Dynamo 47

No thanks. While he would bring a lot to the team, that is too much and too long a deal for a player that plays his style.

Good post Mojo and I totally agree with you about the Malkin and Kunitz targeting areas of injury. That being said, in the playoffs, all is fair but my problem is the makeup of the team. After that ******** in Pittsburgh at the end of the year, combined with some of the moves other teams in the Eastern Conference made that the team would have done something toughness wise. I just hope that Derek Mathers truly is ready to step up and is called up by the Flyers for games where the potential exists to get out of hand.

I have to disagree Mojo. I will fully admit I was wrong on Read last season but I would be surprised if he duplicates his over 20 goal season again this year. Bobby Ryan is not only big but highly skilled. You put him on a line with Giroux and Ryan becomes a 40 goal scorer every season. I would not be suprised if he even topped 50 a couple times. To acquire a perenial 40 goal scorer (even a 30) would likely take more then Read, MAB and a first. The Ducks know that which is why they are asking for Schenn or Couts. I would not part with either of young centers but if we could get Ryan for Read, MAB and a first I would consider that a HUGE steal for the Flyers.

I am a software analyst by trade. If a competitor was going to quadruple my salary and my company matched, I would consider it the best of both worlds. I remain in a place where I am comfortable and respected and I am making some serious cash! I would say I would be happy. I know it isn't the best analogy

Sad but true fact in Bettman's NHL.

Good post Iban. I am not worried about the offense (just as I was not worried about it losing Richards and Carter). We lost Jagr and his 19 goals and JVR was out most of the year and when he was in the lineup kind of invisible. I believe whether it is Jake or my first choice; moving Danny Briere to the top line, there will be an increase to Jagr's 19 goals. I think Briere is our best sniper and with Giroux he is easily good for 35 goals. JVR scored 11 goals last season and Schenn scored 12. Schenn started out really slow but as the year went on got stronger and we saw why he was the top ranked prospect not in the NHL by the end of the season. I expect him to score between 20 and 28 goals this year. Couturier scored 13 goals playing with limited ice team on the 4th line and the PK. He is gifted offensively and I expect his ice time to increase and approach the 20 goal mark as well. The area of concern that could impact the offense is the defense. We upgraded defensively and physically with Schenn but Carle did make good outlet passes and was good on the rush.

I kind of agree with that Rux. There were a couple good defenseman still on the board when we took Laughton. I still would have likely went for Maatta strictly because of his talent and the need. I also thought Dalton Thrower had Flyers written all over him but a first would have probably been too high. But there is a reason I am here and Homer is making multimillion dollar offers. I think/hope/pray we might have found a diamond in the rough in Fredrik Larsson as he has size and a little attitude to boot. Bottom line is that no one truly knows. You have top 5 defenseman like Cam Barker or Bogosian who have yet to live up to the hype and guys like Weber who were 2nd round picks (49th) signing 100 million dollar offer sheets.

I agree Bert. I just threw the topic out there as Subban is intriquing. But I am of the old adage that what goes around comes around and it is no secret that other teams despise the offer sheets. It would not be at all surprising if another team signed one of our young three to an insane deal not necessarily to acquire them but to screw up the Flyers payroll knowing they would match.

I feel the same. But does the reward outweigh the risk? With the strong veteran leadership we have I would think it would help him a lot. I could really see Subban benefitting from Pronger's presence. But there are probably safer bets out there such as maybe a Zach Bogosian but the talent and edge that Subban brings makes me drool at the potential. It's a moot point as I cannot see Homer wanting to go the offer sheet route again for a team that will be more likely to match any offer than Nashville was,

Agreed which is why we sit and see what else might transpire as far as availability. How do you feel about Subban? He has similar Weber like tools and would be a lot less money. He would give a right handed shot, physical presence, and some offense we need on the back end. The bad thing is that it would require another offer sheet and Montreal would almost definitely match which means trade and a repeat of the whole Weber ordeal

Now that the Weber deal has come and gone curious as to the thoughts on possibly signing PK Subban to an offer sheet. He is a total PITA to play against, which is high praise for anyone who has played the game. He is a right handed shot who can score (14 goals in 2010-2011 season), plays physical and takes the body. Not to mention being only 23 years old and will improve over time. I think he is exactly what the team could use without paying Weber money. They get a right hand shot from the point, a physical guy and a guy who gets under the skin of the opponent. He is young and would fit in nicely with the young core we have now. Right now his cap hit is about 875 - 900K. Do the Canadians match an offer of a bonus and maybe 5 mil over 5 years? If the one dimensional turnover machine Carle is worth that much then surely Subban is. Do you further risk alienating other GM's around the league but doing another offer sheet? What are some other posters thoughts?

I applaud the job that Homer did this offseason and in particular the moves with Suter, Parise, and in particular Weber. The Weber deal was huge and if the reports we hear are true, Homer tried repeatedly to make a trade with Nashville and only submitted the offer sheet when it was obvious that Nashville would not budge with their demand for Couterier or Schenn. So Homer made a deal that really would make it difficult to match. Unfortunately for us Nashville did match but we kept Couterier and Schenn in the process. I have no doubt that Homer attempted to get Nashville to agree to a trade to not match the offer. I also have no doubt that they insisted on Couterier or Schenn and to Homer's credit he did not budge. Nashville really did not make a sensible move. If there is a lockout, Weber will be owed all that bonus money up to something like 16% of the franchise value. They also have to know that Weber is not happy and will likely demand a trade next season when the one year period is up from signing the offer sheet and it being matched. So in essence, Nashville likely will pay Weber 20 mil plus and lose him next season. The Bright Side Defense Even without Weber the Flyers defense is improved over last season. Bryz, who is not without fault, played behind a defense where the best player, Pronger, was out all season, another Mez out for a significant time and until Grossman was acquired, no physical presence on the defense. This season with a healthy Mez, a full season from Grossman, and a physical stay at home defender in Schenn, the defense will be more physical and Bryz should have more clear views of shots with less rebound chances simply because of having a couple defensemen who can clear the porch. Offense Regardless of whether the Flyers are still in the running for Shane Doan, I think the team will be fine offensively I would move Briere up to Giroux's line to play right wing. With Giroux setting him up Danny could easily score 40 goals. Moving Briere up to first line RW would also allow Schenn and Couts to move up and get more playing time and scoring chances. Intangibles We still have quite a bit of money to spend and could still make a lower magnitude move on defense of go after Bobby Ryan. If we do nothing, our defense is improved, Bryz will hopefully be stronger in his 2nd full season and with better D, and our young players will only improve Finally if we make no more major moves we have a boatload of cash for next season (especially if the Flyers do not extend or sign Kimo and Hartnell which is over $10 million in cap space) banner free agent crop which includes Ryan Getzlaff, Corey Perry, Iggy, etc. So while it does hurt not getting Weber it isn't the end of the world...

Thanks Quig as you are the only other person who noted Kimo going back to the Preds. It makes sense for Nashville as they reaquire a fan favorite and it makes sense for the Flyers as his $6 million cap hit comes off the books and would allow the team to either trade for Ryan or sign Doan.

Honestly I think that is exactly how it will play out. Nashville needs to save face and acquire what it can versus 4 first round picks that would likely be at the back end (hopefully the last pick of the first round which meant we won the Cup). With the acquisition of Schenn and Weber we would have an expendable asset with one of the existing defenseman. Personally I think it might not be Mez. Curious as to what others think about Kimo being sent back. I posted on another thread that it might more more sense to send Kimo back on both sides. Nashville gets a fan favorite back. The Flyers lose Kimo who is in the last year of a contract paying him over $6 million a year. Sending him back frees up some serious cap space and give us the manuever room to sign a Doan or acquire a Bobby Ryan.

I think Nashville is simply talking trade with the Flyers at this point. I think they know that matching the offer will hurt financially and likely lead to Weber demanding a trade after the year period so they are trying to save face and make a trade. Nashville is likely demanding Schenn or Couterier as part of the deal which Homer will not do. The rumors are that Homer tried to acquire Weber and frustrated said either we make a deal or I will make him an offer you will have trouble matching. I think Homer stuck to his guns about not giving up Schenn or Couts then and he wont now. I expect to hear an announcement tomorrow (WED) that the Flyers and Nashville have made a trade. I would not be surprised if it is Jake, two firsts and one of Coburn, Mez, or Grossman.

Jmr, what you said really makes a lot of sense so there could be some truth to it. I can totally see Nashville wanting to save face with their fans and would totally expect them to not match if a trade of players is made. 4 first round draft picks for Weber is not going to go over well with the fans who also lost Suter, I can see some kind of sign and trade with Jake and one of our defenseman plus two firsts. The Preds would need an NHL dman after losing Suter and Wever. What is intriquing to me is if the Flyers sent Kimo back. Before people rip me think about it. Kimo is a Nashville fan favorite which would help ease the pain of the trade. He is in the last year of a contract paying over $6 million and has noticeably slowed down. Freeing up that additional cap space would allow the Flyers to sign Doan or possibly trade for Ryan and allow the numbers to work much easier.

Jammer it was reported he streaked down Broad Street naked in an alcohol haze when the Flyers signed Weber to an offer sheet!

Homer was brilliant in this scenario in several ways. First off according to reports he tried multiple times to make a trade for Weber. Poile almost certainly asked for Couts or Schenn. To Homer's credit he said no. He likely even threatened Poile with making Weber an offer he couldn't refuse. Second he structured a deal that will make it very hard for the Preds to match from a business sense. If they match the offer they will have something like 16 percent of the franchise value tied to one player in the next two years. Finally, it has been "leaked" the Weber no longer wants to be with the Preds. If the Preds match not only do they put a big dent in the organization financially they will have a disgruntled player who will demand a trade in a year. Matching and paying 20 million or so for a player they will likely lose in a year is a risk most organizations wont take. So if Poile decides to match and then says to Homer if you really want him, lets make a deal. Poile might think he really wants the guy and matching the offer was a blow and we can ask for Couts or Schenn. Homer can simply say we will make a deal for you to save face but you can take Jake, Read, Bourdon and a first or two or no deal and you can have you million dollar rent a player for a year and he is gone and you get nothing, Really Homer did this deal like a master chess player and it really puts the Preds in a corner.

TOTALLY agree Mad Dog I think that in the NHL and the lack of major TV money that there shouldn't be a cap. If there is a cap then the cap should be weighted so the teams generating the most revenue have a higher cap to play with. Why penalize teams like the Original 6, Flyers, Blues and other good markets to support teams in Phoenix, Florida, etc. Or implement a tax like in baseball. Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox will also do well and keep the sport in the limelight and use the tax money to help the teams not as succesful. In the NHL, like baseball the league does much better when a popular team or a big market team is in the finals. The NHL's best case was an LA Rangers matchup but they were dreading a Phoenix NJ matchup as the ratings would have really been in the toilet.

I initially thought that too (about matching) but after reading how it's structured I am more encouraged than discouraged. The first two years are the key and if Nashville matched the payout to Weber would be something like 16% of the franchise value or something like that. Not to mention Weber might tell Nashville that if they match it fine, but he will demand a trade next year and if not will sit out. So they can let him go, get four 1st round picks or match it, has a pissed off player who will be gone the following year one way or another. I truly hope that is the case as I have not been as excited about a pending acquisition since Lindros.

I actually think Briere is going to have the best year of his career this season. With no top quality scorer to play the right side for Giroux and two young centers in Schenn and Couts that need more time I think Briere moves to top line. Briere playing for a full season with Giroux should easily allow Briere to have a career year. I think he is our best sniper and pairing him with Giroux would get him tons of quality scoring chances. It would also allow Schenn to move to 2nd line center and Couts to 3rd line Center. The move of Briere to top line would strengthen the team overall.

I still thing we need one more scoring winger to really do any damage (even if Weber is a Flyer). I am not comfortable with Read playing on the right side of Giroux all season. If I had to make a move I would bump Danny up to play right wing with Giroux. Briere would easily score 40 on a line with Giroux and it would allow Couterier to move off the 4th line and up to a third line where his scoring potential and ice time would increase. Finally I DO NOT want Rinaldo as my physical threat. I like his attitude but he is simply not going to be of any use in games against Pittsburgh if things get nasty. Plus he was a liability almost every time he was on the ice as he was obviously targeted by the referees. IF we sign Weber, and the fact we have Giroux who plays with an edge, it is even more important to have a true heavyweight in the lineup. I would rather Shelley play in nasty games over Rinaldo. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Derek Mathers see some action this season.

I was ecstatic when I saw the report but rapidly downgraded to cautiosly optimistic. This will be an agonizing 7 days waiting to see if the Preds will match. If we get Weber it does mean a couple things. I think that it almost 100% means that Pronger will be done (although I salivate with the vision of a healthy Pronger and Weber on the blueline) I don't recall all the rules associated with RFA Offers but is it possible that the Predators could decline to match the offer and trade Weber to the Flyers in exchange for roster players? If that is the case I almost wonder now if that means the Schenn brothers would go to Nashville?

I totally agree. I applaud the fact the Flyers are not overpaying for free agents and not panicking by dealing one of the young guns simply to make a move. The Flyers might be finally getting it... Better to go into the season with a good, young nucelaus, better goaltending from Bryz and build. NEXT year is when there are some players truly worthy of decade long, mega millions contracts.

I think this offseason is a perfect example of addition but not doing anything major. I agree with rickymac. Parise and Suter are good but not great players worthy of those salaries. Now if the deal was for Weber or Getzlaff I am much more comfortable with the money and terms. I appreciated all the impact Jagr had on the team both on and off the ice but not worth the 4.5 million he received. Carle was a turnover machine who played soft. Our defense is much better simply with a healthy Mez and the acquisition of Schenn I still think the Flyers are pursuing Bobby Ryan. Not on anything other than a gut feeling, To me it just makes sense. Ryan wants to be here. The Flyers need a top line winger and more size and Ryan gives both. Plus signed to a cap friendly deal as well. I think the Ducks want Couts or Schenn and the Flyers might be offering Read and 1st round picks. I think we acquire Ryan we are in excellent shape.