Flyers- bottom line..weaker defense, weaker goaltending, weaker offense

[Podein25]

Carle was lacking in that capacity. I think Schenn will be an improvement. Let the offense take care of the offense.

Fair enough, but it requires, dare I say it, a different "system" from Lavy's much ballyhooed run and gun. Carle was/is one of the best puck moving D-men in all of hockey. So something's gotta give. I've seen Luke Schenn "move" a puck before, and there ain't nothin' elegant about it.

[DaGreatGazoo]

I think Pronger will be back next year

With all due respect, there is a better chance of me winning Powerball, marrying Kate Upton, AND finding the lost city of Atlantis, then there is of Pronger coming back right now. He isn't even symptom free yet.

[OH1FlyersFan]

Fair enough, but it requires, dare I say it, a different "system" from Lavy's much ballyhooed run and gun. Carle was/is one of the best puck moving D-men in all of hockey. So something's gotta give. I've seen Luke Schenn "move" a puck before, and there ain't nothin' elegant about it.

That's true. It will be interesting to see if Lavy changes his approach. Theoretically, he knows the pieces he now has to play with, their strengths and weaknesses, and should make adjustments accordingly to fit them.

[Podein25]

should make adjustments accordingly

I hope you don't mean bake a cake.

[JackStraw]

I hope you don't mean bake a cake.

What if he throws a little tequila in that cake?

[doom88]

With all due respect, there is a better chance of me winning Powerball, marrying Kate Upton, AND finding the lost city of Atlantis, then there is of Pronger coming back right now. He isn't even symptom free yet.

Marry is kind of long term, any lease options?

[orange_crush]

I don't see Bob as a "project". That trade was a mercy trade. The problem was that the owner could not keep his hands out of the cookie jar and forced management to make a move they should have never made. Is Bobs a #1- possibly and certainly can develop into one easily. But his ticket was punched the day the Flyers signed Breezy. I am happy the Flyers gave him a chance elsewhere as he is a quality kid and works extremely hard.

sad part is Homer finds himself a diamond in the rough with Bob and then has to dump him because Snider has no patience...then when Bob finally develops Columbus will look like geniuses for trading for him..

[Podein25]

What if he throws a little tequila in that cake?

Well, that would pretty much change everything. Sort of the opposite of "dry island"

[JackStraw]

Well, that would pretty much change everything. Sort of the opposite of "dry island"

That's what I thought.

[Podein25]

@JackStraw

Whatever works I say. Tequila has solved many problems before. It's also created them, of course.

Edited July 6, 2012 by Podein25

[KjellShocked]

@RonJeremy

In lieu of overpaying, Homer should be happy with the moves. He added depth at F and D, and moved a non-functional component (JVR) into a physical righty top 4 defenseman - which many people suggested categorically they wanted.

Blockbusters? Nope. Any worth pursuing? Not in my opinion, yet.

I don't think I buy this "depth" argument. We lose Carle and add Gervais and Schenn. We lose JVR and Jagr and add Fedotenko.

That's losing depth at F. As for the D, +2 - 1 doesn't mean depth. If we lose a good player and replace him with an average player and what amounts to a spare part, did we really add depth? Carle fits our system right now. Schenn really doesn't so I can't say we "improved" there.

We play an up-tempo style that requires our D to have at least ** some ** offensive skill and we just replaced one of our better ones with Darien Hatcher-lite.

[OH1FlyersFan]

I hope you don't mean bake a cake.

Well, that would depend on the kind of cake he's baking.......haha.

[Vanflyer]

sad part is Homer finds himself a diamond in the rough with Bob and then has to dump him because Snider has no patience...then when Bob finally develops Columbus will look like geniuses for trading for him..

I am not sure about "diamond", but he certainly found someone that was both young and very athletic and could play goal decently for his experience- and did so in an unconventional way.

Snider most definitely eff'd things up. When the boss says something, you have to listen. But if you are worth your salt, you also have to be pretty adamnant in opposing a move that you feel is wholeheartedly wrong. Whether that happened or not with Bryz, we will never know.

There are two things that really stick in my craw regarding Bobs:

1) The initial contract they signed him too. It essentially was a NHL contract or nothing contract (if they sent him down last year to the AHL- his salary would have been 75K). He needed playing time to gain more experience- not be a backup.

2) They traded him (still a mercy trade) and what did they do with the 2nd rounder they got for him- drafted a goalie that will not sniff the light of day in an NHL rink let alone an AHL rink!!!! WTF???

[orange_crush]

I am not sure about "diamond", but he certainly found someone that was both young and very athletic and could play goal decently for his experience- and did so in an unconventional way.

Snider most definitely eff'd things up. When the boss says something, you have to listen. But if you are worth your salt, you also have to be pretty adamnant in opposing a move that you feel is wholeheartedly wrong. Whether that happened or not with Bryz, we will never know.

There are two things that really stick in my craw regarding Bobs:

1) The initial contract they signed him too. It essentially was a NHL contract or nothing contract (if they sent him down last year to the AHL- his salary would have been 75K). He needed playing time to gain more experience- not be a backup.

2) They traded him (still a mercy trade) and what did they do with the 2nd rounder they got for him- drafted a goalie that will not sniff the light of day in an NHL rink let alone an AHL rink!!!! WTF???

your exactly right on both points..

[DaGreatGazoo]

Marry is kind of long term, any lease options?

Hell, I'd settle for a test drive..a nice long test drive.

[doom88]

Hell, I'd settle for a test drive..a nice long test drive.

Why wine and dine when you can get straight to the point? LOL.

She is wicked hot.

[The Quigster]

Is high island anywhere near dry island? Is it near the Skatezone? One more reason for Snider to buy the rink in Vineland!

[aziz]

he is young and valuable an thus a big piece of a potential trade. I just hate the idea of trading away somebody *that* fast and shifty before we really see what we have. Who knows, maybe Read turns out better than a Bobby Ryan

as I recall, read is a full year older than ryan, isn't he? read might get more comfortable, but he isn't going to develop a ton past what we've already seen. and we haven't seen bobby ryan talent out of him. read is a nice 2nd/3rd line player, don't get carried away with his rookie status last season. at 25, he pretty much is what he is.

all of it kind of irrelevant, anyway. bryzgalov ensures the team is a second round exit no matter who is playing in front of him. this isn't a Chris Osgood average goalie who just doesn't make big saves. this is a vesa toskala goalie who allows goals on non-scoring opportunities regularly. a stacked team can't over come that.

thus, the next several years are going to be as close to a rebuild as the flyers will ever come. kids who aren't really ready will get ice time, the team's prospect core will be vetted under nhl game conditions. in three or four years, when holmgren -or his successor- figures out how to get rid of bryzgalov, then those years of experience and testing with the young players will pay off, and strategic moves can be made to some effect. there just isn't any point right now.

[jammer2]

@ "read is a nice 2nd/3rd line player, don't get carried away with his rookie status last season. at 25, he pretty much is what he is."

Gotta disagaree there. I don't care how old you are, there is a awkward adjustment period invovoled with being an NHL rookie. We have not seen the best Read we will see, think he has a lot more to offer. His play without the puck will take off next year, as will other key aspects of his game, including defense. When he gets all the little nuances of the NHL down, he will get considerably better...maybe even 40 total goals better. Depending on who he plays with, he could easily hit 30 next year.

[aziz]

@jammer2

you could be right. his confidence and understanding of the game at the NHL level will increase. his skill set is what it is for the most part, though, and i didn't see the shot or puck handling or vision of a 40 goal scorer. 30...maybe. 30 goals, 30 assists, i could see it. we're still talking about a 60 point guy, i.e. pretty standard fare for a 2nd liner. then again...ryan hasn't done much better than that, so....

i dunno. read is UFA-eligible in 2 years, and that's within the bryzgalov-window-of-pointlessness. so...

[Vanflyer]

Is high island anywhere near dry island?

i know (or think) you do it intentionally. I actually think it as long island (tea).

[mojo1917]

Speaking of weaker goaltending , Louongo is said to be gone- o from Vancouver. Just kidding here but a straight swap for Bryzgalov would almost be cap neutral. Bobby Lou said he loves playing in a " hockey market"... So um Bryzgalov could go to Vancouver and be the backup.

[doom88]

Speaking of weaker goaltending , Louongo is said to be gone- o from Vancouver. Just kidding here but a straight swap for Bryzgalov would almost be cap neutral. Bobby Lou said he loves playing in a " hockey market"... So um Bryzgalov could go to Vancouver and be the backup.

I'd do it, knee jerk reaction anyway

[jammer2]

@doom88 I worry about the Canucks when they finally ditch Luongo's contract. It seems like this year, a lot of teams will be struggling to reach the cap floor, so when the do get there, they will not be making any more major moves. This of course, gives contenders a distinct advantage when the have active cap space available. Not many teams out there can or would take on a big time contract, so the teams that leave a little flexibility have the real possibility of pulling off major scams in the trade market. Another reason why the Flyers should just stand pat if Doan want's to go elsewhere....a real good year to have cap space AND the willingness to add a contract.

[terp]

@terp, my alternatve was to package Bob as part of a bigger deal or to keep him another year. That goalie we picked is a dime a dozen, its not like he was such a hot prospect that it was so imperative to move Bob now, we also got some 4th rounders, so in essence we got nothing. I also wrote that Jagr and Carle wanted too much. I mentioned Doan... but he wants to stay out west, so I dont know where your getting this negative stuff from, Im just telling it like it is, its an absoultely honest assesment and accurate...Unlike Todays story "Holmgren Pleased with Flyers moves" YEAH RIGHT! He is pleased that instead of Parise/ Suter or Jagr/Carle we got Fedetenko and Gervais, a fourh line checking forwrad and a 7th defenseman, just what we needed.

I don't think he really wanted Suter or Parise. He just wanted to drive their prices up. Also, I don't think pursuing those players hurt his negotiation with Carle. Tagging space killed that deal. Next year, because he layed off the eye candy this iff season, he'll have some.

Sometimes the best deals are those you don't do. This year, in a suck FA market, it is especially true. I'm fine with it...so far.

Edited July 7, 2012 by terp