Sbisa

[tgordon_25]

First off, i'm a huge Pronger fan, and will always love what he did in his short time in Philly. but as i was watching the Ducks game tonight i couldn't help but to think how much Sbisa would help if he was still here. Hindsight is 20/20, but i wish they could have found a way to hang on to him

[Vanflyer]

i couldn't help but to think how much Sbisa would help if he was still here.

I like luca, but at the current he is still potential unrealized. He is nothing more than a 5/6 defensemen in Anaheim and would not be any higher here. Truthfully, at this point I am fine with Bourdon and Gustafson (when he returns). Luca, despite his great wheels, tends to run around allot and gets frequently caught out of position.

[flyercanuck]

@tgordon_25

Hindsight? I said it then and I'll say it now. I'd rather have Sbisas potential, Lupuls 15 g and 22a (or whatever he could bring in a trade) and 2-1sts than a $5 million boat anchor. We got ONE good year out of Pronger, and it's all downhill from here.

[PhilsFanDrew]

@tgordon_25

Hindsight? I said it then and I'll say it now. I'd rather have Sbisas potential, Lupuls 15 g and 22a (or whatever he could bring in a trade) and 2-1sts than a $5 million boat anchor. We got ONE good year out of Pronger, and it's all downhill from here.

Lupul wasn't living up to the bad contract he was signed too while playing here. Way overpaid for 15g, 22a. We will get the same production out of Matt Read this year and got similar production from someone like Ville Leino a season ago for a fraction of Lupul's price tag.

[Vincent05]

despite his great wheels, tends to run around allot and gets frequently caught out of position.

This describes most Flyers dman. And when was the last time the Flyers drafted and develope a solid dman? I think it's better they let someone else do that for them. Pitkanen, Wywitka(not sure of his spelling) and Niinama comes to mind, Pitkanen and Niinama if I remember correctly frustrated them that they couldn't play defense so they were gone. The issue I see the Flyers is teaching these young dmen to play defense. John Carlson would look great in a Flyers uniform right now but I highly doubt the Flyers would've develope him like how the Caps has so far.

[Spinorama]

Lupul wasn't living up to the bad contract he was signed too while playing here. Way overpaid for 15g, 22a. We will get the same production out of Matt Read this year and got similar production from someone like Ville Leino a season ago for a fraction of Lupul's price tag.

not to mention the fact that the first 2 years after he left the Flyers he was hurt and hardly played and of those 2 seasons put up a combined 16 goals. That would've gone over lovely had he stayed. I'm not in love with what's going on with the Pronger situation either but I'm not gonna pretend that I wasn't unhappy when the sent Lupol out nor will I pretend I wasn't kinda relieved when he was someone else's problem for those next 2 unproductive seasons.

Sbisa I was more upset to let go though. Acquiring someone like Pronger was the only thing that took the sting away but I had no clue his decline was going to be this quick...

[JackStraw]

I was a Pronger fan before he became a Flyer (I think I actually liked him better then) but I hated the trade and the main reason was losing Sbisa. I really liked what I saw of him and thought that after all these years the Flyers might actually draft and develop a good young defenseman. Oh well.

[TedZep]

Lupul wasn't living up to the bad contract he was signed too while playing here

That just isn't true. Lupul was getting more points per dollar paid than almost any other Flyer in the season before he was traded (25g, 25a.) Go ahead, look it up. It was his extension that was going to make him possibly overpaid, and the only thing that made that true was injuries he sustained following the trade. A lot like the injuries Pronger has racked up, no? Except that the Flyers may never have the services of Pronger again, while Lupul is on pace for 37 goals and 52 assists, Sbisa is only 21, and there are two other first round prospects that the Ducks have waiting in the wings.

Pronger was probably a big reason the Flyers got to the Finals a couple years ago. But he didn't bring us the Cup. And the cost was very high for almost getting it. I have never understood the whole sour grapes thing about Lupul, Carter, Richards and Hartnell. The whining just doesn't add up. Even if Lupul, Sbisa and the other first rounders HAD to go, in retrospect, Chris Pronger, as much as I appreciate his efforts and his personality, the Flyers could have done better.

[Vanflyer]

@Vincent05

I am not sure what is about d-men and Philly. You bring up a good point. Its almost to the point of the whole draft / develop goalie situations, but thankfully we still have bobs.

But the d-men you mentioned never amounted to much of anything- well at least not for their draft positions. Pitkanen is an okay 3/4 as was Ninnama.

The John Carlson is a bitter bitter pill in my mouth. Ask Jammer. He and I were furious when that original Emminger / #1 pick went down.

Sbisa may be very good. But it is too early to tell. D-men take time to develop.

Carlson on the other hand was always tagged as a blue chip d-man.

[flyercanuck]

I've never understood Holmgrens reasoning for trading 1st round picks. Philly has one of the best track records in the league with 1sts, when they use them.

Couturier, Sbisa, JVR, Giroux, Downie, Carter/Richards, Pitkanen, Woywitka, Williams, Oullette, Gagne, Zubrus. There's our last 13 1st rounders.

For the 1sts we've traded away we have the not so fond memories of Adam Oates, Mike Comrie, Steve Eminger, Kris Versteeg and a broken down Pronger,

We also acquired Timonen and Hartnell when we sent Nashvilles 1st back to them from the Forsberg trade. So this was a 1st we traded for and away.

[Vincent05]

But the d-men you mentioned never amounted to much of anything- well at least not for their draft positions. Pitkanen is an okay 3/4 as was Ninnama

I agree with u there but Pitkanen was a 4th overall pick in the draft, I remember reading how he's gonna be great. Big body with a hard shot from the point. They need to fix the player development department for dmans and goalies. I don't know why we are so cursed at developing players there, maybe they didn't give a crap about that before the Cap was installed as they could always buy players. But now is a different era where you just can't keep buying high price guys year after year.

[idahophilly]

I'd rather have Sbisas potential, Lupuls 15 g and 22a (or whatever he could bring in a trade) and 2-1sts than a $5 million boat anchor.

Yeah! Boat Anchor with too short of a chain! And we are in little dingy. You know how that ends up....