Poconono

Kind of hard to root for Vegas the way the NHL execs have coddled them from Day One. But right now I'd say they are the odds on choice to win it all in '22.

In a thread with dozens of great posts yours takes the top prize. The only way we'll see another Stanley Cup in Philly is if/when this team is sold or moves out of town and a new franchise is awarded (my preferred scenario). I think you and I can look forward to seeing a Colorado Cup in the near future however.

The fact that Buffalo fans are laughing at the Flyers is all I need to know. They've been trying to dump RR for four years according to what I heard.

Watching Caufield lighting it up for Montreal reminds me once again of Flyers' management who always thinks they're smarter than everyone else. York might be a decent NHL player, but this organization has needed a marque talent for a generation now. They missed out on the next Patty Kane.

I don't doubt you're being sarcastic and a bit in tongue in cheek, but I actually feel that way. Nothing would make me happier than having the team relocate and then Philadelphia being awarded a brand new NHL franchise. Nearly 50 years of not being good enough has not only frustrated the hell out of me but has made the Flyers the fifth most popular sports team in town. This organization is bleeding a slow death due to decades of nepotism in the front office. Seattle will have a Cup parade before the Flyers.

I'm in 100% agreement with the OP. Patrick is absolutely the worst second overall pick in twenty years. And as for the other choices that year: Ratcliffe was probably the best of the lot and he projects to being no better than a third or fourth liner. Sushko has shown nothing in LV. Like Frost, he is always hurt and when he does play the big boys knock him off the puck continually. Ustimenko is up and down between LV and Reading but since goalies take longer to develop the jury is still out on him. Cates is probably the smartest of the bunch since he decided to decline signing a contract and will probably test free agency.

Relax. He's only tied for 7th in AHL rookie scoring. I still remember Nick Cousins tearing it up as an AHL rookie.

I didn't realize Laughton and Raffl had expiring contracts. So much for unloading them on Seattle. Can you re-sign them and then expose them in the expansion draft?

A single game can be deceptive. I've been to Phantoms' games where Bunnaman and Tyranski even looked good. Foerster did have a great game but he's pretty inconsistent. He and Pouliot on the point on the PP are turnover machines. Lacszynski, Allison and Wisdom along with the injured Zamula have been the best of the kids throughout the season. Lacsynski should get a stint with the big boys by year's end. Not sold on Millman and I think Ratcliffe is a career AHLer. Wylie has had an up and down season. And why doesn't Sandstrom get to play? He was sold to us as "just as good as Hart".

You guys are too kind. Maybe Hart isn't the second coming of Carey Price (who hasn't won squat) and is just another bad mistake by this scouting department that is nothing but a rest home for old Flyers players. And as for Morin beating up Lemieux... I saw 1 good shot on Lemieux then Baby Huey fell on top of the guy. That hardly sparked either team. Flyers' management and their fan boys in the local media have been hyping up the young talent for years. There may be a lot of guys under 24 years old but are any particularly good? Playing the Flyers may be making the Devils' and Rangers' kids look like world beaters but they certainly outshine the Bunnamans, Twarynskis, NAKs, Patricks, Myers, Sanheims and Ratcliffes on this team. We ended up with the ****** Strome hidden somewhere in the system. Remember when Felix Sandstrom was thought to be just as good a prospect as Hart? He doesn't even get to start for the Phantoms in the AHL.

I've only made it to one Phantoms game this year but Pouliot looks like a perfect fit for the Flyers. He was -3 after losing the puck at the point twice leading to SH goals and was caught up ice on an even strength goal. But then he scored the game winner in the third period. Ghost 2.0. To be honest, I can't stand Sam Morin because he's never gonna be that Pronger type d-man everyone used to claim he would be, but he's actually the best defenseman on the Phantoms from what I saw that night and on TV. Still too slow for the NHL though.

I've never seen the Flyers give a guy more opportunities than this guy and he's failed time and time again. If Alexandre Daigle had been given this much ice time, put on the top PP, slotted with the best offensive players on the team and never benched for lackadaisical play, he'd been at least adequate. Patrick may go down in history as the most pampered and yet worst 1st round Flyer draft pick ever.

I think the answer in Pittsburgh is having competent scouts. You're absolutely right - somehow, despite never having early picks, they keep coming up with players. Diametrically opposed to the early 2000's when the NHL made things easy for them with plenty of top three picks.

Wait until Cole Caufield starts putting up 40 goal seasons in Montreal. Instead we took another undersized defenseman and a less talented clone of Caufield.

I'm happy to see folks finally waking up to reality. As a Phantoms season ticket holder from Day One I continually saw nothing more than mediocrity on the farm team. That's over seven years now. The alleged great prospect pool never came off the way the local sports media hyped it up to be. Here and there one would see a better than average young player but not once did I see someone dominate at the AHL level (Other than some of the over-the-hill veterans like TJ Brennan and Phil Varone). Meanwhile the Phantoms' competition fielded players that went on to become solid NHL regulars. How the hell does Pittsburgh trade away all their first rounders yet still find talent and remain competitive?

I have to wonder if having Michel Therrien behind the bench is part of the problem. I've been watching way too much Biz Nasty and Ryan Whitney on YouTube but these two, and quite a few other ex-Penguin and Montreal players often bring up how much they hated the guy. They don't get specific about why he sucks but he seems to be almost universally disliked by players who played for him at one time. And it's not like Mike Yeo has an outstanding resume either.

Disagree. I think the Flyers and their fans have greatly over-rated their young talent. For years we've been told how great the future looks. The prospects are many but aren't particularly great. They've loaded up on bodies that are no more than third and fourth liners and third pairing d-men at best. Meanwhile the rest of the league has been drafting fewer players but making their choices count. I don't see any elite talent on the Flyers.

Just imagine if the Flyers' braintrust had drafted Heiskanen or Makar instead of Patrick? Top pairing of Provy and either of those two would've been lethal. Instead we got Scott Laughton 2.0. Snore.

And the view from my TV says Ghost still looks like a mess despite his +2 rating. I hate his stupid wind-up pose as he awaits the puck coming to him and his constant tapping of his stick like he has an open shot. Then he tries those slap passes that go zipping by the breaking wingers. Sorry, but I think Hagg is much less detrimental than #53. Should've traded him a year ago even if you get nothing more than a fourth rounder. Meanwhile, they still need to make a big move to bring in a legit top pairing defenseman. They have plenty of prospects they can package.

Shane Doan calls him the best teammate he ever had. Yandle seems to be a pretty good guy and an asset in the locker room. The problem is that he pretty much sucks out on the ice these days. The Flyers need to be bold (for a change) and make a deal for a top pairing defenseman or they're going nowhere in the playoffs. If they make the playoffs.

Every time I've said this on this forum I've been attacked. The fanboys keep telling me that TK is elite and that Frost is the next coming of Gretzky.

I was waiting for a logical reply... Finally. Why not suggest Jake too? I'm sure CBJ is that stupid. More like Patrick and Sanheim.

Maybe. But I've always been of the opinion that you take the best player available. I've heard and read a lot more about the potential of Caufield than those other two guys. And considering the depth the Flyers seem to think they already have on the blueline and the lack of a legit scorer in the system, I really question their thinking on that decision.

I still wish they had drafted Caufield when they had the chance.

The AHL has had a single sponsor ad on their helmet all six years I've been attending LV Phantoms' games. You don't even notice them. Now if they got to European jerseys.....