PhilsFanDrew

If there was ever a guy who we needed to give a long term big money contract to it would be a guy like Weber.

The only player the Flyers should consider giving a long term big money contract to in the next 2 seasons is Claude Giroux.

Trading for Weber is not an "all in" short term move. If you can get Weber you sign him for the long haul and make runs year after year with him and Giroux.

There is no guarantee they will be able to sign him long term. There are too many long term, high money contracts on the books that aren't easy to move due to age and contractual agreements (NMC/NTC). I'm not questioning our ability to make the trade for this season. I am questioning the addition of another long term, high money contract to a team that is already strapped with too many.

I don't think this team is good enough to go "all in" and pretend that Shea Weber will overnight make the Flyers the team to beat in the East. My strategy would be to trade for 3 or 4 D-man with a contract of 3.5 million/yr or less on the last year of his deal. This would help the team and give them a chance to compete this year without throwing away the future to make a blockbuster trade.

I think Gleason would be an interesting option. I'm with phlfly though...I really can't see the concussion really keeping Pronger out the entire season AND playoffs. I can only really remember Crosby (i'm sure there's been a few more) recently who sat out an entire season with a concussion.

Pronger is past the point of a concussion. He has been officially diagnosed with "Severe post concussion syndrome." This was the same diagnosis that ended Primeau's career. This diagnosis isn't the result of one concussion. This is developed after years of head trauma and has major ramification to ones well being and quality of life beyond hockey. This isn't something you just suck up and play with.

I would have liked to see more non hockey related stuff to the Flyers. I only recall the rink opening with Wayne Simmonds and the brief 20 seconds of the christmas skate at the skate zone. Seemed like they showed more off ice activities of the Rangers. Would have been cool to hear some of the conversations with Giroux and McCrossin and the other doctors but I guess that stuff is a bit private and priviledged information.

From Lappy's twitter @dooda1414

His tweet

I'm a firm believer that Hartnell is a product of his line-mates.

Lieno and Briere & now Giroux and Jagr

Put Harnell on a line on the 2nd or 3rd line of the Flyers and he has half the points.

It's nice that his teammates are supporting him but they can't be serious....

Why can't they be serious? Briere moved off his line and hasn't gotten off to a great start like last year so I can just as easily say that Briere is a product of having Hartnell as a linemate. I think more of Scott's success lately can be attributed to getting back in better shape and cutting down on foolish penalties not who his linemates are.

No need for a trade. I enjoyed watching the young depth last night. These guys are hungry and want to prove themselves. I'd much rather watch them than trade for some overpaid unwanteds from some other team.

Have they been hyping up the voting at home games? It stinks there is only 1 more home game this month. It also hurts to not have hockey friendly local sports radio to put out the word like in Ottawa and Toronto.

thanks for the link. I never really looked into the rules that detailed before and haven't watched any of Shanny's explanations before. Why should injury be taken into account? So if Read had his block knocked completely off Leino would've gotten more but since he's okay Leino get's less? That's about as stupid as the blood/no blood on a high stick. A high stick can cause serious injury. You wnat players to keep control of their stick. Why the F should blood factor into whether it's 2 or 4. If you think it's a problem, make them all 4. If it'snot that big of a deal, make it just 2. The result of the penalty should not dictate the punishment, the penalty itself should. As should the case with these suspensions. either the player committed the crime or he didn't. If you want to factor in the fact that this is his first offense, then I'm fine with that, but the resulting injury or lack there of should have no bearing on the punishment of the crime. Determine the punishment regardless of the result and go from there. Read can only consider himself lucky he didn't get a concussion from that and now Leino only gets a slap on the wrist. Not quite the way to send and effective message if you ask me.

I think the whole blood vs no blood on the high stick is the dumbest rule. I also would favor a rule that guys that get cut on the eye with a high stick that don't wear a face shield don't get the extra 2 mins for their team. Intent, not result is what needs to be punished otherwise you just create further confusion of the rules.

He looked good in the fight though. He knew it was coming.

But for the hit, sheesh... Gerbe saw him coming and had plenty of time to, you know, actually face him to avoid getting hurt, but instead deliberately turns his back to Bourdon. MAB might get suspended, but now Gerbe is hurt.

Stupid.

I totally agree. That hit along the boards that Bourdon was making 9/10 times goes without a penalty because the player accepts the fact that he is going to get hit and prepares himself to brace the hit. Turning your back to the player hoping that he is going to stop after he has already made the determination that he is going to hit you is unacceptable and the person making the hit should not be punished IMO.

Like I said in the Voracek/Couturier/Carter thread, if Simmonds and Voracek end up being the best players we get out of those trades, we lose. But like was also said, it's way too early to be calling anyone a winner in the deal.

Judging trades based on fantasy stats and individual feats is a silly exercise. Judge the trade based on the accomplishment or unaccomplishments of the team.

I wouldn't read too much into this. They play a stretch of 3 games in the next 4 days and I looked at their schedule for the month and it appears that there will be a lot of road games (something like 11 road games to 3 home games).

The flyers certainly overpaid. And the goaltending wasn't the only problem last year. But they were never going to a win a cup with those goalies. Never.

I disagree that they wouldnt be able to win a cup with Bob. Last year he wasn't ready but he certainly showed enough promise for the future.

I was actually in favor of the Flyers signing Vokoun in the offseason. That way they had a reliable starter if Bob had a sophomore slump and Vokoun would be gone in a year or two to let Bob take over as starter. I think in the long run Bryz will be fine. The Flyers just overpaid big time because many wrongly blamed goaltending for last season's end of year meltdown.

Um, sorry but the goaltender is not in the net to be the recipient of checks, he is there to stop the puck.

69.7 Fines and Suspensions - An attacking player who, in the judgment of the Referee, initiates contact with the goalkeeper, whether inside or outside the crease, in a fashion that would otherwise warrant a penalty, will be assessed an appropriate penalty (minor or major and/or game misconduct) and will be subject to additional sanctions as appropriate pursuant to Rule 28 – Supplementary Discipline.

Tootoo received a 5min major for charging and a game misconduct and is subject to additional sanctions.

I wasn't trying to imply that it was ok or within the rules to check or hit the goalie. My point was using Miller's injury as some sort of crutch to handicap an opponent from driving the net in fear of making contact with him is nonsense. Either he is healthy or not healthy and shouldn't play. Tootoo was trying to drive the net and Miller's d-man hemmed him in to the point where his only path was to make contact with Miller. Tootoo can't predict how the d-man is going to play him as he is driving to the net. If anyone should receive supplemental discipline it should be Miller who deliberately made blows to an opponents head.

Tootoo was driving hard to the net and the d-man squeezed him into the goalie. I don't know how he was supposed to avoid contact there or stop. I'm sorry Miller got hurt but driving hard to the net is a fundamental play in the NHL. If Miller is not 100% and isn't prepared to take a hit then he shouldn't be in the net.

Before I was sorry to see him end up carreer to soon, now if someone will going to take his head off I say go for it.

I want so badly for Steve Downie to "MacAmmond" Crosby.