Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Just think if bonk doesn’t pan out and ends up a 3rd pair guy. What prospect and player will get you that top 4 player in a trade? Then ask yourself if the flyers would give that up. It is very worrisome the cubbard is bear after being bad for so long.
Surplus up front with bottom of the lineup players is not the best way to build a “surplus”. Do the flyers ever just swing for the fences on a high end high risk player?
as far as JD, I have zero expectation at this point. will be interesting to see how much patience the coach has with him.Not every prospect, even a top one, pans out. Maybe injuries become a factor with one or two of them. The D wasn’t as big an issue last year as goaltending but one guy can fix your goaltending. You need a group. This year, it looks like it might be an issue again. At least a couple guys need to step up plus they need a pleasant surprise on D to keep that from happening again. A young forward prospect that can get close to a PPG in the AHL in a package with a pick would get you a solid return. Again, the two teams in the finals only had three original draft picks in their combined Top 6’s. Plug and play. Won’t happen by opening night though.
Don’t think they have taken the right approach at all
What exactly would the right approach be? Give me 3 to 5 really bad decisions made since Briere took over at GM.
A very solid assessment. I think Zegras will be able to deliver everything needed defensively and pick up his faceoff win pct. He was good down the stretch last year with 16 pts in his last 23 games and only a -1. Two terrible games where he was a combined -6 hurt that number. The .7 PPG is just under his two best scoring seasons. I’m pretty optimistic.
Bonk will help to what extent? 2nd pair? 3rd pair? Where they are at unless that top 4 dman can be part of the future in 3/4/5 years, signing one would be nothing but spinning their wheels. You should be using free agency to get you over the hump so to speak or address a small area. Trading for one means giving to get. Flyers may not want to give as they seem to love/overvalue their players.
They have nothing in the system who projects to be a top 4 guy outside of Bonk. That is a total disgrace. I have no faith in them developing anyone to play above their pay grade. What is the plan to address getting a top pair and another 2nd pair dman?
Bonk is consistently projected as a guy with a high floor. A top 4 guy at least. Let’s hope that pans out. The Flyers appear like they’re building a surplus up front. That makes a lot of sense since forwards develop quicker than Dmen. If it’s a trade for a solid Top 4 guy, player, prospect and pick, the Flyers are actually in range of doing that. UFA for the other since you think they need two, and again, I would tend to agree with that. York and Sanheim are the only sure long term bets in the Top 4, but that’s half your Top 4. That’s also clearly not going to happen this year. Yeah, the D prospect cupboard is slim. At least you aren’t deluding yourself into thinking Drysdale is an answer in the Top 4.
D corp is really bad. with no help really on the way.
Bonk will help there down the road. They can add a plug and play Dman via trade or UFA. Now do you see why I was banging the drum for them to sign a Top 4 Dman via UFA? They’ll start with what they’ve got and we’ll see how it goes. JD is a -50 in 94 games as a Flyer. Yes, +/- can be a limited stat, but in his case it’s telling. No one else is close on the Flyers. Big advantage here: You only need 6-7 Dmen and I would say four of those slots are well filled when Risto is healthy.
– Not sure who you are referring too when you say finally seeing the wisdom of keeping 2 of your nine best forwards in the top 9. That top nine has always been the most likely outcome and my prediction.
– Flipping Cates to wing would be dumb. You didn’t sign him for 4 years to be a winger; perfectly fine as the 3rd line center. Dvorak can still take faceoffs as a winger and has no long-term future with the flyers. Or does he?
– Your fascination with dumping brink is entertaining. Whoever “supplants” him will have to do much more than match him in camp.
– Playing ND would be typical flyers and hope it happens for pure entertainment value. He just kills 100% that 4th line. If they choose, which they will not, they could roll out a 4th with 2 younger guys and GH
– Up front is nothing but average at best. Not seeing how they are “fine”. Not much upside far down the road to me except martone.
– Totally forgot about JD. Insert him take out whoever.The Flyers have a few forwards who aren’t exactly stellar defensively. Your lines each do have a two-way anchor out there, which is good. I like Cates a lot. He can handle the flip to wing with a couple of high scoring forwards who will bump up his scoring numbers, play 3rd man high. That will ease any pain he might suffer from being moved away from his “position.”
Brink might hang in and make the opening night lineup but he’s not long for a spot here.
ND is a decent player for his role. If Florida can dress Gadjovich for every game in the conference finals and finals, the Flyers should be able to dress ND early in the regular season without negative, disproven cliches about their strategy getting tossed about. If you want young forwards filling out the 4th line, Luchanko is really your only 4C option.
Martone, Luchanko, Berglund, Nesbitt, Barkey, Murtagh and a few others, that’s an acceptable near future, without having had the benefit of seeing them play in the NHL. I’ve had the benefit of seeing JD play in the NHL and it hasn’t been pretty. The D corps is rickety. That’s something we seem to agree on.
with the forest looking like he won’t miss any time, how much of an effect does this have on bump or another prospect making the team. in no order:
tk – ex selke – mm
tippet – zegras – dvorak
forest – cates – brink
? – ? – GHjust don’t see Dvorak playing 4th line center. one hopes ND will not be playing though it won’t shock anyone. Would think Abols would have the inside track for the 4th line center pot. wonder if they invite any players on a PTO.
Defense is looking stellar
york – sanheim
seeler – Juulson ?
Andrae – Zamula
Gilbert?all quiet on the RR front not a peep.
It’s good you’re finally seeing the wisdom of keeping two of your nine best forwards in the Top 9, but flipping Cates to wing is the move as Dvorak is much better at the dot. That does leave 4C as an issue. It’s a spot that’s up for grabs. Any wing with decent size who matches Brink’s offense through camp supplants him. Bump seems to be the scuttlebutt front runner. Deslauriers plays. The Flyers are fine up front with upside not far down the road. Have you given up on Drysdale? I’m not optimistic but at least I have him penciled into the lineup.
Because I am the lead writer, editor, do the books, do the sales and work two other equivalent full-time jobs on top of it for the Flyers Alumni and Flyers. Plus I’m in Ireland Journaling the Alumni trip and managing around the 5-hour time difference. That’s why comment approvals lag at times. Thanks.
You’re welcome and thanks for the site.
No one wants to engage with this on a daily basis so we just stop coming by.
He’s fun to debate back and forth with. I think the site has bigger issues like: Why has my latest post, which is just my updated preferred opening night lineup, not been approved in over two days?
Dube and formenton were nhl level players. Mccloud to an extent. Today no idea.
Yeah, Dube is, I fixed that before seeing your comment. Formenton has been in Europe since 2022 but didn’t play anywhere last season. He wasn’t great in the Swiss league. He did have an 18 goal season in Ottawa before that. Not sure what’s going on there. Hart and, to a far lesser extent, Dube are the only guys who look like they’ll get much interest. The league is in the wrong to ban these guys but which team wants to bring in a borderline guy under these circumstances?
Go to Europe for a year to work the rust off.
The league are nothing but hypocrites.Everybody besides Hart was already playing in Europe. Three are pretty borderline if not clear non-NHL caliber players. Hart and Dube are really the only clear, solid NHLers. Craig MacTavish and Dany Heatley killed people in booze related car crashes. The guys who can play in the league should get a chance.
Since York and Drysdale aren’t going anywhere, I don’t know how Andrae fits in.
I actually like Andrae better than Drysdale. Reirden needs to be a miracle worker with JD.
Between 1 and 82 games this year for Juulsen. When the season is done, you’ll find that’s the correct answer.
“Looks like Carter Hart is going to be acquitted.”
Yup, done deal. We’ll see how it plays out. No cap space really even if the Flyers did want him back.
I am probably most definitely in the minority here. But I would play Dvorak with Zegras and Michkov, at least try it at first. It gives those 2 a defensively strong 3rd, and Dvorak can take importasnt faceoffs when needed. You can take some of the pressure off Zegras from a defensive standpoint and allow him to take faceoffs depending on the situation or importance.
I’ve been advocating that move for Cates for a while now. Dvorak is the much better faceoff guy, so I’d likely leave him in the traditional center role.
