flyer4ever

Has anyone on this esteemed panel of hockey gurus ever been to Vorhees or the Wells Fargo Center in a shirt and tie? The reason I ask is this. A lot, and I mean a lot of respected hockey people have entered Flyerland and shortly after arriving in the hockey ops suites theis nuts have fallen off and their spines have turned to dust. Curious if this happened to you too. Why is this so hard for so many. There are 31 other teams in the league, some successful, some not. All the examples needed are right there in front of their faces, yet somehow the great Flyer mojo continues to get to neither, they just seem so happy to be mediocre forever. I would respect them a lot more if they got in front of a microphone and said " We know we suck, but it's our suck and we don't care what all you suckers, I mean season ticket holders think, we will continue to do it our misguided, assinine way as long as we want, and that's that." After watching Danny B spew his bull crap Wednesday it's hard to think otherwise.

All valid points, no argument here. However, 2 years away from a 50 year cup drought I would rather see a BITFU than stumble through another 14 years of this corporate bulls*#t mediocrity. I would prefer the small glimmer of hope of a few high draft picks over another round of Staal, Atkinson, Johnson, Ellis, Johansen, Couturier contract, etc etc etc. But thats just me. 8 weeks of real hockey until Danny B tips his hand. I am not optimistic.

Another test for Danny Jones. Pass or fail?

Without being in the room, it seems they did their due diligence with Michkov. Will we ever know what happened to Gauthier? Was it the dinosaur coach? Was it the suits upstairs? Whatever happened, it cost them a real asset.

I don't look at this season as a success in any way, other than the maturing of Foerester and York. They lost their #1 goalie, and one of 2 high end prospects. The GM got blinded by a playoff chase and missed a trade deadline opportunity to gather real assets. And last, the dinosaur coach embarrassed himself and several players. Laughton and TK are both now diminishing assets, Coots is now just a bad contract, Atkinson has zero value, and the 2 1st rounders may not ever reach 100 games played in the NHL combined. So is the team closer to the prize now compared to last October? In reality, probably farther away. The real hope, and it is a viable hope, is the amateur scouts knock it out of the park at the draft, and the organization properly develops and drafts some future men, not little entitled turds like Gauthier.

I think the hockey gods have been calling out to the Flyers for many years but nobody in hockey ops is listening. They think they know better.

It must be a rule in the CBA that the Flyers have a goalie issue every season.

I really wished they had played like this all year. That wouldn't be tanking. That would just be sucking dirty air. And just sucking. And then drafting some talent. It's so simple.

IMHO, 2 things need to happen for the mediocrity to end. First they need to get out from under the albatross contracts. 2nd, they need 2 or 3 lottery drafts to get some high end talent. It doesn't have to be a tank, and if it was who cares. The last 14 years have been the worst in franchise history. The cupboards need to be emptied of old and overpaid slow and replaced with young and fast and a bit of snarl. I am a big fan of Koenecny, however his window is closing and the proper asset management move is to trade him. Otherwise you are looking at another bad contract 3 years from now. I have been around young hockey players for over 50 years, and as time has gone on, our youth has had less and less respect for seniority and experience. I say this as a preface to this. I don't think keeping a veteran so called leadership presence is as valuable as it once was. Young people today need to see you walk the walk, the talk doesn't do it. I don't believe Couturier and Atkinson are effective at all, I think the young guys get more out of Hathaway and Laughton. Just my opinion. I like the Blackhawk model from a decade ago. Build a team of young studs, get a great generational leader in Johnathan Toews, and grow it together. Thats the rebuild model I would like to see.

Playing defence in the modern NHL game is EXTREMELY difficult. I am reluctant to cut bait with any of them. Honestly. My first move is buh bye to the coach. I would like to see a season of seasoning for these young guys both in the show and the AHL with some proper coaching from a development perspective, not from a run them into the ground perspective. Staal and Johnson gone, Seeler gone. As for the forwards, Tipett, Foerster, Poehling, Hathaway keep. Adios to the rest. Some have value, some not. Nine firsts and seconds in the next 2 drafts. Should be able to find a couple of 3rd or 4th line guys picking 15th or later. Goalies should be fine unless they keep the coach. In that case better get a veteran or 2. If you haven't sensed my sarcasm, I have zero faith that the GM does anything that indicates a proper rebuild. If the playoffs was the goal this deadline, why didn't he get a goalie at the deadline? This season has just been more of the same old dysfunction in Flyer junction. #1 goalie gone. #1 prospect gone. Lottery pick in the draft gone. Time for golf.

Farabee is what you get in the draft after a playoff push. Get ready for more of the same. Middle of the lineup mediocrity. But the playoff push is invaluable.

Maybe Torts has lost the room with his everyone sucks but me BS. Wouldn't be the first time, or the second, or the third. Everyone in the room has been in a playoff chase. Everyone. When you bench your only top 60 in the entire league scoring race when you are down a goal in the 3rd period of a 4point game in a playoff chase you ought to look in the mirror for reasons .

All this FA talk is what got the Flyers to where they are today. The shiny toy team build. The hire alumni guys who do as they're told build. The draft middle to late in round 1 build. The trade for broken old guys with term build. I seriously have very little optimism about this team going forward. I will have to see a 180 degree pivot at the draft and free agency this summer to change my mind. This season of culture building has done nothing but set the rebuild back another 2 or 3 years. I would love to be hopeful and excited, I just don't see a reason for it. The 2 top prospects are gone and 2 years away. Hard to get excited. Getting whacked at home by the bottom feeder and the coach who built the culture saying it's my fault that we're tired is a sad state of affairs.

It's only weird because of the albatross ahole contract the chucktard gave him. Not too many pro sports organizations give out 8 year deals to multiple back surgery patients. Then put the C on them. Then bench them. Then go on a playoff drive when you're trying to rebuild. Then trade your best dman for a broken toy and placate the team by trading for your worst dman. As usual, dysfunction in Flyer junction.

All the draft picks in the next few drafts assure only one thing. Mediocre. It gets harder every year to find the diamond in the rough. This season of culture building assures more mediocre. Chicago, Anaheim, Montreal will all win a playoff series before the Flyers. Do I respect what the players accomplished this year under Torts, yes of course, but it gets them no closer to the prize. If Briere can somehow package some assets and move up in the draft I would be delighted, but I would be more delighted if he strips the team down to the bare bones. This season is really just more of the same old same old.

Krug and Gauthier were right. The Flyers are the land of misfit toys. The Seeler contract is just more proof.

We already gave away one spoiled little dick, but a talented spoiled dick. Not really any left not named Bonk or Michkov. Any firsts they acquire will be late in the round. Not really mediocre busters. This great season of character building is just another setback in the big picture of winning the big prize. I am not sensing this deadline will be pushing them closer to it. Sounds like Jones has drank the corporate koolaid.

Unless we are trading TK to Chicago or San Jose the return will be another handful of mediocre hit or miss draft picks. Regardless of who they trade at this point, this season of "character building" has locked the Flyers into another draft cycle of middling picks that will only lead to middling results. At some point the dearth of high end skill has to be addressed. The only viable way to do that is the top of the draft.

Frost is a tough one. For me, the whole deal is the Cup. Not sure Frost has big game big boy hockey in him. That's the big question for Danny B on all his deals. I used to think a solid veteran presence was a thing. It was when I was 20, which was 40 years ago. Not sure it's a thing with this generation of young men. I actually agree with Torts on this. These young guys today are stupid and entitled. They have been mostly one-dimensional humans ever since they started showing great prowess and potential as hockey players. Therefore, I am listening to offers on every player in the organization not named Michkov. This amazing entertaining over achieving season hasn't moved the dial at all for me on the direction I hope they are heading. I do tip my hat to everyone connected to the Flyers, they have definitely created an atmosphere of accountability to each other.

I agree. The biggest lack in Flyerland is elite skill. TZ brings that. Lots of spoiled young men come to the NHL needing to grow up. There is still time for this guy to get it.

Good power plays have 2 things in common. Lots of skill and high hockey IQ,s. Flyers seem to be lacking in both these areas. Zone entries are slow, puck retrievals are soft, and they stand still when they do establish zone time; they do these things better 5on5 than up a man. Lotsa skill. Little to no snarl. Gotta find a balance to go deep in the playoffs.

little p.o.s. He'll get nowhere near what he deserves. If he did that to my teammate he'd leave the ice leaking like a sieve. Not in the bett turds NHL.

Maybe Verbeek is the next chucktard. If all his studs develop he will be in Leaf style cap hell in 5 years. Trading middle 6 guys might appeal to him. He is going to get another jewel is this draft as well. If he is answering his phone I would ask about Mctavish too. Nobody ever got a date with a pretty girl without asking.

Fair questions, I have always had hope for smaller guys to take all the required steps. I just don't think Brink will ever be "heavy" enough on his skates. Too many times he has been on the wrong side of the puck. I think he has big game mentality, would love to see it with the Flyers. I just see him as easy to play against and it isn't even playoff hockey when the big boys stop being nice to the little guys. Thats just my humble opinion. I love high skill, I have been begging for a BITFU in order to acquire some. I also think right now the Flyers are lacking big boy skill. Tippett is getting better and better and hopefully Forester continues to develop. Just don't think a right side with Brink, Koneckny and Atkinson is hard enough to play against come playoff time.

Zegras in the lineup and Frost and Brink gone makes the team better. Period. Are they going to draft anyone who is going to be better than Zegras? No. Will he make space for Tipett and/or Forerster ? Yes. Can you toss in a 2nd or 3rd to make it happen? Yes.