brelic

If anything, it definitely sends the signal that the defense just wasn't mature enough, and mature with the right talent level. Braun is better than Gudas in terms of what the team needs (someone strong defensively), and Niskanen is definitely better than MacDud. So I would say defense is an upgrade for sure. Provorov still has had quite a few braindead moments this preseason, and IMO, does not belong on the PP ahead of Sanheim. We'll see how it sorts itself out. Hayes is definitely an upgrade to Patrick at 2C. Laughton is definitely a downgrade to Patrick at 3C, but better than Weal, and whoever else we had there last year. Are Twarynski and Bunnaman upgrades over Lehtera and Weise? Sheesh, I really really hope so. But as they are unknowns, it's hard to say. Farabee is a bonus and wildcard that we don't know enough about yet. And it's clear that AV is not enamoured with the core at the moment. It's a work in progress. I really do think we're finally turning a corner towards getting better and better over time. The question is how much better, and how much time?

More from AV...

Haha, guess AV was not happy with yesterday's game.

Yeah I watched it. Great stuff! AV comes off the best in that episode. You can tell he wants to win and there's an urgency behind his moves. He's got the same 'bias for action' that Fletch does. For all the good Hextall did in drafting, getting rid of bad contracts, and signing team-friendly deals, he saddled us with some garbage NHL teams during his time. They became unwatchable. It feels like we're turning a corner - and I know a lot of it is because of the groundwork Hextall did. AV will keep these guys in line. It might take 20 games or so to pull it all together - so my 8-10-2 prediction isn't a dire one. If they can be close to .500 during the early part of the season, they should be fine. If they have more than 12 wins in the first 20, I will buy everyone here a beer on my next trip to Philly. @elmatus, you comin?

I hope you're right. That's the sense I get too, that AV isn't messing around. But there's also the reality of a learning curve for a young roster - Myers, Bunnaman, Farabee, Twarynski, Morin, Hart. That's 1/6 of the roster. I imagine Frost will be back sometime too (I noticed he wasn't dressed for the Phantoms yesterday). I just have a feeling that Friday's opener, then the West coast swing will be really tough - if they can come out 2-2-1 (which includes the home opener), I'd be happy.

Haha, I hope I'm wrong too! Given all the upheaval, the rough early schedule, new system, new players, young players... 8-10-2 is actually decent. Keeps them afloat, very close to .500. It's also on point with this core of the last 7-8 years that just can't start right out of the gate. Obviously, I hope it's *much* better than that

Oh, I know. Most of them were probably hungover/jetlagged/overstimulated from a pretty jam packed 2-3 days. I'm sure some of the European guys had family / friends fly in. Lots going on. Hart didn't look good, and that's ok. It's gonna happen, probably a lot, even if there is no reason other than he's 20. Not even remotely worried about him.

Well, preseason is over, thank goodness. Flyers end 1-3-3. Can't put too much stock in yesterday's Swiss game, but they looked a lot like last year. Hart had a rough game, and they just went through the same patterns. Start slow, fall behind, fall even deeper, and then make a mad dash at the end that comes up just short. Also goal scoring has been hard to come by for this team during the preseason. My prediction is 8-10-2 after 20 games.

Hope Hart is just getting the stinker out of the way for now lol.

Thanks @Digityman. Ended up finding one on Reddit. Not a good period at all. Hart was not sharp, and neither was the rest of the team really.

Anyone have a link for the game? It's not showing up on Game Centre Live.

Can we move Bunnaman to the top line just so we can call it the KGB line?

A few things... I think there's a very good chance the Flyers *do* trade a defenseman. And Winnipeg makes a lot of sense because they are in need of NHL defensemen. Unless it's for someone that significantly moves the needle (e.g. Laine or Connor), I don't think the Flyers would want a roster player in return. So in that scenario, I'm guessing the defenseman we move is either Hagg or Morin for a draft pick or B prospect. Hagg will fetch more. I don't imagine the Flyers will make a major roster move this early, so this makes more sense to me.

From our favourite maternal basement tenant - Per a source, the Jets have two trades they are deciding between. “The Jets will make a trade for a defenseman with either Buffalo or Philly,” the source continued, “If Buffalo it could happen at any time, but Philly wouldn’t happen until at least the Flyers return from Europe since the player is over there.”How certain is my source? “99%”Almost never does a source go all in like this..Who is in play? Not getting that info...yet .

All the excuses are in place for a slow start - but something tells me there's a different energy around the team this year that if channeled the right way can help mitigate some of those issues. It all starts with AV who clearly wants to win and isn't taking sh%t from anyone. Be a f**king Flyer!

Man, there are some vile people in this world. Do yourself a favour and don't read the twitter / message board comments. Some people just believe the world owes them something. Now I understand why Patrick shutdown all his social media accounts *before* it was announced. Smart boy.

Seems about right. Myers is still a ? based on some quotes from AV and others. Maybe he starts out as 7th - or goes to LHV since he's waiver exempt. I don't think they're sold on him just yet.

That was the bar. He was our 2C and got 31 points. Laughton was our 3C/4C/3W and got 32 points.

I get it re: Laughton. But he outscored Patrick last year (32 pts). What is the realistic offensive production for a 3C (also keeping in mind that a 3rd line is not typically relied on for offense-first)? In my very crude look-up, centers ranked 63-90ish (by position) in terms of points ranged from 48 points at the top end (Gourde/Johnson, Hischier) to 35 (Franz Nielsen, Stepan). Of course, Konecny is listed as a C, so the rankings are probably pretty flawed, though I wouldn't be surprised if that is the general range. In that sense, Laughton is basically a bottom-tier 3C/high-end 4C. Patrick would also have fallen in that category until proven otherwise (strictly in terms of offense). Can Frost outscore Laughton as a rookie? He certainly has the tools for it - but would it translate right away?

So the Patrick diagnosis throws a wrench in the lineup plans. I was reading up on it and it could go either way. Backstrom has managed to have a career, Stephen Johns has been out over a year (Dallas defenseman) because of it, and of course everyone is different and there's a wide-range to the spectrum. It's a big unknown at this point, and it's more important for Patrick to be healthy as a non-hockey player above all else. In terms of our roster, I'm going to assume that we won't see Patrick for a while, perhaps the season. If that's the case, are we happy with Laughton at 3C and Bunnaman at 4C until Frost is ready? I guess we'll have to be unless there is a trade to be made. I'd like to see Frost up here sooner rather than later (maybe next month sometime after a dozen or so AHL games). Lindblom/Frost/Farabee could be very interesting.

Weed and mushrooms help, though I'm not sure that would be the team prescription lol. AV: "NOLAN!! What the heck were you doing out there?" Patrick: "Oh man, didn't you see that ugly hairy beast bearing down on me? I thought it was going to kill me." AV: "For f*** sakes, Nolan, how many times do I have to tell you? That's just what Malkin looks like. Now man up and get back out there!" TK: "Hey buddy, are you ok?" Patrick: "I'm fine.. why?" TK: "Well... you're talking to a tree. Outside. With a hockey stick. In your underwear. "

Yeah, Fletch said that was the tricky part in the diagnosis. At first they thought it may have been related to when Patrick got a puck in the head last year, but they also knew about family history. So that's why it took so long - they are now confident in their diagnosis. FWIW, Nick Backstrom has a similar condition and has enjoyed a long, productive career.

What’s he responding to?

That was my first thought, @OccamsRazor I wonder if it’s onset from prior concussions. That would be terrible, especially at his age.

THN Flyers preview. Not exactly insightful or even interesting, but, hey, here it is. https://thehockeynews.com/video/article/season-preview-can-the-philadelphia-flyers-make-a-run-at-the-stanley-cup