BobbyClarkeFan16

Well, Hart is the incumbent, but moving him will all hinge on this Hockey Canada investigation. If it turns out Hart was a participant in the assault, he'll be blackballed and never play in the league again. What's really concerning is how eerily quiet everything has been. It's almost as if that report is going to go the way of the Beth Wilkinson investigation into the operation of the Washington Commanders.....

Charlie moves into heroin now with this. Does he not think the Flyers learned the last time around what happened when they traded for Pronger? The 35 year old defenseman with a TON of mileage on his body had to retire after a freak injury. So now they sell off two critical offensive wingers, a top defense prospect and a 1st for a 35 year old with a TON of mileage on his body. If Briere does that, then it's clear that Holmgren, Clarke, Barber, etc....all have significant pull within the franchise still and are encouraging these sorts of stupid moves. As a team you HAVE to learn how to develop a number one defenseman. That's the only way your team gets ahead. We've seen for years that the Flyers have gone out and acquired number one defensemen, but it's never worked. Draft and develop. That's how you get a legit number one. I'm fine with the second pair. And I fully expect that Andrae will be the offensive guy on that pair. Ristolainen will never be allowed to play offense because he completely forgets his defensive responsibilities when doing so. Leave him in a banging role and clearing the crease while allowing Andrae to roam is the best fit for him. And yes, no one wants him at that price tag. I'm rather intrigued by the third pairing. I'm a big Sanheim fan and his development by this franchise was really given the gears so to speak. I posted about it in another post, but think of what he's had to go through. Hakstol - doesn't allow him to do the thing he does best in rushing the puck. Instead, it's get the puck up to the blue line and let the forwards deal with it. Hakstol robbed him of one of his best abilities. Gordon - go play firewagon hockey and do what you need to do. There's no focus on defense or transition to offense, it's skate around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Vigneault - he and Therrien really messed with Sanheim. First it's rush the puck, then it's don't rush the puck, but it get out of the zone quickly, then it's back to rushing and then back to not rushing. Yeo - was probably the best coach Sanheim had and had the best results under. He was beginning to flourish as Yeo actually let him play his game. But Yeo knew he was nothing more than an interim head coach. Shaw - completely changed the way Sanheim played and had the worst results. Why he wouldn't continue what Yeo was doing is beyond me. So yeah, Sanheim never stood a chance here. With that being said, his experience could go a long way in helping Bonk reach his potential. Both are excellent skaters. Both see the ice well. Both are adept puck handlers. Having Sanheim as a mentor can really help Bonk avoid the pitfalls that Sanheim experienced, especially when you consider that there was zero veterans around to help groom Sanheim. This might be the perfect role for Sanheim. As for the goaltending, I think Kolosov ends up being the starter. Ridiculously good goaltender and Russia has been putting out some really good goalies as of late. However, I love the idea of he and Ersson as the goaltending tandem. You could pretty much split the starts evenly for them and they could really run with it. As for Hart, it's funny that Charlie doesn't mention what happens with him. I'm wondering if this an Alex Formenton situation here.

Charlie must be snorting coke with some of this stuff. First, Gauthier is NOT a center. Yes, he plays center at BC, but the style he plays is more suited for the wing at the NHL level. Great skater, great shot, great playmaker, but there's so much more to the center position than that and Gauthier will get eaten alive at the NHL doing the stuff he does in college. Just watch and you'll see what I mean. Could he learn? He could, but are you willing to destroy his confidence in the process and completely change everything about his game? Exactly. The best spot for him is the left side. The Flyers will have to draft a center. As for line two and three, I'm switching Couturier with Celebrini. Having Celebrini play with two offensive wingers in Tippett and Konecny will do a lot more good for him reaching his offensive potential than playing with Cates and Kaplan. If you're drafting someone first overall, you aren't playing them on what is usually considered a checking line. Couturier, though, would be the ultimate mentor for Cates and Kaplan. You could also interchange Couturier and Cates to really mess with the opposition. I actually like the fourth line. Denver Barkey is a sleeper and he's going to get a ton of ice time with the Flyers. I get that he's "small", but he plays big, he's fast and he can do it all. Of course, like Celebrini, Gauthier, etc....it's going to be about development as to whether or not he's successful at the NHL. And as a side note, the Tampa Bay Lightning have replaced Benoit Groulx with Joel Bouchard. Groulx is perhaps the best development coach in the game. If the Flyers were smart, they're targeting Groulx to be one of the assistants in Philadelphia. He'd be the perfect fit to help get a lot of these guys over the hump.

Kolosov is the guy I'm interested in. He might just be the best of the bunch.

You're missing Kolosov.

It would be awesome if the Flyers could hire a good goaltending coach though. Kim Dillabaugh is terrible. It still kills me that Hextall sided with Craig Berube over Jeff Reese after the incident with Steve Mason. If that were any other GM, they'd have fired Berube for putting his starting goalie out on the ice after having his meniscus operation. That pretty much started the beginning of the end for Mason in Philadelphia.

Matthews isn't coming here. He's treated like royalty in Toronto. He's gonna get that big 8 year deal that will keep him there until 2032. Besides Elias Pettersen will be the number one here......lol

Don't sleep on Carter Sotheran. He was an absolute steal in round 5 and was actually the 66th rated player in the past draft. Big, mobile, can move the puck, incredibly solid defensively and has a bit of a mean streak. A potential shut down defender.

Here's the thing. If you follow Tortorella's track record with every team but Vancouver, they take big jumps in year two (year four is usually his best years). So yeah, I think this is a club that will generate offense. I'm guardedly optimistic about Couturier. The hands and intelligence will still be there. Same with Atkinson. Yes, they're older and in the case of Couturier, two major back surgeries. The thing that I feel comfortable about is that this wasn't surgery like LeClair or Lemieux. This was a spinal surgery and spinal revision surgery to clear the scar tissue to allow the nerves to heal. There was no disc removal, so his balance and skating should be fine. The other great news is that McCrossin is no longer with the club, so there's no worry about him telling players they're fine when in fact they're still hurt (I strongly believe that there was an incompetence/malpractice issue with McCrossin and that if there was one good thing Fletcher did, it was getting rid of him). So yeah, I'm good with this.

Well, Couturier is a 30 goal guy. Konecny is a 30 goal guy. Atkinson is a 30 goal guy. Tippett came close to being a 30 goal guy. Frost and Laughton should hit 20 this year with increased ice time. Farabee should also hit 20, especially if he's healthy. Add in Tyson Foerster and there should be another 20 goal guy there. So, if they're healthy this year, there's no reason why these 8 can't get 200 goals between them. And that doesn't include a guy like Cates, who will probably see an increase in his production as well. It's very possible that the top nine could easily get between 230 - 240 goals between them. That's an average of 26.7 goals per player. Where things get ugly will be scoring from the defense. That's going to be the dog's breakfast. It's going to depend on Sanheim, York and Ristolainen. If those three can collect 10 goals a piece, that's an additional 30 goals. So, 270 goals should place them in the top 15. Not impossible, but it certainly won't be easy.

I love it. All this extra money is going to be crucial come the trade deadline. They'll be able to take on bad contracts and receive incredible assets in return. This is what smart GMs with a plan do. They know when they'll be able to strike. As others have said, this club is going to be better. They'll be horrible, but better. You'll see which guys are going to be the guys who stay and that's critical. Next year will be a huge year for youth. It's very possible that Gauthier, Desnoyers, Andrae and possibly Grans all make the big club. I know a lot on here like Desnoyers, but I think they're going to let him dominate down in Lehigh Valley before he gets the full call.

The Sanheim contract doesn't scare me. The guy had a bad year. And honestly, how many different coaches has the man had since joining the Flyers. You've got one coach that wanted him to skate, but didn't want him to lead rushes (Hakstol). Then that idiot gets replaced by a coach who lets him play firewagon hockey (Gordon). From there, he gets another coach that says to get rid of the puck fast and support the offense, but transition to defense immediately and make sure you're back at the blueline and gassing yourself and the team's offense (Vigneault). He then gets a coach who tells him to play responsibly, safe and physical, but make sure you press offensively (Yeo) to finally Tortorella and whatever offensive system Brad Shaw is using with his defensemen. And that's in a short period of time. There's absolutely 0% ANY player is successful in this sort of environment. The Flyers ruined Provorov and they banished Gostisbehere when he was the only one with enough balls to call out the team for their nonsense. I'm willing to give Sanheim another year. He started to come around in the 2nd half of last year. I figure that with his name being out there on the trade block, that's going to light a fire under his ass to prove people wrong. That's motivation right there.

Honestly, this is where I'd use Attard. I think he'd be a great compliment for York. While I understand that Attard has an offensive element to his game, he also brings size, skating ability and can really play physical if need be. The skill aspect that Attard brings would be really intriguing to the pair. If teams go to shut down York, then Attard picks up the offensive slack. You can really create mismatches with that. The question is.......does Brad Shaw think outside the box like that or is he insistent that all pairings have one offensive guy and one defensive guy, no exceptions...

The KHL is going before the IIHF to rule on the legitimacy of the contract. I think the IIHF will call the NHL there and they'll strike a deal with the KHL to terminate Fedotov's NHL contract and they'll get a sweetener from the KHL. All parties want resolution on this matter. They'll make it work.

At the end of the day, the Flyers and the KHL will come to an agreement in which Fedotov goes back to CSKA and Michkov will be released from his contract one year early.

...and I'm hoping they continue. Draft at least one goalie every year and see how many of them hit. Great problem to have.

Caufield would have never gotten a chance here. Vigneault and Therrien would have ruined him and he would have been a throw in on another deal. I get that he's a goal scorer (and I think we're going to have one in Foerster who will put up big numbers for goals), but York might be the guy on the defense and that's critical. You know what, I'm going to give Tortorella that. He's really good at developing defensemen. If York does indeed become a number one defenseman, his value immediately surpasses anything Caufield does. I'm waiting for when York gets a full season in to see what he can do.

I'm in the minority, but I hated Lindros. Hated everything about him. Hated how much he cost the franchise in terms of players, picks and cash to get him. Hated how he had done guys removed from the team (Recchi) because they didn't pass the puck to him enough or cost him bonuses. Hated how everything was always sometime else's fault when things didn't go right. Hated how EVERYTHING was about Eric and never the team. Yeah, I'm definitely not an 88 supporter in the slightest. It's too bad that this franchise decided that Brind'Amour was the guy that had to be moved because he was everything that you wanted in a player. Yet, he was the guy who was always stuck with the DiMiaio's, the Klatt's, etc....

Hey the executives and coaches want them to go hard, so if someone gets hurt, that's on coaching and the executives for telling these guys to go hard at all times.

I still can't believe he's gone unclaimed. Worse players have signed for more money and nobody, even our own team, is willing to give him a chance? Something else must be going on because clubs like the Flyers, ducks, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, etc....should be all over him.

So is it a buy out Yzerman is doing with Zadina then? If so, I think you'll see someone sign him to a veterans minimum deal. Come on Briere, this is one guy that can REALLY help out the left side without having to move any right wing players.

Is he really a bottom pairing guy though? Staal averaged 18 minutes and 12 seconds per game during the regular season and 20 minutes 56 seconds per game in the playoffs. That's not bottom pairing/regular scratch ice time. That's D4 ice time. So, forget about Zamula, Andrae, Grans and Attard getting any playing time in the NHL. They're marked for the AHL and they're going to stay there because a Torts guy has been given a job and you know Torts is going to use him a lot. I hate this. I absolutely hate this. Staal won't be sitting for anyone.

If given the time and proper development, Carter Sotheran could be a real good one, a steal. Watching some of the video of him, he can really move. And he's another guy who is never in a bad defensive position. He also makes the right play every time. Yeah, he's probably going to take around 4 years to make it to the show, but if Portland and Lehigh Valley ever decide that it's worth developing his offensive game, he could really be something special. These are the picks that I love - guys with intangibles and areas that haven't been developed. At the very least, it would be awesome if he became a Brett Pesce type of defenseman.

We all know what's going to happen. Someone is going to claim him, Zadina will end up reaching his potential, and the Flyers will say "but Poehling offers so much more" ********. It's clear that the team being built is being built to Tortorella's specifications. So yeah, guys like Zadina will never be welcome here, but if they can find a younger Hathaway clone, you can bet that they'll be all over that like stink on ****.

Every team values players different. The scouts who I'm friends with all work for the central scouting bureau and there really isn't a consensus per se with regards to how team scouts view players and how CSB views players. With that being said, scouting definitely isn't an exact science. For instance, Elite Prospects and they're scouting services had Bonk ranked as the 68th best player in North America. You know who was rated ahead of him? Flyers 5th round pick Carter Sotheran. I think if anyone hasn't, watch the videos of Bonk that are out there. It's easy to see why he went 22nd. He's going to be really good. The question is whether he survives Flyers development because we all know that's a black hole.