BobbyClarkeFan16

If they don't make the playoffs next year, that should spell the end of Giroux in Philadelphia.

Good coaching makes all the difference in the world. I still never understood why Haktard and Murphy tried to completely change Ghost's game. You've got a fantastic offensive defenseman. He was never going to be a thumper or a defensive stalwart, but they tried to alter his game into being a two-way defender. It was never going to work. They needed to put Ghost with a very good defensive defenseman and let him run on offense. They neutered his game so much. You're talking about a defenseman who could lead rushes and make things happen and they ripped that out of him. Vigneault will see Ghost for what he is - a damn fine offensive defenseman and he'll use Ghost in situations that will only enhance his strengths, which is what a good coach does. Mike Yeo will help fine tune the other areas of his game that require some work. I'll give Yeo his due - he's done a good job in terms of helping develop defensemen, so he's got something going on there. And you can bet that there will be times Yeo will discuss things with Therien, who in his own right is a good coach with regards to getting the best out of defensemen. Now, if the Flyers do decide to move Ghost, I have no issues with Kapanen coming back the other way. It's possible that we could eventually see a Farabee - Frost - Kapanen line that could give the opposition fits. Having those three fly around the ice could be lots of fun and they play that high tempo game that Vigneault wants to coach. As for Voracek, I doubt the Flyers move him. Let's be honest, even though Jake doesn't necessarily play big, he's got very good size, something the Flyers need in the lineup. Until Ratcliffe, Allison and Bunnaman are ready, the Flyers will need to make do with Voracek, JVR, and Lindblom in the lineup as the size guys. Also, seeing as to how most of the forwards in this draft are under 6'2 and 190 pounds, I think Fletcher will try to move the pick to acquire some much needed size on the wings. For instance, a guy like Alex Tuch in Las Vegas would be a great acquisition for the number 11 pick. We're talking a 6'4, 225 pound forward with some skill and is only 23. That's the type of trade they'll need to make.

I get the Therien hate, but at the same time, this is a guy who has had major success developing defensemen. That part of me is optimistic that he'll be able to get through to Provorov, Sanheim, Meyers and Gostisbehere. I think Gostisbehere is going to be the toughest of the bunch to crack, but I think Therien is the guy to get through to him. I really like what Fletcher and Vigneault have done with the staff. There's going to be order and structure, which is what the club has desperately lacked.

Wow, talk about culture change in Philadelphia. There's no more messing around anymore. I love it. I get the hate for Therien, Yeo and Vigneault, but these are coaches that are going to legitimately push our guys. I expect Therien to work exclusively with the defense and I think that Provorov, Sanheim and Meyers will love him. If Ghost buys into what Therien's selling, he could become Andrei Markov 2.0. Forwards are also going to back check and help out the defense, so guys are going to have to come to camp in their pique conditioning. As for Yeo, you can pretty much expect he'll work exclusively with the young forwards bringing them up to speed. He could be instrumental in helping Patrick get to the next level and guys like Konecny and Lindblom will probably embrace Yeo's aggressive forechecking system. I think you'll see guys like Hartman and Laughton really thrive under Yeo. One thing is for certain. The country club atmosphere and the idea of players running the show has officially come to an end. Fletcher and company will be expecting results this year and players are going to have to deliver. No more of these slow starts or faltering down the stretch. That will no longer be acceptable. I love it. I absolutely love these hires. Fletcher needed to hit a home run and he hit a grand slam.

I wouldn't make the move for Marner. $12 million to sink on one player plus the assets required to acquire him is massive. The one forward from Toronto that I'd love in Philadelphia would be Kasperi Kapanen and I think he could be had and it wouldn't cost Provorov or Sanheim. The question is, could the fan base live with giving up Gostisbehere or Meyers for him? I'd have no problems with Gostisbehere, especially because you know the brain trust isn't sold on Gostisbehere and that he's more than likely the odd man out.

Give me Stralman, move Hagg, McDonald and if they decide to move Ghost, it best be for one hell of a good player or package of picks. As for the kids, I don't think we'll see Frost or Farabee start with the Flyers. Gut feeling is that they're going to get the Giroux treatment via the AHL. Let them dominate down there.

I'll give credit where credit is due - Berube did a great job with St.Louis and should be rewarded as a result. However, he's gotten out of this world goaltending from Binnington, has a much more mobile defense than what he had in Philadelphia and has a deeper roster of skating forwards than what he had in Philadelphia. It's easy to be a good coach when you've got a good team and the team has tuned out the previous coach. I'll be interested to see what happens in two years with Chief at the helm and will he elevate Robert Thomas and Robby Fabry when their games have progressed to another level.......

I'm not worried about them. I get that there's a degree of nervousness with regards to O'Brien and the rough year he had and leaving Providence. If his agent is smart, he's directing him to go to Shawinigan and play against his peers. He's going to get tons of ice time and the move to major junior might just be enough to get his game back on track. He's also going to get used to the grind of travel and playing multiple nights in a row. As for Rubtsov, it was an unlucky injury. That's it. I've always said his game is better suited for pro hockey than major junior and that was turning out to be correct. I expect he'll come to camp (he was already on the ice practicing at the end of the year) and he'll go back to Lehigh Valley and pick up where he left off. Laberge also showed he has goal scoring capabilities during his time in Lehigh Valley after a major hip operation. He's probably going to take another year to rebound (look at guys like Giroux, Gostisbehere, Ryan Getzlaf, Braydon Coburn, etc....who have all had hip surgery and it took a year to get things back on track). As for Ratcliffe, he's got the skating chops for the NHL. I look at someone like Blake Wheeler, who isn't exactly fleet of foot, and I see Ratcliffe miles ahead of him in terms of skating. He's going to be fine. Ratcliffe's biggest issue is that he's 6'6 and 200 pounds soaking wet. He needs about 25 to 30 pounds on his frame and he needs to add that to his lower body (legs). His center of gravity is high so he'll be fairly easy to knock off the puck. That's why going to Lehigh is perfect for him. He'll be able to add the weight in an environment where there's no pressure with regards to winning a Stanley Cup and he isn't going to get exposed for his lack of weight like he would if he made the Flyers. Strome's skating is awful. But awful is better than what it was when he was drafted and that's when it was doomsday. If he can get to average, he'll be OK. Remember, Oskar Lindblom was a poor skater as well when he was drafted. Some things just take time. If Strome's skating never gets to average, well, the Flyers have a good player for Lehigh Valley. As for Spurgeon, no. Just no. I can see signing Stralman or Karlsson as they won't cost assets. But I have no interest in giving up ANY assets to acquire Spurgeon, especially when he's much smaller than Gostisbehere. Ghost, Provorov, Morin, Sanheim, and Myers just need a good defensive coach and a good veteran on the back end to help them get their games together. That's why I'm such an advocate for Stralman. Every where he's been, young defenders became much better defenders after playing with him or around him. That's the kind of veteran the Flyers need. They don't need a world beater, they need a teacher. I thought about the Flyers acquiring a guy like Trouba or signing Karlsson or trading for someone like Parayko or Pietrangelo, but I think the Flyers are better off just taking their bumps and rolling with the young guys and bringing in a veteran that can teach them the finer points of defense. Between a good assistant coach that can teach defense (Mike Kitchen is one of the best out there) and a good defenseman that can play, that's what they need. I fear that if they make a big acquisition, everyone is going to expect that acquisition to be the latest in a line of players to put them over the top and when it doesn't go well, everyone will turn on them. Sometimes, the best acquisition is the under the radar guy who plays 19 to 20 minutes a night and just goes about their business in a professional and unassuming manner.

Why is everyone in love with Jared Spurgeon? He's going to be 30, had one year left on his contract and is INCREDIBLY small. He's not a need at this point. The Flyers already have a smaller defenseman in Gostisbehere. There's no sense in bringing someone in even smaller.

Stralman is a great mentor. He's under the radar in that he's very steady, collected and calm on the ice. That's exactly what this group needs. There's lots of offense from the blueline, so no worries there. Stralman is like that additional coach on the ice and he candirect guys where they need to be. Those under the radar guys are very important. Now, I like flash and dash, but they need a solid hand who can keep everyone balanced. The Flyers desperately need a Timonen type of defender and Stralman can for that role.

I like Boldy. Big kid that can skate and has incredibly soft hands and a high IQ, plus a non-stop motor. He's also a full 200 foot player, which will appeal to the Flyers if he's still available at 11 (I have a sneaking suspicion that Edmonton and Vancouver might be interested). If he's gone when the Flyers pick, I hope the Flyers swing for the fences and select Arthur Kaliyev. The more I think about it, the more they need a pure offensive player who makes things happen in the offensive zone. The guy can finish and he's magic on his off wing. This is a boom-type pick, especially when you read his coach say that Kaliyev has really worked on other areas of his game and that he's still a work in progress, but things are coming together. I'm fine with either guy.

I'm not moving on Frost. I think he hits his projected ceiling and he's the Giroux replacement for a long time. Honestly, I'd be more inclined to move Nolan Patrick over Morgan Frost.

Personally, I'm a Brock Nelson fan. I think with the way the Flyers are built, Duchene will be out of the question. Don't forget that he talked about Tavares and free agency and honestly, I think he's looking for a $10+ million pay out. No thanks. If the Flyers bring in Brock Nelson, I'd construct things as follows: Giroux - Couturier - Konecny Lindblom - Patrick - Voracek JVR - Nelson - Connolly (I really want Connolly from Washington to man the 3RW spot) Raffl - Laughton - Hartman UFA extra I'm thinking we're going to see the end of NAK in the Philadelphia organization. I also like that this doesn't rush Farabee or Frost into the lineup. Let them go to Lehigh Valley and have a year uninterrupted. Let all these guys plays together (Laberge, Bunnaman, Farabee, Frost, Rubtsov, Ratcliffe, etc....) and just let them learn and win together. Winning breeds familiarity and then next season, when training camp rolls around, they can really push guys on the roster and can probably land spots. Just let them play in all situations and win together. As for defense, I do the following: Provorov - Karlsson Sanheim - Gudas Morin - Meyers Friedman I thought Trouba might be the guy they target, but I think the asking price will be outrageous. With regards to Karlsson, if San Jose wanted him around, he would have been signed by now. I think there's some smoke to the story that his wife did not want to leave Ottawa and that she wants to be close to Ottawa, so the teams on the Eastern Seaboard will have a chance at him. Right now, the Flyers have the most money and the most assets to compete immediately. Having Karlsson onboard also means the Flyers have an all star veteran compliment to their youngsters, and I can only see positive things from Karlsson affecting Provorov, Sanheim and Meyers. The sad news in all of this is that it means it's the end of Ghost here. I would have loved to keep Ghost here and learn from Karlsson, but it's clear that there's a disconnect between the Flyers brass and Ghost and that maybe he needs a new start somewhere else. I can see a deal centered on picks and prospects to keep the pipeline full in Philadelphia. The good news with Karlsson signing is that we'll finally see the end of MacDumbDumb and Hagg. Good riddance to both! Finally, the Flyers need a competent and capable backup to Hart. Looking at the list of UFAs, there'd only be two guys I'd be interested in - Semyon Varlamov and Robin Lehner. You've got veterans who are capable starters and could help mentor Hart along. Some might disagree, but I think one of these guys would be a great fit. Remember, we're probably going to see some sort of sophmore jinx with Hart as well, so having one of those guys would certainly help in case that does happen. Having someone help lift the heavy load of expectations on Hart's shoulders will certainly help. So yeah, that's my lineup I want to see. As for coach, I'm starting to think that Vigneault is probably going to be the guy they hire. Hopefully he gets to bring in his own assistants too. I want to see the end of Laperriere and Knoblauch. Let Rick Wilson retire gracefully and let Dillabaugh decide where he wants to go or if he wants to stay (he's done good work with Hart, so I see no reason for him to go -> I know some will point to Elliott, Neuvirth and Mrazek as reasons why he should go, but it's not his fault that Elliott fell apart, Neuvirth was always hurt and Mrazek never listened to instruction).

Draft the best player available on your board. If Cole Caufield is the best player at 11, then take him. He just turned 18 and he's probably got one final growth spurt that should be good to bring him up to 5'9 - 5'10. The 5'7 doesn't bug me though as he's got natural talent and skill and that more than makes up for any size issues that there is.

Just wait if Gordon is made full time. We might see 9 defensemen dressed..... Lol

So a couple of things. First, Fletcher never had the scouting staff in Minnesota that the Flyers have. If anything, I expect Fletcher to really rely heavily on the scouting staff in Philadelphia this draft. As well, unlike Hextall, I'm certain that Fletcher is keeping Scott and Holmgren up to date with what his intentions are. Don't forget, a big reason Hextall was let go was that he essentially shut out Holmgren and he thought Scott was an idiot. Even if you don't like your boss, you don't treat him like he's a less than. Hextall's abrasive personality got the best of him and when people tried to reason with him, he ignored them. I think as long as Fletcher keeps everyone notified of what he's doing, they'll be off his back. Now, as for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, Craig Leipold bought the Wild in 2008. How much of Parise and Suter signing in Minnesota was a direct result of Leipold ordering Fletcher to make a big splash? Every owner does it. Even the late Ed Snider directed Holmgren to sign players (see Bryzgalov, Ilya). So, I'm fairly certain that Leipold played a huge role in signing those two, especially when you consider there's history with Suter when Leipold was the owner in Nashville. I get that Fletcher wasn't a pick hoarder in Minnesota. I also get that when the owner directs you to do what you can to make the team get into the playoffs and to do anything you can to get the club to advance, draft picks become the easiest currency to swap out. Also, let's not forget that this was Fletcher's first GM job. Every GM learns from the first experience. I really think Fletcher learned a lot from his days in Minnesota and his press conference after the season ended really reiterated that. He wasn't talking about full blown rebuild or going crazy and trading everything. He had a very astute take on things. He identified the problem that he saw with the club. He identified what kind of players he needs going forward to help the team and he identified what he's looking for in the next coach. I'm willing to give him a pass and I'm willing to give Holmgren and Scott a pass as well. When Fletcher was brought in, they could have very easily told him to make moves to shake up the team and qualify for the playoffs. They didn't and that's the key. They let him make his evaluations and while his moves were nothing earth shattering, he accomplished something in that his additions were subtractions, with the exception of Hartman, who is the new Clutterbuck for this team -> the steam rolling ball of hate that can contribute 10 to 15 goals a year in a bottom six role. Everyone seems to think Simmonds was going to secure a blue chip prospect and a first. That boat sailed when Hextall failed to move him last year (when his value was higher than it was this year). Maybe I'm the optimist, but I think things are going to be OK. Holmgren is going on 64 years old and has said he doesn't want to be a GM or make GM decisions. He's quite content where he is and as long as Fletcher is keeping everyone in the loop, there's nothing to worry about.

I'm fine with 11. There's ALWAYS good players that fall and questionable players that ALWAYS rise. Out of the forwards, I'm expecting Boldy, Turcotte, or Krebs to fall. The Flyers are going to get a very good player (I'm hoping for Boldy to be honest). The Flyers don't need to do anything crazy and everything that Fletcher has done so far has indicated he's not going to go crazy. Aggressive? Yes, but not crazy. He'll make big offers to one of the UFA defensemen and forwards, but he's not going to make a deal for the sake of making a deal. He could have done that during the regular season. The only way he moves the pick is if he does manage to package it and a player and get a near elite right handed defender.

Oh, I don't expect to get Jones for that, but that's the kind of package I'm moving Gostisbehere for. I could live with Trouba because I think he's really scratching the surface of his potential and that there are issues with Paul Maurice (not the first time I've heard of a player who has had issues with Maurice). I think packing Gostisbehere and the pick, especially to teams that don't have a first in the draft, is very clever and could be a way of getting a very good player back and possibly a 2nd to go along with said player. For instance, Gostisbehere and Philadelphia's 1st for Colton Parayko and St. Louis's 2nd round pick. That still gives Philadelphia a chance to package both 2nd round picks and move up into the first and grab someone. There's flexibility there and more important, it adds a legitimate top pairing right side defender. Picture this: Provorov - Parayko Sanheim - Gudas Morin - Meyers That's a very good looking defense with the potential to be one of the best in the league.

No to Subban. If the Flyers are moving Ghost and a 2020 1st, it best be for someone like Seth Jones or Jacob Trouba. I'm certainly not moving Ghost and a 2020 1st for a 30 year old defenseman making $9 million for the next three seasons.

Deal them. Just get them out and get something worthwhile for them. It makes no sense to keep them around. If they wanted to be in Philadelphia, they would have signed. Just goes to show that some guys don't like the idea of competition and want everything handed to them. Move them to an Arizona or Edmonton or Buffalo, aka perennial losers.

I thought Fletcher had a great press conference today. I was glad to see he spelled out what he thinks the team needs and I was glad to see he spelled out where the problems with the team were. As for coaches, I'm not overly concerned or upset that Quenneville isn't coming to Philadelphia. I was hoping he would, but if the relationship with Tallon, the love of horses, the warm Florida weather and the relationship with Viola were factors, you can't blame the man for not wanting to come to Philadelphia. No amount of money would change that and you can't blame Fletcher for just deciding it's not worth the time to chase after Quenneville (especially if Quenneville would use the Flyers to drive up his asking price). We'll need to see what Fletcher does with the coaching hire. I feel confident it isn't Gordon (if it was, he would have named him coach) and that it isn't going to be one of Bylsma, Yeo or Vigneault. It's possible Bruce Boudreau is on the list, but I'm also thinking he's going to look at some of the AHL coaches (Keefe, Groulx, Eakins, Mann, etc.....). I do like that the next head coach is going to have a say in the assistants, so the assistants in Philadelphia better start looking for work elsewhere. As for the players the club needs, the good news is that it isn't going to cost a fortune for what he's looking for in terms of prospects and picks. The club is also in great shape financially, so it's possible the Flyers do an Arizona thing and take on salary from a team in order to get a very good prospect or player that's about to break through. There's no need to jump from a bridge and there's no need to go through a doom and gloom scenario. As for those who are going to judge Fletcher from his Minnesota days, I get it, and it's a rightful concern. At the same time, it's not as if their scouting staff has delivered like the Flyers staff have. If anything, I feel more confident because of the scouting staff that's in place in Philadelphia that Fletcher is going to be OK.

Well we can forget about Quenneville coming to Philadelphia. Looks like he's going to be reunited with Dale Tallon in Florida. I wonder if the Flyers will look in the direction of Sheldon Keefe now.

With the 2018 - 2019 season ending last night, it's time for Fletcher and staff to get to work right away on fixing the on ice product. First order of business needs to be replacing the entire coaching staff in Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley. It's time to address the coaching quickly so that off-season preparations as to what kind of system the Flyers will play, what players should be assigned what roles and what players need to work on can be started. Next order of business is deciding who stays and who goes from the main roster. That's going to be a big task at hand and depending on some of the moves that will be made, it's going to leave a lot of people upset (I expect at least two, maybe three fan favourites gone and possibly their first, unless they somehow get into the top 20). I expect that they have a list of free agents they're going to push after hard (even though I don't think he'll sign here, Panarin will probably be on that list as will a guy like Erik Karlsson) and I expect that they have a list of players they are targeting via trade (I'm looking at Jacob Trouba or one of the Carolina defensemen in Slavin or Pesce). Another order of business is going to be player injuries and who gets surgery this off-season. I expect that there are going to be several players going under the knife (I'm looking at Provorov and his shoulder in particular) and that could hinder some of the off-season moves. That might also save guys from being dealt if they're recovering from surgery. I expect the hammer to drop starting on April 8. There's no reason to keep people dangling if they aren't part of the plan going forward. I'm expecting the club to make a monumental shift in another direction this off-season. This could make for a real crazy ride.

I want Mike Kitchen as an assistant on the NHL club. I wouldn't have him as a coach in the AHL. The young defensemen in Philadelphia could really use his tutelage. As for the AHL coach, he'll get some young defensemen to work with soon. Right now, it's about getting the forward prospects up to speed on playing two-way hockey, not just balls to the wall forechecking and zero backcheck.

Just taking a look at the stats in Lehigh Valley and this is an awful club, defensively. It's player after player with negative plus/minus. I get that some will say that plus/minus isn't a real stat to measure, but when you see that your team is practically a minus, it's clear that defense certainly isn't paid attention to there. I'm ready for Fletcher to clean house as it relates to the coaching staffs in Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley. I talk about it quite a bit, but there is ZERO reason why either club should be so bad on the defensive side of things. I get that there are holes, but there's enough talent that they shouldn't be so bad defensively. It's going to take time to unlearn everything Gord Murphy taught them about defense and learn what real defense is all about. I'm hoping that if Quenneville comes on board, he brings Mike Kitchen with him to teach the young players about what real defense is. Of course, the challenge will be finding someone to teach the players in Lehigh Valley. Maybe the Flyers can convince Dennis Williams from Everett to come to Lehigh Valley.