guess mine
- Giroux_Is_God

i made the demand first.

i made the demand first.
- hammarby31

you are:

Not shocked
Irritable
Infuriated

Simmonds has just not looked good most of the season. I'm guessing we will hear about injuries once the season ends. At least I hope its that or just a bad year and not a plunge of his abilities. either way I am reluctant to give him a new contract. It just scares me. Filppula had a good start but has just fallen off a cliff.
- nastyflyergirl

Can't be scared to let guys walk. I think Simmonds has been a good player and a warrior, but he doesn't play defense well enough to be on a shutdown checking unit and he doesn't score enough at ES, or drive play at ES, to offset concerns about age.

One of the most lethal down-low PP guys the Flyers have had, and also one of the toughest. Stand-up guy, it always sounds like.

But no. I don't think they should extend him. Sometimes, you just have to thank players for their service and move on -- they should probably try to move him at the draft, but I wouldn't be horrified if they let him play out the contract because he'll get 20 next year and they will need those 20 from somewhere

you are:

Not shocked
Irritable
Infuriated
- Giroux_Is_God

also:

enraged

guess mine
- Giroux_Is_God

shambley.

I’m not sure how anyone can argue that Hakstol has done a good job...they are a middle of the road team....just like last year....just like his first year. Has Hakstol been some what limited due to Hextalls decisions....yes he has. I’m not sure...today....that he deserves to be fired but if they don’t make the playoffs after building such a large lead then I don’t think that reflects well on the coach....how could it.....I remain on the fence with the coach, but in the end the NHL is about winning and if Hakstol can’t then it’s the GMs job to find some one that can.
- landros 2

To me the team being in a playoff position and currently in 3rd when we didnt think they had a chance at the playoffs deserves a bit of credit.

Its like a quarterback though..Too much credit when they win and too much blame when they lose. I dont think Hak is flawless nor do I think he is horrible. I wouldnt mind seeing him as a coach with a legit goalie, bottom 2 lines or 3 additional dmen that can play at a high level.

To me the team being in a playoff position and currently in 3rd when we didnt think they had a chance at the playoffs deserves a bit of credit.

Its like a quarterback though..Too much credit when they win and too much blame when they lose. I dont think Hak is flawless nor do I think he is horrible. I wouldnt mind seeing him as a coach with a legit goalie, bottom 2 lines or 3 additional dmen that can play at a high level.
- opeth_pa

Did you really think that in pre season? I dunno man.

Players switch all the time. i am fine with that. Manning should have stayed back. pretty sure you see him gliding towards the play (possibly because it was 3 vs 2 on the boards? I don't recall) but he should have stayed put. Why Gudas kicked the puck up I have no idea.
- nastyflyergirl

Manning was on the offensive side of the puck. You're right he should've stayed back. With both defenseman along the same wall, if you have an opposition defender behind you while you're tight to the boards as a defenseman, if the puck comes loose, that player is beating you to the net. Lack of attention to detail. Same thing on the losing goal to Vegas. Simmonds is on the wrong side of the puck. Lack of attention to detail.

As far as Hakstol goes...it's always easy to give a coach the shiv. Sometimes it's more obvious than others when a coach is out of his depth.

Just my opinion, but to me, Hakstol hasn't done anything to get fired this season. I don't love every single decision he makes, but that's life.

But for me, just based on the last few games for example, it's not like he is telling Flip and Lehtera -- two veterans who should absolutely know better -- to make soft plays with the puck. He isn't telling guys to lose 50-50 battles. He isn't telling guys to let pucks come off the wall in their own zone.

If you want to knife him for the PK, that's debatable. That PK hasn't been right for years and years now, under multiple coaches.

Hakstol, to me, is doing exactly what an NHL coach is supposed to do: ensuring that his systems are getting production from the best players on the roster. To my mind, he has done that.

To me, at a minimum, three players from the Bottom 6 have to go, and two more need to be slotted properly but can't because of the overall weaknesses of that crew, while the defense jas, for the most part, been fine.

It's not Hakstol's fault that Michal Neuvirth is the most unreliable goalie I have ever seen, forcing them to play Lyon and acquire Mrazek.

I think they should make the playoffs. But if they don't, that's on the segment of players not named Giroux, Couturier, Voracek, Ghost, Provorov, MacDonald and Elliott, and excluding the rookies.

Because no one is telling Flip, Weise, Manning, Gudas, etc., to not get the job done. It wouldn't kill Simmonds to score an ES goal. The coach doesn't need to tell you that
- AllInForFlyers

Well said.

Did you really think that in pre season? I dunno man.
- flyer_nutter

I thought they would be competing for that last spot which might be where they end up.

I didnt think 10 games out they would be in a top 3 spot, no matter how tenuous that is.

It’s no secret I am not a fan.


- flyer_nutter

It's not a secret but what is a secret or what you're not able to explain is why you don't like him as a coach.

More great analysis of Hakstol's coaching from the guy who resolutely defended Hak playing Chris VandeVelde in 81 games last season. The same VdV who could not get a job in the NHL the very next season at the ripe old age of 30. Overplaying stiffs is not good coaching.


- Feanor

Your position is so strong that you have to bring up Vandevelde. I did not defend Hakstol for that simply because it didn't need defending. It was the right move based on the available roster just like his deployment usage this season. I wish we had Vandevelde as the player he was over player like Wiese and Leier because he was better than they have been this season. Every player's career comes to an end at some point as new talent comes into the league. Happens every season but I guess that means those players weren't really NHL players.

The coach has them focus on point shots more than any other team in the league. It's no surprise that has led to three straight years of anemic 5 on 5 scoring.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...d,gte,1&sort=goalsFor5on5
- Feanor

That's a false narrative. That does not and cannot point to a pointed focus by the coach on point shots. No NHL coach bases his offensive strategy on the lowest percentage shot in the offensive zone. So of the coach had them focus on shots from the slot instead, they would've automatically scored more? It's about what a team can create and generate with their play on the ice.

I thought they would be competing for that last spot which might be where they end up.

I didnt think 10 games out they would be in a top 3 spot, no matter how tenuous that is.
- opeth_pa

Thats fair. Kind of where it seems they might land.

Kind of my point. Your singled-out stat, in isolation, doesn't tell much of a story.

But for fun I checked just this season only. Flyers are 13th, so I guess they're doing better at that this season. :shrug:
- Scoob

Gee wonder how that happened? Coach changed his focus? Flyers are having trouble scoring lately. I wish Hakstol would just focus better and tell his players to stop taking point shots and start taking point blank shots from the slot. If that happens woila! Flyers will score more goals.

To me the team being in a playoff position and currently in 3rd when we didnt think they had a chance at the playoffs deserves a bit of credit.

Its like a quarterback though..Too much credit when they win and too much blame when they lose. I dont think Hak is flawless nor do I think he is horrible. I wouldnt mind seeing him as a coach with a legit goalie, bottom 2 lines or 3 additional dmen that can play at a high level.
- opeth_pa

Partially agree....I’m not sure if you said at start of the year that G, Vorecek, coots and Ghost were going to show such an improvement that the playoffs wouldn’t have seemed that far away. I did allude to him not really having all the tools at his disposal, but there are teams with less that are having better results then what Hakstol has benn able to produce. Yes I do think Hak deserves some credit, but if he can’t get this turned around he also deserves criticism. Enough to get fired ? Maybe that’s a question better answered in 3weeks or so. Again today ? I’m still on the fence.

Can't be scared to let guys walk. I think Simmonds has been a good player and a warrior, but he doesn't play defense well enough to be on a shutdown checking unit and he doesn't score enough at ES, or drive play at ES, to offset concerns about age.

One of the most lethal down-low PP guys the Flyers have had, and also one of the toughest. Stand-up guy, it always sounds like.

But no. I don't think they should extend him. Sometimes, you just have to thank players for their service and move on -- they should probably try to move him at the draft, but I wouldn't be horrified if they let him play out the contract because he'll get 20 next year and they will need those 20 from somewhere
- AllInForFlyers

I don't buy that Simmonds can't score well enough at ES. Simmonds has been scoring at ES at a 1st-2nd line level for 6 straight seasons among NHL right wings, as high as 13th in the league in 15/16 among NHL right wings. I think he has a physical issue that has bothered him all season. I understand the possible downside to signing him to a new long term deal and I think there is some merit to the arguments to explore a trade. If they do, he'll be racking up points for another team both on the PP and at ES.

sigh

can the flyers sign nick foles?

h

EK scores 4 goals... too bad we couldn't trade a 2nd round pick and Leier for him

EK scores 4 goals... too bad we couldn't trade a 2nd round pick and Leier for him
- 2Real

hello, my 4am brother

G-Coot-Jake
Tk-Patrick-Lindbolm
Simmer-laughton-Raffle
leather-Flip-Read

if Oduya is ok , sit Manning

G-Coot-Jake
Tk-Patrick-Lindbolm
Simmer-laughton-Raffle
leather-Flip-Read

if Oduya is ok , sit Manning
- wcorvette

I don't believe that Oduya is a better player than Manning is.

I don't believe that Oduya is a better player than Manning is.
- MJL

Neither should anyone else.