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We can set our calendars - - 

 

Sunday's Flyers intra-squad game will be televised on NBCS-P at 7 PM ET for those who can get it. Jan 10.

 

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3 hours ago, Zzeke said:

 

I'm a believer. This is a very, very, good team. Anyone else a believer?

 

Residents of the Grandview Senior Home gather with the Stanley Cup prior to the Kraft Hockeyville game between the Detroit Red Wings and the St....

They're not a Stanley Cup contender yet.  The defense is still about two seasons away from hitting peak status.  The club also needs to hope that Frost and Farabee hit their stride in two seasons as well. Giroux and Voracek are on the downside of their career and they've started to show down in terms of production. The kids need to step up and I just don't see that happening this season. I think Vigneault shelters them this year and then lets them loose next year. 

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5 hours ago, CoachX said:

Two seasons away......

It's not wrong though. They're a playoff contender,  but they aren't a Stanley Cup contender and that's perfectly fine.  Personally,  I think the club overachieved last season and I'm fairly certain that there will be a bit of let down/reality check this year.  There's still work to do and there are still a number of questions this group has to answer. Let's not forget that there were some who were still questioning whether this club would have made the playoffs last year and they didn't exactly have the greatest of starts. Not much has changed from last year to this year,  so yeah, I'm reserved in my view of the club.  I've been a fan for over 40 years and I'm just not sold yet with this group.  They're competitive,  but there's still a lot of maturing that need to be done, especially physically with some of these players.  The Flyers are also going to depending on a guy who hasn't played in over a year to be a pivotal player. They'll make the playoffs and they'll win a round or two,  but they simply aren't at a level that a club like Tampa Bay is at.  And that's OK because they should eventually get there.  Until then,  stick with the process.  Get these young guys playing more so they're ready to take over the club and move out the players who don't fit what is trying to be established. 

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13 hours ago, Zzeke said:

We can set our calendars - - 

 

Sunday's Flyers intra-squad game will be televised on NBCS-P at 7 PM ET for those who can get it. Jan 10.

 

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Thanks for the heads up!!  Could be fun 😀

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1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Truth be known every team that makes the playoffs is a contender.

I'll openly admit I have incredibly high standards.  I understand that everyone who qualifies for the playoffs is a contender,  but that just doesn't fit the bill for me. 

 

As mentioned, I've watched this club for 40 years and visually,  you can tell when you have a true Stanley Cup contender just by the way they play.  There's a crispness and a dedication to system and style of play and I don't see that fun this group,  yet. 

 

They're getting there.  The veterans might already be there,  but its the young players who need to get there.  Meyers and Sanheim are close to reaching that point,  but they aren't there yet.  Farabee looks like he could get there. Lindblom has questions and so does Patrick.  We don't know if Frost will ever crack this roster and if he does,  how far is he away from hitting that crispness and compete level that's required. 

 

I don't know if I'm making sense,  but that's how I see things right now.  The maturation process simply can't be rushed and sometimes this franchise does that. They don't show players to make mistakes and learn as that's part of the process.  We all saw how Haktard crucified Konecny and Ghost and we even saw Vigneault do that with Ghost as well,  even though he and the staff knew that Ghost was injured (in all honesty,  Ghost should have never been playing last year,  but that's on the medical staff). 

 

In my mind  there are just too many question marks to make them a legitimate cup contender.  We can see the window opening,  which is a great sign, but there's still a lot of work to do. 

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Optimism

 

Camp Day 3 - Jordan Hall:

 

Just like old times

 

Speaking of rekindling past chemistry, Vigneault put Oskar Lindblom, Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny together on Wednesday.

 

Remember how good that trio was right out of the chute last season? Lindblom, Couturier and Konecny made up the Flyers' best line — and it wasn't even close — through the first six weeks of 2019-20. They had to be broken up because Vigneault wanted to spark others and create greater balance in his lines.

 

In the 50-minute scrimmage Wednesday, Lindblom beat Carter Hart on a nasty shot from a side angle. He was active and around the net, creating opportunities.

 

"No doubt that having Oskar back with our group is not just comforting for me, it's comforting for all his teammates and I’m sure it's very comforting for Oskar," Vigneault said. "Today was the first time really that I put guys back together that have sort of played a little bit together in the past. When Oskar stopped playing, he was playing with Coots and T.K. I wanted to see that today and wasn’t disappointed."

 

Philadelphia Flyers Left Wing Oskar Lindblom scores a goal on Vancouver Canucks Goaltender Jacob Markstrom during their NHL game at Rogers Arena on...

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6 minutes ago, BobbyClarkeFan16 said:

The veterans might already be there

 

See this was my concern the vets.

 

Man they let this team down big time.

 

Giroux, Hayes, JVR, Niskanen, Braun and Jake all looked gassed.

 

Jake not as much vs Montreal but vs the Isles the whole group had nothing to give.

 

Giroux looked like he had mentally opted out.

 

And Niskanen's play fell off a cliff.

 

So with out that lead by example group the kids had no chance.

 

So if they are to do anything their best players have to be their best players as AV said last year.

 

And if they do the kids will follow suit and maybe not feel so much pressure.

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once the playoffs started in August, a whole lot of these guys looked like they''d rather be elsewhere. after reading players' comments about life in the bubble maybe that's understandable, but still disappointing to watch.

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23 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

See this was my concern the vets.

 

Man they let this team down big time.

 

Giroux, Hayes, JVR, Niskanen, Braun and Jake all looked gassed.

This is my concern also. How exactly is this going to be fixed? Its a season later, and they are a year older. Im pretty confident the fountain of youth is a myth. So how exactly does G, Jake, JVR, Braun, elevate their game? Who will be that guy thats sparks the offense and leads the team?

 

I still think there needs to be player personnel changes. I dont think Morin is answer, but a firey guy who will lay a big hit, and deter opposition is much needed. But I dont see this happening. I find it interesting that after the addition of Grant and Thompson,  them team finished the regular season in top. But these two guys weren't the long term answer. They were a short time jolt to a line up. Thats my point. The lineup needs a significant upgrade on the front end. 

 

I just dont see how they will be better on offense, or more successful if they make the PO

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5 minutes ago, BobbyClarkeFan16 said:

I'll openly admit I have incredibly high standards.  I understand that everyone who qualifies for the playoffs is a contender,  but that just doesn't fit the bill for me. 

 

As mentioned, I've watched this club for 40 years and visually,  you can tell when you have a true Stanley Cup contender just by the way they play.  There's a crispness and a dedication to system and style of play and I don't see that fun this group,  yet. 

 

They're getting there.  The veterans might already be there,  but its the young players who need to get there.  Meyers and Sanheim are close to reaching that point,  but they aren't there yet.  Farabee looks like he could get there. Lindblom has questions and so does Patrick.  We don't know if Frost will ever crack this roster and if he does,  how far is he away from hitting that crispness and compete level that's required. 

 

I don't know if I'm making sense,  but that's how I see things right now.  The maturation process simply can't be rushed and sometimes this franchise does that. They don't show players to make mistakes and learn as that's part of the process.  We all saw how Haktard crucified Konecny and Ghost and we even saw Vigneault do that with Ghost as well,  even though he and the staff knew that Ghost was injured (in all honesty,  Ghost should have never been playing last year,  but that's on the medical staff). 

 

In my mind  there are just too many question marks to make them a legitimate cup contender.  We can see the window opening,  which is a great sign, but there's still a lot of work to do. 

 

Good post.

 

However, I'm much more optimistic as I see things. I've watched this club for 54 seasons including 35 seasons as a STH. That doesn't make me any more qualified than any of us here. There are many sharp dudes here.

 

Watching the surge at the latter part of last season, the short 13-game (small sample size) playoffs, and the improvements shown and expected - 

 

The optimistic view is:

 

1) the addition of Lindblom and Patrick. This is not to be minimized. It's significant.

 

2) Improvement/growth from last season - 8 young players already on roster who are far from their peak - this is a great point not to be overlooked -

 

Fletcher said he and his staff had counted "eight players on the NHL roster that haven't come close to hitting their peak and to having their career seasons." "That's the exciting thing," Fletcher said. "That's our growth."

 

Hmm - 8 roster players:


1) Myers
2) Sanheim
3) Farabee
4) Konecny
5) Lindblom
6) Patrick (health permitting)
7) Aube-Kubel
8] Hart

3) This team will score goals. Our Flyers last season were 7th in the 31-team NHL in 'goals scored'. They played 1 and 2 games less than the two teams ahead of them, and could easily have been 5th in the League. As Fletcher said, don't be fooled by the 13 game small sample size of the bubble playoffs.
 

4) Infusion of youth - an open 3RW spot - 


-  Fletcher said: “We’re comfortable with our group. We like our team. We already have a lot of players signed and a lot of kids who we feel can push for ice time and an opportunity. 

 

- Sandin, Allison, Laczynski - - one could make it -


Question: Do you foresee any of your older first-year pros coming in this season -- Linus Sandin, Wade Allison, and Tanner Laczynski specifically -- to compete for a NHL job this upcoming season? All three are physically mature and 23- or 24-years old.


[AGM] Brent Flahr: First of all, Laczynski and Allison like you said, and Sandin, they’re older players. They’re physically more mature than typically players that are coming out of junior that are 19, 20 years old. Their mindset coming to camp is to make the team. - - - In reality I would say, I would assume that each of them are going to play games this year. Hopefully one of them grabs it and makes the best of their opportunity.

 

5) Goaltender Carter Hart, age 22, taking the next step:

 

Asked if he had set any personal goals, Hart said he wants to “be the best I can be. I want to be able to give our team a chance to win every night. I don’t want to just be another NHL player; I want to be the best and I want to be the best NHL goaltender. That is something that I strive for every day.

 

Optimism.

 

IMO, this is a very, very, good team - - a SC contender.

 

ZZ

 

Understanding the Flyers' Playoff Picture – Philadelphia Sports Nation

 

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8 minutes ago, Zzeke said:

The optimistic view is:

 

1) the addition of Lindblom and Patrick. This is not to be minimized. It's significant.

 

2) Improvement/growth from last season - 8 young players already on roster who are far from their peak - this is a great point not to be overlooked -

It good to have these two back, and I appreciate the optimism, but I dont share it. Even before this latest issue, Patrick was a health risk looking for his next injury.  He had some good play, but was far from what I thought a no. 2 pick should be. He is at best, a huge ???

 

Same with Oscar. What is he? What will he be? We dont know. 

 

What if both players cant reach an impactful level. Thats a huge hit

 

As for the mystery 8, how long will it take for them to be significant. If it isnt immediately,  then the Flyers are putting fungers in the holes of the dam. Because as they grow, the top will continue to decline. So, are we looking at the replacements for the top of our line up? Is this a rebuild?

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39 minutes ago, CoachX said:

So how exactly does G, Jake, JVR, Braun, elevate their game?

 

I really don't have an answer.

 

I am hoping this team is the one we saw leading the NHL before the stoppage and the stoppage along with the bubble issue guys being away from their families and not getting to sleep in their beds and see their families and some with new babies was the real issue and it affect some teams more than other - and it really hit the Flyers hard.

 

Otherwise it's all I got and I don't know.

Edited by OccamsRazor
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38 minutes ago, CoachX said:

Who will be that guy thats sparks the offense and leads the team?

 

I meant to add this to the last post. Oops.

 

I think the following will help take up some slack:

 

A healthy Oskar.

 

A healthy Patrick.

 

Sandin???

 

Frost stealing a spot.

 

NAK's 20 goal season!!!

 

The addition of Gus over a deteriorated Niskanen.

 

And all the kids Ivan, Myers, Sanheim and Hagg just being a little more smarter than last year helps.

 

On top of the coaching staff being more familiar with all the players and being better suited to play to their strengths should all help.

 

So not just a one thing but the synergistic affect of all of the things I mentioned on top of a better battle test Carter Hart will reap the benefits on the standings and the win column.

 

Edited by OccamsRazor
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3 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

I really don't have an answer.

 

I am hoping this team is the one we saw leading the NHL before the stoppage and the stoppage along with the bubble issue guys being away from their families and not getting to sleep in the beds was the real issue and it affect some teams more than other - and it really hit the Flyers hard.

 

Otherwise it's all I got and I don't know.

 

Agree.

 

And Captain G, in this Camp, is reportedly in great shape, very enthusiastic, embarrased by the bubble playoffs, and highly motivated. The younger players have been quoted as being very impressed with Giroux.

 

Flyers move closer to playoff spot as Claude Giroux's OT goal beats Bruins

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11 minutes ago, Zzeke said:

 

Agree.

 

And Captain G, in this Camp, is reportedly in great shape, very enthusiastic, embarrased by the bubble playoffs, and highly motivated. The younger players have been quoted as being very impressed with Giroux.

 

Flyers move closer to playoff spot as Claude Giroux's OT goal beats Bruins

 

That is great to hear.

 

I am of the belief that the Captain should always be setting a great example he doesn't have to be a leading scorer per se but his effort should never be in question and that wasn't the case this past playoff race.

 

Hey water under the bridge just like AV said he is doing with Ghost giving him a clean slate so should the whole team including the Captain.

 

And I hope we never see that TK again.

 

All that matters is what they do this season.

 

Let's go boys!!!!

 

 

Edited by OccamsRazor
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5 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

That is great to hear.

 

I am of the belief that the Captain should always be setting a great example he doesn't have to be a leading scorer per se but his effort should never be in question and that wasn't the case this past playoff race.

 

Hey water under the bridge just like AV said he is doing with Ghost giving him a clean slate so should the while team.

 

All that matters is what they do this season.

 

Let's go boys!!!!


FLYERS’ CLAUDE GIROUX ENTERS TRAINING CAMP WITH A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER FROM LAST SEASON

 

“He’s a great leader. He’s a big presence in the room. Just to see him bring his work ethic every practice and every game, it’s something that you want to learn from and you want to bring that yourself when you see a guy like that bring it every day. It brings the energy up. It makes you want to work that much harder.

 

He’s a great guy and a great guy to have in the room. I’m glad he’s on my team. Just the way that he brings it. He brings it every day. Just to see a guy like that bring it every day motivates the boys to push yourself that much harder. He’s a big presence in the room. He’s been here a long time and has a lot of experience. He’s a great leader. I can’t say enough good things about Claude Giroux. He’s the captain of our team and I’m glad that he’s with us.”– Philippe Myers

 

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 09: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers yells during the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Wells Fargo Center on February 9, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

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@OccamsRazor @CoachX @Zzeke @BobbyClarkeFan16

Some good discussion here.

 

Looking back at the end of the regular season, guys were starting to really pick up their play. 

G in particular was pretty hot going into the break.

He's not falling off a cliff, but he isn't his 26 year old self either, that's not in dispute.

I think not really knowing when they would be returning to play messed with a lot of these guys routines vis a vis training, skating and being prepared. 

I know if I had zero financial worries, a new baby and nothing to really do. I'd love up on that baby. I think that was happening with a lot of the veterans. I'm sure it was easy to skip time on the treadmill or whatever when baby VanReimsdyk or Giroux was rolling over - or doing whatever babies do. 

I also think with Giroux and Koneckny they got into a bad headspace beating Price but hitting iron several times. There wasn't enough runway to get their groove back, because there was less time and space on the ice vs the Islanders.

All that to say the bubble experience wasn't awesome for the boys. There were lessons to be learned from it sure, but also some problems that were specific to that experience. Chuck Fletcher was pretty good I thought in his analysis and I applaud him for letting this group run it back. 

I like this team, I'm looking forward to watching them play again.

 

 

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Continued optimism - 

 

Meltzer's report today (he observes at Camp every day) - 

 

Following are some notes through the first three days of on-ice work:

 

* Nolan Patrick has looked outstanding in camp so far; confident with the puck, physically engaged, making plays. Sooner or later, we were going to get the first test where he got hit. Yesterday, it came about in accidental way and from the last player you'd want to see collide heavily with Patrick: Samuel Morin.

 

Thankfully, Patrick got back up and, after collecting himself for a bit at the end of the bench, he got ready for his next shift and was fine thereafter. It would have been a nervous moment had it been any player, because the gargantuan Morin accidentally freight-trained his own scrimmage teammate on an attempted bodycheck, but no harm was done.

 

Patrick has yet to score a goal in the scrimmages, but that's meaningless right now. He's right in the thick of the play and making things happen with his skill and size. If he carries that into the season and stays healthy, he'll be just fine. Patrick scored a snazzy "reverse Forsberg" goal in Wednesday's shootout.

 

Nolan Patrick skill Level - - Cool Goal

 

Flyers' Nolan Patrick scores nasty between-the-legs goal | RSN

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1 hour ago, Zzeke said:


FLYERS’ CLAUDE GIROUX ENTERS TRAINING CAMP WITH A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER FROM LAST SEASON

 

“He’s a great leader. He’s a big presence in the room. Just to see him bring his work ethic every practice and every game, it’s something that you want to learn from and you want to bring that yourself when you see a guy like that bring it every day. It brings the energy up. It makes you want to work that much harder.

 

He’s a great guy and a great guy to have in the room. I’m glad he’s on my team. Just the way that he brings it. He brings it every day. Just to see a guy like that bring it every day motivates the boys to push yourself that much harder. He’s a big presence in the room. He’s been here a long time and has a lot of experience. He’s a great leader. I can’t say enough good things about Claude Giroux. He’s the captain of our team and I’m glad that he’s with us.”– Philippe Myers

 

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 09: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers yells during the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Wells Fargo Center on February 9, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

 

More from Meltzer's report today as he highlights Giroux - - the Captain is wound-up for this season. Players and media have taken note of his intensity and drive. We sense a coming great season from Giroux.

 

* The competitiveness and physicality of the Day 2 scrimmage was higher than the first day, and Day 3 was significantly higher than Day 2. If you had to cite one particular player who drove the competitiveness higher, it would be Claude Giroux. The Flyers' captain, apart from making things happen with the puck, also was chirping, slashing and generally getting under the skin of Team Black's players.

 

121718_Flyers-Giroux_AP

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Maybe a break for our Flyers? The Flyers play the NYI on Jan 30 and Jan 31.

 

MATHEW BARZAL
C, NEW YORK ISLANDERS

 

Without specifically mentioning Mathew Barzal, Islanders coach Barry Trotz talked about the importance of participating in training camp.

 

Barzal is a restricted free agent, so he obviously hasn't been part of the Islanders' camp yet. Still, the longer his negotiations drag on, the harder it'll be for Barzal to get up to speed. 

 

"If you’re going to start the season, you’ve got to get going right away," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "It’s hard if you miss some time here. I don’t know if you can replicate what we’re doing here. It’s tough for anyone to catch up.

 

We’re going to have live bullets, this will be a week from now. There’s not going to be a lot of practices [once the season starts]. You need to be in live action as much as you can." 

 

If Barzal ends up missing training camp, then it's entirely possible that he'll end up underperforming this season as a result.

 

SOURCE: Newsday
Jan 7, 2021, 11:13 AM ET

 

Observations from the Flyers’ 3-1 loss to the Islanders in Game 3

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