I'm done blaming defensive breakdowns for losing "hardfought" one goal leads. Every team makes defensive breakdowns. It is up to your offense to make sure 1 defensive breakdown that leads to a goal isnt enough to be a game changer. This season is ALL on the offense. The defense has been fine. Not great, but fine.

Moves MUST be made at this point. Pick a direction. Either make moves to improve this team and hope you can cover the ground to make the playoffs, or start selling now, make sure you really tank like they should have last year to end up with a real star player that is making impacts now... Lindholm, Monohan, Barkov, Jones.... it could have been us.

But I will tell you one thing, if you do the "sell" route you can not keep this "young" core together. They just aren't good enough. Keep Giroux. Keep Voracek, Keep Mason.... everyone else can go.

amen blow the (frank)er up fire sale style. start the rebuild already!
- PhillaBully

The rebuild started when they traded Richards and Carter. Not one trade or signing Homer has made including those trades has worked out in our favor except for Mason so far. We traded known good players for players we were not sure of. Homer was great from 06-10, but has been awful the past 4 years.

I love bobby ryan. But that trade makes no sense for the flyers.

Ryan, karlson, and a 1st.
- Flyersgod

Ottawa would never trade Karlsson. He was unbelievably good last night. Very close to top form of his Norris year, perhaps better, on pace to surpass goal and point totals.

Bobby Ryan is very good. Already has 8 goals playing with Turris. If Giroux does not get his game back soon, Giroux for Ryan would be a fair deal.

No matter who the GM is, the Flyers right now would be trading from a position of weakness. There are no home run deals anyone will make with them, unless the other team is scoring the home run. Unless there's a guy who's such a cancer they have to unload him at any cost (and there are no murmurings of such a thing at all), the Flyers really shouldn't be reactionary in their response to this. It is being reactionary in the past that got them into this mess.
- bodiva88

ride it out to the deadline and if they are in this same mess, make moves for picks etc.

But, if you want to make a GM change, i would do it sooner.
give the new GM time to evaluate the players and develop trade partners before the deadline rolls around.

No matter who the GM is, the Flyers right now would be trading from a position of weakness. There are no home run deals anyone will make with them, unless the other team is scoring the home run.
- bodiva88

It all depends on what the plan is. If the Flyers are trying to salvage this season at all costs, then they will be probably bent over. However, if the eye is to the future, then they could steal some younger players from other teams trying to make it this year.

If I was the flyers GM, I would try to rebuild the defense into a more mobile puck moving group by targeting NHL ready or near NHL ready defensemen in the AHL like Beaulieu, Klefbom, Gormley, and Clendening. These players could probably be had for younger veterans, like Coburn, or Simmonds, or B. Schenn as their teams have big plans this year. But the flyers would have to accept the possibility of not making the playoffs which looks like a forgone conclusion anyway.

ride it out to the deadline and if they are in this same mess, make moves for picks etc.

But, if you want to make a GM change, i would do it sooner.
give the new GM time to evaluate the players and develop trade partners before the deadline rolls around.
- nails

They will fire Homer after 3 games next season....

When's the last time you saw a C from any team stripped of the C for slumping?
- bodiva88

Lecavalier.

If you read Brad Marsh's blog today -- the section about the Flyers in comparison to the others, although all tried to focus mainly on the positive -- I can't help but feel that if someday a current Flyer writes a similar retrospective of his own career, the Flyers section might not be the one with happiest memories.
- bmeltzer

I have to imagine it's hard to have a bond with a place/team when the "faces of the franchise" are in danger of being shipped out season after season to either send a message or to "fix" a contract mistake by the GM. It's getting old as a fan and I can't help but think that wears on the players as well.

If you read Brad Marsh's blog today -- the section about the Flyers in comparison to the others, although all tried to focus mainly on the positive -- I can't help but feel that if someday a current Flyer writes a similar retrospective of his own career, the Flyers section might not be the one with happiest memories.
- bmeltzer

So should we take that as there are bigger problems with the flyers off the ice rather than on it?

The pass did handcuff him...it came in to him on the wrong side and he couldn't react, becasue he never expected Kimmo to actually have a move to get the deep in the zone...that play, minus the handcuff pass was one of the bright spots of that game...they need more of that to set thing up...it was one of the rare cases this season where a D man has done something offensively outside of shooting the puck wide from the point...
- JW98FlyerFan

yes and no halfway decent player has ever taken a pass like that and got off a shot? please, please, please! we've all seen it. look at the caps first goal the other night: desperation chop at the line to keep it in, recipient makes a decent first touch pass; it doesn't bounce over his stick, he doesn't push it away to the defender. good players can do something with less than perfect passes and not just let the puck go right through him. why go the front of the net if you're not expecting the puck to come to you?

Ottawa would never trade Karlsson. He was unbelievably good last night. Very close to top form of his Norris year, perhaps better, on pace to surpass goal and point totals.

Bobby Ryan is very good. Already has 8 goals playing with Turris. If Giroux does not get his game back soon, Giroux for Ryan would be a fair deal.
- spatso

There isn't a bigger Ryan advocate on this site. But that trade isn't fair. We expect Giroux to be close to Crosby level when he hits his prime.

Would take more than Ryan.

So should we take that as there are bigger problems with the flyers off the ice rather than on it?
- PhillaBully

No, simply that, as he said, happiness and winning go hand in hand. The reverse is true, too.

It all depends on what the plan is. If the Flyers are trying to salvage this season at all costs, then they will be probably bent over. However, if the eye is to the future, then they could steal some younger players from other teams trying to make it this year.

If I was the flyers GM, I would try to rebuild the defense into a more mobile puck moving group by targeting NHL ready or near NHL ready defensemen in the AHL like Beaulieu, Klefbom, Gormley, and Clendening. These players could probably be had for younger veterans, like Coburn, or Simmonds, or B. Schenn as their teams have big plans this year. But the flyers would have to accept the possibility of not making the playoffs which looks like a forgone conclusion anyway.
- psuhockey

+10

No, simply that, as he said, happiness and winning go hand in hand. The reverse is true, too.
- bmeltzer

You know Bill, I wish they kept jagr around. This young team is not the same without him. The group seemed more happy with him around. Im sure the pressure on these guys is unreal right now. Jagr would have helped alleviate that and take some of the heat.

There isn't a bigger Ryan advocate on this site. But that trade isn't fair. We expect Giroux to be close to Crosby level when he hits his prime.

Would take more than Ryan.
- Flyersgod

Let me preface this by saying that I am as big a fan of G as anyone. There is no way that G will ever be in the same conversation as Crosby, Malkin, or Ovechkin. Giroux can be a great player, but not at the level of the 3 I just mentioned.

I'm becoming apathetic Hammar. It's to the point where I almost don't care.
- PLindbergh31

sadly, that's what's happened to me. i had almost zero emotion about the end of the game last night. i was mildly annoyed for about 3 minutes. and then went to bed.

Let me preface this by saying that I am as big a fan of G as anyone. There is no way that G will ever be in the same conversation as Crosby, Malkin, or Ovechkin. Giroux can be a great player, but not at the level of the 3 I just mentioned.
- Jimmygrazz

G can rise to those levels and surpass those three on occasion, whether he can sustain that level is another story.

poor mason

poor mason
- -davies-

what is "Sum up the flyers 2013/2014 season in two words"

i say ride the season out, fire homer after season, install hexy, clear the dead weight d let the ahlers play next season which will give us a shot at the next crosby

If you read Brad Marsh's blog today -- the section about the Flyers in comparison to the others, although all tried to focus mainly on the positive -- I can't help but feel that if someday a current Flyer writes a similar retrospective of his own career, the Flyers section might not be the one with happiest memories.
- bmeltzer

well you sure know how to cheer a gal up

No matter who the GM is, the Flyers right now would be trading from a position of weakness. There are no home run deals anyone will make with them, unless the other team is scoring the home run. Unless there's a guy who's such a cancer they have to unload him at any cost (and there are no murmurings of such a thing at all), the Flyers really shouldn't be reactionary in their response to this. It is being reactionary in the past that got them into this mess.
- bodiva88

yes and no. i think there are no player for player trades that would bring back suitable value, but player for picks/prospects (with hextall, or anybody but holmgren, making them) i think is the way to go. get a bunch of high picks the next 2-3 years and build around giroux, voracek, morin, haag, mason. we have laughton, alt, mcginn, and a couple more guys in the system, plus some yet to be traded for prospects. in 2 years we could be a fast, talented, young team.

If you read Brad Marsh's blog today -- the section about the Flyers in comparison to the others, although all tried to focus mainly on the positive -- I can't help but feel that if someday a current Flyer writes a similar retrospective of his own career, the Flyers section might not be the one with happiest memories.
- bmeltzer

"To this day, I hate the sight of the Oilers' crest. To this day, I can't watch the end of a Stanley Cup Final when the winning team celebrates. That was the one thing I wanted more than anything else in the NHL and the one I never got."

this is one of the reasons why i love brad marsh. i've said many times he's my favorite flyer defenseman of all-time, and this side of him honestly surprises me. makes me love him even more.

poor mason
- -davies-

when is the last time we thought that about a flyers goalie?

Let me preface this by saying that I am as big a fan of G as anyone. There is no way that G will ever be in the same conversation as Crosby, Malkin, or Ovechkin. Giroux can be a great player, but not at the level of the 3 I just mentioned.
- Jimmygrazz

No he is not. I thought they overpaid for him by about 2 million on this latest contract but that is what it is.

There is something deeply wrong with Giroux right now. Be it mental, physical, or a combination. He is NOT the same player we have seen in the past, not even close. There is no grit, no creativity, no physicality...nothing. Its as if he is drifting around the outskirts of the game waiting for something to happen.

He is doing nothing to impose himself on the game. To me he looks more like Zherdev than himself.

If he is hurt, sit it out until he gets healthy. If he doesn't want to do that then he has to suck it up and deal with whatever pain he is in, get to the slot, start hitting people, start MAKING plays and get his ass in gear. Otherwise he IS Zherdev but less productive and making a poopload more money.

I watched him all night every time he was on the ice, followed him everywhere when I could see him....it was pathetic. Numerous times he was one on one with a defender he would normally beat like a red headed step child and instead he decides to take a weak shot from 55 feet or make a dumb pass or just simply not do anything.

What the hell happened to him?