RonJeremy Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Right now our top 3 centers are Giroux, Coots and Schenn. We also have Laughton and Cousins who project to be 3rd line centers or at best , but unlikely ,second line centers. Our top 3 centers are also still very young, so its not like a spot is gonna open up anytime soon for Cousins or Laughton. So this tells me, we will not bury these guys in the minors and we will not waste their skill putting them on the fourth line. . So if I were to make an educated guess, I would say that unless B Schenn is traded, these guys dont have a future in Philly. We might try that old Flyer trick of moving a center to wing, but that has not worked all that well in the past, see Brindy, Gratton, Primeau, Briere, Carter,etc. None of these natural centers did better on the wing when we tried this in the past. Gagne was the only one who went from center to L Wing and played well. If we had intentions of converting Cousins and Laughton to wingers, they should have been playing wing with the Phantoms to prepare them for their new position. Our top need is left wing and if we draft a guy like Crouse, this makes it even harder for Laughton or Cousins to ever make the team. I really dont see Coots being traded, especially with his tremendous showing in the championships. So I am sure Hexy will be working the phones at the draft and see if any teams are looking to make a deal. So I believe Laugton, Cousins or Schenn and more are going to be shopped . Maybe there is a team out there that needs a young center and has a equally rated young winger to trade. Im being realisitic and looking at the centers we have, i just dont see us going into next season with all these guys. For example lets say Provorov is available at our 7th pick and we really like him and cant pass him up, so we draft him. Now the 10th or 11th pick comes along and Crouse is still up there, maybe some team wants Brayden Schenn and offers us the pick . Maybe all the guys they liked on their draft board got picked. Maybe they feel Schenn is further along than an unproven draft pick and he fills an immediate need. Its not like he is an old stiff, he is still a highly regarded young player. It all depends on the team and a need they have. We traded a highly regarded pretty skilled player in JVR to fill a need on defense, when we traded for L Schenn. So never say never. Maybe we like a guy later in the first round and somebody offers us the 15th pick and a second for Laugton and the 29th or something like that. If we trade B Schenn it opens the 3rd line spot for Cousins or Laughton, if Laughton goes in a deal, it doesnt hurt us, he wasnt gonna play anyway. I truly believe Hexy wants to make a big splash at this draft. If there was ever a year to move up and improve the team quickly, this is it. We have the 29th pick, B Schenn, Cousins, Laugton and L Schenn who are all young extra assets that can possibly be packaged to move up in the draft. Its not out of the realm of reality that we can end up with a couple of guys like Provorov and Crouse who can probably step in next year and help this team. Im really hoping Hexy can make this a draft to remember. The Flyers rarely draft in the top 10, so we need to make it count. I will say this one more tme even though Ive said it a thousand times...We were in dire need of young defenseman and passed up Hamilton, a big skating dman for Coots , a slow skating skinny 3rd line center..OK fine...but why did we the very next year draft Laughton , another defensive center and pass on Maata another defensman we really could have used. Then we drafted Cousins in the 3rd round. Couldnt we have drafted Maata and Cousins. Now here we are with all these friggin centers and no spots for them. PLEASE HEXTALL MAKE THIS THE BEST DRAFT EVER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Now the 10th or 11th pick comes along and Crouse is still up there, maybe some team wants Brayden Schenn and offers us the pick . Maybe all the guys they liked on their draft board got picked. Maybe they feel Schenn is further along than an unproven draft pick and he fills an immediate need. Its not like he is an old stiff, he is still a highly regarded young player. It all depends on the team and a need they have. Sorry bro, this makes no sense. Why would *any* team want B.Schenn when you could have Crouse?? Schenn is not an elite skater, and that is gonna hurt his trade value. He does a lot of things good, nothing great. He is not gonna get you the 10th or 11th pick in this draft....no way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 I understand your assesment of B Schenns skating deficiency, but its not like he skates like L Schenn or Grossman. He can be a 60 point player in this league. I know the leaugue is turning more towards skating, but remember two Flyers who could skate like the wind but had no hands...Tom Gorence and Alexander Daigle. Skating is important, but you also need other skills too. Coots is not exactly a great skater and lots of teams love him. There are plenty of players who were not great skaters but, they could play hockey. Schenn can still improve with a better coach and set linemates and a set postion. I really think alot of it is confidence, he can surely be a better player than what we have seen. Schenn is still considered a good young player, maybe us Flyer fans are dissapointed, but you never know who may want him, we cant speak for other teams. As far as Crouse goes, I like him, you like him. It doesnt mean other teams like him, there are conflicting reports on Crouse and on Ratenan.Some team may not want to gamble on a draft pick . Maybe some team feels Schenn or Laugton is a safer bet, just like when Homer thought Coots was a safer bet over Hamilton. All i know is, we have too many centers and somebody has to go, who it is and who its for, only time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 @jammer2 one question, where do you see Laughton and Cousins fitting in ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 @jammer2 one question, where do you see Laughton and Cousins fitting in ? On the Phantoms next year more than likely unless Hexy makes room....there really isn't any for them since he said he wants to resign White and Vandevelde. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thats why I believe if it possible, the Flyers will attempt to make some deals at the draft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Monet Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 The sample size of B Schenn playing RW with Coots was too effective for me to dismiss. I don't consider him a center anymore, esp after the comments he made regarding playing RW, a position he never played till the last 20 or so games of last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbulb Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I simply don't view Cousins making the NHL full time with us. Laughton?... pre-concussion, I was fairly confident he'd start and finish the season on the Flyers. But he took a loooong time to bounce back after his head injury. I guess if he rips it up in training camp, he could start the season in the NHL, but I'd prefer he continue to hone his game in the AHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJgoal Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I simply don't view Cousins making the NHL full time with us. Laughton?... pre-concussion, I was fairly confident he'd start and finish the season on the Flyers. But he took a loooong time to bounce back after his head injury. I guess if he rips it up in training camp, he could start the season in the NHL, but I'd prefer he continue to hone his game in the AHL. I don't know, Bulb. I liked what I saw out of Cousins when he was up. He may not have a terribly high ceiling, but his game seems really well suited to at least a full time fourth line role with the ability to actually contribute to the offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I appreciate the theories and all but this is COMPLETELY an unknown. As the roster stands now there isn't even enough room for all the d-men much less forwards. So, I'm not even going to try and theorize until some moves are made this week and the following month or so. 1 move could change ANY theory I have come with or could come up with. I shall sit and watch, let some dust settle and then maybe come up with a theory or two. Hell, we don't even really know what's up with VLC at this point. Del Zotto? Man, there are dozens of things that could happen no one has even thought of yet. I won't even waste the effort to throw a dart at the wall. But, good topic never the less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I appreciate the theories and all but this is COMPLETELY an unknown. As the roster stands now there isn't even enough room for all the d-men much less forwards. So, I'm not even going to try and theorize until some moves are made this week and the following month or so. 1 move could change ANY theory I have come with or could come up with. I shall sit and watch, let some dust settle and then maybe come up with a theory or two. Hell, we don't even really know what's up with VLC at this point. Del Zotto? Man, there are dozens of things that could happen no one has even thought of yet. I won't even waste the effort to throw a dart at the wall. But, good topic never the less. Exactly there isn't room...Hexy has said he wants to resign MDZ and White and even Vandevelde.......so that tells me moves are coming and the roster must be reshaped for these things to take place......so in time this will all be worked out...and right now mid june it is impossible to gauge when/where Laughton and Cousins fit in. But as of right now they are going to be on the Phantoms until they prove otherwise. It will be sorted out in camp and preseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Well, that's why I won't even chance a guess! Hmmm.... Anyway, the topic is a-ok but it's just impossible to come up with an educated guess. The ONLY thing we do know is what you said Razor, that they are Phantoms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 that they are Phantoms. And that is not a bad thing they are still young and will get their chance soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I would be happy to leave them down there another year. They can have a few "cups of coffee" during the year with the big club when the injuries happen. There is NO rush to move them out of the organization because we don't know where they fit on the big club today unless a great trade comes along. But, lets face it. They won't be the main piece in a "big" trade so I'd be concerned about what that big piece would be. And I sincerely hope no one suggests that we give a team one of these guys in conjunction with a VLC/McDUD/RJ to sweeten the offer just to get rid of one of the albatross contracts. That simply isn't a good enough reason in my books... Once again, we don't know where we will be a year from now much less next week. Keep the kids... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 @jammer2 one question, where do you see Laughton and Cousins fitting in ? Real hard to project Cousins, I don't know if he skates well enough to stick full time, if his skating improves just a bit, he could stick. Laughts, I think he's our eventual second line center, passing Coots on the depth chart, but he has to be healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I don't know, Bulb. I liked what I saw out of Cousins when he was up. He may not have a terribly high ceiling, but his game seems really well suited to at least a full time fourth line role with the ability to actually contribute to the offense.I liked Cousin's comfort level with the puck on his stick, i thought he looked smart in the offensive zone and was pleasantly surprised by his skating.He could be a late bloomer... @RonJeremyI thought Schenn looked the best he did all season on Couturier's wing. Schenn's production while not superstar level has improved each year. I am not ready to deal him because I don't think of him as a center any more. So really it is just Laughton and he provides organizational depth ... i really don't see having the players we have as being a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyClarkeFan16 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Real hard to project Cousins, I don't know if he skates well enough to stick full time, if his skating improves just a bit, he could stick. Laughts, I think he's our eventual second line center, passing Coots on the depth chart, but he has to be healthy.Cousins' skating has improved significantly. I'd say his skating is on par with Straka's and that's pretty darn good. I give him credit because he knew it had to get better and he worked on it. I still think he needs to move to the wing to get a job in the top 9. I still think he could be the winger on a line with Laughton and Simmonds that could be quite the disruptive group to play against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howie58 Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Greetings: Laughton showed flashes of competence/speed and defensive responsibility. Cousins is an unknown to me. Either some folks are traded or Lehigh Valley has a bloodletting and we have competent junior squad with lots "cups of coffee" stints while things get sorted out. I could see Schenn getting traded with his brother for a host of reasons including room. Correct me but I believe we have the limit of 50 NHL roster slots filled. Somebody has to get dumped/traded. By the way, I read they want to keep Zepp on board. So that tells me we lose Emery and Denis. Howie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ8812 Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Don't think we are close to 50 contracts. A quick count of mine comes to 40 and that's assuming the only RFA we re-sign is del Zotto. 44 if we re-sign VdV, White and 2 goalies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howie58 Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 RJ: Thanks...that is good news.Howie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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