Philadelphia Flyers release Bill Guerin

of the Philadelphia Flyers of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on September 28, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey.

Bruce Bennett

In perhaps the most surprising news regarding a veteran NHL player getting the boot, the Philadelphia Flyers decided to release Bill Guerin after giving him a pro tryout this preseason. CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio broke the news.

Veteran Bill Guerin, who had been skating with the Flyers on a tryout, has been released by the team, he told CSNPhilly.com in a text message.

Guerin, 39, spent last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who released him late this summer. He struggled a bit this preseason with the Flyers, however, missing two games with an infected elbow, and going minus-4 in his final game with the team Sunday in Buffalo.

The thought of Guerin skating against the Penguins six times a year as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers probably left more than a few Pittsburgh fans feeling queasy. He wasn’t an all-world line mate for Sidney Crosby, but his right handed shot and high-end character proved to be a solid (and affordable) compliment for the team’s young captain.

Who knows what the future has in store for Guerin? I’ve written before that I think he would be a good fit for the St. Louis Blues, a team that is going young but might miss the power play presence of retired winger Keith Tkachuk. Guerin could fit the wise-cracking, power play specialist/graybeard role quite well.

Guerin scored 21 or more goals every season since the 2006-07 campaign, so it’s hard to imagine that he cannot help any of the 30 NHL teams. Still, he’s not quite as physically dominant as he once was and is far from a defensive dynamo, so whatever club considers him would need to accept his role as a one-dimensional scorer.

At 39-years-old, Guerin might not be quite as willing to go the Plan B route of taking a job in the KHL or another overseas league. Could this be it for the veteran RW or will he catch on with a team that needs a touch of scoring or an injury replacement? We’ll just have to wait and see.