The Trades

[radoran]

@Vanflyer

agreed for the most part but (you knew there was a but) the FA signings I don't put in the same category as trades.

Important, yes, but not the same thing as exchanging assets. Finding Read is its own category, too.

Also, Buffalo hasn't yet cleaned upper management. Regier is still there, for reasons which are strange and mysterious to me.

I have criticized Homer and will continue to do so, but I'm happy to "admit" when he does good.

I do think the jury is out on JVR/LSchenn - that *could* wind up being worse than Williams for Markov.

But you have to give Homer credit for true grapefruits of steel - I don't know if another GM would have even CONSIDERED the Richards/Crater/Bryzgalov moves.

[mojo1917]

@Vanflyer

don't get wrong about the trade, i think the flyers did well, i think schenn will be a really really good player. i would not crtl+z those deals , especially the carter trade.

i get my knickers in a twist over the richards business. i like him and think that it's not a coincidence that the teams he plays on always win.

[bernardmarcel1]

Not to mention you likely don't get the most out of Giroux last year and going forward if Richards and Carter are still here as both of them together would retain the role as franchise players. Especially after their no trade and enormous cap hit would have went into effect.

The other factor that hardly gets mentioned is how the Flyers management did an about face with regard to the mentoring process with new potential star players. 18 & 17's bad behavior bit Homer / Snider in the ass after they gave those kids the keys to the city. Think of all the injuries / surgeries Richards / Crater had - any chance it had to do w/ conditioning / lifestyle?

Notice how Giroux then roomed with Briere his first few years on the team, Coots following suit. As much as I hate to admit it, it was the same wise thing the Pens / Mario did with Cindy coming up...

[bernardmarcel1]

Not to mention you likely don't get the most out of Giroux last year and going forward if Richards and Carter are still here as both of them together would retain the role as franchise players. Especially after their no trade and enormous cap hit would have went into effect.

The other factor that hardly gets mentioned is how the Flyers management did an about face with regard to the mentoring process with new potential star players. 18 & 17's bad behavior bit Homer / Snider in the ass after they gave those kids the keys to the city. Think of all the injuries / surgeries Richards / Crater had - any chance it had to do w/ conditioning / lifestyle?

Notice how Giroux then roomed with Briere his first few years on the team, Coots following suit. As much as I hate to admit it, it was the same wise thing the Pens / Mario did with Cindy coming up...

[bernardmarcel1]

Not to mention you likely don't get the most out of Giroux last year and going forward if Richards and Carter are still here as both of them together would retain the role as franchise players. Especially after their no trade and enormous cap hit would have went into effect.

The other factor that hardly gets mentioned is how the Flyers management did an about face with regard to the mentoring process with new potential star players. 18 & 17's bad behavior bit Homer / Snider in the ass after they gave those kids the keys to the city. Think of all the injuries / surgeries Richards / Crater had - any chance it had to do w/ conditioning / lifestyle?

Notice how Giroux then roomed with Briere his first few years on the team, Coots following suit. As much as I hate to admit it, it was the same wise thing the Pens / Mario did with Cindy coming up...

[bernardmarcel1]

Sorry - posting from my phone, no idea why it came up 3 times. Won't let me delete, either - grr...

[Vanflyer]

@Vanflyer

agreed for the most part but (you knew there was a but) the FA signings I don't put in the same category as trades.

Important, yes, but not the same thing as exchanging assets. Finding Read is its own category, too.

Also, Buffalo hasn't yet cleaned upper management. Regier is still there, for reasons which are strange and mysterious to me.

I have criticized Homer and will continue to do so, but I'm happy to "admit" when he does good.

I do think the jury is out on JVR/LSchenn - that *could* wind up being worse than Williams for Markov.

But you have to give Homer credit for true grapefruits of steel - I don't know if another GM would have even CONSIDERED the Richards/Crater/Bryzgalov moves.

I agree it is a multi-faceted dialogue, but of my list, only Read was a signing. The rest were all via trades (we can split hairs on the Timmo / Hartnell part, but it was a done deal before the picks were sent back).

On JVR / L. Schenn, I agree. Yet, we needed a good stay at home hitting defenceman. Good being the operative word. L. Schenn reminds me a bit of B. March. He would pound guys, but was not fleet of foot. L. Schenn is only 23 and is improving everyday with the team. He is playing 20 min a night and one of the league leaders in hits. L. Schenn is also tied with his brother for the team lead in +/-.

Meanwhile, JVR is playing 18 min a night and a .75 ppg player now (and on the plus side of the ledger).

With Hartnell down, it exasperates things.

[radoran]

again: younger, better, cheaper

that's what the Flyers did with "The Trades".

And I did forget the picks for Timo/Hartnell and the subsequent Forsbergization.

The key for me at the moment is "staying the course" and developing the plan for the next few years. A few key additions - replacing Kimmo, for example, and perhaps a youngster providing some depth scoring (Laughton? Cousins?) - and answering The Goalie Question and I think the team is in solid shape.

[JackStraw]

again: younger, better, cheaper

that's what the Flyers did with "The Trades".

And I did forget the picks for Timo/Hartnell and the subsequent Forsbergization.

The key for me at the moment is "staying the course" and developing the plan for the next few years. A few key additions - replacing Kimmo, for example, and perhaps a youngster providing some depth scoring (Laughton? Cousins?) - and answering The Goalie Question and I think the team is in solid shape.

"Goalie question"? What "goalie question"?

[doom88]

I still miss Gagne.

You and me both.

[brelic]

But don't look know, Schenn is doing everything that Richards does and better and CHEAPER

I like Schenn too, but to say that he does everything better than Richards? That's a huge stretch just 80 games into his career.

[flyercanuck]

This trade was like a "reverse-Flyer trade".

So many times we've sent young players/picks off for some guy past his prime. We get a year or two out of the guy where everyone is all goo-goo over him, then watch him turn to pigslop as those players/picks play for the next decade or so.(Pronger says hello, and anyone who wants to trade youth for Iginla, please just stop it) Five years from now Richards and Carter will be going downhill. We'll have four or five good players just hitting their prime.

I was as big a Richards fan as there was. But I also liked Schenn (was one of two prospects I wanted Carter traded for) and Simmonds. When you've got Giroux, Couturier, Coburn, L Schenn Read, Rinaldo (yes) as a nucleus to go with those acquisitions, it's a solid group to go forward with. Of course unless we get some help on D and legitimate goaltending (I missed the last couple weeks but see Bryz pitched a .733 save percentage last night) it'll be a slow process. But it sure is nice to see those parts as some of our top players.

Edited February 22, 2013 by flyercanuck