pilldoc

Yup …. You are not wrong… Don’t forget… for several years the Caps were in a different division entirely…

Excellent post ...... yeah the loss of the B2B (home & home) games has certainly eaten away at some of the rivalries ..... I think the new division structure certainly has influenced some of the rivalries ..... Face it the Flyers vs. Blue Jackets/Canes certainly pales in comparison to the the stellar/epic match-ups of Flyers vs. Caps/Devils/Rangers/Pens of yesteryear.

Great question .... You quantified it by using the term "today" .... Flyers vs. Pens always had a PO type atmosphere and the shear distain for Crosby ...... echos of "We don't like you" still bring a smile to my face during that PO series..... Has kind of waned a bit since the Flyers have been a middling team for the past few years ..... Yeah ... I can see a Boston / Florida rivalry for some time now going forward .......... Miss the old days .... Philly vs. the whole Patrick Division .....

Sadly Lindstrom will probably be top 5 ...there is no way he drops to #12 Most experts have Iginla going to Calgary where his dad played. If the Flyers truly covet him, then they might have to trade up in order to draft him. Again ...unless there is a HUGE run on D-men, I see the Flyers just missing out on Iginla.

Here are his rankings as of Monday: yes... I know ... i was trying to copy and paste and had to reboot my computer ...you beat me too it... thanks

and I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night

From Hockey Writers ..... Rankings NHL Central Scouting: 8th (among NA skaters) Future Considerations: 13th Peter Baracchini’s March Rankings: 10th Logan Horn’s February Rankings: 5th Andrew Forbes’ February Rankings: 4th SMAHT Scouting: 3rd Bob McKenzie’s Rankings: 4th Dobber Prospects Mid-Season Rankings: 16th Recruit Scouting: 9th

@flyercanuck Totally agree with your thoughts here. You want players who are rising through the season not falling. He is falling for a reason. I trust these scouts who watch them day in and out. The Flyers need a legit #1 center. If he is there at #12 you have to draft that player before I would draft Cole. I am just scared of JVR 2.0 here.

agree with @mojo1917 here ... I have been some early stages of research and have heard his name pop up a bit .... Per many sources ...no denying his lethal shot and potential play making ability. "If there’s one thing that has stayed consistent — and lethal — in Eiserman’s game, it’s his shot. Now just 10 goals away from the US National Team Development Program’s all-time goal record, he continues to prove that he has the most dangerous shot of anyone in this year’s draft class. In 45 games this season with the National Team Development Program (NTDP), he’s tallied 48 goals and 73 total points." "He can, and will, shoot from anywhere in the offensive zone with pinpoint accuracy, showcasing his deadly and deceptive release en route to beating the opposing goalie cleanly. He can release the puck in extremely tight spaces, using his supple hands to quickly toe-drag release around defenders; he doesn’t need to be open to be a goal-scoring threat, though he is also excellent at reading the defense in-zone and finding open shooting lanes for himself. In addition to his shot, he’s a hard worker on and off the ice, not being afraid to play with a smidge of snarl and grit along the boards in order to win pucks back for himself." This is all good ... I am certainly not going to deny that ...... Here is the part that gives me much concern .... "he’s got some room to improve on many facets of his game, hence his significant drop-off in draft position projection. While he’s a decent playmaker, his passing capabilities are nothing to write home about. He struggles at times to find open space when carrying the puck while not in a shooting lane and thus is prone to losing it to defensemen rather than prolonging offensive zone time by finding available teammates. His skating is another major pain point in his game — he’s sporting neither quick acceleration nor high-end top speed, and it costs him in a rush-style offense and in transition. There’s no denying his skill in a cycle offense; he’s great at finding space to shoot when he doesn’t have possession of the puck and has a quick-fire trigger from tight spaces which can and should be considered a coveted asset. At the same time, his struggles with straight-line speed and acceleration don’t project particularly well to a rush-style system that’s reliant on speedy breakouts and capitalizing on odd-man rushes. Perhaps the bigger issue here is his lack of ability in transition. As a passenger player, his game projects fairly well: find space, get the puck, shoot, and score. As of right now, though, he isn’t going to be a player who brings the puck from zone to zone, and that’s a major issue in today’s speed-centric NHL. His speed makes it easier for defenders to poke-check the puck away from him while attempting a zone entry, and his lack of agility doesn’t help his case transitionally either. Finally, there are some concerns with his defensive play. Naturally, as a goal-scoring threat, he shouldn’t necessarily be expected to be a high-quality defender, but it’s on the borderline of being a liability. He has some lethargy away from the puck, though he is, generally speaking, a hard worker — I think it’s a processing-speed issue with defensive positioning more than I believe that he doesn’t have a desire to make a defensive impact." “While his shot, offensive routes, and ability to release in tight space continue to be top-of-the-class strengths, it’s simply not enough. A lack of overall engagement, poor decision-making, a lack of explosive skating, and an overall passivity have regularly marred viewings.” – David Saad, Dobber Prospects Rachel Doerrie - ESPN - April 2nd: "Scouts raised concerns that he would "disappear" when he wasn't scoring, and his stock has declined because of it. There is no denying his ability to score, but he'll need to continue to develop his instincts and decision-making in college to score at the NHL level." Scott Wheeler - The Athletic - March 25th: "He can get carried away trying to do too much, stickhandling into trouble or shooting into shin pads. The play selection and habits definitely need some work, and have led to many understandably lowering him outside the top-five range I still have him in (though I am less sure about it than I thought I'd be)." There are several who praise him ..... “Eiserman is constantly making an impact each shift he is out there for. In the offensive zone, he is a good forechecker, will fight for pucks down low and in the corners. Eiserman will rely on his reach to stick-lift attackers and force a disruption in oppositional puck possession. He has good puck manipulation and will use it to draw in attackers and then quickly pass underneath the stick to an open teammate. Eiserman has an excellent shot, especially from range.” – Josh Tessler, SMAHT Scouting Sam Cosentino - Sportsnet - March 13th: "The hardest thing to do in hockey is score, and he’s doing that at an elite level." Steven Ellis - Daily Faceoff - March 9th: "Eiserman’s shot is as elite as it gets at this level, allowing him to put pucks in the net from just about anywhere. He also loves to throw hits too as an absolute competitor." Peter Baracchini - The Hockey Writers - March 7th: "You can’t deny the fact that he’s got a dangerous release and accuracy. However, there are some concerns with his off the puck play and ability to be engaging can be very inconsistent." Mike Morreale - NHL.com - March 1st: "Eiserman (6-0, 197) has one of the best shots of any player in the draft class and doesn't shy from utilizing that big asset every shift from anywhere in the offensive end." NHL Potential As I alluded to earlier, it’s become increasingly difficult to project Eiserman’s translation to the NHL. On one hand, his shot in and of itself is already top-of-an-NHL-lineup quality and he could very well fix the issues he has with his game in a year or two outside of the NHL. On the other, he didn’t really improve those facets of his game all that much since first debuting with the NTDP in 2022-23, and may never reach the point where he has multiple dimensions to his game. I’m bullish on Eiserman, though, and think that he will be a top-six, goal-scoring winger for many, many years. He has legitimate 40-plus goal potential if he develops correctly and gets paired with the right playmaking center. Cole Eiserman – NHL Draft Projection His stagnancy in improving his game has left him a near-impossibility to predict, though he’s undoubtedly going to be a top-half selection as a byproduct of his incredible shot. Rankings have him anywhere from third overall to 16th, and there isn’t really a particular directional skew of that wide range, either. I would guess that he drops well past the second-overall rank he’s garnered for years and gets selected in the 8-12 range. I would say he is an enigma .... If the Flyers didn't have so many other holes I would be ok with a pick like this. However if he turns out more to be JVR like then we will all be disappointed.. Danny and company, IMHO, have to nail this pick ..... Though Cole seems very attractive, I do have some legit concerns .... https://thehockeywriters.com/cole-eiserman-2024-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

agree ......

Bingo ..... and they will continue to get good young talent with all the draft capital they have ..... 7 picks this year in the first 3 rounds alone ...more than enough to move up if they see a player they really like ...... note the difference between the Hawks and Flyers .... The Panthers pick will be a late 1st ......

OK ... I edited the title .... Confirmed ...Flyers will pick at #12 for the upcoming NHL 2024 Entry Draft ......

He might not have been THE reason for Game 7 loss, but he was ONE OF THE reasons the Leafs lost the series ....along with the 3 headless horseman as @ruxpin mentions Breakdown of Samsonov 5 games in PO ..... On paper it appears that Woll is the better goalie and moving forward the Leafs might roll with Woll next year. As has been reported many times, Woll, who started for the Maple Leafs in their wins in Games 5 and 6, was a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. So the Leafs obviously wanted Woll in Game 7. Now I did not see the entire game, but it appears Samsonov kept the Leafs in the entire game and however that does not excuse his being 1-3 in the series with a 3.31 goals-against average and .883 save percentage. Again ..the Leafs have some tough choices coming up .....

For those playing at home ..... this is A LOT of coin .... In addition they don't have enough for even a decent defense ... outside of Reilly .... the blue line is going to be thin..... oh .. .and you mentioned about goalies ... here is that situation .... Is Woll good enough to handle the reigns himself? But yes ...totally agree ..the Leafs have ~52.5 million (out of ~87 million) invested in 5 players ..... that is ~60% All 5 fell way short during PO. Matthew* (1G, 3A) = 4 PTS Nylander** (3G, 0A) = 3 PTS Reilly (0G, 3A) = 3 PTS Tavares (1G, 1A) = 2 PTS Marner (1G, 2A) = 3 PTS *played in 5 games out of 7 ** played in 4 games out of 7 So considering what the Leafs are paying these guys ...their collective ROI is failling the Leafs during the PO. Their off season will be interesting .....

More things change .... the more they stay the same ...... It's been confirmed that the playoffs are Kryptonite to the Leaf's. I hear the fat lady starting to warm up on Toronto. Out of all playoff teams, only the Islanders and Capitals had fewer regulation wins than the Leafs. This current era of Leaf players have never won a Division Title. Not once. They've never even sniffed at the President's Trophy. And yet for some reason Leaf fans are surprised when they fail in the playoffs. The clock is about to strike midnight once again on the Leafs .......

So ...... The Flyers will be picking at #12 for the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Level Draft. Who are some of the players that could potentially be in play? Who would you like to see. Position of need most of us would agree a 1C and a legit 1st pair D-Man. Here are some of the top Centers available this year ..... I think you can safetly kiss Celebrini / Demidov / Lindstrom off the list unless the Flyers win the Lottery and pick #2. Regardless, Celebrini will not be a Flyer. Depending how the draft unfolds, Catton might be in play. I think at #12 Iginla / Helenius would be potential picks if available. As far as D-men ..... I know this draft is heavy on D-Men. Any names that stick out? I have seen Levshunov / Dickinson and Parekh drafted high in mock drafts ...Don't know much about them. Again Thoughts? We will know more once the Lottery is completed ......

what are these picks called 2nd rounders????

And that’s a wrap…. With the Pens / Caps / and Red Wings all winning tonight… this pretty much assures the Flyers of not making the postseason.

unless they can miraculously finish 11th...not gonna happen.

Outstanding!

Caps / Isles / Pens all have 1 game in hand Flyers lose to Caps they are done. Flyers win vs. Caps -> still need alot of help and alot of things to go right.

Flyers DO NOT CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY for any playoff spot .....