Is Ray Emery the Guy to Lead Philadelphia to Stanley Cup Glory?

Heading into the offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers have, roughly, $42 million committed to 11 players for the 2009-10 season, and none of those players happen to be a goaltender. That's because the team's two-headed monster from this past season, Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki, is eligible for unrestricted free agency, and there's really not a long-term solution banging down the door in the pipeline to the NHL.

Put it all together, and it leads to the news we heard on Wednesday that the team is interested in signing free agent goalie Ray Emery this offseason.

Emery spent this past season playing for Mytishchi Atlant of the KHL, finishing with a 2.12 goals against average and a .926 save percentage in 36 games. He also made some headlines when he was involved in a physical altercation with a team trainer when he refused to put on a baseball cap after being pulled from a game. He jumped the pond to play in Russia following a tumultuous three-year stint with the Ottawa Senators that featured several on- and off-ice problems. In his NHL career, he's posted a 71-40-14 record to go with a .907 save percentage.

The Flyers are currently riding a 33-year Stanley Cup drought, and have been searching for a franchise goalie for just as long (unless you're counting Ron Hextall). A quick look at the current roster shows a team that boasts one of the deepest, most dangerous collections of forwards in the NHL (with more help coming) and a strong defense.

The only thing missing is the goalie.

General manager Paul Holmgren admitted to Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Flyers are internally discussing a number of options, including Emery. From Moran:

"We are having internal discussions on a lot of things," Holmgren said. "Ray Emery is one of them. I'm not going to comment on our internal discussions."

Thanks to the in-season contract extensions for Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom and Boston's Tim Thomas, this year's crop of free agents leaves plenty to be desired. Consider the unrestricted options: Manny Fernandez (Boston), Nikolai Khabibulin (Chicago), Ty Conklin (Detroit), Dwayne Roloson (Edmonton), Craig Anderson (Florida), Joey MacDonald (Islanders), Kevin Weekes (New Jersey), Scott Clemmensen (New Jersey), Brian Boucher (San Jose), Mathieu Garon (Pittsburgh), Martin Gerber (Toronto), Brent Johnson (Washington).

Not exactly a promising list. Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen is an intriguing option as a restricted free agent, assuming Atlanta would be willing to let him go and Philadelphia (or any team) would be willing to meet the price.

Given the lack of quality options on the free agent market, Emery might not be the worst option out there for the Flyers when it comes strictly to hockey. He's obviously talented, he's young, and he probably has more long-term upside than any player eligible for free agency with the lone exception of Lehtonen. Are the Flyers willing to take the gamble that Emery finally has his head on straight? The 700 level offers up, perhaps, the most accurate description of his career as rivaling Ron Hextall on the ice, "and far exceeding it off the ice."