jammer2

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.

Seems like Lavi consistently out coached by wiley veteran counterparts much, much to often. Is it just me, or does his linematching ability suck donkey balls. Seems like the other coach can find a match-up he likes and Lavi does not respond....basically making the mismatch permanent. I think Saturday was a bit of being unprepared, a bit of being outcoached, and a bit of a tenacious Ranger team that cared a lot more about winning one on one battles...especially in the last half of the game. Late in the third they seemed desperate to preserve Lundy's shutout....and sadly, the Flyers could not match that desperation. Rangers will be a TOUGH team to knock out of the playoffs. The d has one more year of experience and the young promising forwards are all hard workers. Lundy speaks for himself....put a solid core of defensemen in front of him and good things will happen. That's the big difference between this Ranger team and ones from recent memory....the defense does not allow many second chances and they seem very calm and cool in their own zone.

This shutout is all on bak....and maybe a bit of help from Lundy Rangers (like I expected) are an improved squad. The kind of team that is constructed for the playoffs...

I could see Carter being a good fit in Toronto...which would make me ill. Don't get me wrong, glad he's long gone, but seeing him light it up in TO, that's a bit much to stomach.

Wow, do the Habs look WEAK down the middle. They are not going to the playoffs with that line-up. They have needed a legit #1 center since Koivu got cancer (which, was not his fault....lol).

I liked what the kid brought. He will never be mistaken for a speed demon, but I'll give up the lack of speed for physicality....as long as his positioning is ok. Flyers don't have enough d-men that make forwards look over their shoulder before going into the corner to retrieve a loose puck. Another thing I liked about Bourdon, nice accurate break out passes. The book is still out on him, but so far, so good.

I'll take albertaflyer's analysis on Peckham, he certainly gets to see more of that team than most of us. In a nutshell, it just seems like trading Bob would create a bigger hole than we are trying to fill. Sure, we need physical, good skating d-men....so does the rest of the league. I say be patient, try to develop what you have and fill in the hole with Phantoms if necessary. The difference between a respectable back up and a bum is playoffs or no playoffs... just to much at risk for my liking. Trading Bob is trying to get to cute....keep him unless a "knock your socks off" offer comes over Homer's desk. The other factor is Bryz's meltdowns....what if this happens during the playoffs? Do we really want to go to Leighton or some other stiff in an elimination situation? Mind you, Bob has little playoff experience, but I trust him much, much more than anything we have currently in the system.

Sorry bro, just found this section, still navigating around this place seeing what is what. Have not gone to many games of late, work is killing me. I heard from a few buddies Ex looked awesome, he will only get better.

Don't remember the score off hand, but Ryan Vanderbussche was taking cheap shots at our younger players/ non fighters all night, Sullivan tried to fight him several times but the ref and linesmen were persistent in stepping between them....finally Tom got his chance and ...lol, made the best of it. Pretty sure it was mid 3rd period when it broke loose.

I didn't get a chance to see him before his NHL debut, so I was taking all the Read talk with a grain of salt...have to say, legit hockey sense, legit moves, scintillating speed....he is indeed the real deal. The whole damn package...right down to the Giroux like never say die, never quit work ethic....a kid you can go to war with....one of the best free agent signings in recent memory.

I'm voting for this fight, mostly because I was there in person to witness it....Tom Sullivan played defense for the Windsor Spitfires and just happened to be the Golden Gloves Champ for the state of Michigan. We all know Ryan Vanderbussche from his NHL stint(s). Anyways, tremendous fight...lasted a full 1:18 which is an eternity for a hockey fight....both guys landed shots that should have ended the fiasco...just have to scroll down a bit to access it. http://liveflashscor...sportsnet-host/

Good to see you 29...was wondering where you were....

Have not gone back once to even peak at that horrid site....good riddance!!

Let me start off my saying, I hated TIe on the ice...and yes, he was undeniably afraid of Sandy. Nice guy when you meet him in person though. My best friend is Tie's first cousin, I have stayed at Tie's Mom's house In TO, used his luxury suite for concerts....really, really genuinely a nice guy....would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Guy could throw'em...that's for sure. The bouts with Probie were classics, ditto for the Grim Reaper and Tony Twist.

I think the determining factor for a re-signing will be his play in April/May...as long as he does not stink out the joint I find it hard to believe he won't get a raise, as long as he only wants a one year deal.

I think the Bolts should feel free to employ any system they want (as much as it sucks). The onus falls on opponents to expose it and exploit it. If they are going to stubbornly stand flat footed like that, bring all five Flyers back, get a great head of steam and create an odd man rush with perfect short passes. They will get caught slowly skating backwards and get burned. That will discourage it more than talking about rule changes IMHO. If you're not moving, or slowly skating backwards you are no match for a player flying at full speed.

it's painfully obvious we need Pronger in the line-up. I think the time has come where his play (even when healthy) has to be monitored. When we play back to back games and one of them is a weaker team, Homer and Lavy should entertain the option of sitting him for one of those games. It's all about what kind of Pronger we have available come April, so his Time on Ice and yes, even games played should be considered moving forward.

I'd love to see a reliable vet like Detroit's Mike Commodore, plays a steady, unspectacular defensive game and is good at clearing the crease. Of course, he just signed with Detroit, so prob not available, but someone along those lines.

I'd like to thank philly.com for their crappy forum udate, which inevitably gave us this wonderful place, which feels more and more like home with each passing second!!

In general....I'm happy with the work effort and overall depth on defense and offense. Our goalie situation is stronger than it's been since Lindburgh was alive. This is a wide open race in the East, a direct effect of the salary cap...so as rad likes to say, it's the team that can catch the elusive lightning in a bottle at the right time. That and playoff experience/depth....which we have a LOT of. We *should* have a respectable shot at winning it all. A lot depends on the youth developing quickly in pressure situations, the health of Pronger and how Bryz plays in the spring with a legit defense in front of him.

I don't get a chance to say "I told you so" very often...so I'll chime in here...lol. I thought from the day we signed him he would be a great fit. I knew he would be playing with much better talent than his KHL stint or his last few years in the NHL. The other part of the equation was his reason for coming here.. His legacy is secure, one of the best offensive machines ever. That told me he would be ready to take on any role that was asked of him. This guy just want's to win Lord Stanley one more time. He could have got MUCH more money to sign a KHL deal. He is one of the few European's to TRULY understand how sacred and important a Stanley Cup victory is. I even speculated he would be re-signed for the 12-13 campaign. You can't teach a wicked magical one timer, it's God given...and with guys like Giroux and Danny B feeding him the puck, it made sense that he would light it up. I love Jagr's compete level in the corners and combative nature on one on one puck battles. I would go as far as to say he's playing with an edge of desperation. Saw it coming.....this guy just wants to win. I do expect the long season to take it's toll on the ol' guy....but even then, his skill level will make him worth investment. A dead tired and creaky Jagr is 100 times better than Nodl...or at least in most peoples views

Agree with fc, gotta have patience here...although I will admit he has looked rather pedestrian to this point. He just needs time to get used to the speed of the league.