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Despite all the controversy surrounding the Flyers last season, Philly came just one goal shy of an appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. A blow-by-blow look at the tumultuous '99-00 season would resemble "War and Peace", but ESPN.com's Closer Look takes an annotated glance at the Flyers' season and what the team needs to improve for 2000-01.

Season Review: Drama ends one goal short

	Lindros

Defenseman Chris Therien probably didn't have to act much when he recently made a cameo appearance on the soap opera "One Life to Live." The Flyers' season had all the drama: Their coach battling cancer, the star player fighting post-concussion syndrome and management, a rookie goalie carrying the team and a major trade.

Through it all, the Flyers rallied late in the season to gain the No. 1 seed in the East and get all the way to a Game 7 against New Jersey, the eventual Cup champs.

The controversies have been well documented. Roger Neilson, diagnosed with cancer, left the team yet vowed to return. But his replacement, Craig Ramsay, did so well -- and was so well liked -- that GM Bob Clarke didn't want to unseat him when Neilson thought he was ready to return. Then, there's Eric Lindros, whose head injuries limited his on-ice presence, and his off-ice battles with Clarke ultimately resulted in Lindros' isolation from the team -- of course, many view Lindros' actions as equally divisive.

To offset Lindros' absence, the Flyers shipped the popular Rod Brind'Amour to Carolina for Keith Primeau and also re-acquired old-time Flyer bad boy Rick Tocchet from Phoenix. Throw in rookie Brian Boucher, who snatched the No. 1 goalie job from John Vanbiesbrouck, and the result is high drama, as well as a pretty darn good hockey team -- with or without Lindros.

Boucher was by far the best story of the season. The relatively unknown netminder from Rhode Island emerged to win 20 games and become the first rookie in several decades to finish with a GAA under 2.00 (1.91). Boucher was the game-saving goalie Philly fans so desperately wanted. Vanbiesbrouck wasn't shabby himself (25-15-9, 2.20 GAA, .906 save percentage), but he drew increasing criticism for "soft" goals, and Boucher thrived where the Beezer got bashed.

Certainly not lost in the melodramas surrounding the team were the performances of John LeClair and Mark Recchi. With his 40 regular-season goals, LeClair proved that he can be a big-time scorer without Lindros as a linemate. And Recchi? His 32 power-play assists buoyed the league's second-best power play. Recchi's 91 points (63 were assists) and his overall output was his best since '93-94 -- which was his last full season in Philly before heading to Montreal.

Recchi and LeClair's play earned them All-Star nods, and defenseman Eric Desjardins joined them in Toronto. Although not as flashy and well known as other A-list blueliners, Desjardins was steady, productive and gritty. And although it's vogue to bash Lindros, when he was healthy, he was productive, garnering 27 goals and 59 points in just 55 games -- Lindros also was an All-Star.

All this talk of superlative play doesn't even mention the emegence of rookie Simon Gagne (20-27-47) and the solid play of Daymond Langkow (17-31-48).

Although it's understandable with his long layoff, Primeau struggled for much of the season as he tried to find a groove with his new team. But as the season went on, he improved, and in his final 16 games, he scored eight goals and amassed 14 points.

In the end, the distractions cannot necessarily be the reason Philly didn't go all the way. A healthy Lindros and some more team speed could have been the difference. And let's not forget, the Flyers had a 3-1 series lead on the fleet-footed Devils.

The Open Market: Status quo and a dash of speed
Everyone knows Lindros isn't signed and likely won't ever play for the Flyers again -- if he ever plays again. So, there's no use wasting too much space beyond the fact that it's a difficult story to handle, mainly because he's a great talent whose career might end prematurely. No one -- not even Clarke -- wants to see Lindros throttled again the way he was by Scott Stevens in the East finals.

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: Chris Therien, Eric Lindros. Signings/offseason acquisitions: Brian Boucher, Andy Delmore, Jody Hull, John LeClair, Michel Picard, Derek Plante, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet, Michal Sykora, Brad Tiley.

Outside of the Lindros situation, things look relatively similar to last season, with a few changes. Boucher inked a two-year deal and won't miss camp. Tocchet and LeClair signed as well, although Clarke should try and lock up LeClair soon because if he doesn't, LeClair might just play out the string and hit free agency -- and take the highest bidder.

The most notable additions are Kevin Stevens and Derek Plante. Stevens, clearly on the downside of his career, gets a second chance in Philly after his problems with the law stemming from a drug arrest in St. Louis. Don't forget that Stevens wasn't playing much -- or well -- on a terrible Rangers team last season. But traumatic events tend to change perspectives, and a rejuvenated Stevens, although the odds aren't terribly in his favor, could add some depth and scoring to the lower lines. Plus, he's a very popular locker-room presence. Perhaps, he can step in nicely in the absence Valeri Zelepukin, who signed with Chicago.

Plante is another project. He was buried in Dallas and not overly effective in recent years. But since speed was a problem against the Devils, Plante could be a boost, especially if he can recapture his form of '96-97 when he scored 27 goals and was a plus-14 for the Sabres.

The Flyers left no doubt this offseason that Boucher will carry the load in '00-01. With Vanbiesbrouck off to the Islanders and Jean-Marc Pelletier with Carolina from the Primeau deal, there's no bona fide backup candidate. The Flyers drafted 29-year-old Roman Cechmanek, who has had success in the Czech Republic and backed up Dominik Hasek in the 1998 Olympics. Maxime Ouellet is another possibility. The 19-year-old is one of the most heralded goalie prospects out there -- right up there with Roberto Luongo and Rick DiPietro -- and maybe he's ready to get a chance with the big boys. Even the oft-injured veteran Daren Puppa has been mentioned as a possibility -- although that probably was just posturing in the Boucher negotiations.

In terms of holdouts, Therien is the only other significant roster name still unsigned.

How to improve: Expectations too high?
Regardless of where you fall on the fence line of the Lindros battle, if he were healthy and happy, the Flyers would be absolutely formidable. But as it stands, they aren't getting any younger -- average age is 29 -- and the window of opportuntiy is shrinking. And don't think the acquisition of Plante is enough to offset the speed weaknesses on this team, especially in comparison to teams like New Jersey, St. Louis and even Colorado.

Having said that though, this remains a talented team. LeClair, Recchi, Gagne, Tocchet, Primeau, Langkow. Looks like there will be two strong scoring lines. Defensively, there is depth and veteran talent. Andy Delmore emerged as a legitimate NHL talent, and Mark Eaton also held up his end pretty well. Throw in Desjardins, Gino Odjick, Dan McGillis, a rejuvenated Luke Richardson and (hopefully) Therien. Again, there are speed questions with this unit, but defense should not be a glaring weakness, especially if Boucher can come close to duplicating '99-00 over the course of a full season.

It would be best for all parties if the Lindros situation gets settled sooner, rather than later. Clarke won't get full value for Lindros, no matter what happens. If he waits for Lindros to get cleared to play, it might be too late. Cut your losses, let him go and try to upgrade the roster at the trade deadline -- when a GM really can earn his keep.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com.