I know Gus is not going to change things, but I thought he was pretty solid for the most part yesterday.

He is able to make a quick accurate first pass and skate the puck a bit.
He will never be a physical, grind them against the wall, defenseman but overall I was happy with his play and would keep him in there.

The rest of it, well yuk.

cue the pittsburgh tanking jokes im sure, but i still think once your team no longer tries to at least win, that creates a festering and blackening mentality for the mindset of the team, especially young players. thats a bad culture to cultivate. should you pick 10th instead of 7th, then so be it.
- stayinthefnnet

Nope, I personally don't think Pittsburgh tanked anything but in reality if they did it worked out okay for them having won a cup, been to another, having the best player in the universe(Crosby) and another player that is close to the best player in the universe(Malkin).

The Flyers didn't help themselves any by winning 5 games at the end of last season after they were eliminated..or whatever it was... With that draft last year I much rather would have had a better shot at drafting 1-7 then 8-14. If they were 1 spot higher they had a shot at Nishkushin and I would be more than okay at your top line being Jake, Giroux and Nishkushin for the next couple of years vs Jake, Giroux and Raffl/Hartnell.

I know Gus is not going to change things, but I thought he was pretty solid for the most part yesterday.

He is able to make a quick accurate first pass and skate the puck a bit.
He will never be a physical, grind them against the wall, defenseman but overall I was happy with his play and would keep him in there.

The rest of it, well yuk.
- Marc D

Would much rather have Guz, Mez and L. Schenn in the lineup vs Gus , L. Schenn and Grossmann.

Would much rather have Guz, Mez and L. Schenn in the lineup vs Gus , L. Schenn and Grossmann.
- opeth_pa

I would like the management and coaches to get an extended look at Gus and see if he fits as part of their plans moving forward.

I don't have unrealistic expectations of him, but I think he could help the transition from D to offense. I am uncertain if his liabilities in the defensive zone are too big for him to make it in the NHL.

Nope, I personally don't think Pittsburgh tanked anything but in reality if they did it worked out okay for them having won a cup, been to another, having the best player in the universe(Crosby) and another player that is close to the best player in the universe(Malkin).

The Flyers didn't help themselves any by winning 5 games at the end of last season after they were eliminated..or whatever it was... With that draft last year I much rather would have had a better shot at drafting 1-7 then 8-14. If they were 1 spot higher they had a shot at Nishkushin and I would be more than okay at your top line being Jake, Giroux and Nishkushin for the next couple of years vs Jake, Giroux and Raffl/Hartnell.
- opeth_pa

true. i just worry about things like that are going on with edmonton. all those young studs, and just such difficulty in putting the team together

I would like the management and coaches to get an extended look at Gus and see if he fits as part of their plans moving forward.

I don't have unrealistic expectations of him, but I think he could help the transition from D to offense. I am uncertain if his liabilities in the defensive zone are too big for him to make it in the NHL.
- Marc D

only one way to find out

I would like the management and coaches to get an extended look at Gus and see if he fits as part of their plans moving forward.

I don't have unrealistic expectations of him, but I think he could help the transition from D to offense. I am uncertain if his liabilities in the defensive zone are too big for him to make it in the NHL.
- Marc D

Around the league D cores are getting a lot quicker. It sure as poop cant hurt. They badly need to add speed back there somewhere.

Bill I would really like to hear your honest opinion on Vinny on how hes measured up so far this season and what lies ahead for him and the team with his contract. IMO I am really worried about his decline in play and lack of speed and knowing we have another 4 years to go with this. He was supposed to be able to help win draws for us and that is not happening either. He seems to be struggling in his end, and /i know he was never stellar defensively but was usually never horrible either.

I think a young player like Gustafsson will get better with more experience and games played. He should probably be limited to 18 minutes and change. I'd also keep Meszaros in the lineup. Get Luke Schenn out there paired with Kimo Timonen.

Schenn Timonen
Streit Coburn
Meszaros Gustafsson

That's how I'd roll.
Give the big swede a break and swap out for Schenn if need be.

I think a young player like Gustafsson will get better with more experience and games played. He should probably be limited to 18 minutes and change. I'd also keep Meszaros in the lineup. Get Luke Schenn out there paired with Kimo Timonen.

Schenn Timonen
Streit Coburn
Meszaros Gustafsson

That's how I'd roll.
Give the big swede a break and swap out for Schenn if need be.
- Pixote Andolini

My course of action is to sit Grossmann for 2 games, send him a message, then on his first game back, give him 3rd pair minutes with Streit/Gus

If he responds well, roll him out there with Coburn. That'd be his reward.

After 1

Erie - 2
Oshawa - 0

Additionally I'd like to switch around the forward units a bit.

Let's field a proper 1st line scoring unit.

Simmonds Giroux Voracek
Hartnell Schenn Lecavalier
Read Couturier Downie
Raffl Hall VandeVelde

I hear ya, Nut.

Believe me, coming from a fan who remembers the glory days, as you call them, it's as frustrating, if not more so, for us. Those past teams set the bar pretty high for those to follow.

We remember the Shero years. The Pat Quinn teams. The Mike Keenan years. Terry Murray, Roger Nielson. We remember when the organization was solid from top to bottom. Now, did any of those teams take home the Cup after 1975? No, but they were carefully built with talented, character players who were well prepared, well coached, and came to play every night. And you sincerely felt they had a good chance to go to the Finals every year (and but for a few ill-timed injuries to key players, they just might have won it all a few more times).

Has that feeling been quite the same recently? Ehhh...
- 77rams

Couldn't have said it any better

I'd also be pressed to say, that maybe during the darker days of being a fan of this team, we should be more united in understanding we are all fans.

With a common goal, a common dream and a common fire within us.

Rock on hooligans.

So amongst everything else I missed this. An Oilers scout was at the game again yesterday?

Man, some trade is going to go down between these two sooner or later.

So amongst everything else I missed this. An Oilers scout was at the game again yesterday?

Man, some trade is going to go down between these two sooner or later.
- hereticpride

i just dont see how theyre good partners though

i just dont see how theyre good partners though
- stayinthefnnet

Me either, unless its a smaller deal. They could definitely use a guy like Grossmann, but yeah, I dont have much interest in what they have outside their young skill forwards, and now certainly isnt the time to be going after those positions.

Me either, unless its a smaller deal. They could definitely use a guy like Grossmann, but yeah, I dont have much interest in what they have outside their young skill forwards, and now certainly isnt the time to be going after those positions.
- hereticpride

I'd dump grossman for a 2nd and a 3rd. Something like that

My course of action is to sit Grossmann for 2 games, send him a message, then on his first game back, give him 3rd pair minutes with Streit/Gus

If he responds well, roll him out there with Coburn. That'd be his reward.


His reward is to be paired with Coburn? Coburn needs a couple of games to sit and think as well. He has done nothing to deserve the praise he gets. No wonder this team is in the trouble it is in. It has its fans thinking Coburn is something worth coveting. SMH

I'd dump grossman for a 2nd and a 3rd. Something like that
- Just5

The way he's playing you'd be lucky to get a 5th rounder and nothing more

I'd also be pressed to say, that maybe during the darker days of being a fan of this team, we should be more united in understanding we are all fans.

With a common goal, a common dream and a common fire within us.

Rock on hooligans.
- flyer_nutter

The way he's playing you'd be lucky to get a 5th rounder and nothing more
- ob18

I think he could catch the eye of a playoff bound team at the deadline needing some PK help.

I know he was a rental but lets never forget what Kubina cost.

I think he could catch the eye of a playoff bound team at the deadline needing some PK help.

I know he was a rental but lets never forget what Kubina cost.
- hereticpride

We'll see how they sit going into the break if it gets worse, we'd have to think they'd think long and hard about what to do before the TDL

My course of action is to sit Grossmann for 2 games, send him a message, then on his first game back, give him 3rd pair minutes with Streit/Gus

If he responds well, roll him out there with Coburn. That'd be his reward.


His reward is to be paired with Coburn? Coburn needs a couple of games to sit and think as well. He has done nothing to deserve the praise he gets. No wonder this team is in the trouble it is in. It has its fans thinking Coburn is something worth coveting. SMH
- Daveflyers36

What are you talking about?

I never said anything about coveting Coburn. Never.

The reason I said it's his reward is because he and Coburn as a pair were a force. Grossmann played his best hockey when paired with Coburn.

Coburn doesn't deserve "praise". Coburn doesn't really get praise. Coburn is not really viewed by the fans as something worth coveting. Coburn is viewed, for the most part, by this fanbase as a solid defenseman with great skating ability. We as a fanbase- again, for the most part- believe it is NOT in this team's best interest to trade him because a) the D would be SO MUCH SLOWER and b) in much worse shape after dealing him.

I say for the most part, because there are some delusional Flyers fans out there who think Coburn is the second coming of Osi Vaananan.

SMH

Little things about this organization have ticked me off lately. Just some random things. For instance

1. During the lockout. I think it was a flyers coach or exec that said that b schenn and cooter were "bored" in the AHL. I'm sorry that rubbed me the wrong way and ive always thought about it. It's one of two things and neither are good. It is acceptable to the flyers that their 20 and 21 yoa youngsters have this attitude about playing professional hockey. Or they have an inflated opinion of their young players who in their minds are simply bored playing on a poor minor league team.

2. This organization and team are full of cliches. "60 minute effort" etc. certain players have the silver spoon and just regurgitate the same crap. Claude giroux took a dumb penalty 5 minutes into the game yesterday.

3. Claude giroux in his own words has a hard time staying consistently motivated. It was a major problem in his junior career. It has stayed with him in his professional career. I feel bad for the guy. No ones perfect. He's extremely talented, but he would best be served as not having the burden of the captaincy and to be looked at when things go wrong. Why can't management see this? Your best player shouldn't be captain. The hardest working professional should be, like timonen. And now look at who Simmonds has turned into as a player. Easily the hardest worker on the team. He could have been in line to earn the Captaincy with the work ethic he's put in.


It's the little things that add up