Outside of Mike Richards, who stands to benefit the most from Jeff Carters absence in Philadelphia?
This is probably going to sound like a broken record since I’ve been raving about Claude Giroux the last two seasons, but now is as good as time as ever for the 22-year-old forward to step up for the Flyers. The 2006 first-round pick has flashed glimpses of his offensive potential, particularly late last season. Giroux had five goals and 16 points in his last 21 regular-season games as a rookie, and kept the momentum going with two goals and five points in six playoff games against Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, Giroux hasn’t quite made the impact the Flyers or Fantasy owners were looking for in 2009-10. He started to gain some steam in November and December, but the coaching change to Peter Laviolette threw a wrench into his progress. Laviolette shifted Giroux from the wing to center, but since Carter and Richards were ahead of him on the depth chart, Giroux toiled on the third line. That meant reduced scoring chances and erratic power-play minutes. Now that Carter will be sidelined 3-4 w
