Of our prospects who is untouchable? Once Fletcher starts making deals.

[IllaZilla]

11 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Looks like you could have used Haula 29 goals he basically double up Koivu's stats letting him go.

 

Haula would have been 3rd on the team last year.

 

And Koivu?

 

Never mind I'm not even going to touch that one.

 

Hey but what do I know about Wild hockey.

 

Just from the outside looking in not a smart move.

 

Tuch for Dumba I guess I could see.

 

 

 

You can't say that Haula would have scored 29 goals on the Wild. Different teams, different line mates, different game situations. And everyone seems to gloss over Haula's team worst -16 +/-. Haula had been given many chances to move up in the pecking order on the Wild but never seemed to seize it. That is one of the reason's Fletcher made that disastrous trade for Martin Hanzal to be the 4C. Haula wasn't delivering.

 

Sometimes a change of scenery refreshes a player. The Wild had that happen with Staal. He was terrible his last season in Carolina and when he got traded to the Rags. But then his first season with the Wild he went right back to scoring. Probably same thing happened with Haula. Change of scenery, fresh start. But this season it looks like Haula was on pace for 38 points before he blew his knee out.

 

There are a lot of Koivu haters on the Wild boards. I think he's overpaid for what he delivers, but if your boss threw that kind of money at you, would you say "No, no, too much money. Pay me less." ? I don't think so. 

 

Koivu has never been more than a solid, two-way center. His talents are ideally fitted to a 2C. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. All teams need good two-way players. It's just that for years the Wild front office made him out to be a 1C, comparable to the other top centers in the league "because of the intangibles he brings to the game and little things he does well". As fans we looked around and saw other 1C's  and then look at Koivu and say "What the Hell?"

[OccamsRazor]

8 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

 

You can't say that Haula would have scored 29 goals on the Wild

 

Sure but it's that any player that changes teams.

 

And you're right I can't say he would have.

 

And you can't say he wouldn't have.

 

Hell he may have scored 40 for the Wild we'll never know. Funny thing about speculation.

 

No matter what Chuck has inherited a way much better situation taking over the Flyers than he did for the Wild.

 

I'm just hoping he has learned his lessons and doesn't make mistakes like he has in the past.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

By the way just using Haula as an example I too don't think Karlsson will ever reach the numbers he did but he could...

[IllaZilla]

35 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Sure but it's that any player that changes teams.

 

And you're right I can't say he would have.

 

And you can't say he wouldn't have.

 

Hell he may have scored 40 for the Wild we'll never know. Funny thing about speculation.

 

No matter what Chuck has inherited a way much better situation taking over the Flyers than he did for the Wild.

 

I'm just hoping he has learned his lessons and doesn't make mistakes like he has in the past.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

By the way just using Haula as an example I too don't think Karlsson will ever reach the numbers he did but he could...

 

Oh, no doubt. Naegle and Dumpster Doug Risebrough really left the team in rough shape. Always picking in that 15-20 range and then the players they did draft didn't pan out. And Risebrough was mandated by the owner to keep the payroll as low as possible even though the team was selling out every game for the first six or seven years of it's existence.

 

Fletcher made some good moves (getting Pominville for a bunch of nobodies) and he made some bad moves (giving up first round draft picks for Martin Hanzal). He did get the Wild to get into the playoffs for the last six seasons. Problem is, once they were there, they were one and done. Sometimes it was beyond his control (Suter breaking his ankle, Parise breraking his sternum), but other times the additions he made just upset the team chemistry (the Moulson trade, the Hanzal trade).

 

The biggest problem I have with him is his penchant to give everyone and their brother a NTC/NMC during contract negotiations. The way he handed those out has severely handcuffed the new GM Fenton.

 

But like you said, maybe he's learned some lessons.

[rottenrefs]

Just for clarity, some of Chuck's first courses of action with the Wild, was he made them more competitive. While doing so he acquired a few fairly decent players who picked up where some of the older players who (weren't aging well) declined. He made some moves to free up some cash... Began to fill the cupboards a bit with some prospects, and as he was transitioned to being the new GM here one of his tasks was to create a more offensive minded team. Leipold had been scorched by the media for having a boring hockey team and a new direction was to correct that (from the Lemaire days of trying to win a game 1-0 and milk the clock until the final buzzer.)

 

From that standpoint he did well, but many of the prospects were going to take some time to develop and from that he began to acquire FA rentals. Likely he had hopes some of them would have panned out better but while okay for short term, the long haul goal sort of transitioned into a yearly escape route that never really took hold by sustaining more out of those rentals than just being rentals.

 

For Philadelphia they are in a better position than the Wild were. More specifically, 2nd to 3rd line players like Devon Setoguchi and Antti Miettinen won't be playing in 1st line roles. The Flyers have some decent forwards producing (something the Wild didn't really have) so shoring up some role players, I'm guessing, is where Fletcher's initial target area will focus on after he evaluates everything they have on paper (with contracts.) IMO finding role players is where Chuck does okay. Likely he's not going to deal any productive fan favorites; unless there's reason for those players to not fit into the scope or direction the team sets its sights on for their future.

[brelic]

8 hours ago, flyer4ever said:

IMO, humbly, I think everyone needs to look honestly at this team and the league as a whole and realize the Flyers are not in win now mode. There are a number of teams who are or believe they are. For that reason, I think the smart move in asset management is to move Giroux. I would love to win a cup with #28 as captain, but that is not realistic. He is the best commodity the team has and would fetch the best return. If everything revolves around Hart in goal, then trading your veteran assets makes the most sense. It also sets you up better to not get hurt as bad at expansion draft time if you can move more veterans, all inclusive. I also think it would put a more entertaining product on the ice if you get the right return. Big young fast physical. Not goons. Big young fast physical. If you put Hart in goal with the current roster he will spend more time injured than healthy. You need to put a team in front of him that will protect him.

 

I get what you’re saying, but Giroux is a game breaker. The only other player in the organization with the same ability is Ghost, and he hasn’t been that this year. 

 

No one in the organization can control and take over a game like G.

 

No Cup winner is without one.

 

If you listened closely to Homer and Scott these past few weeks, they are in no mood to tank in order to have an 18.5% of finding one.

 

So unless you have a plan to replace him, I can’t ever see that happening. 

 

 

[ruxpin]

11 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

Which would you rather have, Tuch or Dumba?

Honestly, Tuch. 

 

But I understand why the decision went the way it did.