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I really did not have an issue how Luchanko and Grebenkin were utilized until the third period. The narrative is this weird line “we expect to be better this season, but not be sellers and do not expect the team to be a legit playoff contender”. What better a way to develop young guys who the team is going to need to get better then let play in game 2 of a tight hockey game in the third period. Hopefully it changes as the season progresses, but most hockey HCs seem determined to using the vets even though the team is not good enough to compete over prospects who the hope is to lead them back to contention in the future.
Interested to see if BUF is willing to move Byram now that Josh Norris is expected to be out “long-term”. They are one of a very few teams that has actually been worse then the Flyers over the last decade. I do believe the smoke Tippett is on the market. The regime even if they cannot believe Risto will be reliable enough to stay healthy when he returns to be a mainstay in the top 6 until his contract expires.
I hope eventually we see Grebenkin on the PP as a net front presence. Not sure how Briere is going to resolve this glut at wing, but if the game plan is to be a puck possession team, going to need wingers who can constantly win along the boards and protect the puck. Grebenkin and Foerster are the two best options. Maybe Grebenkin gets more then 11 shifts if the team stops taking dumb penalties, just need to find a way to get him more shifts.
So when is it allowed to get more information on what is going on with Oliver Bonk. He seems like a pretty important prospect that needs to pan out. “Just two more weeks” is getting concerning.
he will have many suitors. flyers at the bottom of his list I would imagine. therefor not really realistic
once that communist socialist mayor is elected in NY it will be interesting to see if it effects athletes wanting to play in NY. he wants to tax the shit out of high earners.
I do believe if the Flyers acquire a Dman, the player will have term left on their contract because the Flyers are not really a destination franchise right now. So I would expect a Byram type Dman to be the player they would acquire.
Dvorak is the Laughton replacement. He is not a top 6 player, but Flyer HCs seem intent on playing them in that that role. I have no issue with the contract, but my hope is he moves down the lineup quickly. No issue managing Luchanko and building him up slowly. Grebenkin has earned the right to be in a top 9 spot and hopefully is inserted there against CAR.
Grebenkin is in the lineup tomorrow. Luchanko may be as well. Deslauriers and possibly Abols come out. Tocc said twice this week that he wants to get both of the rookies into the lineup without sitting them for too long (specific to Grebenkin, he said the Russian would play Saturday if he wasn’t in the opener).
Re:Dvorak, the Flyers have two roster problems that they probably can’t solve simultaneously with the current roster.
* They need more offensive production, BUT
* They also desperately need to play better team D and lower the GAA.So when you look at the better offensive players up front, you find that:
* Michkov is below average defensively.
* Zegras is below average defensively.
* Konecny is strictly average at most defensively (but that’s a big jump from where he started)
* Tippett is also average at best defensively (he, too, started out below-average)
* They don’t want to separate Foerster from Cates/Brink line.What Tocchet is trying to do, but may not be able to keep with, is spread thing out a bit. He’s trying to live with Tippett-Zegras-Konecny line as “2/3 just adequate enough” defensively not to kill you while seeking offense. He wanted two defensively responsible linemates for Michkov because he has a long way to go still defensively. Grebenkin is prone to going to the wrong spots defensively and to turning over pucks coming through the neutral zone.
I appreciate your insight, but I will argue that Tippett and are a lot closer defensively to Michkov then further apart. Only 1 game sample size, but placing Michkov (who has the expectation of developing into the team’s best player) with 2 above average forwards defensive who are not really gifted puck carrying seems like a wonky fit. I understand not wanting to break up the Cates line, but maybe breaking it up gets better balance throughout 3 lines as the roster is currently constructed. Interested to see what happens when Luchanko and Grebenkin get inserted into the lineup.
They need to find some way to get more offense and at least lower the defensive issues a bit (I’m only talking forwards here, not the mess that is the blueline).
By his play Vladar should get this start, but I fully expect Ersson in net. At this rate, Zamula is playing his way out of the top 6 pretty quickly. Undrafted player, who deserves credit for getting this far in his career, but he is trending to be a very fringe 6th Dman. No need to be overly critical with the player, start pointing the finger at the organization cannot figure out a way to build a better top 6 blueline.
after all these years they still cant draft/develop even bottom pair dman.
agree with vlader and zamula
If a team cannot draft and develop prospects at a certain position, it does not have to be the end. Look no further then Vegas’s blueline. The key is for a regime not to over value the talent found within their organization. Use all available assets to improve the NHL first and foremost. This regime is entering year 3 with the expectation of being better then last season. The internal evaluation of all the players who have been on this roster or the AHL since they have taken over, should be done. Zegras trade was a nice start trying to improve the NHL roster. It may not work out, but I will at least give credit for Briere trying. He needs more of these trades to happen over the next year.
Rasmus Andersson, right handed D, pretty good, fits under the cap, end of season UFA. Might be available sooner. We will see. It’s a very safe bet, after the big Frost trade last year, Briere has at least checked in on him.
I thought about Andersson also. With Rasmus turning 29 soon, I do wonder if Briere would use significant assets to improve the blueline for a younger Dman. I do not know, but this top 6 is not playoff contender quality even when/if York and Risto return.
By his play Vladar should get this start, but I fully expect Ersson in net. At this rate, Zamula is playing his way out of the top 6 pretty quickly. Undrafted player, who deserves credit for getting this far in his career, but he is trending to be a very fringe 6th Dman. No need to be overly critical with the player, start pointing the finger at the organization cannot figure out a way to build a better top 6 blueline.
Dvorak is the Laughton replacement. He is not a top 6 player, but Flyer HCs seem intent on playing them in that that role. I have no issue with the contract, but my hope is he moves down the lineup quickly. No issue managing Luchanko and building him up slowly. Grebenkin has earned the right to be in a top 9 spot and hopefully is inserted there against CAR.
They have so many wingers in the organization, I could see Briere trying to trade a winger for a Dman. It will have to be a Zegras type trade, which the Flyers will hope to win. Byram in that regard makes sense. Rumor has been Briere with interest in Brandt Clarke. I am very concerned about the Oliver Bonk injury. Just two more weeks before he is ready to go, well have not heard that one before.
Whew, that top 6 would have a hard time consistently winning with top 10 goaltending. Briere better be gearing up to make trades to improve this roster, waiting till the summer when there will be scraps left in free agency will not get it done. At least, I expect the team to score more goals, but somehow the ability to prevent goals has gotten significantly worse from last season, which I thought would be very difficult to achieve.
Tippett looks lost on the ice. He had decent chemistry with TK last season. Once Martone was drafted, good chance Tippett does not see the second half of his contract extension as a Flyer.
It appears the short-term strategy is to hope somehow the team save % can get above .900. I am not very optimistic this will happen. They are still much closer to a top 5 pick then a playoff spot. Frankly, until this current regime can show the ability to get consistent goaltending, all the other aspects to building the roster will not matter. Briere cannot just point to and look at Zavragin will be really good when gets here. Looks like Dilly’s last hope to save his job will be if Vladar can post a career best save % this season. Boosh will have to word salad a ridiculous amount of times this season to avoid using the term “soft goal” this season.
All the eggs are already in the basket.
Flyers fans better start praying this kid isn’t the next in a long line of Maxime Oullet over-hyped goaltenders.
I agree, the expectations will be ridiculous. I am amazed how long a leash Dillabaugh has received from this organization. He has been the goaltending coach since the ’15-’16 season. For an organization putting a huge emphasis on player development to rebuild the team into a contender, I just do not understand the current plan to solidify the crease.
Right now, I believe the team will be better offensively, but whatever they construct as a 3rd pair and the goalie depth chart right now, I see them battling it out for the basement in the Eastern Conference. At this point it would be a miracle to see the the team goals against below 3 by the end of the season.
It appears the short-term strategy is to hope somehow the team save % can get above .900. I am not very optimistic this will happen. They are still much closer to a top 5 pick then a playoff spot. Frankly, until this current regime can show the ability to get consistent goaltending, all the other aspects to building the roster will not matter. Briere cannot just point to and look at Zavragin will be really good when gets here. Looks like Dilly’s last hope to save his job will be if Vladar can post a career best save % this season. Boosh will have to word salad a ridiculous amount of times this season to avoid using the term “soft goal” this season.
