OH1FlyersFan

But the flip side is also good news. If neither pan out, we're not locked in to two duds for 15 years at some ungodly cap hit price. For once. This is playing it safe. It's fair. Good opportunity for both goaltenders with the possibility of being rewarded longer time on the merit of their play. Homer didn't put all his eggs in one or two baskets for the rest of the decade.

And both, and Emery in particular for the Flyers, are still better than Bryz, so this is an upgrade. Better in terms of locker room presence, maturity, stats, skills, sanity, etc. A definite improvement.

I agree. And in typical Flyer-fan fashion, I'm just waiting for this to somehow blow up and all come crashing down because that's what happens in the Flyerdom. This seems too good to be true. And because I really, really want it to work out, I know there's disaster lurking in the wings. I think old Ben Kenobi sums up the possibility best ------ "I felt a great disturbance in the Force.....as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened." Now on with our exercises!!!

Just to make things interesting, I came across this article from 2009, and thought I'd share it. Oh, the things that could have been. It's actually pretty interesting.....from a historical perspective, anyway. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=302443 REPORT: CANADIENS OFFER GOALTENDER HALAK TO FLYERS 12/15/2009 3:39:55 PM Edit: The comments at the end of the article are almost as interesting, if not more so. "Briere for Halak straight up!" Lots of wishing for Vinny L too, predictions he'd retire a Bolt, etc. But that was 4 years ago.

I hope this is about the future. We've seen how well our trades have turned out when trying to make an immediate impact. Not real well. Imagine this guy developing over the next three or four years. If we still have them, hopefully, add to that Read, B. Schenn, and Couts. Anchored by Giroux. Even our current young D should be better. It may not mean a Cup next season, but I like how we shape up in 3 - 4 years. Heck, I'm 44 and have waited this long. If the Flyers management is learning some patience and trying to build from within, then I'm willing to wait a few more years. As an aside, I heard one of the talking heads during the draft today say that Chicago won its Cup and has something like 13 or 14 players it had drafted on the team. Same for LA - which had 11 or 12, exact numbers may be off but they were high and you get the point. How many can we say the Flyers have? Time to slow down, pick some young talent, develop it, KEEP it (which we seem to have a problem with sometimes - look who we've let go over the last few years), and win with it!

I hope he honestly means it this time, because I would like to see them develop for a few more years here in Philly. I think their value could go/be higher in two or three seasons. But by then, one or both very well likely could be somewhere else. Just hope it isn't in our conference biting our butt. Like Bobrovsky is going to do. But, yeah, the way things have gone, a comment like that is the kiss of death. Code for, the shop is open, now entertaining all offers!

Is Kuato back?????

Vewy well, I shall... welease... "Weber"! Uh, we haven't got a "Weber", sir. Oh, okay. We have no "Weber'! And that's just about how it's going to go.....at the end of the day we still will have no Weber. Maybe we could get a Wodewick, though.....as long as he isn't a wobber or wapist.

Funny! Acquire all things now!!

That's a really hard article to argue with. I think it sums things up pretty well.

I agree. I don't like the length. But it may have been the only way to do it to minimize the cap hit and, to me, that's preferrable. If you sign him to 2 or 3 years and he wants a certain amount of money, then the amount per year goes up and that negatively imnpacts the cap. The Flyers went 4 years to spread out his salary. I would have like fewer years for fewer dollars, but Streit wasn't going to agree to that. He got the money he wanted, the organization has to take the contract length to manage that -- and when you're starting the season at age 36, the durability odds aren't good.

The real question is - will our forwards know what to do with such a pass being completely unfamiliar with and unused to such a thing. That's where the plan breaks down.

Amnesty Streit now! :P

Whatever it is, four years is too long. The length is what concerns me.....even more than the money. Exactly what we were afraid of going back to page 2 of this thread. I just don't get it.

I think timing matters. At the end of a career, uncertainty setting in, money may become king for most of those players and drive the decision. They're thinking about padding the retirement. Getting as much as they possibly can knowing they aren't going to be playing for a regular, guaranteed by contract paycheck anymore. Though, there's always broadcasting, I suppose. Seems like more than a few retired professional athletes find their way into a booth somewhere these days.

I agree, Brelic. I was looking at the two in isolation. I'm not ready to give up on Couts yet. I'm interested to see how his junior year turns out. He's still got plenty of room for improvement and I think as he gets older and more experience, he'll only get better. We should keep him. Now, having said that, if there's a blue-chip, franshise defining defenseman out there we could trade for (not Yandle) and the cost is Couts, then I would be more willing to make that trade.

If those are my two choices and I can't say neither, then definitely Yandle over Streit. Yandle already has more playoff experience, both shoot left, size is about the same, Yandle has the advantage on age and because of that has a much greater upside. Yandle is only 26 and he's played in 413 NHL games compared to Streit who is 36 and has played in only 78 more games - about a singel season's more. Granted MS has played a considerable number of games in Europe over his career, but the game just isn't the same. Playing for the Islanders hasn't helped MS's +/-, but his -53 compared to KY's +21, also is telling. And Yandle appears durable - in every season before this, he played the full 82 games - three seasons in a row, going back to 2009-10. He played in every game this season too. To MS's credit, he also appears durable - but you have to wonder how much longer that's going to last. Yandle all the way!

Agree with this.

Maybe in the draft we'll pick up a guy under the age of 30 who can play a little defense for us. The Flyers must have some sort of mandatory "pick up the old dudes and replace age with age" policy. I just hope he can stay injury free for the 10 years Homer signs him to play for the Flyers. Pronger was 34 when we traded for him, but he was Pronger. Streit isn't Pronger and is a full year older. Desjardins, who had 396 points with the Flyers, behind only Mark Howe's 480, was 37 when he retired. Howe left the Flyers after the 91-92 season, also 37 - though he did go on to play a couple of more seasons. But he was Mark Howe. I guess you can make a case to sign Streit for 2 years, maybe 3 max, but I think that's taking a huge risk. Maybe management is looking for that veteran, steadying presence in the locker room to mentor the young defensive corps I know the Flyers must be on the cusp of creating! Here's hoping.

At this point, I think the Flyers Organization must have no shame and therefore are incapable of or immune to embarrassment -- which in a pervese kind of way may actually be a good thing. And if that's the case, then why not? The possibility of being embarrassed (and they rightly should be embarrassed by some of their decisions) hasn't stopped them yet from making moves - some of which have been, in hindsight, silly mistakes. Who knows, one day one of these crazy moves could actually pay off. I guess what I'm saying is when you're this far gone, don't let a little thing like embarrassment stop you from making an attempt to acquire that missing piece to the puzzle. I swear, one day one of these deals just has to work out!

The defenseman is only 21, good size, looks productive. I admit I don't really know anything about him, but from what I read, I was encouraged.

Heck, throw in the Blue Jackets with Bobrovsky now just to rub some more salt in the wound. That's going to make those games real interesting. Columbus is getting better and won't be the pushover they were for decades.

In a sick kind of way, I'm glad to see he doesn't play this poorly for just the Flyers. It's not just us. That suggests he has a much bigger, more fundamental problem than our lack of, or mediocre, defense or our goalie coach or a problem in the locker room or the press in Philly.

Only the thrid time, flyercanuck?? Because it feels like it's been at least ten times. Ha.

Wow. Just wow. Bryz is pulled after giving up four goals. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20130517_Sports_in_Brief__U_S__rocks_Russia__Bryzgalov_in_quarterfinals.html