Andrej Meszaros

Despite replacing nearly half of last season's roster, the Flyers and GM Paul Holmgren managed to keep the team's defensive unit largely intact. Last season, the star-studded unit performed exceptionally well, despite Chris Pronger's bout with injuries.

With the offseason ending and 2011-2012 NHL season on the horizon, it's time to take a look at what Flyer fans can expect from the team's blueliners next season.

Chris Pronger is arguably one of the best defensive defensemen in the league.

His talent and production in all three zones makes him irreplaceable in the Flyers lineup. The only positive with this injury is that he will be better rested for the long playoff haul.

The Flyers, like every other team in the NHL facing injuries, have backup plans for their team.

The following list is of five possible solutions for the loss of production of veteran Chris Pronger.

Before the start of this season, I wrote a piece here on Bleacher Report about the possible emergence of Andrej Meszaros after being picked up from Tampa Bay.

The title of the article was “Andrej Meszaros: The Man, The Myth, The Legend?”

Well, after his performance thus far, I think it’s safe to say that he is making some strides in his quest to be legendary here in Philadelphia.

It's a theme repeated year after year. Teams must shed players in order to make room for the following year's salary cap. The Philadelphia Flyers may be no different despite sitting on top of the league. The Flyers are sitting at about $3.65 million in cap space. Sometimes these moves are tough, but they benefit the team in the long run. Here are 10 players to keep an eye on going into the trade deadline.

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When the Philadelphia Flyers acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2012 second-round draft choice, I was a little skeptical at the price tag surrounding the underachieving blueliner.

Meszaros, 25, scored eight goals and had 25 assists in two very disappointing seasons with Tampa Bay, where he was a minus-18 in 133 games.

On July 1, 2010, at the start of free agency, the Flyers acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second-round pick. In my opinion, this acquisition was one of the best moves the Flyers made this offseason.

Meszaros is a very skilled defenseman and will pay dividends for the Flyers, especially since he is placed on the fourth line. In my last article, a loyal reader (Aaron Miller), asked why I did not include Meszaros in my 2010-2011 season preview.

Departures: Danny Syvret

Arrivals: Matt Walker, Sean O’Donnell, Andrej Meszaros

Look who’s new in the neighborhood!

The big acquisition, with regards to salary and cap hit, is Andrej Meszaros. However, the big acquisition, with regards to likely effect on the team, is Sean O’Donnell.

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren's 2010 offseason plans seem to be counterproductive after the inspiring playoff run that almost went into a seventh game in the Stanley Cup finals.  If not for the unfortunate "phantom goal" that slipped past Michael Leighton, the Flyers might have had enough momentum to have beaten the Chicago Blackhawks in a deciding final game.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren didn't waste anytime on Canada Day in upgrading the defense.

The Flyers traded a 2012 second round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning to acquire defense-man Andrej Meszaros about 10 minutes before free agency opened at noon on Thursday.

"It's great, I'm excited... they were always a tough team to play against," said Meszaros.

At 6'2" and 223 lbs. Meszaros is the ideal size for an NHL defenseman.  He adds a physical presence to a defense that already features All-Stars Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen.