DURING THE winter of discontent, the Flyers' blue line was so crowded that top defenseman Michael Del Zotto was forced to sit behind seven others for all but three games in the month of December.
The Flyers have only since added to the logjam, even after jettisoning Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen, with an unavoidable reckoning on the horizon.
Yesterday, the Flyers signed Russian defenseman Yevgeni Medvedev to a 1-year deal, leaving them with eight defensemen under contract. That number does not include Del Zotto, a restricted free agent Ron Hextall said he intends to re-sign.
Medvedev will earn $3 million next season from the Flyers, according to Rogers Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.