OH1FlyersFan

I thought Meszaros had a great goal tonight!  Totally faked out the goalie.  First getting knocked on his butt off the puck like he did to create the opportunity, then losing his stick, and then coming back around the net for the redirection off his foot.  Awesome stuff.  Just too bad that it was into his own goal.  Oh well, gotta take whatever you can get.  This Bud's for you, Andrej Meszaros!!  Great job.

Theoretically, on paper, I like all of those trades - especially for the reasons they were made at the time they were made.  There's absolutely no explanation for why quality players like Simmonds and Voracek are playing as poorly as they are.  There's also no excuse.  B. Schenn and Coutourier have huge potential.  Or I thought they did.  I bet they still do.  Like all Flyers if we let them go, they will go on to have hall of fame careers playing for other teams.  Looking at those four, the ROI has great potential and we should be realizing that.  For some unknown reason we aren't.  It's mind-boggling.  Maybe they're all just that much over-rated or over-valued.  I tend to not be sold on that point of view quite yet, but could be convinced of it in the future if the production doesn't pick up soon.  There are others on this team, though, who I think are - players like Streit that we signed for God only knows what reason.

If I had to pick from your list, I would say the one mulligan I'd take is the JVR - L. Schenn trade.  Luke's kinda been MIA, not sure his potential is as strong as the others either, and it might be nice to have the scoring potential of JVR back on this team.

Giroux -- "I wonder......could Old McDonald and the Farmer in the Dell actually be the same person?  Could there be even the slightest possibility?  The remotest chance?  Hmmmmm........two songs, two farmers.  What are the odds?  Where's Bryz?  I miss Bryz.  He'd know the answer to this question.  He was scared of bears in the forest.  What a funny guy.  I wish he was here because then the fans would be all over him and not me.  He made me laugh.  Sometimes.  His English wasn't so good.........Oh, crap.  Did that puck just go in?  It just went in.  Sunovabitch.  Way to go Mase.  We're better than this.  We just have to believe, believe, believe!  There's no place like home, no place like home.  Well, there's always next game."

Did you just finish an HR performance review? Stretch goal??? Hahaha.

I get the spirit of what you mean, but Vinny is doing well. Arguably, Giroux is holding him back.

Ha!  As a matter of fact.......

Nah, I was just thinking that for him or anyone on this team, for that matter, the way things are going it's really going to be a strrrrrrrrrrrrrrretch to achieve anything.  I'm really happy with the goaltending, though, so it's not all negative.

I don't really disagree.  If I'm looking at just the numbers, VLC is the one bright spot.  Not talking supernova, but bright nevertheless.  As fars as holding him back goes, I'd add Voracek, Hartnell, and anyone else he plays with too.  It's just been dismal across the board.

You aren't going to get it. He's just not that kind of player. His career avg. is below a ppg and you can't expect more than what he's capable of.

I think you're probably right.  But I can expect that he pushes himself.  Set a stretch goal, try to exceed the previous season's numbers.

reported!

Ha!

Huh? He's got almost a 1 ppg avg.

I want MORE!  Ha.

No idea, but for a little while now I've been starting to wonder, at what point to you at least consider trading him? He's playing well and isn't doing this team any good. How long before he becomes unhappy and no longer has value?

He hasn't shown me yet this season that he has any value at all.  One hat trick.  I'll give him that.  But otherwise, there's been no steady, consistent production.  I guess I'm just disappointed in everyone.  Nobody's doin' nothin'.  I had much higher expectations for him and the entire team.  Well, not so much for the defense, but I really expected more from the offense. 

Why are u guys still watching this crap and torturing yourself. I got rid of my Centre Ice package. I can't watch this.

I'm actually still getting Center Ice for free.  Didn't sign up for it, took advantage of the free preview at the beginning of the season and it's still going.  This happened a couple of seasons ago.  Just don't tell Time Warner Cable.  As long as it's free.......now if it goes out, I ain't paying to watch this crap.  Ha.

Greetings:

 

I am worried that Mason's behavior at the end of the game is a sign of cracking. He looked petrified after the tying goal. Then he bounded to the locker room after the loss. He may be losing it. Given the lack of support, I can understand his behavior. But it may be sign of something deeper. Like..."what the f..bomb am I doing....."  He will be our Gilles Milloche...playing well for a suck-face team. 

 

Peace,

 

Howie

Totally agree and that's exactly what I thought when I saw him do that.  He may have been a little angry at himself, but I think it was more directed at the way his team isn't supporting him and the boneheaded way Streit lost that puck.  I'd be pissed too.  I hope he can hold it together.  He's been the best thing about this season despite what the win-loss record shows.

But this defensive approach only works if you can actually play defense.  I'm still not convinced they can do that.  Can't score, can't defend.  Getting better at goaltending, though.  Maybe they ought to just take everyone off the ice but for the goalie and just let the opposing team fire away.

Streit's old, he sucks, his contract blows, and we're stuck with him...

That is all.

If Lavi and Berube have lost the locker room in less than a quarter season, then who is good enough for this team to find and hold it?  Bunch of spoiled kids is what this group has turned in to.  They want someone who won't make them work or hold them accountable?  They want someone who will let them run the show, call the plays, set the rules?  What are they waiting for in or from a coach?  This is all on the individual players at this point.  And that's part of the problem -- there's no team.

Oh, and got to love the whole Downie experiment.  Trade away Talbot, bring in Downie, who plays two periods and then gets his A$$ kicked, and then promptly goes out indefinitely.  Beautiful.  What an awesome contribution.  Pretty ineffective, really. This team is snakebit and so apparently is anyone who joins it.  Totally bizarre.  I'm 44 years old and have been watching the Flyers since I was five orsix and I've never seen anything like this season.  Sure there have been tough ones before and recently to boot.  But this season is just spooky wierd. 

Great post.

 

I really think it's a development thing. There are young players in key positions, and they're learning. The 2nd and 3rd line centers are learning the game at the NHL level, have constantly changing linemates, have the Philly pressure to perform, and are part of a roster that is constantly in flux. Let's think about that... we have a 22 year old and 20 year in key positions. And Giroux is 25, still very young and learning how to be a leader while having the pressure to be THE guy for offense on the team. All of these factors bring adjustment periods. Add to that guys like Read, Raffl, McGinn, and Gus who are all pretty new to the NHL.  Even though Read is way ahead of the other 3 in terms of development, he still only has 1.5 years of NHL experience, so still new to this guy. Jake just turned 24 two months ago, Luke is 23. These guys are not going to be consistent night in and night out, especially when the supporting core is just as green.

 

Plus, they just fired their coach who should have been fired last year. So now they're learning a new system mid-stream.

 

They have two new goalies.

 

And they have an entire team of beat writers who have such lofty expectations that they are deemed a failure every time they make the slightest miscue.

 

Give these guys 5 years. Keep this core for that long, add the right supporting guys as needed, draft smartly, and I bet we'll be watching a real team that can hang with the best of them.

Totally agree with this.  But what I find frustrating is that the Penguins can get a kid like Crosby who at a very young age can step in and make a huge, positive impact immediately while our young guys are still struggling to find their way.  I know a guy like Crosby doesn't come along every day and my wishing may be completely unrealistic or unreasonable, but man it sure would be nice to find someone like that and have the Flyers reap the rewards immediately rather than waiting four, five, six years.  I'm all for patience and fault this team for not being more patient in developing our younger players, but we're due!

@canoli

@aziz

 

My observation is the team is simply fragile - both mentally and physically. Why - I have no clue... probably due to the make-up of the team. They lack confidence and probably more than just that. They can't dominate. Forget dominate. They can hardly hold their own. That's the only explanation I have for starting games on a high note and not being able to finish them.

 

My hunch is after Berube took over, he started instilling this "play like a team", "play hard", "play disciplined hockey" stuff and surely, the team started responding... what else are the players supposed to do but to *try* to do what their coach is asking them to do? So as a result, we see that great effort and drive and then, as the game goes on, the team is out of its tricks. To be successful, you need more than just a drive and aspiration. And this team just doesn't have it. Hard work can only get you so far.

 

It's unfortunate, but I think it really is that simple. You guys are trying to overanalyze it, while there doesn't seem to be much to analyze. Aziz is asking what is not good. It's that. From top to bottom - the way the team is built they just don't have a make-up of a technically sound and mentally tough team.  And taht starts with our captain.  The third period seems to be supporting this, no? 

 

 

 

Exactly!

Just read through the rest of the posts in this thread and you know what I found particularly encouraging???  I don't think I read one post about the goalie or goaltending.  That's awesome!  Not being facetious or sarcastic, either.  I think Mason did everything asked of him and everything he could to try to keep the Flyers in the game and give them a shot to win.  He made some pretty amazing saves.  Saves Bryz wouldn't have been able to make.  If we could just score more than two or three goals a game, we might be on to something.

Flyers stopped skating a bit,

Totally agree.  They stopped skating in the third period.  Stopped passing too.  Well, I take that back -- stopped accurately passing.  In a way, I thought they were over-passing.  Again.  Just shoot the puck.  They try to get into the most perfect shooting position by trying to make the most perfect passes to ensure the most perfect finish but all the passing, all the setup goes for nothing because they're trying to get into the most perfect shooting position by trying to make the most perfect passes......and on and on.  They are trying way too hard and forcing things.  Just fire the puck at the net, already.  Something will stick.

You could see things changing towards the end of the second.  The first period and the first half of the second, they actually looked really good.  They totally took it to the Ducks.  I think it wasn't so much a better Ducks team as it was the Flyers lagging late.  We could have/should have won that game. They're falling into the trap of the last few seasons -- they just can't keep the momentum going and play a full 60 minutes.  It's maddening.

Berube is making his players earn the time on the ice and that's not a bad thing at all.

I have no problem with this --- just wish he applied the rule fairly and predictably.  Why sit McGinn?  If anyone earned the ice time, it was he.

ust think... 8M for another 8 years... scary to think about.  

Isn't that what we said about Carter, Richards, Briere, Bryz?  I wouldn't want to be a Flyer with a long-term, high-paying contract.  Even if I was Claude Giroux.  It's like the kiss of death.  Oh, almost forgot -- throw in the Captain's "C" on your sweater and you might as well be putting yourself 6 feet under.

How else are we going to get that first draft pick........????

I used to think we needed defense......but the way our offense has not scored, has not been scoring, and probably will continue not to score, makes me think if we traded Giroux for anyone, it should be for someone who can score.  It's maddening.  First it's goaltending, then it's defense, then it's goaltending and defense, now it's offense and defense and maybe goaltending - though as murraycraven posted elsewhere, the way Mason has been playing is impressive and he could become the real deal.  It is a shame that now he's not getting offensive or defensive support.  But now primarily offensive.  Sure would be nice to score more than two goals a game!

Voracek is due for a big game too.

That's what I keep thinking too.  Which is why I keep starting him on my fantasy team.  But without much to show for it..........yet.

Has anyone predicted the multiple 2 on 1 or 3 on 1 breakaways the Pens will get?  All leading to goals.

I'll take a page out of Clubber Lang's book......my prediction for the game is "Pain."  Mostly my own pain as I have to sit and watch what the odds suggest will be a brutal game for the Flyers.  It's gonna hurt, but I'll be watching.  Hope they surprise me!

When you're trying to develop stability and cohesion among your unit, I can't imagine all these trade rumors, BS or otherwise, flying around add anything to accomplishing that goal.  It can only detract.  It's not good whatever happens.

Does something need to be done with this team?  Probably.  Yes.  But is "trade everyone now" the answer?  The organization sure didn't waste any time in blowing things up - or at least creating a situation that leads to the perpetuation of these type of rumors.

I'm just happy Markov didn't start the game for Florida.  That said, I'm really happy with Mason.  Expectations not that high and he exceeded them.  He kept the Flyers in the game with some huge saves and won it with only 2 goals in support.