Flyers Trade Deadline Thread

[ruxpin]

3 minutes ago, AJgoal said:

There is absolutely no reason to consider buying out Filppula this offseason. If you must exercise a buyout, you buyout MacDonald, because you will almost have to at some point before his contract expires anyway. Filppula is one more year. You can play him for that long. Tampa would have needed to buy him out not because of the NMC, but because they would have serious issues re-signing their young players this offseason. I'd say it's lazy reporting, but it's Seravelli,, which is synonymous.

Given that I've always thought Frank was a horrible reporter, I've always thought it amazing he was given the current gig he has. 

[flyer4ever]

Flyers have a 2.3% chance of making the playoffs, which would solidify their quest for mediocrity for another 4 or 5 years, and put much needed dividend cheques in the pockets of Comcast shareholders. Well done Hexy, well done.

[jammer2]

 Thread was to large to wade through, skipped the last 4 or 5 pages, so apologies if I'm repeating something that has already been posted.

 

 Tampa Bay was one of the teams that was deemed to be at risk of losing the most significant players in the coming expansion draft. This story I posted in the Tampa section details their position perfectly....the listed Fippula or Killorn as two of the guys that could not be protected by the Bolts, thus this deal. 

 

http://thehockeywriters.com/what-is-lightnings-yzerman-to-do/

 

 I see getting Fippula a tad differently than a lot of Flyer fans have in this thread. I'm thinking Fippula is now EASILY our 2nd best center (assuming Schenn is on the wing that is). He was buried on a very talented Tampa team, but IF he was moved into the Flyers top 6, which I believe he will be, he will come in around 42-48 points. He's a much better set up man than Cooter, and more suited for a top 6 role then Cooter. He will help the 2nd pp and will be the perfect stop gap measure until a young prospect center is ready to assume a top 6 role.

 

 This trade tells me a few things,

A)the team has finally admitted to itself that Cooter is NOT a 2nd line scoring center, so a move was made to acquire one. If my 40+ pts is close to being correct, than paying 5 mill for said production is not a bad deal at all, in fact, it's probably right in line with what decent 2nd line centers make these days.

B)The Flyers have finally decided that Schenn belongs on the wing, or this trade would not have happened.

 

 After the stop gap one year from Fipps, they still save the 5 mill from Streit, it's just delayed for a year and the club fills a hole in the meantime.

 

 Fipps and a 4th (plus conditional) is a good return for Streit from where I'm sitting.

[AJgoal]

2 minutes ago, jammer2 said:

 

A)the team has finally admitted to itself that Cooter is NOT a 2nd line scoring center, so a move was made to acquire one. If my 40+ pts is close to being correct, than paying 5 mill for said production is not a bad deal at all, in fact, it's probably right in line with what decent 2nd line centers make these days.

 

Well, you did predict 60 goal seasons for Carter, so... :P

 

But Filppula already had 34 points this season. We should expect him to hit 40 this year. 50 is possible, depending on his linemates. Next season is a different story.

[jammer2]

42 minutes ago, AJgoal said:

 

Well, you did predict 60 goal seasons for Carter, so...

 

But Filppula already had 34 points this season. We should expect him to hit 40 this year. 50 is possible, depending on his linemates. Next season is a different story.

 

 

 

 Assuming that Fipps is slated for Flyers 2nd line center (really, he would not make a great bottom six guy, he's a skilled passer type), he would be playing with Simmonds, Schenn, Konecny etc.....all these guys could really use a top-notch passer who can deliver them tape to tape passes. Flyer need goals and this is kind of a sneaky way to get more out of the guys we have here already. Even though Tampa is quite deep at forward, you could make the argument that he would be playing with more talented wingers and might substantially out produce his last two off years.

 

 The only thing I don't like is he is soft as a stay puft marshmallow and makes the Flyers easier to play against....but may be worth the uptick in production.

 

[AJgoal]

4 minutes ago, jammer2 said:

 

 Assuming that Fipps is slated for Flyers 2nd line center (really, he would not make a great bottom six guy, he's a skilled passer type), he would be playing with Simmonds, Schenn, Konecny etc.....all these guys could really use a top-notch passer who can deliver them tape to tape passes. Flyer need goals and this is kind of a sneaky way to get more out of the guys we have here already. Even though Tampa is quite deep at forward, you could make the argument that he would be playing with more talented wingers and might substantially out produce his last two off years.

 

 The only thing I don't like is he is soft as a stay puft marshellow and makes the Flyers easier to play against....but may be worth the uptick in production.

 

 

I can see the potential for the first, though one of his linemates in Tampa was Drouin. I don't know that he's going to play with anyone better in Philly.

 

And I can't see how he makes the Flyers easier to play against. Who's he replacing? Cousins? Weal? He won't make them harder to play against, but easier? Doubt that.

[jammer2]

Just now, AJgoal said:

 

I can see the potential for the first, though one of his linemates in Tampa was Drouin. I don't know that he's going to play with anyone better in Philly.

 

And I can't see how he makes the Flyers easier to play against. Who's he replacing? Cousins? Weal? He won't make them harder to play against, but easier? Doubt that.

 

 

I thought Fipps was playing with Boyle and another lesser light, if it was Drouin, I stand corrected, but he could have two good wingers rather than just Drouin. The Flyers 2nd line as a whole might just be better than Drouin and player A type of thing.

 

Fipps is not strong at all on the puck and is not effective on the forecheck, so when he's on the ice, it's easier for opponents to break out of thier own zone, that is what I was talking about when saying he makes the Flyers easier to play against.

[NRH]

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

Given that I've always thought Frank was a horrible reporter, I've always thought it amazing he was given the current gig he has. 

 

Why? Nobody is interested in the news or facts anymore, they just want opinions about the news by people that have agreeable opinions.

 

3 minutes ago, jammer2 said:

 

I thought Fipps was playing with Boyle and another lesser light, if it was Drouin, I stand corrected, but he could have two good wingers rather than just Drouin. The Flyers 2nd line as a whole might just be better than Drouin and player A type of thing.

 

Fipps is not strong at all on the puck and is not effective on the forecheck, so when he's on the ice, it's easier for opponents to break out of thier own zone, that is what I was talking about when saying he makes the Flyers easier to play against.

 

His +/- is already better than the Top 6 currently on the flyers. His career +/- is actually a positive number as well, so while he may be soft on the puck it seems like he is hardly the reason his team is scored against as he isn't on the ice for goals against as much as he is goals for, unlike the -20/-17 of some of the Flyer's players he'll be sharing a locker room with.

[jammer2]

1 minute ago, NRH said:

His +/- is already better than the Top 6 currently on the flyers. His career +/- is actually a positive number as well, so while he may be soft on the puck it seems like he is hardly the reason his team is scored against as he isn't on the ice for goals against as much as he is goals for, unlike the -20/-17 of some of the Flyer's players he'll be sharing a locker room with.

 

 

 I get what you are saying, but taking his plus minus on the Bolts and projecting it on the Flyers current plus minus situation is kind of like comparing apples to oranges. Who knows, maybe his plus minus is just as stinky as the other Flyers if was on this team? I think one of the key underlying factors for plus minus is a teams transition game, and the Bolts were light years ahead of  the Flyers at this specific aspect of the game. That alone could have inflated Fipps plus minus.

 

 He strikes me as a soft Euro type that rarely hits and sticks to the perphial out skirts rather than slugging it out in the areas of the ice that force you to battle for position. Maybe I'm wrong, but that is what I remember, both with the Wings and Bolts. Would love to be wrong.

[murraycraven]

Take care all...  

 

Didn't mean for people to get mad.   Was only providing my opinion..

 

I am out.... To the guys that have made this place great...  Thanks!  It has been fun...

 

Peace...

[Podein25]

2 minutes ago, murraycraven said:

Take care all...  

 

Didn't mean for people to get mad.   Was only providing my opinion..

 

I am out.... To the guys that have made this place great...  Thanks!  It has been fun...

 

Peace...

 

Wha?! I haven't read the whole thread, but it doesn't matter. Get your asss back here Murray.

[canoli]

2 hours ago, ruxpin said:

But this is what he is. I think that other than short term fill in, he's not good for top 6. 

 

Fourth line and pk seems a good role for him and we could do a lot worse. 

 

I said he could play "higher" not "high." Honestly all I was thinking was top 9 not top 6. He's certainly not going to put up enough points to justify playing him on either the 1st or 2nd line but as 3C he's done well for the Flyers. I can't remember how often he's played 3C but it's been a handful of times iirc.

[NRH]

1 hour ago, jammer2 said:

 

 I get what you are saying, but taking his plus minus on the Bolts and projecting it on the Flyers current plus minus situation is kind of like comparing apples to oranges. Who knows, maybe his plus minus is just as stinky as the other Flyers if was on this team? I think one of the key underlying factors for plus minus is a teams transition game, and the Bolts were light years ahead of  the Flyers at this specific aspect of the game. That alone could have inflated Fipps plus minus.

 

 He strikes me as a soft Euro type that rarely hits and sticks to the perphial out skirts rather than slugging it out in the areas of the ice that force you to battle for position. Maybe I'm wrong, but that is what I remember, both with the Wings and Bolts. Would love to be wrong.

 

It may be true, but his career +/- is also positive and that statistic is usually a good sign of a guy that either plays some semblance of defense or takes care of the puck instead of centering it in front of your own goal like some of our guys do on occasion.

He may be soft, but I don't think you have the option of getting a gritty guy any time soon, they sent Hartnell to Columbus.

[vis]

2 hours ago, jammer2 said:

the team has finally admitted to itself that Cooter is NOT a 2nd line scoring center, so a move was made to acquire one.

this, to me, is the best part of the trade.  the org seems to have finally realized that Sean Couturier does not fit the role assigned to him.  hopefully he slots into the third line and never sees the PP again.  in general, i think players will end up where they belong.

 

i don't know anything about Filppula's leadership/lockerroom presence.  Anyone have any insight?  Will he be a good mentor?

 

i don't get the Neuvirth signing at that $$$.

 

at least PEB's deal is only two years.  still think the $$$ is high.  PEB doesnt bother me, but he doesn't do anything that makes me like him.  i feel, generally, that the fourth line is underwhelming.

 

in the aggregate, kind of a less than mediocre day.  

 

 

 

 

[elmatus]

2 hours ago, vis said:

this, to me, is the best part of the trade.  the org seems to have finally realized that Sean Couturier does not fit the role assigned to him.  hopefully he slots into the third line and never sees the PP again.  in general, i think players will end up where they belong.

 

i don't know anything about Filppula's leadership/lockerroom presence.  Anyone have any insight?  Will he be a good mentor?

 

i don't get the Neuvirth signing at that $$$.

 

at least PEB's deal is only two years.  still think the $$$ is high.  PEB doesnt bother me, but he doesn't do anything that makes me like him.  i feel, generally, that the fourth line is underwhelming.

 

in the aggregate, kind of a less than mediocre day.  

 

 

 

 

 

The Neuvirth signing doesn't surprise me much. Let's not forget they need to expose a goalie to Vegas. If both your goalies have been underwhelming, but you have to resign someone to expose them, you're probably better off going with the cheaper option.

 

2.5 mil is a bit high for a back-up but low for a starter. This makes sense given the Flyers don't have any other goalie at that level right now with a proven track record. This tells me Stolarz is coming up next year and is likely to get a true shot at the starting job. At the same time, if Stolarz doesn't pan out, they have a known commodity in Neuvirth.

 

Back to the Vegas thing, Neuvirth is unlikely to be the most attractive goalie option for Vegas. In this way, Hex doesn't have to scramble in the off-season to add some sort of other filler. Hex doesn't want to end up left with someone who has very little to no NHL experience on his resume as the defacto no.1 next year. That wouldn't be prudent (Stolarz could turn out to be a career AHLer at best), it would also place a lot of stress on a young netminder coming in for their first full year in the big league.

 

And yeah, I think there's something to be said for known quantities. Hex knows what he's getting in Neuvirth. He's getting a goalie that: is capable of stealing a game now and again; knows the team, the coach, and the system; understands what next year is likely to bring with a crop of extremely green dmen on the horizon. Sure, he's not among the elite goalies in the league, but it's not like any of those treasured few were going to suddenly become Flyers in 2017-18.

 

I think anyone paying attention will say that Hextall is nothing if not very very patient with player development. This situation generally falls in line with that approach.

[icehole]

So I had a chance to think of this overnight, or more like not think of it and just let it be.  I don't think the deal hurts the team very much.  Hextall could have some deals up his sleeve to maybe have filp filp and then trade an expiring contract for something in return next year.

 

However, it just didn't make sense at this point.  All of the positive things Hextall could use filpulla for, he could have done more with that $5m over the summer.  Sure, Filpulla can fill the center position, but couldn't you find something better for $5m in the off-season?  You could probably find a 25 year old 20 goal scorer for $5m and have a better piece to use or sell.

 

So Hextall didn't fail but it didn't make sense because he could have done better.

[AJgoal]

1 hour ago, icehole said:

However, it just didn't make sense at this point.  All of the positive things Hextall could use filpulla for, he could have done more with that $5m over the summer.  Sure, Filpulla can fill the center position, but couldn't you find something better for $5m in the off-season?  You could probably find a 25 year old 20 goal scorer for $5m and have a better piece to use or sell.

 

There are all of your UFA forward options that currently have double digit goals. Gagner is the only one under 30. Oshie is going to demand a long contract. There just aren't a lot of UFA options, and even fewer you could get on a short contract.

[ruxpin]

7 hours ago, canoli said:

 

I said he could play "higher" not "high." Honestly all I was thinking was top 9 not top 6. He's certainly not going to put up enough points to justify playing him on either the 1st or 2nd line but as 3C he's done well for the Flyers. I can't remember how often he's played 3C but it's been a handful of times iirc.

He's played 3C enough time I know he can spot there. I wouldn't want to go into a season counting on him to be my third line center, though. 

 

I think we're largely saying the same thing though and I completely agree with the rest of your original post. 

[ruxpin]

1 hour ago, icehole said:

So I had a chance to think of this overnight, or more like not think of it and just let it be.  I don't think the deal hurts the team very much.  Hextall could have some deals up his sleeve to maybe have filp filp and then trade an expiring contract for something in return next year.

 

However, it just didn't make sense at this point.  All of the positive things Hextall could use filpulla for, he could have done more with that $5m over the summer.  Sure, Filpulla can fill the center position, but couldn't you find something better for $5m in the off-season?  You could probably find a 25 year old 20 goal scorer for $5m and have a better piece to use or sell.

 

So Hextall didn't fail but it didn't make sense because he could have done better.

Yeah, I've kind of moderated my thoughts on it overnight. 

 

Even yesterday, I didn't think it necessarily "hurt" the team, I just didn't think it helped where help was needed. 

 

But really, if this indicates that the Flyers have given up on Couturier at 2C and Schenn at center and now we've someone to pass to Schenn and Simmonds (or TK and Simmonds) then maybe it actually does help. 

 

At worst, it's a waste of $5M that wasn't mine to begin with. 

 

I'll tell you one thing in this:  I'm not really sorry to see Streit go. I don't hate the guy, but it's telling that not one post anywhere of, "they shouldn't have gotten rid of Streit!" anywhere.  Maybe it just says we all knew that part was coming. 

[AJgoal]

7 hours ago, canoli said:

 

I said he could play "higher" not "high." 

 

In fairness, don't they test for that?

[elmatus]

23 minutes ago, AJgoal said:

There are all of your UFA forward options that currently have double digit goals. Gagner is the only one under 30. Oshie is going to demand a long contract. There just aren't a lot of UFA options, and even fewer you could get on a short contract.

 

Looking at that list, Oshie is likely the best of the bunch, and you're absolutely right in that he'll be looking for a long-term deal. He's not worth what he'll sign for somewhere in the off-season.

 

Most of those other folks are, at best, on par with Fill imo. Radulov may be a possible exception, but I can't stand the guy and wouldn't want him in a Flyers jersey. Also, he's played very well in MTL. I imagine they'll work hard to keep him around after this year. I'm not sure they can really afford what he'll be asking for, but I wouldn't want Philly to pay that amount for a dude who's as likely to dangle through two dmen as he is to bat his own coach upside the head with his stick. No thanks.

[OccamsRazor]

20 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Yeah, I've kind of moderated my thoughts on it overnight. 

 

Even yesterday, I didn't think it necessarily "hurt" the team, I just didn't think it helped where help was needed. 

 

But really, if this indicates that the Flyers have given up on Couturier at 2C and Schenn at center and now we've someone to pass to Schenn and Simmonds (or TK and Simmonds) then maybe it actually does help. 

 

At worst, it's a waste of $5M that wasn't mine to begin with. 

 

I'll tell you one thing in this:  I'm not really sorry to see Streit go. I don't hate the guy, but it's telling that not one post anywhere of, "they shouldn't have gotten rid of Streit!" anywhere.  Maybe it just says we all knew that part was coming. 

 

Time will tell if he can help this forward group or team any. I'm over the initial shock that the only thing done was move Streit for VP.

 

Then again once you consider Streit his age his recent injuries combined with the fact he really didn't make any of the defensive kids (pairs) better it's understandable now why only a 4th and 7th pick for him.

 

Let's be honest he wasn't a Kimmo or Coburn so no way he fetches that return.

 

In fact i had never been much of a fan of his.

[Bertmega]

9 hours ago, jammer2 said:

Fipps is not strong at all on the puck and is not effective on the forecheck, so when he's on the ice, it's easier for opponents to break out of thier own zone, that is what I was talking about when saying he makes the Flyers easier to play against.

After getting some sleep and calming down, I have come to the terms that Fipp is here for the foreseeable future.

 

With that in mind, how would this line look:

 

Schenn-Filppula-Voracek

 

That could leave a top line of Konecny-Giroux-Simmonds ---- although that has Konecny playin off-wing. 

 

Third line could be:

 

Cousins-Couturier-Read

 

AS much as I hated the move yesterday, I think this may help the team in the long run

[brelic]

I've come around this move and I think Hextall did a smart thing.

 

He got a 4th and 7th for an expiring UFA, plus he filled the 2C position for the very short term.

 

Like others have said, it's an admission that Couturier just isn't a 2C in the NHL, and that's a positive step forward. At Coots' current price tag for a 3C, maybe you look at moving him in the offseason.

 

In any case, it would have been much worse to go fishing during UFA silly season. You'd end up overpaying for an aging vet AND have him for 5+ years.

 

The commitment to Filppula is only next season. 

 

Konecny/Giroux/Simmonds

Schenn/Filppula/Voracek 

 

Or any combination thereof. That could be a decent top 6.

 

EDIT: On the Neuvirth signing, not only does it provide us with a goalie to expose, I think it also gives Hextall leverage on the Mason talks if Neuvirth doesn't get claimed.

 

From the Flyers camp, they can simply say to Mason's agent that they're prepared to offer X amount and if Mason really doesn't like it, they're fine sticking with Neuvirth.

 

[pilldoc]

I'm glad to see calmer heads prevailing after a good nights sleep and/or (drinks! ) 

 

7 minutes ago, brelic said:

He got a 4th and 7th for an expiring UFA, plus he filled the 2C position for the very short term.

 

Like others have said, it's an admission that Couturier just isn't a 2C in the NHL, and that's a positive step forward.

 

I think this is the important take away and @brelic nailed it.  I think the other piece here is that Neuvy was signed to an extension and I think Mason is gone after this season.  Next year you have Neuvy and Stolie in goalie and waiting in the wings is Carter Hart. 

 

I still believe once the expansion draft has come and gone, we will have a much clearer picture of what Hexy wants to do.