I'm not really a fan of him. I'm not really a fan of paying over $2M for 4th line talent
- PhillySportsGuy

Annoying personality aside, he would probably be a great fit on LW w/ Couturier, but it's a pure luxury signing they can't afford.

SBNation mock draft... Flyers select:

http://www.broadstreethoc...lyers-nhl-mock-draft-2014
- Tomahawk

Wouldn't be upset with that. They have Fleury available too though.

Ek is saying Flyers are in on Ott? Take it for what is worth. Not sure I see the fit as isn't he center?
- J35Bacher

Unlike Vinnie, I think he does play all 3 forward positions.

I prefer when Al Morganti is in the studio. Tock is OK, but I can't get past the fact that he's such a honk for Mario and the Pens.
- johndewar

I guess that doesn't bother me. It isn't like fawning over someone he doesn't personally know that well. He did win a cup with the guy after all

Wouldn't be upset with that. They have Fleury available too though.
- PhillySportsGuy

Haydn Fleury, aka Olli OMG-HOW-COULD-YOU-PASS-ON-HIM Maatta Jr.

I'm not really a fan of him. I'm not really a fan of paying over $2M for 4th line talent
- PhillySportsGuy

Me neither, but the guy does do a lot. It's not like he's totally one-dimensional.

I just don't think they NEED him. And as such, I certainly don't want to see the Flyers overpay him. Let someone else do that.

Does Ott do anything offensively? Don't we all want Couturier playing with better players?

Annoying personality aside, he would probably be a great fit on LW w/ Couturier, but it's a pure luxury signing they can't afford.
- Tomahawk

Which means we're signing him.

All kidding aside, I would rather have a guy with more speed and youth on his side.

He was not a good player last year and was only alright the year before. He's about to be 32 and will want a multi-year deal.

Also, playing him on wing will take away from one of his greatest strengths, his face-off ability.

Unless they got him for under $2M on a 1 year deal, I would be unhappy with the signing.

The flyers themselves never seem to talk about him. I doubt it unless he has a great camp.

I want to see a much improved phantoms team next year. It's more important than anything the flyers do if they keep the laughtons and ghosts down
- Just5

Agreed, looking forward to Laughton centering a team with Manning, Alt, Ghost, Hagg, and Lauridson on the back end with Heeter and Stolie between the pipes. THAT is a good AHL roster that could develop that winning Culture we want our prospects developing in.

True, they don't. At the same time, had those picks been kept, the Flyers might have a few options on the farm that are cheap and ready to step in.

That's where my issue lies, while the Flyers do an overall good to very good job of icing a competitive team, the asset management could be even better. I like the aggressiveness and trying to win every year, but I'd like to see it tempered a bit.
- Jsaquella

There's one legitimate criticism that really no one can argue against with the Flyers and defense. And that's their failure to draft and develop defenseman.

Does Ott do anything offensively? Don't we all want Couturier playing with better players?
- eayost

He can win you a faceoff if Couturier gets kicked out of the circle. I guess he could create a little space with his style of play.

I just don't think the Flyers need him.

When Foster was signed, the only guy hurt was Meszaros. When Gervais was signed, it was July. The injuries piled up in the middle of the season.
- Jsaquella

Foster was signed for depth, and at a time when they needed a warm body. Using him as an example of poor decision making is unfounded in my opinion.

Haydn Fleury, aka Olli OMG-HOW-COULD-YOU-PASS-ON-HIM Maatta Jr.
- Tomahawk

I found Tim's blog from around the time Giroux was drafted. I was dying to read the comments, but alas the comments from blogs that old are gone. :/

Does Ott do anything offensively? Don't we all want Couturier playing with better players?
- eayost

Not much anymore. He was a 30-40 point player with the Stars. He was a very good player back then. I feel he's regressed. Some of it has to do with the Sabres being terrible, but some of it is just natural regression. He's a checking line forward in his 30s. I don't see much offensive upside moving forward.

Yeah, they were definitely signed to be part of the top-6.

The problem wasn't that they went out and got RH'ers after the Jersey series... it was that the pro scouts/management picked the wrong (frank)ing guys.
- Tomahawk

No they weren't, they were signed for stopgap depth. Neither player was a long term signing.

He can win you a faceoff if Couturier gets kicked out of the circle. I guess he could create a little space with his style of play.

I just don't think the Flyers need him.
- johndewar

I get why people like him, but that would be a move that wouldn't excite me at all. I guess everyone has their own players/moves they'd be sour on.

Haydn Fleury, aka Olli OMG-HOW-COULD-YOU-PASS-ON-HIM Maatta Jr.
- Tomahawk

I can't wait until Maata struggles and those people go quiet for a little while. Then, when he bounces back, PLind and Winning, I mean people will criticize the pick to no end.

Not much anymore. He was a 30-40 point player with the Stars. He was a very good player back then. I feel he's regressed. Some of it has to do with the Sabres being terrible, but some of it is just natural regression. He's a checking line forward in his 30s. I don't see much offensive upside moving forward.
- PhillySportsGuy

He had 3 assists in 21 games with St. Louis. I get that his minutes probably weren't that high but… count me out.

How deep did adding MacDonald get the Flyers last year? They were pretty much a lock to make the playoffs when he was added. He was a slight upgrade to a team with little more than a puncher's chance to make a deep playoff run


- Jsaquella

Does anyone realistically think that MacDonald was expected to be a player that puts a team over the hump like a Pronger would? And MacDonald wasn't just a trade deadline acqusition for a playoff run. He was signed to upgrade the Flyers defense long term. Which is why they signed him long term. And he is more then a slight upgrade.

He had 3 assists in 21 games with St. Louis. I get that his minutes probably weren't that high but… count me out.
- eayost

Points aside, his overall play just wasn't good.

Probably do with Gustafsson & Schenn. Meszaros was traded the day after MacDonald was acquired.

Or look at what Montreal did. They traded a fifth round draft pick for Mike Weaver and got more mileage out of him in the playoffs than the Flyers got from MacDonald
- Jsaquella

Are you saying that the reason Montreal went to the Conference finals was because of Mike Weaver? I think a reasonable thought is that it was a team effort and due to a lot of factors. And certainly MAcDonald wasn't the main cause of why the Flyers lost in the first round.

Does anyone realistically think that MacDonald was expected to be a player that puts a team over the hump like a Pronger would? And MacDonald wasn't just a trade deadline acqusition for a playoff run. He was signed to upgrade the Flyers defense long term. Which is why they signed him long term. And he is more then a slight upgrade.
- MJL

I think MacDonald started out well, but I think the jury is out on how much of an upgrade he really is.

Snider missed the boat on this with the new CBA it is a travesty what players and teams have to go through just because they are over 35.

Age Discrimination of sorts even though its a rule

You can retire without issue if you signed the contract before age 35 but age 35 is too old to retire without cap issues ?????
- Steelmanpa

It's not age discrimination because the cap issues have nothing to do with the player. A player can retire anytime he wants.