Phillygrump Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Played a great game today and helped keep Malkin in check most of the time. I love the defensive aspect of his game. He also blew up that b*tch Letang today too. Or as Mcguire calls him (Kristopher Letang) Voracek was stellar again too. It looks like he came back from getting his dirty hit determined to give it all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poulin20 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I agree with you....Wellwood also was a beast today...I love how our young guys are stepping up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 wellwood has a hell of a motor and is so damn fast, courterier plays like he's been in the league his whole life, and voracek was our best player today, i hope we can find a way to keep them all... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terp Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I agree with you....Wellwood also was a beast today...I love how our young guys are stepping up!Wellwood has found a home as far as I'm concerned. He played well in a checking role and also showed something when he spent some time on a scoring line. Unbelievable wheels. He's one of the fastest players,on the ice game in game out. All of the Flyers rookies played great today. Couturier stood out, as did Reid. And what a vote of confidence by Laviolette playing Manning and Gustafsson together for a lot of minutes. Granted, he probably didn't have much choice but that's a lot of responsibility to throw at a couple rookies. They handled it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyS Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Read had one really bad play, but Bryz bailed him out.The kids are definitely all right.And Coutourier looks like anything but a 19-year-old out there. That kid is going to be a star. (And the no front teeth thing obviously reminds me of Clarke.)If this is how good the Flyers are with a team full of rookies, just imagine how good they'll be in a year or two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 @mojo1917Wellwood is signed through next year (and is CHEAP at 500k). He is a RFA after that. Coots is signed for 2 more years and then a RFA. Jakub is the one the team needs to focus on as he is a RFA this year. I have a feeling he will sign a Giroux type of deal (3 years) as that will keep him in RFA status where if he keeps progressing at current pace, he will be paid #1 line winger money for his next contract (25 years old). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 @AndyS- If Couturier did not get Mono last year, he would have gone #2 or #3 overall. The defensive part of the game is the hardest part for the kids to learn when they get to the bigs and he is already there and then some. Let him get some more weight on and he will start showing more and more of what he can do offensively. He is a two time 96 point player in the QMJHL. To put that in perspective, Giroux 103, 112 and 106 points in his 3 years in the Q. The thing with him is his hockey IQ and sense are both off the charts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Wow people on this thread are excited about the youth and future, yet no mention with any of Schenn...whats that tell ya...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 @OccamsRazorI don't think it tells you anything. The thread was acknowledging Couturier and then got expanded to Wellwood and Read in regards to todays game. It isn't that Schenn played bad, just that Couturier, Wellwood were big standouts and noticeable everytime they were on the ice. I don't think that is a slight to Schenn. I like Schenns game allot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 @OccamsRazorit tells me the future is looking pretty bright, provided we can figure a way to keep all these guys in the fold. schenn is a good player and looks like a natural born flyer.@Vanflyerthanks for the capology work. the only guy i knew about being a free agent was voracek and i knew we could match or be compensated for him. what's nice is he seems to really like his teammates and situation here so hopefully that weighs in on any decisions he makes, i like his game a lot especially now that he's started to lookf for his shot a little more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillygrump Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 @VanflyerWhat impresses me about Couturier is his ability and willingness to throw his body around at the age of 19. It seems as he is getting used to playing in the NHL he is starting to assimilate to the physical game and he is starting to feel like he belongs here. I think his confidence to the physical aspect of the game is definitely starting to show and when that starts to come I think his offensive production will go up as well. He has so many tools. He can shoot, score, and pass. He has great vision, instincts, and size. He has an active stick and plays with a gritty edge. I think he was born to be a Flyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillygrump Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 He had a nice little hit on Letang tonight and he played well against Malkin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 @Phillygrump- He played the second most minutes last night against the hottest team in the NHL. What does that say?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 @VanflyerWhat impresses me about Couturier is his ability and willingness to throw his body around at the age of 19. It seems as he is getting used to playing in the NHL he is starting to assimilate to the physical game and he is starting to feel like he belongs here. I think his confidence to the physical aspect of the game is definitely starting to show and when that starts to come I think his offensive production will go up as well.He has so many tools. He can shoot, score, and pass. He has great vision, instincts, and size. He has an active stick and plays with a gritty edge. I think he was born to be a Flyer. Wait til he puts on a few more pounds. He only weighs around 200 right now, and at 6'4" he's got room to fill in. He very good, but he's going to be great. Don't forget, as good as his game is defensively, he had the best ppg of any junior his draft year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Wait til he puts on a few more pounds. He only weighs around 200 right now, and at 6'4" he's got room to fill in. He very good, but he's going to be great. Don't forget, as good as his game is defensively, he had the best ppg of any junior his draft year.Really him catching mono was kind of a blessing for at least the Flyers...mostly the reason he feel to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terp Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Wait til he puts on a few more pounds. He only weighs around 200 right now, and at 6'4" he's got room to fill in. He very good, but he's going to be great. Don't forget, as good as his game is defensively, he had the best ppg of any junior his draft year.He does but he has already gained strength since the beginning of the season. He seems stronger on his skates and along the boards and is a bit more physical. His performance has improved a lot since the beginning of the year even though it hasn't resulted in a lot of points. In fact, he's so smart and has so much skill that it isn't out of the question that his development in this area will be very condensed. For example, I wouldn't be surprised if he got very offensively productive this spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Surround him with better players and the points will come. But his excellent defence will keep him on the 4th line for at least a little while longer. If Briere doesn't start putting up points come playoff time, his center position may become expendable as early as next season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 If Briere doesn't start putting up points come playoff time, his center position may become expendable as early as next seasonYep and I'm sure Briere is well-aware this is a distinct possibility. These guys practice together all year, get to see what each other is capable of; Couturier's offensive talent hasn't been lost on Briere or anyone else at the rink.I love the way the Flyers are bringing Couturier along - glad they're able to bring him along on the 4th line - let him concentrate on defense, killing penalties, take important draws, some PP time here and there - best of all he skates with the same guys (for the most part) every game. For a rookie having steady line mates can be the difference between a successful year and a question-mark (see Brayden Schenn). The Flyers do this right and Couturier is our Pavel Datsyuk in another 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 @canoli At least a poor mans version. But he's definately headed in that direction, and he has all the tools. And better size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 maybe another Datsyuk is a bit much I don't know - I picked the best 2-way guy I could think of. But like you said Couturier is a little taller and already about the same weight; if he adds another 10 pounds of muscle he may become one of those guys who are [basically] unstoppable when they get a head of steam going. Maybe that's an overstatement too - I guess he's not quite Sidney Crosby caliber talent - but he sure has the brains and the calm demeanor out there - at 19/20 years old. Pretty impressive.I wonder what the scouts told their GMs about him over the years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Well, as has been mentioned several times, the guy was ranked #1 until he got sick. It was nothing but pure luck he dropped to us at #8. I had my hopes on Hamilton falling to us, but when I saw Couturier had, i couldn't believe it. It was like getting a top 3 pick instead of a #8. Kinda makes up for the JVR draft (no offence to Holmgren for picking him, it was just a bad draft). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyS Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 The Flyers do this right and Couturier is our Pavel Datsyuk in another 2 years.Wow! I hope you're right. (No pressure, kid!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 yeah we lucked out alright.that night of the draft is when I learned about most of the top 10 guys. I was so bummed Hamilton went to Boston because he was exactly what the Flyers need in their system. I never imagined Couturier had a shot at playing in the NHL this year.So now Dougie Hamilton is in the OHL (and having a good season from what I hear) but Couturier is contributing in a big way for the Flyers. Only thing that could've gone better for the Flyers that night was if somehow we got both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 @canoli Hamilton is going to be a very good defenceman. He was picked OHL defenceman of the month, recently, and likely of the year.. But the Flyers and their track record of developing them, would have screwed that up. Couturier has a good shot at being a great forward, and Philly is pretty darn good at developing them. Now if Holmgren could somehow manage to make Pronger/Briere/Bryz contracts shrink in term, we'd be laughing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 ...we'd be laughing.Well, we may not be laughing about that stuff, but the laughs continue with the Leafs. Those laughs will continue forever, it appears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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