Who are you referring to? Couturier or Simmonds? Or WarriorHockey21?
- jmatchett383

Rinaldo.

Sorry should have been more specific.

I see a scenario where the 4th line is more a mixture of Bellemare - Cousins - White.

That's a line that can play more minutes and also Bellemare and White can take some PK minutes.

If they would pick a spot for him, that would be great.

I also wouldn't be opposed to letting another team deal with that issue, should the right trade come about.
- tangent_man

I think it's thoughts like this one, that has up blaming the GM down the road when a guy like Schenn starts making us pay for trading him.

I acutally don't think he starts the season in the NHL.

I think he will be in AHL and maybe a bottom 6 call up candidate.
- J35Bacher

I would hope so. He can ride shotgun with Rosehill.

He wont have the history with a new coach that he had with Berube. Berube obviously has a soft spot for him because he works hard and blah blah blah.....

I would hope so. He can ride shotgun with Rosehill.

He wont have the history with a new coach that he had with Berube. Berube obviously has a soft spot for him because he works hard and blah blah blah.....
- MBFlyerfan

Rosehill might be gone. He is a UFA.

Berube didn't sign Rinaldo to the new deal either. I know Rinaldo has his detractors but he can be a serviceable 4th line player. I am ok using him as a 4th line call up then bringing up a prospect only to play 5-7 minutes a night if that is what he sees.

The problem is figuring out a 3rd line for the top 9:

Raffl-G-Jake
Read-Coots-Schenn
???-???-Simmonds
- BiggE

My question is, do we hand youth already within the system a job simply because they're already here or because they would be good fits within our current mix?

Raffl-Giroux-Voracek
Read-Couturier-Schenn
???-???-Simmonds
???-Bellemare-White

What I do know is if the team can move on from Umberger, Lecavalier, Rinaldo and Vandevelde, we're taking steps in the right direction. Is Cousins and Laughton the answers though?

My question is, do we hand youth already within the system a job simply because they're already here or because they would be good fits within our current mix?

Raffl-Giroux-Voracek
Read-Couturier-Schenn
???-???-Simmonds
???-Bellemare-White

What I do know is if the team can move on from Umberger, Lecavalier, Rinaldo and Vandevelde, we're taking steps in the right direction. Is Cousins and Laughton the answers though?
- SuperSchennBros

At this time, here is my start.

Raffl - Giroux - Voracek
???? - Couturier - Schenn
Read - Laughton - Simmonds
Bellemare - Cousins - White

My question is, do we hand youth already within the system a job simply because they're already here or because they would be good fits within our current mix?

Raffl-Giroux-Voracek
Read-Couturier-Schenn
???-???-Simmonds
???-Bellemare-White

What I do know is if the team can move on from Umberger, Lecavalier, Rinaldo and Vandevelde, we're taking steps in the right direction. Is Cousins and Laughton the answers though?
- SuperSchennBros

I think you can just write in Umberger, Laughton and Rinaldo for those three empty spots. I don't see a way any of them will get traded or left off the team going into the 15-16 season. The 2016 offseason could be a different story.

Satisfying read.


http://triblive.com/sport...penguins-rutherford-shero

Bill, thanks for the consistent and quality blogs all season. If the Flyers could deliver, like you do consistently, we'd be talking about play-off hockey.

Keep up the great work!

I think you can just write in Umberger, Laughton and Rinaldo for those three empty spots.
- Feanor

This would be a shame if this turns out to be the case. I'm not seeing the upgraded speed, playmaking or grit/toughness we could use.

Harry Kalas and Gene Hart were the voices of my childhood. I miss them both.
- BiggE

Whitey Ashburn also...where have you gone Wheels?

Bill any update on what the flyers want to do with Parks? how does the organization perceive him?

Bill what teams would see having any interest in grossman or luke schenn? more importantly do the flyers even want to move either of those players?

do you see them moving read at all?

This would be a shame if this turns out to be the case. I'm not seeing the upgraded speed, playmaking or grit/toughness we could use.
- SuperSchennBros

Laughton has speed, and he's going to get the chance to show if he can make some plays and score some points at the NHL level as a 21 year old.

My question is, do we hand youth already within the system a job simply because they're already here or because they would be good fits within our current mix?

Raffl-Giroux-Voracek
Read-Couturier-Schenn
???-???-Simmonds
???-Bellemare-White

What I do know is if the team can move on from Umberger, Lecavalier, Rinaldo and Vandevelde, we're taking steps in the right direction. Is Cousins and Laughton the answers though?
- SuperSchennBros

I think I'd rather keep Vandevelde for the 4th line and PK spot then Umberger or VLC.
Ideally. It may not be possible to move those two players. Umby was not good
all around and the PK and 2nd PP, well that was terrible use by the coach to keep putting him out for special team minutes.

VLC with Bellemare and VDV actually had some productive games as a line.

I don't get the narrative in the wider media that Berube has done a good job this year. They finished 24th, and Hextall has said other GMs have asked him how this squad of players missed the playoffs.

Yes, there were issues with the roster, but enough that they should have been expected to finish bottom five and ending up two spots higher means Berube did a good job? That's (frank)ing nonsense.
- Feanor

I don't get it either. The same people who defend him will state that this isn't a bottom 7 roster

I think you can just write in Umberger, Laughton and Rinaldo for those three empty spots. I don't see a way any of them will get traded or left off the team going into the 15-16 season. The 2016 offseason could be a different story.
- Feanor

hopefully Hexy can find a Mark Howe, Tim Kerr and John LeClair

hopefully Hexy can find a Mark Howe, Tim Kerr and John LeClair
- vejim

Travis Sanheim
Oskar Lindblom
Mikko Rantanen

I think you can just write in Umberger, Laughton and Rinaldo for those three empty spots. I don't see a way any of them will get traded or left off the team going into the 15-16 season. The 2016 offseason could be a different story.
- Feanor

disagree. if laughton has a bad camp he is in the ahl. rinaldo can very easily be replaced if they choose to go that route. the hate for him is comical. always the guy who plays 7 8 minutes fault why the team was bad.

umberger no way to move before the season starts unless other assets go with him and the return is very minimal.

I think you can just write in Umberger, Laughton and Rinaldo for those three empty spots. I don't see a way any of them will get traded or left off the team going into the 15-16 season. The 2016 offseason could be a different story.
- Feanor

I think I'd rather keep Vandevelde for the 4th line and PK spot then Umberger or VLC.
Ideally. It may not be possible to move those two players. Umby was not good
all around and the PK and 2nd PP, well that was terrible use by the coach to keep putting him out for special team minutes.

VLC with Bellemare and VDV actually had some productive games as a line.
- Marc D

I think we could do much better. We were at the bottom in PK percentage this season.

disagree. if laughton has a bad camp he is in the ahl. rinaldo can very easily be replaced if they choose to go that route. the hate for him is comical. always the guy who plays 7 8 minutes fault why the team was bad.

umberger no way to move before the season starts unless other assets go with him and the return is very minimal.
- rinaldo

Does Umberger have a NMC? If not, you could demote him to the AHL, save ~$900K in cap space and, in a perfect world, have him not report and suspend him.

some food for thought will there be a lot of players from the Russian league looking to come over as some uncertainty there I believe. maybe you can fill a hole from that surplus.

I don't get it either. The same people who defend him will state that this isn't a bottom 7 roster
- PhillySportsGuy

Taken in a vacuum, there are many factors you could look at and marvel how they did not make the playoffs:

Two top ten scorers
Goalie in top 5 save% and GAA
Excellent home record
top ten pp

Then you look at the road EVERYTHING...........

Figuring out that disparity is where you fix this team. Though I mainly think it has to do with them being a one line team and easy to match up with.

Add to that the BAFFLING road/home penalty kill disparity ( I say baffling because matchups mean nothing in PK).

It was a strange season to say the least.

I think it's thoughts like this one, that has up blaming the GM down the road when a guy like Schenn starts making us pay for trading him.
- SuperSchennBros

That's why I said the 'right deal', although what seems right at the time can always backfire.

Again, if they find a spot for him and can let him grow into a single position, I'd be all for it. I don't like when kids that haven't found their role on a team are juggled about so that it hinders their development.

Laughton has speed, and he's going to get the chance to show if he can make some plays and score some points at the NHL level as a 21 year old.
- Feanor

Even Steve Downie was a first round pick. If many view Laughton to be a 3rd line center moving forward, I'm not all that optimistic.