Game 32: Nashville Predators at Philadelphia Flyers; 12/21/23 @ 7 PM, NBCSP

[Howie58]

Greetings:

 

The O and B are hometown favorites (-125).

 

As it stands, this is a match up of two similar squads:

https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/nashville-predators-philadelphia-flyers-2023122115/?fr=sycsrp_catchall

 

Historically, this is a close matchup, but a:) We do better at home; and b:) we did better against them in their early years (no surprise):

https://champsorchumps.us/team/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/head-to-head/nashville-predators

 

We lost in overtime (3-2) in Nashville on the 12th.  I suspect another close game.  

 

Do we keep the mojo?

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Howie58

[GratefulFlyers]

Hate to see the Flyers give up a short-handed goal. Ristolainen frozen watches 2 Preds skate past him, only Frost to defend the odd-man…but the PP actually cashed in once, nice work by Frost to Couturier. Ersson still playing great…feels like another OT/SO ending coming up…

 

edit: or not.
 

Edited December 22, 2023 by GratefulFlyers

[Podein25]

2 hours ago, GratefulFlyers said:

Ristolainen frozen

 

He was awful tonight. Like more awful than normal even.

[GratefulFlyers]

9 hours ago, Podein25 said:

 

He was awful tonight. Like more awful than normal even.

 

He really was. He funks up the whole Flyers' game just like Hayes always did - even when he's not on the ice. The PP is more of a joke than ever with him on it. The SH goal: any other D-man with half a brain would've backed off right away to defend the rush. He's at the point, the TO happens way down in the corner he has plenty of time to react. Instead he floats back and lets Frost handle the rush alone.

 

I don't know what to wish for. If he keeps stinking it up Briere will have to dump him for peanuts and pay half his salary. If he plays better they may convince themselves he's worth keeping.

 

[Podein25]

27 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

 

He really was. He funks up the whole Flyers' game just like Hayes always did - even when he's not on the ice. The PP is more of a joke than ever with him on it. The SH goal: any other D-man with half a brain would've backed off right away to defend the rush. He's at the point, the TO happens way down in the corner he has plenty of time to react. Instead he floats back and lets Frost handle the rush alone.

 

I don't know what to wish for. If he keeps stinking it up Briere will have to dump him for peanuts and pay half his salary. If he plays better they may convince themselves he's worth keeping.

 

 

Yep. DB missed the chance to "trade him, his value will never be higher" about three weeks ago, on that Wednesday, after he had two good games in a row.

[OccamsRazor]

29 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

If he keeps stinking it up Briere will have to dump him for peanuts and pay half his salary.

 

I'd pick up 2 mill of his salary just to move him. 

 

I wouldn't want to give up an asset to get rid of him but it would take much back to move him even to pick up some salary to make the trade work.

[GratefulFlyers]

Like @Podein25 said the best shot at a good deal is gone for now but maybe he'll string together another couple games where he looks halfway decent. I just hope Briere/Jones (and Tortorella) want to be rid of Ristolainen. I guess the Old Guard supported Fletcher when he gave away the future to acquire him and unfortunately those ____ clowns/voices____ are still around.

 

Take the lumps, salary coming back, whatever - anything short of dealing away picks/prospects.

[flyer4ever]

18 hours ago, GratefulFlyers said:

Hate to see the Flyers give up a short-handed goal. Ristolainen frozen watches 2 Preds skate past him, only Frost to defend the odd-man…but the PP actually cashed in once, nice work by Frost to Couturier. Ersson still playing great…feels like another OT/SO ending coming up…

 

edit: or not.
 

Risto made a bad split second decision at the blue line. No disputing that. What was even worse than that was the braindead dump in by #89 and the marshmallow soft attempt at a puck retrieval by #10 and #89. 

As far as #48 goes, 2 point night. Clumsy footwork behind the Preds net for his goal, the play to Coots was made by a poke check by a Preds player. 

Small and skilled is great, but games like last night are big boy hockey games, and the Flyers are a little lacking in that demographic. I have been watching, and the effort has been great, the goalies have been really good, but the current powerplay is a doomsday machine should they make the playoffs. 

[flyercanuck]

6 hours ago, GratefulFlyers said:

I just hope Briere/Jones (and Tortorella) want to be rid of Ristolainen. I guess the Old Guard supported Fletcher when he gave away the future to acquire him and unfortunately those ____ clowns/voices____ are still around.

 

I can't, for the life of me, figure out how anyone who watches hockey could see him play and think, ya, that's what we need on our team. 

 

Then to give up what Fletcher did for him....The Sabres and Yotes must still be laughing over that one.

[jammer2]

19 minutes ago, flyercanuck said:

 

I can't, for the life of me, figure out how anyone who watches hockey could see him play and think, ya, that's what we need on our team. 

 

Then to give up what Fletcher did for him....The Sabres and Yotes must still be laughing over that one.

I dunno what the Flyers were thinking? When I initially read reports that other teams were interested, I was cautiously thrilled. I figured Danny was trying to milk the situation ie lower or eliminate money retained. They overplayed their hand...LARGE. You get a chance to rid yourself of an albatross contract attached to a top 4 Dman with a disgustingly low hockey IQ...YOU DO IT...QUICK!! 

[Podein25]

2 hours ago, jammer2 said:

a disgustingly low hockey IQ

 

He probably couldn't spell IQ if you spotted him an "I" and a "Q"

 

And a "Q" is worth like 10 points in Scrabble, so naturally RR would **** that up somehow. 

[jammer2]

On 12/22/2023 at 7:49 PM, Podein25 said:

 

He probably couldn't spell IQ if you spotted him an "I" and a "Q"

 

And a "Q" is worth like 10 points in Scrabble, so naturally RR would **** that up somehow. 

Merry Pods...Not to be to dark, but Elf on a Shelf, meet shoot Risto with a Pistol...lol. 

Seriously though, I get Danny and Jones refuse to just give away assets. There is a place where this strategy hampers a team. Its where the Street called Addition by Subtraction intersects with Financially Prudent Boulevard. 

Sure, milk EVERYTHING for all its worth, its written into your actual job description...BUT...sometimes this philosophy does not jive with your PRIMARY goal...actually winning the Stanley Cup. 

 

 Serious Question...name a Stanley Cup Champ with a top 4 Defenceman that is outrageously bad? Then add outrageously bad to 5+ mill for 3 more years on Stanley Cup Champs...the query becomes more impossible with each addition. 

  The moral of this long drawn out summary is: sometimes seeking the best possible deal is actually detrimental to your goals. The reality in today's NHL is 5 teams have cap space. Attempting to deal with the other 27 teams is messy. No matter who you plug into Ristos spot, your team becomes smarter instantly. Cap space on a rebuilding team is MUCH more important than a defensive liability with an albatross contract. Hard hitting defensive Defensemen are one of the easier things to replace in Hockey. Zadrov just went for a 5th rd pick...has the same skill set, minus a bit of mobility but much smarter at his actual role. 

 

 Getting too cute could give you years of migraines, limited cap space AND fellow teammates wondering "where is the accountability"...because the second he is benched for sub par play, the odds of striking a decent deal become less likely than Hans Gruber pulling off a successful heist in Die Hard...AND YES, THIS WAS A CHRISTMASY COMPARISON!!