BobbyClarkeFan16

12 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Disappointed Kolosov isn't getting the start. No reason to even be playing Petersen.

 

Flyers do know there is nothing to be gained by tanking in the AHL right?

This is that stupid mentality that you have to 'earn' your spot and that veterans are ALWAYS given the preferential treatment. It's a ****** joke. Another reason that Puckhead needs to go. He knows nothing of player development.

25 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

To answer the thread's title question I'd say trading Konecny means a more thorough rebuild is underway. I never thought they'd consider trading him. He's the heartbeat and the energizer for the Flyers. But after the way the season ended maybe Jones/Briere are re-thinking their strategy. Trading TK is the Flyers admitting "building a Cup contender will take longer than we thought."

 

And then I watched Briere's exit presser.... never mind. They're not re-thinking anything...Laughton is a Flyers Lifer, TK too. I doubt Briere makes any hockey trades this summer. Maybe a buyout or a mercy trade for Atkinson...maybe Ristolainen gets dumped somehow somewhere...but no hockey trades. Briere sounds perfectly content to let things roll the way they are now going into next season. 

I'm an advocate of tearing the thing back to the studs and rebuilding, but I also get the idea that you have to have some sort of structure in place when you're bringing in players. A lot of times, you just can't have someone be fed to the wolves and hope they can fend for themselves. 

After watching the press conference, what I came away with is that they haven't decided what's next with regards to the rebuild. They gave the generic answers that I expected (i.e. "nobody expected this from us", "we need to add more talent", "not at a point to give up young talent for veterans", etc....They heaped praise on a few people and then just did the typical lip service non-playoff teams give. 

To me, everything depends on what happens at the draft. That's going to be the epicenter of their off-season plans. They've given no real morsels on what they plan on doing at the draft. Cap management is going to have to be a must though. They need to lose some salary, so I think that might get some priority there. For instance, if they move Atkinson and say they have to take on a bad contract, are they willing to take on a lesser deal, but with more years? That's the type of deal I'm expecting Briere to make. 

30 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Okay, honest question. I'm interested in opinions.

 

Obviously the NHL rink is smaller than over there. 

 

Setting aside the possibility that the difference in angles plus nerves didn't help him in his one game.

 

Considering his size does the NHL ice size hurt him, help him, or not relevant? Especially in situations in which the opponent has the zone.

I don't think the size of the ice surface really makes a difference for him. Fedotov is such a large presence that the key with him is his lateral movement and how quickly he can get up from the butterfly. 

His movement is crisp. Just seeing him move side to side while in the butterfly is incredible. I get that his debut wasn't the greatest, but just watch clips from the games he appeared in and just watch how well he moves. That's going to be his thing. 

11 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

For me, the Ducks would surely want too much to make the trade worth it. If he were to come at a relative giveaway price, it would be interesting but, either way, Tortorella would likely have him benched within weeks.

 

This is spot on. That's part of the reason why I hope they go after Necas instead. He'll cost less in terms of assets to give up and there's no problems with his two-way game. 

1 minute ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

And at the end of the day we can't do a damn thing about it

 

It is what it is

Exactly. Considering that the flyers are paying Petersen $5 million, they're paying Atkinson $5+ million (I know, Columbus signed him to the deal), they're paying Ristolainen $5.1 million, this really is a drop in the bucket.

You know what? It's $3.25 million bucks. In the grand scheme of things, it's less than 4% of the salary cap. Besides, Fedotov basically came over, got thrown to the wolves while his life was in complete upheaval and probably experiencing serious culture shock. A full off-season of being around a number of the players and staying in the area will do him a world of good. I expect a completely different player when training camp rolls around. 

2 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Who do you want want then?

I got to thinking about it and as much as I want centers this draft, they might be better off holding off until next year to draft a center or centers. Instead, I hope they land Yakemchuk and Elick. Give me two right handed defensemen with size, a seriously mean disposition, one who has offensive skills like John Carlson and the other is an elite shut down defender. They can then move Drysdale to the left side and let him roam from his offside.

6 hours ago, radoran said:

 

Make an argument for why the teams they are on don't want them and why, if they don't want them, we do?

 

I will. In the case of Necas, it's simply a matter of money. Carolina has some significant free agents to re-sign. Necas is the player they could part while it might sting, it won't hurt them or hamper them. 

As for Peyton Krebs, he's just seriously miscast in Buffalo. For whatever reason, he just hasn't caught traction in Buffalo. It's similar to that of Tippett in Florida. It's simply a matter of fit.

As for both Rossi and Zegras, I think it's a matter of their respective clubs trying to shake things up. The thing is, their respective clubs are going to demand serious compensation. 

43 minutes ago, mojo1917 said:

Just two of these guys would increase the skill level enough to where some the young skill the Flyers have on the wing could really improve too.

It's an interesting time to be a fan of this team.

I have no idea what they have planned .

Both coach and GM say they need more skill in their exit pressers, so I'd be surprised if the roster isn't different next season -and maybe significantly so.

I'd be good with Necas and Krebs. Having Necas with Foerster and Konecny would be REAL fun to watch. As well, I could see Krebs forming good chemistry with Farabee and Tippett. Finally, you could put Cates with Frost and Brink and that could be something special. And we haven't even gotten to Couturier yet, but you could swap out Frost with Couturier and have a fourth line of Poehling with Frost/Couturier and Hathaway. I know some will lose it over Couturier on the fourth but at this point, his load needs to be lightened until he's back in full game shape. This gives him time and you can still use him on special teams. Tortorella rode him hard this year and Torts should have known that they needed to restrict his minutes to begin the year after being away for nearly two years. This is a reset for Couturier and playing on that line should help him get back to full game shape.

Necas is also 25, so he'd fit the timeline as well. Krebs is 23. Neither will cost you a first round pick or your top prospects. This is a huge win if Briere adds them.

2 minutes ago, radoran said:

 

Sure they can. But planning on finding those guys is a fool's errand.

 

Teams may hit on a guy like that once in 10-15 years.

 

The Flyers got a pretty good player at 22 once... Not that they planned on it or the GM even knew his name, but they did! And then tremendously overvalued him...

 

There are also fewer and fewer European players being "missed" like Kucherov.

I didn't know if they tremendously overvalued him as much as they refused to find good complimentary talent for him. There was Voracek and Couturier, but they really hung G out to dry numerous times. 

1 hour ago, tucson83 said:

this isnt not about fletch, i know alot about hockey when superstars like matthews and mcdavid are always blowing it in the playoffs, if you know anything about hockey why dont you grow a pair and tell me why? i can tell you why but you are the one that doesnt want to hear it.

In fairness, Yzerman also blew it numerous times in the playoffs. I'm sure everyone would have killed to have a Steve Yzerman in their lineup though. Context matters. 

I've read that the Flyers are looking to gear up and see about the availability of guys like Necas, Rossi, Krebs, and Zegras this summer. Now, if they're moving out guys like Laughton, Atkinson, Farabee, I'd have no problems with that DEPENDING what the cost is. I know Carolina is going to be in a huge cash crunch this summer, so they might be able to squeeze a Necas from Carolina. I'm not sure what Minnesota would want for Rossi and Krebs would be part of the package Buffalo would offer up for Laughton. Zegras is the dark horse here because nobody knows what Verbeek would want. 

13 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

where has this dude been this year???

 

 

Smothered by Laperriere's awesome coaching....

15 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

 

Well I don't know what all us Flyers have done to deserve this it all may vary in different degrees due to length of the Fandom buy once thing is certain we are all suffering that punishment.

Seriously. Does this franchise not read medical reports or do their own medicals? Christ sakes. Now, I feel for Drysdale because he's literally been the definition of good soldier, but this franchise and their lack of due diligence. This should lead to people getting fired. 

The only good news about this is that it isn't a shoulder or a knee and that this sort of core/sports hernia surgery is routine and that he'll be off his feet for three to four weeks in terms of exercising. At this point, if I'm GM, I'm sending Drysdale to go see Gary Roberts. 

4 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

I like this kid and not real familiar with the other kid.

 

He is a right hand shot and is suppose to be an offensive RHD.

 

So till some of these kids lock in a spot keep drafting these right hand shot kids seems harder to find these types (sure always BPA too though no reaching).

Elick is a Jacob Trouba type player, but with an even meaner streak. I want a mean, hard nosed, elite shut down defender. The Flyers haven't had a defenseman that puts fear into the opposition in quite some time. Elick fits that bill.

24 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

 

You're right. This draft isn't loaded with exciting centre depth, and there's precious little in the #12 range (+/-3 spots).

 

I'm looking at things and I'm thinking they might just draft defensemen in the first. Yakemchuk and Elick might not be so bad of decisions in terms of starting with size and meanness on the backend.

29 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

 

Another small player?

 

In fairness, if the Flyers stay at 12, Catton and Helenius are the same size and Iginla is only one inch taller than Perfetti. 

There's no real standout center that's 6'2, 6'3 in the top half of the draft this year. I mean, there's Cayden Lindstrom, but he's more of a winger.

Even looking around teams and top prospects, there's nobody really standing out who has that size and who would be available. 

The Flyers might end having to look for size on the wings instead of down the middle. 

15 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Hell no not doing that but we can find maybe other options to swing a deal.

 

Tuomaala seems to not be able to functions without Lycksell and a big red flag for me.

 

You have to give to get but sure we could suggest other options.

In fairness, Tuomaala had crap for linemates in Lehigh Valley after Lycksell was called up. I'm not worried about him at all because he's a goal scoring winger. I'm not asking him to carry a line. I'm asking him to finish and Laperriere failed at finding players who can get him the puck. 

I'm interested in seeing how Tuomaala plays with a legit center, not a Cooper Marody.

On 4/17/2024 at 6:43 PM, OccamsRazor said:

Early mock i seen it's just a mock so no one loose their sh!t.

 

For my buddy.

 

@thegx.ca

 

13

Tij Iginla

Ht/Wt:6' 0"/186 lbs
Position:C/LW
Team: Kelowna (WHL)

 

 

27 *

Charlie Elick

Ht/Wt:6' 3"/190 lbs
Position:RHD
Team: Brandon (WHL)

 

http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/

 

 

 

 

 

The site was just updated and now they think the Flyers will select Cole Eiserman at 12. That scares the **** out of me. He can finish, but everything else about his game screams Robbie Schremp. There are major questions about his compete factor, his defensive play, his hockey iq, and his skating. 

The second first round pick Charlie Elick is still the same. 

At this point, if Iginla, Catton and Helenius are all gone by the time the Flyers select at 12, I hope they either move down a few spots and draft a guy like Sacha Boisvert (who's really growing on me as a smart and complete player) or Michael Hage (a young bull of a center who has really good hands). Hell, I'd love for the Flyers to find a way to draft both of one of the big three aren't available. 

But yes, avoid Eiserman at all costs.

Just now, OccamsRazor said:

I wonder what it would take to get Cole Perfetti from the Jets??

 

He is on the 4th line and if they bow out early again this year maybe they would be open for a trade of assets.

 

He can play center and well Flyers have a need at center.

He's probably going to cost pick 12 and a young player (Tuomaala). 

My only hope is that the organization doesn't double down on "we were this close" and end up abandoning the rebuild and go with a quick fix. That worries me the most because this is a franchise that does not want to do a proper rebuild - they refuse to take their lumps that other teams had to take. 

1 minute ago, JR Ewing said:

@BobbyClarkeFan16 I really like your post, and it did make me curious. I went and combed through highlights of power-plays from the last 15ish games, and I have to say that I'm not so sure it's about how bad Rocky Thompson is as a coach. I saw a bog-standard 1-3-1 from the Flyers PP, so it's not like he has them doing something very different than what it is the most commonly-used system.

 

What I did see:

-Owen Tippett wasting shot after shot, no matter if there were defender blocking the lanes, and whether or not there was a net-front to bang in a rebound on the off-chance the shot actually gets through. Honestly, I think that the PP doesn't lend itself nearly as well to his skillset as does even-strength, where he generates chances with his speed through the neutral zone.

-Morgan Frost getting out-muscled and out-reached in board battles.

-Bobby Brink getting out-muscled and out-reached in board battles.

-Jamie Drysdale. Another guy under 6 feet tall and 185 lbs.

-Sean Couturier, who has the size but not the feet.

 

This is a mostly short and underweight group who wouldn't be getting 1st unit PP minutes on good teams. Size without skill is a total waste, but skill without size places limitations on matchups and roster building. Small players can be effective, but small teams (or in this case, special teams groups) are too easy to neutralize.

 

 

I think the power play issues are fixable. For instance, I'd probably put Farabee, Foerster, Tippett, Frost and Drysdale on the first unit. I'd have Farabee on his off-wing, Foerster on his offwing, Tippett in the slot, Frost near the blue line and Drysdale at the top. I'm not sure I'd use the standard 1-3-1 that's being used. I'd also probably go back to the Joe Mullen days of when he was the power play coach and see how to utilize the guys. I look at a guy like Farabee and I'm astounded that one of the NHL's best 5 on 5 scorers can't get things going on the power play. That's a warning sign to me that something is off. I'd also probably use Frost for the defensive zone entries and then use the size guys like Foerster and Tippett to bully their way through the opposition to clear lanes and then set up everything.

I don't know. I just see that there is some viable talent there and they're used in the wrong places. I think it's something that's fixable, but I'm also wondering if Tortorella wants guys to be used that he likes, not what's necessarily best for the team. I'm really at a loss as to why things are the way they are. No matter how hard this club tries, they just continually go back to the well of things that don't work. I guess maybe having a true offensive guy on the coaching staff might be the key to unlocking things.

I'd be interested to see what the power plays were like for Thompson in junior and the AHL and who his power play coach was. That might be the key to unlocking what's broken with the Flyers power play.

32 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

I guess I have a very different view from many (everybody else?) around here. I don't see the need to trade Konecny, and I think that people who are hoping for a strong young scorer or a potential starting goaltender would be very underwhelmed by the return. As ever, I go back to Al Arbour (who forgot more about hockey than I'll ever know), with his opinion on team building: "It's no secret; it's not complicated. Get good players."

 

Travis Konecny is a good player, and if the rebuild is in a good position in five years, he will only be 32. Serious injuries aside, he can be more than useful at that age, and despite what a lot of people think a rebuild constitutes, I don't think it's a good idea to shed literally every good player from the roster, as respected veterans have value.

 

This is just my view as a fan of a team that was forced to trade primed-aged players in favour of prospects and picks. It mostly doesn't work out and it just keeps the rebuild going perpetually.

 

 

For me, it depends on how long the contract is. If it's a 7 or 8 year deal, I'm skeptical because then we're looking at 35 - 36. In most cases, forwards are usually done by that time. They simply don't have the wheels anymore or the hands aren't what they used to be. Now, you might be able to dump the contract off to a team that needs to hit the salary floor, but then you're giving up a huge asset to make that move.

If the contract is a 5 to 6 year deal, that's a little more palatable. You've got someone who will be 34 - 35 by the time the contract finishes and maybe you can get them to sign a team discount deal for another two years if they have something left in the tank. Part of the problem with Konecny is his style of play leads to injuries and time on the injured list. The thing is, I don't know if you can tone him down. 

Do I think you move him? Hmm, I'm not sure. You could make a case for both moving him and keeping him.

5 hours ago, Howie58 said:

 Rocky Thompson may be an awful power play coach.  But I don't think you have the worst PP in the league for three years running due solely to coaching.  I think our PP reflects the relatively low-caliber talent of our players.  Without that high-end talent, we will always be two years away from being two years away.

 

Howie

 

 

It's not just he's a terrible power play coach here, he was also a terrible power play coach in San Jose, and at the time, San Jose had Timo Maier, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Evander Kane, etc.....and they finished with the worst power play in the league as well. Common denominator? Rocky Thompson. I'm looking at teams with better power plays than the Flyers this year:

Columbus

Chicago

Buffalo

Montreal

Anaheim

Calgary

Ottawa

San Jose

Seattle

Arizona

Let that sink in for a moment. Teams that the Flyers finished ahead of, had better power plays. It is a farce that the Flyers, a team with better talent than those clubs, had the worst power play in the league. I'm sorry, but that points to one thing - the coach of the power play. If the Flyers would have a 15 to 17 percent power play, they would have made the playoffs. 

I'm not going to slag Thompson as a coach because he's had success in major junior and the AHL. Quite frankly, I hope that when Laperriere gets fired, Thompson goes to Lehigh Valley and replaces him because Thompson can actually coach. Just don't ask him to coach a power play because his offensive concepts on the power play are truly terrible.

44 minutes ago, flyercanuck said:

 

Hopefully we end up with a center or defenceman. BPA always with your top pick, I just hope it's not yet another winger.

If it's a wing, someone is getting moved. I'm hopeful that one of Iginla, Helenius or Catton is the first choice and one of Beaudoin, Luchanko, Artamanov, Gridin or Elick is the second first round selection.