keep Laughton and trade Schenn...Homer should get a good D man for Schenn and Homers favorite, a second rounder
- vejim

aren't we out of second rounders until 2025?

Is it me or does Laughton seem to be the only one busting ass out there every shift?
- Flyers_1488

Maybe the bad habits the rest have, havent hit him yet?

I dunno.. im happy to admit I was wrong about him. He has impressed lately

I find it impossible that the fate of the Flyers is dependent on if MJL sees certain things.
- Daman

stay classy

Ill be honest... When Couts didnt go 3rd, I thought he would go fourth, when he didnt go fourth I though he would go fifth, when he didnt go fifth, etc.

So when the 8th pick came up.. I saw his name and Hamilton's name. I had seen more of Hamilton than Couts, but I with all of the hoopla over Couts from the year before and, hell, even with a bad start and mono he was the top scoring (ppg) player in CHL, I was excited. I figured right then they had a win/win on their hands. Today I still think its the same.
- jak521

and maybe if homer had moved schenn for a good young dman, things wouldn't look so bleak on D.

Has it worked for David Poile? He drafts a ton of great defensemen and develops them very well. He's been an NHL GM for decades.

He's had one team get to a Stanley Cup final in all that time, and it got swept.
- Jsaquella

You are comparing opposites in this case. We spend to the cap.. they spend to the floor.

They rely on tue draft to compete..

Here's the blog I did last summer with a very lengthy breakdown of which NHL defensemen were drafted in particular phases of the draft (or not drafted at all).

http://www.hockeybuzz.com...ost_id=44716#.UQFH5GewfQg


- bmeltzer

Here is what I take from that.. there are a handful of players on that list in the top 20 who are far surpassed by played picked way later than them. Its a crap shoot really. Very rarely is there a SLAMDUNK, can mess this up, D-man. And even with them, it often takes 3-5 years to really hit their stride in the NHL.

and maybe if homer had moved schenn for a good young dman, things wouldn't look so bleak on D.
- isaiah520

Do you have a suggestion, or was that directed at Weber?

EDIT: Because honestly, I dont think Schenn ++ would have been enough. They wanted Couts&Schenn...

Here is what I take from that.. there are a handful of players on that list in the top 20 who are far surpassed by played picked way later than them. Its a crap shoot really. Very rarely is there a SLAMDUNK, can mess this up, D-man. And even with them, it often takes 3-5 years to really hit their stride in the NHL.
- jak521

3-5 is low for a dman imo.. some dont get their a game till almost 30..

Do I wish we drafted more d? Yeah
Do I like the coots pick? Yeah
Am I gm? Only on mondays

Last season against the Rangers, the Flyers trailed first in five of the six games and lost all six in regulation. Overall against the league, the Rangers went 30-0-3 when leading after two periods a year ago (35-5-3 when scoring the game's first goal) after going 29-0-0 the previous year. Add in last night's win against the Bruins and the Rangers, and the Rangers are 60-0-3 when leading after two periods since the start of the 2010-11 season.
- Bill Meltzer

That is staggeringly amazing.

Do you have a suggestion, or was that directed at Weber?

EDIT: Because honestly, I dont think Schenn ++ would have been enough. They wanted Couts&Schenn...
- jak521

I would have done coots, schenn and a pick without blinking.

I bet you felt that the apologies from the owners when the lockout ended were sincere, too.

Actually, the Flyers have been different under Holmgren than Clarke. They have been less willing to trade young players for veteran quick fixes. You just wish they'd draft positionally, rather than take the best guy on their board
- Jsaquella

i don't feel personally slighted by broken promises...i'm too old and cynical for that

i just thought the approach they spoke about made more sense. and if it's close - not a jaquan jarett type reach - i'd like them to address needs. hamilton was the next guy chosen, that's all i'm saying.

guess what? we're playing another team shanahan played for.... i wonder who gets suspended tomorrow

stay classy
- jak521

Too late for that. My I-Reputation is now self fulfilling.

You are comparing opposites in this case. We spend to the cap.. they spend to the floor.

They rely on tue draft to compete..
- Flyersgod

There was no cap when Poile was in Washington. His teams routinely fall short in the post season.

In fact I was wrong, Poile wasn't the Caps GM when they went to the SCF.

Do you have a suggestion, or was that directed at Weber?

EDIT: Because honestly, I dont think Schenn ++ would have been enough. They wanted Couts&Schenn...
- jak521

no, i'm referring to the period right after the couts draft when we had all of these new assets in tow. my posts at that point were about poiuncing on any opp to grab a bogo, mcbain or pk-type player.

i don't feel personally slighted by broken promises...i'm too old and cynical for that

i just thought the approach they spoke about made more sense. and if it's close - not a jaquan jarett type reach - i'd like them to address needs. hamilton was the next guy chosen, that's all i'm saying.
- isaiah520

That's fine and understandable. I would have been OK with Hamilton, too. I do agree with Bill on this particular case, though. A guy who could be a future Selke winner and be a 20 goal guy is just as rare as a good defenseman.

I'm more disappointed in trading the Carlson pick than picking Couturier over Hamilton

I would have done coots, schenn and a pick without blinking.
- Flyersgod

If a #1 defenseman was the key for Stanley Cup championships, Nashville must have won 3 by now. I mean they had two #1 defensemen and an all star goalie for the previous three years.

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 1/24/13 vs. Rangers
- bmeltzer

The Flyers themselves may end up having to shorten the bench tonight.

ya think?

Not a lot has gone right for the Flyers since the start of the NJD playoff series last season, that being said it's not like this team is the Columbus Blue Jackets.

If they don't make the playoffs this year it's not the end of the world, it happens to every team. By all indications it is a very deep draft, with a good draft, and some solid moves in FA, and possibly the trade market this team can be a contender as early as next year.

and maybe if homer had moved schenn for a good young dman, things wouldn't look so bleak on D.
- isaiah520

The Flyers could still move Schenn for a good young defenseman.

I guess my trouble is, I don't see things as bleak on defense. It's not a team strength, for sure. But I also don't think it's as awful as it's made out to be.

It's kind of hard and a bit unfair to really judge things with the execution level being so bad. I mean, how good was the Devils defense last year, personnel wise? Adjustments can be made to make the lack of mobility less of an issue.

If a #1 defenseman was the key for Stanley Cup championships, Nashville must have won 3 by now. I mean they had two #1 defensemen and an all star goalie for the previous three years.
- psuhockey

It's easy enough to pick teams that have 1 or 2 top guys (Detroit, New Jersey, Anaheim, Boston), as it is to find teams without a true #1 (Pittsburgh at the time, Carolina). Actually it's a bit harder to list teams without that true #1 type guy.

Shelley and Sestito playing means there for sure will be ranger blood on the ice tonight..... Love him or Hate Him Shelley has heart
- Flyers_1488

tends to be shelley who bleeds even when he wins the fight

he might be on an aspirin regimen

Not a lot has gone right for the Flyers since the start of the NJD playoff series last season, that being said it's not like this team is the Columbus Blue Jackets.

If they don't make the playoffs this year it's not the end of the world, it happens to every team. By all indications it is a very deep draft, with a good draft, and some solid moves in FA, and possibly the trade market this team can be a contender as early as next year.
- PLindbergh31

In that the Flyers have no wins while the Jackets do?

Yes, choosing Couturier over Hamilton was a missed opportunity to fill a hole on defense. That's assuming of course that under Snider's "win now" plan that Hamilton would be allowed to develop.

It's not just the fans that get impatient with kids quickly in this town. Look at Couturier. Last spring, people wouldn't trade him for Shea Weber. Now? Trade him for PK Subban....and throw in a first rounder!
- Jsaquella

coocoo for cocoa puffs

really hate the flyers D, seems to get worst every year
- vejim

One of the big problems I see, is they keep getting old washed up guys. O'Donnel, Lilja, even Pronger at the end of his career... guys like Gervais and Foster(while I think he has a nice shot among other things, he gets beat up a lot) who have bounced around from team to team. Add to that Timonen getting older and beat up, Mez and Grossmann having multiple health issues... Coburn has been the only really healthy, solid guy who has a few more years to go. Schenn is still a work in progress...

They don't have their Suter, Weber, Karlsson, Yandle, etc... They need to do something to start getting young, franchise Dmen in. Whether it be in the draft, or through a trade. They need to stop focusing on these 35-39 year old guys, and look hard at some younger guys.

Now before anyone says anything, I am NOT saying being old is bad, or anything of the sort. I know the importance of veteran leadership, and experience... and I realize in the case of Pronger, he was still doing well (albeit slow) up until his injury.. But the problem arises when that is the basis of the core... then we end up with where we are now. Whoever isn't old and washed up, is hurt.. whoever isn't hurt, is under-performing... It's a cycle that needs to be broken some how, some way.

I also realize that Ed and Homer went after Suter and Weber this offseason... and I like their efforts... but it didn't work out.. so they need to keep trying in a smart, prudent manner. They need to stop settling for "well, we didn't get Weber, but maybe we can get Keith Jones back in a uniform?"...

Just my view on it..


Sidenote - I never.. ever.. want to see Subban in orange and black... ever. I wouldn't even deal Shelley for him straight up. The guy is cancer on and off the ice, he's never in position, he's a puck hog, etc. People need to learn to look deeper than stats) Again, just my opinion...