I am not going to say I agree with you, because what you stated is a big can of worms. I am not going to make an assumption on your fandom, but a good deal of Pens fans are only in it since the Crosby era began. To be good they needed to be bad.

While I think it is debatable that big market teams should have an advantage or its in the leagues best interest for them to do so. There is no denying that most of the big market teams spend their way into trouble themselves. The best way to do that is by drafting and developing, which is punishingly obvious to Flyers fans. That is where the debate really heats up because it is somewhat obvious that the popular teams being consistenly good is better for the overall health of the league.

To the hardcore fan however, this is the method I prefer. I like having to actually be better than other teams not only on the ice, but in the front office and scouting dept. Signing the best FA is easy, and kind of dry and I think it will be much more fulfilling to watch the team grow from within.
- YuenglingJagr

1000 percent this. i get it that it screams fantasy sport nerd. but the cap, for as frustrating as it is, is cool. you want to have guys like crosby and giroux, fine. gonna have to balance it out somewhere. you cant just Yankee your way into buying everything. whether you want to argue that you can buy championships in hockey, using the 90s/2000s ranger teams as an example or whatever, thats another debate.

but i personally love the cap. and i dont think teams should just have infinite numbers of compliance buyouts either.

Not gonna pretend the Flyers missed out on a Cup dynasty over the last 10-years due to the salary cap... we'd just have like 6 AMacs instead of 1.

The smartly managed teams that stay ahead of the competitive curve will win whether there's a cap or not. The Flyers haven't exactly been run by visionaries over that period of time.
- Tomahawk

Every team has it's warts. Teams that have been successful has been far more about who they drafted, then how they managed the cap. Flyers cap management issues, have always been ridiculously overblown.

Let's see how good a team like Chcago does when they no longer have the advantage of players like Keith and Hossa signed to lower cap hit, back diving deals.

The single biggest issue the Flyers have had in the last decade or so, has not been managing the cap, it's failing to draft and develop defenseman well.

Exactly. The Rags spent like drunken sailors prior to the cap and still managed to miss the playoffs during many of those years. I mean, good lord, they paid a checking center 9 million per!!
- BiggE

Yeah, Leafs too.

1000 percent this. i get it that it screams fantasy sport nerd. but the cap, for as frustrating as it is, is cool. you want to have guys like crosby and giroux, fine. gonna have to balance it out somewhere. you cant just Yankee your way into buying everything. whether you want to argue that you can buy championships in hockey, using the 90s/2000s ranger teams as an example or whatever, thats another debate.

but i personally love the cap. and i dont think teams should just have infinite numbers of compliance buyouts either.
- stayinthefnnet

Ignore the cap, buyouts, whatever else.

To me the biggest issue with the NHL is its officiating. AMATEUR.

im still holding out hope we can add Neilsen to slot in behind G and Coots, at not too much of a cost. so in 3 years when some of the kids are up for raises, he will be off the books. i think with G Coots Neilsen and Cousins down the middle, it will make for a formidable, 4 line lineup you can roll out at all times
- sjk540

The odds of getting Neilsen for both a manageable cap hit, and a short 3 year term aren't very good.

Ignore the cap, buyouts, whatever else.

To me the biggest issue with the NHL is its officiating. AMATEUR.
- flyer_nutter

i cant tell if youre (frank)ing with be because i often bleat about how bad it is, but yeah.

i get it that its inevitable human error, but its egregious how bad it is.

Hard to do with the shootout.

Regulation/OT win = 3 points
SO win = 2 points
SO loss = 1 point
Regulation/OT loss = 0 points

Of course, most OT segments would be boring with a team not wanting to lose a point.
- jmatchett383

ive said from the day they proposed this stupid as point system it should be

3 points for regulation. Rewards and emphasizes regulation
2pts/1 pt for OT/SO W-L. If ot was 5v5, I'd keep it the same as reg, but 3v3 completely changes the dynamic, again, team is rewarded for reg victory.

The shootout isn't going anywhere and ties are stupid, wastes of time. This is a compromise between the two. The NHL actually made an intelligent decision to factor in reg/ot win more importantly in tie breaker situations, thus, deemphasizing the weight so wins carry

Every team has it's warts. Teams that have been successful has been far more about who they drafted, then how they managed the cap. Flyers cap management issues, have always been ridiculously overblown.

Let's see how good a team like Chcago does when they no longer have the advantage of players like Keith and Hossa signed to lower cap hit, back diving deals.

The single biggest issue the Flyers have had in the last decade or so, has not been managing the cap, it's failing to draft and develop defenseman well.
- MJL

yeah for sure. that stuff can go hand in hand too, because when you dont have internal options, youre more inclined to be forced to wade into the FA pool with little leverage and that can negatively impact the cap as well.

ELCs are gold nowadays.

ive said from the day they proposed this stupid as point system it should be

3 points for regulation. Rewards and emphasizes regulation
2pts/1 pt for OT/SO W-L. If ot was 5v5, I'd keep it the same as reg, but 3v3 completely changes the dynamic, again, team is rewarded for reg victory.

The shootout isn't going anywhere and ties are stupid, wastes of time. This is a compromise between the two. The NHL actually made an intelligent decision to factor in reg/ot win more importantly in tie breaker situations, thus, deemphasizing the weight so wins carry
- KINGKENZO

i could probably get on board with this.

Teams that have been successful has been far more about who they drafted, then how they managed the cap.
- MJL

And some teams traded draft picks away routinely, and others recognized earlier the value of cost-controlled home grown players under a hard cap.

I'm glad that the Flyers have finally become the latter under Hexy.

i cant tell if youre (frank)ing with be because i often bleat about how bad it is, but yeah.

i get it that its inevitable human error, but its egregious how bad it is.
- stayinthefnnet

Its Embarassing. I'd like to know how much influence the league has into it, as we see penalty calls increase whenever a game gets "boring". Make-up calls which we can all agree happen.

There is absolutely zero consistency, and I disagree that the regular season and playoffs should be called differently. Plays at one juncture in a game are deemed alright, and ten minutes later the same play is a penalty. Plays that are clearly infractions, and some tic-tac call called later in the game.

Its comical that the NHL has been able to make fans believe this is alright, and just status quo. I'd be a little less hard on the officials themselves as well if we saw even a little bit of performance based turn-over. Mother (frank)ing tenure.

And some teams traded draft picks away routinely, and others recognized earlier the value that cost-controlled home grown players under a hard cap.

I'm glad that the Flyers have finally become the latter under Hexy.
- Tomahawk

its hard for me to think that hexy has done anything but a pretty great job so far.

yeah for sure. that stuff can go hand in hand too, because when you dont have internal options, youre more inclined to be forced to wade into the FA pool with little leverage and that can negatively impact the cap as well.

ELCs are gold nowadays.
- stayinthefnnet

Correct, if you have to buy a defense, it's going to cost you a premium. It's a need that needed to be filled, just like gas in your car. You may not like the price, but you still have to pay it.

And some teams traded draft picks away routinely, and others recognized earlier the value of cost-controlled home grown players under a hard cap.

I'm glad that the Flyers have finally become the latter under Hexy.
- Tomahawk

Yes, the Flyers traded away a number of draft picks in order to win. I'm perfectly okay with that. I like Hextall's approach, and I have faith in him, but they haven't become anything really yet. You can fail just as bad with the drafting and developing route. Lots of teams try it, year after year with top picks, and don't get there.

In game 3, Healy was talking about the Sharks complaints about Crosby cheating at face-offs.

After Crosby won a draw against Ward, Healy states "these officials in the finals are the absolute best there are, and if they aren't doing it right we have a problem". Goes on to defend them and the performance they do.

Short time later they show a replay of the same face-off, which should have been blown dead but was allowed to go on. Puck hit Crosby's stick before hitting the ice, hence Ward's complaints.

Its Embarassing. I'd like to know how much influence the league has into it, as we see penalty calls increase whenever a game gets "boring". Make-up calls which we can all agree happen.

There is absolutely zero consistency, and I disagree that the regular season and playoffs should be called differently. Plays at one juncture in a game are deemed alright, and ten minutes later the same play is a penalty. Plays that are clearly infractions, and some tic-tac call called later in the game.

Its comical that the NHL has been able to make fans believe this is alright, and just status quo. I'd be a little less hard on the officials themselves as well if we saw even a little bit of performance based turn-over. Mother (frank)ing tenure.
- flyer_nutter

seriously all of this. not even that its alright, but its just part of the playoff lore. (frank)ing blow me.

even when it works out in your favor its still ridiculous. teams down 2 0? dont worry. the calls will work in your favor. oh your team took 3 quick penalties in the first? dont worry, youll get some makeup calls throughout to even up that tally.

and man you better enjoy that space through the neutral zone now, because in a periods time you can get sodomized while trying to skate past center ice and its cool man.

i get it, i like a tighter called game then most. but if they set a fairly low standard for penalties, whatever i can accept it so long as its consistent. you shouldnt be able to turn on a game and be able to predict with a good bit of accuracy where and when the next call is going to occur or not due to situational game variables.

In game 3, Healy was talking about the Sharks complaints about Crosby cheating at face-offs.

After Crosby won a draw against Ward, Healy states "these officials in the finals are the absolute best there are, and if they aren't doing it right we have a problem". Goes on to defend them and the performance they do.

Short time later they show a replay of the same face-off, which should have been blown dead but was allowed to go on. Puck hit Crosby's stick before hitting the ice, hence Ward's complaints.
- flyer_nutter

yeah. and that should be blown dead. and i just dont understand how someone right there whose sole job it is to observe that event misses it.

Correct, if you have to buy a defense, it's going to cost you a premium. It's a need that needed to be filled, just like gas in your car. You may not like the price, but you still have to pay it.
- MJL

yeah, and unfortunately since theres only one or two gas stations in the whole town, they charge premium prices for regular product haha

its hard for me to think that hexy has done anything but a pretty great job so far.
- stayinthefnnet

I like him, but he also hasn't had to make any real tough decisions yet. He's done a good job of being able to unload some of the dead weight. Drafted well too.

However we will see the true test of his skill as a GM as this team moves forward.

I like him, but he also hasn't had to make any real tough decisions yet. He's done a good job of being able to unload some of the dead weight. Drafted well too.

However we will see the true test of his skill as a GM as this team moves forward.
- flyer_nutter

this is fair.

seriously all of this. not even that its alright, but its just part of the playoff lore. (frank)ing blow me.

even when it works out in your favor its still ridiculous. teams down 2 0? dont worry. the calls will work in your favor. oh your team took 3 quick penalties in the first? dont worry, youll get some makeup calls throughout to even up that tally.

and man you better enjoy that space through the neutral zone now, because in a periods time you can get sodomized while trying to skate past center ice and its cool man.

i get it, i like a tighter called game then most. but if they set a fairly low standard for penalties, whatever i can accept it so long as its consistent. you shouldnt be able to turn on a game and be able to predict with a good bit of accuracy where and when the next call is going to occur or not due to situational game variables.
- stayinthefnnet

Its the lack of consistency. I think a lot of it has to do from the boys up top, but again... Its hard for to me not fault the officials and just blindly accept this is the best there is in the world when there is never any turnover.

Its why I was preaching for the Flyers to escalate their "borderline" play against Washington. You had no idea what the (frank) was going to be called a penalty anyway, so you might as well just play however you want. I think teams that try to play to avoid penalties are foolish. NHL officiating cannot be relied upon.

Again, fans accept this as its a "fast game". Raise your standards (frank).

its hard for me to think that hexy has done anything but a pretty great job so far.
- stayinthefnnet

He's been a godsend.

He's been a godsend.
- Tomahawk

I am curious what he gives Brayden.

One true breakout year shouldn't mean you give the keys to the city away. I want that trend to die fast.

I like him, but he also hasn't had to make any real tough decisions yet. He's done a good job of being able to unload some of the dead weight. Drafted well too.

However we will see the true test of his skill as a GM as this team moves forward.
- flyer_nutter

Exactly, the time will come hopefully when the team get's much better, and the task becomes more difficult. The Flyers prospects are still shiny, which offers a lot of hope. Never know with prospects. This team is improving, and has some quality potential assets, but there's still some road ahead.

I like him, but he also hasn't had to make any real tough decisions yet. He's done a good job of being able to unload some of the dead weight. Drafted well too.

However we will see the true test of his skill as a GM as this team moves forward.
- flyer_nutter

I agree. It's too early to judge. I'm happy he's manged to clear up some of the burdensome contracts. He has a few to go. It's easy to walk into a messy room and clean it up and make it look better but if you're there to redecorate the real job doesn't start until you add pieces of your choosing.

We can't even be sure he's drafted well. Not one of his picks have dented the lineup. This year we'll just begin to see what he's done in the last two Junes.