Mad Dog

Tuchas Grabasski......... The funniest thing I read since I've been on this forum. Bravo @Cheesesteak!!!! I am still laughing. :lol:

Well, that's a differerence of opinion, I guess. Obvioulsy, Weber is a premier d-man... perhaps even the best right now. Nobody would ever argue that. The problem with trading G away is a sudden void created on the offense. Robbing Peter to pay Paul rarely works. Nashville is the living example - they *do* have Weber and nothing else. I just don't see what good can possibly come from trading a 90-point forward. Sorry.

What stigma? Geez... How much you want to bet that people will stop talking about this in less than a month? It's entertaining now because it's summer and the Flyers are not making any noise in the free agency. Plus, it's actually funny. But you are trying to make more out of it than there is.

Well, that's a different matter.

The Flyers will not want that deal, either.

But is that really the best option for the Flyers? Why would they be deliberately hamstringing themselves if they could sign a valuable player (or two) to actually make a difference on the ice? Yes, they will be absorbing a big chunk of his salary, but it's still better than paying *all* of it to a man who will be sitting in a press box, or at best, playing 6 meaningless minutes a game on the 4th line. Man... Homer really effed this one up.

Because he has to realize he has no future here. The Flyers made it abundantly clear that he doesn't fit into the team's plans. So if I am Vinny, I will have to ask myself: do I want to keep languishing on 4th line averaging 6 minutes a game here, or is a better option for me is to go someplace else, which may not be the best city in the world, but where I have a chance to feel significant again? I guess that really depends on what kind of person he is.

Theoretically, it is possible. :wacko:

I get the sentiment. Believe me, I do. But to be fair, he has a whooping total of 36 games played in the NHL. I agree, based on his performance in *just* these 36 games, he didn't impress. To claim otherwise would be stupid. But to already label him a bust or a career AHLer is early. I mean he may very well prove to be a bust, but we have seen a very negligible sample of him. Clearly, he has a lot of flaws to his game RIGHT NOW. You know as well as I do that very often in the NHL, it's that old "the right place and the right time" type of thing. Some players are late bloomers. Some player develop over a longer period of time. With some players all it takes is a right mentor/coach, and boom - suddenly it's almost like seing a different player. Some players need certain linemates to be successful. Again, he may be a long-term stiff in the NHL and eventually become a no-name, like so many others. But my point is, we just don't know that yet. Like Aziz said, considering what's been given up by each side, it isn't a lose/lose situation for both of the teams.

No, it won't hurt you at all. People in this thread are saying the Flyers did well in this trade as they got the third pround pick. OK, I won't argue. But it's also a good trade for San Jose as they got a potentially promising young power forward for *only* a third round draft pick. So from their perspecitve, this should be considered a good trade too.

@J0e Th0rnton Looks like people already gave you some less than positive feedback on him. So I won't spend more time trying to tell you what he is bad at. But serioulsy, it's not really that bad and there are some positives. First, he is still only 23, so a lot can still happen. The kid has some serious upside. He is a power forward with some upside and he was a scorer in junior hockey. Maybe all he needs is a learning curve and ice time. Time will tell... He can be a bust, of course, but at 23, it's at least worth giving him a good look. He may be one of those guys who can flourish in the right environment because, again, I like the upside.

@Poulin20 Congrats! That is awesome. Happy to hear everybody is feeling well.

VLC has no future with this team... Moving him benefits both the Flyers and VLC. He will get moved, I am sue of that. It's not a question of 'if"; it's a question of 'when'. It would sure be bteer to have him moved already so that the Flyers could have signed someone. But at this point, with most of the free agents who are worth something gone, it almost doesn't matter how soo he gets moved, I guess. But I just can't imagine he is still here when the training camp begins.

Figures... The Flyers are not making any news related to hockey, so there's gotta be off-ice controversy.

Too much. But can't say I am surprised.

Agree with all of that, but what about the defense? We *must* upgrade the D. Going to the camp with this defense is plain embarrassing.

Hexy will need to get creative and fast. Sounds like the Flyers have some rather hefty goals in addressing both the D and forwards, but they have no space availabe as of the moment I am typing this. They need to find a way to find a suitor to take on VLC's salary and contract.

I'd agree with your assessment. Your team hardly got an equitable compensation for one of the better and most consistent scorers in the last several years. And I don't think Neal was showing any signs of slowing down. Seems lapsided to me...

I don't doubt that. And he actually proved that already when he played here in the past. But my question is... is that *really* why he is here? In other words, are role players what the Flyers are lacking the most at this point? I would say they need a bone-fide sharp shooter who belongs on the first line with G. As slow and clumsy as Hartnell was, he proved he can play with big-time players. If this roster remians the way it is (which, of course, we can guess is not the case), Umburger will not be playing on the frst line. There is just no way. Simmer would need to be pushed to the 1st line, which will make this essentially a one-line team. I can see the purpose of this trade being a salary dump. But if the Flyers are serious, they need to add skills to the offense. It's pretty evident.

Looking at it from just a cap's position, I wouldn't add him. But as a player, he does bring a certain value. He is a good skater and is smart. His ability to accelerate is underrated and he is one of the best in the NHL amongst the defensemen in that department. I was hoping to see that in Streit, but he disappointed. Ehrhoff is capable of logging big minutes and I can see him competing with AMac for minutes, which is important as it would give Timo some time to breathe. But he does have flaws. His shot is rarely on target. He will get pushed around against big forwards. And his defensive game is often suspect. I don't know... Hexy made it clear that improving defense is a priority. I keep hearling he is very serious about Dan Boyle. I also keep hearing the Flyers were ready to make a blockbuster multi-team trade at the draft, but one of the teams involved pulled out in the last minute. The Flyers defense need steadiness. I don't think Ehrhoff is really what they need. He won't hurt, but considering his cap hit, I'd pass...

I think the more I think about this, the more and more I tend to agree that this is pure LUCK. The same luck that helped Detroit land Datsuyk and Zetterberg. I refuse to accept that the rest of the NHL was so blind and stupid not to take these players much higher. There was a reason some of the guys slip so low in the draft - nobody thought highly of them when they were playing in the minors (or in Europe in the case of Detroit). We can praise GMs and their scouts and call them brilliant, but the reality is, they simply got lucky. There is really no other way to explain it.

That's what I think *should* be happening, yes. Hexy should be an initiator in all this, since he is the one who is trying to unlod an x player. But since this is a small world, and all the GMs probably know what's happening in each team (or at least have some rough idea) and know each other, it's probably not unfathomable to think that some other GM actually called Hexy and said something along the lines of, "Hey, Hexy, I know you are trying to solve a problem. I can help you. Let's talk..." And again, knowing that *all* the Flyers are trying to accomplish is basically: 1) push Lecavalier off the door and 2) free up the roster spot, asking nothing in return, this really shouldn't be such a daunting task. I believe there are still some NHL teams where VLC can play a certain role and help. Nashville is one team I can think of. Probably Atlanta is the other... my point is it's not unresolvable. Difficult - yes (mainly because of the contract of course, not so much because of VLC), but not impossible.

And one thing that should probably be working in Flyers' favor here is that Hextall will not be looking for anything in return. At least he shouldn't be. All they need is to free up a roster spot and get rid of this ominous contract. I mean it would be nice to get at least *something* back (even a lousy prospect), but the reality is, this is not the Flyers' objective in seeking to trade VLC. God, Holmgren has done so much damage that the repercussions of cleaning up the mess he created and undoing all this will be felt long after he is gone.

Yep, here is the link: http://www.csnphilly.com/hockey-philadelphia-flyers/source-lecavaliers-agent-looking-trade-partners?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo

Howie, clearly it was a long day for you... that's the only thing I can attribute this thread to.