These are the times I wish we had better depths wingers. While Gagne is at the end of his career, we could have benefited from having him in the playoffs. Plays a solid 2 way style and can still shoot the puck.

Instead we went and got Downie. So lame.

Man... imagine next year when Jagr resigns with us....
- Flyersgod

These are the times I wish we had better depths wingers. While Gagne is at the end of his career, we could have benefited from having him in the playoffs. Plays a solid 2 way style and can still shoot the puck.

Instead we went and got Downie. So lame.
- Flyersgod

What about the fact that Gagne did not sign with anybody, and was out of the League the entire year?

No he literally moved out of the way of the shooters and let them shoot. Get with it bro.
- Flyersgod

What about the fact that Gagne did not sign with anybody, and was out of the League the entire year?
- MJL

I think that had more to do with him waiting around for the Flyers than anything else. Probably wanted more money to leave the area etc.

He had his heart set on playing here. Was pretty upset after the Flyers strung him along.

I think that had more to do with him waiting around for the Flyers than anything else. Probably wanted more money to leave the area etc.

He had his heart set on playing here. Was pretty upset after the Flyers strung him along.
- Flyersgod

He's been sitting by telephone every day since homer spurned him

I think that had more to do with him waiting around for the Flyers than anything else. Probably wanted more money to leave the area etc.

He had his heart set on playing here. Was pretty upset after the Flyers strung him along.
- Flyersgod

Could be, and I don't know why exactly he sat out the whole year. But that he hasn't played this year is a red flag for me. And I'm not going to say a player that is out of the League all year, would make a difference.

Whoa...as Paul Holmgren puts it, "That's a stretch."

Jagr...not only have we discussed how that guy is just a different beast entirely, the guy was a lifelong RW with puck possession skills that may never be replicated.

Vinny has some attributes, but what I just typed...those aren't it.
- AllInForFlyers

Just seems Vinny is at a crossroads where the tools that made him explosive are diminishing and he needs to become a smarter player and adjust to continue to be effective. I think he can be when used properly. At least for this year id rather he stay on the 4th line as he was playing better there and on the PP.

- Flyersgod

"Those special moments"

He's been sitting by telephone every day since homer spurned him
- funmaster18

"Those special moments"
- funmaster18

That's right before he got teeth knocked out in the Washington game. Think he fractured his orbital bone as well.

Lecavalier scored at a 67 point pace last year. He scored 20 goals this season for the 13th time in his career. And if it wasn't for the injury and the position change, he's probably looking at a 25-30 goal season.
- MJL

I agree, but you also have to acknowledge that he does not appear to be skating as well or be as strong on the puck now as he was before the injury.

That...would be one hell of a tricky deal.

I don't sweat the Flyers eating some dollars. But a cursory look around the league...I'm not exactly sure where Vinny could go.

People automatically think "Montreal," but with P.K. Subban coming up, I don't think they've got a ton of money lying around.

I don't quite see where Vinny could go, with just a quick glance around the league, with his contract.
- AllInForFlyers

Dallas need a 2C, and I think they were second in line for Vinny back in June. Maybe he can go back to Tampa.

I agree, but you also have to acknowledge that he does not appear to be skating as well or be as strong on the puck now as he was before the injury.
- Feanor

Well that's definitely true. He fractured his back. I don't know the paticulars but if fractured a disc it would be a herniation I would think. Any fracture in the back has to be pretty rough.

Don't forget, he also played a few more games after fracturing it because the Flyers doctors said he was good to go. Why they don't do better checks of their older players with injuries is beyond me.

I agree, but you also have to acknowledge that he does not appear to be skating as well or be as strong on the puck now as he was before the injury.
- Feanor

He definitely deserves another shot next year, IMO. First time changing teams, positions, had some injuries this year. If it's the same story first half of next season I'll really be worried.

If we look at the possession stats for game 2, the Flyers lost that battle significantly, but they won the game. The Flyers crushed the Rangers in the possession stats in game 3, but they lost the game. They are overblown.
- MJL

Say the following things happened independently to you at a busy intersection:

- Looked both ways, got hit by a car,
- Ran across without looking, safe and sound.

Does that mean that looking before you cross is therefore overblown and unnecessary?

No, I would say you were terribly unlucky in the first instance, and fortunate to be alive in the second. If you repeatedly crossed the street without looking over a hundred times, how often do you think you could repeat the above two results? Probably not very often.

Just like looking before you cross is just a smart/safe thing to do, that's totally within your control in a random/dangerous world, having the puck in hockey is the same. While it's true that possession is only part of the winning equation, it just so happens to be the only repeatable/improvable part of the equation that we've found so far. Teams that have the puck tend to win more. Teams that don't... go night fishing with their buddies.

I agree, but you also have to acknowledge that he does not appear to be skating as well or be as strong on the puck now as he was before the injury.
- Feanor

He seems stronger then he was in the middle part of the season, but he may not be 100%.

Say the following things happened independently to you at a busy intersection:

- Looked both ways, got hit by a car,
- Ran across without looking, safe and sound.

Does that mean that looking before you cross is therefore overblown and unnecessary?

No, I would say you were terribly unlucky in the first instance, and fortunate to be alive in the second. If you repeatedly crossed the street without looking over a hundred times, how often do you think you could repeat the above two results? Probably not very often.

Just like looking before you cross is just a smart/safe thing to do, that's totally within your control in a random/dangerous world, having the puck in hockey is the same. While it's true that possession is only part of the winning equation, it just so happens to be the only repeatable/improvable part of the equation that we've found so far. Teams that have the puck tend to win more. Teams that don't... go night fishing with their buddies.


- Tomahawk

Real bad analogy and totally irrelevant to the game or anything happening in the playoffs. There were teams that were good possession teams that missed the playoffs. 4 of the top 10 Corsi teams in the League missed the playoffs. The stats are badly misunderstood and misused by many. And their relevance is way overblown. As Flyergod pretty much said, I can take any number of these stats, and spin them to say what I want it to say. They just aren't that definitive. They have some value, but near as much as is placed on them.

Real bad analogy and totally irrelevant to the game or anything happening in the playoffs. There were teams that were good possession teams that missed the playoffs. 4 of the top 10 Corsi teams in the League missed the playoffs. The stats are badly misunderstood and misused by many. And their relevance is way overblown. As Flyergod pretty much said, I can take any number of these stats, and spin them to say what I want it to say. They just aren't that definitive. They have some value, but near as much as is placed on them.
- MJL

Try 3 out of top-13 if you want to stick to CF, or 2 out of top-12 if you want to go with FF which is more closely correlated w/ possession over large samples.

NJ would have easily made it if they had not gone 0-for in SO's and slavishly stuck w/ Brodeur in net. Vancouver might have made it if they didn't have so many injuries to key players and didn't throw two rookies into the net during the stretch run.

Try 3 out of top-13 if you want to stick to CF, or 2 out of top-12 if you want to go with FF which is more closely correlated w/ possession over large samples.

NJ would have easily made it if they had not gone 0-for in SO's and slavishly stuck w/ Brodeur in net. Vancouver might have made it if they didn't have so many injuries to key players and didn't throw two rookies into the net during the stretch run.
- Tomahawk

He's also including special teams in his numbers, not just 5 on 5, which skews the numbers a bit.

He's also including special teams in his numbers, not just 5 on 5, which skews the numbers a bit.
- Jsaquella

(yet another misuse of stats)

Try 3 out of top-13 if you want to stick to CF, or 2 out of top-12 if you want to go with FF which is more closely correlated w/ possession over large samples.

NJ would have easily made it if they had not gone 0-for in SO's and slavishly stuck w/ Brodeur in net. Vancouver might have made it if they didn't have so many injuries to key players and didn't throw two rookies into the net during the stretch run.
- Tomahawk

http://www.extraskater.co...al&sit=all&sort=corsi_pct

New Jersey, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Carolina were all top 10 teams in Corsi. They all missed the playoffs. Would've could've. But didn't! Bottom line is that Corsi, Fenwick, or any of it's derivetives, aren't close to being definitive. And games 2 and 3 of the Flyers/Rangers series further point that out.

He's also including special teams in his numbers, not just 5 on 5, which skews the numbers a bit.
- Jsaquella

It's all situations. So there is no cherry picking. It's every team, in every situation.

If you want to just do 5 on 5, Carolina drops down to 15th in the League, but just 1.5% out of the top 10. Huge difference there. Vancouver, Ottawa, and NJ are still top 10. Florida is 12th. All missed the playoffs. And then we can see one of the top teams in the League, Colorado at 25th in Corsi at 5 on 5 play. No way they should've made the playoffs.