Hexy27

Who do you sit when JVR is ready to come back? Maybe Rinaldo? I kind of liked the hussle I saw from Wellwood and I wouldn't want to see him go out yet.

@Mad Dog I was so angry when I first heard we signed him! I have never felt so good about being so wrong!

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20120411_Sam_Donnellon__Flyers__Jagr_deftly_deflects_questions_about_Pittsburgh.html I really like everything Jagr is saying and doing. He brings so much to the table beyond scoring. Has there been any word of the Flyers trying to resign him for next year? I'd love to see him come back.

I was not a big Hartnell fan prior to this season. He's done a damn good job this year and now I would hate to see him play anywhere else.

@Digityman Thanks! I somehow missed that thread!

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/frequentflyers/144931985.html?cmpid=15585797 I'm surprised that there hasn't been much discussion about this. Is anyone else getting the feeling that Big E is thinking about lacing them up professionally again? Apparently everyone said he looked good at practice and then during the game last night Jonesy made some comments. Jonesy said something to the effect that Lindros is younger than Jagr and seeing him on the ice must make Eric think about a return. If indeed that happened (big if) it would be pretty cool to see him on the ice again wearing an orange and black 88 again.

Did anyone else hearJonesy call Phaneuf an embarrasment? He said something to the effect: "How do you carry on like that when your team is down 7-1? What an embarrassment! There are some real problems with this team!" It was actually kind of refreshing to hear. I haven't heard a commentator say something like that in a long time.

Got to wonder if foreign (i.e Czech) sales of Flyers jerseys have spiked this season!

From what I saw he was having a hard time in the nuetral zone (I tuned in during the 2nd period so I don't know what happened in the 1st). It seemed that whenever he got the puck the leafs just smothered him. I felt that they really keyed in on Giroux and did their best to keep him off his game. Only problem with this strategy is that we have 3 other lines capable of scoring.

Welcome aboard! I can't even remember the last time I went over to the old Philly.com forum.

I don't think they need to give him or anyone the "C". This team seems to full of people ready to step up and lead. Jagr is setting a great example for the younger players and Kimmo is doing a great job of vocalizing his opinions in the locker room. They seem to have a captain by committee.

I'd like to keep Grossmann around but how much do we need to take into account Pronger? If Pronger says he will be back next season do we have the cap space for Grossman? Pronger's long term status needs to be evaluated before we can do anything about signing Grossmann.

I doubt they would own up to that. I can't stand listening to Eskin but more often than not he is right when he reports on the Flyers. He reported on the Richards trade almost a month before it happened. I thought he had taken a class in the Eklund school of journalism! In this case I hope he is wrong...

I didn't watch the game last night but from what I have read it seems that one bright spot was that Bryz had a good game! (I'm really trying here...)

Right but neither is DiPietro's. He was 25 when he signed his 15 year deal. Bryz's contract (rather than Pronger's) is more similar to DiPietro's.

Fixed it for you!

I have issue with players leaving the ice to hit someone. As much as I liked Richie when he was here I didn't like that aspect of his game. When you leave the ice to hit someone it should be a penalty. This alone my cut down on the amount of head injuries we see.

@doom88 I had the same conversation yesterday with a Wings fan here at work. The guy thought I was nuts for even thinking that Kronwall's hit was illegal (I maintained it was the same as Rinaldo's except he left his skates). I even sent him that still shot that shows him leaving his skates and he still maintained it was a clean hit. I just stopped there because you obviously can't get through to guys like this.

I think the Flyers will cave to media pressure about their defense and make a move. I would rather they stand pat. If they make a move I am hoping they go for a depth defender for a late round pick but I expect they will make a roster shake up (i.e. JVR and pick(s)) for someone more substantial. This isn't the year we go for the cup. I think we are good and we will be competitive in the post season but I don't see us in the finals. This season has already been more competitive and intersting than I thought it would be (I expected the worst). I would hate to trade away someone like JVR and some picks for a rental or someone with a huge contract that ultimately won't change our fate this season. If we want/need that Pronger replacement then I say we go for it during the offseason.

I would not consider Bob the "lesser" of two evils. He is only a second year goalie in the NHL and he is doing ok. He's not an elite goalie (who knows maybe one day?) but he isn't a bad one either. Bob has been fairly consistent if you exclude the recent game against NJ. Is he a starter? Well who knows because he won't get that chance here.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/2013-winter-classic-set-for-michigan-stadium/ I set the rumor tag because the rumor is the Red Wings will play the Leafs. The location is confirmed in the article above. Does anyone care to watch this? Wouldn't it be more interesting to see Detroit play a Western Conference rival?

@doom88 I agree. Giroux is trying to hard. You can see it on his face too. The first half of the season he was skating around smiling and burrying goals. Now he looks tense and he's either fanning on pucks or shooting them wide. He would do well to just relax (probably easier said than done).

I agree that Bryz had a great game. Unfortunately his lack of ability in the shootout will be what most fans will linger on. Can we just swap in Bob for the shootout? Last night's loss is mostly on the offense IMO. They shouldn't have been shutout. There were a few times in the game they could have scored but either fanned on pucks or shot it wide. Also did anyone else find it odd that they tried Simmonds out on the shootout again? Also why place him ahead of Giroux? I just don't understand our shootout lineup this year. Why not try Read or Coots?

Did anyone catch Clement refering to Sestito as the "Tito train"? I think Clement has enjoyed watching him play on the 4th line. He's definitely an upgrade over Shelley.

@doom88 I just don't know how you go about policing that. Would a ref go and test every player's stick before a game? I think validating the results of such a rule would be tough. That is unless you made them all go back to wooden sticks (which might be interesting).