radoran

Aside from 2010 you may need to go back to the troika of Zhamnov, Markov, and Malakhov back in 2004 when there was so much interest in Russians on the Flyers. Quite a few of us around here remember those days...

I saw at least one report referring to the "playoff-hopeful" Flyers. Just want to reiterate, the goal *ain't* "the playoffs." Michkov 1000% better off in Voohees than Sochi for his development no matter what we think of the organization's ability to develop players.

This ain't a "cold" war. And the question has never been from "this side." That's just the kind of people running the KHL side of things.

Nolan Patrick. Scott Laughton. Just off the top of my head. The Flyers LOVE to do this. Michkov wouldn't come over to play in the AHL.

They said the same thing in 1776, 1862, 1917, 1941, and just about every year since 1950. (They kinda knew they would beat the Mexicans and Cubans) It's almost like people underestimating the people and declaring the end of civilization as we know it haven't been right. Weird. I'll presume some mod will be hiding this shortly

Remember when Berube couldn't coach and it just turned out that the team was awful? Good times.

I actually think Briere is expecting them to be pretty terrible next season. Could give them cover to move Konecny. I think he knows pretty darn well just how far away from actual competition they are. Last season was great to get fans back on board, get the team "culture" reset , and wash away from of the Fletchstink Unfortunately, when you let a guy like Fletcher make long term moves in pursuit of short term gains, you wind up with a HUGE mess. And it still stinks.

I went over this "in another thread" but Buried - $3.85M (Petersen) Retained - $3.571M (Hayes) - and next season Buyout - $1.67M (SeAngelo) LTIR - $6.25M (Ellis) - two more seasons LTIR (likey) - $4M (Johansen) That's almost $20M dollars in guys who will never play for them again. If Petersen does then his hit is $5M (the Flyers' total goalie corps hit is $4.75M). This was the essential folly of "trying to make the playoffs" last season - they're not in any sort of position where they will actually be able to get "better" this season. This was not the planting of an acorn that will grow into a mighty oak tree. It's trying to grow crops in the dust bowl. The Knigits are, indeed, filthy. But you see the perennial middling bubble playoff teams Washington, Minnesota, Islanders in the top five and then crap teams like Montreal and Ottawa in the top 10. Then there's the Rangers, Oilers, Lightning all sitting there with $9M in cap space...

I will say that if they haven't had any contact with him at all, and he's still posting videos of himself working out in Flyer gear, that's at the very least encouraging. The ultimate decision may not be in his hands, but I don't think he will Gauthier them.

It wouldn't at all surprise me if this was a ploy from an agent or the player or the KHL. Or a mixed translation somewhere. Or he could be on his way to Minsk as we speak That doesn't change anything about what's going on in Lehigh Valley.

This is the short term thinking emblematic of what's been wrong with the Flyers for decades. When it becomes more important to win in the AHL than to develop players, your organization has lost the plot. They have a top prospect make the difficult decision to come over and he gets two whole games while they run Cal Petersen out there to be the second coming of Andrew Raycroft Kolosov was 3.03/.885 but, again, two games. Was Petersen's 2.70/.887 that much better??? They've already committed two years to Fedotov and he was 4.95/.811 in three NHL games. Just wait, Scott Hartnell will go up there and turn everything around in Lehigh Valley.

I like "may" as a word. For example: this may be true. I know Meltzer reposted it, but I'mawait for something a little more official before beating my head against the wall.

I'm not "nuclear" about anything because nothing has actually happened yet. I think reaching to the 20th ranked NA skater with your 12th pick in a rebuilding environment would be "a mistake" but I've been wrong before. Not as often as the Flyers, but it has happened. So, Morgan Frost II.

No way Tarasenko goes to some small, backwater market like *checks notes* Ottawa Buffalo. Never happen.

All of those teams are still in the division. They still play them a lot. The problem is that the Flyers have just flat out sucked for so long that no one takes them the least bit seriously, certainly not as a "rival." Imagine declaring a "rival" being a team that has missed the playoffs for four years straight and has one playoff round win in over a decade. To wit, the Bruins are the Maple Leaves' rival, but the Leaves are a "I don't think about you at all" to the Bruins...