BobbyClarkeFan16

I'm so glad the Flyers deal for him fell through. Kane is such a immature punk. His career is done in two years.

Coburn was a bum. Sorry, but someone had to say it. Million dollar talent, ten cent brain. Had all the physical tools in the world to be an elite number one defenseman, but didn't have the brain to put it all together. Every year, people kept waiting and waiting and waiting for him to put it together, but it just never happened. I thought at one time there was a chance he would be an elite defenseman back in 07-08, but after the puck hit him in the face in the playoff series against the Pens, he digressed and became a shell of what he could be. He never recovered from that incident and it's too bad because he could have been a 40+ point per season, 25 minute a night guy.

Give it time. They'll get it down pat. Don't forget that the difference between an NHL player's contract and an NFL player's is that the NHL contract is guaranteed, so the guarantee ties hands. If they go non-guarantee (which should be an easy sell for both sides), then you'll see things contract wise play out accordingly.

The most successful sports model in the world has been the NFL and they've had a cap for years and years. Everyone deserves to make money. As much as I despise the owners, I also realize that they are the ones who risk the most and that they deserve to make money. Players also deserve to make money because they are the folks that people come to see. Do I think it sucks that success is often penalized in a cap system? Yep. The days of true dynasties are gone because now it's about allocating resources properly and wisely. Management (salary and player) has never been more important than it is now. However, for the greater good of the game, the cap is required to keep a competitive and balanced playing field. The only reason why there are some teams doing so poorly is due to management. Everyone has the same cap space to play with. Everyone has the same draft to use and everyone can make trades and sign free agents. How management uses those resources are what determines success and failure. Edmonton should be a reminder to all of that.

Meh....I'm iffy on Bogosian. I know he's a big guy that can skate and is good defensively, but he's so injury prone. At this point, if the Flyers look at anyone from Winterpeg, I'd love to see Enstrom be the guy they pick up. There's perfect Kimmo replacement and could play 25+ minutes a night. The only drawback is that Enstrom is a smaller guy, but you can't hit what you can't catch.......

I wouldn't give Penner a squirt of piss, even if he were on fire. Lazy, no work ethic, useless hack of a hockey player.

I was reading that Vigneault actually liked Del Zotto and that he tried to find ways to get him into the Rangers lineup, but the only spot that Vigneault had for Del Zotto was the right side and Del Zotto admitted that he wasn't any good on the right side. It wasn't long after that that Vigneault started playing Del Zotto less and less until the move to the Preds was made. By the time Del Zotto got to the Preds, his confidence and game was shot. Reading Berube's comments, it seems like he's genuinely happy to have Del Zotto in the fold and that there's a plan in place on how to use MDZ. I think Del Zotto is going to have a big bounce back year and that gut feeling says Gord Murphy is really going to help him simplify the defensive side of his game. I said on another board that Del Zotto will probably good for about 35 points, but if he managed to get on the number 1 power play unit with Streit, I think MDZ very easily hits the 40 point mark and could make a push at 50.

It's a good move. Del Zotto is given his prove it opportunity and he's said that he wants to report in the best shape of his career to whatever team signs him. Of note, Del Zotto has been spending training time in London. Where he works out, I drive by the facility every day and he's looked fantastic. He appears to be in top notch physical shape and he's been really busting it. I work at 7 every day and he's been there before 7 and when I get home at night (I'm done at 3:30), he's usually leaving the facility. I think he understands this is his last chance and that much like Mason, he's going to make the most of it. If he plays 18 to 19 minutes, puts up 30 to 35 points and plays passable defense, that's a win.

It was an ugly situation. In the weeks leading up to the blow out, there were rumblings of a rift between Greg Gilbert and Patrick Maroon. Gilbert was coming down incredibly hard on Maroon and he was making Maroon an example in front of his teammates by berating him. After a game in which the Phantoms got beat up, Gilbert lost it in the dressing and singled out Maroon, Laliberte, Kalinski and Stefan Legein as the players who created the most problems. Maroon was fed up and spoke out against Gilbert, stating that Gilbert had lost the locker room and that nobody in the locker room respected Gilbert. John Paddock was the assistant GM of the Flyers at the time and was in the locker room. Paddock asked Maroon to explain and when Maroon went to stay why Gilbert had lost the room, Gilbert became enraged and charged at Maroon. Several players and team officials stepped in and while they were intervening, Gilbert had yelled at Maroon that things weren't over and that Gilbert actually challenged Maroon to a fist fight. It wasn't long after that that Maroon was excused from the club and then eventually traded to Anaheim. The Flyers felt that the rift between Gilbert and Maroon was too deep. It wasn't long after the Flyers moved Maroon that Gilbert ended up getting fired.

Knuble was 33, going on 34, and that was his best year as a professional in the NHL. No reason why Umberger can't do the same if given an opportunity to play on a line with Giroux and Voracek. I do agree though that Schenn will probably be tried in that first line left wing spot.

In fairness, Umberger scored two less goals than Hartnell last season while playing on a checking line. With that being said, Umberger works very well on special teams, including the Power Play (8 goals, 12 points) and is a very good penalty killer. He's also significantly more disciplined than Hartnell and the fact that the Flyers won't be short handed 60 to 70 times a year should make a big difference. Hartnell's penchant for taking bad penalties at inopportune times has cost this club on more than one occasion. Maybe it's just me, but I really think that Umberger can be a 25 - 30 goal winger playing with Giroux and Voracek, be the defensive conscience on the line and not cost the club with inopportune penalties.

I'm not worried about Washington, Pittsburgh, etc.....I can see a potential stand off between Trotz and Ovechkin that will probably split the team in Washington. As for Pittsburgh, they still are rather soft and they are going to miss James Neal, big time. As dirty as he might be, he's also the only forward there who really plays a physical and nasty game. And before anyone says Steve Downie can replace what Neal brought, Downie's one head hit away from being a vegetable. Nashville's top centers are going to be Ribiero and Roy and that shouldn't frighten anyone. The only team I might be a bit concerned about is Columbus, but there's a lot of ifs on Columbus and they're going to have to hope that Horton stays healthy, Hartnell can still produce without playing with an elite playmaker like Giroux, Johansen signs a contract, etc..... As for the Flyers 5 on 5 play, I think a full off season and training camp with Berube should help improve that. The biggest thing that worries me about the Flyers is that they don't always play a full 60 minutes. If they can put a consistent 60 minute effort in night in and night out, then things should be OK.

I don't know if Laughton will ever put up the numbers that Richards put up during Mike's time in Philadelphia. With that being said, I could see Laughton very easily becoming a Patrice Bergeron type of centerman, but with more physicality in his game.

Boosh was his own worst enemy. He was a mentally fragile goaltender his first go round in Philadelphia and his agent at the time (Tom Laidlaw) certainly didn't help matters by trying to strong arm the Flyers into a new contract after Boosh's playoff run during the 2000 playoffs. By the time a deal was in place, Boosh missed most of training camp, lost the starter's position to Cechmanek and was never the same after that. He whined, he wasn't prepared to play when called upon and when he did, he wasn't very good (his numbers for the 99 - 00 season were 20 - 10 - 3, 1.91 GAA, .918 Save Percentage; his numbers for the 00 - 01 season were 8 - 12 - 5, 3.27 GAA, .876 Save Percentage and his numbers for the 01 - 02 season were 18 - 16 - 4, 2.41 GAA, .903 Save Percentage). I honestly don't understand who the Flyers ruined him. If anything, I place the blame on Boosh's agent. Laidlaw hamstrung Boosh by having him hold out for a big contract. Ultimately, they signed the contract the Flyers offered but it was at a big cost to Boosh. He missed out on training camp, he showed up out of shape and was in no position to claim the starter's role. Laidlaw ruined Boosh.

Well, his GM and coach in Kingston have referred to McKeown as a Scott Niedermeyer type of defender. I wanted the Flyers to draft McKeown, but at the same time, watching the video on Aube-Kubel, he seems to be a bit like Simon Gagne was his draft year. Blazing speed, good hands, a bit on the small side, and very good hockey IQ. He also just turned 18, so it will certainly be interesting to see how his game grows from here. If he ends up with a Gagne like jump (Simon went from 69 points his draft year to 120 points after being drafted), then it's possible that the Flyers have found yet another legitimate right winger who can be put beside either Couturier or Schenn.

That would be a huge no. Giroux is what makes this club tick. Move him and immediately, the team loses it's single most dynamic player on offense. As well, none of the other centers on this roster can do what Giroux does. There's nobody who is as good as him offensively and more important, there is nobody on this roster who makes players better the way Giroux does. Giroux is definitely the most untouchable player on this roster.

Travis Sanheim posted on his 'blog' on the Flyers site that he, Morin, Friedman, Aube-Kuble and Fazleev all hung out together during some downtime. I'm really liking the fact that these prospects are all developing camaraderie with one another and that there's some bonding happening. This camp might just be a a what's happening type of camp, but the fact that they're hanging out together can only be a great thing going forward. It'd be quite interesting if they all ended up on the big club together too. It's doubtful, but it would certainly be something if they did.

I'd have no problems with Del Zotto. He had a bad year last year. It happens to players. Prior to that, when Tortorella took over as the Rangers boss, Del Zotto was really becoming a complete player. He was making good decisions defensively, he was playing well offensively and looked like he was going to be the top power play defender and solid second pairing guy (a Matt Carle). Then, Tortorella gets fired, Vigneault comes in and Del Zotto is in his dog house from the get go. No reasons were indicated, but Del Zotto was there. He gets shipped to Nashville and the same, he's in Trotz's dog house and no reason given. I'm sure it probably took a toll mentally on Del Zotto and instead of asking the coach what he needed to do, he tried figuring things out on his own, taking an even bigger hit to his confidence. Now, there were 'stories' coming out that Del Zotto is a bit of a partier and that he was known to frequent night clubs regularly. With that being said, I'd have to think that being discarded by two franchises might be the wake up call that Del Zotto needs to get his focus back. Personally, I'd love to see him in Philadelphia because he is definitely a legitimate 2nd pairing guy with great offensive upside if given the opportunity and if his confidence isn't shattered. Maybe this is the type of reclamation project that the Flyers should take a chance on. He's had considerable success in the past and is only one season removed from a near .5 PPG scoring average.

Unfortunately, Hatcher can't fix stupid, which is what Coburn suffers from......

Hextall's hands are tied by the salary cap. Yes, it would be great if he could have signed Johnson or Montoya, but with the cap being the mess that it's in, I think it's more imperative to get that looked after first because if it's not looked after, there could be far greater consequences than just missing the playoffs. I'm still convinced that a back up will be secured (and when the back up is secured, I think people will be happy that Hextall didn't go crazy on the signing) and I'm also convinced that Hextall will make the required moves to get out from underneath some bad contracts. I just hope people will be patient. I'm reading on other boards and people are freaking out that Hextall hasn't done anything yet and people are ready to throw him under a bus. Some of it is ridiculous.

Oh, I still think a viable back up will be signed. Right now though, Hextall has to fix the situation with the cap going forward before he does anything else. Once he gets that cap fixed, then I think you'll see a legitimate back up signed. There's still some good goaltenders left and right now, it's a matter of waiting everything out. Hextall is doing his best Lombardi impression and I have to admit, it's working well so far.

This is the perfect year to be 'handcuffed' in terms of free agency. After seeing some of the contracts handed out today, it's clear that some of the GMs were high. So, once all the big name players have been signed, I think you'll see teams like Nashville come back and want to make a deal for Lecavalier. I expect the same with Grossmann. If guys like Stralman and Orpik can get 4.5 and 5.5 million on the open market, I certainly believe that a guy like Grossmann can be had for his 3.5 million he's getting paid. Still leaves Coburn, Streit and MacDonald as guys on the defense making more than 4.5, but it's possible one of them could also be getting shopped. Overall, I love what Hextall is doing. In previous years, it's been big change after big change after big change. Now, it's a more methodical approach, similar to what Hextall's former boss, Dean Lombardi, used to do. Notice that Lombardi never got into ridiculous bidding wars in free agency, locked up all his key players before free agency and drafted well. Hextall is following that blue print and it's a good blue print to follow.

I was hoping Carter Hutton from Nashville was going to make it to free agency. Now that he's re-signed in Nashville, my hope is that Hextall looks at Montoya. Personally, I'd love to see the club acquire Martin Jones from Los Angeles because he could really challenge and push Mason for the better. As well, Jones would be good for at least 25 to 35 starts a year if need be.

Young Braydon Coburn I didn't have a problem with. The moment he took that puck to the face in the Pittsburgh series in 2007 - 2008, he became a completely different player afterwards. That really messed him up because he's never been the same since. He shows glimpses of greatness, but nothing ever consistent.

Hmmmm......interesting. I always liked Paul Martin when he was in New Jersey. However, he seems to have taken a beating since going to Pittsburgh and watching him, he's really digressed over the past couple of years. Alex Edler had one of the league's worst plus/minus last year, but I think the Canucks will see how he responds to a new coach before they consider moving him. Sergei Gonchar is old and shouldn't even be a consideration. Zach Bogosian has the highest upside of the bunch, but he really struggles with injuries and hasn't played a full season in four years. Plus, there's consistency issues with Bogosian. Kronwall is a good defensemen, but his physical style is going to start catching up with him soon. You can't play the way he does without it taking a toll on you later on. Dennis Wideman is still in the NHL? Lubomir Visnovsky - see Sergei Gonchar. Keith Yandle would definitely add some offensive punch to the back end, but he really needs a very strong defensive defenseman to play along side him because his defense is attrocious. As for Bouwmeester, he's got the luxury of playing alongside one of the best young defensemen in the game in Alex Pietrangelo and he also plays in a very defensively rigid and oriented system that Ken Hitchcock employs. Honestly, the best thing Hextall can do is look around the league and look for a guy who's ready to break through at the next level. A guy like Brandon Gormley would be ideal. I'd also like to see them explore the possibility of a guy like Jake Gardiner, who for some reason or another has fallen into Randy Carlyle's dog house.