Flyers Sign Golatender Emery to One-Year Contract

Not sure how I missed posting this, but the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have agreed on a one-year contract with goaltender Ray Emery. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the deal is believed to be worth somewhere between $1.5-$2.5 million. The contract cannot be officially signed until July 1 because he is still a free agent. Emery made headlines and gained lots of unwanted attention during the 2007-08 season while playing with the Ottawa Senators for constantly clashing with coaches and teammates. Ottawa's struggles late in that season were largely blamed on Emery's antics. The Senators bought out his contract last summer and he signed a one-year deal with Atlant Mytischy of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with the hopes of turning his game around to make an NHL comeback. During his last season in the NHL in 2007-08, Emery struggled, posting a 12-13-4 record in 31 games with a GAA of 3.13 and a .890 save percentage. He was very impressive in his one season in the KHL, posting a 22-8-0 record in 36 games with a 2.12 GAA and a .926 save percentage. With the Philadelphia Flyers very close to the salary cap ceiling, this is an affordable signing in goal for them, though it will cost them the services of Martin Biron, who will likely seek a larger contract than Emery. This will be Emery's chance to prove that he has become a more mature player after playing in Russia for one year like he claimed in his press conference. He has the skills to become a top-notch, starting goaltender. However, if his temper gets the better of him this season, this will definitely be his final season in the NHL. He won't get a third chance to redeem himself.