Now WTF are we doing?

Analytics need to be used to match the eye test not disprove it imo. I still feel like the eye test holds more weight while analytics certainly have a complimentary purpose.
- Tfaehner

100%

Does anyone think that Ivan Provorov has played poorly this season?
- MJL

No.

Friedman was brutal his first game but his second was fine, Prosser ? Bill, what’s going on here?

Friedman was brutal his first game but his second was fine, Prosser ? Bill, what’s going on here?
- ClaudeFather

Good question. My first thought was that someone might have been added to the Covid protocol list which, with Myers out, might cause Prosser to be activated. But apparently not.

Maybe a trade in the works; otherwise silly to remove anyone who is healthy.

Much rather have Pouliot.

I think he has been okay. For the amount of time he has to spend defending, he has done a good job keeping the puck out of the net.

The main reason I asked is if someone like Charlie O'Conner was commenting on him from afar and had not watched him play, he would look at Provorov's "underlying" numbers and say he's playing awful.
- MJL

yeah I look at the numbers on occasion but if you don't have the eye test and know the circumstance, the data is useless for me. Kind of tells the story, you can make a good assessment by watching and analyzing team play/circumstance but you can't make a good assessment with just analytics.

Why waste a year if York’s entry level deal for a few games ? Rather wait as will need him cheap for 3 years.
- Striiker

you could be right I wasn't thinking of contract, just getting him some reps in the A

you could be right I wasn't thinking of contract, just getting him some reps in the A
- wcorvette

If they do an AHL contract only then sure. Not sure York would though.

This is what O’Connor said about Ristolainen recently when a fan asked about pursuing him:

“ . Trust me, you don't want Rasmus Ristolainen. I agree he was good in this two-game series, but historically he's basically been a more physical Andrew MacDonald who is good on the power play. His underlying numbers are notoriously horrific in a top-pair role, and considering he has a $5.2 mil cap hit, it wouldn't make sense to acquire him just to be a 3rd pair defenseman, either.

Flyers should stay far, far away from this guy.”
- Djapana

Christ...there’s some guys around here that would be wet with an Andrew Macdonald clone back....lol. I personally think he’d be a good fit . I realize he can be inconsistent but the guy I just saw play the Flyers is a good defenceman. (Hardly what we ever saw out of Andrew Macdonald).....maybe he meant the analytical numbers were similar.

you could be right I wasn't thinking of contract, just getting him some reps in the A
- wcorvette

He can be signed to an ATO to play with the Phantoms. Same thing was done with Carter and Richards.

This is what O’Connor said about Ristolainen recently when a fan asked about pursuing him:

“ . Trust me, you don't want Rasmus Ristolainen. I agree he was good in this two-game series, but historically he's basically been a more physical Andrew MacDonald who is good on the power play. His underlying numbers are notoriously horrific in a top-pair role, and considering he has a $5.2 mil cap hit, it wouldn't make sense to acquire him just to be a 3rd pair defenseman, either.

Flyers should stay far, far away from this guy.”
- Djapana

I can assure you that Ristolainen would be our second best dman after Provorov. Like MJL stated stats for a guy on a lousy team mean very little. I watch most Sabre games and Ristolainen is really good, much more physical than he is getting credit for on here and he can bring it on the pp as well. He would be a great addition.

If they do an AHL contract only then sure. Not sure York would though.
- Striiker

if he did I am sure they would work that out, he would know he would have a fair chance to make the big club next season.

He came close to scoring on us what, twice now.

Wouldn’t classify his play as bad due to him being our best defender still but also wouldn’t say it has been great either. Same as all have been discussing. Early in season working out the kinks. I will say I thought he played better with ghost. Being familiar and not having as much of a rotating partner. Two games with 5 d men.
- Peter Richards

I think he’s been our most solid d man...and it’s not close. He’s had a couple of games where he wasn’t very good, but I think he’ll continue to get into a rhythm where by he’ll continue to be the anchor. That’s a guy we can’t lose.

I think the Flyers need something along the lines of a Jamie Oleksiak, Jake Muzzin Colton Parayko or Rasmus Ristolainen in my opinion to pair with Provorov.
- SuperSchennBros

One is not like the others

One is not like the others
- Tomahawk

Poor heiskinen, if Oleksiak came here people would turn on him quicker than Bob Hagg

Prosser will have a 3 point night. Mark my words 😂

Maybe a trade in the works; otherwise silly to remove anyone who is healthy.

Much rather have Pouliot.
- Striiker

Idk. Maybe. But Prosser is a better player in his own zone than pouliot or gus in his NHL time. Shot blocking and board work especially. At 34 I'm not sure what he has left but as Bill and everyone else is reporting its a coaches decision which means he had to have shown something to AV

I have a ton of respect for Charlie and consider him a friend but we disagree on this one and, in general, he weights in analytics more heavily than I do.

My take on Ristolainen: He is extremely toolsy and that has actually worked to his developmental detriment because he got rushed to the NHL on a bad team with too much responsibility too soon. I don't know if he has the greatest innate hockey sense and he may never consistently display what his talent ceiling once seemed to suggest he was capable of becoming. I wouldn't cross my fingers and hope to hit a home run with him magically turning into a franchise D-man. But I would aim for him to play about 20 mins a night within the group of D that on hand.

I get Charlie's point about Ristolainen's career analytics. He's played in a large sampling of games by this point and his splits are poor. But I'd say what it shows mainly is that he hasn't been able to rise above the caliber of the (mostly poor to mediocre) teams he's played on in Buffalo for his career before this year.

He can sometimes play at a high level. The flashes of brilliance have always been there, and it's why he can be frustrating. I wouldn't expect him to play consistently like he played in the back-to-back against the Flyers, where he was a force on both sides of the puck and played with snarl, too. If he could do that, quite frankly, he'd be untouchable in a trade especially after the Sabres lived through all the growing pains beforehand.

But as long as the trade price tag were within reason and the expectations bar was not that he'd need to routinely play like a top-pairing guy, I'd gladly take him on my team. There aren't many 26-year-old right-shot D with his size, mobility, decent offense and physicality. I'd live with the flaws because, even with them, there aren't that many D-men around with his positives.

If the cap hit aspect could be worked out, I would be quite happy to have a D with Provorov, Sanheim, Myers and Ristolainen on it right now. If you lose one of the latter three to the expansion draft or a trade, then you work around it.
- bmeltzer

You can say that he's underwater b/c his teams have sucked... but it stands to reason that he's played a part in those teams underperforming as well.

Hockey sense is just too important.

Maybe a veteran team with rock solid fundamentals, high level decision-makers and great team play could get the most out of Risto. But the Flyers, as presently constituted.... he'd be yet another guy who gives the puck over to the other team.

O'Connor says its purely a lineup decision. SO I would imagine he is in for Friedman or Hagg.

O'Connor says its purely a lineup decision. SO I would imagine he is in for Friedman or Hagg.
- MBFlyerfan

based upon play it should be Braun, though Hagg has looked more into his skates than he has to who he was passing too.

based upon play it should be Braun, though Hagg has looked more into his skates than he has to who he was passing too.
- wcorvette

Ahhh yes, I actually keep forgetting about Braun.........which kind of speaks to your point I guess lol.

Ottawa already blowing it up and ready to pitch fork murray 🤣 who would of seen that coming

Prosser in for Friedman. Will play with Hagg, Sanheim with Braun.

Ottawa already blowing it up and ready to pitch fork murray 🤣 who would of seen that coming
- Tfaehner

Well, if you suck that bad in that weak div. Yikes.

Leafs and habs are having fun. I imagine they’re happy not to have to play Tampa and Boston at all and rather take on the oilers Canucks flames