Mad Dog

Oh, gotcha! Here you go with that subtle way of yours to make a point. No, I agree. He can, of course.

If Homer throws in this NMC *this* time, this will be really stupid. I am OK with giving him around $4.5 mil (give'n take), but there is absolutely no reason to sign Carle with an NMC. None!

My speculation is that he will rather not play a single day of hockey for the rest of his days rather than report to Columbus. Again, just my guess.

I think so too. Or, put it this way, I *want* to hope he can. But in that scenario, the team in front of him really has ot be basically infallable. Can the Flyers put that team together? I do have confidence in Flyers management, yes.

Biron was pathetic. God.... Can we EVER somehow get a goalie? I don't even know what, at this point, it will take to land a decent goalie. A miracle, I guess. Can Homer, maybe, organize a party to abduct Quick, put a make-up on him, and pass him for Bryzgalov? lol

Don't we all.....

My hunch is that the Flyers collectively realize this was a trial-and-error type of season. Too much happened last summer and the team has transformed. It was a learning experience, a year of adjustments if you will........ which includes Bryzgalov as well. The Flyers are looking at it this way, which allows them to approach Bryzgalov's situation with tolerance. But I have to believe that if the team in general plays real well this year, but Bryzgalov falls flat on his face, again, Snider will have enough. Just my impression...

Really? You mean losing to Florida in the second round in '95 was not underachiving? Losing to Buffalo in the 1st round in 97 was not underachieving? Losing to Toronto teh following year, again in the 1st round, was not underachieving? Losing to Buffalo (again) in 2000 and Ottawa in 2001 (both in the first round) was not underachieving? Losing to Buffalo in 2005 in the 1st round was not underacheivng either? This is not to be taken the wrong way, Mojo, but this mindset is exactly what makes me want to shake my head. Some of the Flyers' fans seem to continue getting content with the fact that the Flyers always stay competative and are willing to do whatever it takes to win. I mean that's great and I respect that a lot. I really do. But again, when you can't win the Cup in 30 fricking 7 years, simply being competative and good, and have a winning mentatility, is no longer good enough. Why stop half way? I just can't understand that attitude at all. Why not try to strive for success like Detroit and Devils did instead of thinking of the teams (like Toronto, Ottawa and Washington) who have a similar futility? Not winning Cup in 37 years is a definition of underachievement. You can disagree with that, and that's fine.

Exactly..... If anything, he is getting 1 year older, so the chances of him getting injured or worn down as teh season progresses only increase. Again, I have no complaints about what he has brought to the table this year. NOT AT ALL. I want to make it very clear. He was nothing short of terrific and classy during most of the regular season, and I like the fact that he embraced the role of a "teacher", and played that role to a 't'. And with this young group, it is imperative to have a guy on the squad like that who the youngsters look up to and from whom they can learn some invaluable intricacies of the game. But I just think continuing giving him a major role on the team could be somewhat detrimental in the long term to what this team is trying to accomplish.

He sure was... which makes it even more regrettable that we only got one year out of him. I could see some great things; just wasn't meant to me, I guess.

@Vanflyer OK, I'll give you these playoffs. But if you look over a larger time span (say........ over the last 37 years), wouldn't you say they underachieved in the most ridiculous, almost unheard-of way?

@radoran I hear what you are saying, specifically in reference to rushing him into the role, but I don't believe it would be a big concern or have a repercussion like in Richards' case. Of course, that's just my hunch, but I think Giroux has demonstarted he is ready to lead. I just think other than Talbot, there may not be a better candidate.

Giroux would be a logical choice. Why not?

I may be in the minority, but I am not sure I like the idea of Jagr coming back to play for the Flyers. Don't get me wrong, I was one of many people who were literally SHOCKED to see a 360 transformation of the guy. All these traits that people are mentioning (dedication, professionalism, selflessness, experience, unmatched work ethic, setting a good example for young guys, mentorship)……… all this was more than anybody could possibly expect or ask for. And his production in the regular season was pretty much in line with his price tag. But I have two major concerns with this resigning. First is his age and durability. And I know he is in a decent shape for his age and he was actually more durable than, I guess, some of us expected. But unless they monitor and control his ice time closely, he will again be spent by the time the playoffs kick in. And that’s just a function of his age; that’s almost entirely outside his control. And given the fact the he will likely be looked at to still have a prominent role on the roster, that’s a concern. I just don’t see how it cannot be a concern. My second issue is reading his earlier blogs, he hinted that he would only resign if there are some promises made to him that he would still play a big role (PP time, ice time, etc.). That’s an issue for two reasons. 1) is what I outlined above (this will eventually take toll on him and wear him down as the season progresses) and 2) it will impede the growth of younger guys. Personally, I think Couturier proved he is ready to take on a bigger role. He needs to generate points and he is capable. But assuming Jagr is back on the first line – which, again, is probably the only place he would be OK with – I just don’t see how it helps the kids with their growth. But the other interesting angle is that by resigning Jagr, perhaps Homer is making sure he is securing a forward position, at a reasonable price, so JVR could be packaged to acquire a d-man? I don’t know if Homer has considered this in his decision to resign Jagr, but you never know…

Which should not really be THAT surprising, giving the resume he came in with. This, however, does not negate the fact that he *is* a very special player. If the stars align right for him - and I hate predicting at a risk of jinxing - I don't see the reason why he can't approach Datsyuk's level. And I actually think he is better.....

Personally, I never quite understood the pure hatred for the guy. Stats-wise, since his first full year with the Flyers, other than the 2006-2007 injury-ridden season, he never had fewer than 20 goals. So from the standpoint of production, I am not sure what more the Flyers fans expected from him. In the playoffs, he underachieved. Everybody knows it. But so did many other Flyers players. The Flyers are perennial playoffs underachievers. To single out one guy is just unfair and biased. People will cling to that missed open net shot. OK, fine...... But for how long can that be remembered? People miss open nets all the time. It just happened to be in the most inopportune time, but **** happens. I don't know....... I think there were plenty of players who passed through the Flyers organizaiton who gave fans a reason to be hated more than Carter did. Look no further than our current netminder (and I really don't want to start another thread about him). I won't feel disgusted after he hoists the Cup; I realy won't be.

I felt all along that the singular cause of the team's underachieving so ridiculously was Terry Murray. And I actually like the guy, but the truth is, he is a mediocre (at best) head coach. He has bounced around in this league like a ping pong ball throughout his career and has absolutely no accomplishments whatsoever. Once they hired a REAL head coach, the team started playing up to their potentials. The JJ/Carter trade had very little to do with their success. That's why I am surprised how little recognition Derryl Sutter is getting amongst all this talk about why the team is doing so well. Sure, Quick, Kopitar and Dustin Brown are playing out of their minds - Quick particularly - but Sutter deserves tons of credit.

I feel excatly the same way, which is why I get annoyed, to be frank, by this "Flyers West" crap. It's not Flyers West - it's LA Kings. I couldn't care less whether they win or lose.

Without knowing *exactly* what happened, it would all be a sheer speculation. My guess is that both Richards and Carter simply matured and learned from their mistakes...... Richards especially, I would think. From reading stuff about Richards over years (including what FlyerCanuck reported), Richards is a winner. I always hoped he would make that winning mentality translate to the same mentality here, in Philadelphia. But for reasons - some of which he could control and some that he couldn't - it didn't happen. What I don't see being mentioned is the influence of Derryl Sutter must have had on what's going on with LA. He took over a team that was in a disarray. And frankly, with Terry Murray's track record, I can't say I am surprised. I don't live close to LA, and I don't really follow that team, but I have to assume Sutter made some drastic changes in how the team plays. The team propelled to playing at an enormously high level since he came. I really felt, along along, that LA would make it to the Finals easily. And the ease with which they won just about every single playoff round tells me it's gotta be more than just Quick. Quick is playing great, no question. But the whole team is playing just at a ridiculous level. And Richards and Carter are playing huge roles. Seems like another team on the brink of breaking the long drought.... One can only wonder how soon it will be the Flyers' turn, if ever.... Personally, I am losing hope.

I think at this point only the Flyers know what they are planning on doing with Pronger, and even THEY might not have a clue yet. I am sure this is one of Homer's hot topics this summer as it significantly impacts the team's plans. I remember that was one of the questions that Homer was asked when the season has ended. I think he speculated that Pronger *may* be ready to play this season, but that was a speculation. I am guessing he goes through various tests over and over again, but I am not sure whther we will hear anything definitive any time soon.

@mojo1917 @canoli Ok, I am certainly giving some credit to the fact that the players were beat up after the Pittsburgh series. But I don't know if that was all on the injuries, honestly... And the types of injuries that were reported to us don't look so terrible. I feared worse: like players playing with dislocated shoulders or fractured knee. Giroux and Simmonds had wrist/finger issues. Those types of injuries are not something that will make, like you said yourself, a "night and day difference". If they were creating tons of chances, and it would just be Brodeur who decided the outcomes (as it happened throusands of times before), I would simply shrug this off to a bad luck and just a more superior goaltending (which was actually the case anyway, but not to teh point that it was a difference making factor). But the Flyers were grossly oumatched and outplayed in every single aspect of the game. They seemed lost in pretty much every game of that series. Are we really going to chalk this up to the wrist injuries and finger injuries? The line combos looked out of sink. They couldn't organize the rush. They didn't seem interested in forechecking. The defense looked in a disarray... I just don't know. They honestly looked like a team who didn't belong in the same league with the Devils. And remember, that Devils team *almost* lost to Florida and advanced only thanks to an OT goal in Game 7. In that entire series, Florida looked like a better team, actually. You can't turn a blind eye to all this. And don't forget, the Flyers had the entire full week off before the series began. Maybe I am looking for something that wasn't there, but something tells me there's gotta be something more to it.

@canoli But then why do *you* think the players didn't generate enough chances in the Devil's zone? What is *your* theory? Is this group of players then simply not the right group to execute this "system"?

@canoli The Flyers didn't bring their A game; no arguing. But what I also saw was that the Devils cycled and pressured like I've never seen before. They did it in EVERY SINGLE GAME. That OT goal Ponikarovski scored in Game 3 was a direct result of an extended shift deep in the Flyers zone, which, in turn was a product of the intense cycling by the Devils. That wasn't just in one game. Lavy found no antidote to that. Sure you can blame the skaters for allowing being pressured and the "tired legs", but I think there is more to that. That very game, the Flyers had multiple opportunities to win teh game after been awarded multiple PP's in OT and failed to capitalize. The PP in general was brutal. Sorry, but that's on coach too. When you have players like Briere, Giroux, Timonen, Hartnell, Carle, Jagr at your disposal, there is no way the PP should look that bad. You are looking for specific examples. I gave you two where in my opinion, one coach simply did a better job than his opponent. But overall, I think DeBoer figuired out, somehow, the way to beat the Flyers based on what he saw in the Pittsburgh series. You are asking how Lavy lost the series? I will tell you how. His game is extremely simple. It's a go-go hockey. After having watched that for 3 seasons, I am convinced he doesn't have much of a system. The Pens self-destructed. They got stupid; the whole team did. And Fleury lost it. It was really that simple. DeBoer must have told his team, "Hey, if we just play disciplined hockey, play good, solid D, and take the game to them, instead of letting them dictate, we will win". And honestly, I am not an NHL head coach, but that's EXACTLY what I would tell my team if I were playing the Flyers. That's less quintifiable, obviously, but that's all I've got.

The more I read and learn about the second round, the mroe it appears that there really wasn't anything mysterious or baffling about that series. I really think it was a combination of 1) injuries, 2) many players running out of gas and, more disturbingly 3) DeBoer's thoroughly outcoaching Lavy. The first two - nothing you can do. Injuries are injuries and Couturier, Schenn, Reed, Gus, and, hopefully, JVR, will be better equipped to handle a heavier load come next season. Lavy is here for a while, I think, and that's fine. It's not like I deslike the guy. I think he has multiple strengths and is a good coach, all things considered. But his inability to adjust and counteract this maddening cyclying that DeBoer has pushed on the Flyers. If there is any consolation, the Rangers didn't seem to have many answers to that either.

You are right that we, fans, are helpless in the sense that we cannot help the team win. We can't click the fingers, like a magician, and suddenly the team wins. But just about every year after the Flyers exit from the playoffs, a large group of Flyers fans (posters, people on the street, or those who call the local sports radio talk show) talk about how great of a season the team had and comfort themsleves in something: we have a great coach, our leadership is finally addressed, or we have a great group of young players, so we are set for years. And that next year comes, and we are at the same point where we were last year. And all these years, the management fails to address one position that matters the most: goaltending. I am not saying let's stop supporting the team. But accepting continuous, unstoppable, never-ending failures is not the way to live.....not for me anyway.