Bakanekimiwa

who's creating the drama? he wants a NMC, why don't they give it to him? they just plunked down the first $15m of a guaranteed $27m in the first year of his contract. should it really be a huge deal to give your franchise player a NMC!? i mean.. come on.. that shouldn't even be news. the fact that they won't give him what he's asked for is *why* it's news. that would seem to implicate the preds org for creating this drama. i think it's just fashionable to accuse players of being drama queens when they get the big payday. i don't get it.

well, what i mean by 'go there' is to accuse Weber of being a prima donna. it seems that you and others are 'going there'. he wanted a NTC/NMC and he appears to have had a handshake deal with the flyers. from his perspective, it doesn't make much sense that the Preds wouldn't want to double down on their PR investment in keeping him with a NMC. frankly, i don't know why this is such a huge deal. it seems that it would make sense for both parties. unless, of course, Nashville's match move really was a PR move and they plan on trading him in a year's time. if that's the case, Nashville's ownership is dumber than anyone fathomed.

the reason that Weber's agent gave was that it was not entirely clear if they were allowed to under the CBA. now.. why they couldn't ask the league this before signing.. i have no idea. but, it seems like he had a handshake agreement that they flyers would honor a NTC/NMC. it really seems to me that Weber, his camp, and the Flyers thought there was no way Nashville could match that deal. the only thing that will happen here is that he'll sign sooner or later. he stands to lose the most here. he's not going to hold out.

if we're going to go there... why did they 'reward' him by matching the offer sheet?

hey that's where he started out isn't it? maybe he'd like to end his career there. well, we can dream can't we.

life's a steaming pile 'o ****, but it's better than the alternative.

this has LTIR for the year written all over it, with a afterword of retirement after this season.

GOD NOOOOOO!!!!! and i never wanna see another thread about it.

yeah.. i just make my pre-season assessment. but, when playoff time rolls around again, anything goes. and, of course, i'll be disappointed if they don't make it past 1st round. but, i felt exactly the same way last year after all of those changes. i knew they would make the playoffs. and yes, anything can happen if they catch fire. but, when they were eliminated in the 2nd round, i wasn't horribly disappointed because that was about what i assessed with that team. i am not of the opinion that we got better this off-season. i think we're fairly even to last year, but it could easily be argued that we're actually worse than when the season ended, especially with this news of mez. i still think this group can make the playoffs and then all bets are off, but i can't realistically think they get much farther than just making the playoffs this coming year. maybe that's my way of managing my own expectations... but, i try to honestly assess the team to avoid extreme disappointment year after year.

Mez is better than he's maybe been givin credit... outside of the flyers. he's a year removed from being awarded the flyers' best defenseman. that was when pronger was playing as well. he eats a lot of minutes, can be physical and has some speed and puck skills. that's a pretty valuable D man in my book. his loss is bigger than carle's... imo. but, i like your overall outsider's perspective. the flyers are never a team to 'rebuild'. well, at least they'll never be a team to *admit* to a rebuild. but, as rad says, this is a straight up *build*. i'm very pleased homer didn't give up any of our blue chip young guys. i would have loved to have poached weber, but not at the cost of losing cooter or schenn, so i can't be disappointed. i'm hoping our drafting in the last few years can possible begin to fill some of the holes we have, starting maybe this year? who would have thought an 18 y/o cooter would end up being so critical to our core so fast. these players are maturing earlier and earlier and we've had some pretty good success with late round draft picks. i'm content to let our seeds grow this year. i think they'll make the playoffs, but again... not much hope for past the 1st round.

oh sweet geebus. wtf man. can we just catch a break here? um.. i guess we ... um.. did catch a break.

thank you!

'diaspora' !? that's what! double REPORTED!

well that poll couldn't have been predicted.

REPORTED!!!

you're probably right about that. well, i mean... i think it's next to impossible for him to actually get that kind of a deal. but, i would also imagine that he can't be too happy that that report is out there. makes him seem very unreasonable.

well, i'm sure there is pressure from his boss. yup, Mr. Snider. we all know how that is too. you *have* to appease them to some extent. i think, for the most part, the moves homer has made are toward 'building' a team. he traded richards and carter for prospects and picks. we have a good young team. the problems arise when there's deficiencies that it would seem a big FA signing would cure. the goalie deal last year... i'm sure snider pressured his hand there. but, it *was* sorely needing to be addressed. was it the right move? well, not so far, but who knows. if we got weber, again... they would have been geniuses. it didn't work out, but they *had* to try. you know what though? they could have had weber. if they were willing to part with one of our promising young talents. they weren't! even for weber, they held on to our future. so, that right there, tells me there is a plan. of course they are going to try to improve at every opportunity, but i don't have the feeling that it's whichever way the wind blows.

with the absolutely insane money Doan is expecting, i hope he's done. it would be nice for them to carry some cap space into the season to possibly use toward the trade deadline. IF we're even in contention at that point.

i don't think so, but there's no way to really know who's right. mistakes can be excused as well as brilliant moves. even a stopped clock is right twice a day so if homer is a buffoon he's bound to get it right once in awhile. i just feel that homer is going for the cup. i feel that we're gonna get there in the next few years. well, i hope so. maybe that's the glass half full.

is it fantasy hockey on the board? or in philly management? i'm not sure who the question is directed to. here.. yes, it is fantasy because that's part of the fun of a forum like this. it's fun for us fans to keep thinking and tinkering with ideas. is flyer management acting like it's fantasy? well, i guess i could see how it might look like that with their outrageous offers to every FA out there. but, i think that's just on the surface. i really think there is was a grand scheme in place. and don't rule out that a lot of those huge offers weren't huge bluffs designed to drive up the price for competitors. the flyers probably had a very good idea what was realistic. i think the weber move proved that they are very shrewd when it comes to stacking the deck.

weber's agent said that all along they wanted NTC/NMC, but the CBA's wording on offer sheets made it unclear if it was allowed to do so. since it's ok to ask afterward, i'm guess he had a handshake offer from homer. now they've asked nashville because they expect that nashville would be interested in have a clause for the player they just plunked down gazillions for.

yeah.. but at this point. what would we have to give up to get him? i don't think i'd be willing to part with any of the pieces they would want.

on one hand, i don't like it when players come out and tell secrets about stuff that happens on the ice. on the other, it's kinda about time that players start outing cindy for the dirty little b*tch that he is so the shine can be wiped off him.

like it... he gives us jam.

that will never make a hit song. don't quit your day job!