BobbyClarkeFan16

Dale Hunter runs an exceptionally tight ship in London though. Veteran players will always get the preferential treatment they're because they know specifically what he wants. And don't forget that Easton Cowan was in the same boat as Barkey was. When everything clicked for Barkey and Cowan in the playoffs, that's when everyone started to take notice. Do I think Barkey is the next Brayden Point? I doubt it. However, there's no reason to believe that he can't be a less abrasive Brad Marchand. I'm hopeful that they won't do the typical Flyers development plan and pigeon hole Barkey into a role. Develop his talent and see where he fits. Don't try to fit him into a spot in the system.

I don't even remember the last losing season London had since the Hunters took over. They have easily built the most pre-eminent junior hockey franchise in Canada. Not only that, but they continuously put players into the NHL in all sorts of roles. It's ridiculous how well run they are.

Logan Stankoven, Mavrick Bourque, Dallas first and a salary dump for Konecny and Walker.

What worries me about all this center stuff is what do Flyers management think a number one center is? Tortorella has gone on record and has said he'd take a guy like Barkov over McDavid. So we know Tortorella loves those defensive acumen good line Barkov and Couturier. Briere seems to like centers that are more skill oriented. Jones send to like those physically imposing centers. It's going to be tough coming to a consensus about what defines a number one center. Here's another thing. Is it possible that the Flyers have their future number one guy in Denver Barkey, or do the senior advisors get antsy because of their size fetish? If there's any doubt and if they feel Barkey is more suited on the wrong, then Briere should look at two centers with the Flyers first round picks. Boisvert and Hage might be those guys. Free agency is no help either. I mean, Elias Petterson is a free agent, but you know Vancouver will match any offer. Martin Necas or Casey Middlestadt might be available, but at what cost? I mentioned about trading for a guy like Kent Johnson in Columbus, but I'm sure whoever the next GM is will probably want Johnson to have a big role. There's no way to fix the center issue other than draft and hope you nail one. There's definitely no quick fix though. This one is going to be tough to solve.

I'd love to get a top 10 pick and young players for Konecny. The chances of that happening? I'm not sure. I suppose we could look at what Jeff Carter got as a basis for a Konecny deal, but there were done extenuating circumstances there. Honestly, I'm not sure what the Flyers should do with Konecny. If he's asking for 10, then he's gotta go because you can't have 12 to 13 percent of your cap tried up in one player, especially when the club is rebuilding. At the same time, Konecny has become a core player and pillar on the team. If the Flyers offer an 8 year deal between 8 and $8.5 million a year, I'd be good with that. EDIT: If the Flyers move on from Konecny, then they have to think that Tippett will be more than capable of replacing what he brings. I'm not sure Tippett is that kind of player.

I say trade one of the firsts for a guy like Kent Johnson. Columbus is such a mess right now and these young guys there are getting fed up with constantly being shuffled between the AHL and Columbus. It won't surprise me if they start asking to be moved and Johnson is a guy the Flyers should target.

Was reading the other day that Winnipeg is in on Walker and Seeler. Didn't see what the return would be, but I have to think that with no first round pick, it's going to start with a high level prospect like Chibrikov, Lucius or Lambert (there's less than zero chance that McGroarty is moved).

Alright let's do a biggie: To Dallas: Travis Konecny, Sean Walker, Flyers third in 2024 To Philadelphia: Jamie Benn, Mavrik Bourque, Christian Kyrou, Dallas 1st in 2024, Dallas 2nd in 2025.

The Flyers are in full control with Konecny. The best thing they can do right now is drop hints he might be available and start a bidding war for him. I'm certain that Dallas, Colorado, Vegas, Seattle, St. Louis, Florida, Boston, Carolina, all the big teams would be in on him. With regards to a return, at the very least, the Flyers could demand a package of two top prospects, a young roster player, a salary cap dump and picks (not necessarily firsts either). Some might say that's a lot, but the teams would be getting a player that still has another year left on his current deal, still in his prime and would fit with what their timeline of winning now.

I didn't hear about Hanifin, but I doubt he's a target. The only rumors I've heard have been Casey Middlestedt from Buffalo. That's it. I've heard numerous rumors about players on the move (Laughton, Walker, Ristolainen, Seeler, Frost and Atkinson), but I've never heard about Hanifin being a target. I don't think he'd be a possibility either, especially with Sanheim and Ristolainen's cap hits

Forward development is much different than defenseman development. Good defensemen take time. York is a good defenseman. He's smart with his stick and he's usually making the smart play. Did you know that his production is on par with how Eric Desjardins started? Cam York is a good player and he's close to breaking through. I bet that late in the year and playoffs, everything clicks for him and he takes the next step. I'm going to give Shaw his due. He's a defense whisperer and he's helped fix a number of bad habits that York developed. That happens with young guys, especially defensemen. I'm not worried about York at all.

I actually wanted Victor Soderstrom. He was an 18 year old already playing in the Swedish elite league and was playing big minutes. I have no problems with York. As much as I hated Fletcher, he and Brent Flahr could identify defensemen as it pertains to drafting. York is reliable and gives an honest 22 minutes a night. Those are hard defensemen to find and draft.

Let me just add something. When talking about veterans, it's important to specify what type of veterans to have in the locker room. In most cases, the veteran guys you want are those who are willing to accept whatever role is offered. Whether it's being a 7th defenseman or penalty killer or a checker on the fourth line, you want guys who are willing to be professional and come to the rink every day with a clear and sound mind. Being professional is paramount. Longevity also helps and I think being a family person can't be stressed enough. A lot of the young men who first arrive to the team need that grounding influence. I think that's what really has hurt Anaheim. Even a guy like Konecny, who now has two children, can be a major influence. Family men usually don't go out to the clubs, are dedicated and understand responsibility. Those are a great influence. Just wanted to point that out.

Here's the way that I look at it. From what we know, Drysdale, York and Zegras are model citizens and have never been in trouble anywhere they've been. They'd also be around solid citizens like Farabee, Couturier, and Atkinson. Add in Nic Deslauriers, Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway and you're looking at three more guys in there who wouldn't put up with minimal effort and garbage. To me, and once again this is just my take on things, this is the perfect environment to push Zegras and get the most out of him. And right now, I don't think he's being pushed the way he should be pushed. We all know he's got talent, no doubt. He's got hands, he can skate really well and from all accounts, seems like a real good guy (Ryan Strome spoke glowingly of him). I honestly wonder if players getting stuck in a constant state of rebuilding takes a toll mentally. As a player, most have competitive drive and want to win and when you see the losses piling up year after year after year and there's no end in sight to it, that has to take a toll. Doesn't make one mentally weak, but it would certainly become exhausting. Maybe Zegras is at that point. I'm also wondering if Anaheim's lack of good veterans has also played a role because I see a lot of young players really struggling in Anaheim and it's like there's no one there to rally the troops. I don't know. But to simply be that talented and to have a disconnect there, there's something else going on.

I get it. Not everyone's cup of coffee.

I liken Zegras to Ristolainen. Ristolainen received little to no coaching in Buffalo and with Vigneault when Rasmus first got to Philadelphia. Tortorella and company take over and now Ristolainen is saying he wishes that he had a coach like Tortorella when he first started in the league. I see Zegras in that same manner. The guy had consistently been fed garbage and he's become that. A good coach can fix the bad habits. And it's not as if he's PLD. This is a guy who's well liked by his teammates. I don't get that from PLD at all and that means something. The other thing is that Zegras would be surrounded not only by his friends, but also by a solid leadership group. I think a change of scenery would be good for him and I think he'd thrive under Tortorella. But that's just me.

I'm going to play Devil's advocate here and say Zegras would be a great fit and that he could be taught to play passable defense. We're forgetting that this is a guy who's playing in a black hole called Anaheim. All the habits and play that he has acquired has been coached to him. Those is yet ANOTHER player that Dallas Eakins couldn't develop, yet Zegras has two 60 point seasons under his belt. We forget that these guys play the way that they've been coached. I think Zegras going to an environment where there's a definite structure in place would do him a world of good. Tortorella could definitely identify what needs to be fixed and could get it done. This is a coach who has turned Rasmus Ristolainen into a somewhat decent defenseman. And don't forget that Zegras has two friends here, so we know that his peers would be all over him if he dogs it.

Was @ruxpin taking about Zegras or Perrault though? I thought he was talking about Perrault.

He's a right winger though and when you consider that Foerster is playing on his off wing, Brink is in the AHL and Konecny is the lead dog (right now), is there room for Tuomaala? Don't forget that Farabee is also a right winger as well. Plus there's Atkinson (who hopefully gets moved) and don't forget the incomparable Garnett Hathway!!!!

Farabee - Zegras - Michkov sounds like a hell of a line.

Frost, Tuomaala and the Florida 1st for Zegras. If that's not enough for Anaheim, to hell with them.

The guy who posted that tweet is an idiot. The Flyers chose Oliver Bonk. I think most people are very happy to have Bonk instead of Perrault.

Konecny is going to look for 8 years. If he's going through a rebuild, he's going to want to be rewarded. It's similar to Couturier. I'd hate to move TK, but I could see someone backing up the Brinks truck for him. I could see a team like Dallas putting together a serious offer. For instance, they've got Wyatt Johnston, Ty Dellandrea and Rope Hintz as centers. So, would Dallas be willing to part with Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven for Konecny? If so, I think it's something that should be considered. As for Atkinson, getting the salary off the books would be ideal. I'd even settle for a 3rd or a 4th for him.

I thought the Canucks were sniffing around Walker earlier this year. If they're still interested, I wonder if instead of a first, if the Canucks would offer Vasili Podkolzin instead? They would be a fantastic player to add. I think he'd be the perfect fit on a line with Frost and Tippett. Tippett and Podkolzin could be the physical, shooting wingers while Frost is the setup man. I also think another big move is on the horizon as well. They've got momentum after the Drysdale/Gauthier swap (I marvel at how Briere stole Drysdale and that 2nd round pick is a top three pick in the 2nd), so does Briere do something shocking like moving Konecny or does he play it safe and move Atkinson? What if he does both? I think it's something that bears watching. The team is on a downward spiral now, especially after the news with Carter Hart. It's time to do some more removal. Move guys who deserve a shot at a championship and play more young guys.

It's because he won't be playing the front of the net on the Flyers power play. From everything I've read with the Flyers, the expectation is that Bonk will be an elite shutdown defender. Any offense we're seeing now is a 'bonus.' This is a problem with the Flyers. They predetermine what a player will be and try to fit them there, rather than develop said strengths and let them develop accordingly. Hopefully this changes, but I'm not holding my breath, especially when you consider Puckhead is still the coach in Lehigh Valley. If they fire him this offseason and replace him with a real development coach, I'll change my stance. Bonk will succeed in Philadelphia though because he's a good player.