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How to shoot the puck on goal by Jeff Carter and common sense no trade clauses and contracts Paul Holmgren with a foreword by Ed Snider. I was thinking of throwing Bob Clarke in there as a GM but I had too much respect for him as a player.

getting rid of Coburn is addition by subtraction but in any deal the Flyers make they need (broken record from me) an offensive minded defenseman with some wheels that can stop teams from trapping us in our own zone for half of the game. Their breakout skating and passing out of their zone needs to be addressed, very badly. Neither one of the players mentioned seem to fill that need.

getting rid of Coburn is addition by subtraction but in any deal the Flyers make they need (broken record from me) an offensive minded defenseman with some wheels that can stop teams from trapping us in our own zone for half of the game. Their breakout skating and passing out of their zone needs to be addressed, very badly. Neither one of the players mentioned seem to fill that need.

They have no one on their d that can get the puck out of their zone, or a d QB who can keep the pressure on in the other team's zone. Also,is it just me, or can their d, outside of old man Timonen, not skate worth a damn? (Not to mention they can't make two good passes in a row while skating.). Streit isn't the answer.

I would say (and hope) he has a little over a week. If this team makes the playoffs, it will be a "Miracle on Ice II". You cannot blame the goaltending anymore. Mason has been outstanding. Ed Snider is Mr. Loyalty, but he's also Mr. Impulsive. Holmgren should have been fired before Lavy was. "We don't need a fresh perspective"- Ed Snider. BS. He's either delusional, in denial or losing his mind. They had a GRAND TOTAL of 8 shots, (and gave up 30) through the 1st 2 periods tonight. He gets two name players, and although the jury is still out on Lecavalier, Streit is not fitting in. That's not coaching, it's team chemistry and overevaluating a core, particularly on d that needs an overhaul. (Coburn SUCKS.) It's time to BLOW IT UP. I went to the game last night, and the team not only can't complete two passes in a row, they are COMPLETELY deliberate and predictable. The Penguins completely dominated them, and if not for Mason, they would have lost 9-2. They have zero confidence in shooting the puck, and constantly pass up open shots.. "100% of the shots you don't take, don't go in the net." -Wayne Gretzky. Pittsburgh was consistently clogging the middle of the ice and daring the Flyers to beat them to the outside. Keep putting (stupid) asses in the seats, like I felt like tonight, Ed. Fleury was named the number one star for some reason tonight, but he wasn't tested AT ALL until the third. If he would have gotten a 1st pairing d man who can move the puck in and out of zones with speed, they would at least be competitive, and would make their forwards gain confidence. They also can't win with three rookies on d. Another rant complete. I guess the good news is we're only two weeks into the season.

I thought so last year, and still think that Talbot should have been named Captain. He brings his A game every night, been around for awhile, and I am certain he is respected by his team. Oh, and he has a Cup ring he can show off.

I have been saying all along it isn't Lavy. It's just much easier to fire Lavy than replace 10 overpaid stiffs on your team. He played who he could play. The guy helped bring us to within 2 wins of the Cup 4 damn years ago. Homer and Snider are the problems with NMCs and NTCs, coupled with the fact that the refuse to fix a d that can't move the puck worth a damn. The goalies have done a pretty good job this year, so I won't say anything about that. They are so arrogant in believing their way works that they cannot even bring themselves to hire anyone from outside the organization. I know they brought back Hextall, and I think he would do a good job as GM from being in L.A., but this recycling of a dead philosophy is just plain STUPIDITY. Maybe finishing out of the playoffs again will teach Snider a lesson that if you always do what you've always done, you'll always be where you've always been. The Broad Street Bullies were a great team, but 38 years ago, and that way of beating teams into submission doesn't work anymore. It's about SKILL. Time to change with the times. My post might be a little bit repetitive from my last one, but after watching them get outclassed by a team with skill, I thought I would vent a little. Again, lol.

Yes, Ed Snider is committed to success. However, it seems he is only passionately committed to success in so far as doing it HIS WAY. If he wants to win so badly in TODAY'S NHL, he needs to adapt his philosophy to include the types of players and management that has proven success RECENTLY. His way has not worked in winning a Cup in a while. He needs to stop acting like he is a know it all, and realize that in order to win, you need the right strategy and an open mind to go along with the right blend of talent. He has some talented pieces for sure on the team. He cannot win, however, just with goons and instigators. You need SKILL, aka more guy along the lines of Giroux and less even though their importance, of the Rosehills and Rinaldos of the world. He needs a GM with more of a knack for understanding what talented, skilled players look like, not just 'guys with heart'. You can't give every team 7 power plays a game and expect to win. If the owner doesn't stop his arrogance, he isn't winning anything anymore.

Maybe...at least you guys have a shot at the playoffs. Then you'll have to play the Hawks or Kings (aka season over). However, at least the Wild seem to be moving in the right direction.

No, I meant his son Stan, but hiring him as GM would be great. He's a guy who coached with TREMENDOUS success since the 70s. Snider refuses to stop his "buddy system" and if he wants to win a Cup befor he kicks the bucket, he needs to change his ways. It comes down to a) do you want a Cup or b) ex-players as best friends? Make a choice Ed, and if you choose b, you will eventually lose your fan base.

I just bought tickets to watch this lame a*s team vs. the Pens. The way this team is playing, the only team they can beat is themselves. So Ed Snider, the way you thank a coach that helped take you to a Stanley Cup final is to show him the door in four years? Meanwhile, the guy responsible for bringing in the players truly responsible for this mess still has a job? Sounds fair to me. Oh, and the end of the season we can blame the same old things, goaltending, and no freakin power play. Although I will blame the entire season on a GM who has no business being one, and a coach who probably doesn't either (remains to be seen, but I'm not optomistic). Want to do something impulsive Ed? Pick up the phone and either sell the team, or think outside of your 70s and 80s dream team of ex-Flyers, and give Stan Bowman or Ken Holland Brygalov money to leave Chicago or Detroit and fix the crap your putting on the ice. Oh and trade your overpaid crap like Coburn and Mesazros and bring in a true #1 dman. Even if Snider brings in Hextall, he hasn't been contaminated with our management's stupidity as of yet. To think I just I just paid $250 for this current joke of a team. My enthusiasm for Flyers hockey is dying real fast, and we're 4 games in. Maybe Homer should be working at Mall of America in Minneapolis, but not as GM of this team.

My plan for Homer has him getting canned and working at LegoLand in the Mall of America. He should be gone before Lavy. The coach has my respect more than the GM. He was dealt this "deck of cards" to play with. Homer failed to get an adequate enough offensive d-man and his forwards are not good enough without that highly skilled offensive d-man. Streit is not good enough, and Timonen is flat out old at this point, and no one (including maybe Coburn himself) knows what the hell he's doing out there. Looking back, if the deal was there like it might have been, they should have traded Couturier for Subban. Their offensive needs a serious kick in the a*s.

That was stating that if things go the way they normally do, and they get off to a very slow start, who gets the axe?

Homer built this team (with the blessing of Ed Snider, of course). He was the one who did not bring in a top tier goalie (sorry, Bryz) or d-man in his prime. He consistently brings in players past their prime. I'm praying that Lecavalier does not turn into Forsberg and get hurt every other game. He should be the first one fired because he refused to get a somewhat fast, young d-man in a deal. He has a slow aging d core that is begging to have its first injury excuses coming in by mid-November (Timonen), and an overpaid stiff (Coburn) as its first d unit. He brought in Coburn and kept Timonen. Bringing in Luke Schenn was a good move but they need more than just him. Enough said.

It's the same old types of goalies with the same organizational excuses. I said it when they just traded him and I'll say it now. They should have kept Bobrovsky. The organization thinks hockey is a "show" and a goalie does not matter. They're wrong.

There are two certainties to start every Flyers season. The goaltending is sub-par and the coach should be fired. If the team goes 2-8 in its first ten games, then I would seriously start considering it. I think Lavy has earned a little time, though. Besides last year, the team has a good record under him. Personally, I would axe Holmgren before Laviolette. We know it will be tough for Snider to do that, because Homer is his 'boy'. Homer was the one who added another aging, although talented, veteran to the blueline instead of a young guy with speed who can rush the puck and react quickly. He was the one who brought in Mason and Emery, who will get tested often. I like the move to get Lecavalier, though.

Good one, lol Samifan. Whew! I thought you were going to tell us Holmgren signed Shelley to a 10 year, $70 million deal with an NTC.

I don't understand all the hate for this signing, either. Unlike some of the overpaid, way past their prime stiffs they've signed in the past in free agency just to put asses in the seats, this guy clearly can still play at a high level. He had 32 points in 40 games last year and in his last full season where he played 64 games in 2012, he had 22 goals and 49 points. I know he played with St. Louis who got him the puck a lot of the time, but that's pretty good for a player his age. He's not a guy like Dale Hawerchuk or Adam Oates, who couldn't really play anymore by the time they got here. Now they need to sign Tim Thomas and get an offensively-skilled d-man and this would be the best off-season since trading Jeff Carter.

Mason looked great, no argument here, but so did Roman Chechmanek and Robert Esche the first year they were here. In the games I saw, I think the D played harder with Mason in net than Bryz. I need to see more from Mason before I'm sold on him as the starter. If they don't get a good puck rushing d man in the off-season, any goalie you put in there IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE CRAP. I'll say what I've been saying. Teams just pinned their freakin ears back and forechecked and they trapped in their own zone. Hence, my solution. What goalie is going to consistently save your a*s when your d can't skate the da*n puck out of the zone like the other team is on a 40 minute power play?? The d doesn't deserve a free pass, which is what you seem to be giving it. It is weak by NHL standards. Does that address your question? It's always the goalie. Well, it isn't just the goalie in this case.

Obviously, some of you misunderstand me. I am NOT saying Bryzgalov is a great goalie, but compared to the absolute CRAP goalies the Organ-Eye-zation has brought here, Bryz is pretty damned good. Anybody want Chechmanek, Esche, or Emery back? Emery is playing behind a better D, and I don't he's a good as Bryz. He let in some soft goals, for sure, but his defense did their Keystone Cops routine, running around in their own zone WAY too often all season. Their offense didn't do a damned thing all year, except for Voracek. Put a respectable team in front of him and then see what he does. My hope is they keep Bryz one more year, trade stiffs like Coburn and Meszaros, and even Timonen if he doesn't retire and go from there. Plus, NOBODY is going to take on that dumba*s contract that Holmgren signed him to. Maybe they will buy him out, but I don't care who you put in goal, the team is NOT NEARLY good enough as is. Plain and simple.Feel free to try and kill me again. Bring it on.

Without Bryzgalov, Ruxpin, Philly would've been a worse team than Florida, unless the goalie's name was Lundqvist, Anderson or Quick. Stop blaming the goalie. The TEAM sucked, especially that swiss cheese defense. Toughfighter must be a freakin genius, btw .Sincerely yours, The Village Idiot

I think the only guy who you could say overacheived this year is Jake Voracek. In fact, he was the MVP on the team. I'll probably get killed for saying this, but I think honorable mention for Flyer MVP is Ilya Bryzgalov. I'll say it again, goaltending is NOT the main reason this team sucked this season. Hint: it was the defense with offense having dishonorable mention.

I don't know how anybody can bet against the Blackhawks right now. If they stay healthy, they'll win the Cup. They are really strong and deep in every position. Something tells me that the Caps are playing as well as anyone and I think they just might get to the Final, even though they most likely will have to beat the Pens or Bruins to get there.

The easiest (and I think best) answer is to give every player incentive based contracts (for ex. if a player who is a big time goal scorer gets 40 goals he gets a 3 or 4 million dollar bonus in his contract, if his base salary is 2 million). Too many of these guys (see Briere and Bryzgalov, Carter when he was here and half the league for that matter) have all of their money locked into GUARANTEES. If the dumb ownerships of the teams (particularly Philly) get together and say "No more guaranteed contracts." "We don't care how great you are, or think you are.", then maybe the players will bust their a*ses for 100 games a season when they get here. It's called earning your pay. What an original and new concept,lol! If they want to improve as an organization, stop Club Med, at least to the extent of where it appears to be now.

Well, I figured my IQ of 25 was qualified enough I thought this was better than another fire Holmer thread(which they should do, but won't,btw).