Give the Flyers an assist for helping the Washington Capitals win the first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 43-season history.
The Capitals’ first defensive pairing of John Carlson and Michal Kempny did a masterful job throughout the playoffs, and they shut down Vegas’ top line in the Finals.
Carlson, who has blossomed into one of the NHL’s premier defensemen, could have been a Flyer. In 2008, then-Flyers’ general manager Paul Holmgren desperately wanted a righthanded defensemen, so he sent Washington their first-round pick (27th overall) for Steve Eminger and a third-round selection that turned out to be goaltender Jacob DeSerres.