March STH Town Hall

[AJgoal]

Hey folks. First thing, big thanks to @Poulin20 for generously giving me one of his tickets to attend the event tonight. I will be providing my report in sections to make sure I can cover everything. In each case I'm summarizing rather than repeating verbatim what was said.

 

I was in group C. Our first speaker was Berube.

 

He started off by thanking everyone and acknowledging that it had been a tough year, and that the fans wanted to win as much as the team did.

 

What was the difference between this year and last year? Berube pointed to the road record as one of the biggest reasons as to why the team is out of the playoffs. He said that the home record was one of the  best in the league, but you have to have a good road record to get into the playoffs and the Flyers struggled there.

 

Our PK has been one of the best in the league over the past few years, but was down this year. How did that happen and how do you fix it? Berube ackowledged that the PK had been poor this season, but pointed to improvements recently, saying though that once you dig that hole in the beginning of the year it's hard to dig out of from a percentage standpoint. He said that it was hard to put a finger on one thing, from not making saves to players not necessarily killing the right way, and too that they had some different PK personnel. He said that Timonen and Hall were good for the PK last year. He said that it was one big reason for their poor road record, you need to be able to kill penalties on the road. He said it was fixable and that since December it'd improved.

 

How do you reconcile the Flyers' records against good and bad teams? He said that the team knows when they're playing a good hockey team, and what kind of hockey they have to play. Sometimes you don't get up against some other teams the same way. He also cited getting shut out by a good game by a goalie, it's hard to point to one thing. He cited the Toronto game where they put up 50 shots and were shutout.

 

That Toronto game was a rarity, often seems like the team is making one too many passes. How do you combat that? He said they preach putting shots on net, and the team's shot totals are up this year. The difference is that last year they were finding ways to win, and they can't lose to sub-.500 teams and have a poor road record.

 

What's the biggest difference between being an assistant and being the head coach? He said that you're responsible for everything. Players, coaches, and everything that needs to be looked after. You have to keep the players happy, and you also have to keep them playing their best. As an assistant you're usually just responsible for one or two things.

 

Steve Mason was having a pretty good season, and all of a sudden, there's no goalie coach. How did that happen? Berube said this was an internal matter, and wouldn't discuss it. He said that Mason has had a good season and been consistant all season, but that things happen behind closed doors and that's where they stay.

 

The league seems to be moving towards rolling four lines. But we extended Rinaldo. What's our organizational philosophy regarding four lines? Why don't we roll four scoring lines? Berube said it's tough with the salary cap. He also said that he doesn't know that he'd want to do that. He said you need some physical guys to do the dirty work, like Simmonds, Vandevelde, Bellemare. He agreed that it came down to personnel more than philosophy. He said that the fourth line was typically Vandevelde and Bellemare this year, and they had produced.

 

Game in and game out, who's been your best player? Jake Voracek.

 

There were some situations where Mason said he wasn't 100% or not ready to go in, but he went in anyway. How do you balance the short term success of the team with the long term health and well being of the player? Berube said that Mason was 100% anytime he went into a game.

 

We have two first round picks. From your point of view, what will be addressed? Berube said he's not a scout, he anticipates that management will take the two best players they think are available with their picks.

 

We've had a few slow starts to seasons, looking ahead, how do you think you can get off to a good start next season? Berube said he didn't really know, and to let him know if we had suggestions, which drew a laugh. He said it was a mental thing for the guys who have been here for the slow starts. He said the media brings it up before the season starts. He said the Flyers deserved to win the Bruins game, and once they lost, it was already a question. He said that it needs to be fixed, because you need to get a good start to the season in the NHL to be successful, and they're looking at it.

 

How do you fix the puckhandling and passing issues the team seems to have? He agreed that they need to be better, but stated that it was a skill issue. He said that they've gotten better at puck possession and they'll continue to work on it in practice. He said that turnovers are a big thing in the NHL and they've been bad at that in the past. He said when they play well dumping the puck, getting under the defense like they did vs. Chicago, they do pretty well. He said that puck possession isn't the be all, LA dumps the puck in probably the most out of any team in the league, so you can win that way, but you have to execute.

 

How can you explain the varying levels of compete against good vs. bad teams? He said that they have played down to the competition from time to time, but there are also some very good games thatt hey're played against teams around them or lower than them in the standings, but they've still lost. He said that they remind the guys that it doesn't matter who they play, if they don't play they can lose.

 

What are we going to do about the shootout? He said the shootout is a skill thing. He pointed out that Giroux is typically very good at shootouts, but he had a rough time this year. He said that Mason steadily improved at shootouts as the year went along. He said they need to get a few more skill guys in order to improve some more.

 

Where would you rank the team from a skill perspective against the rest of the teams in the league? Berube said he really couldn't answer that.

 

How do you game plan? He said you have to focus on how to play the team to beat them. They target certain things that each team does, but it doesn't necessarily change the system they employ game in and game out.

 

Is the inconsistancy a function of leadership? Berube said it can be at times, and at times it can be an issue of motivation. He said the leadership has gotten better. He pointed to the loss of Hartnell and Timonen as big losses in the locker room, but he also said that Giroux, Voracek, and Simmonds have come a long way this year as leaders.

 

Five on five scoring isn't a strength, how do we make it better? Berube said it's improved some this year, but it's still not where it needs to be. He thought they'd get more 5-on-5 scoring out of Schenn, Couturier, and Read, and that just didn't happen this year.

 

What are your thoughts on the extra point in OT, and do you think that some teams play more conservatively for that point? Also, what do you think of the proposed 3 on 3 OT change? Berube said he doesn't think teams try to save that OT point. He does think going to a 4 on 4 and then 3 on 3 would eliminate a lot of shootouts. Getting three highly skilled guys on the ice is going to lead to a lot of scoring chances each way.

 

We lost Simmonds and MacDonald last night. What's the immediate fix? Manning was recalled and will play, and VLC will play.

 

One of the maddening things is how the team is inconsistant from one period to the next. How do you deal with that? He said that all teams go through that, but he thinks the team has gotten better, pointing to last night, saying that there are highs and lows in each game. He said it's about handling the pressure when another team puts the pressure on. He said that it all ties together with the leadership keeping the team in it, and with not playing down to opponents.

 

Vinny Lecavalier has struggled to stay in the lineup. What is the issue there? Older players' skills diminish. Vinny needs to start to play a different brand of hockey. It's tough for a guy who's scored 400 goals, he wants to score, and when he's had opportunities they haven't gone in. Vinny needs to shoot the puck, but he also needs to understand that he's probably not going to score 30-40 goals anymore.

 

What advanced stats do you look at as most predictive of success? Berube said that if you went based solely on stats, the team would have a pretty good record. Stats are a tool. He said that puck possession and shot attempts are very useful to look at. They can pull up shot locations to look at why guys may not be scoring. He said he's learned a lot by looking at zone denials, and said that playing aggressive hockey that forces turnovers at the red and blue lines has a positive effect on the team performance.

 

Do you think Claude Giroux will be our captain and our superstar? Berube said he is, and will be. He said Giroux has gotten better and better. He said last year he wouldn't have put Giroux against Toews for a whole game, but last night he did and he felt he outplayed Toews.

 

That was the end of the session with Berube. I'll update the below posts with the other sessions.

[AJgoal]

Our next speaker was GM Ron Hextall. Hexy's responses tended to be very detailed and to the point. He asked for no tough questions.

 

When you traded Hartnell for Umberger, (Hextall: "I knew this was coming") you said it was more of a scheme fit for Berube's system. Now it's come out that you knew about the injury, why couldn't you get more back? Hextall said they didn't know that Umberger was injured. What they knew was that any 33 year old player is going to have a lot of mileage and some issues, including Hartnell. He said that Umberger only told them a little while ago that he had been hurting for a year and a half. He siad Umberger told them that when he got home, he basically had to lie flat on his back and not do anything. He said that you can look at a players file, but you don't know for sure what you're getting injury-wise, and older players carry that risk.

 

Are you going to re-sign Ryan White? Hextall said if he told us, he'd have to kill us. But that they'd like to have Ryan back for next year.

 

Matt Read played a significant part of the season with a high ankle sprain. Do the Flyers rush guys back from injury? How do you evaluate? Hextall joked that they have doctors, then said he played with two high ankle sprains for a season. He said they have a system in place that includes the player in the decision-making process. Once a doctor says a player can play, it goes to the player and the coach both have to be at the same place as far as the player being in shape and otherwise strong enough to return. He said he questions the doctors and the trainers extensively. He said if a guy's hurt and will need surgery but can't get hurt more, it's on the player as to whether they feel they can continue to play. He said you'd be surprised how many players are hurt. He said the process for Timonen coming back involved a lot of talking to doctors to make sure it was right, and they'd never put a player at risk.

 

Was the intent of the Umberger trade to clear those two years off the end of the contract? Hextall said that definitely came into play. He said you're not getting a lot of cap relief from the salary difference, but when you look at the age of the players involved and that you have young players who are going to need new deals. He said in a cap world, you have to look not only at the now, but at the future. Schenn, Voracek, and Couturier are all up after next season. If they were hard against the cap, and they had to move Jake, we'd be up in arms, "rightfully so." He said you can't just spend money to fill a roster, you have to look multiple years down the road and see what's going to happen. He felt they could fill the role on the top line with Schenn or Raffl and drop the last two years of Hartnell's contract. He also said they felt Umberger would be better than he was. He said they thought they'd have been in good shape if Umberger had put up 15 goals, but he played through a lot and to Umberger's credit he didn't blame the injury for his performance. Hextall said that when he watched Umberger early in the season, he felt like something wasn't right, but then he started to get better around 20 games in, and he thought that he'd worked through it, but then the issue came back. He said Umberger admitted that it felt better for a bit, as well. He reiterated that Umberger never brought it up during the course of the season.

 

What's the plan going into the summer, with multiple draft picks and being tight against the cap? Hextall said you can plans all you want, but someone else has to buy what you're selling. He said you also have to be able to maneuver under the cap. He said he has some ideas, but he doesn't know if they'll come to fruition. He said contrary to how the article the other day sounded, Snider's been great as far as supporting keeping picks and prospects and growing that way. They've spent a lot of money to bring guys in (sounds like to talk to, somewhat unclear as to his meaning) and get good equipment for lower levels and two full time development guys. He said they're always going to try to be as good as they can every year, and that frankly they can't be a very bad team (ie, very bottom) because of players like Jake and Giroux. He said philosophically they don't believe in going out and being bad. He said everyone, management, coaches, and players are disappointed in the season they've had.

 

Hextall went on to compare his time in LA to here. He said he had more talent to work with here, when he got to LA the team was bad. They pretty much scrapped the whole orginization out in LA and built from the ground up, scouts, players, coaches, everything. He said he doesn't see that as a necessity here, as they have some very talented players. 

 

If Lecavalier were to retire, would we get full cap relief? Hextall: Yes. Sounds like something you ought to push for. Hextall: "Wow, you're tough."

 

Is there something to be said for taking over a bad team and being able to put your pieces together? Is it easier to come in with a bare cupboard? Hextall said he doesn't think that way. They have a lot of good players, and he has no plans to blow things up. They have a good core, and some players with good upside. But they need to be better.

 

Do the no trades that you have hamper you? He said you have to be cognizant of what's coming up July 1st, and they have to block out space for Couturier and Schenn and Del Zotto. He said you have to be aware of who you have coming up contract-wise, and have a range that you think you want to pay them. The worst thing that can happen is that you have cap issues and need to trade a good player, so you have to plan 3,4, 5 years down the road. When you have cap troubles, nobody wants to trade for the guys you want to get rid of. He said you have to be careful with contracts, especially for older guys that are on or about to decline. He cited the Packers as an organization that drafts and grows from within, keeping and paying their own, and said that that's the philosophy he intends to mirror. He said he intends to have a lot of homegrown players, though that doesn't mean they won't sign free agents or make trades.

 

How long do you think the young, up and coming defense will take to come together? Hextall said that the defense will take time, and defensemen take time. He said they could have kept Morin up, but they made the decision to send him back because they felt he would develop quicker. He said Morin will either be in Philly or LV next year. He said what they don't want to do is bring a young player in and then shelter them in the 6 hole against 4th liners. He wants them to come in as good players. He said the defense has played well, and that goal scoring is more of a problem. He thinke they will be better next year, maybe one of the kids will be up, but he can't say. He said they have three good defense prospects, and they should be up in 2-4 years.

 

What was the talent evaluation that went into signing Andrew MacDonald? Hextall said MacDonald played well over the past 20-25 games, and was better over that time period than he was at the end of last year. He said that coming in and being just a guy is an adjustment, and also that sometimes the contract makes a player think they need to play better than they did. He said that MacDonald didn't have a great year, and that he's better than he's played. He said MacDonald needs to be better and he knows that. He also said that the reality of long term deals is that they generally look better as the deal goes along, when their cap percentage drops due to a rising cap. He said that Doughty he feels is the best d-man in the league, but when they signed him to his 7 million extension they wondered what they just did, but it's looked better over time because of the change in the cap. He said that deals need time to settle in, but MacDonald needs to be better, as well.

 

The team seems to play as individuals from time to time. What do you think is the cause of that? Hextall agrees that puck support is lacking at times, and the team plays like individuals. He said that sometimes the forwards come back and support well, and that other times they streak up ice like wide receivers. He said that's something they've really been working on over the past month or so.

 

Are we going to have a new coach next season? Hextall said they will evaluate every sector of the organization at the end of the season, development personnel, scouts, coaches.

[AJgoal]

Next up was Paul Holmgren and Shawn Tilger, the COO. Most of the questions revolved around season ticket issues, resale value, parking, etc. But there were a few hockey items.

 

There are lots of boring, low scoring games. We're going to have a scoring leader with less than 90 points. Is the league considering something to increase scoring? Holmgren said that there were a few things that were discussed at the GM meetings. He said that goal scoring in the league is actually not down, but the top scorers are. He said they made changes after the lockout, but the coaches in the league are good, and they've adjusted. Teams have all five defenders down in front of the net to block shots. He thinks the 3 on 3 overtime would be beneficial. He also said that goalies are much better now. "God bless Bernie Parent, but he wasn't exactly athletic." He said goalies are bigger, more athletic, and they can handle the pucks better than some defensemen, so that has an effect as well.

 

There have been rumors of a winter classic at Penn State for a few years against the Penguins. Is that going to happen? Tilger said that they've been pitching to the league and NBC an idea of showcasing a rivalry series featuring the expansion teams in the 50th anniversary season in 16-17, and they've been very responsive to the idea. He said they've been working with Pittsburgh to push a game "at a certain stadium in Pennsylvania," and that while he can't guarantee it, it's a lot closer than it is further. He said they'd anticipate getting a ticket allocation in the neighborhood of the seating capability of the current venue (I believe referring to the 19kish that the WFC holds)

[AJgoal]

Finally, we got to talk to director of scouting Chris Pryor

How big of a setback is Gostisbehere's injury? Pryor said whenever you have an injury and lose most of a year, it sets you back. He's on track in his recovery, but he's working hard. He's doing the right thing and sometimes you have to let your body heal. When the puck drops next year he'll be ready.
 
Is there anyone else in the system that's almost NHL ready? Pryor said Brandon Manning, then Laughton will get an opportunity to come up, but he's got to take the opportunity. Ghost has a shot. Sam Morin has a shot, but he is still a kid, and you see it when.you look at him. There are guys who have a chance, but in the end they're going to do what's best for the player.
 
You're probably going to draft somewhere around 6-8. Are there any players that you've been scouting heavily at that spot? Pryor said if they don't make the playoffs, the chance at McDavid decreases the lower they are, but they still have a shot. He said after that, there are some real good players around 7-10, and the hard work they have is to line them up. Each player has strengths, and that they need to see how it goes. He said the scouts are really excited about the crop of players coming out in the range they're likely to draft.
 
Are there any players(in the draft) that can step in next year? He said that there are always guys that come in and play in their draft year, but it's not always the best thing for the player.
 
What can you say about Oskar Lindblom and Fazleev? Oskar was a 6th round pick who wasn't on the radar last year. He was small last year, always had good skill, now he's gotten a bit bigger and the WJC was really his coming out party, and he played a big role for Sweden. He said that they've gotten some good picks out of Sweden recently, like Hagg and Lindblom. He said Fazleev struggled with injuries last year, but this year he was healthy and became a really good first line player for his team. He said he's got a good work ethic, he's still young, but he's got good things going for him.
 
Is there any interest by the Flyers in Eichel? Pryor said there's a lot of interest, but you've got to get to 2. He said Eichel is special, but to get up to 2 it would take a lot of work. He said a team might not be willing to make a trade, or they may but they may want Giroux.
 
A lot of teams have an 18-21 year old that is on the team and contributing, but we don't seem to. Is that going to change? Pryor cited Couturier and Schenn as two younger guys that are contributing. He said there's a point there, though. He said you need draft picks, and in the next few years we're going to see Sanheim and Morin. He said they've changed philosophy over the past few years, and that it's a young player's league, so they're hanging onto picks but it will take a bit of time.
 
Any update on Alt's injury and how his injury riddled season will affect him? Pryor said it was unfortunate that Alt's season's been derailed by injuries. He said the hit was a bad hit last night, but Alt shouldn't have any lasting effect. He said last year they were looking at him as a prospect, and he still is, but the injuries haven't helped with his development. He said hopefully he can get back on track over the summer and have a strong start to next season.
 
Teams are snapping up college free agents, yet there are college kids in the draft. What's the difference? He says they've been passed over. There's a three year window for kids to be drafted, after that they are free agents. He said they have scouts who all they do is watch college free agents, but you're battling 29 other teams and players can look to what needs teams have and where they can fit in. He said they watch and make runs at players they think are fits. They've done it at the world championships too, picking up Raffl and Bellemare.
 
What's the organizational philosophy in the middle rounds? Do you look for high ceiling guys? Or guys who you are confident can fill a lower-6 role? Pryor said that when you get to the later rounds, they start to rely on the individual scouts. He said that Lindblom was a guy that their Stockholm area scout saw a dozen times and really liked. He said that nobody knew who Gostisbehere was, but they really liked him, and they wanted to make sure they got him so they grabbed him inn the 3rd round, which might have been a bit high, but they didn't want to lose him. He said the early picks are a group effort, but the late rounds tend to be more a function of individual scouts banging the drum for their guy.
 
How do you evaluate your scouts? Do you base it on productivity? It's hard to evaluate on productivity. You may like a lot of guys in Ontario, but you don't manage to get any of them, or they go one pick before you draft. Maybe the Western league is really poor one year. Pryor said in order to make sure we have young players, you need to have picks. He said they've traded a lot of picks over the years and it's hurt their depth, and it will take time for them to develop. Pryor pointed to the lean years that Chicago, LA, and the Isles had and now they've finally come around. He said a few years ago they were a game away. They're excited about the number of picks they have in the next two years.
 
How many games do you need to see a guy leading up to the draft? Pryor said that they saw Sanheim 50-60 times. But that when they start getting to later rounds, you may see them a dozen times. He said the scouts see about 200 games a year each. The higher picks get seen more by more people, and they're a group project, but the later round guys come more from individual scouts.
 
That was it. It was a really fun 2+ hours and a great opportunity. Thanks again to @Poulin20 for the chance to attend.
 
I don't know why the formatting is off. But I'm tired. I'll try to fix tomorrow.

[hf101]

Great write up AJ.  Thanks for attending the meeting and providing the information for us.  

 

The group asked some great questions.  Berube made a great point about the home and away records this year.  I have to say other than the Dallas game at home the 11 or 12 games I've seen this home were all good efforts at home and as a fan at the game I we deserve that.    I also think the team did take awhile to get used to playing without Timonen as Streit took the role.  The problem was finding who was going to pair up best with Streit.  We saw that it wouldn't be Coburn and that Schultz, Del Zotto and L Schenn had improved play over the course of the year.  The defense played a much bigger role in the scoring effort than in past years, for awhile there it was a goal a game was coming from the defense.  

 

The biggest issue I saw with the team was the lack of secondary scoring whether it be the PP or 5 on 5.  It was the first year Couturier stepped into a scoring role, he is great for face offs, but I'm not sure next season he should be the choice to lead a scoring line.  I can't say I saw enough improvement in that role this season.

 

I like Hextall's comment that they don't believe in going out to play and playing bad.  I'm glad that we don't have that philosophy as it builds laziness and complacency.  The organization does a good job of preparing players for the NHL, maybe we are even one of the best at making the most out of less talent.  And that's a good thing.   

[Bertmega]

@AJgoal

 

Thank you for posting all of this. It is very informative and well written. However,, I do not feel better about next season being any better than this season....

 

How was Berube's body language? Did he seem confident, or just going through the motions? The reason I ask is because I wonder if Berube knows the writing is on the wall. 

[JackStraw]

Great work AJ, thank you.

[pilldoc]

@AJgoal

 

Great right up AJ.  Thanks for being the eyes and ears for us.  Some very informative stuff.  One of the things that sticks out at me is Umby's injury.  I'm frustated as a fan knowing that they essentially traded for an injured player.  For over a who year he has been playing hurt.  I get the player mentality that they want to win and be on the ice with their teammates, but at what point do you suck it up and say, you know what I'm hurting and get me off the ice.  That IMO is on the player.   I was in the camp of thinking bringing Umpby here was ok.  I was wrong.  For all the positives I thought he was gonna bring, for all intense and purposes have been cancelled out by hisinjury.  I am deeply afraind he will be back on the roster next year because "of his injury" holding him back.

 

I really want to know the true story of what happened between Reese and the coaching / management staff.  Of course they will never reveal the details.  It just proves how much I want Berube gone.

 

"A lot of teams have an 18-21 year old that is on the team and contributing, but we don't seem to. Is that going to change? Pryor cited Couturier and Schenn as two younger guys that are contributing. He said there's a point there, though. He said you need draft picks, and in the next few years we're going to see Sanheim and Morin. He said they've changed philosophy over the past few years, and that it's a young player's league, so they're hanging onto picks but it will take a bit of time."

 

It seems like the Flyers are always playing catch up.  Thanks to Homer, the Phantoms up until recently, have had scraps for a team.  this needs to change and I'm glad there seems to be a philosophical change heading towards that direction.  Alittle too late IMO.

 

"Is there any interest by the Flyers in Eichel? Pryor said there's a lot of interest, but you've got to get to 2. He said Eichel is special, but to get up to 2 it would take a lot of work. He said a team might not be willing to make a trade, or they may but they may want Giroux"

 

We are not getting Eichel...end of story.

 

I'm glad to see that Giroux seems to have made big strides wearing the "C".  For the most part I think Berube was giving standard answers because he sees the handwriting on the wall.  His days are numbered.

.

[AJgoal]

Berube is a tough guy to read because he's never struck me as an individual who will be upbeat at any point in time. That said, some of his answers could have been taken as mildly defensive, which is the mark of someone who's heard these things before.

 

I think the bigger takeaway is Hextall's approach when he was questioned as to whether they would have a new head coach. He didn't come out and say Berube would be there - he said they would evaluate everyone. IME, that's code for "new coach" more often than not.

[Bertmega]

@AJgoal

 

Thanks AJ. 

 

"I think the bigger takeaway is Hextall's approach when he was questioned as to whether they would have a new head coach. He didn't come out and say Berube would be there - he said they would evaluate everyone. IME, that's code for "new coach" more often than not."

 

That is what I thought when I read your write-up

[AJgoal]

@AJgoal

 

Great right up AJ.  Thanks for being the eyes and ears for us.  Some very informative stuff.  One of the things that sticks out at me is Umby's injury.  I'm frustated as a fan knowing that they essentially traded for an injured player.  For over a who year he has been playing hurt.  I get the player mentality that they want to win and be on the ice with their teammates, but at what point do you suck it up and say, you know what I'm hurting and get me off the ice.  That IMO is on the player.   I was in the camp of thinking bringing Umpby here was ok.  I was wrong.  For all the positives I thought he was gonna bring, for all intense and purposes have been cancelled out by hisinjury.  I am deeply afraind he will be back on the roster next year because "of his injury" holding him back.

 

I thought the same thing re: Umberger when Hextall detailed the injury stuff. I think they'll move him if they can, but a buyout seems less likely given his comments. However, the Flyers aren't in a terrible cap position, and with VLC's agents' comments, I think there's a better than even chance that he accepts a move in the offseason. The Flyers could do worse than keep Umberger around for one more year. The FA pickings are slim, and they should be able to fit what free agents they have of their own under the cap, even if Umberger stays.

 

I really want to know the true story of what happened between Reese and the coaching / management staff.  Of course they will never reveal the details.  It just proves how much I want Berube gone.

 

"A lot of teams have an 18-21 year old that is on the team and contributing, but we don't seem to. Is that going to change? Pryor cited Couturier and Schenn as two younger guys that are contributing. He said there's a point there, though. He said you need draft picks, and in the next few years we're going to see Sanheim and Morin. He said they've changed philosophy over the past few years, and that it's a young player's league, so they're hanging onto picks but it will take a bit of time."

 

It seems like the Flyers are always playing catch up.  Thanks to Homer, the Phantoms up until recently, have had scraps for a team.  this needs to change and I'm glad there seems to be a philosophical change heading towards that direction.  Alittle too late IMO.

 

"Is there any interest by the Flyers in Eichel? Pryor said there's a lot of interest, but you've got to get to 2. He said Eichel is special, but to get up to 2 it would take a lot of work. He said a team might not be willing to make a trade, or they may but they may want Giroux"

 

We are not getting Eichel...end of story.

 

Yeah. It's funny because the Flyers have a better shot at McDavid than the basically zero percent shot at Eichel.

 

I'm glad to see that Giroux seems to have made big strides wearing the "C".  For the most part I think Berube was giving standard answers because he sees the handwriting on the wall.  His days are numbered.

 

Berube seemed almost out of answers, which isn't good for a coach.

.

 

One of the things that Hextall let slip out which I noticed was when he was talking about managing the cap and blocking out space for players in the future, he specifically mentioned Del Zotto, which I think is a good sign they intend to keep him for a fairly long term. Course that may be just my wishful thinking.

[pilldoc]

@AJgoal

 

I like Del Zotto. I actually think the kid got his act together and has been one of the few bright spots on this team.  I for one hope they do sign him.

[AJgoal]

Also, thanks to whoever updated the formatting for me. I was beat when I finished that up.

[radoran]

He said that the team knows when they're playing a good hockey team, and what kind of hockey they have to play. Sometimes you don't get up against some other teams the same way.

He said that it all ties together with the leadership keeping the team in it, and with not playing down to opponents.

 

An interesting pair of responses, no?

 

Who motivates the team leadership if not the coach?

[Howie58]

Good Morning:

 

Thanks to AJ for the write-up.  This was really informative.  Hextall's comment on being easier to rebuild from scratch is interesting because it suggests he see a core of people here who are good, and I guess he respects the staff.  Berube's comment on VLC is interesting because I recall Ken Hitchcock making the same comment about many of his players early in his tenure. 30+ players may be an increasing liability; Hextall's comments reflect that on signing.

 

Again--thanks to the gang.  This is one of the reasons I love this board.

 

Peace,

 

Howie

[Podein25]

@AJgoal

 

Thanks buddy. After reading your Berube section I can say without hesitation or regret that I positively hate him. 

[AJgoal]

@AJgoal

 

Thanks buddy. After reading your Berube section I can say without hesitation or regret that I positively hate him. 

 

I really came away from his visit underwhelmed. As Rad said, the overall performance in games they should win is reflective of the coach.

[Podein25]

I really came away from his visit underwhelmed.

 

 

That's the right word. He's way over his head, you can just tell. I don't think the players respect him. They might respect the player he once was (tough), but that clearly wore off quickly. He doesn't inspire confidence. He doesn't inspire anything.

[murraycraven]

Awesome work AJ... Thx for sharing

[Poulin20]

Hi from Miami! Great work @AJgoal with the write up glad you had fun!!! I was a little surprised how less revealing they were about certain things (such as the Jeff Reese issue). In the past they let us in on some of those secrets.

[AJgoal]

That question wasn't asked of Hextall, maybe it would have gotten more light from that angle.

[The Quigster]

Really great write-up,thanks for sharing.

[OccamsRazor]

I think the bigger takeaway is Hextall's approach when he was questioned as to whether they would have a new head coach. He didn't come out and say Berube would be there - he said they would evaluate everyone. IME, that's code for "new coach" more often than not.

 

I agree that is what i thought as well. Times earlier in the season and even during last years offseason Hexy was quick to defend Berube and shoot that down...with those comments not so much.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write this up for us all good read.

[flyercanuck]

@AJgoal

 

Much appreciation for writing this up. One of my favorites posts of each year and you didn't disappoint. Cheers!

[AJgoal]

Loved doing it. Being able to get in behind the scenes was a pretty amazing thing.