mojo1917

Datsuyk isn't exactly chopped liver , he's probably the best stick handler in the league. he's undressed lots of defensemen in his day... um that doesn't sound right , he's skillfully faked out many defensemen while he's played...

@doom88 JvR Schenn and Simmons were beginning to grind the hell out of people for the couple of games they were together. and for the record, i'd rather not trade 21, but i think there are severe issues on the blueline that need addressed, we have no problem, finding forwards/drafting forwards/developing forwards. there are two huge minute defenseman that may not be back next year and the pu-pu platter in adirondack isn't ready by a mile, if we're thinking the championship window is in 2 or 3 years ? good players need to be acquired, and to get quality you must give up quality, i can part with JvR, I do not want to see Monoboy, Schenn, or Read in any deal. @flyercanuck does +/- not apply to penalty kill situations ?

there's good size and speed on that line, i remember them playing pretty well, really grinding the guys they were out against, they just weren't catching any breaks potting goals , but i agree that line if reconstituted could be very good. i'd like to see JvR be the player we saw in the playoffs, i think aziz is on to something when he says he's not thinking the game quickly enough, he's going to do his power move around the d-man and go to the net and shoot, if he can think about another option off that move he'd be a tough guy to play against... i guess this is why they say power forwards take longer to develop, there is an answer to their go to move in the NHL, the good ones adapt. i don't need any reminders of that dreadful season though, i thought this one would be close enough. i still don't think downie would be the player he is in tampa for us, there were too many negatives in the locker room & his reputation was shot in the league, he needed that change, if he were drafted two years later he wouldn't have the calder crew ahead of him, things could have been different, he didn't fit with those guys but would probably be awesome with the bunch we have now.

Yes I don't know what to make of that -88. Does he kill penalties? Is that why it's such a bad number ? if he's a turn over machine like that # suggests he will get brutalized here and I don't know if I want that vitriol for 5 years.

Part of a larger move ? I think we're good at center and I do not want to watch Schenn roll through the league in a different sweater as part of deal for Suter or Nash

@canoli That deal seams like fair value for each team. LA needs scoring, we need to answer some questions on defense(carle , pronger). The cap numbers make it pretty neutral, there are two years difference age wise so Johnson could get it sooner. I like JvR and would rather keep him than just deal him... but this is a deal that needs consideration . Could be a win win. Those deals are rare.

@Phillygrump SoCal is right the team is pretty popular, especially since they've been making the playoffs. The ownership group to this point has not wanted to retain any of their well scouted and developed players, kimo timmonen and scott Hartnell say howdy as one example Dan Ellis says hello as a more recent one, although Rinne was waiting in the wings... I've also read that this is the first year in franchise history the gm will be allowed to spend to the cap. So while the team has been good they've never had the resources to take the next step... So I guess I could have just said yes thry're cheap. But I think the answer is more nuanced.

maybe and then maybe he throws a hissy and sits out... depends on what kind of season they have i think.... if they bomb out in the first round losing games 3-2 , 2-1 and the like he might be willing to look elsewhere for a team with some offense that he can lead. Also if Suter goes I think he will want out, it will show that Nashville isn't interested in building and keeping a winner. Now would he want to come here and play for our "experts on defensive hockey" fan base is another story , but i have a feeling that he wants to play for a winner, he'd prefer to bring the winner to nashville at least what i seem to remember reading that somewhere, but dude wants to win. so do we. Nashville ownership, probably but might not have the resources that comcast/spectracore has.

@ that sounds so dirty.... too bad you couldn't wrestle the controls from the driver and go all rogue down a concourse or something.... now that would be a story !

who is saying the flyers are interested in Nash ? why would we be interested in Nash ? there is no way in hell we can afford his salary and keep this team. are we driving up the price for the Rangers ? they'll be fqed too.... sorry Rick, keep banging those co-eds... Cartsy probably a good centerman for that task.

@SoCalFlyfan fair enough. i can abide

@Bertmega no gd way do i trade two roster players for Kane, he's good but he's little; we're good with the little guys and my feeling is JvR will have similar if not better numbers shortly and for a longer duration. I still hold out hope that when it is all said and done JvR will have more points than Kane because his career will be longer and the level of production will be similar.

@SoCalFlyfan for me it comes down to dictating the terms of play or reacting to your opponent, I have always liked doing the first as compared to the second. that is not to say the flyers couldn't stand to be more disciplined in their own zone, but that can be taught, I hated the tap-in backdoor goals too, but I don't think the Flyers need to adopt a completely new playing style 3/4 of the way through a season . i think that is asking for lots more defeats while people try to figure out where they should be going now since they're not attacking anymore. the coach doesn't have the counter punch mindset. i want a cadillac cts-v, but the guy i saw on the road today that has one isn't giving it to me, just like Lavy isn't going to quit aggresive puck pursuit and control for you. rather than looking at the defense tactically; why not think strategically the way the OP seems to have intended his question ?

@RonJeremy you raise good points and questions here, I would try to resign Carle at Coburn + half a million money, if he wants more then I don't think we should sign him. which creates a big problem filling his minutes at a similar quality if he walks... i don't know i would have tried to sign him during the season , i think we're fuqed. I am fine with Kimmo Timmonen playing out his contract here if that's what he wants, when it is over we can take that money and apply it towards another top 3 defenseman. I may quitely ask Daniel Briere to waive his no trade clause and send him to a contender for their prized defensive possesion and a draft pick. he's a proven playoff performer and may net us some quality blue line youth and another draft pick that can be turned into someone else in a package. i also try to find out chris pronger's status is he going to try to play? will he quit ? i talk him into quitting and go to the league and see if i can get some kind of cap relief due to his career ending injury. the team should not have to be penalized for such an unfortunate situation. that way there's not tip toeing around the LTIR and I can apply his cap money toward a top 2 defenseman in free agency, because i'm looking to trade 48 i don't trade any of my young centermen, and only deal JvR if it is a godfather type deal, i like this core of players they're young, fast and enjoy playing together, i try to foster that and let them grow together into a championship team.

Big Hits ! and How I Avoided the Penalty Box-- Zac Rinaldo

@SoCalFlyfan 5 on 5 i haven't seen a whole lot of things that the team has been doing poorly in all honesty, this past weekend we were undone by poor penalty killing, forwards running around chasing the puck and not staying disciplined and simply pressuring in the area they're responsible for... that we kill penalties with 2 rookie forwards on the top 2 pairings makes me think there's some learning to be done and i'll bet that's happening.... the other thing i keep thinking about is Laviolette won a Stanley Cup tournament with a mish mash of guys on the blue line, they were serviceable but aside from Wesley and Hedican who played his best ever that year they were just okay. some of that was having a hot goalie and luck but that team and our coach have their names engraved on a ring of that trophy.....i think we're seeing some growing pains , and i'd rather have these guys grow into an aggressive offensive threat ,have that speed and skill know what they're to be doing dictating the play instead of reacting to the other teams tempo. i read the meltzer blog today and totally recommend it. he lays forth some good points as to why the team is struggling.

@SoCalFlyfan Looks to me like there isn't a whole lot of room for exchanging ideas... you don't like the offesive style, i'm pretty sure most of us get that. I'm also pretty sure Laviolette isn't suddenly going to install the jacques lemaires trap. he's got fast forwards with a fair amount of skill and thinks he can use that to make his "pfffft get the puck and keep it" style work and dictate the terms of the contest. so pray Lavy get's hit by a bus or something ? for the record i think if we suddenly start to play a more hiitchcockain system, we'll lose a lot of games 3 to 1 due to the way our goaltenders tend to lose their concentration, so if we're gonna lose anyway i'd rather have the game and style be exciting.

@RonJeremy I'd rather have Carle than not, I do not want him for more than 5 + million a year though, i think the market may price him off the team; and i think we'll have a hard time replacing his minutes and the quality with which he plays them . If like Jack says we can sign him for Coburn money I do that without hesitation. i think he'll be able to command more on the FA market though.

@doom88 do people who say rinaldo can't play watch hockey ? kid's got speed, okay hands, hits like a guy 2 times his size... whats not to like or at least recoginze. okay he's not going to win the hart or lady bing trophies but he has a place in the nhl, if matt "the flying elbow" cooke has a place ...

LOL

@jammer2 i hope we're able to re-sign Jake, he's been a lot better that I was expecting as well. seems to me like he's on the verge of being a very difficult player to play against, he can be really strong on the puck and when he's going good it seems to find him....hopefully jagr will teach him how to use his backside and reach a little better....what i don't get though is how he doesn't have chemistry with a lot of guys with similar high end skill sets, i thought for sure he'd be really good with briere, but that hasn't happend.

unless you were a hot 23 year old girl ... in which case i'm sure he'd have plenty to say.

@RonJeremy Pronger was hurt for a significant portion of last year too. No arguement about his shot , actually i don't see too many of our guys blistering the biscuit at the net, with this bunch it is either or...high velocity or accuracy, pick one. Carle handles the puck a lot, as much or more than any of the chara , beiseka, blah blah blahs...and turns it over less. He hits too, just because he isn't cross checking guys out of the crease the way we want to see, doesn't mean he's not riding guys off the puck, and knocking a guy off his pins in the corners... he is a good player one that i'd rather have on my team than on a different team we have to play 4 to 8 times a year.

@KingSkaggs24 Simmonds has brought WAY more to the table than i was expecting, i like that he's fast, works hard, will drop the mitts and goes where the men go to score. i reckon he just needed a change of scenery to take the next step. Schenn is finally looking like "the best player not in the NHL" he had a horrific start here but he's a confident kid with size and skill, i think we'll like him more and more. Richards is a hell of a hockey player when he's healthy, the problem is , he is not big but plays a big man's game, unless he learns to protect himself a little more by avoiding some of the big hits he will never be as effective as he was from 06- 10, where he was one of the top 3 2 way players in the game. i hope he gets whatever was wrong with him here out of his system and has success in LA.

@JackStraw @Podein25 thanks, my eyes weren't seeing a team that played so poorly we need to fire the ineffective coach. i saw a team that had trouble with its penalty kill. 5 on 5 we handled those teams for long stretchs of the game. the way the opponents especially the rangers scored is of some concern , sh!t was way too easy but i thought we had good jump sunday night after that somewhat demoralizing defeat by the Rangers and had 3 pretty effective lines. i think running laviolette outta town is fool hardy . there is something not right with the way the team has been playing defense though if i had the answer i'd send it to Pete straight away.