ItsDaBill

I am going to say yes, a salary dump would be excellent for this team. Its not that they need to get younger, its that they have spent money horribly on guys like Timonen, Streit, Hartnell, etc... if you can somehow move them to teams looking to fill voids I would do it in a heartbeat. Of the older players I would keep Vinny because he is someone I think would be good for younger guys to learn from. They have to stop dishing out contracts like Timonens $6 million per at 38 years old... it makes no sense.

Not to be harsh but the Flyers will have a first overall pick when Hell freezes over. Ed Snider will NEVER allow this team to be bad enough to earn a #1 pick. That being said, I believe the true way to really build a highly successful franchise is through the draft and no leaning so heavily on free agents as the Flyers do. There are several franchises that have done this and are seeing the rewards starting to come to fruition. I think this approach applies in all major sports because of the salary caps that are now in place... with the exception of baseball. Even baseball you see teams like the Nationals and Pirates who build their core through the draft and minor league system. The bottom line is, as long as Ed Snider owns this team, we will never have that #1 pick. The year of Kane and JVR was the only shot and that was a fluke.

As I said to another poster, the fact that Schenn is tied for the team lead in points is somewhat irrelevant to me, at least at this point in time. The significant lack of scoring overall from the team kind of skews his team lead... in my opinion. I hear what you are saying though, Schenn is at least showing some production whereas Courturier has been much quieter. Hopefully a full season will help them with consistency and allow the coaching staff to dig in on skill development. The condensed season last year was more of a mad dash and I doubt very good for any sort of significant development. Good test tonight with the Ducks. I will be watching to see who steps up to challenge Getzlaf and Perry. This team really needs Giroux to get it going and maybe a good test like Anaheim is something that will be good for him. I saw Mason gets the start again, I like that Barube is sticking with him... he has played much better than Emery in the early season and deserves a real chance to show what he can do.

It goes without saying that the two conferences have generally played a different brand of hockey from one another. For whatever reason I am really noticing a significant difference this season more so than any other year. The East generally looks sluggish whereas the West is fast moving. Ive noticed a lot West teams are constantly in motion with forwards circling instead of stopping at a blue line, etc... Has anyone else noticed the growing difference in the two conferences? Maybe the West is just the better conference at this period in time?

Another very good point to make regarding Giroux. He has been a disappointment so far but Im confident he will get it going soon. He just needs a goal and things will start to move for him. He is in the classic trying to hard place right now and the game isnt coming to him. Once he gets a goal and some of that pressure is lifted he will be better. Given this teams extreme lack of scoring so far (Lacavalier not included) Schenns tie for point total means very little to me. My eyes tell me he still isnt playing on a level that is opening eyes. On a positive note... because I hate to only be negative... Mason has looked great so far. Its still early but he has played very well and kept the Flyers in a lot of games. If he can continue to play well they should make the playoffs (as Giroux stupidly proclaimed). You can see the team starting to click a little more each game since Barube took over and its just a matter of time until they show us some good hockey.

Thats a great point about Read and the age difference. I tend to forget he is 27 and that certainly helps with consistency.

I agree and disagree with your points. I think you are correct when you say we tend to over value young talent in the Flyers system... and maybe that isnt really accurate... I think its more we expect them to reach full potential far sooner than is realistic. A forward who is only 20 years old will certainly develop as he gains more experience and fills out his body with maturity and muscle. A guy like Couturier came into the league under weight but has the frame add another 15 pounds of muscle and become a more physical forward. So, I guess thats where I disagree... he may not get faster (which isnt a problem anyway) but he may very well become a tougher forward. Schenn frustrates me the most... I actually think he has the most upside but as you said has been extremely inconsistent. Fingers crossed that Barube over the rest of the season can work with him and get him performing at a higher level night in and night out.

Thanks for the welcome, its nice to have Flyers discussion with other educated fans. It sounds like we agree on most points regarding the young forwards. Honestly, the strength of their defense is more encouraging to me than the offensive side... at least as it relates to their potential. Defense tends to be the harder skill to master but both Couturier and Schenn do well in this area, Couturier the stronger of the two. Hopefully Giroux will start to pick up his game offensively and with that others will follow. Right now its tough to watch at times but there is marked improvement since Barube took over. Of the younger forwards, Simmonds would be expendable to me if they needed to shop for a scoring forward or strengthen the defense further. I like what can bring to the team but in the end his is not dominant even at his best and tends to disappear far too often.

While it is exciting to have several younger forwards with potential upside, when are we going to start seeing this upside? With the exception of Matt Read who has been playing well, when are Simmonds, Schenn and Couturier going to start playing with some consistency? Each have shown signs of what could be but none of them have established themselves as legit top six forwards, at least in my opinion. Of the three I like the potential of Schenn and Couturier the most... I think Simmonds is just about what you are going to see from him. He has the ability to play physical and get some dirty goals but overall I think he possessed the least upside. So, the question becomes how does Homer handle all of them? I know they were given extensions but its not Flyer style to be that patient and let all develop at their own pace.