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culture, identity, and all the stuff that wins cups.
Of course it does.
already proving out lol. love to hear how that is already “proving” out. you crack me up.
options abound on the way to the playoffs. tocchet COY. Go flyers.
The Rick Tocchet Box +1 defense is the way forward. Believe it before it’s too late.
that is your opinion and far from a fact.
pre-season sometimes is fools gold. unless he flat out dominates back to juniors. I have no faith in the coach putting jett in a position to succeed if he makes the team seeing the coach is pushing for the playoffs. he will straddled to the 4th line with less than ideal linemates.
I think my opinions and conjecture will end up closer to being right than your’s. That’s already proving out. Greg Cronin flipped Zegras to wing in ANA. Maybe the Flyers should have hired Cronin. If Luchanko wins a slot on the team, he wins it. It does simplify things up front. They can still do the 8 game regular season look if pre-season isn’t enough. Options abound if everyone comes close to delivering.
– They are not going to have cates or Dvorak play 4th line center. My guess is Dvorak will on the wing.
– It is still TBD to see if Zegras sticks as a center. IMO the coach will have a short leash if he even struggles a little. Tocchet needs results.
– Send the Jett back to juniors. If he makes the team he will get buried unless he just flat out produces. Tocchet will do everything in his power to make the playoffs. Tocchet has other goals that take priority over “developing” the jettProbably not, which means there’s a question mark at 4C. Of course, I was suggesting months ago this might happen with Cates, even before they signed Dvorak, and was slammed for it.
Zegras is sticking at center. He’ll pick up the system, which is not that complicated, he’s a smart player. He has to read and react and support the puck. Tocchet needs to get him wingers. Tocchet can also use Cates or Dvorak on LW, let one of them be the man inside the box and lighten the D zone load on TZ.
If Luchanko clearly makes the team, why hold him back? Abols did not look great to me last year.
They have 4 legit NHL centers, but getting the most possible talent into the Top 9 means flipping one to wing or one injury means you’re down to three. That puts Abols or Luchanko into the 4C slot. Center has been upgraded but the situation is still a little dodgy. Not as dodgy as the D, but dodgy. If Luchanko can step up, win a job and stick, it clears a lot up. If he doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world but it looks like the best option.
Does having Juulson (less irreplaceable RR) in your top 6 to start the year lose you any games?
Does having a new coach/staff in the beginning of the season and learning his “system” lose you any games?
Top 6? VAN fans gave him pretty good reviews as a depth straight up defensive Dman. Pressing him higher than that could expose him. That was the word. The D is the area where they need to add, no doubt about that. The D zone system is essentially a penalty kill with a 3rd forward playing inside the box to take away passing lanes and jump in to provide puck support and an outlet if the Flyers pull the puck along the boards or perimeter. FLA executes this system with tremendous precision. Their puck support is elite. This shouldn’t be difficult to pick up for a competent NHL player. Of course, I’m not suggesting they’ll play it better than FLA, I’m saying it will be an upgrade worth two or more games over what Tortorella was running out there . . . with intermittent at best puck support.
Never said Tocchet was roadkill, I compared roadkill as an improvement to what Torts was doing. 15 points takes the Flyers from last in the division to making the playoffs (using last year’s numbers). Are you predicting the Flyers make the playoffs? That would also be more points than Vancouver had last year, do you view the Flyers as having a better roster than Vancouver?
I posted an article earlier which talked about Tocchet’s coaching history and reasons for concern which came to the conclusion that Tocchet being the catalyst you want him to be is more wishful thinking than proven track record. You never really addressed the points made in that article. Until you do, it sounds more like you want to believe rather than having an actual reason to believe.
Maybe he’ll prove everyone wrong and again he can’t do any worse than the last guy. He’s supposed to be a great communicator with the players which is a world of difference from the coach who would bench the captain of the team without telling him why.
I’m predicting the Flyers will be noticeably better this year. Individually and as a team. There were teams out west that were more than a level below the Flyers last year. Starting to hear a bit how truly awful things were in ANA, even though they had 4 more points, for example. That makes things a little difficult to compare points over conferences. Everybody out west feasted on NSH, SJ and CHI. 91 points wouldn’t have gotten you into the playoffs out west and it was a fluke it did in the east. Vancouver has way better goaltending! Lankinen or Demko, if healthy, are both better than anything the Flyers have. Ideally, Vladar is our Lankinen.
“Everyone” is not pessimistic about the job Tocchet will do. Zegras wins them a couple or more games. Vladar over the two Russian catastrophes wins them a couple or more games. Tocchet’s coaching wins them a couple or more games. Five points for each upgrade gets them a 15 point increase.
That Box + 1 system better be easy to play. The Flyers D looks shaky aside for a couple slots that are well filled. Risto was fine from what I saw last season. Just has to stay healthy. Drysdale is still the biggest hole unless Reirden can get him going.
DB said that he still preferred to bring Torts back if there had been any way possible and remains a strong Torts supporter through everything? This is not a franchise that’s learned one thing from it’s past mistakes. I think Tocchet is an upgrade over Torts, I think roadkill is an upgrade over Torts so low bar. I doubt anyone would disagree with that but does he move the needle? I’m having trouble finding anyone who believes Tocchet moves the needle based on his track record.
So DB said some nice things about Torts on the way out? So what? Torts is not the coach any more. Again with the needle moving. More specifics please. This team is good for an extra 15 points this year. Roadkill Rick Tocchet will see to that. How is that a problem? How many points does a team need to improve to move their needle? What’s more important: Needle moving or difference making?
I listed 16 horrible facts from last season. None of which is in dispute including the general consensus that Tocchet’s hiring is more wishful thinking by the Flyers and that’s all you got out of it?
Five of your horrible facts mention Torts specifically and a lot of the rest were a direct result of HIS tenure. THIS JUST IN: Torts is gone. How can anyone in their right mind claim Tocchet isn’t an upgrade over Torts? And I don’t care that Torts won a cup in 2004. A general consensus over what they think will happen and not what actually will happen? That’s all you got. Last season was last season. Even I’m saying Drysdale needs to clean it up on D or hope he can hold onto a 3rd pairing role and Brink will be pushed out by somebody bigger sooner rather than later. Do you disagree with that in terms of this coming season? Who else is the problem?
That was last year and that’s just off the top of my head but they showed you something?
Most of the forwards looked good to me and Sanheim, Risto and Seeler filled their roles well. Which forwards and Dmen looked especially bad to you?
The two aren’t remotely comparable.
The best comp will be the package of Buium and Perrault against Bonk and Luchanko but it’s way to early to judge. Of course, you already made your judgment: Flyers Suck!
Just so Im clear here, you aren’t actually comparing AHL playoff games to NHL playoff games are you? They aren’t even in the same realm of reality.
As for Zegras, its not even a guarantee he stays at center.
I’m comparing Buium to Luchanko based on what’s available. Buium was inconsequential in 4 games, then scratched for 2, and Luchanko was a needle mover for LHV in 7. Both guys will be players but you’re trashing the Luchanko pick, right now, based on your feels. We’ll see who does what this year. Zegras will be the 1C here this season. It’s astonishing how poorly ANA was coached under Cronin and Clune although I’m getting some second hand dope there. It shows up in the numbers though. ANA’s special teams misery index was 61. The worst possible number is 64. The Flyers was 50. Jersey was at 5.
“Remember how hard the Flyers/Comcast media pushed Torts “fictional” accountability and being “hard to play against” (old time Flyers hockey!). Get ready for the same, the savior has arrived, media push. Pushing Tocchet’s openness and accessibility just as hard as they promoted Torts combativeness and disregard for modern hockey with the same level of realistic analysis, none. Remember how much we were told the players loved Torts and to not look behind the curtain. Tocchet’s going to be promoted as the Dali Lama. They have a product to sell, it’s entertainment to make money, hockey is what happens during the commercials.”
I stopped following the Flyers Torts’ first two seasons. The franchise was clearly in the toilet. He kept the doors open, I suppose. That’s the best I can say about him. Watched last year and the team was still bad in most respects but there were players who showed something and I like the off season changes. Maybe if you had taken time away from the Flyers at their truly incompetent bottom, you wouldn’t be so bitter, angry and irrational. Pro tip: Zegras is going to deliver the goods and his presence in the Top 6 is going to help every line.
FWIW, recently saw a fantasy hockey list where Sanheim was listed at #61 (his average ranking) with his highest ranking being #55. Seems about right to me… on a good team, he’s a 2 at best.
A fantasy hockey list???!!! Sounds authoritative. Sanheim played for Canada at 4 Nations. Not sure who didn’t play for reasons of their own or injury, but when you get selected to make a Canadian national team there is no way in hell you’re 55 to 61 in the entire league. He’s easily in the top 10 percent, roughly Top 20-25, based on that alone plus the role and minutes he played here. The Canadian and US defenses were stacked. Sweden and Finland not so much as Risto was selected for Finland as an example. Although I would say Risto was the Flyers 2nd best defenseman last year, ahead of York.
