FLYERS BRING BACK BOUCHER
The Philadelphia Flyers acquired goaltender Brian Boucher and defenseman Mark Alt from the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Luke Pither.
What does it give the Philadelphia Flyers
Boucher is well-known to the Flyers (as he played in 67 games for them from 2009-11) and this move suggests they want to ensure having a trusted goalie in the nets in case of injury to either {P Ilya Bryzgalov} or {P Michael Leighton}. Boucher certainly has his moments, having shown he's very capable of a being superb for stretches (and he should especially push Leighton for backup starts). Alt is a big, strong rearguard who's still playing in college (at Minnesota). He's not ready for NHL action soon but is a solid addition.
What does it give the Carolina Hurricanes
Above all the young 'Canes drop some salary here by moving Boucher (something they needed to do after signing {P Dan Ellis}). Pither has shown he can score at both the junior and ECHL levels, so he'll provide some depth down the middle. That said, it would seem the still-promising Alt is the price Carolina pays here for unloading Boucher's salary (but he's not a major loss, since the Hurricanes have a lot of young depth along the blueline). Expect Ellis to now be {P Cam Ward}'s full-time backup.
Fantasy impact
Neither Alt nor Pither seems ready for NHL action anytime soon, so the only potential fantasy factor here is Boucher. He averaged 33.5 games played for Philly during his last stint (which was only one full season ago) so it's not out of the realm of possibility he could be a starter again if Bryzgalov gets injured. Keep him on the deep sleeper radar, just in case.
