jammer2

@Podein25 Maybe it's just the stinging loss from last year, but I don't trust Visitin either. He makes me very nervous. Perhaps the international experience will help him out, but I'm skeptical. I know a lot more about Wedgewood....seen him play a lot, a direct division rival of the Spits on the Plymouth Whalers, I've seen him enough to know he's a really solid tender, very sound fundamentally and does not get caught out of position a lot....great glove hand and fantastic down low, excellent flexibility and anticipation. I'd feel and lot safer with him in the net. The Spits used to beat him in 09-10....but we beat everyone back then. I remember one game we beat him 5-1....but outshot them 64-19....it really should have been 10 or 12 to 1....kid literally stood on his head....stopped 5 or 6 breakaways clean. That's the other factor, I like how Wedgewood performs in shootouts....I just plain like him better than Visitin. I think Scott will inevitably steal the starting job.

@Podein25 I caught a few periods of the Finland game. It appears we are a bit smaller and a bit less skilled than last year, but still a hard working talented Canadian squad. Smith-Pellie was a human wrecking machine, legally finishing checks and punishing the Fins every single chance he got. Looks like Scheifele is the most talented forward and will be counted on for a big part of the offense. Still missing Huberdeau and Quinton Howden (who should be a BIG contributor this year)....so the lines can't be close to being set. Gallagher and Bournavial (2 of the 3 Hab picks on team Canada....boooooo!) seemed to be finding some chemistry. They may form part of the 4th line, but are a bit small for that role....but they do work really hard. Kinda neat the team has the 2 Hamilton brothers on it...don't remember another set of brothers on Team Canada....pretty cool (think Eric and Brett Lindros were to far apart). I expect Strome to be a major leader on this team, great skill and work ethic. Need to see more of the defense to really make any calls, but they seem very reliable when I've been watching. I know the Harrington kid from London is really, really solid in his own end....never out of position. I swear, Doug Hamilton (just his skating/stride) reminds me of Larry Robinson when at top speed coming out of his own end.....a long graceful stride with decent top end speed for a big man.

@OccamsRazor Ahhhh the Kaptin....thought you're writing style seemed familiar...lol. Not sure about Welly, I'm out of the loop as far as the Phantoms go of late. Agree with others, if he is healthy, right now would seem like a perfect time to give him a whirl.

I really think Lavi is still tying to find out what motivates Bryz (or makes him tick, for lack of a better phrase). For the better of the team, he may have to switch to a win and you're in scenario....even on back to backs....wanna play?...stand on your head or you are out....no pouting will help. This will obviously hinder Bob at some point, and not keep him fresh, but it looks more and more like Bryz should not be taken out during a hot streak.

I can only conclude....God hates the Flyers!!

@bigbadbruins1985 wow, nice first post buddy....NOT!! Anyways, the police have video of the incident, so I'm sure he would not have been charged if it was not warranted. Way to make a positive first impression!!

@Dynamo 47 Yeah, Bilcke is a pretty tough guy (although it is his first year in the O...where Mathers is a seasoned vet)...but Mathers filled him in, pretty impressive. I think Mathers hockey skills are underrated. He has an outside chance at #7 defenseman spot on the Flyers in a few years. He looked like a very respectable passer when I saw him. Nothing guaranteed (as with most pugilistic 7th rounders), but I do have high hopes for the kid....certainly somebody to keep an eye on.

@radoran Yeah, the LTIR is handy, but as you noted, it kind of screws you when trying to add free agents during the off season. It does put you in a favourable position when making in season trades, but as far as team building goes, it leaves you out in the cold with the unrestricted FA acquisitions.

I agree it would take JVR, a first rounder plus another prospect to make this trade for Weber happen....I would be in favour of it....guy like Weber do not grow on trees.....and that's from a guy who HATES to give up any picks or not level talent like JVR..but ya gotta give to get a guy like Weber...his smarts and physicality are unmatched. Great shot from the point on the power play...if there is way to get him in the Orange and Black...you do it. Maybe at some point Pronger does come back...imagine the physicality of Weber, Pronger and the youngster Bourdon....we would be unmatched on the physical side of the equation...which is VERY important in the playoffs. I'd do this.....make it happen Homer!

At this point, Pronger may never play again, sounds dire, but given his age and how bad this concussion appears to be, it's not out of the question. Given the long term prognosis, naming a new captain only makes sense. Not disrespecting Prongs at all, it's just business....they need a new leader.Maybe naming Briere gives him a spark, he seems like the type to shoulder that type of responsibility with no problem....although Kimo would be a excellent choice also. Is this team cursed or what?

What I like to see from Bourdon so far is his ability to anticipate. He needs that since he's considered below average in the skating dept. I like that he does not get caught flat footed to often....in other words, when there is a potential odd man rush, he knows which way to cheat to make up for his lack of speed. A lot of this is knowing which skate/foot to plant on the fly. A bit of this can be taught, but a lot of it is instinct, so that is very promising. We need this kids physicality, so if he does not become a defensive liability in defensive zone coverage, his spot is all but guaranteed.

This my favourite tourny, fav sporting event of the year except *maybe* the SCF's...I actually lose sleep waiting for this thing to start. First time in 4 years no Spits have been invited to the early camp :{ Edit....great news for Canada, looks like Murray and Huberdeau will be ready for camp... http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/story/?id=382413

Good Lord, I hope he can account for his whereabouts in the last little while....

Giroux has a real chance to be a 100 point player....in an era that does not kick them out frequently....esp the past few years. Helps to have the kind of talent around him that he has....but it works both ways. Claude is the type of star that makes those around him better, both by skill level and his unquestioned, magical work ethic. I've said it many times, it's one thing to have a star, it's quite another to have a star you would love to go to war with....you need that daily double to win cups. Amazing skill does not mean much during Apr, May and June unless it's accompanied by outstanding work ethic...that's what makes Claude the true total package. When it's all said and done he will be thought of as one of the top players of his era....and he really deserves that.

I'm just glad Mr.No show in the playoffs is gone. The fact that the Blue Jackets will not sniff the playoffs for years will barely affect Jeff's playoff stats....lol. Will never ever forgive him for that missed open net in last years playoffs. Winners bury that, losers miss the net and watch their team falter. Couts will be ten times the player that Carter is....just based on hockey sense alone. In the present, Voracek just might outscore Carter straight up this season...win, win, win. I don't want to spend cap space on guys that are regular season wonders.

It's the perfect time to see what these kids have.....up their minutes and see how they respond. Injuries are opportunities to access organizational depth IMHO.

On the surface, it appears to make things easier for the Flyers....but it might just be six of one, half dozen of another. On one hand, we only play elite teams like Boston twice instead of four. But the weak sisters like Ottawa, Leafs, Sabres....we play them less. Having to play the Canes six times a year is a clear advantage in the short term. These things are cyclical, teams will get weaker and stronger, depending on salary cap management and more importantly drafting. If they are going to have this type of drastic change, I'd like to see all the conferences wiped out and have 1 play 16 and 2 play 15 etc. That would be really interesting. From a season ticket holder/fan perspective...it's refreshing to know we will see every team at least once. Every star comes to Philly at least once....which is huge. Some teams out West only see Crosby once every two years, and if he's hurt for that one game, they could potentially only see him once in four years...that is wrong. This fixes that permanently. Games against the Caps are always close and that could be really exciting to see them 2 extra times a year. I do believe the conferences will be expanded due to expansion....which will even it all out eventually. I like Dallas getting out of that Pacific group, they were the ones getting screwed LARGE with road games against Van and all the west coast teams. That makes perfect sense to me.

Nice article on the latest Cole Harbour native to make waves (yes, McKinnon is from Sid the Kid's hometown). Most have heard, the young 16 year prodigy has been recently snubbed by Team Canada for an invite to the World Jr's tourny upcoming in late December. Kid has amazing skill (as the video shows) and the very next game after the snub he responded by scoring 5 goals in a game, tying his all time franchise record. Really smart and super classy, this kid said all the right things. http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/juniorhockey/blog/buzzing_the_net/post/QMJHL-Nathan-MacKinnon-proves-a-point-with-5-go?urn=juniorhockey-wp4377

Some of these moves make sense, which is why it's totally unrealistic from a Betteman point of view. The little midget troll will *still* not admit defeat in Phoenix, so having him give up on his dream of hockey in Florida in one fell swoop is madness.....just not gonna happen. The other factor not brought up is the NHLPA, do you think they will be in favour of having their ranks drop drastically overnight?....I'm thinking they would be a roadblock to this plan also....in fact they would try to block any plan that included teams folding and not re-locating.

With the emergence of Mike Smith in Phoenix this season, it's looking more and more like it was Dave Tippet and his system that yielded Bryz's stats last year. Smith was less than stellar last year, even mediocre and now vollah....he is solid as hell. A solid defensive system can make a goalie look really good. Just ask Mr.Halak and Mr.Elliot....once Hitch showed up, their stats went crazy after stinking it up in Oct and early Nov.

@RonJeremy One of my big problems with Homer is over-reaction to perceived weakness, either due to depth or injuries. We hardly ever let a kid step in and give him a whirl....at least on defense. It's the regular season and the team is near the top of the Eastern conference, a perfect time to see what these kids have. If we spiral, sure....things have to be re-thought. I often wonder why we even draft these guys, most of them never get a sniff of the NHL. Buried behind NHL journeymen like Lilja or Baumgartner etc. I would not give up Schenn right now, admittedly he has not looked awe inspiring, but he is a talented piece of the puzzle. I don't think we could even get what he is worth right now as far as an established NHL d-man.....nor could we afford the cap space for an established d-man.....so it would be prospect for prospect in the harsh cap world....and that does not really fix the problem we have anyways. Stay the course, fill in with organizational depth and keep ALL our assets. Let Homer do what he does best, that's pluck young stars with our first round picks. Please, no Kurvers for Niedermeyer type deals....lol.

I'm against any type of trade that gives up future assets for a defensive upgrade. This is why we have kids like Bourdon and Marshall hanging around. Throw them in the fire and see what they have before you make any type of foolish reactionary move. Bordon looked impressive during his last stint, let's see what the hell he has when playing top 6 minutes in the NHL. Walker should also be in this mix, that's why smart teams stockpile d-men, so they don't get raped when having a spike in injuries. I'm not in favour of giving up any first round picks.....or any other assets. The other thing I wanted to say on this topic...there is another reason to play the kids right now.....when Pronger comes back he should play NO back to backs and have his ice time limited so he's fresh for the playoffs. This necessitates breaking in a kid anyways (or at least Walker)....we need to see if these kids can play, for more than just a fill in for Pronger during the injury, we need insurance against Pronger getting re-injured once he comes back. I think Bourdon can provide that, along with a nice physical presence that we are short on.

I think a big part of it is that silly little delay, half spin he does to rag the puck around in a vain attempt to create space and time. It worked when he first got here, coach's caught on and taught players how to defend it....mainly by planting him into next week when it starts the Leino shuffle (claiming TM on that one...lol)

I'm not devastated or anything close, but it does suck to devote years to developing a kid and lose him to cap mismanagement. I always thought Nodl never broke out of his shell as a Flyer. He showed flashes of offensive prowess, but never got the ice time needed to boost his confidence with the puck. Nice work ethic and very respectable wheels....he could very well become a top 6 forward in Carolina someday. Just sickening we could not cut Shelley before somebody who can actually forecheck and provide the odd goal.....wtf!!!

The other factor in the Huberdeau/Couturier debate is the depth on their respective teams in front of them. Couts might inevitably take playing time away from Briere, but is effectively blocked from the top pp unit by Giroux. Huberdeau has no such limitations....he will easily surpass Weiss when the time is right. Like both your lists, but just off the top of my head I would include Johannson from Columbus and Benn from Dallas. Benn just keeps getting better and better. Edit...some may laugh, but Henrique has an outside shot at this list. *If* he keeps the top center job in New Jersey, he will start lighting the lamp on a regular basis. I do think he will keep that job, based on the fact he is a natural born leader, is a Jersey type player (ie defensively responsible) who is teamed with a known floater in Kovalchuck, so it offsets his cherry picking ways....but most importantly, is super smart as far as hockey sense/positioning goes...and this will only get better. This kid is the real deal with a stars skill set....mark my words.