Even as we say “Congratulations” to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who beat the Flyers 4 games to 2 to advance to the Conference Semifinals in the 2009 NHL Playoffs, we want to say a big “Thank you” to the Philadelphia Flyers for the thrilling season they had!

Though the Philadelphia Flyers finished the 2007-08 season in 4th place in the Atlantic division, they did well enough to secure a spot in the playoffs and they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before they were knocked out by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Clearly the rebuilding effort after the dismal 2006-07 season was a success, but can they build on that to make it to the Stanley Cup in 2009? Not wanting to ruin a good thing, General Manager Paul Holmgren decided to make minor tweaks to the team that he hopes will make them real contenders in the 2008-09 season, including dealing forward R.J. Umberger to the Columbus Blue Jackets and letting forward Vaclav Prospal and defenseman Jason Smith leave during free agency. This freed up money to sign center Jeff Carter to a 3-year deal and to add defensemen Ossi Vaananen and Steve Eminger and depth forwards Arron Asham and Glen Metropolit to the roster. If the Flyers can keep up their momentum from last season, they’ll be a real force in the Eastern Conference. Get your tickets to Wachovia Center and be there with the Philadelphia Flyers as they return to glory in the 2008-09 season.