Rundblad himself is no longer considered a good prospect. He's been given 4 chances to stick and hasn't. He's not old (23) but he's no longer a prospect either. So I would not give up one for him.

Gut had ONE GOOD YEAR in the SEL, and people fell all over him. Never got it.
- jmatchett383

He's from the 2009 draft class... a lot of the players, especially D and G, from that draft are only now emerging as pros.

And ppg in the SEL for a dman is a very big deal. As is 40pts in 50 AHL games for a dman. Kid has game... Tippett just can't afford to give him much leash, considering how thin their margin for success is on most nights.

A lot of it boils down to team needs. Yeah, Laughton's tearing up the OHL right now. But Couturier did the same in the Q, and Brayden Schenn did the same in the OHL.

Laughton comes in and plays 4th line center. How long does he stay there? Does he surpass Couturier? The Flyers have a ton of center depth and a real need on defense.

Keeping prospects is admirable. But ignoring a serious organizational need in the name of "patience" is not really making progress. If they trade Laughton, and get a good, mobile defenseman in his mid twenties, I'd have a hard time being angry about it.

I'm not saying move him for Byfuglien or Brian Campbell.
- Jsaquella

Maybe he plays 4th line center. Maybe he plays 3rd line center. Maybe he plays 3rd line wing. Maybe B. Schenn gets traded. There's a ton of options.

I'm not a fantasy hockey guy, so I'm not really sure. Anderson is a stud, but it seems as if he's been under assault in the games he's played. Ottawa doesn't exactly have a world class defense playing in front of him. Same thing can be said for the Flyers. Their attention to detail in their own end is improving under Berube.
- PLindbergh31

Thanks for the input. It's a weekly lineup format so I have another few hours to make this decision.

Definitely leaning towards Mason due to age and the offensive trends picking up for PHI as we spoke about earlier.

So every 3rd year junior player should be capable of being top-5 in pts/GP simply because they're older?
- jmatchett383

So there is no chance that his numbers are a little inflated because of this? There is no chance that he is built like a man playing among boys?

He's from the 2009 draft class... a lot of the players, especially D and G, from that draft are only now emerging as pros.

And ppg in the SEL for a dman is a very big deal. As is 40pts in 50 AHL games for a dman. Kid has game... Tippett just can't afford to give him much leash, considering how thin their margin for success is on most nights.
- Tomahawk

And that game has translated to what exactly in 45 NHL games? I don't care about his AHL production. Many players are able to play well in the AHL but can't play at the next level.

I'm just not really a fan of inconsistency. This team is made up of very young players and will have several young defenseman coming soon.

A guy like Streit may have his limitations, but at least he's a true professional. What are the kids going to learn if their number 1 D-man is Buff?

I just don't see him being worth it, unless the deal is for maybe one prospect straight up.
- PhillySportsGuy

You mean the guy with the Stanley Cup ring? The guy averages more points per game than Lecavalier over the past three years...how is that inconsistent? He produces points at an elite level for defensemen. He plays 20-25 minutes a night.

I don't get the hate. The guy puts up serious points every year and leads his team in ice time, every year. Not seeing inconsistency, like I do with the Flyers current group.

FYI, Morin plays for QMJHL against Russia tonight in the first Subway Series game.

http://www.subwaysuperseries.ca/

A lot of it boils down to team needs. Yeah, Laughton's tearing up the OHL right now. But Couturier did the same in the Q, and Brayden Schenn did the same in the OHL.

Laughton comes in and plays 4th line center. How long does he stay there? Does he surpass Couturier? The Flyers have a ton of center depth and a real need on defense.

Keeping prospects is admirable. But ignoring a serious organizational need in the name of "patience" is not really making progress. If they trade Laughton, and get a good, mobile defenseman in his mid twenties, I'd have a hard time being angry about it.

I'm not saying move him for Byfuglien or Brian Campbell.
- Jsaquella

I kind of waffle between thinking that Laughton's trade value will never be higher, and that he might turn out to be the next Rod Brind'Amour.... trading him would make me very nervous, especially considering that the type of player that the Flyers would ideally be looking for (not old, declining, suspect) is probably not even available.

There is a very short list of things Phillies fans can be thankful for, looking ahead. One of those things is the lack of a salary cap.
- BulliesPhan87

They seem to be collecting old out of shape guys. Not exactly a recipe for success.

He's from the 2009 draft class... a lot of the players, especially D and G, from that draft are only now emerging as pros.

And ppg in the SEL for a dman is a very big deal. As is 40pts in 50 AHL games for a dman. Kid has game... Tippett just can't afford to give him much leash, considering how thin their margin for success is on most nights.
- Tomahawk

right... Boo 23 year old Schenn... yea... 23 year old Rundblad.

So there is no chance that his numbers are a little inflated because of this? There is no chance that he is built like a man playing among boys?
- youarewrong

I expect his production to increase as he ages and gains more experience, but he's outscoring all but 3 players in the league, many of them his own age or older. All the while, he's being one of the better defensive players in the league and is his team's captain.

But yeah, he's not really that good. Those numbers are all lies.

Maybe he plays 4th line center. Maybe he plays 3rd line center. Maybe he plays 3rd line wing. Maybe B. Schenn gets traded. There's a ton of options.
- jmatchett383

And maybe Laughton gets traded...Is it a good idea to trade Schenn, now that he seems to be having a bit of a breakout year, after going through the growing pains for a couple years?

Laughton's dominating the OHL. Schenn is leading the NHL team in scoring

Since the Flyers traded Talbot, they are 4-2-2.

Since Colordao traded Downie, they are 4-4, after a 10-1 start
- Jsaquella

So they've both won 4 and lost 4 but for us that's a huge step up and for them it's a step back.

They seem to be collecting old out of shape guys. Not exactly a recipe for success.
- PLindbergh31

Right now, I don't see any plan for the future. I'll always cheer for the Phillies, but on the short and long term I'm not even a little optimistic about them.

David Pagnotta ‏@TheFourthPeriod 1m
Oilers place G LaBarbera on waivers to make room for Bryzgalov

Oh boy. Oil host the Jackets tomorrow night. Bob vs. Bryz?

And maybe Laughton gets traded...Is it a good idea to trade Schenn, now that he seems to be having a bit of a breakout year, after going through the growing pains for a couple years?

Laughton's dominating the OHL. Schenn is leading the NHL team in scoring
- Jsaquella

Depends. Laughton will cost you less. Schenn's leading a team that had a piss poor offensive start to the season in scoring. I'm not saying B Schenn is a bust, I'm just saying there's a ton of options, and they shouldn't be rushing either out the door.

And that game has translated to what exactly in 45 NHL games? I don't care about his AHL production. Many players are able to play well in the AHL but can't play at the next level.
- jmatchett383

I can't wait until Morin and/or Ghost and/or Hagg come up, struggle for 40+ games, and people write them off right away.

I kind of waffle between thinking that Laughton's trade value will never be higher, and that he might turn out to be the next Rod Brind'Amour.... trading him would make me very nervous, especially considering that the type of player that the Flyers would ideally be looking for (not old, declining, suspect) is probably not even available.
- Tomahawk

IMO and the question which everyone should ask.... if a team is inquiring about a young center would you rather keep Couturier or Laughton?

David Pagnotta ‏@TheFourthPeriod 1m
Oilers place G LaBarbera on waivers to make room for Bryzgalov

Oh boy. Oil host the Jackets tomorrow night. Bob vs. Bryz?
- PLindbergh31

Advantage: offense.

I kind of waffle between thinking that Laughton's trade value will never be higher, and that he might turn out to be the next Rod Brind'Amour.... trading him would make me very nervous, especially considering that the type of player that the Flyers would ideally be looking for (not old, declining, suspect) is probably not even available.
- Tomahawk

That's the quandry.

I'm not advocating that they run out and trade Laughton. I'm simply saying that he could be a very valuable chip in a trade, and one that they can afford to spend, given the existing depth on the team-they have 3 good centers under the age of 26 on the roster right now-and one of them is stuck on a wing

I can't wait until Morin and/or Ghost and/or Hagg come up, struggle for 40+ games, and people write them off right away.
- Tomahawk

Will happen instantaneously.
"Morin turned that puck over and was a -2, he stinks."

You mean the guy with the Stanley Cup ring? The guy averages more points per game than Lecavalier over the past three years...how is that inconsistent? He produces points at an elite level for defensemen. He plays 20-25 minutes a night.

I don't get the hate. The guy puts up serious points every year and leads his team in ice time, every year. Not seeing inconsistency, like I do with the Flyers current group.
- Jsaquella

His overall game is inconsistent. He doesn't play well in his own end. I just don't like him. I'm not overly impressed with a guy who can just put up points. If I'm trading significant prospects, I want a good all around defenseman.

He's basically the offensive version of Grossmann. Grossmann is good defensively, but offers nothing in terms of offense. Buff is good offensively, but offers very little in terms of defense.

That's the quandry.

I'm not advocating that they run out and trade Laughton. I'm simply saying that he could be a very valuable chip in a trade, and one that they can afford to spend, given the existing depth on the team-they have 3 good centers under the age of 26 on the roster right now-and one of them is stuck on a wing
- Jsaquella

I'm just stating that, unless it's a great offer (young, top-pair d-man), I'd rather see what he can do with at least 1/2 NHL season. You want to trade him for a young puck mover. Would you trade him for another Erik Gustafsson?

Right now, I don't see any plan for the future. I'll always cheer for the Phillies, but on the short and long term I'm not even a little optimistic about them.
- BulliesPhan87

They have to be rebuilt. Hopefully Amaro isn't the one doing it.

Advantage: offense.
- jmatchett383

I wish they were playing closer. I'd drive a long way to see that game.