No I don't know that is not true. I can go back and read what Bill wrote, but what I recall is the scouts were split between Makar and Hiskanen, but the overall feeling was Hextall should draft a D over Patrick. Since there wasn't true consensus Hextall played it safe and drafted the most hyped player, fearing that if it didn't work out he would be hammered. Well, his safe pick didn't work out and now he is being hammered anyway.
- jd250

We just had this discussion just 2 weeks back or so?

Scouts were essentially split between Makar, Heiskanen and Patrick. Because 2 of the 3 players happened to play D, some got confused into believing that scouts favored taking a D over a forward.

But scouts advocate for players, not positions. And a GM picks players not positions. Among players, there was a 3 way tie. Hexy broke the tie by choosing the player most ranked higher.

He cannot be blamed for not being a soothsayer. As a GM, I see no reason to critique him on that pick based on what Bill wrote.

So in other words a borderline 4th line NHL player.
- login

Yes, unless he improves.

But why JVR? Of all the players that Hextall could have signed or traded for, why did he think JVR was the player to put them over the top when Toronto didn't even try to resign him? Here is a link to an article at the time about JVR and Toronto: https://editorinleaf.com/...ple-leafs-van-riemsdyk-4/.

And the on top of that Hextall has the future top pairing defense for the Flyers for years to come right in his grasp, and instead he draft's an injured center? This prompted Fletcher to sign Hayes, further killing the team's flexibility by tying up cap space. One mistake compounded by another, compounded by another! This is really going to be hard for Fletcher to undo.
- jd250

Toronto didn't re-sign JVR for cap reasons. The argument about drafting Patrick is just a tired argument. Guys like you love to give an expert opinion after the fact.

Except if it’s
Geordie.
- Sinisalo4vr

Lol the exception proving the rule! Lancashire has a wonderfully bucolic vocal lilt going, too.

It's because American English has evolved into this guttural idiomatic staccato of shrieking long E's, nasally I's and gaping A's. British English is way more interesting and nuanced.
- countreeman28

Ha ha ha. You sound like Henry Higgins. Except he was talking about Brits.




But you are in NJ, so let me reply in the NJ way.

OWW OWWKAAY!!

I can be on board with you regarding G, but not with Jake, not then, and certainly not now! Hextall set this franchise back with three big blunders IMO, 1. Signing Jake V to that contract, 2. Signing JVR to his current contract, and 3. Picking Patrick over Makar.

Hextall tried to have one toe in the pool and the other in the ocean, and you just can't do that. Hextall wanted to build a competitive team for years to come via drafting and developing, and you said it yourself that the teams under Hextall were bubble teams. So why waste cap space on a player like Jake who was going to be past his prime by the time Hextall's "plan" came to fruition and then sign JVR when again, the team was not ready?
- jd250

I don’t think hextall wanted to sign jvr.
Patrick was the consensus pick at 2.

That's your opinion, I happened to like the article because I agreed with it pretty much throughout, especially the premise that its time to hold the players accountable versus taking the easy way out and firing coaches.
- jd250

It was a poor article. Bill pointed out the numerous things he got wrong. Also recognizing GM speak is not hard. Following sports, you see things like this all the time.

So I was wondering if having laughton signed for 5 years raises his trade value around the league...?

Chuck is going to find a top paid Dman eventually and he will have to let go of quality parts and laughton may be one of those pieces

Just my thoughts. Does anybody else feel like laughtonsl's trade value only went up with him signed for term?
- Bob Habib

Honestly his 5 years may be very appealing for Seattle to have a solid guy in his prime with term. Good locker room guy who works hard too.

No I don't know that is not true. I can go back and read what Bill wrote, but what I recall is the scouts were split between Makar and Hiskanen, but the overall feeling was Hextall should draft a D over Patrick. Since there wasn't true consensus Hextall played it safe and drafted the most hyped player, fearing that if it didn't work out he would be hammered. Well, his safe pick didn't work out and now he is being hammered anyway.
- jd250

You should go back and read it because what you claim is not what was reported. The last few sentences you write are simply nonsense.

Look who’s head I’m living in rent free. Comical
- BiggE

Absolutely. Go back to HF boards with the other genius's. You fraud.

Raffl’s spot on the roster will filled by “nobody,” acquired yesterday at the trade deadline.

Yes, unless he improves.
- bmeltzer

Not saying he cant though he is been a pro for how many years now. Unlikely imo.

Honestly his 5 years may be very appealing for Seattle to have a solid guy in his prime with term. Good locker room guy who works hard too.
- arichardson22

Flyers will protect Laughton. Why wouldn’t he be one of the 7? Jvr and jakes contracts protect them

Interesting that Morin is a scratch.

Is Allison the 13 th forward now? If/ when patty or Oscar need a rest hoping he gets a couple games.

The pressure is gone. Just play your game boys.
- Peter Richards

I think scratching Morin on Sunday was a mistake and I think scratching him today is a mistake. Let him play. Get as many looks at him down the stretch as possible and see if he responds well.

Provorov-Ghost
Sanheim-Hagg
Morin-Myers

Ha ha ha. You sound like Henry Higgins. Except he was talking about Brits.




But you are in NJ, so let me reply in the NJ way.

OWW OWWKAAY!!
- PT21

Listen closely next time you hear any NJ resident enunciate a long O (e.g. home, hoagie) and marvel at its bleating untranscribability.

No, you miss my point. Its not that Jake was not a good player at the time, its the timing of the contract and the term of it that I am second guessing. At the time Hextall knew this team was not ready to compete. Bill said it himself that Hextall thought by 2019-2020 they would be contenders, so why sign Jake at that moment? Why not trade him for more assets that would be ready when the rest of the team was ready? Regarding JVR, I agree with you, there is not other plausible explanation.
- jd250

No I didn't miss your point at all. Your point is just a bad one. At the time, Voracek is 25 years old. He's 4th in the league in scoring. He's 2nd in the league in assists. All you're doing is reacting in hindsight. It was a no brainer at the time to sign him and that was what he was worth at the time.

Raffl’s spot on the roster will filled by “nobody,” acquired yesterday at the trade deadline.
- BroadSTmayhem

"Nobody" is OK
The travesty is salary Retention
25% for Raffl
50% for Gustafsson just to get a 5th and a 7th
Cant even remember a single Flyer drafted in 5th round playing NHL

1. If by "plan" is solid you mean it NEVER works, sure, plan is solid.

2. Why do you seek guarantees? Are there any guarantees in life? Is there a guarantee that staying competitive and building gets you the cup?

3. Honestly, I don't think so. Buffalo, Arizona, Edmonton, Columbus are 4 clubs which are outliers in various ways. I don't think we would be in that category.

4. I wonder if they realize what is happening long term. In Philadelphia, Flyers are a very distant 4th in fan support. Most of the fans are from out of town, white, and getting older. The franchise is carving out a name for itself as a bland, long term loser. Fans often tune out during a rebuild, but they come back in droves when the corner is turned. Never turning the corner is a slow bleed that will eventually leave the club as a fringe presence in the area and it is well on its way there.
- PT21

I still don't believe that we are never turning the corner with the younger core of the group. Overall, I think the NHL has moved into bland zone since the cap. I believe Flyers fans loved the passion of the team, identified with it, and now are struggling with caring about the current version that many times plays like it doesn't care. The team and product have become very corporate top to bottom for sure since Ed passed. We don't look for 70's hockey, but I'd like to see some level of pushback and passion that we certainly see with other squads.

If we don't see progress soon, they'll be so down below the other pro teams, they will be fully irrelevant.

"Nobody" is OK
The travesty is salary Retention
25% for Raffl
50% for Gustafsson just to get a 5th and a 7th
Cant even remember a single Flyer drafted in 5th round playing NHL
- goenzoy

Oskar Lindblom, for one. Laczynski was a 6th round pick. Phil Myers wasn't drafted at all.

Absolutely. Go back to HF boards with the other genius's. You fraud.
- login

The proper usage in that sentence would be geniuses, snowflake

Look who is back posting. Sad.
- login

Look who never stopped posting. Sad

I think the competition in that Division is pretty poopty.
- PLindbergh31

ding ding ding..winning comment. It's a farce and even worse when you take time to watch those games. Let's just say, it's far from playoff hockey.

The proper usage in that sentence would be geniuses, snowflake
- BiggE

That one made me cringe, lol.

"Nobody" is OK
The travesty is salary Retention
25% for Raffl
50% for Gustafsson just to get a 5th and a 7th
Cant even remember a single Flyer drafted in 5th round playing NHL
- goenzoy

The Flyers had to retain around 500K in cap for both players. Oskar Lindblom was drafted in the 5th round.

Oskar Lindblom, for one. Laczynski was a 6th round pick. Phil Myers wasn't drafted at all.
- bmeltzer

Other late round picks top of my head that had nice careers, Yuskevich, Hextall, Eklund, Pete Peeters.