I agree with you that the Flyers have some very good young players, its their veteran core that is broken. With the ED and some good trades and FA signings, I think with this young group the Flyers can get back on their feet sooner rather than later. However if they come back with the same veteran core, playing the most important minutes of each game, they have no shot!
- jd250

You overate the "young' guys. Good players yes. Very good not sure that is true.

With Edmonton only? What if the Flyers match or exceed the offer he gets from Edmonton? I would hope Fletcher is in contact with his agent letting him know his client will have other suiters that are in better markets and will probably win before Edmonton does.
- jd250

That's the word. He wants to stay in Edmonton.

Anyone that thinks the culture isn't an issue here after watching last year, doesn't know hockey without looking at stats
- bradster

You can call it a culture issue all you want but I would disagree. Nothing to do with stats.

I agree with you that the Flyers have some very good young players, its their veteran core that is broken. With the ED and some good trades and FA signings, I think with this young group the Flyers can get back on their feet sooner rather than later. However if they come back with the same veteran core, playing the most important minutes of each game, they have no shot!
- jd250

I agree that they have to give younger players a bigger bite when they are ready. I think it was just a simple case of the veteran players no longer being able to carry a team or correct the wide scale team issues that were present last year. Giroux is still a very good player but no longer a player who can strap the team on his back and carry them.

Suter is being bought out and will be a UFA.
- MJL

Is he an option at all for the Flyers, how much would he get on the market?

I agree with you that the Flyers have some very good young players, its their veteran core that is broken. With the ED and some good trades and FA signings, I think with this young group the Flyers can get back on their feet sooner rather than later. However if they come back with the same veteran core, playing the most important minutes of each game, they have no shot!
- jd250

I don’t think the veteran core is broken….they had there shot when guys like Vorecek and Giroux were in their primes….it just didn’t happen. Now that they are older they can’t be expected to improve, in fact the opposite is probably true for G, Vorecek and JVR. Their contributions are heading in the wrong directions. Unfortunately for them the young core hasn’t shown to be good enough to pick up the slack…..and here we are today.

You overate the "young' guys. Good players yes. Very good not sure that is true.
- hello it's me 2050

Not yet anyways.

Is he an option at all for the Flyers, how much would he get on the market?
- Daceroni

He's a LH shot who plays the left side so not exactly a fit for the Flyers. His value will depend on where he wants to sign. He may take less to play with a contender since he is already getting the buyout money. I can't say specifically.

With Edmonton only? What if the Flyers match or exceed the offer he gets from Edmonton? I would hope Fletcher is in contact with his agent letting him know his client will have other suiters that are in better markets and will probably win before Edmonton does.
- jd250

Would you rather tie your cart to McDavid or Giroux.

David Clarkson, Milan Lucic, Matt Belesky and the list goes on. GM’s do stupid things.
- Flyers1218

Have to have the CAP space to do stupid things....talk about GMs doing stupid things was it Fletch who signed Suter and Parise to those deals??

Would you rather tie your cart to McDavid or Giroux.
- hereticpride

Or would you rather just stay where you live for the past 5 years ?

Does he even play the right side?
- ClaudeFather

Does he even lift?

I don’t think the veteran core is broken….they had there shot when guys like Vorecek and Giroux were in their primes….it just didn’t happen. Now that they are older they can’t be expected to improve, in fact the opposite is probably true for G, Vorecek and JVR. Their contributions are heading in the wrong directions. Unfortunately for them the young core hasn’t shown to be good enough to pick up the slack…..and here we are today.
- landros 2

Exactly. You just laid out a very good summary for the inadequacy of core.

And yet, and yet, you want to "shake up the mix".

Usually shakeups happen around the core not within it; all, or at least most of the core, usually stays unchanged.

So tell me why a shakeup around the core would alter what you have persuasively summarized as a not good enough core? You said you don't understand people who don't put any faith in shakeups/change of mix. Well, your own words will tell you why we think that is the case.

How do guys like Kucherov, Kessels etc be HOF studs in a highly aerobically demanding sports and yet rock such dad-bods?

Other than MLB (which is probably the most sedentary of all team sports), I don't know any athlete in a team sports who have as unexceptional bodies as hockey players possess.

He's a LH shot who plays the left side so not exactly a fit for the Flyers. His value will depend on where he wants to sign. He may take less to play with a contender since he is already getting the buyout money. I can't say specifically.
- MJL

He's pretty steady, could bring him in to anchor the 2nd-pair. Then work around that (Sanheim up with Provorov, for example).

How do guys like Kucherov, Kessels etc be HOF studs in a highly aerobically demanding sports and yet rock such dad-bods?

Other than MLB (which is probably the most sedentary of all team sports), I don't know any athlete in a team sports who have as unexceptional bodies as hockey players possess.
- PT21

Only got to go for 30-50 seconds at a time.

Exactly. You just laid out a very good summary for the inadequacy of core.

And yet, and yet, you want to "shake up the mix".

Usually shakeups happen around the core not within it; all, or at least most of the core, usually stays unchanged.

So tell me why a shakeup around the core would alter what you have persuasively summarized as a not good enough core? You said you don't understand people who don't put any faith in shakeups/change of mix. Well, your own words will tell you why we think that is the case.
- PT21

The core is getting older and not better…agreed? The younger guys have not been able to play good enough to pick up the drop off . Agreed? So what other options are there? A change to the mix…..it may involve a Vorecek or a JVR….it may include a Konecny or a Sanheim. My point is the team will not magically fix it self. I think there’s a lot to fix….perhaps fixing one will help the other.
I don’t think one move or two will move the needle enough. The good news is they do have the pieces and assets for a fairly quick turnaround….but in the end most of the improvement is going to have to come from within….as Fletch alluded to today some of these guys are just going to have to play better.

How do guys like Kucherov, Kessels etc be HOF studs in a highly aerobically demanding sports and yet rock such dad-bods?

Other than MLB (which is probably the most sedentary of all team sports), I don't know any athlete in a team sports who have as unexceptional bodies as hockey players possess.
- PT21

Dudes like Kessel, Maroon, Wellwood and Buff are outliers.

I don't think Kuch is really out of shape.

So with Suter's Buyout - Dumba is staying in Minnesota

Erik Johnson waived his NMC So COL could potentially protect Girard, Makar, Graves and Toews

Hamilton might be the only option come July 28th

Only got to go for 30-50 seconds at a time.
- Dkos

And it's mostly legs.

The core is getting older and not better…agreed? The younger guys have not been able to play good enough to pick up the drop off . Agreed? So what other options are there? A change to the mix…..it may involve a Vorecek or a JVR….it may include a Konecny or a Sanheim. My point is the team will not magically fix it self. I think there’s a lot to fix….perhaps fixing one will help the other.
I don’t think one move or two will move the needle enough. The good news is they do have the pieces and assets for a fairly quick turnaround….but in the end most of the improvement is going to have to come from within….as Fletch alluded to today some of these guys are just going to have to play better.
- landros 2

In a rumblin', stumblin', jumblin' kinda way, you laid out the case for a full rebuild.

Only got to go for 30-50 seconds at a time.
- Dkos

But that time is so often and it is so intense! It is essentially one manic long burst of interval training and that is just game time.

How do guys like Kucherov, Kessels etc be HOF studs in a highly aerobically demanding sports and yet rock such dad-bods?

Other than MLB (which is probably the most sedentary of all team sports), I don't know any athlete in a team sports who have as unexceptional bodies as hockey players possess.
- PT21

Out of shape and having fat on your body arent exactly the same thing. As long as they have strong core, legs and arms you can be successful. I wouldnt clarify those as dad bods either. There's some fat sure but its not a lot. Im a size 38 waist, thats a dad bod.

Football is another sport where guys tend to be on hefty side especially with the linesmen positions

Dudes like Kessel, Maroon, Wellwood and Buff are outliers.

I don't think Kuch is really out of shape.
- Tomahawk

Not out of shape by average Joe standards. But he did not look like a professional athlete playing an aerobic sport.

Out of shape and having fat on your body arent exactly the same thing. As long as they have strong core, legs and arms you can be successful. I wouldnt clarify those as dad bods either. There's some fat sure but its not a lot. Im a size 38 waist, thats a dad bod.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Your age is listed as 25. You are a size 38 at 25? I did not reach size 38 till I was 30!