Perspective

[aziz]

Yeah. Season over, beards shaved, trying to decide who - if anyone - we want to pretend to care about over the next three rounds. Sucks.

There are the predictable "no skill" threads, and the "trade everyone" threads. The accusations of laziness and proclamations of early ceilings. Everyone is slow, no one cares, anyone else is a better option.

Maybe some of it is true.

Still. We all knew this was going to be a transition year. Making the playoffs was hoped for, but we all knew much beyond that was going to be gravy. We didn't get much gravy, but if we're honest, this season didn't fall too far below realistic expectations. Expectations that included an understanding of the core's overall youth, and the idea that a positive direction was the short term goal. I think that was there. I think there is an increasingly solid foundation for the team, and expectations can reasonably rise over the next few seasons.

Thoughts :

I thought MacDonald and streit ended up as very good acquisitions. World beaters they are not, but filled a need well, and once streit got used to the new jersey wasn't the defensive disaster I thought he'd be.

Timonen really is winding down. He is still a very smart player, still good positionally, but... His legs are going quick, and his ability to adapt to a developing play is falling off a cliff. Plus, he is having a tougher and tougher time with bouncing pucks at the point. I think the Flyers will have him back if he wants another season, but I kinda hope he has had enough.

Gustafsson suddenly looks like an nhler. I thought he was one of the more composed defensemen in those last few games of the series. Composure was the reason he couldn't crack the lineup before, if he's gotten over that....

I really like grossmann. He's slow and a zero offensively, but I like him as a heavy hitting third pair guy.

Luke schenn, thought he seemed to take a positive step as the season went on, too. He is what he is, but there are worse options out there.

Hartnell needs to stay off the first line.

B schenn... Time is begining to run out. He's still young, but really does need to start giving some glimpses of being a reliable top six guy soon. Doesn't need to actually put up 70 points, but needs to show everyone that he might, one day. One day soon.

VLC. Was a weird signing out of the gate. I'd hoped he'd be a good anchor, providing some leadership depth and consistent secondary scoring... But he hadn't, on either front. There was a rumor back when he was first signed that Tampa actually wanted him to retire there, but couldn't swallow the previous contact anymore. The plan being to buy him out, have him sign a more tolerable contract with a team who didn't really want him full term, and trade for him back after that first year. It's a stretch, but I'm hoping to see him en route to Florida this summer. With st Louis having left, they DO need something down there. Fingers are crossed.

Mason, full confidence in him at this point. Experiment was a success, the Flyers finally have a real goaltender.

Akeson impressed the hell out of me this series. Should be a fixture next season.

What else? I dunno. The Flyers have a few holes to fill - a top line LW, the ever elusive top pair dman - but overall I think the team (mostly) as built is headed in the right direction. I think a lot was learned this season, by the players, coach, maybe even the GM. There will be higher expectations next season. Sucks this one was over so fast, but that is part of the process.

[radoran]

Great summary.

 

Minor quibbles (as usual ) but a solid, unhysterical perspective on the situation.

[Podein25]

@aziz

 

Good perspective, I appreciate it and agree with much of it.

 

Last night, other than wanting to strangle Coburn (quite possibly the worst game of hockey he has played in years and he saves it for a Game 7!), I was pretty sanguine about it all. What had me most disappointed was how we didn't even come close to playing as well as we can last night. We just played awful, to a man (Steve Mason excepted). 

 

Otherwise, lots to be positive about: Mason, reborn as an elite goalie before our very eyes; Gus will be a valuable D-men into the future; Akeson - a guy I thought was a classic 'tweener, looks like the real thing, possibly our best forward in 3 or 4 of the 7 games, including last night. 

 

Chin up.

[JackStraw]

@aziz - pretty much agree with everything you said except the part about Grossman. Having him and Luke on the same team is one big slow defenseman too many and between the two of them I'd rather keep Schenn.

 

The team also needs to improve the 4th line.

[Phlyer1]

Yeah. Season over, beards shaved, trying to decide who - if anyone - we want to pretend to care about over the next three rounds. Sucks.

There are the predictable "no skill" threads, and the "trade everyone" threads. The accusations of laziness and proclamations of early ceilings. Everyone is slow, no one cares, anyone else is a better option.

Maybe some of it is true.

Still. We all knew this was going to be a transition year. Making the playoffs was hoped for, but we all knew much beyond that was going to be gravy. We didn't get much gravy, but if we're honest, this season didn't fall too far below realistic expectations. Expectations that included an understanding of the core's overall youth, and the idea that a positive direction was the short term goal. I think that was there. I think there is an increasingly solid foundation for the team, and expectations can reasonably rise over the next few seasons.

Thoughts :

I thought MacDonald and streit ended up as very good acquisitions. World beaters they are not, but filled a need well, and once streit got used to the new jersey wasn't the defensive disaster I thought he'd be.

Timonen really is winding down. He is still a very smart player, still good positionally, but... His legs are going quick, and his ability to adapt to a developing play is falling off a cliff. Plus, he is having a tougher and tougher time with bouncing pucks at the point. I think the Flyers will have him back if he wants another season, but I kinda hope he has had enough.

Gustafsson suddenly looks like an nhler. I thought he was one of the more composed defensemen in those last few games of the series. Composure was the reason he couldn't crack the lineup before, if he's gotten over that....

I really like grossmann. He's slow and a zero offensively, but I like him as a heavy hitting third pair guy.

Luke schenn, thought he seemed to take a positive step as the season went on, too. He is what he is, but there are worse options out there.

Hartnell needs to stay off the first line.

B schenn... Time is begining to run out. He's still young, but really does need to start giving some glimpses of being a reliable top six guy soon. Doesn't need to actually put up 70 points, but needs to show everyone that he might, one day. One day soon.

VLC. Was a weird signing out of the gate. I'd hoped he'd be a good anchor, providing some leadership depth and consistent secondary scoring... But he hadn't, on either front. There was a rumor back when he was first signed that Tampa actually wanted him to retire there, but couldn't swallow the previous contact anymore. The plan being to buy him out, have him sign a more tolerable contract with a team who didn't really want him full term, and trade for him back after that first year. It's a stretch, but I'm hoping to see him en route to Florida this summer. With st Louis having left, they DO need something down there. Fingers are crossed.

Mason, full confidence in him at this point. Experiment was a success, the Flyers finally have a real goaltender.

Akeson impressed the hell out of me this series. Should be a fixture next season.

What else? I dunno. The Flyers have a few holes to fill - a top line LW, the ever elusive top pair dman - but overall I think the team (mostly) as built is headed in the right direction. I think a lot was learned this season, by the players, coach, maybe even the GM. There will be higher expectations next season. Sucks this one was over so fast, but that is part of the process.

Jack: The usual finger pointing of course but it happens to be people like Hartnal the Schens are not cutting it most of the time. Siimmons went above and beyond Courterir and Read did the jobs they were assigned.Too many turn overs all around added to the demise. Better finish than i thought but not as good as I hoped for.

[FD19372]

Yes, this and every loss that eliminates your favorite team hurts, especially to a much disliked archrival. I am beyond thrilled, however, that we finally have not just a legit #1 but in my mind, a near future Vezina candidate in Steve Mason.  MacDonald was a nice addition, but honestly, the defense needs a major overhaul with quicker players who can skate and do a better job with the puck.  Too many of these guys don't know how to handle the puck in itself, let alone be able to skate with it. In addition, guys like Akeson and Gus need to be given a full-time starting role on this team, and not bounced up and down between the NHL and AHL. I would like to see more of McGinn also.

[radoran]

Yes, this and every loss that eliminates your favorite team hurts, especially to a much disliked archrival. I am beyond thrilled, however, that we finally have not just a legit #1 but in my mind, a near future Vezina candidate in Steve Mason.  MacDonald was a nice addition, but honestly, the defense needs a major overhaul with quicker players who can skate and do a better job with the puck.  Too many of these guys don't know how to handle the puck in itself, let alone be able to skate with it. In addition, guys like Akeson and Gus need to be given a full-time starting role on this team, and not bounced up and down between the NHL and AHL. I would like to see more of McGinn also.

 

What I particularly like about Akeson is that he's actually a "natural winger" and not a "forward" that they want to shoehorn into whatever problem spot they have.

 

That said, the year after Krieder "emerged" in the playoffs for the Rangers, he spent most of the season in the AHL.

 

Five of the top defensive spots are signed for at least the next two seasons, three of them have some form of NTC and a fourth is 35+. "Retooling" the defense isn't going to be the easiest thing to do, but it is possible.

 

The problem with that is that it's the guy who chose all of these guys that we're disappointed with that's still responsible for fixing it...

[doom88]

Great post Aziz. Voice of reason.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

Wait...So the sky really isn't falling? The whole team isn't getting traded or bought out? What a relief!!

[Jam1986]

 aziz very good! Like to see NHL system played in AHL when someone comes up they know what to do. Hartnell ha has to. Third and fourth line need upgrading. Well the d needs a couple guys but like to see Ollie and Alt up maybe Ghost. I also think Ghost and Laughton should go to AHL for some seasoning . Also trade the 17th for 2 first rounders or a first and second in next years draft

[mojo1917]

@aziz good post

@FD19372. Good post too...save for McGinn the only thing he has going for him is he'd be cheap.

Think about how we all felt in late October about this team, and then think about pushing a decent Rangers team to a game 7 and having a shot to win it , a realistic shot...even with the turd of a second period they played. Perspective indeed , and thanks to you all for providing some .

[Poulin20]

All good points made by everyone...

 

Yeah we are a work in progress for sure and I dont think that anyone here expected a parade this year (heck in the beginning of the season nobody even expected the playoffs).  As others have stated this was tough to take because this was an incredibly winnable series against an average Rags team and we all wanted a crack at the Pens.

 

The biggest question is will they be patient and try to tweak this team as needed or will they go for a fast fix?  The other question is if they go the tweaking route does Homer have what it takes to make the right (smart) tweaks?

 

At the STH mtg at the beginning of the season Homer intimated to us that in the long term the Pronger trade hurt us as we didnt win the cup with him and that they may be hesitant to do something like that again.  Could just be Homer speak though, who knows?

 

Here is to hoping that the young guys on D can come up and help us sooner rather than later.  Bill Meltzer was saying on twitter that Ghost could potentially be with the Flyers next year and that Alt is very close to being NHL ready.  He thinks that Hagg needs at least a year in the AHL.

 

So pissed that I have no more games to go til until September as I was so looking foward to attending some Pens-Flyers playoffs but somewhat hopeful for the future, especially with Mase as a good goalie covers a multitude of sins.  I have no interest in the rest of the playoffs as I will proudly be a Flyers fan over an NHL fan.  I am just hoping teams we hate lose (Rags, Pens, etc.) and that the Kings would as well as I dont want to hear about Richards and Carter and their multiple rings while we listen to taunts about 40 years etc.