BobbyClarkeFan16

The Flyers are more than a Trouba away form contention. Let the blue skirts overpay for him (because they still need to sign him and that's going to be a huge contact). If the price was too high then Fletcher did the right thing. Right now, Fletcher just needs to get Hayes signed, get a backup goalie and sign a right winger and they're done. There are numerous teams with cap trouble and that's who the Flyers should target.

I think it's telling that the 'bad' defender the Flyers acquired still played on average 22 minutes a night in the regular season and almost 25 minutes a night in the playoffs. Now that he's getting a full off-season to heal up and playing with younger players with younger legs, he's not going to have to do as much heavy lifting. His puck moving savvy and his on ice awareness is going to be huge. I love Radko and it's tough to see him go, but the Flyers have a Radko-type guy in Morin and he's going to play this year and I bet he's going to play a lot. The Flyers won't be as 'soft' as some might expect. I still think one more rough and tumble player will be in the lineup. Don't forget that Hartman hits like a freight train (and I'm willing to bet that Vigneault will help Hartman harness his game) and Konecny can throw the body as well. I get that they aren't 6'0+ in height, but you get a bowling ball of hate flying down the wing and knocking you on your ass, you're going to feel it. I like what Fletcher's doing. Notice that none of the important assets have been given away and that all the top prospects remain. That gives me hope.

The retention is just over $1 million dollars. It's chump change in the grand scheme of things. The moving of Gudas all but guarantees that Morin is going to play a lot next year. His size, meanness and skating ability will put him ahead of Hagg. I wanted the Flyers to sign Niskanen originally when he was a free agent. I think having him in a supporting role for the younger defensemen is ideal.

If Zamula adds weight, he'll be right up there with Meyers in terms of Hextall's best finds via the undrafted free agent route.

I know that this is about the comparisons of Sanheim and Meyers, but if those two end up similar to Pietrangelo and Parayko, that's a home run. Add in that Provorov could be the second coming of Ryan Suter and that's a grand slam.

I'm liking that Fletcher at least has a pulse. He saw some areas to address and he's starting to do it. It's been nothing exorbitant or expensive. The retention on Gudas by way of $1.005 million is a drop in the bucket for a team with over $30 million in cap space. The move also allows Morin and his meanness to get into the lineup. Don't forget that Morin is a plus in terms of mobility and it also allows the Flyers to move Hagg in another deal. I get that Niskanen had a couple of down years in Washington, but this is a guy who plays 20+ minutes a night and is going to free up a bit of the defensive burden on Provorov. Provorov has been played so heavily the past three seasons that it took a toll on him last year. Getting Ivan under 24 minutes a night and increasing the ice time of Sanheim and Meyers should be a priority going forward. Hopefully this also shows Hayes that the Flyers are serious about turning this boat around and if they can get his name on a deal, that's huge too.

I'm not worried about Niskanen. He'll be a good fit. Having him play alongside Provorov or Sanheim is a good thing.

Money talks. If the Flyers pony up, he'll sign. This is just a negotiation tactic.

The Washington Capitals are proud to select from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, the second best Connor Mc in the game, Connor McMichael!!!! Some of the scouting reports include: Sam Cosentino - SportsNet: "Shoots and passes like a pro. Great skating ability allows him to transition well and consistently be a part of the rush."Chris Peters - ESPN: "A high-end skater, McMichael shows excellent touch and an ability to be a threat to shoot or pass."Hannah Stuart - theScore: "Last year, McMichael had six points in 28 games. This year, he put up 72 points in 67 games - and 63 of those were primary points. His production is driven by excellent hockey sense and puck skills, and he's strong in his own zone as well. "Sam Conentino - SportsNet: "Was a force early- to mid-season, but has taken a step back of late as others have bypassed him for high-leverage minutes." Connor McMichael comes from the hockey factory and there's familiarity in his game with regards to Dale Hunter being his coach. The Capitals know they're getting a forward that can play all three zones and has an offensive touch to boot. To make matters even more appealing, McMichael is a producer during even strength and produces a number of primary points. With Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Oshie all approaching their mid-30s, the Capitals decide now is the time to start replenishing the system with prospects with offensive upside. McMichael fits that bill and will be a welcome addition to the Washington Capitals prospect pipeline. @CreaseAndAssist you're up!!!!

I’m currently at work in training and I’ll make my pick around 4

I'm fine with trading Jake. The only untouchable out of the long term players is Giroux. He retires a Flyer. As well, the Flyers are going to have an eventual money problem and you might as well get ahead on the curve. I also remeber the 1989 - 1990 season when it all fell apart. I don't want a repeat of that.

But Hayes is versatile. So, if Patrick does become the number 2 (hehehe number 2) and if Frost is ready to be the number 3, you move Hayes to the wing and you've got ridiculous depth on both sides of center. Don't forget that Hayes will get pk time, so he'll get to still take draws and take pressure off Couturier and Laughton. So, you're probably gonna get 3 to 4 solid seasons out of him before fully committing to him at wing and by then, van Useless will be gone and Giroux will probably be moved to the right side to accommodate Lindblom, Farabee and Ratcliffe. Then your right side becomes Konecny, Giroux and Hayes (I think they'll move Voracek in the next year or two). That's pretty disgustingly good depth at forward that's young and skilled and Hayes will be one of those guys that can be a big assistance in helping that young talent along. If you look at the lines, it's already one solid veteran with youth in each line. I'm sold on bringing Hayes onboard. He doesn't block anyone.

After reading the press conference today, it looks like Fletcher and Nature Boy are going to draft a defenseman. I expect that Soderstrom leads the list, but with the Flyers having some good luck with the USNTDP, it won't surprise me if York is high on the list as well. Gut leads me to believe it's going to be Soderstrom just because they talked about someone between 3 - 15. They have lots of left handed defensemen, but they don't have a potentially elite right handed defender in the system. OK, now I'm really intrigued by what's going to happen at the draft.

I don't think defense is a meh area of this draft as much as the forward depth in this draft is greater than the defense depth. There's potentially five top pairing defensemen in the first round and a high number of quality second pairing throughout.

I was iffy on Soderstrom at first, but he's really grown on me. One of the things that caught my attention was how calm and composed he is. You can just see how smart he is. And then the skating, wow. I know this will drive people insane, but his skating is Rasmus Dahlin good. I have no doubt in my mind that if he were 6'2, 6'3 he'd easily be top 5. This is a really good defenseman. Like Provorov good.