vis

Won’t miss watching McDonald. Bad signing to begin with. I still think he’s an OK third pairing guy (well, maybe that was more last season), but his contract was among the worst in the league. Think they still have room to make another move on defense, but they should get Provorov locked down first.

Statement was kind of tongue in cheek. I know Binnington was a big factor. But it is kind of funny that Berube got them a Cup when Yeo got them to last place.

Wouldn't have a problem if that was the case.

Not too worked up about the dollars. It's one year. I just question whether he tried to negotiate hard on the point or at all. His mentality is if the trade is "good enough," why bother fighting over other stuff if it doesn't have a significant impact. Some guys want every dollar, some guys are happy with a good return, even if they leave something on the table. That's my concern. Actually, it's more of a concern regarding the entire organization. I think he will be on the top pair this year. Remains to be seen thereafter. I also worry about a quick drop off.

Didn't Niskanen flatten Laughton and then beat him up when Laughton tried to fight him? Or am I thinking of someone else?

The intangibles are what will make or break this trade. If Niskanen can be a good presence and influence and can bring some stability to the youth on defense, I think this trade can make a solid difference.

Circling back on something. I had forgotten that Mike Yeo was coach before Berube. Yikes. Double whammy for the FLyers: old coahc wins Cup; new assistant couldn't get it done with a Cup winning roster. I know there's more to the Blues' turnaround than just coaching, but it does give me a little pause for thought.

I don't hate this trade (not sure I like it, though) and understand the rationale. Flyers get their veteran leader on defense in Niskanen and they will buyout McDonald to open a space on defense. Bummed to see Gudas go. Thought he was decent last year, had a good contract and seemed well liked. Niskanen had an off year, but he's got more meaningful experience than Gudas. I will say this: the void of players difficult to play against gets bigger. Gudas was at least somewhat tough to play against. Niskanen can be cheap, but I don't know if he's difficult. Maybe I don't know enough about his game. Did hate him on the Penguins. Maybe Morin fills the void? I was initially put off with the retained salary, but it's only for one year and the Flyers have room. However, I suppose this may be one more case where Fletcher blinked and perhaps wasn't aggressive enough when making the deal. I don't know. I felt that way a little bit about the Talbott and Simmonds trades. This smells a little like more of the same. Oh well.

Glad the Blues won. Good for that organization and fan base. If I recall correctly, one of the long lost posters from philly.com, JSFFOUR, called them the Flyers of the West - always good, but not ever good enough to get over the hump. Thought that was pretty accurate at the time. I gotta say. It’s getting awfully tiresome watching castoffs from this org find success elsewhere. It’s damning to the people still here.

For sure. They have to do this in parallel with other possibilities, not linearly. They need contingency plans in place if Hayes falls through.

One other thing that’s smart about trading for Hayes’ rights is that they should have a real good idea at the draft if he’s going to sign at the price the Flyers are willing to pay. It takes the guesswork out of what to do at the draft. If he’s willing to sign, then no need to explore a trade for a 2C at the draft, which is the most likely time ahead of the season for a trade to be made. If he’s not, the the Flyers know they need to move on to Plan B and begin working the phones for a trade at the draft or consider upping the offer to Hayes. They will have a little more clarity on how to approach meeting their needs at the draft.

Coming out of FA without a 2C will be a major fail. And Hayes is really the only option in FA. Duchene reportedly has his sights set on other teams and no one else fits the bill of a 2C. So, I think not landing Hayes would be a major disappointment. And Hayes and his agent know this and will hold Fletcher over a barrel. Now, they can't overplay their hand, but they hold all the leverage. It's obviously possible to try to make a deal for a 2C at the draft if Hayes isn't going to sign. I just don't have a lot of confidence that they will be able to accomplish that. Plus, they would have to give up an asset to do so. Giving up the pick doesn't bother me in the least. I appreciate the aggressiveness and the willingness to put themselves in the best position possible to get "their guy." It's the right move. Plans B and C are rarely as good as plan A. That's what concerns me. I hope so. Even if not, I still think it makes sense to make the move.

I hear you. It's a concern of mine as well.

Yeah, that's what worries me a lot. If they whiff in UFA, I have a strong feeling they are going to be taken to the cleaners if they go the trade route.

I don't know what the cause is, but agree that there is something cavalier about his game at times. I don't know. I feel like he and Konecny are a little too cute and don't put in enough work. I like that they trash talk, etc., but you gotta back that up as well. They're young, though. Plenty of time to mature and become "wily vets" instead of "young punks."

I’m kind of in this boat as well. I will say this — Couturier displayed a lot of smarts and savvy play in his first couple of years. You could tell he understood the game, competed pretty well and could be trusted. I don’t see that as much with Patrick.

Because the Flyers are desperate and now even moreso having traded a pick. Hayes has all the leverage. I suppose he has to be careful to not to overplay his hand, but the Flyers are basically outbidding themselves here. Yeah, the pick isn’t much but it would look terrible for the Flyers and Fletcher if he can’t lock down their top target for their top need when they could do so without any interference from other teams. Fletcher knows it will be a major fail in his first season as GM if he can’t get this done. And you know what? I won’t blame him if he can’t get it done. Blame stupid Comcast for basically telling the entire hockey world how desperate they are to win now. Hope I’m wrong, but that 7th year is looming large.

That’s just not realistic to expect a guy to be training that hard at this point. Nobody in the league is. I’m not knocking Hayes if he’s enjoying himself somewhere ready to cash in the biggest contract of his life. 99% of players would be doing just that.

Yeah, not sure I can blame the Flyers. Teams that feel that they are, or should be, ready to meaningfully compete identify their needs and fill them with whoever is available at whatever price they can. That’s just how things work. May not be the smartest approach every time. I mean, the Leafs went out and got the best C last offseason and how did that work out this year? And they may lose Marner as a result.

Flyers are either going to overpay for Hayes or lose him. Don't think $6x6 is going to get it done - I think the Flyers will give him the 7th year. Fletcher is under pressure to get a deal done. A fifth rounder isn't a lot to lose, but there isn't anything in FA (with the possible exception of Duchene) and the optics are bad if he signs elsewhere. I like the idea of trading for Hayes' rights, but I'm not that confident about getting a deal done on terms that make sense. I just hope Fletcher made the trade based on some intelligence as to (a) Hayes' interest in the Flyers and (b) what $$$ he wants. As to the player, I'm kind of mixed on Hayes. He fills a need, but I want this team to get faster. I also worry about conditioning and attitude a little. AV and he butted heads in the past a little, but it sounds like they are on good terms. The Flyers wouldn't have traded for him without AV's blessing. I'm not concerned that they haven't signed him yet. I can see this going right to June 23.

Rumors of rampant cocaine use, especially in the playoffs, have been around for a long time. I hate to say, but I had wondered if some of the Flyers on that 2010 team were partaking. Same with the Kings team that won the cup. Or Adderall.

Want the Blues to win badly. Want to see people's heads explode when Schenn and Berube hoist the Cup and someone brings it to South Philly to celebrate at that bar. Think Bruins will win, though.

That a Terry Ryan story? That dude is a loon...

I've certainly had experience with "tough love" folks, but they do it without being personally insulting. And when you do a good job, they let you know that as well. Therrien just sounds like he can be very insulting. Lofty expectations, I fear.

Well, it's interesting that he was fired as soon as Claude Julien, another french-canadian guy, became available. So you may be on to something there.... In his book, Briere said he had a few run-ins with Therrien and related a story about how Therrien singled out Briere in a video session and basically said no one on the team respected him or wanted to play with him. Pretty harsh to treat a veteran player that way. I'm all for a coach that holds players accountable, but I'm not a fan of degrading or insulting players. I wonder how Therrien's personality will play with the youth.