Eklund rumor : Flyers in "heavy" pursuit of Karlsson....

[King Knut]

7 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

They have indoor plumbing now, so you can go to the bathroom inside the building.

 

Can you imagine?   Inside!

 

We had that, we just didn't poop in the same stalls the girls did. 

[intheslot]

@ruxpin not sure think they have eased up on them ... 

 now right outside there are Liquor stores ... on the way in .

 .. could be some lurking in there ....

 

 

[King Knut]

21 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

They didn't, though.  They were horrible through February and March and Captain Morgan was all "it's just one game."   He played with as much enthusiasm as he showed on a West German BMW commercial.

 

They did improve some.

On Dec. 31, they were 19-18-2 and had their coach fired (at 13-11-1)

At end of season, they were 41-35-6.   

So they went 22-17-4 after Dec. 31.   Not a huge improvement, actually.

On March 1 (that was a Winter Olympic year) they were 32-25-3.   So from Dec 31 to the Olympics, they went a very respectable 13-7-1.   But from March on, they went 9-10-3 and almost it's only one game'd it away.    

 

They weren't horrible.  They were actually 14-7-1 January and February.

Essentially we're talking about one five game losing streak in March that made them closer to .500 in March and April.  Otherwise they were pretty good.  Inconsistent (again... injuries to key players) but good. 

 

The thing about that year for me that made it so exciting was that from day one we knew they were better than they were showing us.  Everyone thought it was a fluke and that the Blackhawks were so much better and deserved to win, but that was a pretty damn good Flyers team.  Yes, they underachieved and they were having trouble putting it together, but eventually they got to where they actually should have been.  They weren't flying above their abilities, they were finally reaching them.  

 

I still say if Razor hadn't gotten hurt... or if Boosh and Leighton BOTH been hurt in the finals, they'd have won it.  It would have gone down in history as one of the longest shot cup winners ever, but the reality would have been they were actually probably that good.  They just didn't act as good as they were all the time.  

 

Just my opinion.  

[King Knut]

5 hours ago, intheslot said:

@ruxpin not sure think they have eased up on them ... 

 now right outside there are Liquor stores ... on the way in .

 .. could be some lurking in there ....

 

 

 

They could have partied their butts off in their condos or at Clarkie's house, but they weren't cruising in Ocean City.  If anything, it's more likely they brought some girlfriends along and just got hammered at someone's house.  Even that is pretty hard to do in Ocean City without it making the news.  

[AJgoal]

5 minutes ago, King Knut said:

 

They could have partied their butts off in their condos or at Clarkie's house, but they weren't cruising in Ocean City.  If anything, it's more likely they brought some girlfriends along and just got hammered at someone's house.  Even that is pretty hard to do in Ocean City without it making the news.  

 

Well, Carter's house was in Sea Isle, which is decidedly NOT dry.

[OccamsRazor]

Wow this thread has morphed into a whole collection of topics....

 

 

...can't find a thread that matches???

 

Just put it here...about those Buffalo Bills...

[King Knut]

12 minutes ago, AJgoal said:

 

Well, Carter's house was in Sea Isle, which is decidedly NOT dry.

 

Much more likely locale or such shenanigans.  

[King Knut]

6 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

Wow this thread has morphed into a whole collection of topics....

 

 

What?  The FLyers shouldn't trade for Karlsson because Penn Chicks don't get down, Temple Chicks don't have indoor plumbing and Ocean City chicks don't have booze...  DId I miss anything?

[OccamsRazor]

Just now, King Knut said:

 

What?  The FLyers shouldn't trade for Karlsson because Penn Chicks don't get down, Temple Chicks don't have indoor plumbing and Ocean City chicks don't have booze...  DId I miss anything?

 

 

You forgot Carter had two broken footas!!!!! 

[ruxpin]

1 hour ago, King Knut said:

The thing about that year for me that made it so exciting was that from day one we knew they were better than they were showing us

 

I was honestly never excited.  I didn't like Stevens and preferred Lavy so it's not like I was upset by the coaching change (I partied), but it just wasn't a fun season for me, let alone exciting.   Frustrating as hell is the way I remember it.   The old board filleted the team most of the year.

 

The playoffs were a fun ride but I would have considered them one of the least-deserving Cup winning teams had they sneaked through all the way.   The comeback against Boston was cool.   I don't care who gets hurt on Boston, you still have to come back from 0-3 and 0-3 in game 7, but if Krecji doesn't go down, I don't think we're past the 2nd round.   And the other heavyweights got upset.  Play who you're scheduled.  So, it's cool.  The playoffs were a fun ride.

 

But it wasn't a fun season or a fun team for me and I don't remember it fondly.   Just my take on it is all.

[ruxpin]

46 minutes ago, King Knut said:

 

What?  The FLyers shouldn't trade for Karlsson because Penn Chicks don't get down, Temple Chicks don't have indoor plumbing and Ocean City chicks don't have booze...  DId I miss anything?

 

LOL That's awesome.   I think you got it other than the Carter/foot thing.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

It was JVR with the BROKED FOOTA, wasn't it?

[OccamsRazor]

3 hours ago, AlaskaFlyerFan said:

It was JVR with the BROKED FOOTA, wasn't it?

 

No Carter had two broken footas.

[King Knut]

6 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

LOL That's awesome.   I think you got it other than the Carter/foot thing.

 

Oh man, I can’t believe I forgot Frosty tips and his foot fetish!  Poor girls from Rowan and or ‘Nova depending on where practice

was that day.  

[King Knut]

6 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

I was honestly never excited.  I didn't like Stevens and preferred Lavy so it's not like I was upset by the coaching change (I partied), but it just wasn't a fun season for me, let alone exciting.   Frustrating as hell is the way I remember it.   The old board filleted the team most of the year.

 

The playoffs were a fun ride but I would have considered them one of the least-deserving Cup winning teams had they sneaked through all the way.   The comeback against Boston was cool.   I don't care who gets hurt on Boston, you still have to come back from 0-3 and 0-3 in game 7, but if Krecji doesn't go down, I don't think we're past the 2nd round.   And the other heavyweights got upset.  Play who you're scheduled.  So, it's cool.  The playoffs were a fun ride.

 

But it wasn't a fun season or a fun team for me and I don't remember it fondly.   Just my take on it is all.

 

I actually liked Stevens a lot... liked Lavvy better except for the Leighton fetish.  

 

Stevens seems to have aged and toughened up a bit for his time with Sutter, but I always thought he was a good coach. 

[jammer2]

 Hey, I know....instead of investing in superstars, how about we fix the BRUTAL penalty kill.....you know, different guys in the bottom six that can actually KILL a penalty!!  Take a look at his graph....read it and weep....does not have last year, but we were real bad last year ....so imagine another dip....

 

https://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/teams/4968/philadelphia-flyers/#Penalty Kill Efficiency$SeasonMax=9999&SeasonMin=1900

 

 In other words, the pk has been brutal since Hexy took over....he needs to fix this....NOW!!!

[OccamsRazor]

1 hour ago, jammer2 said:

 Hey, I know....instead of investing in superstars, how about we fix the BRUTAL penalty kill.....you know, different guys in the bottom six that can actually KILL a penalty!!  Take a look at his graph....read it and weep....does not have last year, but we were real bad last year ....so imagine another dip....

 

https://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/teams/4968/philadelphia-flyers/#Penalty Kill Efficiency$SeasonMax=9999&SeasonMin=1900

 

 In other words, the pk has been brutal since Hexy took over....he needs to fix this....NOW!!!

 

Yeah PK needs some help for sure.

 

I like Lappy a lot as a player but he has not done well I think as a coach of the PK and I wanted him sent packing.

 

However that is not what happened.

 

So with JVR not maybe bumping Simmer off the PP maybe Simmer can concentrate on working more on the PK.

 

He done it pretty well I thought.

 

JVR and Patrick can take up his role in front of the crease and give him some rest and time to hone his PK skills.

 

Folin is a solid PKer so he can take Mannings minutes on the PK and he and Hagg could make a nice PK pair.

 

Gudas might be bumped to the press box after his struggles this past playoffs on the PK.

 

Guess we'll see soon.

[jammer2]

1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Yeah PK needs some help for sure.

 

I like Lappy a lot as a player but he has not done well I think as a coach of the PK and I wanted him sent packing.

 

However that is not what happened.

 

So with JVR not maybe bumping Simmer off the PP maybe Simmer can concentrate on working more on the PK.

 

He done it pretty well I thought.

 

JVR and Patrick can take up his role in front of the crease and give him some rest and time to hone his PK skills.

 

Folin is a solid PKer so he can take Mannings minutes on the PK and he and Hagg could make a nice PK pair.

 

Gudas might be bumped to the press box after his struggles this past playoffs on the PK.

 

Guess we'll see soon.

 

 Yeah, I agree in principal with your pk picks.....but I want OPTIONS also. In other words, no slow guys in the bottom six, and most of them should be pk options as well. Fast, smart and the ability to separate opponents when the opportunity arises. 

 

 A few years away, but Farabee sounds perfect for the pk....of course, his 5 short handed pts was in HS, but we know he works his butt off, and is wicked fast....sounds like pk duty to me!!

[King Knut]

10 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Yeah PK needs some help for sure.

 

I like Lappy a lot as a player but he has not done well I think as a coach of the PK and I wanted him sent packing.

 

However that is not what happened.

 

So with JVR not maybe bumping Simmer off the PP maybe Simmer can concentrate on working more on the PK.

 

He done it pretty well I thought.

 

JVR and Patrick can take up his role in front of the crease and give him some rest and time to hone his PK skills.

 

Folin is a solid PKer so he can take Mannings minutes on the PK and he and Hagg could make a nice PK pair.

 

Gudas might be bumped to the press box after his struggles this past playoffs on the PK.

 

Guess we'll see soon.

 

I'm hoping JVR's presence helps make PP2 better.  Whether it's playing there himself, pushing Simmer to PP2, or having them both play there and keeping Patrick up on PP1, there are a lot of possibilities.  PP1 has been astounding for a few years, mostly becasue of Ghost and G making everyone else awesome, but if they could get PP2 clicking at just an average rate, they'd win a lot more games.  

 

The PK is a problem and I think it likely does come down to coaching.

 

Morin being out most of the year will take away the big in-franchise relief that had been coming.  The real problem on the PK (and in the last two minutes of a one goal game) is speed.  Half of it's the team's lack of it and half of it is Hakstol putting out Slow Ass mofos like Lehtera because they're "good at defense".  

 

This is one of my biggest pet peeves with Hakstol as a coach.  His defense is clueless.  They're not quite as clueless as Berube had them playing, but they're pretty clueless none the less.  They're constantly out of position on they're constantly misplaying a given situation and that much seems to be by design.  That's mostly on the transition though.  When they're penned into their own zone, they're straight up just too damn slow to win races to the puck.  And it's not just because they're slow skaters, though some are.  It mostly has to do with being out of position, but they're also just static and they don't challenge or move their feet enough.  They're literally trying to defend by just taking up space.  That might have been fine in '98 but it's a bit outdated now because offenses actually care to skate these days.  

 

If nothing else changes, my thinking is to get Sanheim on the PK more and try to take advantage of his skating ability.  With Ghost and Provo, you don't need to worry about him stepping up to the PP right away and the kid's a helluva skater.  He doesn't have the greatest flat out speed, but he does have the ability to change direction and maneuver quickly which is is the kind of speed I'm talking about for the PK.

 

Somehow Lehtera actually looked decent on the PK down the stretch and in the playoffs (they actually had a decent PK in the playoffs somehow).  If Simmonds is healthy and can move, I think he's a good choice.  If he's playing 3rd line and PP2 minutes, he should have the time to take on some more PK time again.  Might be his chance to take a Rod the Bod role change and keep himself incredibly relevant past 30 by becoming a special teams specialist.  

 

Outside of that, but big thing is to get Vecchione up to the Flyers instead of Lehtera.  I like him for 4C and I think he'll help the PK.  He's not super fast or anything, but he's got the hockey sense to make smarter plays in his own end.

 

 

 

[King Knut]

9 hours ago, jammer2 said:

 

 Yeah, I agree in principal with your pk picks.....but I want OPTIONS also. In other words, no slow guys in the bottom six, and most of them should be pk options as well. Fast, smart and the ability to separate opponents when the opportunity arises. 

 

 A few years away, but Farabee sounds perfect for the pk....of course, his 5 short handed pts was in HS, but we know he works his butt off, and is wicked fast....sounds like pk duty to me!!

 

Unfortunately, Farabee isn't likely to help this team for at least two or even maybe three years depending on how college goes for him.  

 

It's going to sound crazy, but I want to see Sanheim on the PK.  His skating will be a boon.  Hagg and MacDonald can stick around for shot blocking purposes (the more MacDonald blocks, the more likely he is to get hurt and make space for Myers). 

 

I sincerely only want to see Folin if Gudas or MacDonald is out of the lineup.  

 

For the forwards I still like Vecchione for 4C and PK duty.  Stick him up front with a faster skating wing and you could be onto something.  

 

I know they don't like Laughton on the PK for some reason, but unless they can make another move, it seems to me either Laughton or Weal are going to have to develop their PK skills to help this team out this year.  It won't be good, but they're better skaters than the other options and I really prefer not to see Coots on the PK on a day to day basis.  

 

Last year's PK was greatly improved the minute Matt Read rejoined it, which really points to Hextall's biggest mistake of last year IMHO in rostering Weise and Lehtera over him all year.  Read is no longer a 20 goal scoring threat, but he's a far more solid player than either of those two and his presence last year would have made the team better.  

 

 

 

 

[jammer2]

42 minutes ago, King Knut said:

I sincerely only want to see Folin if Gudas or MacDonald is out of the lineup.  

 

 

 I honesty can't remember how Frolin looked  playing for the Kings. I know from the reports he is just a depth guy, but I want to reserve judgement until I see him play for a few weeks. 

[King Knut]

14 minutes ago, jammer2 said:

 

 I honesty can't remember how Frolin looked  playing for the Kings. I know from the reports he is just a depth guy, but I want to reserve judgement until I see him play for a few weeks. 

 

All I mean is that I don't want him just stepping in for Manning and cock blocking the development of Sanheim and Myers.  If he's better than Manning or Gudas then by all means play him because I think we've seen their ceilings.  Myers and Sanheim and eventually Morin, we're only scratching the surface of.  

 

He's apparently not bad, but not good enough for his last two teams to give him more than a single year deal.  He had a decent amount of promise early on that never really materialized, but I don't think he's bad.  I think he's likely the new Mark Alt.  

 

That said, if he's good enough he should absolutely play, I just don't necessarily think anyone sees him as part of the future and the future needs to be playing now to develop into fruition.

 

 

[jammer2]

43 minutes ago, King Knut said:

 

All I mean is that I don't want him just stepping in for Manning and cock blocking the development of Sanheim and Myers.  If he's better than Manning or Gudas then by all means play him because I think we've seen their ceilings.  Myers and Sanheim and eventually Morin, we're only scratching the surface of.  

 

He's apparently not bad, but not good enough for his last two teams to give him more than a single year deal.  He had a decent amount of promise early on that never really materialized, but I don't think he's bad.  I think he's likely the new Mark Alt.  

 

That said, if he's good enough he should absolutely play, I just don't necessarily think anyone sees him as part of the future and the future needs to be playing now to develop into fruition.

 

 

 

 I really don't see Frolin playing much. There would have to be injuries for him to even crack the 3rd pairing. I don't think that would affect Myers or Morin much, those guys need to play a lot, so unless they break into the last pairing, it's AHL until they are ready. 

[OccamsRazor]

3 hours ago, King Knut said:

if they could get PP2 clicking at just an average rate, they'd win a lot more games.

 

 

Yes that would be huge and should be a priority.

[OccamsRazor]

3 hours ago, King Knut said:

 

Outside of that, but big thing is to get Vecchione up to the Flyers instead of Lehtera

 

 

I think he and Vorobyev will get a hard look in camp/preseason.

 

Misha has a good chance to steal the 3rd role.

 

He has the higher upside than Vex and is the type of playmaker defensive sound forward Hak is going to love.

 

He is also a very underrated scorer that Gordon had raved about the last half of last season saying he had been working on getting the kid to start shooting more and when he listened he started finding the back of the net.

 

I can't wait for next year too start i miss hockey.