If you score as much as Karlsson, your possession stats will be good. You have to be a good possession player to score a lot because you need the puck to score.
- NickTheKid87

EK had the best Corsi rel on Ottawa last year. He was given some cozy zone starts, but he also had more penalties drawn than committed. That's pretty rare for a defenseman.

I know, the Bruins could have got Bellemare for the same amount.
- Feanor

Or Rinaldo... Oh wait

Sounds like Read asked to go back to RW because he sees the ice better there and Berube agreed, so Umberger well be on the left.

Which I guess means the Read-Couturier-Simmonds line they tried all preseason is done for good.
- Feanor

Flyers have 3 really good RWs, but only 1 good LW (Raffl)

$600K...damn.
- jmatchett383

And we keep forcing centers to play winger...

And we keep forcing centers to play winger...
- JW98FlyerFan

Gagne was a center who converted to wing.

Flyers have 3 really good RWs, but only 1 good LW (Raffl)
- PhillySportsGuy

MDZ to LW?

MDZ to LW?
- Tomahawk

Seems like he tends to move there on his own anyways

MDZ to LW?
- Tomahawk

Sbisa Experiment: Part Deux

Gagne was a center who converted to wing.
- Feanor

Agree, but most forwards come up as centers, many make the shift well, but we keep pounding square pegs into round holes...the def. of insanity

Flyers have 3 really good RWs, but only 1 good LW (Raffl)
- PhillySportsGuy

Umberger can play the left; I'm not too worried about it

Sbisa Experiment: Part Deux
- PhillySportsGuy

Streit back up to forward too... bring up Lauridsen and emergency recall Morin and put him in a full shield... nobody will ever score a goal against them again.

Agree, but most forwards come up as centers, many make the shift well, but we keep pounding square pegs into round holes...the def. of insanity
- JW98FlyerFan

I see BSchenn as more of an elipse.

I know. I just realized that. BigE doesn't like math. He just likes counting benjamins
- PhillySportsGuy

Well, yeah!

I see BSchenn as more of an elipse.
- Feanor

Streit back up to forward too... bring up Lauridsen and emergency recall Morin and put him in a full shield... nobody will ever score a goal against them again.
- Tomahawk

We'll look scary getting off the bus...

No, you generalized the statement I made by saying that it was Karlsson's fault that Ottawa was abysmal. I used the same paradigm you created.

Ottawa has accepted the fact that Karlsson's offense outweighs his defense. It's fair to question whether the Flyers and this fanbase would accept a defensemen under that premise
- AllInForFlyers

I said that his +/- has more to do with being on a bad team than him not being adequate defensively. You said that MDZ looks bad because the Flyers have not played well. The problem is, I haven't taken a look at his +/- or any other stats, I have simply watched him both on TV and live. That is what I'm drawing my conclusions from.

Gagne the Bruin

MDZ to LW?
- Tomahawk

Then the complaint will be that he doesn't score enough

It wasn't really Kurtis Foster's fault he was bad, he was on a bad Flyers team. Man, what a slapshot! Offensive dynamo/PP specialist. We should have kept him.

Gagne the Bruin
- aflyerpower8

Dak going to be difficult to see

The way the NHL is, a guy who is gritty and thought of as good defensively is going to get more rope than a guy who is smaller, considered poor defensively or viewed as less gritty.

I'm not saying an established veteran shouldn't get a bit more rope than a kid, but at some point you have to consider that the old war horse is starting to break down. For me it's not MDZ vs Grossmann, it's that most of the defensemen and forwards have struggled.

To hang Del Zotto alone isn't really the answer. To hang Grossmann alone isn't the answer. Neither have been very good. Grossmann may have lost a step due to injury, which isn't a mental mistake or anything. But that doesn't negate that he's simply not as capable as he was. Coaches and managers need to recognize that, just as they recognize MDZ has to improve his decision making and attention to his own end.

The case may end up being that neither can fix their woes. Sucks, but it might just be the truth. But when the only guys who have looked remotely steady are MacDonald & Schultz, arguing over MDZ & Grossmann is really pointless

Lecavalier deserves credit for having another good start to season. The newest injury might give us some doubts on whether or not he can stay healthy but it's still possible he could bounce back this season.
- SuperSchennBros

If anything this injury doesnt give me doubts. He took a Streit slaphot to the (frank)ing foot. Anybodys foot would break or fracture or whatever the hell happened.

Then the complaint will be that he doesn't score enough
- AllInForFlyers

Why not, he parades around as a forward already. And just like most player in the forward ranks (according to people on here), he gets caught out of position and doesn't backcheck hard.

I said that his +/- has more to do with being on a bad team than him not being adequate defensively. You said that MDZ looks bad because the Flyers have not played well. The problem is, I haven't taken a look at his +/- or any other stats, I have simply watched him both on TV and live. That is what I'm drawing my conclusions from.
- jmatchett383

That's fine -- we can agree to disagree. MDZ's the sixth defenseman, and if things don't change around the Flyers, he probably won't be around too long

We'll see how Ghost performs and how the coaching staff/fanbase responds

The way the NHL is, a guy who is gritty and thought of as good defensively is going to get more rope than a guy who is smaller, considered poor defensively or viewed as less gritty.

I'm not saying an established veteran shouldn't get a bit more rope than a kid, but at some point you have to consider that the old war horse is starting to break down. For me it's not MDZ vs Grossmann, it's that most of the defensemen and forwards have struggled.

To hang Del Zotto alone isn't really the answer. To hang Grossmann alone isn't the answer. Neither have been very good. Grossmann may have lost a step due to injury, which isn't a mental mistake or anything. But that doesn't negate that he's simply not as capable as he was. Coaches and managers need to recognize that, just as they recognize MDZ has to improve his decision making and attention to his own end.

The case may end up being that neither can fix their woes. Sucks, but it might just be the truth. But when the only guys who have looked remotely steady are MacDonald & Schultz, arguing over MDZ & Grossmann is really pointless
- Jsaquella

The whole point was started by asking should Schultz sit when Coburn comes back, or someone else. And the answer I gave was MDZ. The rest has spiraled from there.