BobbyClarkeFan16

They're not a Stanley Cup contender yet. The defense is still about two seasons away from hitting peak status. The club also needs to hope that Frost and Farabee hit their stride in two seasons as well. Giroux and Voracek are on the downside of their career and they've started to show down in terms of production. The kids need to step up and I just don't see that happening this season. I think Vigneault shelters them this year and then lets them loose next year.

This is where the coaching staff needs to decide what they want to do with Sanheim. Are they going to free him and let him wheel and deal on offense or do they want him to be a lock down defender first? It certainly doesn't help matters that Sanheim has had several different coaches and provide him with no sense of direction. I say let him loose and let him free wheel.

....and Bjorkstrom just signed a new contract today with a higher aav than Dubois. I fully expect a full court press now to be moved. This is going to get ugly.

Myers will be going nowhere. He is the only high end right handed defenseman in the organization right now. The Flyers have an abundance of left handed defensemen. And let's be honest - there's no capital tied up in Zamula in that he was an undrafted free agent. I doubt the Flyers part with any player in which equity like a 1st round pick was used.

Well so much for that. I thought they were coming back to North America when the season started. Guess not.

Dubois is one of the few players in the league that I would include Frost in a deal for. Honestly, if Columbus is looking to rebuild the pipeline, I'd offer Frost, Zamula, Gostisbehere and a draft pick for. Columbus would be getting two elite prospects, a defenseman who would thrive on that blueline. As for the draft pick, they aren't getting a 1st or a 2nd. That's quite a good haul for a player who doesn't want to be in Columbus and more important, a player who could possibly cause friction in the locker room with regards to wanting out. I get that Columbus isn't going to sell him for pennies on the dollar, but they have to realize that if he becomes a distraction, it could be enough to sink the team. No GM or head coach would risk that. If they sit him out, he loses value.

1) I think they try going back to Provorov - Gostisbehere as the top pairing. Now that he's had his knees fixed and he liked relatively good in his short time in the playoffs, I really believe that Ghost knows this is a big year for him. It's actually make or break. I expect him to be on fire this year. 2) Nolan Patrick is pretty much in the same boat as Ghost. This is going to be make or break as well, but for an entirely different reason. As the 2nd overall pick his draft year, he's been a disappointment in terms of where everyone thought he'd be at this point in his career. Big things were expected of him and he simply hasn't delivered. Add in the migraines and missing the entire season and he knows that this might be his last chance in Philadelphia. With that being said, I don't think he plays on the big club right away. I think they see how he does in scrimmages and if he looks good, they'll bring him along slowly to get his feet back underneath him. I think he splits time at 4C to start. If he's successful, they'll move him to 3C. If he has a flare up of his migraines, he's done. That's the reality. 3) Lindblom is going to be in the left side of Hayes - Konecny. His spot is already marked. 4) The 3rd right wing spot is already owned by Aube-Kubel. He's done enough to be the incumbent. Sandin will probably be the 4 RW to start the year. 5) Van Useless should be waived. Nothing but a 6'3 bag of crap that is lazy and a floater. $7 million for that piece of garbage. Can't wait until that waste of a roster space is gone. People can talk about advanced numbers, but watch the on ice product. He's garbage. 6) See number 1 with Ghost. Once he reestablishes some value, he will be moved. It's clear that Provorov, Sanheim and Myers are the defensemen that week be protected for the expansion draft. The Flyers will move Ghost for probably a prospect, pick and a player they can expose in the expansion draft. 7) The taxi squad. It kind of sounds like a movie. Anyways, my six for the squad - Sushko, Rubtsov, Kase, Zamula, Wylie, Sandstrom. They'll want at least three guys who have been playing and it makes sense. They'll have for in this list, and three of the guys have never been with the big club. This is a good opportunity for some of these young guys to see what they need to do in their development in order to move ahead to the next level. As for big stories, I think we're going to see the club push a guy like Farabee a little more in terms of getting his game up to snuff offensively. His development might come at the expense of a guy like Giroux, so it will be interesting to see how the captain responds. Farabee is also normally a left winger, so it's possible that he and Giroux swap positions in that Giroux goes to playing the right side in order to accommodate Farabee. The other thing that needs to bear watching is how the team performs with elevated expectations. For the past number of years it has been good year followed by bad year. They need to break that and if they go back to the good year/bad year team, there will be wholesale changes. It won't surprise me if there are a number of veterans who know that this could possibly be their last year in Philadelphia, so they know that a slow start or bad play could be the end. I don't know how they'll respond. We'll know more over the next 9 days. If they come out flat the first 5, 10 games , heads will roll.

I really like the York pick more and more. He's so smart with the puck and he's such an effective defender without being overly physical. He's a thing of beauty to watch. If he plays though, Vigneault tries to use left- right handed pairings as much as possible. It also looked like he can play the right side as well. The depth of our defense prospects is impressive. As for Brink, his skating has improved immensely. Another year of doing what he's doing will fix it completely. His stride was so noticeable and he was really able to get that first gear jump. Now, it just needs done five tuning, in particular, his edge work needs to be cleaned up. If that can be done, Brink will be an elite skater. He's close now. Now, he isn't going to be a burner, but he's gig to be plenty fast and sturdy on his skates. Gotta give props. Fletcher and Nature Boy hit it out of the park in their first draft in 2019. They need to commended for doing a good job.

Jay O'Brien was a waste of a pick. Never played beyond high school hockey and was a complete farce. He took the easy way by staying in a league he dominated and didn't bother going the USHL route to be challenged by better players. Hard to believe that Hextall and Pryor wasted a pick on him. The Flyers could have had someone like Veleno or Bernard-Docker or Kupari, but they chose this waste and then followed up with another chunky monkey in Adam Ginnifer. Not sure what was going on with Hextall and Pryor, but those were two uncharacteristically bad picks for them.

I'm going with Zach Stortini

Hey if Morin is to skate north/ south and keep the opposition honest, that's a win. We know he's a good skater, we know he's good defensively, we know he can lower the boom and he's got a hell of a shot. I think 8 to 10 minutes a night in a Clutterbuck/Martin role will suit him. He's not being asked to play a scoring role. We know he's a heavy. Plus, if there are injuries on the blue line, you drop him back there and you keep that size in the lineup. This is a critical year for Morin and he knows it. This is a guy who's going to be hungry and motivated.

I know, myself, I like Roslovic as a player and I think he's a more than capable top six forward. To me, this is exactly what happens when coaches use a 2-1-1 system in terms of forward deployment. You get offensively talented players who are stuck in roles that they aren't suited for. So in the case of Roslovic, who has scored everywhere he's played in his career, he's stuck with pluggers and scrubs and is stuck in a defensive oriented role with no room for growth. Think Couturier his first three to four seasons and you've got Roslovic. Paul Maurice is also an asshat. That's a man who went out of his way in Carolina to punish and embarrass rookie/young players and in some cases, bully them, if they made a mistake. I hate that cocksucker with a passion. Now you've got two young guys, plus multiple veterans who gave moved on under his watch and at some point, you've got to think something is wrong in that locker room that so many young guys want out and numerous veterans moved on.

And now Roslovic wants out of Winnipeg. If Cheveldayoff can't see that he's got a potential locker room mutiny on his hands, then I don't know what else to say. Paul Maurice is a joke and every locker room that he's been in charge of, there's always been a divide. It happened in Carolina. It happened in Toronto and now it's happening in Winnipeg. This could be fun to watch and if things get too bad, you might get both guys for pennies on the dollar.

"Justin Braun is an elite defender." Fletcher must be going blind. Justin Braun is a mediocre defender at best and that's being generous. And if Gustafsson is on the top pairing with Provorov, this club is in deep trouble. Honestly, I'd rather they run Provorov and Meyers and then use Friedman with Sanheim. That leaves Ghost and Braun on the third pair and allows the Flyers to wash their hands of the statistically worst defenseman in the NHL - Robert Hagg.

It's simple - you make room for Frost. You put him on line three and Patrick on line 4. I'd go with the following for a lineup: Farabee - Couturier - Konecny Lindblom - Hayes - Voracek Giroux - Frost - Aube-Kubel JVR - Patrick - Laughton Raffl Sandin goes to Lehigh Valley. As for Vigneault and his 'heavy fourth line, he's getting a fourth line loaded with skill. If he can't make that line work, then he shouldn't be a coach. Great coaches adjust their system to the personnel they have. If he's going to run a defensive oriented fourth line that their single goal is to check and prevent goals, then he deserves to be fired. The idea of playing a 2-1-1 line set up (two offense, one two way and one energy/physical lines) is outdated. The days of Hitchcock and Lemaire hockey is dead. Overwhelm the opposition with skill and ability. Roll four solid lines that keeps everyone on their toes and the opposition can't focus on one line to shut down because that opens up the other lines to do damage. The other beauty of this lineup is that there is a great mix of youth and veteran experience on each line. You're also moving a guy like Farabee to his natural position and playing with his who will help his offensive game. You're moving Giroux to a line where he's still going to be top dog and his experience will help benefit Frost and Aube-Kubel. It's a good blend.

None of these lineups have Frost. There's no way that Frost isn't making this club. He doesn't need another year with Gordo the clown in Lehigh Valley.

That's why I put Brink in there. As for JVR, he's not a fit with what Vigneault wants to use as a system. Moving JVR also allows Farabee to be moved back to his natural position on the left side. I suppose if Winnipeg is looking for more you could throw them O'brien. Hated the pick then, still hate it now..... lol

If Fletcher makes a trade like that for Laine, he deserves to be fired. York and Frost/ Patrick are non-starters in any trade talk. Remember it's the Jets who has the onus on them to move Laine. The onus isn't on Philadelphia to acquire him. It makes no sense gutting the farm for him. Right now, I'd offer the following: Brink Cates Attard Ghost JVR Philadelphia 1st in 2022 Let's look at things from this angle. If the Flyers acquire Laine, that's Laine, Voracek and Konecny on the right side. Where do you put Brink? There's no space. As for Cates, he's a Maurice type player. He does all the things that Maurice likes in players. Attard is right handed defense prospect with some size and meanness to boot and he's got decent offensive skills. Ghost and JVR are the roster players that the Jets want and the Flyers keep their 2021 pick while surrendering the 2022 pick. Because of the uncertainty around this season, it makes no sense to give up this pick. If that's not good enough for the Jets, then good luck trying to get something from other clubs. The Jets get three legit prospects and a 1st, plus two roster players who can fit in right away. And I bet Ghost has a monster season there. As for JVR, get him on the top two lines, he gets 25 to 30 goals, gets picked in the expansion Draft and Winnipeg has an extra $7 million to play with. That's huge.

What's going to be scary is just how bad the finances are going to be.

There's no category for biggest dog on the ice when the playoffs roll around......

I say keep Gostisbehere. That surgery he had on his hip takes about a year to get back to normal and then Yeo completely mishandled him. Don't forget he also required another knee surgery (way to go Flyers medical staff!!!!). Pair up Gostisbehere and Provorov again and let them run roughshod over everyone. I'm sure though we'll hear "ARGH SIIIIIIIIZE!!!!!!" is needed on the first pair........

I know the name Gostisbehere has come up with Andrae, but the more I watch, I see bits of Timonen. If that's his ceiling, then the Flyers have struck gold.

Exactly. These are kids who just turned 18. They still have another year or two left of growing and will probably grow another 2 to 3 inches before all is said and done. I'm not worried at all. Don't forget that guys like Kimmo Timmons didn't crack 6 feet and he was one of the best defensemen to ever play the game. I get that ARGH SIIIIIIIIZE is important, but it's not the be all/end all. As well, there's size coming through the pipeline in Alison and Ratcliffe. And Patrick is also taking part in scrimmages, so he could be on the way back and Coots and Hayes are also fairly big guys. And don't forget that you can have size, but if you don't use it, well, then you basically end up with someone like Van Dogshit.

Hamonic hasn't been the same player since leaving Long Island. As for Vatanen, if he could ever stay healthy, he'd be ideal. I'm not sure how Fletcher fixes this. Gustafsson wasn't a need, especially because he's a left handed defenseman. If they wouldn't play Gostisbehere on the right side as a lefty, nothing convinces me AV will do the same. Chuck needs to continue and sit and be patient. He still has cap money left and once he signs Myers, that will only leave one more free agent on the team to be signed (Patrick). There's no need to panic and while I understand the Gustafsson signing (only one year, don't need to protect him for the expansion draft), Chuck simply paid to much for him. Right now everything seems to be stay the course and not do anything too of the wall. The good news about Gustafsson though is that if this doesn't work out, his cap hit isn't through the roof and you can move him relatively easily.

Someone is getting moved to the right side. It's time to reunite Provorov and Gostisbehere.