PuckMeister

Rad, They are already hard to watch! If COMCAST goes the way of the NFL, me thinks the fandom will rebel and quit the Flyers completely.

Not to worry guys. The commish says this franchise is fine! Of course, he doesn't buy tickets. My fear is we will have the worst record and still not get in the top three picks. I HATE how they have changed the draft and I HATE shoot outs.

Rad, You are aware of the definition of insanity so we now have proof of those at the top of the Comcast food chain subscribing to those tenants. Some certainly don't know anything about the game. Good luck to those who think the Flyers will receive the 1st pick. Those only go to the other PA team.

To all especially the front office: Wishing won't accomplish anything, but planning will. Patience grasshoppers!

Good and informative article! The Flyer's brass needs to take off the rose- colored glasses and get their collective butts in gear or they'll lose the fan base. As the Plumber would say, " Geter Done. "

Spot on, Howie. How many empty seats and for how long will it take for upper management to figure this out. Nostalgia lasts for only so long so maybe it's time for the " Old Boys Club " to go into the dust bin of history.

Hi guys! Been some time since my last post, but I am hear every day. Please accept my thanks to all who post and help me keep up with my favorite team. I've been a fan since the beginning and graduated from Coatesville H.S. in '62. Presently live in Ecuador so this is my major source for info. I believe there was some talk about trading Konecny to L.A. for younger talented prospects a short time ago. I think they have a good pool of players to select from and they seem to have better scouts than ours. I believe this would be a good place to start and make reasonable roster changes. Examine any successful franchise and you will find everything starts with a good front office that has knowledgeable execs and scouts who know how to evaluate talent. That said, I agree with those who advocate a complete overthrow of the present leadership. I use the term loosely. Thanks again and know that I feel your pain all the way hear in South America.

Rad, If this trade is for a 5th and we retain 25% of his salary, we got the short end of the stick. Why should we be so helpful? Doubt they return the favor in the future. This front office is getting as bad as the Eagles. I swear this city is jinxed with all of the front offices so dysfunctional.

For years the cry concerned the lack of a good goalie, but now we have one. Now we are still crying for a true goal scorer but keep drafting these small fragile players. They seem like plastic toys made in China. Least little bump and they break. Were is the speed and skill we are supposed to have? I swear all Philly teams are cursed by the injury god and the injuries keep coming. Are we not conditioned properly or do we draft players who no nothing about nutrition and building up their bodies to withstand the riggers of the sport? Something is drastically wrong and needs to be investigated before drafting these cream puffs.

To all: Boston stars: Lucic,Krejci,Ericksson, and Bergeron plus Chara and Rask. I don't think we have the same talent as these guys. Blues stars: Backes,Oshie,Steen. Not as loaded as Boston but play well with and without the puck. Tampa stars: Stamkos, Purcell,Filppula and Bishop. SPEED. I have a feeling that Emory started against Boston 'cause maybe Mason's confidence is failing a little. If he got blown out by the Bruins, what would that mean if/when we face them in the POs? Perhaps we play solid against Buffalo and he gains confidence. Just my opinion.

Big problem as I see it is the Flyers have ONE star surrounded by a group of supporting actors. Good players, but not stars. Just comparing them to teams like Boston and St. Louis.

Gentlemen, Greetings to all. I will go out on a limb and say that it is time to make some moves to better this team. I advocate trading Giroux and Coots if we can get some good young d-men. We all know we must build from the goal out and I think we could get Ristolainen and Seth Jones for those two. We have centers who could replace these guys so we'd see what we have. Seems we have no trouble finding centers/wingers but have no clue when it comes to d-man/goalies. This season is a wash so why not do something intelligent going forward. Why not raid the Preds pantry since they always have good young d-men. Better yet, hire their scout who seems to be spot on. Sorry, just frustrated with this organization and the GM/Owner.

Greetings to all, It is obvious to many that this team is limited in the skills department and especially the lack of speed. The D needs to be completely reworked and here is my suggestion. Entice the Oilers or any other team that drafted high and got good young D prospects to trade them to us. We seem to have no difficulty drafting wingers/centers but can't find a d-man with a google map and a flashlight. Built a new team from the goalie out by trading some assets that are underachieving. Perhaps a change of scenery will light a fire under them. Just my humble "O"

Brelic, Absolutely spot on! I did overlook that in my post but Sharp was shipped out 'cause he was young and Hitch refused to use young players. Pitkanen had an IV of brain farts so I understood his move, but again we refuse to allow young players to develop to their potential. Is JVR playing both sides of the puck? I was sorry to see Richards traded but he seemed conjoined at the hip with Carter. But, we sure could use a Carter now because we are lacking a pure sniper. The most recent big error was letting Jagr go. He was a steady influence in the room and still has talent that the rest seem to lack. Again, we will do just well enough to miss out on some real talent. Shake up needed badly. Have a great day and a better tomorrow.

To All, Don't get to watch many games here in Texas, but last night they were HORRIBLE! Seems we cannot compete with teams that have speed. It does kill. The obvious and glaring faults begin with our lack of speed. The other team seems to have better skills handling the puck. We have the most passes to no one in particular and they regularly get picked off leading to breaks the other way. Best way I can describe the Flyers is they look like an AHL team vs. the NHL. Emery played well and I don't think we can blame the goalies this time around. Wondering if we really need to look at our scouting system and the evaluations that are given to the decision makers. Why can we not draft skill players? Or could this be the result of playing well enough every year and missing out on better talent during the draft? Sounds like the same problems the Phillies have so it must be in the drinking water in Philly. Have a great Thanksgiving all.

Or the coach, or the system, or the pundits! Clean house already.

PuckMeister To All, I am finally back from Ecuador and living in Texas so I do not get to watch many Flyers games. Lord, I watched the first two periods of last nights game and could not believe my eyes. I've followed the Flyers for years since their inception and this was the absolute worst performance I've ever watched. Our D is big and VERY slow but the entire time took the night off. Can't expect the goalie to bale the team out every game. They have to show up and play with intensity for 60 minutes! Things you already know. Org. cannot keep trading away talent for zip only to see them blossom elsewhere. Getting rid of the coach doesn't seem to be the answer either. The players have to accept the responsibility for their play and not lay the blame elsewhere. Homer has over paid and given out too many NTC/NMC far too often. Change is needed from top down as many have already posted. I think the players sense this team is flawed big time and are playing to be traded elsewhere to a team that has a chance to succeed. CG is still injured at the wrists and finger and I think this is his scoring problem. Bringing Downie back was STUPID when they already have Rinaldo. The Bullie days are gone for good and hockey has progressed were speed and talent is needed. Bringing up McGynn is a day late and a buck short IMO. CG was too young to be given the responsibility of captaincy so I agree with the others who have posted the same. If he is injured, then get him off the ice 'til he is recovered and give the C to some one else. If the room is as rotten as we think, then why not blow this ship up and begin anew. The good old boys are not going to get it done so change the leadership all around. Get all the picks we can in trades and draft smarter. Not sure smarter is possible. Sorry for the rant.

I've been considering the possibilities of what it would take as well. However, my thoughts are what would it take to move up and still keep the #11 pick. If we could, I would consider a number of lower round picks plus Read and Couts. I think it would be worth it to obtain two top players who are almost sure bets to succeed. We have replacements for Couts (Laughton) and Read (McGinn). If it means we suffer through another year so be it since we will again have fairly high picks in the succeeding draft. What say you.

Great to read all of the classy responses without rubbing it in. Just shows we Flyers fans have been there and felt that. This is what makes this forum so much better than Philly.com. I am on here every day 'cause I live in Ecuador and this is really my only good source of info. I really appreciate all of the members here. Oh, I am coming home for good in about two weeks and I can't wait. Now I wonder what effect this series win will have on Boston. Often times, when a team gets so "up" for one team, then is a psychological let down during the next series. Even though they will be playing for the cup and shouldn't need anything to get up for it, it still happens. Perhaps it works in favor of the opposition for 1 - 2 games. We'll see.

To B-21, Hope you get there in the future. Inexpensive but good food, great place to shop for Christmas gifts, and great people. Thanks for your kind reply. I am presently living in Ecuador but coming home in a couple of weeks. No way to follow my team down here other than this site and Philly.com. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this country.

To B-21 This is way off topic, but I've been dying to ask you if you have ever been to the Slovak republic? I lived in Wien (Vienna) for three years and have been to Bratislava numerous times. I am also a stamp collector and I found a nice stamp shop in Bratislava so I recognize B-21 as the first stamp issued by the new republic. The owner of the shop was kind enough to save a pair of the first issue because we had done some "back room" deals. great experience and great people. Just curious and thanks in advance.

To all, I live in Ecuador and this is my daily dose of Flyers info. I thank you all for your participation. I have watched all three games and have concluded Briere is not a difference maker at this point. He comes to life during the playoffs and this we already know so with or without him the results remain the same. Most will agree this is a very young team and I think it best to just let them play and allow the chips to fall where they may. Unless Homer has a crystal ball I think this is the only way we really find out what we have and who we can build around. I noticed a couple of things so far that are probably obvious to all. The teams we have faced so far all seem to have much more speed than the flyers. Are we really this slow? Next I notice the same approach when we try to cycle and that is run the puck around the boards, and always someone from the opposition is waiting for it. They just station a player there anticipating the puck. This is like watching Andy and MM! Everyone knows whats coming! We got bigger and tougher on D, but the opposition just motors around us 'cause our d is so flat footed. An obvious area in need of an upgrade - speed. Not especially easy to come by, but I question the drafting philosophy. How mant centers do we need? Could it be that Lavy and or his system is stiffleing the offensive ability of some of his players? Some have written the devils hockey is boring, but how entertaing do you find dump and chase? Example would be the Sabres who have nice crisp passing on the breakout and work the puck into the offensive zone. I can't remember the last time I watched the Flyers play that style of hockey. Feel free to add your observations and correct me if my observations are off base. The best to all.

Guys it is a pleasure to read this forum. I cannot stand the Philly.com site! After only two games, they are ready to trash the entire team and have little in the way of positive insite to offer. I am all for freedom of speech but I am not in favor of redundancy season after season on that site. I recall so many complaining that we need to stop trading our young prospects for the over the hill gang. Well, now you have young and they will get better with experience Call me a homer, but that's what I think and we just need to suffer through and persevere.

To all, Taking this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year from Ecuador. I read your posts every day so thanks for helping me keep up with my favorite team. Kudos to the monitors 'cause you do a great job. I miss home! PuckMeister

Rad, I'm still here alive and well. You have struck on the "golden thread." Money, greed, and power. I think the successful owners are tired of propping up the failing expansion franchises, but are reluctant to press Bettman to relocate/contraction. As businessmen, I fail to fathom how they cannot see the folly of their ways as they stubbornly cling to failed strategy. Perhaps relocate a team to Alaska and another to Seattle and there may be one or two other northern cities that could support a team. Contraction and a 50 -50 split of revenue seems like the obvious plan of attack, but it's not my money. I'm just a fan so what do I know?