Gus signs with KHL; Flyers to Qualify to retain rights

[murraycraven]

I guess best case scenario is Gus gets a ton of playing time in the KHL, works out all the kinks and comes back to the Flyers a finished product in a few years. The KHL gets all the growing pains, and we eventually get a very useful d-man. Worst case is becomes a star, eventually comes back when he's a UFA and goes to a division rival and he burns us continually....lol.

.

By that time he will be 30!... He will be a distant memory by then..

[ruxpin]

Of course he has potential, but in hockeysfuture grading, I'd put Gus as a 6.0 B

 

Yeah, I'll buy that.

[ruxpin]

.

By that time he will be 30!... He will be a distant memory by then..

 

I honestly probably won't even remember him by then. He's a 5-6 defenseman on a weak defense, IMO.   He had multiple chances and screwed the pooch every time.

 

It would not be the first time I gave up entirely too early on a defenseman, so this all strictly opinion and, eh, who knows?  But I don't see the "special" that was mentioned.   At all.

 

Then again, I really didn't see what all the fuss was about with Bourdon, either. 

[mojo1917]

I remember Gus totally dogging Mallkinstien in the playoffs three years ago. He had a high compete level, quick feet and nice hands...I was excited for what he may be after that , no question . Then what happened ? He got hurt the next season right? The this year, I didn't see the high motor from him. Really a strange and disappointing drop off from his very promising intro.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

If the Flyers qualify him, they own his rights for one year if he decides to return to the NHL.  It doesn't matter how old he is.  He was qualified as a RFA.  He does not become a UFA until he plays out the RFA contract.

[murraycraven]

@ ruxpin... Agree with everything you say. I don't really think this puts the Flyers in a bad position other than maybe depth.

Luke I said... If he was that good of a player he would have found a way to get in the line up.

[Polaris922]

I honestly probably won't even remember him by then. He's a 5-6 defenseman on a weak defense, IMO. He had multiple chances and screwed the pooch every time.

It would not be the first time I gave up entirely too early on a defenseman, so this all strictly opinion and, eh, who knows? But I don't see the "special" that was mentioned. At all.

Then again, I really didn't see what all the fuss was about with Bourdon, either.

Or Morin...

[flyercanuck]

Or Morin...

 

Ya, 6'7" 210 lb 18 year olds with a mean streak who can skate are a dime a dozen.

[Polaris922]

Ya, 6'7" 210 lb 18 year olds with a mean streak who can skate are a dime a dozen.

Heh heh heh!

[flyercanuck]

@Polaris922

 

 The guy is definately a project. If he was polished he would have went in the top 3 or 4. He may never be a top pairing, but the potential is there. If he fills out, at worst he'll be a total PITA to play against in front of our net.

[OccamsRazor]

Ya, 6'7" 210 lb 18 year olds with a mean streak who can skate are a dime a dozen.

Remember he only made the last draft by a couple months too. So really close to being in this upcoming draft so Flyers got him really early and who knows how good he can be kid is still young. Guys with his size and skating ability don't grow on trees.

I figure once he's matured and filled out at just say 22 he could be 6-7 220-230 pounds and by then his skating will only improve. All the front office has to do is be patient they've plated the tree just wait for it to blossom.

[Polaris922]

@Polaris922

The guy is definately a project. If he was polished he would have went in the top 3 or 4. He may never be a top pairing, but the potential is there. If he fills out, at worst he'll be a total PITA to play against in front of our net.

I was just pushing buttons . Thanks for playing!

[flyercanuck]

@OccamsRazor

 

Well the draft is next month, and he's still 18. I think he ends up being a S.O.B. to play against who can play a bit of O

[flyercanuck]

I was just pushing buttons . Thanks for playing!

 

I hate you!

[OccamsRazor]

@OccamsRazor

 

Well the draft is next month, and he's still 18. I think he ends up being a S.O.B. to play against who can play a bit of O

 

 

He is 18 with 189 total junior games already under his belt he should be returned to junior next and at minimum give one year in the A then he sould have time to develop and add more muscle and be really close by then for the BIG club.

 

After hearing Hexy and his philosophy i feel really confident he will get that time to grow into the role.....for the Flyers not some other team. 

[Mad Dog]

  I guess best case scenario is Gus gets a ton of playing time in the KHL, works out all the kinks and comes back to the Flyers a finished product in a few years.

 

And that's the biggest question that many have, I guess: what is his ceiling in terms of a "finished product"? I am concerned that what we have seen so far is his ceiling. He may become a late bloomer, but I doubt it. I would agree that Berube did mishandle him, but logic suggests, if Berube saw something that would clearly set Gus apart from the rest of his peers, he would be a regular in the lineup.  He certainly has some nice attributes, don’t get me wrong.  But I just don’t see him cracking a top two pairings on any team.  A 6th defenseman is the most realistic expectation people should have for him - at least for now.

[ruxpin]

I was just pushing buttons . Thanks for playing!

 

 

LOL!  Sometimes this is just really fun to watch.

[ruxpin]

if Berube saw something that would clearly set Gus apart from the rest of his peers, he would be a regular in the lineup.

 

I think that the fact that Berube went first to Gill before Gus when Grossman went down speaks volumes about how highly Gus was regarded by Berube. 

 

Clearly, Gill was a mistake, but the fact he clearly was avoiding playing the kid still says something.

[jammer2]

@ruxpin  Once Gus was inserted, I think he proved he belonged. I doubt any other d-man on the Flyers roster scores that goal when he flew out of the penalty box. It showed excellent speed and a nice ability to finish. Like Pods said, the wave of the future is mobile quick moving d-men, here we have a good young one, and never ever gave him the ice time to provide adequate answers about what he can really provide, or how high his upside is for that matter. We gave up on this guy to early, and mishandled him for his entire tenure here, which is sad considering the state of our defense....his skill set is exactly what we needed, he should have been given every chance to succeed, instead he was shown the door after investing years and years in this guy, why bother in the first place?

[murraycraven]

Or Morin...

Or LeTang... Most likely overrated dman since Mike Green

[Polaris922]

Or LeTang... Most likely overrated dman since Mike Green

Not gonna work

[canoli]

@ruxpin  Once Gus was inserted, I think he proved he belonged. I doubt any other d-man on the Flyers roster scores that goal when he flew out of the penalty box. It showed excellent speed and a nice ability to finish. Like Pods said, the wave of the future is mobile quick moving d-men, here we have a good young one, and never ever gave him the ice time to provide adequate answers about what he can really provide, or how high his upside is for that matter. We gave up on this guy to early, and mishandled him for his entire tenure here, which is sad considering the state of our defense....his skill set is exactly what we needed, he should have been given every chance to succeed, instead he was shown the door after investing years and years in this guy, why bother in the first place?

 

that's a great post Jammer.

 

like I said a few posts back I think when he finally got another look - G6 - he was night and day better than he'd been earlier in the season. The first stint he had back in October (Nov? - whenever) he didn't look like he was up to speed yet, he looked a little lost IIRC. But that was 6, 7 months ago. To get the call in a must-win elimination game 6, to come in and play as well as he did... to me that spoke volumes at how well he developed his game in the A this year. How could anyone seen Gus in G6 and thought "eh, let him walk if he wants to go."

 

The guy is 25-1/2 years old; this is the beginning of his prime. Has he had a tough time cracking the lineup? Yes but look at who the Flyers generally value. Until the Streit signing it was obvious they weren't looking for speed/mobility as much as "big" and "tough." Bringing in Streit signaled a change; I thought, I assumed Gus would be the logical callup and a player they would support, help in every way they could.

 

G6 proved to me he's got the chops to skate in the NHL full-time. That was an intense, high-pressure home game, facing elimination and Gus played great. Letting him walk out the door at 25 years old is as shortsighted as it gets.

[doom88]

It was also one game.

[OccamsRazor]

. To get the call in a must-win elimination game 6, to come in and play as well as he did... to me that spoke volumes at how well he developed his game in the A this year.

 

He never played a minute in the A this year he couldn't he wasn't waiver exempt and would have been plucked that is why he was fetching popcorn for Homer.

 

But it's obvious they had lost confidence in him when they dressed the Pylon first.....very bad decision and they paid for it. It should have been Gus instead...it may have have had different results we'll never know.

 

But it's only a 1 year deal and he'll be back....i'm not sure it will be with the Flyers but maybe they will flip in a trade when the chance arrives. I wasn't in favor of the way he was yo-yo'd all year and he should have been given a chance to work through his growing pains but wasn't.

 

He looked good with Luke when he was inserted back into the lineup the first game back verse Boston he and Luke weren't on the ice for any of the goals scored against in that game and during that rough schedule stretch he played well with Luke. He lead the team in +/- 7 wasn't a fluke.

 

It made me mad when they were saying he was benched again because Berube wasn't happy with his lack of physical play but hello....what about the lack of physical play from the new 5mill $ Dman Streit....God he sure was soft around the net a lot and he never got benched.

 

And many times Coburn as big as he was wasn't physical enough and got out muscled many times too.

 

But no they preferred to single out the small kid on the team..just didn't seem fair.

Edited May 18, 2014 by OccamsRazor

[canoli]

@doom88 - yeah it was 1 game - a damn good game. He can only skate the minutes they give him right?

 

@OR - thanks for the info - so he didn't play for the Phantoms all year...stuck in the press box watching the Flyers blue line get buried in their own zone. Man now I *really* understand why he said "fk it" and made the move.

 

But doom - and I'm sure many other fans - are right, it *was* only 1 game. Still, wasn't it obvious that he could help the Flyers after watching him that game? To just let him walk, favoring older, slower guys in the process... I think it's a mistake the Flyers will regret. Sure best case scenario he comes back next year with lots of playing time under his belt and steps right into a roster spot. But I think that ship has sailed considering who we have coming up in the next year or two.