Good hockey trades always make sense when the opportunity comes along to improve your team, regardless of how the team is playing at the moment. For example, I have been big on getting Ekholm. I watched him again last night and saw a very good player that if he played like that for the Flyers could really help this team now. If the Flyers can get a player like Ekholm now for a reasonable price that still enables the Flyers to keep their top prospects and not impact their ED plans too much, they must do it, regardless of whether this team is making the playoffs this year or not. Sure Ekholm will not be enough to put this team over the top, but he is a step in the right direction. Now if you are like others that believe Myers and Sanheim will turn into a player even better than Ekholm, you stand pat and do nothing, but I personally don't believe in this approach.
- jd250

Again agree with your principal point that trades always can happen.
That's the whole point of having a GM but 2021 and the Flyers are not the year
But I would love seeing Rasmus Dahlin in Flyers uniform
and people should not give up on Sanheim even he did some poor games

1. The goaltending

Whenever the Flyers’ goaltending is brought up in relation to their overarching problems, a loud contingent of the fan base perks up and screams into the ether that blaming everything on Carter Hart (and to a lesser extent Brian Elliott) undersells the depth of the team’s issues.

And that’s absolutely true. Goaltending isn’t Philadelphia’s only problem. But it is its biggest one.

The truth is that nothing has a larger impact on the perception of a team’s quality than goaltending. The list of coaches who earned Jack Adams Awards on the backs of their unexpectedly fantastic netminding is long; the list of those fired because of surprisingly poor goalie play is even longer. And the Flyers this season have absolutely received poor goalie play.

Right now, they sit second-to-last in the NHL in team save percentage at .880. And at five-on-five (.884), no team is worse — not even the Ottawa Senators (.891). Philly’s goalies are simply not stopping enough pucks.

But what about the defense, you might ask? We’ll get to that. It’s been a problem, too. But an .880 save percentage goes far beyond defensive issues. Since 2007-08, the worst full-season save percentage from an NHL team was .885 by the 2008-09 Toronto Maple Leafs. There have been plenty of teams over the past 13 seasons with terrible team defenses, but none have been less efficient at preventing pucks from ending up in the back of the net than these Flyers. Their defense isn’t great; it’s not true-talent historically bad.

Over the past few weeks, the Flyers have made more defensive mistakes than they should. But one of an NHL netminder’s primary duties is to erase mistakes — not just once in a while, not sometimes, but most of the time. Defensive breakdowns happen to every team; fans tend to remember only the ones that lead to goals. A lot of them have led to goals recently.

It goes beyond erasing mistakes, as well. Both Hart and Elliott are giving up truly weak goals seemingly on a nightly basis, especially during this recent swoon. Think back to March 6, when the Flyers were leading 3-2 with time running down in the second period only to watch Elliott allow a softie. Or this Thursday, when the skaters were stifling the Islanders in the third period up 3-0 until Hart whiffed on a harmless-looking Michel Dal Colle shot that gave New York life and ultimately sparked their comeback. Or even Saturday, when he let Casey Cizikas beat him on a clean-look wrist shot glove side and then later served up an easy empty-net goal to Josh Bailey with a poor pass attempt.

Some were game-changing goals against; others have come with the outcome no longer in doubt. But they all add up and make it impossible for any fair-minded person to argue that the only reason the Flyers are allowing so many goals is because of the defense. The Philadelphia goalies — both of them — are struggling mightily.
- PT21

https://twitter.com/brad_.../1373428762956726275?s=20

Goaltending belongs on the list because no player is exempt from blame, but it doesn't belong first, imho.

https://twitter.com/brad_.../1373428762956726275?s=20

Goaltending belongs on the list because no player is exempt from blame, but it doesn't belong first, imho.
- Scoob

I stopped watching that game after the third goal so no idea what happened here but looking at Raffl is cracking me up , he’s just like “damn”

I just read it....honestly number one should be poor team D. .....followed by no fight in team.
- landros 2

This is a pretty morbid argument – which aspect (goal-tending/poor team D) sucks more of your team (while agreeing both suck to high heavens), but I don't understand how anyone can be sure either way without detailed numbers.

As I mentioned the other day, the problem with eye tests is they are so faulty. There is another problem, that is different eyes see different things. In this case, Charlie sees it differently than some of you, clearly.

This is a pretty morbid argument – which aspect (goal-tending/poor team D) sucks more of your team (while agreeing both suck to high heavens), but I don't understand how anyone can be sure either way without detailed numbers.

As I mentioned the other day, the problem with eye tests is they are so faulty. There is another problem, that is different eyes see different things. In this case, Charlie sees it differently than some of you, clearly.


- PT21

It actually looks like Charlie is strictly going off stats

I stopped watching that game after the third goal so no idea what happened here but looking at Raffl is cracking me up , he’s just like “damn”
- ClaudeFather

There is just too much wtf going on in that pic.

https://twitter.com/brad_.../1373428762956726275?s=20

Goaltending belongs on the list because no player is exempt from blame, but it doesn't belong first, imho.
- Scoob

I know you don't read weekend blogs, but in case you missed the Friday blog, this was indirectly discussed at great length.

https://www.hockeybuzz.co...p?thread_id=171464&page=1

There is just too much wtf going on in that pic.
- Scoob

Hayes is infuriating, he just looks lazy there

It actually looks like Charlie is strictly going off stats
- ClaudeFather

How can he be going strictly off stats when he keeps referring to Hart's severe technical issues?

I know you don't read weekend blogs, but in case you missed the Friday blog, this was indirectly discussed at great length.

https://www.hockeybuzz.co...p?thread_id=171464&page=1
- PT21

I posted in that thread. It's a symbiotic relationship.

Imho, fixing the team defense will do more to help the goalies than fixing the goalies will do to help the team defense. Both do need fixing, though.

https://twitter.com/brad_.../1373428762956726275?s=20

Goaltending belongs on the list because no player is exempt from blame, but it doesn't belong first, imho.
- Scoob

Nate Prosser Special (one of 3 in game lol)

I posted in that thread. It's a symbiotic relationship.
- Scoob

AAARGHH!!

I know what you mean, but symbiotic relationships happen when two entities have their welfare (and misery) correlated. In both directions.

This would meant:
1. Good goalie play => good team D
2. Good team D => good goalie play
3. Bad team D => Bad goalie play
4. Bad goalie play => bad team D

Look at the bolded parts, which is what we are arguing here. You assert 3, but your usage of the term symbiotic means you cannot rule out 4, which is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to say.

Because 4. would mean it possible that it is Hart's fault that team is playing poor team D.

How can he be going strictly off stats when he keeps referring to Hart's severe technical issues?
- PT21

He listed it number one because of the statistical Standpoint. What does Harts technical stuff matter in this situation? If you are bad you are bad

This is a pretty morbid argument – which aspect (goal-tending/poor team D) sucks more of your team (while agreeing both suck to high heavens), but I don't understand how anyone can be sure either way without detailed numbers.

As I mentioned the other day, the problem with eye tests is they are so faulty. There is another problem, that is different eyes see different things. In this case, Charlie sees it differently than some of you, clearly.


- PT21

And I see flaws as do a lot of people with purely basing a teams play on analytics. I wonder how an NHL ever knew they were playing like poop before analytics ?

AAARGHH!!

I know what you mean, but symbiotic relationships happen when two entities have their welfare (and misery) correlated. In both directions.

This would meant:
1. Good goalie play => good team D
2. Good team D => good goalie play
3. Bad team D => Bad goalie play
4. Bad goalie play => bad team D

Look at the bolded parts, which is what we are arguing here. You assert 3, but your usage of the term symbiotic means you cannot rule out 4, which is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to say.

Because 4. would mean it possible that it is Hart's fault that team is playing poor team D.
- PT21

You remind me of a kid in my economics courses back in university....did you ever bring a brief case to your classes? Just asking for a friend.

AAARGHH!!

I know what you mean, but symbiotic relationships happen when two entities have their welfare (and misery) correlated. In both directions.

This would meant:
1. Good goalie play => good team D
2. Good team D => good goalie play
3. Bad team D => Bad goalie play
4. Bad goalie play => bad team D

Look at the bolded parts, which is what we are arguing here. You assert 3, but your usage of the term symbiotic means you cannot rule out 4, which is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to say.

Because 4. would mean it possible that it is Hart's fault that team is playing poor team D.
- PT21

3 and 4 are both happening right now.

Goalies don't trust the skaters, the skaters don't trust the goalies. Pandemonium ensues.

He listed it number one because of the statistical Standpoint. What does Harts technical stuff matter in this situation? If you are bad you are bad
- ClaudeFather

Hmm, what I took from it is that he listed it # 1 and used stats to show how bad it is historically. Not to justify why it is #1 in and of itself.

In the schedule part, excerpts of which I posted, he talks pretty unambiguously about Hart's technical issues.

You remind me of a kid in my economics courses back in university....did you ever bring a brief case to your classes? Just asking for a friend.

- landros 2

EDIT: post cancelled for fear of being doxxed.

And I see flaws as do a lot of people with purely basing a teams play on analytics. I wonder how an NHL ever knew they were playing like poop before analytics ?
- landros 2

You are again seeing this as mutually exclusive. Why must it be such a war on judgement between analytics and eyesight? I thought we Americans were the martial ones.

3 and 4 are both happening right now.

Goalies don't trust the skaters, the skaters don't trust the goalies. Pandemonium ensues.
- Tomahawk

WHO WUZ IT DAT STARTED IT? CUZ IF ITS SYMBIOTIC, SOMEONE STARTED THIS FEEDBACK LOOP!

WHO WUZ IT DAT STARTED IT? CUZ IF ITS SYMBIOTIC, SOMEONE STARTED THIS FEEDBACK LOOP!
- PT21

Skaters. Elliott and Hart didn't look this bad early on.

Skaters. Elliott and Hart didn't look this bad early on.
- Tomahawk

That's incomplete reasoning. Did the team D look this bad? Because you would need the latter to make your case.

WHO WUZ IT DAT STARTED IT? CUZ IF ITS SYMBIOTIC, SOMEONE STARTED THIS FEEDBACK LOOP!
- PT21

“I don’t care who started it. It ends right now!”-parents

we are both in trouble

Jets have some pieces, probably looking to change it up

You are again seeing this as mutually exclusive. Why must it be such a war on judgement between analytics and eyesight? I thought we Americans were the martial ones.
- PT21

I have said before that there’s a place in Hockey for analytics. There is so much parity, that a team would be crazy not to use every possible tool at their disposal. But I think the eye test will always be the best method. If you can remain objective in what your seeing and not seeing what you want to see, that to me is the best way to judge a player or a team.