Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Defense/Offense Conundrum, Ghost, Giroux, Goalies

AWESOME BLOG

So glad that a voice of reason chimed in on the Ghost situation.

Also, I am glad that someone else is noting that Giroux has not looked like has the same skating pop as he has had/needs. The World Cup of Hockey injury, which was never really spelled out, after hip surgery, is a bit concerning. Should he NOT have gone, or should he have been/be shut down? That I don't know.

I never was big on bringing in Bishop for the cost and what it says to Lyon, Stolarz and Hart. If the team plays proper team defense, the forwards actually back check and the blueliners cut down on the hand grenade plays...the goaltending they have is fine. They need forward...one who is what Dale Weiss was supposed to be.

If I were GM, I would be shopping Giroux around right now. I'm sure thats not a very popular idea, but look what we got out of Richards and Carter.

"If I were GM, I would be shopping Giroux around right now. I'm sure thats not a very popular idea, but look what we got out of Richards and Carter. "


Your return will not be the same. Both those guys had cap hits under 6 million and were younger. At his cap hit your wither keeping a lot of money or the return wont be as big as you think. I think your return would be something along what Nash got Columbus.

Tampa is going to move bishop rather than lose him for nothing. He's a year removed from being a vezina candidate. Whoever trades for him will protect him banking on him having a rough year for injuries and could get him signed to a steal of a deal if he comes close to reverting to form.

The rumors aren't out of left field imo due to the flyers having no NHL goalie under contract next year. Worth exploring in my opinion

thanks Bill,

Just a question if you would put your GM hat on. At this deadline what type of move do you see? I know it might not be exciting but do you try to move some UFA's for picks or depth?

Tampa is going to move bishop rather than lose him for nothing. He's a year removed from being a vezina candidate. Whoever trades for him will protect him banking on him having a rough year for injuries and could get him signed to a steal of a deal if he comes close to reverting to form.

The rumors aren't out of left field imo due to the flyers having no NHL goalie under contract next year. Worth exploring in my opinion
- Just5

One guy I might look at would be Halak. He's signed another year and might not expensive. It's no secret the Islanders want to move him. Could you pry away a prospect by taking on Halak? For the expansion draft you protect Stolarz and expose Halak. Then next year Stolarz and Halak compete.

Tampa is going to move bishop rather than lose him for nothing. He's a year removed from being a vezina candidate. Whoever trades for him will protect him banking on him having a rough year for injuries and could get him signed to a steal of a deal if he comes close to reverting to form.

The rumors aren't out of left field imo due to the flyers having no NHL goalie under contract next year. Worth exploring in my opinion
- Just5

So you would sign a guy (giving up assets) and bank on him having a rough year or being injured, just so you could sign him to a steal? Any idea how ridiculous that sounds?

1. Why would you ever want the most important player on your team (goalie) to not play well?
2. Why would you wish any type of injury on a player, again especially your goalie?
3. If he has a great year, you're forced to either pay the price (placing a bottleneck on goalie prospects coming up) OR you let him go for nothing (after you've wasted assets).

Do I even need to bother going on with this?

67-48-21 record under Hakstol in tenure to date. Julien in the same span was 68-54-15

So are we saying that Hakstol better watch out? Or that Julien was taken for granted up there?

AWESOME BLOG

So glad that a voice of reason chimed in on the Ghost situation.

Also, I am glad that someone else is noting that Giroux has not looked like has the same skating pop as he has had/needs. The World Cup of Hockey injury, which was never really spelled out, after hip surgery, is a bit concerning. Should he NOT have gone, or should he have been/be shut down? That I don't know.

I never was big on bringing in Bishop for the cost and what it says to Lyon, Stolarz and Hart. If the team plays proper team defense, the forwards actually back check and the blueliners cut down on the hand grenade plays...the goaltending they have is fine. They need forward...one who is what Dale Weiss was supposed to be.
- wbon22

I don't mind bishop, but we've been down that road of bringing in someone on a big contract only to block a young stud who goes on to win a Vezina with another team. No thanks. Let us see what we have with Stollie, Lyon Sandstrom and hart. I expect that's Hexy's plan too. If you're going to spend money or trade assets (D prospects) do it to get some top 6 forward help so we don't have to throw Raffl on the first line and pretend he can fill that role.

Bill,

Please help me here...

What is this team's identity?

They say a team take on the personality of it's coach, fantastic. What is it?

So you would sign a guy (giving up assets) and bank on him having a rough year or being injured, just so you could sign him to a steal? Any idea how ridiculous that sounds?

1. Why would you ever want the most important player on your team (goalie) to not play well?
2. Why would you wish any type of injury on a player, again especially your goalie?
3. If he has a great year, you're forced to either pay the price (placing a bottleneck on goalie prospects coming up) OR you let him go for nothing (after you've wasted assets).

Do I even need to bother going on with this?
- steelydan

umm

xx

"If I were GM, I would be shopping Giroux around right now. I'm sure thats not a very popular idea, but look what we got out of Richards and Carter. "


Your return will not be the same. Both those guys had cap hits under 6 million and were younger. At his cap hit your wither keeping a lot of money or the return wont be as big as you think. I think your return would be something along what Nash got Columbus.
- J35Bacher

not ot mention his NMC. he would dictate where he wants to go and won't go.

In summary, don't rush out and buy jerseys so quickly. Wait until the midpoint of a player's second year, at least, before dishing out $100 on a piece of cloth.

an anecdotal observation that I don't think he has skated very well all season -- going all the way back to getting hurt at the World Cup of Hockey.
- bmeltzer

ugh, I forgot about that

But the WCoH grows the game so it's worth it

In summary, don't rush out and buy jerseys so quickly. Wait until the midpoint of a player's second year, at least, before dishing out $100 on a piece of cloth.
- Corporate_hater

Or, do the sensible thing and get a blank one

Tampa is going to move bishop rather than lose him for nothing. He's a year removed from being a vezina candidate. Whoever trades for him will protect him banking on him having a rough year for injuries and could get him signed to a steal of a deal if he comes close to reverting to form.

The rumors aren't out of left field imo due to the flyers having no NHL goalie under contract next year. Worth exploring in my opinion
- Just5

Put Bishop behind this Flyers team for that span. Think he'd have done better -- enough to be worth expending assets to be an upgrade -- as compared to Mason and Neuvirth? I don't.

So you would sign a guy (giving up assets) and bank on him having a rough year or being injured, just so you could sign him to a steal? Any idea how ridiculous that sounds?

1. Why would you ever want the most important player on your team (goalie) to not play well?
2. Why would you wish any type of injury on a player, again especially your goalie?
3. If he has a great year, you're forced to either pay the price (placing a bottleneck on goalie prospects coming up) OR you let him go for nothing (after you've wasted assets).

Do I even need to bother going on with this?
- steelydan

They're banking on him having a rough year THIS year. Which he is having with some injury issues. Sorry if I didn't articulate it well enough.

I'm firmly in the trade UFA for assets and maybe move one core person to shake it up a bit since the current core is seeming to be doing the same things over and over again no matter who the coach is.

Been far to many years lately we have discussed the same old situation about how this team sucks at scoring goals 5 on 5 and relied heavily on PP. Now that the PP is struggling look at the mess they are in..back to back shutouts. It is absolutely painful to watch this team try to make any offensive push.

Been far to many years lately we have discussed the same old situation about how this team sucks at scoring goals 5 on 5 and relied heavily on PP. Now that the PP is struggling look at the mess they are in..back to back shutouts. It is absolutely painful to watch this team try to make any offensive push.

AWESOME BLOG
- wbon22

Agreed!

Very interesting take. I do not think it will be very popular, but it's certainly honest.

I don't think Ghost should be scratched for more than one or at most a couple of games at a time. Even if he's the worst coverage dman on the team as Bill said on twitter, he offers offensive ability no one else on defense does, especially at 5 on 4 and 3 on 3. After the OT debacle against the Kings it should have been an easy move to put Ghost at LD and Streit and RD on the third pairing last night. Unless the order to play Schultz came from Hextall, sending Schultz-Streit out there against the Blues to get dominated can't be defended.

7-11-4 since the 10 game win steak. Next 7 games are really going to tell the story of this team for Hextall. It's a pretty damn difficult stretch of hockey as well. I would bet that many are going to get their wish and see an influx of youth on this team after the trade deadline. I'm all for a miracle but the Flyers are looking like sellers to me. However, this does seems to be a classic improbable time for the Flyers to turn around the season.