radoran

I never called him "brutal" and disagree with the terminology. My point is that if you have a high performing player who is aging with a chronic injury you let the injury heal significantly before you put him back on the ice. They gain nothing by putting him back out there in this condition. It will not improve the groin, his play suffers and the chance of seriously reinjuring or aggravating is raised considerably.

It's actually my friend Cameron's dad's...

What's the point on playing a 39yo with chronic groin problems "with injury"? My 1961 Ferrari 250 GT looks great, but the engine knocks horribly and it pulls to the left while driving. Better keep it on the road, though, wouldn't want people to think it was "soft."

Nobody's arguing the overall JVR point. We'd all like to see him do more and be more consistent while doing so. But Simmonds, who is actually making MORE than JVR this season (by about $100K) has three FEWER points than JVR in five MORE games. Both players are on pace for career highs in points. And, for Seravalli, JVR is "quiet" while Simmonds is "on pace for a career high". Interesting "analysis" is my only point here...

I'd move him for the right deal in a heartbeat. But for Seravalli to say that he's been "quiet" and then in the NEXT SENTENCE talk about Simmonds and Voracek on pace for career highs in points while IGNORING the same thing about JVR says volumes to me about his "analysis."

There was a significant question as to whether he would even play in the NHL this season. How this turns into him "being quiet" I have no idea. If Seravalli thought the Flyers were relying on Couturier for anything this season, he should be taken off the beat. You know who's also on pace for a career high in points? James van Riemsdyk...

I thought "no way are they still paying Yashin" But, $2.2M through 2015... Ouch. DiPietro's at $4.5M through 2021. No, seriously.

I don't think it's "crude" at all. It's simply a raw statistical analysis. And one which bears out that the team became younger, cheaper and better with the trades. Schenn and Simmonds have some (limited) familiarity from LA and seem to be working well together. I think they are a great fit for JVR at this point. Crater and Richards were what they were and I didn't get the feeling they were going to be getting much better. To be clear, they are both very good but with limitations of which we are all aware. I think the parade of younger, underachieving talent in and out - Upshall, Lupul, Versteeg - and the inability of experienced vets to integrate with the "younger core" showed that there was a need for a different direction. I have no idea why Columbus thought Crater - who's resume features goal scoring - could be the playmaking center that Rick Nash has needed for his entire career. Getting Voracek and Couturier for him is a steal. I think that this is the best thing that could have happened to Voracek. He's on a team that's going somewhere and playing with a childhood idol. I can see LA taking on Richards - especially with Lombardi and Hextall out there as well as Stevens. I think Simmonds is a perfect fit for the Flyers and Schenn brings that "upside." And I think the change of scenery and responsibility and market will serve Richards well, too.

It's good for them to get it out of their systems in college and not wait until they sign 10-year NHL contracts like some guys from Junior hockey we could name...

I was a bit snarky today. Prepping for dental work on Monday :-( I think JVR had a pretty good game today, The Simmonds-Schenn-JVR line seems to be working well. I think they're all good influences on each other, actually. Will be watching again tomorrow... I'd like to see if Simmonds' attitude can rub off on him a bit. Schenn just seems happy to be out there. As I've said, I'd trade JVR in the right deal. And that deal might come up at this deadline before whatever modified NTC he has kicks in with the new deal. I'm not looking to jettison him for spare parts or because he's "disappointing." Looking at the new deal, next year he "makes" $2.5M while his cap hit is $4.25M and he doesn't "make" more than $4M until the 14-15 season. In terms of compensation, if he continues to improve I think his deal might turn out fine. As it is, I think the Flyers have two of the top five players that came out of that draft in JVR and Voracek (along with Couture, Kane and Gagner(?)) and I'm looking to see JVR play with more consistency and confidence as he continues to mature.

We better trade JVR now. His value will never be higher. Oh, wait, no. His value is bubkus. There's no market for a guy who's going to put up 50 points in his third season and is under a reasonable cap number for the next five years or so. Waive him. It's the only way we'll get any value for the investment. And by "value" I mean "addition by subtraction." </snark> ;-)

Yeah, but neither of them made too too much more than they did when they were in Buffalo. I got the real feeling that the organization was ready to get rid of both of them for reasons not entirely limited to money.

I was a bit surprised that the Sabres let him go, but I think they were hoping he'd be more of an offensive guy than he is.

I've been a fan of Visnovsky since picking him up as a FA in my first FHL many many moons ago. I've followed him ever since. His D, while not "prongeresque" isn't bad. That said, again, the only reason I'd look at him is if Timo is down for a significant spell and even then only if the price was right.

The Simpsons Fan Club Newsletter doesn't count

Point-wise, half (18 of 36) have come in blowout wins (9-0 vs CGY, 8-0 vs. FLA, 6-0 vs. PHI, 7-0 vs. TOR, 6-2 vs. TOR, 6-2 vs. BUF, 6-3 vs. EDM, 6-2 vs NYI, 6-0 vs. NYI, 6-1 vs. NJD) That said, he does have four game winners - all coming in those blowout wins. 18 of his +31 are also from those games. I'm not taking anything away from the guy as he is a solid player - and I don't watch enough Broons to have a better feel for him overall. But I'm not seeing him as leaps and bounds better than JVR at this point.

First 30 games - Danny Briere by season with the Flyers: 0708 - 14 + 20 - 34 points 0809 - 11 + 14 - 25 points* (injury) 0910 - 12 + 9 - 21 points 1011 - 16 + 8 - 24 points 1112 - 10 + 15 - 25 points You're right, obviously. His point production at the start of this season is "suddenly" different from his previous starts with the Flyers.

I'm not 100% happy with JVR, but familiarity tends to breed contempt. Especially among Flyer fans. If we were watching Doughty with his16 in 36, -2 this season I have a feeling there would be Flyer fans excoriating him for his play not living up to his salary. No, check that, I don't "have a feeling" I GUARANDAMNTEE people would be all over Doughty (and probably comparing him to other #2 picks like Malkin, Eric Staal Spezza and Bobby Ryan saying he's a disappointment). Hedman's numbers are half JVRs - yes he's a D - and Hedman's out with a concussion now. Seguin's playing on the second line of the Stanley Cup Champions. You also have guys who are on crap teams being asked to play top line minutes and produce accordingly - Landeskog, Ryan. JVR's not on a crap team (despite the goaltending). And he's not playing 1/2 line minutes BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE ORGANIZATION WANTS HIM TO DO. JVR's been mainly a "3rd liner" with the Flyers. You put him up with Giroux and Jagr, and I'll wager he produces as much as - if not more than - Hartnell. And his PPG numbers go up dramatically. And you've "stood up" for a player for two entire seasons? And that's enough? Two? Now we throw him under the bus because all he's done is put up better numbers each year he's in the league and improved on the ice each season? Sure, if ya want to. JVR absolutely needs to step it up and play with more ferocity and consistency. He says it himself. I'd deal him for Weber or another important piece in a heartbeat. I'm not dealing him because I'm "disappointed" in his play. And I'm not going to sit idly by while people criticize a player for not living up to a contract that HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET.

If Timo's out for an extended time, I'd take a run at Visnovsky depending on price. Lydman? Not so much.

It's one of the things that happens when you give a guy a NTC/NMC and then tell him he's not producing up to the level you expect and the team wants you to go away so they can go younger. The guy with the NTC/NMC then has you over a barrell and you have to make the deal with a team he agrees to go to - and that team has little incentive to give you anything in return. Thus, you deal a solid 2-way forward who was an original draft pick for a pile of dingo's kidneys.

You knew I was going to do this, right? (all numbers from hockeydb) Seguin: .52 PPG. Doughty: .51 PPG. Hedman: .28 PPG. J. Staal: .54 PPG. And Landeskog is having a nice half a season in Colorado. His 20 points in 41 games? .48 PPG. JVR: .51 PPG. Ryan? Malkin? E. Staal? Sure. So, over the past nine #2 picks that were skaters (the 10th is Lehtfourin) JVR's PPG is about the same as five of them, better than one and lower than three guys who were tabbed as pretty much "can't miss" prospects coming out. Malkin played a ton with Crosby and Ryan was put immediately on Anaheim's top line.

What's particularly amusing about this comment is that I'm in a discussion on another thread where I'm DEFENDING JVR... I didn't like the Briere signing when it was made - but he has turned out to be the best of the "must have #1 Cs" from that year (Drury, Gomez). I don't think he's good on faceoffs and doesn't particularly backcheck well and has a tendency to "float." Again, all of this was known full well when they signed him... And why he's not going anywhere.

Not unreasonable at all. I'd like to see the same thing. I'm just not ready to put him into the same bin with Daigle and Fat Balloon. Yet. For his draft class, his .51 PPG isn't all that bad. Kane's at .95 (JVR hasn't exactly been playing with Toews for much of his career) and JVR's pretty much on pace with Gagner (.59 PPG) and some guy named Voracek (.56 PPG) - numbers from hockeydb.com based on performance up to this season.

Danny Briere's pretty much exactly the player he was when the Flyers signed him. His 95-point season in BUF is a clear outlier in his production. He's a 60-65 point player. That's it. So, after you've thrown the player under the bus and he gives you a list of 3-4 teams he'd be willing to go to and none of them are willing to part with anything to get this player that you feel is completely underperforming for his salary, what do you do with Briere? He's not going anywhere. You can dream, of course, but you'll wake up and Danny Briere will still be wearing #48 in orange and black.

They are both "power forwards" - so they're not as "completely different" as you might think. Personality? Sure. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that the Flyers see him taking Hartnell's spot. And you're saying that if Hartnell had 18 points (8g, 10A) after 38 games and was making $4.2M you wouldn't have problems with him? That's not passing my smell test. Sorry. The fact that JVR has 21 points (11/10) in 33 games while making $1.654M and that STILL ISN'T ENOUGH is revealing. JVR is 22 in his THIRD SEASON in the league. My point is that the FLYERS aren't as "disappointed" as the FANBASE when it comes to his production. The contract may indeed be "too much too soon" but is it too much to ask for the contract to be IN IT'S FIRST YEAR before we make that assumption? Now, year to year, he went 35 points to 40 and is "on pace" for 50 this season. Assume 6 points improvement every season. (your number) and he's a 80-point player at the end of his contract. True story. Do I want to see more from JVR? Yes. And I expect to. And if I don't I'll be disappointed. Once it doesn't happen. Not before.