Mad Dog

That would be an absolute shame, if that is what the Buffalo plans to do. From the glimpses of what I see, unlike all those other goalies you listed, UPL has all the makings of a future star. His five-hole is the only visible weakness I can see. If he cleans that up, he has untapped potential.

Yes, and not to hijack this thread, but I do believe that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is for real and under the right circumstances, could be a star in this league. That's how good that kid really is. There will be a growing pain playing in Buffalo, but he should have a bright future in this league.

This was a perfect example of what is called playing down to the level of the competition. If not for Talbot, Buffalo should've came away with a win.

That's exactly what I am seeing, as well... It is sad and unfathomable. He is consistently failing at all the things that made him the team's unquestioned MVP and the league's Selke Trophy winner. I truly hope there is an injury, because if, as you suggest, he simply doesn't care anymore, that's an unreconcilable problem.

Agreed. He has been more than solid. The only visible weakness I can see is his five-hole. If he can clean up this aspect, the kid may soon become not only a future of the Sabres, but a premier goalie in the NHL. He has all the tools for that.

Even so, good teams find ways to win games at the end. A good example Tampa-Ottawa game last night. The Bolts were playing down to the competition for the 2 periods, but at the end, found a way to win. That's what separates good teams from average ones. But in our case, I am afraid the Flyers are not even an *average* team. Oh... and Couturier still looks like a shell of his old self. I am really at a loss what's wrong with him this season.

This is why they are the Flyers. This game should've never even gone to OT. The Flyers played the worst team in the NHL right now; they should've thumped Montreal with no problem. The only player who actually showed up to play last night was Hart. I feel bad for him as the guy did all he could to get the Flyers a W. And the shootout underlined the glaring lack of skills of this team. No creativity...

Montreal is a really bad team. Just plain bad. They might as well start tanking to compete with Arizona for the right to select Shane Wright during the next year draft. An AHL team should be able to beat them. Ottawa is a bit tougher. They just destroyed the Panthers *in* Florida. Prior to that, they beat Tampa 4:0. And earlier in December, beat Colorado and Carolina. This team is better than what their record suggests.

Focusing on the last night game only, this was a really sound game by the Flyers. Hart made some tough, quality saves, and I thought the whole D looked good. But I think it was also a reflection of how crappy the Devils played in this game, so it's hard to make anything out of it.

In my opinion, it was beyond just Risto. His overall "plan" to revamp this team was flawed on numerous levels, which is why we are sitting here now discussing it.

And that's the worst-case scenario that Fletch will get it into his head that the Flyers are Mike Hoffman or Taylor Hall away from at least being a completive team and will make a catastrophically idiotic move at the trade deadline, which not only won't solve anything, but set the team back in rebuilding process. After all, this is so Flyers-like that it won't shock me even one bit. As it was mentioned so many times, the Flyers' brass is inherently too arrogant, too stubborn, and too clueless to try what actually proved working for so many other franchises.

I think there is definitely validity to the defensive partner argument. I am watching the defensive pairing of Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren, and this may really be the best defensive pairing in NHL. I watch Lingren and I noticed one inersting thing: he hardly ever ventures across his blue line, being just about as perfect in man coverage as one can be. Now, this is not to take away from Fox's talent, but don't you think he would have confidence o join the rush in even strength knowing how virtually perfect Lingren is in terms of coverage and playing his man? Not saying that Provorov puts up Fox's number with Lingren, but I bet it would make a world of difference.

I am not disputing his skillset. We've all witnessed that. But something is just not there. Maybe, like Rad said, it's a consistent lack of a defensive partner. Maybe his play is a product of the whole team just being abysmal. I don't know... And I am not saying that they have to just rush to ship him out of town. But if a suitable offer comes along, I wouldn't necessarily reject it right away, either.

But realistically speaking, other than his age, is there anything else speaks in his favor? The reality is, he struggled and continues struggling, especially in his own zone. I am not suggesting he is totally useless. And I am not discounting the fact that offensively, the team is bad, which, inevitably, will affect the defensemen' performance. But at the very least, the Flyers should think long and hard and ask themselves whether Provorov really belongs in the "foundation".

Commons sense suggests sellers, but knowing the Flyers, they will trade their prospects and high draft picks to acquire someone like Mike Hoffman.

The Flyers will destroy Vegas. Just watch. Their fans have no idea what's in store for them. This is the beginning of resurgence. The stage is set!!!

Shut down the Sharks' first line, and Minnesota should win with ease.

Here is the problem. With such a monumental collapse and things spiraling out of control, this is the perfect time to start the rebuilt. There won't be a better opportunity. But in the words of late Ed Snider, "We don't know what the rebuild is". How telling... Like I said before, tie goes by, ownership changes, GMs change, players change, but nothing really changes with this team. I used to think they are ignorant. But now I begin to suspect they actually *choose* to be mired in mediocrity. And the only thing that can change that is if fans start boycotting games and the Flyers start losing revenue.

@radoran What kills me is that in 2017, Mittelstadt, Necas, Suzuki, Josh Norris, Robert Thomas, and Tolvanen were all taken after the Flyers selected Patrick. I deliberately left Makar, Heiskanen and Ellias Pettersson out, because, as you noted, these 3 were all taken higher than projected. But these are all the players the Flyers *could* have drafted and who are all producing for their respective teams right now and for years to come.

The only reason I mentioned contract was more in response to the comment made by SCFlyguy above. I would like to think (read HOPE) that if anything, getting that contract actually instilled an increased sense of urgency and responsibility.

@TropicalFruitGirl26 All valid points - as always. There is a lot that's wrong with the Flyers as the whole right now. And the overarching issue is that it's not built properly; not from monetary standpoint, not in terms of depth, not in terms of team chemistry, not in terms of personnel, not in terms of damn anything... Arguing about this would be meaningless. But I am just wondering about Couturier's individual play. There are time when players go through spurs, and often times, the player's performance is a result - or a mirror image - of the overall team's performance, and vice versa. But his performance was plain unrecognizable. Giroux - his game didn't change much. And statistically, he is en route to match - or actually exceed - his last year's numbers. We can complain about Giroux - and a lot of this criticism would be deserved - but I don't really see much of a drop in his play. Konecny is not scoring, but he is active and, frankly, he is what he is. I think what we have seen from him two years ago may've been an aberration and he is at his ceiling. I am looking at the players from other struggling teams (like JT Miller on Vancouver, as an example), and their performance hasn't been affected by extraneous factors. Couturier is playing like a totally different player, and in the worst possible way. If it was just the lack of scoring, I could care less. People get back on track at no time; everybody goes through cold spells. That's the easiest to fix. But he is not being himself. I was at the Carolina game 2 weeks ago, and was sitting in the front row. I zoomed on his play specifically. I'll tell you; THAT WAS SHOCKING. He was losing just about every single one-on-one battle. He was not paying the price in tight spots. He was not checking players. He was not covering open men in front. He was inactive in his own zone. In other words, all those things that made him successful and made him fans' favorite is being 100% lacking. Consistently From game to game. Christ, in that game, he was losing one-on-one battles to Svechnikov, who on one particular play, just flat out overpowered Coots. That was painful to watch... There is just no way there is nothing going on with him individually...

He could play better??? Like there is some room for improvement? Yes, players' skills begin to deteriorate at some point. I wouldn't expect it to happen at 29 and I wouldn't expect it to happen so quickly and so dramatically... He has been a shadow of himself of only last year. Could it be the money he was just paid that made him complacent and disinterested? Well, if that's the case, this team is in much more trouble than we think.

Of all the things that's been plaguing this team over this 10-game losing streak, his play has been not simply frustrating; it's scary bad and mind boggling. We are talking the guy who only recently had 2 back to back 78-point seasons, was an unquestioned team MVP, and the Selke trophy winner, which, in this league, you don't win by accident. Not so long ago, he was on the ice for every situation, was winning key battles, and simply put, played the most critical role for this team. He's being unrecognizable. It's almost as if it's a different player who just happens to look like him. There's gotta be something awful going on with him, and the Flyers are not telling us. I can't explain or rationalize it any other way.

So The Captain is relegated to the third line? That's just great. On second thought, why even dress him? Yet, the second line features two natural centers. Yup! That's it! Our new coach finally figured out the way to make all this work!!!! Yeeeeeeeey!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, was referring mainly to the play in their own zone.