on a good team he's a 4th liner. i'm not saying he's the end all be all. but the players you would put on this team over him is kind of baffling.
- Ftown19125

It is time to turn the page on raffle. Have seen enough over he last x amount of years. Need some fresh blood. Whether another vet type or younger player.

Total mistake giving his type a multi year deal especially when you see who is available in free agency who can do his job cheaper as well as rookies knocking on the door.

It’s not baffling at all. Once agin the 4th line while on paper it is improved has no identity as Just taking the left overs forming a line with them.

A guy who wasn't particularly good in the English hockey league last year.
- Feanor

exactly. i'm not trying to trash stewart, if he earns a contract that's fine. i just hope he's only a depth player for injury purposes. i don't know where the flyers are with how many contracts they have currently though.

Reeves is clearly head and shoulders Bette than Stewart. Terrible comparison
- daryl stanley

reaves is a better fighter, stewart is the better hockey player imo. At this point in their careers i would take raffl over stewart. However if they were the same age and lets say stewart was 27.....i would take stewart. He is/was more gifted offensively than raffl. Raffl is the better two way player and pk guy. stewart plays a rougher style...so hard to compare the two for that

It is time to turn the page on raffle. Have seen enough over he last x amount of years. Need some fresh blood. Whether another vet type or younger player.

Total mistake giving his type a multi year deal especially when you see who is available in free agency who can do his job cheaper as well as rookies knocking on the door.

It’s not baffling at all. Once agin the 4th line while on paper it is improved has no identity as Just taking the left overs forming a line with them.
- daryl stanley

this is wher ei disagree. Raffl is a great team guy, can skate and move around your lineup. He and Scotty on the fourth line to me makes us a tougher team and deeper to play against. If not here raffl would get a nhl job easy with another team. Reaves is more one dimensional, just in for a physical presense. While raffl isn';t a fighter he is better all around and solid checking line player. Yes there are a bunch of these in the nhl, but the way he plays is what i like about him.

And why would we need reaves...we have gabriel now

It is time to turn the page on raffle. Have seen enough over he last x amount of years. Need some fresh blood. Whether another vet type or younger player.

Total mistake giving his type a multi year deal especially when you see who is available in free agency who can do his job cheaper as well as rookies knocking on the door.

It’s not baffling at all. Once agin the 4th line while on paper it is improved has no identity as Just taking the left overs forming a line with them.
- daryl stanley

who was available that you would have rather signed? my memory sucks, so i'm seriously asking.

he signed a 2 year deal at 1.6. it's not a crazy amount higher than a lot of ELCs, and he took a paycut. i liked the deal honestly.

this is wher ei disagree. Raffl is a great team guy, can skate and move around your lineup. He and Scotty on the fourth line to me makes us a tougher team and deeper to play against. If not here raffl would get a nhl job easy with another team. Reaves is more one dimensional, just in for a physical presense. While raffl isn';t a fighter he is better all around and solid checking line player. Yes there are a bunch of these in the nhl, but the way he plays is what i like about him.

And why would we need reaves...we have gabriel now
- Peter Richards

the only reason i threw raffl's name out there is because he's poop on him many times in the past. i just don't get how you can appreciate stewarts game, but not appreciate a guy like raffl's. it doesn't make any sense to me. that's the only point i'm trying to make.

who was available that you would have rather signed? my memory sucks, so i'm seriously asking.

he signed a 2 year deal at 1.6. it's not a crazy amount higher than a lot of ELCs, and he took a paycut. i liked the deal honestly.
- Ftown19125

I am not going through it. 3 names off the top of my head Boyle (still f/a) and Riley Sheehan who signed cheap in Edmonton , pominville

He doesn’t warrant a 2 year deal. Next year if not this year I bet he gets buried

Hayes looked really good last night. Granted, it wasn't against a full NHL roster, but if he can play like that regularly, I'll be very happy.
- jmatchett383

I was going to say this as well. I really liked his two way game. He's a big body out there and I think he will really help out in the non flashy grind work that may not always translate to points. he's probably going to help us more than most people think.

who was available that you would have rather signed? my memory sucks, so i'm seriously asking.

he signed a 2 year deal at 1.6. it's not a crazy amount higher than a lot of ELCs, and he took a paycut. i liked the deal honestly.
- Ftown19125

didn't jordan weal get a similar deal. The only other player i could think as a good comparison and i could be wrong.. Paquette from tampa? and or bellemare.

this is wher ei disagree. Raffl is a great team guy, can skate and move around your lineup. He and Scotty on the fourth line to me makes us a tougher team and deeper to play against. If not here raffl would get a nhl job easy with another team. Reaves is more one dimensional, just in for a physical presense. While raffl isn';t a fighter he is better all around and solid checking line player. Yes there are a bunch of these in the nhl, but the way he plays is what i like about him.

And why would we need reaves...we have gabriel now
- Peter Richards

Reaves is a legit nhl Player
Gabriel is not.

How can you compare those 2?

I am not going through it. 3 names off the top of my head Boyle (still f/a) and Riley Sheehan who signed cheap in Edmonton , pominville

He doesn’t warrant a 2 year deal. Next year if not this year I want he gets buried
- daryl stanley

used to love boyle 3 or 4 seasons ago, big body and i thought he would have been great on the 3rd/4th line. but that time has passed.

edit: i really doubt he doesn't finish out his contract with a regular spot in the lineup, but i've been wrong before.

didn't jordan weal get a similar deal. The only other player i could think as a good comparison and i could be wrong.. Paquette from tampa? and or bellemare.
- Peter Richards

yeah they both got deals within that range.

used to love boyle 3 or 4 seasons ago, big body and i thought he would have been great on the 3rd/4th line. but that time has passed.
- Ftown19125

He is still a good 4h line player. Nothing more.

jordan hall's write up about last nights game.......so he just wrote what the announcers said throughout the game with a little extra here or there....wow.

Bill you need to take over csn as well. glad to not be reading Tim P. anymore but echoing exactly what the announcers said...lazy

You'll see Provorov-Niskanen tonight. Sanheim was with Myers on Day 1 and 2 of camp. Will play with Hägg tonight. Morin is the one who has yet to practice or play with any of the top 5 in the rotation.
- bmeltzer

Might as well try and get a 4th for Morin now. Not an AV type dman

It is time to turn the page on raffle. Have seen enough over he last x amount of years. Need some fresh blood. Whether another vet type or younger player.

Total mistake giving his type a multi year deal especially when you see who is available in free agency who can do his job cheaper as well as rookies knocking on the door.

It’s not baffling at all. Once agin the 4th line while on paper it is improved has no identity as Just taking the left overs forming a line with them.
- daryl stanley

Yea i disagree too, Raffl is a very good 4th liner and in a pinch if there are in game injuries can be moved up and down the line and you can depend on him not being out of place. He can play on the PK, he has played on every line before, is a defensive responsible forward, and has shown in the past he can chip in a goal or two every now and then, in addition to also being universally loved in the room.

Players like Raffl aren't anywhere near that make or break level to a team, but they are valuable for sure.

Might as well try and get a 4th for Morin now. Not an AV type dman
- Just5

He is young and needs to play. Acquiring braun was overkill.....

just got to watch the game. Good stuff from Hayes, if he can hold the level with NHL competition it will really help solidify the lines, he is really uses his body well and anticipates the play well.

A lot of good stuff up and down the line up, here comes the future...

Yea i disagree too, Raffl is a very good 4th liner and in a pinch if there are in game injuries can be moved up and down the line and you can depend on him not being out of place. He can play on the PK, he has played on every line before, is a defensive responsible forward, and has shown in the past he can chip in a goal or two every now and then, in addition to also being universally loved in the room.

Players like Raffl aren't anywhere near that make or break level to a team, but they are valuable for sure.
- sjk540

Raffl, even if his offense isn't at he level it has been in the past can still play with pace and play effectively on the forecheck. He's a solid player away from the puck. Bill mentioned that Stewart is skating well but from what I saw last night, he wasn't as quick as I would like. I don't think he can push the pace like Raffl can. Stewart as a 13th forward might be okay but can he contribute on the PK or do anything else besides play 5-8 minutes of ES play?

I only caught the tail end of the 3rd, but from what I heard/read, the top line looked good and Hayes played well. I did catch out powerplays at the end and Hayes really showcased his size along the top left wall when he fought off whichever Islander player to keep the puck in the o zone. Really is a pain in the ass to get the puck from

Might as well try and get a 4th for Morin now. Not an AV type dman
- Just5

Is Braun an AV type of Dman?

Pulling for Stewart. Yes Rubtsov was fine I agree should have clarified stood out.

Bill who has a higher ceiling based on what the flyers brass or others think: myers or Zamula?
- daryl stanley

Myers but Zamula is rising.

I thought Farabee and Rubtsov were fine, even though they didn't get much going offensively. Both played solid, smart games. Zamula, minus the late game shot that got blocked and eventually resulted in the ENG for Isles, was really good.

Stewart has been decent in camp. Is in excellent physical condition, playing a little lighter and skating pretty well.
- bmeltzer

Definitely liked the skating. I think fighting and handling his opponent means more to the coaching staff than people think.

I think Stewart has a better shot than most give him credit.

Stewart is cooked and if he's deemed to be one of the 12 best forwards the team can ice it does not bode well for the season. Simple as that.

I know some of you guys get chubs every time you see a guy throw a punch but that's not enough reason to carry someone. We have plenty of vet forwards as well so please don't give me the veteran presence excuse.

Myers but Zamula is rising.
- bmeltzer

Myers was fantastic last night I thought.