ummmmmmm no, that would mean Mason had an easy day saying that, he earned this shutout.
stopped Doughty what 7 times alone?
- puckhead17

Guy's a battler, he fights in those scrums.

Scrums that would end up in a lot more goals last year with you know who.

holy poop joe thornton just clowned crawford in the shootout
- 2Real

Just so we are all clear, who are you rooting for on monday?

Just so we are all clear, who are you rooting for on monday?
- wilsonecho91

i think it's pretty clear

Guy's a battler, he fights in those scrums.

Scrums that would end up in a lot more goals last year with you know who.
- Yosimar89

Perfect summary...He didn't face a ton of tough, open shots off breakdowns, but made several huge stops off scrambles and had a lot of tough second or third saves.

He looked strong, confident and focused, really locked in and he fought through the traffic and scrums really, really well.

Tough game, Mason was a beast!

FWIW
Players I would consider virtually untouchable
Giroux

Players/assets I would only move in a deal for a legit, under 30 #1 dman
Mason
Voracek
Simmonds
Coburn
Couturier
Morin
2015 1st

Players/assets I would move for a top 4 mobile dman under 30
B Schenn
Read
Hagg
Laughton
Ghost
L Schenn
Alt
1st in 2014

- hammarby31

Needlenose Ned? Ned The Head?

Tough game, Mason was a beast!

FWIW
Players I would consider virtually untouchable
Giroux

Players/assets I would only move in a deal for a legit, under 30 #1 dman
Mason
Voracek
Simmonds
Coburn
Couturier
Morin
2015 1st

Players/assets I would move for a top 4 mobile dman under 30
B Schenn
Read
Hagg
Laughton
Ghost
L Schenn
Alt
1st in 2014
- BiggE

if you would move Courturier then you may not have been watching yesterdays game, he was awesome in all 3 zones, and played like a playoff savvy veteran, as was Simmonds, (and i would not move Wayne or Jake either) not at this point

if you would move Courturier then you may not have been watching yesterdays game, he was awesome in all 3 zones, and played like a playoff savvy veteran, as was Simmonds, (and i would not move Wayne or Jake either) not at this point
- puckhead17

Somebody wants to give me OEL or PK Subban, I'm OK with trading Couturier for one of them....would much rather not, but would.

Somebody wants to give me OEL or PK Subban, I'm OK with trading Couturier for one of them....would much rather not, but would.
- Jsaquella

or Weber, we would throw him in the mix as well.

Somebody wants to give me OEL or PK Subban, I'm OK with trading Couturier for one of them....would much rather not, but would.
- Jsaquella

Same here. Got to give to get. A bonified #1 dman will not come cheap and we do have a surplus of centers (giroux, schenn, coots, Vinny, Laughton). I don't think anyone is suggesting to trade coots just to trade him but for a proven #1 dman... You bet.

Tough game, Mason was a beast!

FWIW
Players I would consider virtually untouchable
Giroux

Players/assets I would only move in a deal for a legit, under 30 #1 dman
Mason
Voracek
Simmonds
Coburn
Couturier
Morin
2015 1st

Players/assets I would move for a top 4 mobile dman under 30
B Schenn
Read
Hagg
Laughton
Ghost
L Schenn
Alt
1st in 2014
- BiggE

Yeah, we need top-4 dmen for now and in the future... let's dangle Ghost, Alt, Hagg, & Morin for Mike Green.

My untouchable list would include Simmer, Coots, Baby Schenn and Ghost. If that means a deal is near impossible, than so be it.

IMO, it would be more helpful to have two #4 dmen added to the roster than to overpay for one #1 guy anyway.

Somebody wants to give me OEL or PK Subban, I'm OK with trading Couturier for one of them....would much rather not, but would.
- Jsaquella

Of course, nobody's going to want to give you OEL or PK Subban.

Last couple of dmen of significant stature to get traded off the top of my head were Phaneuf and Erik Johnson. I don't think I see any potential Neon Dions or #1 "busts" out there.

Yeah, we need top-4 dmen for now and in the future... let's dangle Ghost, Alt, Hagg, & Morin for Mike Green.

My untouchable list would include Simmer, Coots, Baby Schenn and Ghost. If that means a deal is near impossible, than so be it.

IMO, it would be more helpful to have two #4 dmen added to the roster than to overpay for one #1 guy anyway.
- Tomahawk

I think the whole "#1 guy" thing has been overblown just a bit and frankly, it smacks of having not moved past the Pronger injury.

I would rather not force a trade just to get a guy who has been subjectively designated as an "elite" d-man. I would rather just improve the mix of guys we have through minor deals and let the guys we've drafted develop.

Yeah, we need top-4 dmen for now and in the future... let's dangle Ghost, Alt, Hagg, & Morin for Mike Green.

My untouchable list would include Simmer, Coots, Baby Schenn and Ghost. If that means a deal is near impossible, than so be it.

IMO, it would be more helpful to have two #4 dmen added to the roster than to overpay for one #1 guy anyway.
- Tomahawk

You are that high on b schenn? I think he has shown himself as a viable #2 center for this team. I hope they don't trade him, but I'd flip him for a young promising defenseman given the opportunity

Somebody wants to give me OEL or PK Subban, I'm OK with trading Couturier for one of them....would much rather not, but would.
- Jsaquella

i think most here would like to keep the core of young players together while rebuilding the defense; problems with that include: 1) it may take too long and valuable years will be lost; 2) it may not be possible; 3) holmgren at the switch is likely to yield mixed results at best via free agents and drafting.....
that said, it may be necessary to let some of the pieces go to acquire help. no one wants to see another patrick sharp-like situation but there are risks that may need to be taken in order to get to the next level and compete for a cup.
despite the final score, i don't think last night's win inspires confidence in the way they played (or were outplayed); glad to get the win but 13 SOG won't get it done more often than not

I think the whole "#1 guy" thing has been overblown just a bit and frankly, it smacks of having not moved past the Pronger injury.

I would rather not force a trade just to get a guy who has been subjectively designated as an "elite" d-man. I would rather just improve the mix of guys we have through minor deals and let the guys we've drafted develop.
- johndewar

Totally agree.

Rico, Kimmo, Kim Johnsson and Pitkanen weren't anywhere near Pronger's stature... but they were all part of groups that could get the puck out of the zone and chip in offensively.

This present group could have Pronger and still be in deep trouble.

I think the whole "#1 guy" thing has been overblown just a bit and frankly, it smacks of having not moved past the Pronger injury.

I would rather not force a trade just to get a guy who has been subjectively designated as an "elite" d-man. I would rather just improve the mix of guys we have through minor deals and let the guys we've drafted develop.
- johndewar

good point. i think a ccouple of mid-level guys coming in that have some mobility can balance out some of the guys we have who are suffering from lack of balance (i.e. too many shut-down types, not enough mobile puck movers). may not be necessary to get 1 elite guy

You are that high on b schenn? I think he has shown himself as a viable #2 center for this team. I hope they don't trade him, but I'd flip him for a young promising defenseman given the opportunity
- Just5

I'm betting Minnesota and St. Louis don't look back and regret that they were patient with Mikko Koivu's and Backes' development.

Team defense negates the 1-6 defensemen slotting.
Today was a team effort on D. Aside from the flurry of scrums in front of Mason today, the team commitment to D was solid.

Luke Schenn has been placed in an impossible position among fans. There is nothing he will ever be able to do overcome the feelings of loss fans express with JVR somewhat flourishing in Toronto. But the game is more than just scoring goals.

Schenn--so long as he stops trying his spin move--gives them a solid peg to build a blueline around. He can eat minutes. He is still relatively young. And when he's paired with someone with a remote sense of defensive responsibility (most of season has been paired with either Meszaros and Streit), he plays a much better game.

I'm not overly worried about the D-corps or the future with this D-corps. And while I would love to get a top-tier defenseman to replace Timonen when/if he decides to retire--if the forwards keep their gaps tighter and backcheck, a lot of the problems tend to go away.

But we need to move away from the constant talk of "losing" JVR. I mean, seriously--who plays those minutes if that trade isn't made? The Flyers gained a solid (not great, not all-star) defenseman, maybe a Chris Therien-ish guy, who can be built around for years to come.

They need to keep that commitment to team d and shorten the gap coverage. They've shown they can do it when they went on that nice stretch in December. They showed it again tonight. Let's see if they can keep that commitment level up. If they can do that--they can play with anyone in this league.
- Moose_15

I fully support this message!

if you would move Courturier then you may not have been watching yesterdays game, he was awesome in all 3 zones, and played like a playoff savvy veteran, as was Simmonds, (and i would not move Wayne or Jake either) not at this point
- puckhead17

I would only move those 3 in a deal for a true #1 dman, under 30, who can be counted on for 25+ minutes per night. I'm talking about players like Weber, Subban etc..IMO, getting that type of dman is worth giving up anyone other than Giroux.

I'm not moving any of those 3 for guys like Byfuglien, Yandle, Edler etc..

That's what teams should do. This team hasn't in years, so what's the plan for the time between Kimmo retiring and Morin developing into being NHL ready? Gus, a 4th rounder and a guy literally given to us to take Boosh off the Canes hands?
- hereticpride

This team has been building a corps of quality defense prospects. Both through the draft, and by other means. A lot can change in a short time in Hockey. One key move, and things change a lot.

Somebody wants to give me OEL or PK Subban, I'm OK with trading Couturier for one of them....would much rather not, but would.
- Jsaquella

I agree. Just can't turn that down. As good as Couturier is now, and as good as I think he's going to be in the future. Getting that young defensive stud is a deal you have to make.

Totally agree.

Rico, Kimmo, Kim Johnsson and Pitkanen weren't anywhere near Pronger's stature... but they were all part of groups that could get the puck out of the zone and chip in offensively.

This present group could have Pronger and still be in deep trouble.
- Tomahawk

I disagree with your last statement. A healthy Chris Pronger playing 25 mins per night would make a huge difference while a younger Shea Weber playing close to 30 mins would be even better. The 06 Oilers and '10 Flyers don't even make the playoffs, let alone get to the finals without Pronger.

This team has been building a corps of quality defense prospects. Both through the draft, and by other means. A lot can change in a short time in Hockey. One key move, and things change a lot.
- MJL

Dmen are much harder to project than forwards. If none of Alt, Ghost, Morin or Hagg develop into top 4 guys then what?