Howie58

Howie:

I am sorry to here you Dad is sick. I hope not serious. I lost my Dad a couple years ago. Still miss him every day.

I understand the work BS too...

If you are Homer, just say no. Keep the young guys. Bryz may come around, stranger things have happened, like the Flyers going to the Cup.

Take care Howie,

Bear

Bear: Dad is probably not here for long but I hope we all get to 91 with our marbles intact.

As for Homer...you and I hope he builds a nucleus of good young people. And yes, maybe Bryz get his "bleep" together....

Best,

Howie

Good points. I am not in favor of trading much. Especially nothing involving young players. Bryz is not moveable so we had better hope that some of the good that we saw last night carries forward. I like Grossman and Kubina. Not perfect but better.

Bear:

Good to hear from you...dealing with a sick Dad and work BS...Flyers hockey is a good diversion.

Bryz...lost season or lost career in Philly...won't know until next year. The contract was un..f....believable. But this was Homer...not me! My hope is not to cannibalize the good young players.

Peace,

Howie

Greetings:

There is another related thread on Snider.

Yes, we are hamstrung by 1) A commitment to win every year instead of accepting ebbs and flows; and; 2) Constant hiring of insiders/former players.

I think the other "problem" is history. We might be better off thinking about our franchise since the strike rather than over 40+ years. Two cups 35+ years ago in an era when 5-6 teams dominated the league year-in and out might not matter much. What I see is a post-strike team characterized by one word: inconsistency. We have had the worst season in franchise history followed by a final four. Two years later we barely make the playoffs and go to the final. Along the way--seasons with good and bad stretches.

I am hopeful we do not trade away this cadre of forwards. If we do--it will mean past is prologue.

Peace,

Howie

I know the guy is passionate and wants to win. There is no denying that. But his level of interefering for years not only generated no results, but created some serious fall-backs and issues in team's progress.

I just can't imagine what possibly went through his old brain when deciding to sign this stiff Bryzgalov to 9 years (shaking my head) and burden the cap. Pronger is another mistake. As important and tenaceous as the guy is, how could Snider not see him being on the decline? How could this not be anticipated?

Look no further than the Sixers (which, to my knowledge, Snider also meddled with despite a popular belief that he was only inerested in the Flyers). As soon as he sold the team, the new owners took the franchise in a different (i.e., positive) direciton and the team is enjoying its first winning season in a long time.

I really feel as long as the Old Man owns the team, the Flyers are basically doomed. I just hope Comcast curbs his enthusiams a little and just asks him to let his GM do what the GM is supposed to do. But that ain't happening, most likely.

Mad:

I think you are correct in two ways: 1) The Win Today/We Will Challenge for A Cup Every Year Mentality; 2) Inbreeding by Keeping Insiders at the Helm. Both hurt the franchise. But we are powerless to do anything about it.

The game against Edmonton was an interesting contrast. They accumulate 1st round draft picks via the draft.We do it that way on occasion, but I suspect we've had more of other franchises than of our own!

Peace,

Howie

Good Morning:

I hate to say it but we may be watching something else: Two style of developing a team. Our nucleus was obtained largely by trade--their's via draft. Their kids will grow together as a unit...ours will hopefully grow together over time. Having five first rounders playing together who were drafted by the team...Edmonton may be a power to reckon with a year or two down the road...we will be wondering about work ethic (which may have been picked up in Columbus or wherever) and chemistry.

Peace,

Howie

Howdy:

God only knows how much we would love to dump Bryz or get some "assets" in return for Bobo. But who would take the former and what might we expect for the Bobo. Me thinks we are stuck with these dudes for at least another half season. If Bryz sucks next year...we could see the nuclear option and a waive with someone picking him up on recall at half price for a risk. Bobo may or may not get much.

I am not holding my breath. Hopefully our cadre of good young forwards doesn't get sacrificed on the alter of Ed Snider's ego and mandate that the goaltending gets fixed. This franchise couldn't develop or retain a good goaltender even under the threat of a drunken rabbi doing a botched circumcision on the players, owners, male fans (no, this isn't Africa, no women), or whomever.

Peace,

Howie

Terp:

Yes, the Primeau Parallels are scary and sad. There are risks in all professions and their cases are examples.

I have a feeling the Kabina trade is a good indicator Pronger is done. Kabina might be signed to have on board for a short-term solution to CP's retirement/LTIR.

Best,

Howie

Carchidi is a hack. Most of the draft picks traded away were not even the Flyers picks, and Homer turned them into NHLers, not prospects. Kalinski was made irrelevant with Rinaldo and Sestito.

We shall see how many acquisitions are resigned/extended. That will ultimately determine how good the moves really were.

Doom,

You are correct--time will be a good judge here. I don't think Carchidi is too bad. My concern is is belief that these trades done to cover Bryz. That is part of the deal. But that is one man's opinion.

H

Bear:

I am in Jersey this weekend to visit Dad. I saw the last two periods and felt sick. Two shorthanded goals plus incompetence. I didn't see Bryz's antics but as Carchidi said, candor over incompetence is a style that wears thin. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. And yes, perhaps they will run him into the ground.

Giving up all these picks bugs me. It just seems like a throwback to a different...and worse time. Is Homer turning into Clarke Redux?

The other take: Homer knows that Pronger isn't coming back..and Homer wants a senior statesman back there?

Be good Bear!

Howie

Now we have a GM mortgaging the future to save the team butt.That is Carchidi's take...is there agreement? It bugs me.

Bryz was soft today. But Bobo doesn't leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling either. This has been painful to watch...about the only thing I can say is that Grossman is big.

Howie

The one thing that makes me think this is not even close to the end is this quote from one of Carchidi's articles:

"Asked if it was unlikely he would make a major move before the Feb. 27 trade deadline, Holmgren paused for a few seconds.

"Unlikely? I don't know if I'd use that word, but it's probably not something we're talking about at length," he said."

He didn't answer right away (thought process: "now what the hell do I say to not spill the beans?"), "[didn't] know" if he'd use the word "unlikely" (If it's not unlikely, it's likely, Paul), and had to qualify whether they were or weren't considering it twice (both "probably" and "at length"). Holmgren was grasping at straw after straw, trying desperately to avoid coming out and saying that he wants to do something big.

The more interesting element is that the quote above was from Carchidi's article, but it doesn't show the full prompt. Seravalli had an article up in which the preface to Homer saying what he did wasn't "major move," but "superstar forward."

"Holmgren then added to the intrigue, after being asked about Grossman, whether he'd use the term 'unlikely' to describe the Flyers' chances on landing a "superstar forward," a la Nash."

From there, Seravalli paraphrased the same quote Carchidi used.

Take that for what it's worth.

Agreed with you and other posters that these guys have to be careful and the fog of war may be at play; but I just didn't like the tone or appearance. If there is a blockbuster...so noted and my assessment will be valued at what it cost to put it here!

Best,

Howie

I think that was pretty evident. With Pronger being done and Kimmo aging I think its obvious to everyone that this Defense is in bad shape and the future doesn't look like an easy fix. They're going to need some young D talent.

Agreed. I think that Homer has his hands full. Pronger's status is painful from a roster planning perspective...retirement/LTIR solves the problem...but if he comes back, what can we expect and for how long?

I guess we have to see!

Howie

Greetings:

I admit this is psychobabble but wanted to get it off my chest. Homer's trade assessment that was on the net was interesting. It's one thing to be coy about intentions. But Homer seemed detached, and his voice and looks could be "Zen" or detached depending on view. My takeaways:

1) To say he is in no hurry to sign Grossman is an understatement. When a guy comes out and says something like "this gives him an opportunity to see if he likes us" my read is "let's see what we get from this guy and take it from there."

2) I thought Homer's speech pattern was interesting. Would I say he was lying? No. But he made no eye contact with the reporters and rambled. Yeah, he had phone calls with other teams...but when asked about other big deals he went silent for about 15 seconds and gave no real indicator to me of what was meant or said.

3) On two occasions he commented about the problems the team was experiencing of late. And he did not say they were short-term in the cycle of a season. He seemed to be inferring they were structural--at least that was my read.

Again, I am no psychologist but body language sometimes speaks more than words. My read was of a tired GM who sees some serious issues with the team and may know that Grossman was sort of a band-aid.

Best,

Howie

Greetings:

I guess this trade comes under the heading of "calculated risk." If the guy plays well and likes it here, maybe he sticks around. If he doesn't, we gave up "extra picks" via trade to hopefully bolster a weakness until we find out more (publicly) about Pronger and see how the youngsters pan out over a season.

Hopefully Homer has decided that the forwards he has on hand appear to be a Cup nucleus. Then he trades and builds to keep them. The D needs reworking and the goal is beyond understanding--as I have said before, Bryz's performance will have to ultimately be judged next year--do we have a lost season or a lost career in Philly.

So--Grossman's signing is "marginal" for the franchise. Homer may know more about Pronger's condition than we think. Our trade activity may reveal more or less about that.

Best,

Howie

I join the club in a few month Howie!

Well time goes in one direction for all of us.

Best,

Howie

Thanks, Howie. Good point about giving the young guys some playoff experience. Hadn't looked at it from that persepctive. Even if they get slaughtered, that would still be good for them to have under their belts going into next season.

At age 54 I still think...not as well as I used to, but thoughts flow...but more like low-grade maple syrup than synthetic blend motor oil. Take care and thanks for helping to keep the board civil and productive.

Howie

I do not see much for this season because the general managers with good D offerings are going to be asking a premium. More so I think Holmgren stands pat because he believes he has a good D corp. Yes, I know hard to believe. But, I believe that he feels, and obviously for political reasons, that the problem with this team's funk lies soley with the goalie position and the injury to Pronger. I would even be surprised to see the Hal Gill move. My gut tells me a lot is not being said publically, or for that matter privately, about Pronger but a lot is known. Holmgren and Pronger date back to the Hartford days. If there is no movement for a D man, something is up. Call me crazy.

BOI, we may not go back as far as Hartford, but I won't call you crazy. I agree RE: Pronger's condition. I suspect his career is over. I would like to think Homer will try for some upgrade at D. He is stuck with Bryz--Bobo may be trade bait. What's amazing is that the 27th is around the corner. It seemed like the season's opener was yesterday; now October seems like ancient history.

Best,

Howie

Don't have time to look. How many years does Timo have left on his contract? Is it NMC? If we're dumping this year, I move him for cap money and go younger. If Pronger is done plus Timo's money and maybe not re-signing Carle, you haven't touched our offense and can try to rebuild the defense.

Rux:

I think a "dump" trade is rational. The corps or forwards is worth preserving. I am wondering if Homer is worried about the Pronger situation--big cap implications and even bigger in terms of squad development.

Howie

Howdy:

The whole trade gig is muddied by Pronger. I could envision Homer going for a cap clearing trade for picks dumping a Briere or Carle. He might be thinking about preserving his good corps of young forwards. The D is a mess. Schenn might help but what has to be given up? If Homer dumps space and Pronger is a no-go for next year, we might have 8-10 million in space. That would be something to work with.

Best,

Howie

At this point, part of me thinks it would be better if they didn't make the playoffs. Stop the hemorraghing, sit the team, give them time to get their head on straight, figure out what moves you need to make in the off-season, and then refocus for next season. No sense continuing to expose yourself to such humiliations when there's no need, or when you're in such a delicate state of mind. Or when you're not even trying - as someone else posted - for that matter.

I think there is a lot of truth to what you say. But it might be good for the young players to experience the second season. That said, if we continue our current play--it won't matter.

Take care,

Howie

@Howie58

I'm surprised to say the least that you would lead off with Bob being the #1 problem. He played as well as Lundqvist and there was nothing at all wrong with his positioning. If you don't challenge shooters in the NHL, they will pick you apart. You have to rely on your teammates to prevent back door passes and they didn't do it. I actually don't think the Flyers played badly yesterday, except on the PK. No way should he have been pulled given the way he played yesterday.

Hartnell's interference call was bogus in my book and in any case, he can't stop crashing the net and doing what he does to be successful. Mez deserved his penalty but I wouldn't call it stupid. That kid of stuff happens and I can understand why no one thought the Ranger's 28th ranked PP would explode for 3 goals. It was a shocker.

Terp: I don't think Bobo's play is necessarily all his fault. Reese and or his inexperience may be factors. That said, I think his presence here is confused--if they wanted him as a budding starter, they should have gotten an elder statesman in the off season, not Bryz.

Best,

Howie

If they get blown out by Detroit, a likely scenerio, then the Snider Holmgren Comcast spin will start in earnst. If Laviolette is the fall guy I will divorce this team forever and move to NHL Center Ice. When you don't have a farm system that deveops players like the Red Wings do, and have done consistently with excellence, you get the slop that we have consistently seen the past 20+ years with this Flyers franchise. Excuse after excuse year after year. It makes it hard for a local hockey fan to get on board with this franchisee's as their local NHL team. I am so tired of hearing Snider say he does everything to win, then does not do everything to win because of the stupid personnel decisions of this franchise. Ok, let's see what this genius Holmgren does. The Pronger situation masks the real situation. Dump and chase does not work in the NHL today with the size and skill set of our forwards. We do not have an Alpha Male beast center on the whole team. There needs to be a better defensive puck control system with better backchecking and defensive scheme. The D is truly porous and lightweight, no grit or meanness. No blue line fear. Thrown around like rag dolls. By the NY Rag Dolls. Start moving pieces now like Carle, Colburn, Lilja, Gus. Get a mean SOB crease clearing D Beast for the Pronger money. Even if Pronger comes back, you get a washed up 37 year old with a bad pumpikin head and a financial lead anchor. Pronger was arguably the second greatest D man after Off, very diffent styles, but The Alpha make D Beast. But, time to move on. Tell him to retre and Comcast take the insurance money. Goalie? This is on Holmgren. This was his defining off season moment. Maybe with a D in front of him Bryz would look better. Let's see if the Flyer Homerism gets a back seat to Comcast greed here. Got to sell the seats and merchandise. Flyers Hockey is Big Business.

BOI: I think Detroit and Nashville might teach us something about player development. I am not sure if things change a lot until Snider's passing.

Best,

Howie

Hartnell should be benched? He's our leading scorer and has been pretty responsible considering previous years, plus his attitude seems to be great. No need to ruin that.

Greetings:

Sometimes signals need to be sent; even for one period...dumb penalties hurt. Maybe the signal would mean more as the team scoring leader.

Howie ,

I reslpectfully disagree with #3

metzaros has been the only medium bright spot in the d-corps and hartnell has been too good for too long to let that unfortunate high stick cost him minutes, the goalie interference call was questionable especially since the puck was still loose and 19 may have had a chance to give it a whack.

all the rest kinda hard to refute.

i have said this doom has said this and maybe even you have said this... is the chief the right guy to be responsible for the defense ?

Mojo: Whether I deserve respect ....questionable..and I agree that one penalty alone is not the problem. But Hartnell has his share of them. Mes...maybe I am getting jaundiced. The whole bunch seems AWOL.

Howie