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.
- jmatchett383

saving 900k doesn't do much . still have to pay a fill in for the same or a little less. now if that player produces then yes that is an option.

no harm in waiving him and giving player x a shot. if that player cant cut it then you recall umberger. so nothing ventured nothing gained!!!

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.
- rinaldo

I could see Radulov bailing when his contract is up... summer 2017 iirc.

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.
- MBFlyerfan

Yup.

Depth of talent was always the biggest issue... wasted cap-$ and too many years of pissing away assets for nothing catching up to them.

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.
- rinaldo

Anything's possible, but Hextall's comments and actions lead me to believe he's a fan of both Laughton and Rinaldo and sees them as important parts of the team going forward.

saving 900k doesn't do much . still have to pay a fill in for the same or a little less. now if that player produces then yes that is an option.

no harm in waiving him and giving player x a shot. if that player cant cut it then you recall umberger. so nothing ventured nothing gained!!!
- rinaldo

That's how I view it. I never said the move would turn the team around. The $900K savings could be used on calling up another player (not Akeson) and giving him a shot. If that player doesn't work, then you put the decomposing body back on the 4th line.

Anything's possible, but Hextall's comments and actions lead me to believe he's a fan of both Laughton and Rinaldo and sees them as important parts of the team going forward.
- Feanor

rinaldo is not or will ever be an important part of this team.

That's how I view it. I never said the move would turn the team around. The $900K savings could be used on calling up another player (not Akeson) and giving him a shot. If that player doesn't work, then you put the decomposing body back on the 4th line.
- jmatchett383

I dont see that happening though who knows. I just hope they don't buy him out. just let it run its course.

rinaldo is not or will ever be an important part of this team.
- rinaldo

Straight from the horses mouth.

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.
- SuperSchennBros

Steve Downie became a 40 point forward when he was 22 years old after two seasons spent bouncing between the AHL and the NHL.

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 think Berube's fine as an assistant. His system isn't an issue. For me a lot of the issues boil down to usage and being more focused on the result, rather than the process.

The result is key, but you can't always rely on results if the process is a mess. How many floaters from the point is Brayden Schenn going to score? The result was a win, but the way they got there(blowing a 4-1 lead, running around on defense and missing multiple EN chances) was atrocious.

It's like when he said wins were his most important goalie stat...using that guide, Kari Lehtonen and his 34 wins, with a 2.94 GAA and .903 save % was far better than Mason and his 18 wins, with a GAA that was over half a goal a game better and a save % that was 25 points higher

Anything's possible, but Hextall's comments and actions lead me to believe he's a fan of both Laughton and Rinaldo and sees them as important parts of the team going forward.
- Feanor

I think he sees Rinaldo who can be a serviceable 4th line role player.

Laughton has the chance to be a 3rd line two way center. He could be a big part to getting some of the tougher defensive minutes off couturier.

Steve Downie became a 40 point forward when he was 22 years old after two seasons spent bouncing between the AHL and the NHL.
- Feanor

Playing on a line with Steven Stamkos.

He then regressed to normal Steve Downie level.

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

It's simple.....the wider media (and scouts) thinks this roster sucks.

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

agree

but if forced into a choice of Umby vs VDV including cap hit in the equation, hit I take VDV

in reality VDV is a role player easily replaced, but he was pretty good in his role here this year

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

THe fact that Rinaldo can only play 7-8 minutes hurts the team. He's undisciplined, bad at even strength and offers nothing on special teams. The idea of consistently playing him over a guy like Laughton when the margin for error was so small is the comical part.

agree

but if forced into a choice of Umby vs VDV including cap hit in the equation, hit I take VDV

in reality VDV is a role player easily replaced, but he was pretty good in his role here this year
- Marc D

I think it's going to come down to Vandevelde and White since both are UFA

It's simple.....the wider media (and scouts) thinks this roster sucks.
- johndewar

The season results seem to bear that out

THe fact that Rinaldo can only play 7-8 minutes hurts the team. He's undisciplined, bad at even strength and offers nothing on special teams. The idea of consistently playing him over a guy like Laughton when the margin for error was so small is the comical part.
- PhillySportsGuy

They did it so Laughton could play more minutes in the AHL. Let him develop his game against pros there. Let him make the mistakes there and play in high pressure situations there.

He wouldn't get those minutes in the NHL so there was no reason to have Laughton playing 10 minutes in the NHL.

THe fact that Rinaldo can only play 7-8 minutes hurts the team. He's undisciplined, bad at even strength and offers nothing on special teams. The idea of consistently playing him over a guy like Laughton when the margin for error was so small is the comical part.
- PhillySportsGuy

That's where I sit, limited guy who can only be used in a limited role. Guy like that forces a coach to shorten the bench, and hide guys and lines.

Detroit vs Tampa Bay. Bobcock or the pick?

Oilers re-sign Nail Yakupov 2 years, $2.5mm AAV

Detroit vs Tampa Bay. Bobcock or the pick?
- SuperSchennBros

The pick. Babcock isn't the only coach

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.
- MBFlyerfan

An improved PK and a better record in OT/SO will maybe get this team to the playoffs next year even if they don't improve at ES. It won't get them anywhere in the playoffs but they'll at least have a chance to play a first round series.

They lived off their special teams last year. With any regression, they were going to struggle to make it this year. They obviously regressed significantly on the PK.

I think it's important for the Flyers to recognize that Mason is very good but posting another year of a .940 ES save percentage is unlikely. They need to find ways to score more goals at ES next year because their goals against will likely be higher

Anything's possible, but Hextall's comments and actions lead me to believe he's a fan of both Laughton and Rinaldo and sees them as important parts of the team going forward.
- Feanor

I have never heard them, any of them, be critical of a player on the roster except situationally (why someone was being scratched, and even then, not with any particular honesty). They won't say they're unhappy with any asset until they've traded it, released it, or figured out how to use it.

They gave Rinaldo an extension.

They did it so Laughton could play more minutes in the AHL. Let him develop his game against pros there. Let him make the mistakes there and play in high pressure situations there.

He wouldn't get those minutes in the NHL so there was no reason to have Laughton playing 10 minutes in the NHL.
- J35Bacher

Yes, if Laughton or Cousins aren't playing at least 11 or 12 minutes per game next season they should be in the AHL playing close to 20.

Cousins got less than 9 minutes per game on the Flyers, but he was only called up for a short period. He's going back for the final four Phantoms games and I'm sure it was a good experience for him and he's realized he's got plenty of things to work on over the summer if he wants to be back in the NHL next season.