Yesterday the Philadelphia Flyers signed Ilya Bryzgalov and traded away both Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.

Those moves were huge. Really big. They got a great goalie, which is something they’ve needed for years, and the packages they received for Carter and Richards hold some very good pieces, most notably Brayden Schenn and an 8th overall pick in this year’s draft.

But I have to be honest: this is forcing me to reevaluate whether I want the Flyers to be my second favourite team in the East.

Last summer I decided to devote a bit more attention to a few more NHL teams, rather than just the Canucks. I picked the Tampa Bay Lightning as my #1 Eastern Conference team, due to their youth, speed, and star power, and they rewarded me handsomely. I picked the Phoenix Coyotes as my #2 team in the West, after the Canucks, and they once again made the playoffs despite a pretty noticeable lack of starpower. I waffled on my East #2, initially thinking about the New Jersey Devils or even the Toronto Maple Leafs, but I eventually went with the Flyers, because of their great depth, especially at forward, and the number of exciting two-way players they had.

Now I have to rethink my choice.

To be clear, I haven’t become totally disillusioned with the Flyers just because they traded away my favourite player on their team (Mike Richards). I think they made good, smart hockey moves, and I can respect that. But it does kind of feel like they ripped a little piece of my heart out.

I still love Claude Giroux, and I respect James VanRiemsdyk. They still have Briere and Zherdev and Hartnell, and you have to believe they’re going to do everything they can to re-sign Ville Leino. That’s a lot of great forwards, and plenty to be excited about, especially if Schenn can make the jump and join them. But who is going to center their top two lines? I have to think they’re going to make a move, either via trade or in free agency, to find a number one center now, and that means more shaking up, either to clear cap space to sign a Brad Richards type, or to make a deal for a Mike Richards replacement. EDIT: I’m a bad fan. It seems both Briere and Giroux play Centre, despite the Flyers website listing them as wingers in their bios.

Ultimately, I think July 1 is probably going to be when I make my decision about who to follow in my East #2 spot next year. It may still be Philadelphia, or maybe it’ll be the Devils (especially if they can re-sign Parise and keep him healthy). The Hurricanes and the Islanders have some pieces I’m interested in, too.

When I make my choice, I’ll let you know. And I’ll stick to it for at least a year.