Howie58

I can't get too angry. He is a known entity. Apparently, the youngins in the system aren't ready. Talbot flunked his audition. I suspect we will see 3-5 goalies played by season's end. Keep your fingers crossed. Howie

I hope we have a competent, penalty killing-energy fourth line. Hartmann has more upside offensively but at this juncture, my expectations are somewhat limited for the team unless/until our picks pan out...if they pan out. We still don't have a sniper. Maybe the D is better. The draft seems to have gone well. Otherwise, I see a marginal playoff squad, at best.

I have to agree with an article in the New York Post that says, in essence, that the Devils made the right call with Nico Hischier. We wouldn't be making this deal if Patrick had made more progress (if that is possible). Free Agency leads to this kind of stuff. My "take" is that Fletcher is going with these deals to remake a team culture. That transcends dollars and sense. The length of term here is a bit frightening. But that is life in the New NHL and a Comcast ownership that was fed up with patience taking us nowhere.

The one critique of this trade that made some sense is that Braun's advanced stats have been in decline, and that Fletcher might be hoping that he and Niskanen can have bounce back years. That may be wishful thinking. That said, both of these guys are solid and not on any long-term contract. Agreed with others that somebody is going. I hope it isn't Ghost. Hagg is a shot-blocker but his stats aren't good and I have to wonder what he would fetch. Morin....would another team want to inherit a "project" with injury-proneness? Maybe we see a package deal. Or Fletch flips one or more for a pick or order change?

Well, the "bias for action" seems to be taking hold. We are on the book for one more season, so the the long-term consequences are not that great if this doesn't pan out. With all the picks in our system, giving up a 41st isn't catastrophic. Yes, he was -14 last year, but that is a deviation from lifetime stats. On face, we are going to start with a much better D than the one we ended last season with.

Well, one thing for sure: We will have one less thing to bitch about on this board. That is a blessing. Writ large, I hope the franchise learns a lesson or two from this long-term ideal. First, don't make long-term contracts based on 10-20 game tryouts. Second, put past performance into contact. A terrible Islanders team used AMac as a first or second pairing d-man out of necessity. We thought he was really suited to that role. He wasn't. The rest is a very sad history. I wonder if someone picks him up down the road as a cheap spare for depth?

I wonder if this part of a Ghost trade departure? He goes, and we have someone short-term to fill a gap until the youngins progress?

Normally I would say trading for a higher-cost, older player is screwy. But, we are changing paradigms/coach, so this will be allowed to pass my sniff test. It is short-term on the pick up, and it allows a slot opening in coming years.

In the for what it's worth heading, Elliotte Friedman discussed this trade on NHL Radio/Sirius yesterday. His take was that Philly was not high on Hayes' list. That didn't preclude a signing--just a belief that New York or other would be preferred.

Gudas is a cap-friendly dude to keep around. But an "aggressive" Fletcher might say his value may decrease and trade him now. Mark Friedman might be a cheaper, less penalty-prone alternative. As for Morin--who the heck knows. Skill aside, I worry about karma, and his sucks. I give the kid credit for persistence, but this may go down as a project that never panned out.

Lappy is a member of the Warrior Class. He will soldier on. I agree with earlier posters that he may have outlived his best use but for whatever reason, he is being kept in the fold.

Berube may have learned from his Flyers' experience. And he has better talent in Saint Louis. Candidly, I don't think coaching has been the central problem for the O and B. It's been talent. AV may do a better job. But that will probably be a function of better players.

So, we have gone from Flyers Insiders to people with Fletcher connection. One form of insider to another.....

Pat Maroon just scored the game winner in 2OT for St. Louis. . . .. once some people leave us, they find redemption.

Elmatus: I agree with you. Dave Isaac of the Courier Post said he was sick of the team "being a year away from being a year away." In a league in which 50% of the teams make the playoffs, it really means you are quite poor if you're on the outside. On paper, we should qualify given the talent. But....maybe the talent isn't really there. Then the coaching change nets to little. I guess we see.