BearOnIce

I agree with what you say. And I'd add the following. Dumping either or both Lavy and Homer would mean little if we bring in people from the organization. We need outsiders with the proverbial fresh set of eyes. Recycling Murphy or promoting an Asst. GM will perpetuate the problems, not solve them.

Best,

Howie

Howie:

I agree with everything that you and Mojo say.

I do not think it is Laviolette as much as the result of GM moves or lack thereof, and a perfect storm of injuries.

BOI

I agree. I wonder if in part it's their inability to move the puck, or if we are accustomed to winning and it's painful to watch these losses. We knew why the 06-07 team was terrible--it was old, slow, and untalented. This is a different squad and it's hard to understand the losses with talent on hand.

Best,

Howie

Howie:

I was bored the entire game last night. Really bored. Like getting up a number of times and going into the kitchen for extended periods of time. This team is killing my waistline!

Ok, not that I need a lot of scoring, but just seeing some nice passing and playmaking happening would be great. Which it is not. Even if they lose!

This entire team lacks cohesiveness, sych, playing like a unit. It is all random. This is not a team that does well when they press. Try too hard. The Lavy time outs seem more to just get their attention. Like holding a biscuit in front of a dog. To get their attention and focus. Is it possible that a team like this just looses their attention? Look at the bench when the camera pans and tell me what you think.

When they skate loose and move their feet and the puck they are beautiful to watch. I think this is the essence of the Lavy attack system. If you do not do that you will look abysmal. Like they do now. Lavy's system is all about fluidity and rapid puck movement. IF you do not have puck movement or slow down you are toast.

If I was Lavy, I do not know what I would do to get everybody on the same page. Well, except skate up and down the ice in practice passing the puck. That simple. It is gut wrenching to watch them struggle with puck movement on the PP. And I think it is killing the high skilled players like Brier and Giroux.

I sure would not juggle lines. Perhaps with the injuries that is exactly what has happened and that is a lot of the problem.

BOI

I fully expect a buytout, but this organization* has done stupider things.

If bryz is putting up 2.19/.924 and the team is 6-17 then it's the team having the breakdown, just as it was with Cechmanek.

Naturally, they will blame the goalie and keep all the players who quit, just as it was with Cechmanek.

* term used loosely

radoran:

I agree.

After last night I am much more concerned about this team than Bryz.

Could it be that what we see is exactly how it was last year except that there was Carle and Jagr, a few people had career years, the young players overexcelled, and we had fewer injuries?

BOI

Well said. What would be an absolute embarrassment is if the Islanders actually finish the season higher in rankings than the Flyers, or worse yet, make the playoffs and the Flyers will be left outside looking in. That will be beyond pathetic, but right now it looks like a very realisitic possibility. And why not? At least the Islanders are playing like a team, while the Fyers look like a poorly coached collection of players who just look totally lost out there.

MD:

Why am I looking forward to this team play Washinton tonite. I have no clue. Am I looking for validation? Am I looking for some hope/ Am I looking for someone, anyone, to show why they wear the Flyers logo on their sweater?

How about we start with the PP. Shake it up until there are 5 guys that can work as a unit..

BOI

Timonen would need to approve any deal...

I'm not at all opposed to Bernier. I have a sneaking suspicion the "organization"* is going to warm to Bryzgalov...

* I use this term loosely

radoran:

I suspect that when the Flyers get to 6W/17L, and Bryz does a Checkomanic-melt down on the ice with his teammates, then starts talking about White Tigers and going to Uranus in his personal spacecraft, in the locker room, that the "organization" will have no other choice but to accept the buyout, but with the usual Flyer aplumb and spin.

I think this year is going to be a mess.

BOI

I'm still pretty high on all of our young forwards (Schenn, Couts, McGinn, Laughton, Simmonds, Voracek, Wellwood, Giroux, and I'd even throw in old man Read - these guys will be good, some already are good -- they just need to remember that -- or getting better.....hopefully sooner rather than later) despite the start to this season, so I agree with everyone about Laughton. Something to look forward too.

@BearOnIce - what happened to the defense? I'm afraid we never had one. And my bigger fear is that, unlike the crop of good young forwards we have, we don't have anyone really able to step up over the next season or two to strengthen the D or to create a D. It's like we have nothing. What we do have in the system will take much longer to develop.

OH1FlyersFan:

Ok, so does Holmgren take Ed's checkbook and go big D game hunting again about mid-way though thhe season when a lot of teams, like the Flyers, have tanked? Going to have to give up a forward or two. I see no way around it.

BOI

Well i look at as he says "hey boys better pick it up or some of you won't finish the season here"...and i can understand that, i feel that way.

My boss sets the line on my job every morning in the pre shift meeting...weak links will be weeded out and terminated, ain't a whole lot different because i'm a blue collar worker, he means bussiness he wants to win...the axe man cometh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with some of his moves/statemnets and some not so much...

OcaamsRazor:

You got right, you working stiff. Thanks for working and making this country strong, not sitting on your xss sucking on the government dole.

When Ed speaks, the boys, including Homer, take notice. No one want da axe!

Go Flyers. More Flyer KoolAid please.

BOI

Well I agree the loss of Carle hurt your D more than most want to admit, but I think the run & gun system is just more demanding of conditioning and will take time. It's too soon to be panicking about things.

Yes. That conditioning thing is an issue. Lets hope they work out if it. Just need to make playoffs.

I think the D isn't the issue. The forwards can't receive a pass and are afraid to get bumped. I saw several passes get up ice to get turned over, NOT so much missed or intercepted.

Doom 88:

Yes, your point about not wanting to get bumped is dead on. I saw that too, especially against Tampa Bay. I would expect this from some of these young guys, unless they play a role like Renaldo. I think also that an elite forward creates time and space from the opposing team and outside of Giroux, we don't have another elite forward. Maybe in 2-4 years with some of the younger players developing. With all respect, I think the defense is still too slow transitioning to the forwards. It allows the opposite team to cheat into the neutral zone more, way too much. Then dump and chase and the forwards are gassed. New Jerse's system does it to a tee. If anybody has our number, they do. I believe that Timmo is about the only guy on D we have that can consistently move and control the puck. Case in point the PP where the puck movement east-west opening lanes is really lacking. I saw Lavy execute this offence in Carolina and you really need defencemmen that are essentially large, mobile forwards that move up and back with the forwards. Ain't happening yet this year. I believe there is a big conditioning factor involved and this team is not there yet.

BOI

Look, I am no f'n way saying that Bryz is the next Patty Roy... He has been the Flyers best player this year and has played well. Am I a Bryz fan - no, but I think it is a little ridiculous to blame everything on Bryz... there are a lot of other players that come before him on the ****-list right now...

"Look, I am no f'n way saying that Bryz is the next Patty Roy..." Classic. I love it.

The defence is a f'ked up mess with no one moving the puck out FAST to the forwards. Pylons are not fast.

Plyers? Start with Capt'n Ro.

And never ever put Jake back on that PP. Never.

You guys MAY just be going through a similar stage the Pens are going through. Bylsma's system requires great conditioning to compete. OUr boys don't have it yet and so they're struggling to play with any kind of organized approach. I wonder if Laviolette's system is similar, and until your boys get their legs fully under them it's going to be a roller coaster ride??

The difference is that you have some studs on defence that can move the puck "at will" up to your forwards. We do not have that. Lavy's system requires a high-energy attack and getting thhe puck out from the defensemen to the forwards. Ain't happening with this group now. Dump and chase is old technology.

Bear:

Good to hear from you. Peace and let's hope we don't go through a shake-up of coach without thinking about the reality of the players we have with this GM.

Best,

Howie

Howie, I do not think a change in coach would do anything at this point. Lavy coaches up-tempo attack-attack and the players are not responding. I think the defence is just in such dissarray and with no one that can move the puck in this speed game today so they are out of synch. Drink le vino!!!!

@flyercanuck

homer said he wanted Laughton to have the opportunity to play in all situations, so his game can grow, he wouldn't get that with the NHL club through a regular shift. he wants him killing penalties and getting power play time.

i am just happy he didn't trade him and a 2nd for insert a washed up defensman's name here.

Kid looked good. Good future. Now what thhe hell happened to the defense this year.

One of the biggest problems this organization has is ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY - from the top of the organization to the bottom.

For years, and this began with Stevens, the team has had different standards for different players. The name on your jersey dictated how many minutes of ice time you received - and not the quality of your performance. Players like Carter and Richards could do no wrong. They received top-line minutes irrespective of how they were playing. And now Giroux and Briere are shown the same preferential treatment. Meltzer blogged about the same thing earlier today and it inspired this post:

On this sequence, Flyers captain Claude Giroux failed to hustle on the back check, floating casually about 20 feet behind the play rather than going all out to catch up to Hedman. That was a flat out unacceptable effort, and was worthy of a seat on the bench for the rest of the game. Everyone needs to backcheck. There can't be any exceptions. Buy-in for team defense has to be exampled by the captain and there also needs to be accountability for every player, including the team's best player.

Is there any guarantee that if Giroux has gone all out to backcheck that Hedman wouldn't have scored anyway? Of course not. But maybe Hedman would "hear footsteps" and tick one off the post. Maybe he wouldn't have come up with the puck cleanly in the first place, and a hustling backchecker could have tied him up before he collected it. Maybe Giroux would have had to take a "good penalty" to save a goal. We'll never know.

By not making any effort to get back on the put-away goal, the captain did the equivalent of waving the surrender flag. I don't care how tired a player or team feels, that should never, ever happen.

Giroux does not typically cut corners defensively. But he did last night, on top of making a variety of low-percentage plays in the offensive zone. When you are pressing offensively -- with the Flyers struggling to score, Giroux is trying to force plays in the offensive end -- that is all the more reason to pay a little extra attention to the defensive side of the puck. That is part of the responsibility that goes along with the captaincy of a team that considers itself a contender.

Giroux absolutely should have been banished to the clubhouse for his lack of effort. I do not care that he is "the captain." Respect is earned - not handed out. And who knows, maybe guys like Couturier and Voracek would think twice about not hustling in the future.

I do not care who you are, if you are not hustling and not working hard, you shouldn't be playing. Tortorella holds every Ranger to the same standard (play by my rules or don't play at all) and it is no coincidence that they are one of the hardest working teams in the league. By contrast, how many periods do we "take off." How many times can we say that the team competed for the full 60 minutes?

Unless management starts rewarding ice time to those who deserve it, we will have an inconsistent team struggling to succeed.

In Lavy We Trust. Time to start sitting people. Captain Ro all the way down. I don't care if there are injuries or not. This is big boy NHL hockey. Stop with the excuses. Ya hear me Holmgren?

Kimmo should learn from his goal last night......shoot the damn puck!!! All he does is keep trying to make the perfect pass....or set up G from the left circle...I know G has ripped a few from there, but c'min Kimmo....SHOOT the damn puck....especially from the center spot where he keeps receiving a great one timer pass from the corners......drives me nuts!!!!!

SHOOT THE DAMN PUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The entire team is in denial and hesitant. I'm still looking for the Core. Has Foster even played the point yet?

That's about where we rank pointswise, so it makes sense I guess.

Just nakedly startling.

Proves that even the "Comcast Flyers Marketing Machine" can't make a bad team good. Slogans upon slogans. No walk, just talk. The organization taking advantage of the Flyers Fans even more than usual.

Oh, and all you Flyers players that are reading this, you suck really bad right now, so you'd better snap out of it and stop being the laughing stock of Philly right there with the 76'ers or you gonna start seeing peoples xasses shipped out.

Vitrol. Lots of it to go around. Want some more? Meet us up on those tall bridges.

Wow.

9th to 27th.... Pitiful.....

http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_news/rankings/nhl/

Has been solid,

He's looked to me like he's being a good teammate.

I hope he can hang in with this new found good attitude and play while these young guys get their act together.

Bryz is a keeper. He is only going to get stronger. The Flyer D though is a complete mess. This is on Holmgren. The forwards are so out of sych because the defense can't secure and move up the puck so there is constant flow and attack. That is what Lavy's syetem is all about. Attack. Jam... If you can't/don't do that, you get what you have now. Plus this dump and chase is anti-Lavy and is beating the Xhit out of these young forwards in the corners.. Anytime these guys stop moving the puck, they loose it.

I agree, one thing I notice so far anyway is, that he is standing up a bit more, his awareness is better and he seems more fluid in his laeral movement. Lets give him the season and see what he does, if he is just decent,then we can get a decent goalie for much less in the off season.

Get him some defensemen that can play and he will look like Lundquist.. What a mess this backside is. Bryz is a keeper.

Guys, guys... back away from the ledge!

Look how little experience HALF our forwards have:

Read, 86 GP

Coots, 84 GP

B Schenn, 69 GP

Rinaldo, 69 GP

Sestito, 30 GP

McGinn, 4 GP

That's a green squad right there. It's gonna take some time for sure... and I don't mean a few games. It will take a few years!

Giroux is only 25. He's just starting his 5th NHL season, and he has about the same experience (292 GP) than those 6 guys COMBINED (342 GP).

I'm not trying to excuse them... but the Rangers are considered cup favorites. A few guys on TSN picked them to win it all. And we hung in there, and lost 2-1 ONLY because of special teams. Had we scored on our 5 on 3, it's a different game.

Let's see what you say in ten games. Signing Knuble? Letting Carle leave? Signing Leighton to backup? Boucher? Not getting Jagr for one more year for Giroux's line? Keeping Talbot. Not getting one step in puck-moving defenseman. Having basically 4 defensemen that should not even play in the NHL? Flyer cronyism lets Holmgren skate and will use Laviolette as the whipping boy skapegoat. He'll go to Columbus and win a Cup. Just watch.

Guys, guys... back away from the ledge!

Look how little experience HALF our forwards have:

Read, 86 GP

Coots, 84 GP

B Schenn, 69 GP

Rinaldo, 69 GP

Sestito, 30 GP

McGinn, 4 GP

That's a green squad right there. It's gonna take some time for sure... and I don't mean a few games. It will take a few years!

Giroux is only 25. He's just starting his 5th NHL season, and he has about the same experience (292 GP) than those 6 guys COMBINED (342 GP).

I'm not trying to excuse them... but the Rangers are considered cup favorites. A few guys on TSN picked them to win it all. And we hung in there, and lost 2-1 ONLY because of special teams. Had we scored on our 5 on 3, it's a different game.

Let's see what you say in ten games. Signing Knuble? Letting Carle leave? Signing Leighton to backup? Boucher? Not getting Jagr for one more year for Giroux's line? Keeping Talbot. Not getting one step in puck-moving defenseman. Having basically 4 defensemen that should not even play in the NHL? Flyer cronyism lets Holmgren skate and will use Laviolette as the whipping boy skapegoat. He'll go to Columbus and win a Cup. Just watch.

Bear:

I got home for a chunk of the third. Other than our aging warrior scoring...I wasn't sure if the team should be called Philadelphia Flyers or Keystone Cops? They can't handle more disciplined teams. On paper there is talent. On the ice there is no "us," but rather, a bunch of skaters. I wonder how long Lavy will last?

Howie

My friend Howie, Mr. Laviolette will not last long if this continues and Mr. Murray is on deck.

These guys are playing like clueless idiots in front of Bryz. He's really show something in coming back here and playing this well this year and both Laviolette and his team have been absolutely abysmal for most of this shortened season.

I know Scotty and Andrej are hurt, but there is no excuse for the utter cluelessness I'm seeing out there on the ice.

NONE.

It's pathetic.

Pathetic is being kind.

I turned it off 3 minutes into the 2nd.

I'm not supporting this kind of xhit. 2 and 6?

I don't want to hear all of the usual fxcking Flyer excuses from this Comcast mouthpiece.

If I have to listen to Coatsy, JJ, and Clement organization it up for another minute I'm gonna puke on the floor of my Wawa.

They ain't getting my money this year.

F em.

Grow some.

You want fans, earn em..

-Taken from TSN.CA-

A large section of the roof blew off the top of Montreal's Maurice Richard Arena on Thursday, apparently by the force of powerful winds.

Part of the roof, about the size of a couple of school buses, tumbled down the side of an exterior wall onto some trees. Officials did not report any injuries.

Sylvain Cuillerier, a spokesman for Montreal's fire department, said a 20-metre by 30-metre section of the roof was blown off the top of the arena.

Several members of Canada's national short-track speedskating team, which trains at the arena, gathered outside the building to survey the damage. They wondered whether their training session on Friday morning would still be a go.

"Nothing's confirmed yet, I have no clue, but my guess is they might have to test the roof to make sure," said Liam McFarlane, a team member for the last six years and a former Olympic alternate.

"Maybe we'll be off a day. We're heading off to Calgary in a week so either way we'll have ice."

The sounds of twisting, vibrating metal still echoed through the area hours after firefighters said the incident occurred.

At one point, a piece of sheet metal, around the size of a small coffee table, bounced down the street at high speed like a tumbleweed.

The rink, adjacent to the Olympic Stadium, has served as the home of Canada's national short-track speedskating team.

It opened in the early 1960s, was a venue for events at the 1976 Summer Olympics and has hosted junior hockey over the decades.

The arena has a capacity of 4,750 and is perhaps best known locally for the statue of Richard in front of the building.

Dozens of people in the residential area gathered at the scene behind the police tape. Police closed a nearby subway station and structural engineers were inside the building.

Scaffolding could be seen outside the building and McFarlane said construction crews had been doing work in recent days.

"It's slightly disconcerting, that's for sure," he said, staring at the mangled metal strewn on the arena lawn. "But it's the outside (of the building) and the winds are pretty strong, so it probably could have happened anywhere."

Built by the lowest bidder.

Now that there is a new CBA in place, Marc Bergevin can finally get to work on resigning one of the league's brightest young defencemen. Let me remind you that Subban is eligible for an 8 year contract (new CBA allows 7 year deal for free agents and an 8 year deal for a free agent whose rights you already own).

My opinion is, sign the man for 3 years at around 3.5 and see where it goes from there. In the 2013-2014 season, the amnesty buyout clause (also part of the new 10 year CBA agreed upon early this morning by the NHL and the NHLPA) will take affect which will allow teams to buy out 2 players per year without a remaining salary cap hit. This would give Montreal, who already has 60.3 M in salary used, to buy out some players to free up space (erhm Gomez and Kaberle/Bourque anybody?)

Subban has the potential to be a top 5 defenceman in the league. All he needs is a bit of maturity, which will come with age.

Discuss.

He is a punk. He will never mature. Even Hal Gill couldn't help this jerk. Where is Mike Richards when you need him?