The on ice lines after Laviolette used the Yahtzee cup to pick them:

24-28-93
19-48-25
12-10-17
26-14-36
- Jsaquella

When will they put Gagne with Giroux to see what happens?

Flyers should have no interest in a high priced goalie. They already have one. And, he appears to be pretty good as long as he is not overworked.

I think the Flyers have two priorities. A #1 Dman and a solid back up goalie that can give some needed support to Bryzgalov.

The Dman situation will have to wait until the offseason. And, there is not much activity on good back ups right now other than for the possibility of Ottawa moving Bishop. Patience might be important for another 6 weeks.

The Flyers need to give Bryzgalov another year with better support. The buy out option remains an option for the summer of 2014.
- spatso

Thank You! For some reason the common fan can not see this. I don't get whats so hard to see but defence has been brutal, forwards have to do a better job backchecking as well but back end has been horrible. Bryz is as for being over-worked was true during the beginning when Flyers schedule was brutal but know I think he is fine, Flyers are getting plenty of rest but next season he can't be playing 80 of 82 games.

The on ice lines after Laviolette used the Yahtzee cup to pick them:

24-28-93
19-48-25
12-10-17
26-14-36
- Jsaquella

I actually really like those lines. Hopefully 19 and 48 can get eachother going. Read adds speed and D awareness to the top line. Gagne should help Schenn and Simmonds get out of thier own zone. 4th line needs to keep it simple.

Thank You! For some reason the common fan can not see this. I don't get whats so hard to see but defence has been brutal, forwards have to do a better job backchecking as well but back end has been horrible. Bryz is as for being over-worked was true during the beginning when Flyers schedule was brutal but know I think he is fine, Flyers are getting plenty of rest but next season he can't be playing 80 of 82 games.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

I'm open to moving Bryz, via a buyout, but there has to be a replacement. I'm not overly excited by the potential ones that are out there. Sure Jonathan Bernier s a good goalie, but he's not going to cost them a 2nd rounder. The Kings will want a ton.

The FA market looked OK, but Howard and smith are reportedly close to re-signing, which means that it's down to Emery and Backstrom. Either one of those means you need a good back-up that can play 30 games or more.

I actually really like those lines. Hopefully 19 and 48 can get eachother going. Read adds speed and D awareness to the top line. Gagne should help Schenn and Simmonds get out of thier own zone. 4th line needs to keep it simple.
- Baxter27

If they're keeping Briere in the line-up they make the most sense to me, as well.

I'd rather see Couturier play a bigger role, but Laviolette seems to feel that his sins are more punishable than those of Briere.

But Briere is stuck. He can't be a 4th liner, hasn't done jack poop as a winger, so, here you are.

Doing a log of reading on prospects now. Found this

11. Darnell Nurse - D - Soo Greyhounds (OHL) - 6-3, 185 - PR: 25
The physical game always stands out with Nurse. He's not going to be an offensive guy at the next level, but he has shown improvement in that side of his game. He is relentless on defense. One scout said every team wants a guy who plays like Nurse, citing his aggressiveness and abrasiveness.

8. Rasmus Ristolainen - D - TPS (SML) - 6-3, 207 - PR: 7
Ristolainen's mobility and puck-moving skills really stand out with his pro-ready frame. He has shown improvement in his second professional season and looks to have another gear to get to. With such a strong forward class, Ristolainen could drop on draft day, but his wide array of tools on the back end might be too attractive to pass up.

10. Ryan Pulock - D - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) - 6-0, 209 - PR: 11
Though Pulock has been injured, his stock has held pretty steady from the beginning of the year. He has good two-way capabilities, and his offensive upside is truly an attractive trait. He has a good all-around game but could use some smoothing out over time. Scouts like his character and hockey sense.

12. Nikita Zadorov - D - London Knights (OHL) - 6-5, 229 - PR: 17
The behemoth defenseman has all the qualities that NHL scouts drool over. His size is unrivaled among blueliners in this draft. For a big guy, he moves really well and has sound defensive awareness. One scout said he would like to see Zadorov show more consistency in his physical game and bring the same compete level every night, but the pro upside is evident.


17. Josh Morrissey - D - Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) - 6-0, 183 - PR: 24
Morrissey might not have the best size for a defenseman, but his skating is at an elite level and is a big reason why he has gotten so much first-round buzz. He has solid offensive tools, and his defensive game has improved in his draft year, which is helping improve his stock.

I like Ristolainen's size and puck moving ability based on this scouting report.

here is the link if anyone cares
http://www.cbssports.com/...-board-seth-jones-is-no-1
- nastyflyergirl

As I doubt Seth Jones is going to be a factor for us, I see Nurse or Ristolainen as a nice consolation prize. Were I the Flyers I would trade back to get one of them. I have never been a draft by positition kinda guy, but this year it's kind of what we desperately need.

I think one of the more obvious problems [there are many] that people aren't seeing is the conditioning of the team. Lavy's style requires a lot of endurance and commitment to pushing hard into the offensive zone while having a strong back check.
Before Jagr came to Philly, we were all questioning if this system was going to work. Hartnell was always a joke about how out of shape he was. People were calling for him to be traded. Then Jagr comes to Philly and players start working out after hours with him and that influence changed the team. Last year Hartnell was an amazing player and turned himself around. He got the wakeup call. Many other players looked good on both ends of the ice. There was more of a commitment to playing smart.
Now the players [when they do back check] can't catch opposing players on the back check or they take stupid penalties when they get caught or can't keep up. Even the fast guys aren't catching up on the back check.
1] Never underestimate the power of a leader in the locker room even if it isn't translating directly into points on the ice.
2] This team needs to be better conditioned for this style of play.
3] You can't win games if you are always in the box, no mater how good your power kill is.

• I'm not saying we should have kept Jagr. It's more of the fact that the system looked better when players were more conditioned. Starting a shortened season many hadn't played and look like they never caught up.

If they're keeping Briere in the line-up they make the most sense to me, as well.

I'd rather see Couturier play a bigger role, but Laviolette seems to feel that his sins are more punishable than those of Briere.

But Briere is stuck. He can't be a 4th liner, hasn't done jack poop as a winger, so, here you are.
- Jsaquella

Agreed, I think Briere has earned a spot in the press box for a game or 2 but if that's not the case he has to be put in a scoring line role.

Haven't liked how Couturier has been handled this year, hopefully it makes him a better player in the long run. Things may have came a little too simple for him last season. This season has been challenging and I'm sure frustrating for him.

If they're keeping Briere in the line-up they make the most sense to me, as well.

I'd rather see Couturier play a bigger role, but Laviolette seems to feel that his sins are more punishable than those of Briere.

But Briere is stuck. He can't be a 4th liner, hasn't done jack poop as a winger, so, here you are.
- Jsaquella

Coots is struggling. I don't think Lavy is punishing him as much as he's trying to not put any more on the poor kid.

Agreed, I think Briere has earned a spot in the press box for a game or 2 but if that's not the case he has to be put in a scoring line role.

Haven't liked how Couturier has been handled this year, hopefully it makes him a better player in the long run. Things may have came a little too simple for him last season. This season has been challenging and I'm sure frustrating for him.
- Baxter27

It's definitely challenging, but he's not going to get any better by getting benched every time he makes a mistake.

I'm open to moving Bryz, via a buyout, but there has to be a replacement. I'm not overly excited by the potential ones that are out there. Sure Jonathan Bernier s a good goalie, but he's not going to cost them a 2nd rounder. The Kings will want a ton.

The FA market looked OK, but Howard and smith are reportedly close to re-signing, which means that it's down to Emery and Backstrom. Either one of those means you need a good back-up that can play 30 games or more.
- Jsaquella

isnt 2014 summer when their will be a poopload of good goalies out there,

The point about defenseman is well made. I saw a point that someone made about the last defenseman who was drafted by the Flyers to play with the team for any prolonged period of time. The answer was Chris Therien.

But drafting forwards in the first round? The Flyers seem OK with that.

It's the rest of the draft and developing non-forwards that they need to get better with.
- johndewar

Pitkanen was here for 3 years (plus the one year in the AHL during the lockout). But yes, other than those 2, Sbisa was the last that had any on-ice impact at all, and that's a stretch.

Coots is struggling. I don't think Lavy is punishing him as much as he's trying to not put any more on the poor kid.
- flyler

Everytime the kid makes a mistake with the puck he gets buried.

That's not good for him. Neither is being buried in a 4th line role.

With the decline of Briere's play, I'd move Couturier up to line two and tell him to just go out and play. That is what he needs. He's playing worried-scared to make a mistake. Doing that leads to mistakes.

I'm open to moving Bryz, via a buyout, but there has to be a replacement. I'm not overly excited by the potential ones that are out there. Sure Jonathan Bernier s a good goalie, but he's not going to cost them a 2nd rounder. The Kings will want a ton.

The FA market looked OK, but Howard and smith are reportedly close to re-signing, which means that it's down to Emery and Backstrom. Either one of those means you need a good back-up that can play 30 games or more.
- Jsaquella

What if Emery and Backstrom are your starter and backup (cost aside)?

isnt 2014 summer when their will be a poopload of good goalies out there,
- Philly1980

Right now, there's a slew of good goalies scheduled to hit UFA. Lundqvist, Hiller, Miller, Halak. How many actually make it there is another matter.

What if Emery and Backstrom are your starter and backup (cost aside)?
- jmatchett

I'd be terrified at both of them getting hurt during a back to back and having to use Cal Heeter

Everytime the kid makes a mistake with the puck he gets buried.

That's not good for him. Neither is being buried in a 4th line role.

With the decline of Briere's play, I'd move Couturier up to line two and tell him to just go out and play. That is what he needs. He's playing worried-scared to make a mistake. Doing that leads to mistakes.
- Jsaquella

The real problems is everytime he makes a mistake the Puck seems to get buried, in our net.

He was given that kind of a role with the Phantoms earlier in the year and did not exactly flourish. I think when Philly is mathematically out of it we'll see more from Coots. But it's not like Coots is the only one struggling. I think the Coaching staff is worried a little more about the team than indivdual players right now. Were the team doing better, they'd probably concentrate on getting Coots going in a better direction. Right now they can't even get Claude Giroux going. It's like fixing your AC when the Engine don't run. But again once we start selling off parts of our Car when we know the season's done, we'll do our best to fix up the parts we want to keep.

Voracek has been better than Jagr, but thanks!
- bradleyc4

hahahahaa what??

The trouble here is that when somebody says that a guy is a good player, or that a coach should be fired, it's immediately taken to the extreme.

Defending Braydon Coburn, like Matt Carle in years past, is suddenly the equivalent of saying Coburn is an awesome player on par with Zdeno Chara. Conversely, saying that the team is poorly coached, and pointing out that Laviolette hasn't made effective adjustments is laying all the blame at the coach's feet.

This is what 4 year old kids do. They live in a world of absolutes, black and white, wrong and right, no gray. The real world is full of gray.

When I call for a coach to be replaced, I don't do it from one game. I do it based on a lot of things. When I see the same mistake made by just about every member of the team(i.e. ill advised pinches by defensemen that lead to odd man rushes) That's something I blame on the coach. Because the same kind of thing happening repeatedly and done by 90% of the roster is something systemic.

When you have an incident like Kostisyn it's on the player. The Preds don't have a habit of doing what he did, and he got shredded by the coach after the game for doing it.

The Flyers have had several players that haven't approached their expected level of play. That's also a factor, but the bottom line is, there are a LOT of teams that have less talent than the Flyers who are ahead of them in the standings. Toss in the record against the Devils and Rangers, not to mention Boston over the past couple years, and the comical mishandling of the goalies in the 2011 playoff, and it's time to make a change behind the bench.
- Jsaquella

definitely the case for some. works a little both ways though: for many, saying you're disappointed in coburn or that you are more willing to trade him than you were a year ago means you're saying the guy sucks

Right now, there's a slew of good goalies scheduled to hit UFA. Lundqvist, Hiller, Miller, Halak. How many actually make it there is another matter.
- Jsaquella

I could see all of those goalies except Lundqvist being available before next summer. Fasth & Allen/Elliott make Hiller and Halak much more expendable. Miller could help the Sabres if they choose to rebuild.

Right now, there's a slew of good goalies scheduled to hit UFA. Lundqvist, Hiller, Miller, Halak. How many actually make it there is another matter.
- Jsaquella

The Rangers cap situation in the next few years looks pretty bad. Almost their whole team will be RFAs and UFAs looking for raises.

If they're keeping Briere in the line-up they make the most sense to me, as well.

I'd rather see Couturier play a bigger role, but Laviolette seems to feel that his sins are more punishable than those of Briere.

But Briere is stuck. He can't be a 4th liner, hasn't done jack poop as a winger, so, here you are.
- Jsaquella

i've been wanting to put farts and danny back together this whole time
maybe they can rekindle some of that 2010 feeling

hahahahaa what??
- Don'tForgetTocchet

29 points in 27 games don't lie.

definitely the case for some. works a little both ways though: for many, saying you're disappointed in coburn or that you are more willing to trade him than you were a year ago means you're saying the guy sucks
- FlyerMike18

i remember when i first joined here and defended kukkonen i was sneered at by dozens of posters informing me he wasn't bobby orr


ahhh the more things change the more they stay the same

When will they put Gagne with Giroux to see what happens?
- NickTheKid87

I've been waiting for that. Not understanding why is hasen't been looked at at least.. I'm sure it will. I think Gagne has more abiliy and more left in the tank than it seems most give him credit for. I guess we'll see.