What about the ailments that would result from acquiring those pieces? Who would be our best defensive players. I find it hard to believe you acquire those 3 players without giving up Couturier and/or Laughton and/or Coburn
- PhillySportsGuy

IMO you have to figure out what positions are easier/harder to fill. IMO if they Flyers wait until a team lets a sniper and Top offensive d-man walk to free agence, they will never be good again. It would be a lot easier to fill positions like Coutuier and Coburn then it would be to fill a top sniper and o-dman.

If I equate this to chess.... I would much rather have a queen and 2 knights, then 2 roukes and 2 bishops.

I dont think the Flyers neglected anything. It is much tougher to scout out what a Defensman or Goalie can be at age 16-18 then it is a forward. The Flyers made thier attempts... Pitkanen, Sbisa, Ouellet, JMP..... it becomes tough to keep taking risks on goalies and defenseman when none of them panned out... not when they have so much sucess taking forwards... Richards, Giroux, Gagne, Laughton.... all late round picks.
- youarewrong

It is riskier but it's a risk you need to take sometimes. I understand not taking a goalie early. There are so many good ones later in the draft. Defenseman can also be found later.

Guys like Pitkanen and Sbisa ended up being decent. Flyers just didn't reap the benefits.

haha, so silly of me. If only we had a forward corps on 4 Datsyuk's, 4 Yakupovs, 4 Lucic's, and a defensive corps of 6 Shea Weber's....

Oh, who am I kidding, we'd still be ripping them apart constantly.
- jmatchett383

SNP/PLY/PWF
SNP/PLY/PWF
SNP/PLY/PWF
GRN/GRN/GRN

OD/DD
OD/DD
OD/DD


#LifeAccordingToEA

IMO you have to figure out what positions are easier/harder to fill. IMO if they Flyers wait until a team lets a sniper and Top offensive d-man walk to free agence, they will never be good again. It would be a lot easier to fill positions like Coutuier and Coburn then it would be to fill a top sniper and o-dman.

If I equate this to chess.... I would much rather have a queen and 2 knights, then 2 roukes and 2 bishops.
- youarewrong

I think the difference is I value two-way forwards and defensive defenseman much more than you. There aren't many forwards with Couturiers upside. Did you see Bergeron against the Flyers? He owned the game. Those are winning types of players.

I just don't see the appeal of trading for an offensive defenseman when the asking price is obviously very high.

IMO you have to figure out what positions are easier/harder to fill. IMO if they Flyers wait until a team lets a sniper and Top offensive d-man walk to free agence, they will never be good again. It would be a lot easier to fill positions like Coutuier and Coburn then it would be to fill a top sniper and o-dman.

If I equate this to chess.... I would much rather have a queen and 2 knights, then 2 roukes and 2 bishops.
- youarewrong

I get what you're saying, but no. Players at Couturier's age who play like he does are about as rare as elite defenders. I'm not saying he's untradable, but for the players you named (especially where he'd probably be part of a larger package), no thanks.

Fist? You can't even be stupid the right way.
- Daveflyers36

it's an old joke from in here

Craig Berube stressed the need for the team to keep its feet moving. "Skate quicker and think quicker" were themes that were repeated over and over, and the drills on the ice were geared toward getting the club to do just that.
- bmeltzer

it's an old joke from in here
- -davies-

It's the way BOB RYAB would have wanted it.

It's the way BOB RYAB would have wanted it.
- johndewar

That one really got out of hand

- FlyerGuy

I bet "Skate quicker!! Think quicker!!" is the last thing that Vinny, Baby Schenn, Simmer, Grossmann and Streit hear from Berube on the bench as they are thrown out on the ice together.

- FlyerGuy

all we need to see are results now

So you're saying filling holes by creating bigger holes is a bad idea?
- jmatchett383

I would say the holes we currently have are much tougher to fill then the ones we could create.

I bet "Skate quicker!! Think quicker!!" is the last thing that Vinny, Baby Schenn, Simmer, Grossmann and Streit hear from Berube on the bench as they are thrown out on the ice together.


- Tomahawk

The worst is when I see a defenseman skate the puck up ice and look for an outlet, but can't find one. So the defenseman turns back and that's when I know something bad is going to happen.

The forwards need to recognize that these defenseman can't make difficult passes. If it means coming all the way back to help, then so be it.

I would say the holes we currently have are much tougher to fill then the ones we could create.
- youarewrong

Would you trade Couturier for Yakupov?

Would you trade B. Schenn and Coburn for Byfuglien?

Would you trade Read for Rundblad?

Those are pretty much what you'd need to give to get.

Would you trade Couturier for Yakupov?

Would you trade B. Schenn and Coburn for Byfuglien?

Would you trade Read for Rundblad?

Those are pretty much what you'd need to give to get.
- PhillySportsGuy

I'd have to seriously consider that one.

The forwards need to recognize that these defenseman can't make difficult passes. If it means coming all the way back to help, then so be it.
- PhillySportsGuy

Tocchet was saying as much, this morning on twitter.

Would you trade Couturier for Yakupov?

Would you trade B. Schenn and Coburn for Byfuglien?

Would you trade Read for Rundblad?

Those are pretty much what you'd need to give to get.
- PhillySportsGuy

1. why not just get zherdev for free

2. No

3. Maybe

I'd have to seriously consider that one.
- Tomahawk

I'd be hesitant. Read is such a proven commodity. You'd be assuming a ton of risk

Would you trade Couturier for Yakupov?

Would you trade B. Schenn and Coburn for Byfuglien?

Would you trade Read for Rundblad?

Those are pretty much what you'd need to give to get.
- PhillySportsGuy

Would I make all 3 trades... No. But I would do each on individually. I would actaully try and do Both schenns for Buff and Couturier for Yakupov. And hope that Gostisbere is able to fill the role Runblad would have in 2 seasons.

Simmonds-Giroux-Voracek
Hartnell-Lecavalier-Yakupov
Read-Laughton-Raffl
FA-Cousins-Rinaldo

Buff-Coburn
Grossmann-Mez/Gus/FA
Streit-Mez/Gus/FA

The team starts to look a bit more well rounded...

Would I make all 3 trades... No. But I would do each on individually. I would actaully try and do Both schenns for Buff and Couturier for Yakupov. And hope that Gostisbere is able to fill the role Runblad would have in 2 seasons.

Simmonds-Giroux-Voracek
Hartnell-Lecavalier-Yakupov
Read-Laughton-Raffl
FA-Cousins-Rinaldo

Buff-Coburn
Grossmann-Mez/Gus/FA
Streit-Mez/Gus/FA

The team starts to look a bit more well rounded...
- youarewrong

I definitely would not trade couts for yakupov. I would consider both schenns for buff

I definitely would not trade couts for yakupov. I would consider both schenns for buff
- PhillySportsGuy

Although I get the Schenns for Buff, no way I would. This team needs to stop trading its young players for the big catch. Unless it's some sick overpayment, I'm not trading Couturier.

As for Ghost replacing Rundblad, I'd hope that, in 2 years, I hope that Ghost is AT LEAST a very good AHL player who, despite being given chances in 3 consecutive years, can't hold down an NHL job.

Although I get the Schenns for Buff, no way I would. This team needs to stop trading its young players for the big catch. Unless it's some sick overpayment, I'm not trading Couturier.

As for Ghost replacing Rundblad, I'd hope that, in 2 years, I hope that Ghost is AT LEAST a very good AHL player who, despite being given chances in 3 consecutive years, can't hold down an NHL job.
- jmatchett383

If I were going to trade both schenns I might just bite the bullet and go for a better player even if I had to pay more.

Like you said though, I'm more leaning towards wait and see than trade trade trade

I'd be hesitant. Read is such a proven commodity. You'd be assuming a ton of risk
- PhillySportsGuy

Rundblad's a terrific young dman, though, and his overall game is steadily improving year after year. Of course, there's no guarantee there, but he's only 23 and he's right-handed, and unlike Streit, he's equal parts puckmover and howitzer. Love that he's being instructed by Tippett as well.

Read's going to be 28 before next year... out of all the 'young' forwards on this team, he's the one I would have the least problem parting with.

You are looking at the opponents (and underrating the trap games among them). I am looking at how the Flyers were playing.

Ottawa had won three in a row and had been playing very good hockey of late when the Flyers came in and smoked them 5-0 in what I think was the best 60 mins of hockey the Flyers have played since Game 6 of the 2012 playoffs against Pittsburgh.

Next night, Flyers beat the Penguins 2-1 in regulation.

Again, the other thing about that entire stretch of play is the WAY the team was playing. They were getting ahead early and not giving up any even strength goals -- stretch of five-plus games with zero ESGAs and no more than two goals against in regulation of any of them.

The way the Flyers were playing right then, it did not even really matter who they were playing. Once they got over the scoring hump in that Edmonton game, they were firing on all cylinders without sacrificing defense.
- bmeltzer

True Bill but I did not think the Flyers deserved to win that Pittsburgh game. Flyers were dominated for majority of the game, Pittsburgh for what ever reason just couldn't hit the net on their quality chances. They played pretty well in the 3rd I'll give them that but Pens were all over them for 40 minutes

Nice article Bill. Sometime when you have a chance you should muse on raffl's future on the team and his development so far.

Just a thought.