Given all our young forwards, are we still patting ourselves on the back for picking Sean Courturier before Dougie Hamilton?
- NJFlyer42

Yes?
Countless number of players have went through rough sophomore seasons--- its not uncommon at all. Drew Doughty went through one, same with Carey Price and i could go on all day if i wanted to.
They havent managed him well this year. I really, really hope they didnt ruin him. I dont like the way they've been playing him.

Another great blog Bill. You truly are the best around. I like the fiery way you presented as well because that is what we all think. The line that in your blog that scares me the most is " this team has become numb to losing" because we have a lot of young guys on this team. I truly believe , talent withstanding, that winning and losing are learned behaviors. If this team gets too comfortable losing then it could be a long era in flyers hockey history were about to go through....think early 90's

K I heard, and read on TSN about the amnesty buyout...
From what i've understood, if we byout Briere, his 6.8M cap hit will still be on the books for next season--- but not the following seasons

If thats correct, that would really, really suck.
I checked on capgeek as well, and Gomez and Redden's cap hits are still on the Habs and NYR payrolls this season...
- FLYERSROCK!

I don't think that's right. To use the buyout before this season started you had to keep the cap hit for this season and pay full salary. I believe that the buyout after this season is that you remove the cap hit completely and have to pay 2/3 of the remaining salary to the player.

I don't think that's right. To use the buyout before this season started you had to keep the cap hit for this season and pay full salary. I believe that the buyout after this season is that you remove the cap hit completely and have to pay 2/3 of the remaining salary to the player.
- FlyersGrace

i sure hope so
i also have a link, again from awhile back in Jan that if you bought out a player with a franchise contract, like Bryz's, Luongo's, Richards, Kovi, etc, that you'd be stuck with that cap hit till his contract was supposed to end, and you'd have to give up picks as well

I hope all of this is wrong. Just passing on from what i've learned from TSN and others.

K I heard, and read on TSN about the amnesty buyout...
From what i've understood, if we byout Briere, his 6.8M cap hit will still be on the books for next season--- but not the following seasons

If thats correct, that would really, really suck.
I checked on capgeek as well, and Gomez and Redden's cap hits are still on the Habs and NYR payrolls this season...
- FLYERSROCK!

Redden and Gomez were special buyouts. If Briere is bought out, the cap hit is gone immediately.

Redden & Gomez count this year because otherwise they were being told to sit home and not get hurt. The NHL & the NHLPA came up with an agreement that teams could immediately use a compliance buyout, but had to pay the players 100% of their salary for this season and carry the cap hit.

If the Flyers had bought out Briere in January, they'd be carrying the hit this season.

Given all our young forwards, are we still patting ourselves on the back for picking Sean Courturier before Dougie Hamilton?
- NJFlyer42

Hindsight, Coots was best player available on the board and I think will still be a good NHL player....that being said I would have rather they drafted Hamilton just out of what should of been obvious to them was a glaring need. Our defense problems that have come to a head this season were not hard to foresee years ago. I have read countless articles from local and national hockey writers over the past FEW seasons saying that the Flyers organization needs to start rebuilding the blue line this wasn't a hard thing to see... and yet they never did and now we got major problems back there

i sure hope so
i also have a link, again from awhile back in Jan that if you bought out a player with a franchise contract, like Bryz's, Luongo's, Richards, Kovi, etc, that you'd be stuck with that cap hit till his contract was supposed to end, and you'd have to give up picks as well

I hope all of this is wrong. Just passing on from what i've learned from TSN and others.
- FLYERSROCK!

Then that really wouldnt make any sense for teams to buyout players. Unless its a small market team who wants to lose that $$ they would owe..But though this rule was made to mainly have teams get out of bad contracts with the cap going down next season?

Redden and Gomez were special buyouts. If Briere is bought out, the cap hit is gone immediately.

Redden & Gomez count this year because otherwise they were being told to sit home and not get hurt. The NHL & the NHLPA came up with an agreement that teams could immediately use a compliance buyout, but had to pay the players 100% of their salary for this season and carry the cap hit.

If the Flyers had bought out Briere in January, they'd be carrying the hit this season.
- Jsaquella

K thank you. I thought this, but saw someone post links about these buyouts and i got scared.

There was something about a "Luongo Rule" as well? That players with franchise contracts, such as Bryz, B. Rich, Crosby, Kovi etc if they were to be bought out (again just examples of franchise contracts) then they would carry their cap hit for the contract, and have to pay picks?
Or again, was that just for the start of this season?

Then that really wouldnt make any sense for teams to buyout players. Unless its a small market team who wants to lose that $$ they would owe..But though this rule was made to mainly have teams get out of bad contracts with the cap going down next season?
- Buzzo

You may be thinking of a proposal that was kicked around about the trading of long-term contracts. They were thinking about, if a player is signed to a contract greater than 5 years, is traded, and then retires before the contract expired, that the team that ORIGINALLY signed the contract would be hit with that additional cap hit until the contract expired (say, if Richards or Carter retired tomorrow, the Flyers would have to carry their cap hits until the contracts expired). Otherwise, buyouts wouldn't make any sense.

Honestly if im Homer and Snider im pretty much telling Briere to waive that NTC of his, so he can help out the team. He is as good as gone after this season is over. He can help out the team by waiving his NTC, and letting us atleast get SOMETHING for him.
If Danny wants to be a team player about it, he needs to help us out here, and understand the position he's in with this team.

K thank you. I thought this, but saw someone post links about these buyouts and i got scared.

There was something about a "Luongo Rule" as well? That players with franchise contracts, such as Bryz, B. Rich, Crosby, Kovi etc if they were to be bought out (again just examples of franchise contracts) then they would carry their cap hit for the contract, and have to pay picks?
Or again, was that just for the start of this season?
- FLYERSROCK!

Anyone bought out on a compliance buyout goes off the cap completely.

The Luongo rule is that a player with a deal longer than 7 years, if they retire before the deal ends, teams have a cap penalty for the years they got cap relief from the contract. If a player on such a deal is traded, both teams get hit for the seasons that player was on their roster.

The only player that it's applicable to for the Flyers is Bryzgalov.

You may be thinking of a proposal that was kicked around about the trading of long-term contracts. They were thinking about, if a player is signed to a contract greater than 5 years, is traded, and then retires before the contract expired, that the team that ORIGINALLY signed the contract would be hit with that additional cap hit until the contract expired (say, if Richards or Carter retired tomorrow, the Flyers would have to carry their cap hits until the contracts expired). Otherwise, buyouts wouldn't make any sense.
- jmatchett

Since Richards and Carter were traded before the new CBA, their contracts do not affect the Flyers at all.

The only deal the Flyers face cap recapture on is Bryzgalov's.

The Flyers are playing badly defensively, and losing on a regular basis. And are going to miss the playoffs. All due to the players don't like Bryzgalov. And their dislike of Bryzgalov trumps how much they like winning and going to playoffs, with a chance to win the Stanley Cup!
- MJL

Makes perfect sense. I'm so glad I come to HB to learn these things.

hindsight, after last year it was thought we got the best player in the draft, cooty will be fine
- mydoglicks

Even if this season is just a bump in the road for Couturier, and he goes on to be a Jordan Staal clone, it might still look bad for the Flyers when all is said and done -- Hamilton could be that good: a Scott Niedermeyer with Chris Pronger size.

Since Richards and Carter were traded before the new CBA, their contracts do not affect the Flyers at all.

The only deal the Flyers face cap recapture on is Bryzgalov's.
- Jsaquella

Did that get put into the new CBA? I knew it was kicked around, but I didn't think it made it through.

Honestly if im Homer and Snider im pretty much telling Briere to waive that NTC of his, so he can help out the team. He is as good as gone after this season is over. He can help out the team by waiving his NTC, and letting us atleast get SOMETHING for him.
If Danny wants to be a team player about it, he needs to help us out here, and understand the position he's in with this team.
- FLYERSROCK!

Trading a guy with a NMC and a concussion, plus with two years left at a $6.5mm cap hit isn't going to be easy.

Lot of considerations. Teams will be wary o the injury and either having to carry the cap hit or pay Briere's buy out, which would be $833,334 each year for the next 4 years.

Briere also might not want to risk going to, say Montreal, for the next two seasons. He does have a child custody situation that he might not be willing to upset for the next two years.

If Holmgren didn't think he was getting a top 5 goalie he shouldn't have paid him Top 2 money. Bryz has raked in 200k TOTAL less than luongo over the last 2 years. If you include next years salary ( 3 year range), Bryz is the #1 paid goalie in the league raking in $24.5 mill.

Salary does factor into expectations.
- Flyers_01

You cannot look at it in total money. Because every player doesn't have the same term of contract. Some players have already been paid thier big upfront money. It should be looked at in terms of yearly Salary. Where does Bryzgalov rank in yearly salary?

Did that get put into the new CBA? I knew it was kicked around, but I didn't think it made it through.
- jmatchett

Yep, it did get in there. It wouldn't apply to Carter, regardless, because he never played for the Flyers under his current contract. He signed it with the Flyers, but started playing under it with the Blue Jackets.

Honestly if im Homer and Snider im pretty much telling Briere to waive that NTC of his, so he can help out the team. He is as good as gone after this season is over. He can help out the team by waiving his NTC, and letting us atleast get SOMETHING for him.
If Danny wants to be a team player about it, he needs to help us out here, and understand the position he's in with this team.
- FLYERSROCK!

Why would he do that from a financial standpoint? He can be bought out by the Flyers, collect his $ and then sign on w/another team as a UFA and get paid by them too.

Trading a guy with a NMC and a concussion, plus with two years left at a $6.5mm cap hit isn't going to be easy.

Lot of considerations. Teams will be wary o the injury and either having to carry the cap hit or pay Briere's buy out, which would be $833,334 each year for the next 4 years.

Briere also might not want to risk going to, say Montreal, for the next two seasons. He does have a child custody situation that he might not be willing to upset for the next two years.
- Jsaquella

Oh I know. But im syaing if Homer found a suitor for him. Briere should help the team out. Idk if he will find a suitor, and quite frankly i doubt it. But you never know.
Like you said lots of things to take into consideration. I know Danny loves it here, but he's like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole for this team now. And his cap hit is too large for his lack of production.
Love him as a person and all, and playoff performer, but he hasnt been good. And he doesnt have playoffs this year to redeem himself like last year...

I'm not using Bryz as an excuse for their poor play overall. What I'm saying is that guys may not be making that little bit of extra effort that can make the difference in winning puck battles, boxing a guy out, etc. With the exception of the elite players, there is not much difference in the skill set of players these days. A very fine line between success and failure.

As far as dominating last year, I don't think you go 47-26-9, for 103 pts. without being dominant for stretches of time during the season. It's easy to forget now, but there were times last year when they really looked like they had a chance to go deep in the playoffs. We have not seen even one shred of evidence of that type of play this year.
- NJFlyer42

There is no evidence to support that the Flyers aren't playing well defensively, due to not liking Bryzgalov.
Each year is different. The Rangers aren't playing as well this year as last year. Does that mean they changed thier system? The Flyers have been playing the same style of play this year, as they have last year.

Anyone bought out on a compliance buyout goes off the cap completely.

The Luongo rule is that a player with a deal longer than 7 years, if they retire before the deal ends, teams have a cap penalty for the years they got cap relief from the contract. If a player on such a deal is traded, both teams get hit for the seasons that player was on their roster.

The only player that it's applicable to for the Flyers is Bryzgalov.
- Jsaquella

Thanks

Why would he do that from a financial standpoint? He can be bought out by the Flyers, collect his $ and then sign on w/another team as a UFA and get paid by them too.
- flyguy12

What could happen is, the Flyers could allow Briere to talk to a team and get a promise that he will be bought out by them if he agreed to waive his NMC. A contender with deep pockets and possible cap issues next might agree.

It would probably hurt the return you get, but at least you get something. And you save yourself a compliance buyout.

hindsight, after last year it was thought we got the best player in the draft, cooty will be fine
- mydoglicks

True, but while watching that draft live, I was puzzled that they did not take him since he was a defenseman and was not expceted to last that long.

Now, if you factor in last year, sure I was happy. You have to keep in mind that I'm still upset that we picked Mike Ricci instead of Jagr!!

i sure hope so
i also have a link, again from awhile back in Jan that if you bought out a player with a franchise contract, like Bryz's, Luongo's, Richards, Kovi, etc, that you'd be stuck with that cap hit till his contract was supposed to end, and you'd have to give up picks as well

I hope all of this is wrong. Just passing on from what i've learned from TSN and others.
- FLYERSROCK!

I think you have misread what has been said about the amnesty buyout available in the next two off seasons. The Cap hit will be completely removed if a amnesty buyout is used on a player.