Oh What Could Have Been

So, as everyone knows, this year's NHL season has come down to the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins battling it out for Lord Stanley's Cup.  And as an avid Philadelphia Flyers fan I've come to grips with the sweep that we encountered from the Bruins in the second round.  However, what has gotten to me is all of the players that the Flyers have let go when they were young and never gave a chance to develop.  Let's take a look.
Within the conference, I see two key players that the Flyers let go before they ever gave him a chance.  Denis Seidenberg and Steve Downie.  He was a young guy when the Flyers originally had him and all he was with them was a role player.  Played as maybe a No. 5 or 6 defender, possibly a four.  Now with Boston, all he does is blast bombs from the point, has become a fixture on their power play, and is a top two defensemen for them.  Meanwhile, Downie was young and fairly immature when he came up to the Flyers' roster.  Took bad penalties and didn't play into the Flyers system.  But given a chance by the Tampa Bay Lightning, he has contributed to their rise and success by playing on a line with Vincent Lecavalier, allowing him to hone in on his underrated offensive game.
Out West, I see two more players who have developed into something special that the Flyers have missed out on.  The Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp and the Los Angeles Kings' Justin Williams.  Sharp, who was primarily used as a fourth line enforcer when playing in Philadelphia, has developed into Chicago's number three forward, producing points and offense that was a key in them defeating the Flyers in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.  Under Joel Quenneville, he has been able to prosper and develop into a player that the Flyers probably wish they still had.  As for Justin Williams, he had his moments as a Flyer, but has had the majority of his better days in the sunshine of Los Angeles and in Carolina with the Hurricanes.  He plays on the second line out west and has scored over 3/4 of his points since leaving the Flyers.
But hey, players are lost and every team probably sees certain players in the league as a regret for losing them, but this one player that I saved for last was a key to why the Flyers struggled down the stretch.
Simon Gagne was the heart and soul for the Flyers over the past years.  Just look at last season.  When he returned to Game 4 of the Boston series, that is when the Flyers turned it on, completing the epic comeback against Boston and riding him all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Flyers were 10-5 in the playoffs with Gagne in the line-up last season and to lose him for an aging defensemen and a draft pick?  Come on Paul Holmgren.  Can't help but to think that he is a key reason for the success of Tampa Bay this past season.