With both Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki free agents, the talk around Philadelphia water coolers is which goalie will the Flyers resign and lead them on the ice in 2009-2010.  Well it appears there might be another player in the mix.  Word is the Flyers are interested in former Senators net minder Ray Emery.

Emery led the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007-2008, when he went 12-3 in the first three rounds of the playoffs before eventually losing to the Anaheim Ducks.

Emery holds a career 71-40 record with a 2.71 GAA and has the talent to take the Flyers to the next level.

All isn’t good with Emery.  While he has the talent to win a Viezna Trophy, he’s also marginally insane.

Emery is known for his hard partying lifestyle, driving fast (he’s been pulled over for speeding 30 times in the past year), and short temper (his locker room fights while with the senators was well publicized, as well as a center ice fight with Biron on February 22, 2007).  This is the reason after being released by the Senators in June 2008 that no team wanted to take a gamble on him this past season.

Emery ended up playing in Russia, where he was stellar going 22-8 with a 1.86 GAA.  Unfortunately this past January he attacked the trainer of Atlant Moscow (his Russian team), by punching in him the face after his refusal to wear a team cap after getting pulled from a game.  Emery claims he was being taunted by the trainer.

At twenty-six, some of his best hockey is still ahead of him.  Should he lose his frat boy ways, he would be a solid addition to the Flyers.  The question is are the Flyers willing to take a gamble on a talented goalie that at times prefers fast cars and loose women to stopping 95 miles per hour slapshots?

This remains to be seen.