A twenty goal scorer? Wow! We rarely have any of those!

You give someone else that icetime on that line and we will have the same production.
- MikesPillBottle

On his line then sure, a winger like Raffl can produce like Schenn has this season.

On his powerplay unit he's been extremely productive. Raffl ain't scoring 15 powerplay goals if he played on the top PP unit for 82 games.

Whoa Schenn at -26

Most likely scenario...

- Flyers finish 8th worst in the league.
- Somehow Flyers win the lottery and get the 1st overall pick.
- FlyerBuzzers feel redemption from losing Kane 1st overall and debate whether to use the pick or trade it.
- Flyers select Nolan Patrick.
- FlyerBuzzers declare him the team's new 2nd line center and future 1C.

....skip 6 years

- Nolan Patrick is compared to Patrik Stefan.

On his line then sure, a winger like Raffl can produce like Schenn has this season.

On his powerplay unit he's been extremely productive. Raffl ain't scoring 15 powerplay goals if he played on the top PP unit for 82 games.
- Feanor

You never know. Schenn has 25 points on the power play.

Raffl could get 25 points if he remembered how to shoot.

Most likely scenario...

- Flyers finish 8th worst in the league.
- Somehow Flyers win the lottery and get the 1st overall pick.
- FlyerBuzzers feel redemption from losing Kane 1st overall and debate whether to use the pick or trade it.
- Flyers select Nolan Patrick.
- FlyerBuzzers declare him the team's new 2nd line center and future 1C.

....skip 6 years

- Nolan Patrick is compared to Patrik Stefan.
- Glak18

Lol

To me the effect is two fold...yeah there are more penalties and power plays which means it is more likely the team scores a goal...but the other side of it is that hopefully teams hold, interfere, etc. less to "open" the game
- YuenglingJagr

I've discussed this in the Pens blog.

I have never played pro, NCAA Div I, or even CHL/USHL hockey. I have, however, played with players who have played at those leagues and higher (some had small AHL experience). In a competitive atmosphere, even at that level, the gameplay itself creates minor infractions. They're not intentional, and they're not things that can be helped, they simply are a product of playing at that speed with that intensity. Turn the speed up by a factor of 10 and you get the NHL.

So yes, the intent is that calling every single little infraction will result in less penalties, but I don't think you'd ever have a game where teams take less than 10 penalties each if you call everything 100% by the book.

team wide scoring issues
low shooting % / save %
evidence from players who had similar injury/surgery
evidence on how players age in the NHL
- YuenglingJagr

I don't see how any of that is evidence specific to Giroux as an individual player, although I do think his scoring issues are one of the biggest reasons why the team is having trouble scoring, but that is an effect of Giroux's poor season, not a cause of it. I would agree that a decline this far this quickly is not a regular occurrence, but it does happen, especially if it is a physical issue.

Paint drying is a ton of fun compared to a flyers game.
- MikesPillBottle

Then by all means, stop watching.

Predictable arrogance.
- flyer_nutter

Nothing arrogant about it, just a simple reality.

I think the current system, with being able to retain salary and move players to the AHL is actually pretty nice. I think there is a shift on paying players through their prime now which helps avoid contracts like Vinny's

I hate the idea of non-guaranteed contracts. It makes signing the contract more important. The NFL is a joke when it comes to contracts.
- YuenglingJagr

Are NHL teams allowed to put partial guarantees, player options or team options on deals? Those types of things really help keep contracts from getting too arduous to deal with over the duration.

Whoa Schenn at -26
- MikesPillBottle

Aren't most of our top 6 forwards -20 or more?

Are NHL teams allowed to put partial guarantees, player options or team options on deals? Those types of things really help keep contracts from getting too arduous to deal with over the duration.
- PhillySportsGuy

No.

Aren't most of our top 6 forwards -20 or more?
- hereticpride

Around there.

Voracek -24
Giroux -17
Gostisbehere -23


Happens with a team that struggles to score and gets scored on

Whoa Schenn at -26
- MikesPillBottle

Just slightly better than that Matt Duchesne bum and slightly worse than players like Morgan Reilly, OEL, Voracek, and Ekblad.

Man those guys all suck!

Are NHL teams allowed to put partial guarantees, player options or team options on deals? Those types of things really help keep contracts from getting too arduous to deal with over the duration.
- PhillySportsGuy

They can have signing bonuses that can change how easily a team can buyout a player down the road and can have performances bonuses on certain contracts.

It is actually kind of funny how simple some of these deals are compared to other major sports. It is almost as if they do it on purpose.

I don't mind at all though. I think it makes sense, and the way teams have been using the rules of this CBA to get out of these contracts is pretty fair, from what I can see. The way it appears to be trending, it puts an emphasis on younger, better players

edit: I am not opposed to team/player options, but the RFA process is pretty constricting

Around there.

Voracek -24
Giroux -17
Gostisbehere -23


Happens with a team that struggles to score and gets scored on
- J35Bacher

It is almost like those guys have something in common

I think the Giroux era would be much different had Pronger not gotten injured/they made different choices in trying to replace him

Honestly, the Penguins are the only team I have seen recently that has survived an injury to one of their best players for a significant amount of time without much difference in play
- YuenglingJagr

I think about the Pronger thing all the time. How different would things have been had Giroux had a defenseman as good as him?

Around there.

Voracek -24
Giroux -17
Gostisbehere -23


Happens with a team that struggles to score and gets scored on
- J35Bacher

A lot of those minuses are were conceded at 6 on 5 and 5 on 4.

I'm just saying, I'd have sex with Johnny Depp just so I could hold it over every woman ever's head.

I'm just saying, I'd have sex with Johnny Depp just so I could hold it over every woman ever's head.
- jmatchett383

depends on usage/deployment

They can have signing bonuses that can change how easily a team can buyout a player down the road and can have performances bonuses on certain contracts.

It is actually kind of funny how simple some of these deals are compared to other major sports. It is almost as if they do it on purpose.

I don't mind at all though. I think it makes sense, and the way teams have been using the rules of this CBA to get out of these contracts is pretty fair, from what I can see. The way it appears to be trending, it puts an emphasis on younger, better players
- YuenglingJagr

I would much rather they have a structure similar to the NBA actually. There's so much more flexibility. Allow younger players to reach UFA faster, but allow teams to go over the soft cap in certain situations if they're willing to pay the tax. The current system is too rigid IMO. FA has basically become a time where you just hope your GM doesn't do something stupid.

It is almost like those guys have something in common
- YuenglingJagr

Interestingly Simmonds and his -18, and Schenn and his -26 left off the list

Interestingly Simmonds and his -18, and Schenn and his -24 left off the list
- PhillySportsGuy

The god awful, terrible, slow as dirt Sean Couturier is -2.

I just don't get Hak's fascination with overplaying PEB/VdV on the PK. Would it really be such a radical notion to dress a 4th line of:
Cousins-PEB-Lyubimov

and try the following PK rotation based on 30 second shifts:
Giroux-PEB (let's try winning a FO to start)
Coots-Simmonds
Fip-Read
PEB-Coots or Lyubimov^
*Coots if it's a FO, Lyubimov if on the fly

You'd have fresher players on the PK and a much better chance of winning the opening faceoff with this rotation.

The god awful, terrible, slow as dirt Sean Couturier is -2.
- J35Bacher

He was like a +25 during the ten game streak.. thats why it looks so good now.