Hextall's Offseason Moves

[intheslot]

Time for the young guys to step up and put up..

 Its coming from the farm up to the big team ..

  so far :nice job Hexy ...

 

[Off the Pipe]

I like what Hexy has done and believe in his process and with the talent in the pipeline I can see when the CBA is redone in 2022 that is when Hexy dumps G and Jake.
I still believe G and Jake have alot in the tank, by no means are they washed up. I think G is top 10 in scoring this year. He'll come out hungry as hell.

Their issue has been that they have not had complimentary scoring to take pressure off them, they were always facing the top opponent's pairings and defensive lines. Now with possibly 2 other lines that may be able to score regularly, teams will need to spread out their defensive schemes between those lines.

 

I'm very optimistic about this team, I think they end up 3rd in Metro, Washington takes a dump this year.

[elmatus]

On 2017-07-04 at 4:24 AM, Off the Pipe said:

I like what Hexy has done and believe in his process and with the talent in the pipeline I can see when the CBA is redone in 2022 that is when Hexy dumps G and Jake.
I still believe G and Jake have alot in the tank, by no means are they washed up. I think G is top 10 in scoring this year. He'll come out hungry as hell.

Their issue has been that they have not had complimentary scoring to take pressure off them, they were always facing the top opponent's pairings and defensive lines. Now with possibly 2 other lines that may be able to score regularly, teams will need to spread out their defensive schemes between those lines.

 

I'm very optimistic about this team, I think they end up 3rd in Metro, Washington takes a dump this year.

 

I couldn't agree more. These past two years, all offense essentially had to come from Giroux for it to be truly effective. Other teams know this as well as we do. He was constantly being covered by 2-3 players at once. Sure, other players have this same problem, but Giroux doesn't have the body of a Malkin or Getzlaf, nor does he have the grinding ability of a Crosby or Tavares.

 

He's an extremely skilled player, but he does need other skilled players to spread the love. I firmly believe the lack of such players is a major reason for his lower production in recent years. People often comment on how Ovechkin without Backstrom would have been a very different beast. I happen to think the same is true the other way as well. It's also true for the vast majority of players who nonetheless do remain among the NHL elite.

 

The number of players who can effectively carry a team all by themselves in this league is an extremely short list. Giroux isn't on that list. I wish he was, but he isn't. That doesn't mean he isn't among the best though. He just needs a hand.

 

Voracek is a bit different. I remember feeling uneasy when his last contract was signed. Not that he hadn't produced enough to warrant it, the signing just felt rushed to me. I remember wondering how hard Hex had really tried to get him for a lower hit at a lesser term. He may still pan out of course. He's definitely highly skilled. I'm just not sure he's elite-caliber skilled. I think he still has a lot to prove and increasingly less time to prove it.

 

As far as 2022 goes, I'm honestly not sure they will be part of the team by then anyway. Hex is pretty savvy when it comes to trading high (see: Schenn). I could see Voracek in particular being moved if some team comes around looking to overpay for his services in the next few years.

[vis]

There wasn't a lot out there that made sense for Hextall to sign unless he was able to rid himself of guys like Read, Raffl, Weise and MacDonald.  Simply no room to sign anyone if you expect an infusion of youth next year.  Even as it stands now, I'm not sure they have enough open spots.  Hope Hextall cleans house a little more.

 

At this point, I am not optimistic about this team for next year and maybe even two years.  I do not think they have moved ahead of anyone in their division and, actually, I think teams that were behind them have moved ahead of the Flyers.  Hoping yet again for Giroux and Voracek to have bounce back years does not make me warm and fuzzy.  The defense will be a big question mark, especially with one or two more rookies added to the mix.  And the goaltending will remain an issue as well.  Jury is still out on Hakstol, imo, and they hired another guy who has never coached in the NHL.  How do they plan to address the PK, which was abysmal last year?  I just don't see how they have improved the team.

[flyercanuck]

4 minutes ago, vis said:

There wasn't a lot out there that made sense for Hextall to sign unless he was able to rid himself of guys like Read, Raffl, Weise and MacDonald.  Simply no room to sign anyone if you expect an infusion of youth next year.  Even as it stands now, I'm not sure they have enough open spots.  Hope Hextall cleans house a little more.

 

At this point, I am not optimistic about this team for next year and maybe even two years.  I do not think they have moved ahead of anyone in their division and, actually, I think teams that were behind them have moved ahead of the Flyers.  Hoping yet again for Giroux and Voracek to have bounce back years does not make me warm and fuzzy.  The defense will be a big question mark, especially with one or two more rookies added to the mix.  And the goaltending will remain an issue as well.  Jury is still out on Hakstol, imo, and they hired another guy who has never coached in the NHL.  How do they plan to address the PK, which was abysmal last year?  I just don't see how they have improved the team.

 

I consider them borderline playoff again...and don't really care if they make it or not. Another good draft is more important to me if they're trying to build a champion. If the goalie tandem plays well, they'll squeak in. If they play like I think they will, we're likely finishing in the bottom 10-15. 

 

 Knoblauch was brought in for his special teams tutoring. He's always had an excellent pp, but his pk is no slouch either.

[vis]

2 hours ago, flyercanuck said:

I consider them borderline playoff again...and don't really care if they make it or not. Another good draft is more important to me if they're trying to build a champion.

 

Honestly, I am getting very antsy waiting for this team's "retool" to bear some fruit.  Team has been stagnant the past couple of years and actually regressed last year (but for a freak 10 game winning streak they would not have sniffed the POs).  At some point, they should show some improvement even as we wait for the arrival of younger players.  Frankly, I am getting tired of drafting well.  Time to play well, though I don't have much confidence in this roster or the coach in getting them to do that.  

 

Quote

If the goalie tandem plays well, they'll squeak in. If they play like I think they will, we're likely finishing in the bottom 10-15. 

I think the latter is the more likely scenario - unless Eliott and Neuvirth can trade off hot streaks.

 

Quote

 Knoblauch was brought in for his special teams tutoring. He's always had an excellent pp, but his pk is no slouch either.

But I thought Laperriere was the PK coach?  Is Knoblauch taking that over as well?

[RJ8812]

I was hoping all the assistant coaches would have been replaced this summer

[murraycraven]

28 minutes ago, vis said:

But I thought Laperriere was the PK coach?  Is Knoblauch taking that over as well?

 

I wish he were taking over both.... Lappy, somehow, still has a job....

 

perfect example of the "good ol' flyers mentality" that still is in the club...

[scoopyten]

3 hours ago, murraycraven said:

 

I wish he were taking over both.... Lappy, somehow, still has a job....

 

perfect example of the "good ol' flyers mentality" that still is in the club...

Think Lappy is still here to be the good cop. I think Hakstol needs a buffer, kind of like the role Primeau filled with Hitchcock.

[ruxpin]

14 hours ago, scoopyten said:

Think Lappy is still here to be the good cop. I think Hakstol needs a buffer, kind of like the role Primeau filled with Hitchcock.

 

I think that's likely.   But here's the question, then:

 

If -- just saying if -- Lappy is deficient in the Xs & Os and the special teams he's in charge of are struggling, wouldn't you bring someone else in that can succeed in that aspect AND be a good cop?

[scoopyten]

16 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

I think that's likely.   But here's the question, then:

 

If -- just saying if -- Lappy is deficient in the Xs & Os and the special teams he's in charge of are struggling, wouldn't you bring someone else in that can succeed in that aspect AND be a good cop?

Oh yeah, I would. But I'd also be trying to get rid of MacDonald, too. 

 

Im guessing/hoping that they see it as a personnel issue, rather than coach 

[sekkes85]

I thought Lappy was a conditioning coach or something now?

 

[murraycraven]

25 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

I think that's likely.   But here's the question, then:

 

If -- just saying if -- Lappy is deficient in the Xs & Os and the special teams he's in charge of are struggling, wouldn't you bring someone else in that can succeed in that aspect AND be a good cop?

 

 

where is Berube when you need him.... he is after-all "one of the greatest minds in hockey..."

 

 

[elmatus]

41 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

I think that's likely.   But here's the question, then:

 

If -- just saying if -- Lappy is deficient in the Xs & Os and the special teams he's in charge of are struggling, wouldn't you bring someone else in that can succeed in that aspect AND be a good cop?

 

It may be this was part of the reason for the hiring of Knoblauch. Hex is nothing if not remarkably conservative in his approach to changes to the team. This is evident in his incremental introduction of young players most especially, but also in his reluctance to take the easy road out of bad contracts. Hiring Knoblauch, while not necessarily an immediate notice to the current coaching staff, would conceivably be in line with Hex's slow build approach -- almost like a soft push to Hakstol and company (Lappy most especially).

 

I do think it's telling how much of the coaching staff has been gutted since Hex took over. It's generally not by way of wholesale changes though. Hex makes decisions with slow and methodical precision. If Lappy still can't generate enough success, and if Hex feels he doesn't fit the new guard in some other way, I expect he will be shown the door in the next short while. The fact he is still around tells me he must offer something to the team, even if that something isn't immediately evident to us armchair GMs.

[ruxpin]

19 minutes ago, elmatus said:

 

It may be this was part of the reason for the hiring of Knoblauch. Hex is nothing if not remarkably conservative in his approach to changes to the team. This is evident in his incremental introduction of young players most especially, but also in his reluctance to take the easy road out of bad contracts. Hiring Knoblauch, while not necessarily an immediate notice to the current coaching staff, would conceivably be in line with Hex's slow build approach -- almost like a soft push to Hakstol and company (Lappy most especially).

 

I do think it's telling how much of the coaching staff has been gutted since Hex took over. It's generally not by way of wholesale changes though. Hex makes decisions with slow and methodical precision. If Lappy still can't generate enough success, and if Hex feels he doesn't fit the new guard in some other way, I expect he will be shown the door in the next short while. The fact he is still around tells me he must offer something to the team, even if that something isn't immediately evident to us armchair GMs.

 

Quite fair.  Well said.

[Lindbergh31]

On ‎7‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 0:33 PM, vis said:

There wasn't a lot out there that made sense for Hextall to sign unless he was able to rid himself of guys like Read, Raffl, Weise and MacDonald.  Simply no room to sign anyone if you expect an infusion of youth next year.  Even as it stands now, I'm not sure they have enough open spots.  Hope Hextall cleans house a little more.

 

At this point, I am not optimistic about this team for next year and maybe even two years.  I do not think they have moved ahead of anyone in their division and, actually, I think teams that were behind them have moved ahead of the Flyers.  Hoping yet again for Giroux and Voracek to have bounce back years does not make me warm and fuzzy.  The defense will be a big question mark, especially with one or two more rookies added to the mix.  And the goaltending will remain an issue as well.  Jury is still out on Hakstol, imo, and they hired another guy who has never coached in the NHL.  How do they plan to address the PK, which was abysmal last year?  I just don't see how they have improved the team.

I'm old enough to remember the Flyers in the early 70's when they built through the draft and made timely trades (reacquiring Bernie Parent) before they won their 1st cup. I look at the Maple Leafs who luck out in getting a really good young player in the draft (Matthews) and the stars aligning for them to make the playoffs when every expert had them finishing anywhere from 11th to 15th worst in the eastern conference. Most Flyers fans have to realize how bad Holmgren left the Flyers in when Hexie took over. Holmgren didn't build a strong farm system, he always went for the quick fix and now the Flyers are paying for that. The Blackhawks and Kings went thru it for long periods before they won the cup, as for Pittsburgh, that's a totally different story (lots of help from Bettman). Bottomline is Hextall seems to have a plan I don't know if it follows the Kings or Blackhawks model but we as fans have to believe in the process or we can always go back to the Holmgren model of chasing that carrot that you'll never catch!

[fanaticV3.0]

On 7/5/2017 at 3:33 PM, vis said:

 

Honestly, I am getting very antsy waiting for this team's "retool" to bear some fruit.  Team has been stagnant the past couple of years and actually regressed last year (but for a freak 10 game winning streak they would not have sniffed the POs).  At some point, they should show some improvement even as we wait for the arrival of younger players.  Frankly, I am getting tired of drafting well.  Time to play well, though I don't have much confidence in this roster or the coach in getting them to do that.  

 

I think the latter is the more likely scenario - unless Eliott and Neuvirth can trade off hot streaks.

 

But I thought Laperriere was the PK coach?  Is Knoblauch taking that over as well?

 

Me too and for the same reasons. I don't mind rebuilding, but there hasn't been really much proof at all that it's actually working. Christ, we're relying on multiple kids coming into the league at the same time and miraculously not only all succeeding as individuals, but finding chemistry as a team. And the only one of them that has some knock it out of the ballpark pedigree is Patrick.

[vis]

34 minutes ago, fanaticV3.0 said:

 

Me too and for the same reasons. I don't mind rebuilding, but there hasn't been really much proof at all that it's actually working. Christ, we're relying on multiple kids coming into the league at the same time and miraculously not only all succeeding as individuals, but finding chemistry as a team. And the only one of them that has some knock it out of the ballpark pedigree is Patrick.

I agree.  

 

I'm not saying the Flyers should be signing UFAs.  And it's well and good that the Flyers are getting strong marks for their prospect pool.  But at some point the team should be showing improvement on the ice.  Instead, the team regresses last year?  I never really thought that "regression" was part of the plan.  But, that's what happened.  And I think this coming season (year 4!) will be even worse than last year.  Is this what people expected?

 

Hextall has a great thing going at the moment.  He can keep acquiring picks, drafting players and keeping kids in the lower leagues to develop and sell fans on a prospect pool and thereby deflect any criticism of the current state of the team.  Great position to be in.

 

 

[radoran]

1 hour ago, fanaticV3.0 said:

 

Me too and for the same reasons. I don't mind rebuilding, but there hasn't been really much proof at all that it's actually working. Christ, we're relying on multiple kids coming into the league at the same time and miraculously not only all succeeding as individuals, but finding chemistry as a team.

 

It's really not without precedent.

 

For example, the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks. Over the course of five drafts from 2002 to 2007 the Hawks drafted:

Kane, Toews, Hjalmarsson, Byfuglien, Bolland, Brouwer, Seabrook. Three years later that core of the team won the Stanley Cup and many of them repeated the Cup wins in 2013 and 2015.

 

In that time they also picked up Bryan Bickell who won the Cup with them in 2013 and 2015 and Corey Crawford.

 

Now that's nine players representing five years and 65 picks so obviously not every pick pans out (there are other names in those years who have successful careers like Wisniewski, Burish, Barker, Skille). 13 guys, 65 picks - 20% hit rate. And not all those guys are high rounders. Byfuglien was an 8th. Brouwer at 7th. Hjamarsson 4th.

 

Then you have the Los Angeles Kings who between 2003 and 2008 drafted Brown, Quick, Kopitar, Martinez, Lewis, King, Voynov, Doughty. That core won the Cup in 2012 and again much of that core repeated in 2014. They also drafted over that time Bernier, Hickey, Simmonds, Boyle...

 

What will happen for the Flyers who have drafted from 2011 through 2016 players like Couturier, Gotstobehere, Morin, Hagg, Lindblom, Sanheim, Konecny, Provorov, Rubtsov and Hart? Well, we may not know for another 2-4 years as they come into the league. Some of those guys likely aren't going to pan out. Others (Vorobyov, Sandstrom, Cousins, Stolarz, Leier, Aube-Kubel) may or may not as well.

 

But just because we literally have not seen this type of a team build around the Flyers for a long time - if ever - doesn't mean that the theory itself is flawed as eight of the last eight Cup winners demonstrate. It's not like the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't develop their original core through the draft and they drafted Guentzel, Murray and Maatta in 2012 and 2013.

 

The Bruins drafted Bergeron, Krejci, Lucic, Seguin, Marchand from 2003 to 2006 all of whom played in their 2011 Cup run.

 

29 minutes ago, vis said:

I'm not saying the Flyers should be signing UFAs.  And it's well and good that the Flyers are getting strong marks for their prospect pool.  But at some point the team should be showing improvement on the ice.  Instead, the team regresses last year?  I never really thought that "regression" was part of the plan.  But, that's what happened.  And I think this coming season (year 4!) will be even worse than last year.  Is this what people expected?

 

I don't know if people "expected" it, but the Kings lost in the first round the two years before they won the Cup and hadn't even qualified for the six years before that. And the Blackhawks went from five straight years out of the playoffs to a Conference Final and a Cup win in back to back seasons.

 

To your point, this is a year we should expect some improvement - even if only marginal. The Flyers look awfully similar to the position the Bruins were in coming out of the lockout and if these draft picks pan out for the Flyers or are used as assets to fill holes, they could be in a good position.

[fanaticV3.0]

On 7/7/2017 at 3:24 PM, vis said:

I agree.  

 

I'm not saying the Flyers should be signing UFAs.  And it's well and good that the Flyers are getting strong marks for their prospect pool.  But at some point the team should be showing improvement on the ice.  Instead, the team regresses last year?  I never really thought that "regression" was part of the plan.  But, that's what happened.  And I think this coming season (year 4!) will be even worse than last year.  Is this what people expected?

 

Hextall has a great thing going at the moment.  He can keep acquiring picks, drafting players and keeping kids in the lower leagues to develop and sell fans on a prospect pool and thereby deflect any criticism of the current state of the team.  Great position to be in.

 

 

 

I am – if there are any worth signing, don't just do it for the sake of it.

 

Whenever he is asked about a veteran free agent  he responds with, "That's not the direction we want to go in."  But then he trades for players like Filppula and Lehetra and signs Elliott?! I think I would have rather just held on to Schenn and Mason and signed a FA better than the likes of Filppula and Elliot. Schenn and Mason have a much greater chance of being in the league when our prospects – no, if our prospects – pan out than the other two AND one of the players  we let go  is younger AND better than any player we got in return.

 

I'm probably not as mad if they didn't trade Schenn. They are so thin upfront that they can't afford to trade away one of their top point producers.

[murraycraven]

31 minutes ago, fanaticV3.0 said:

But then he trades for players like Filppula and Lehetra and signs Elliott?!

 

There is a difference b/t those 3 and and the "plan" moving forward.   Elliot is a short term stop-gap until Hart or Sandstrom is ready.

 

 Filp was a salary dump by the Lightning and only had 2 years on his deal - another short term trade that was all about giving Streit a chance at a Cup.  Filp also brings skill to the lineup which is/was desperately needed and also brings experience.   He will be gone by the TDL this year.  

 

Lehtera was the price of getting Schenn off the books and taking 2 first round picks from the Blues.   I still predict that Lehtera is the odd man out or in the AHL this year.

 

These guys are not part of the plan...   it was all about what was given in return.  It was never about trading for these players but about gaining picks and dumping off salary.  In Elliot's case - he is nothing more than a temporary stop-gap until the kids are ready.   

 

[fanaticV3.0]

On 7/7/2017 at 3:45 PM, radoran said:

 

It's really not without precedent.

 

For example, the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks. Over the course of five drafts from 2002 to 2007 the Hawks drafted:

Kane, Toews, Hjalmarsson, Byfuglien, Bolland, Brouwer, Seabrook. Three years later that core of the team won the Stanley Cup and many of them repeated the Cup wins in 2013 and 2015.

 

In that time they also picked up Bryan Bickell who won the Cup with them in 2013 and 2015 and Corey Crawford.

 

Now that's nine players representing five years and 65 picks so obviously not every pick pans out (there are other names in those years who have successful careers like Wisniewski, Burish, Barker, Skille). 13 guys, 65 picks - 20% hit rate. And not all those guys are high rounders. Byfuglien was an 8th. Brouwer at 7th. Hjamarsson 4th.

 

Then you have the Los Angeles Kings who between 2003 and 2008 drafted Brown, Quick, Kopitar, Martinez, Lewis, King, Voynov, Doughty. That core won the Cup in 2012 and again much of that core repeated in 2014. They also drafted over that time Bernier, Hickey, Simmonds, Boyle...

 

What will happen for the Flyers who have drafted from 2011 through 2016 players like Couturier, Gotstobehere, Morin, Hagg, Lindblom, Sanheim, Konecny, Provorov, Rubtsov and Hart? Well, we may not know for another 2-4 years as they come into the league. Some of those guys likely aren't going to pan out. Others (Vorobyov, Sandstrom, Cousins, Stolarz, Leier, Aube-Kubel) may or may not as well.

 

But just because we literally have not seen this type of a team build around the Flyers for a long time - if ever - doesn't mean that the theory itself is flawed as eight of the last eight Cup winners demonstrate. It's not like the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't develop their original core through the draft and they drafted Guentzel, Murray and Maatta in 2012 and 2013.

 

The Bruins drafted Bergeron, Krejci, Lucic, Seguin, Marchand from 2003 to 2006 all of whom played in their 2011 Cup run.

 

 

I don't know if people "expected" it, but the Kings lost in the first round the two years before they won the Cup and hadn't even qualified for the six years before that. And the Blackhawks went from five straight years out of the playoffs to a Conference Final and a Cup win in back to back seasons.

 

To your point, this is a year we should expect some improvement - even if only marginal. The Flyers look awfully similar to the position the Bruins were in coming out of the lockout and if these draft picks pan out for the Flyers or are used as assets to fill holes, they could be in a good position.

 

How many forward prospects can you name who are worth a damn? And by worth a damn, I mean someone capable of replacing.... let's say Schenn's production; since we don't really need him? Because I can't think of any outside of Patrick. I like Konecny, but I wouldn't include him yet.

 

I'm not worried about the defense, because it should be "fine" theoretically. And even if it isn't,  at least you can say they made a concentrated effort to stockpile young players at that position. If the kids on D  don't pan out, I get mad at them, not  Hextall. But up front is paper thin and I hold him directly accountable for that;  especially when he is trading away a top 3 25-year-old goalscorer  and replacing him with two older role players.

 

 

[fanaticV3.0]

3 minutes ago, murraycraven said:

 

There is a difference b/t those 3 and and the "plan" moving forward.   Elliot is a short term stop-gap until Hart or Sandstrom is ready.

 

 Filp was a salary dump by the Lightning and only had 2 years on his deal - another short term trade that was all about giving Streit a chance at a Cup.  Filp also brings skill to the lineup which is/was desperately needed and also brings experience.   He will be gone by the TDL this year.  

 

Lehtera was the price of getting Schenn off the books and taking 2 first round picks from the Blues.   I still predict that Lehtera is the odd man out or in the AHL this year.

 

These guys are not part of the plan...   it was all about what was given in return.  It was never about trading for these players but about gaining picks and dumping off salary.  In Elliot's case - he is nothing more than a temporary stop-gap until the kids are ready.   

 

 

This is such a cringe-worthy statement. He offered youth AND points AND we aren't loaded  with so many forward prospects  that we just had to get rid of him. Young and productive doesn't fall under "we gotta get this guy off the books".

 

I know they are stop-gaps, that's not my point. My point was 1. See above. 2. Jagr was a stop-gap too and Giroux had the best year of his career playing with him. The two schleps we brought in aren't helping anyone. Aim f-cking higher than simply acquiring bodies to fill out the roster.

[radoran]

1 hour ago, fanaticV3.0 said:

 

How many forward prospects can you name who are worth a damn? And by worth a damn, I mean someone capable of replacing.... let's say Schenn's production; since we don't really need him? Because I can't think of any outside of Patrick. I like Konecny, but I wouldn't include him yet.

 

I'm not worried about the defense, because it should be "fine" theoretically. And even if it isn't,  at least you can say they made a concentrated effort to stockpile young players at that position. If the kids on D  don't pan out, I get mad at them, not  Hextall. But up front is paper thin and I hold him directly accountable for that;  especially when he is trading away a top 3 25-year-old goalscorer  and replacing him with two older role players.

 

I hear you, but was responding to you complaining about relying on younger players. That's just where the league is at this point as the past EIGHT cup winners show.

 

Who will provide Schenn's production? Honestly, I'm not convinced they could have relied on SCHENN for that, either.

 

It seems to me that the team is looking to have the current core - V, G, Simmonds, etc. - be supported through the draft with younger players. It could work. It very well might not. But the team they had has two playoff rounds in five years. That's not a convincing argument for me to stay the course.

 

I would have brought back Mason - especially on the deal he got in Winnipeg (cue the "he wouldn't have taken that deal in Philly" chorus). But I'm not mourning Schenn's departure. I haven't seen Lindblom or most of the other prospects but the Flyers assuredly have and they obviously think they have the makings of NHL players.

 

Disagree or agree, we'll see in October.

[murraycraven]

1 hour ago, fanaticV3.0 said:

 

This is such a cringe-worthy statement. He offered youth AND points AND we aren't loaded  with so many forward prospects  that we just had to get rid of him. Young and productive doesn't fall under "we gotta get this guy off the books".

 

I know they are stop-gaps, that's not my point. My point was 1. See above. 2. Jagr was a stop-gap too and Giroux had the best year of his career playing with him. The two schleps we brought in aren't helping anyone. Aim f-cking higher than simply acquiring bodies to fill out the roster.

 

 

I will take two firsts for Schenn any day honestly.   Schenn is a PP specialist who disappears for long stretches during 5 vs 5.   Don't get me wrong I think he is a "good" player but I am fine moving him for the return.    

 

I think Hextall saw Schenn as someon who was not going to be part of the core moving forward and in turn got 2 1st round picks.