decided to let Mike Knuble and Antero Nittymaki test the free agent market mainly because of the money the two wanted. The Flyers hoped that prospect James Van Riemsdyk, the second overall pick in 2007, would step up and take Knuble s spot in training camp.

The main free agents that the team signed were Ian Laperriere, a gritty forward who last played with Colorado and Brian Boucher.

A former Flyers net minder, Boucher came from San Jose and was brought in to back-up Emery. Later in the summer, they brought in defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefson. He has been playing in Columbus and had a history of injuries.

There have been some very impressive performances in training camp and the preseason. James Van Riemsdyk, otherwise known as JVR, has stood out and most likely will make the team now due to another roster decision. Also making this team will probably be Mika Pyroala. He is a 28 year old free agent signee from Finland.

Those two are going to make the team because the Flyers waived defenseman Randy Jones this weekend. Jones was the league' s highest paid sixth defenseman and has been outplayed by Tollefeson and Danny Syvret, who played with the Phantoms last year. Those two will alternate the sixth defenseman spot. The other surprise in camp has been Blair Betts, a former Ranger, has been in here on a tryout and has been very impressive as a 4th line center.

The Flyers have been picked by some to go all the way this year and there seems to be more hype this year than in those past. A side note, Chris Pronger has taken the last two teams he has been on to the Stanley Cup Finals in the first year.