The farm system is much better than that of 2004 imo. Certainly the best since I've been following the team going back to the 90's - Just5
It may be better overall when you factor in players still in junior hockey as well as the ones with some pro experience at this point, but probably not deeper in pro-ready forwards already having AHL impact: Carter, Richards, Umberger, Sharp and, to a much lesser degree, Eager were a pretty formidable lot in terms of where they were in their development by the Calder Cup run.
Randy Bo-Bandy Jones was a quality defenseman - corduroy
He did OK for himself in the NHL so long as he was slotted properly in the rotation. Did well in 2007-08 as a third-pair guy. It was when he got extended from a 16-minute guy to an 18-to-20 minute player in tougher matchups that he got exposed. For a junior A/ college hockey guy who was never drafted, he put together a good career for himself. While with the Phantoms, he was very reliable.
Jones lacked a bit in the skating department and was just OK in his decision making, but he was serviceable with some puck skills.
Skating was a knock on both Ryan and Dylan in their draft years, too, but not to the same degree as Matthew this season. - bmeltzer
This has always puzzled me. How does a guy who needs that much work with skating get drafted? There aren't other guys who skate better and have equal other skills? Those are probably a rhetorical questions because if there were guys like that, guys like Strome wouldn't get drafted. Still puzzles me, though.
It may be better overall when you factor in players still in junior hockey as well as the ones with some pro experience at this point, but probably not deeper in pro-ready forwards already having AHL impact: Carter, Richards, Umberger, Sharp and, to a much lesser degree, Eager were a pretty formidable lot in terms of where they were in their development by the Calder Cup run. - bmeltzer
Just comparing the forwards, I would agree, but when you add in the kids on D and having both Sandstrom and Hart in the goal pipeline, this group is the deepest.
The cap benefits of stacking the team with young drafted players should become very apparent next season when Filppula, Read and the Umberger buyout come off the books. This 22 man roster doesn't even hit $63.5m.
The cap benefits of stacking the team with young drafted players should become very apparent next season when Filppula, Read and the Umberger buyout come off the books. This 22 man roster doesn't even hit $63.5m.
The cap benefits of stacking the team with young drafted players should become very apparent next season when Filppula, Read and the Umberger buyout come off the books. This 22 man roster doesn't even hit $63.5m.
TOTAL ~ 63.4435 - Feanor
Which is one of the reasons term is more important than AAV on this and next years signings
how involved are the flyers in getting Strome the help and coaching he needs to work on is skating? is it all on the player? Wouldn't the flyers want to hire the best to work with him?
I remember one summer Umberger worked with someone. He came back and it clearly showed his improvement
