Here's a Sunday morning update to Saturday night's blog on the 14-hour study session the NHL and its players union did on the so-called "Memorandum of Understanding" that served as a Cliff Notes version of the CBA, and when approved late Saturday night by both parties officially ended the lockout.
The update is how the Flyers have responded to it ... they started their opening to "training camp" by announcing they've traded with Carolina to bring back good guy goalie Brian Boucher for the 100th time...
Dateline, Voorhees, N.J. ... even though I'm not there yet - The Flyers open a six-day training camp this Sunday with the news that GM Paul Holmgren has been keeping busy. Holmgren allowed the team to announce what had already been agreed to ... that he'd signed free agent defenseman Kurtis Foster, as the Daily Times first reported Thursday night.
Foster is coming off a fractured collarbone he'd suffered while playing in Finland during the lockout. He apparently is recovered from that and ready to jump right in, though you wonder with his limited mobility where he'll fit in with this defensive alignment.
He will make a difference on the power play, as the Flyers need his right-handed gun from the point there.
A more surprising - though it shouldn't be - move by Holmgren was the acquisition of Boucher, who is back for the fourth (one was minor league only) Philly stint. This can't make Michael Leighton happy, after he signed up as backup to Ilya Bryzgalov, but now finds a name that he competed with over and over in 2009-10 back behind or with him. Boucher's acquisition is likely for AHL depth, however ... or, might be part of another trade coming.
This is only the start of resumption of NHL business for Holmgren, so check back to this blog for updates throughout the day, including the expected reacquisitions of Ray Emery and Antero Niittymaki.
As for that NHL schedule ... apparently, there won't be any more than the 16 last-minute changes they made to it now.
If you saw it on delcotimes.com or in our Saturday print version of the Daily Times, we had the entire schedule Friday night, complete with starting times, though it hadn't been officially released.
After a quick review of the released schedule, we note just two discrepancies from what we had Friday night. The starting times for two games in April are changed. Instead of a 2 p.m. start it'll be 3 p.m. (Eastern time) April 6 out in Winnipeg. And instead of a 7 o'clock start in Buffalo April 13, it'll be a 3 p.m. game then too.
Yes, NBC loves the Flyers. Right now. But if they don't get off to a quick start, those changed afternoon times might be for a local audience only.
Anyway, here once again, is the entire schedule. Yes, all 48 games of it...
Sat. Jan. 19 Pittsburgh 3
Sun. Jan. 20 @ Buffalo 12:30
Tue., Jan. 22 @ N.J. 7:30
Thu., Jan. 24 N.Y. RANGERS 7
Sat. Jan. 26 @ Florida 7:30
Sun. Jan. 27 @ Tampa 6
Tue. Jan. 29 @ N.Y. Rangers 7
Fri. Feb. 1 @ Washington 7
Sat. Feb. 2 Carolina 7
Tue. Feb. 5 Tampa 7:30
Thu. Feb. 7 Florida 7
Sat. Feb. 9 Carolina 1
Mon. Feb. 11 @ Toronto 7
Tue. Feb. 12 @ Winnipeg 7
Fri. Feb. 15 @ N.J. 7
Sat. Feb. 16 @ Montreal 7
Mon. Feb. 18 @ N.Y. Islanders 1
Wed. Feb. 20 @ Pittsburgh 7:30
Thu. Feb. 21 Florida 7
Sat. Feb. 23 Winnipeg 1
Mon. Feb. 25 Toronto 7
Wed. Feb. 27 Washington 7:30
Sat. March 2 Ottawa 12
Tue. March 5 @ N.Y. Rangers 7:30
Thu. March 7 Pittsburgh 7
Sat. March 9 @ Boston 1
Sun. March 10 Buffalo 7:30
Wed. March 13 @ N.J. 7:30
Fri. March 15 N.J. 7
Mon. March 18 @ Tampa 7:30
Sun. March 24 @ Pittsburgh 7
Tue. March 26 N.Y. Rangers 7:30
Thu. March 28 N.Y. Islanders 7
Sat. March 30 Boston 1
Sun. March 31 Washington 7:30
Wed. April 3 Montreal 7:30
Thu. April 4 @ Toronto 7
Sat. April 6 @ Winnipeg 3
Tue. April 9 @ N.Y. Islanders 7
Thu. April 11 Ottawa 7
Sat. April 13 @ Buffalo 3
Mon. April 15 @ Montreal 7:30
Tue. April 16 N.Y. Rangers 7:30
Thu. April 18 N.J. 7:30
Sat. April 20 @ Carolina 7
Tue. April 23 Boston 7:30
Thu. April 25 N.Y. Islanders 7
Sat. April 27 @ Ottawa 7