So that type of player is only good if they're signed and not traded for? Weird lol.
- Tomahawk

The remark was about Arizona trading ghost to a contending team. But nice spin.

Who cares how old a coach or GM are?

Now we are ripping guys simply because of their age?

Gotta think we are better than that.

See what Sutter has done in Calgary. You don’t need to be 35 to read or embrace analytics or new ideas.
- Joe Nardone

Not sure how you're getting age from that.

Apologies for breaking up the negativity but great to hear that Allison looks like he’s back on track. Wonder where he’ll slot in once he returns. Love that guys game.

You said they weren’t interested due to the cap. He was available more than once and was traded in the off-season is the point. The cap didn’t matter as much then as they can go over in the off-season. So. Who was interested I. Acquiring him.
- Peter Richards

We don't know if "nobody" wanted him because there could have been teams who could have been interested had they the cap dollars available, either when he was on waivers thing or on the trade block.

Seattle was also reluctant to pick up many players w/ dollars + term remaining.

But we know people are gonna keep trotting out the "nobody" line because it takes the least amount of brain cells to compute.

Bill, any chance you can squeeze in a comprehensive review of the prospects once a while? I am not seeing this anywhere, especially missing from Broad Street Hockey. Seems like some of the non AHL prospects are developing interestingly this year including Attard, Andrae, McClennon, Brink, etc? The former must be ready to start his AHL career next year?

What about Ellis yandle and risto over ghost Haag myers. Bc that’s what it is.
- Peter Richards

Honestly based on the current results I would take Ghost, Hagg, Myers and a handful of draft picks over the other three. Ellis has basically never played and Risto is a solid second pair d-man.

Any GM brought into this environment was destined to fail. It has very little to do with Fletcher’s strengths/weaknesses and everything to do with how flawed and archaic it’s principles are that they are entrenched in with the shot callers above the GM.
- Just5

What does this mean? I'm not being a smart ass. I really dont understand. If not Fletcher, who's calling the shots? He's president of hockey operations and GM. Seems to me that he's ultimately responsible for the product we see on the ice. Were is everyone getting all this info on the inner workings of Flyers management? As a fan, I dont see how you judge a team/GM/upper management/whatever by anything other than the results you see on the ice. From what I can see Fletcher has a pretty mediocre record as GM and so far seems to be doing a pretty bad job with the Flyers.

The remark was about Arizona trading ghost to a contending team. But nice spin.
- Peter Richards

So you think he'll have no value at the TDL next season? Let's bookmark this and revisit in 15 mos.

He's president of hockey operations and GM. Seems to me that he's ultimately responsible for the product we see on the ice
- Dkos

The guy above Fletcher... is Fletcher lol.

And the guy above the Present of Hockey Ops is a corporate suit with no knowledge of the game. So yeah... this is all 100% on Chuck.

Sarge and Flahr have both done a good job of finding NHL players, but their shared philosophy of taking two-way, character players hasn't yielded many elite talents.

The two transcendent talents they did draft had some pretty big question marks... Giroux wasn't exactly a slam dunk on draft day and nobody knew if Kaprisov would ever cross the pond. Neither really fit the usual MO.

Oh... and Flahr was going to take Brayden Point (who had size and skating deficiencies) but Chuck traded out of that pick to add an extra late-rounder, lol.

I'd really like to see Flahr take some bigger swings, especially at the top of the draft. Missing on a pick really sucks, but having nothing but a sea of middling prospects is also a slow death.
- Tomahawk

Ohhhhh myyyyyy!!!!

Bill, any chance you can squeeze in a comprehensive review of the prospects once a while? I am not seeing this anywhere, especially missing from Broad Street Hockey. Seems like some of the non AHL prospects are developing interestingly this year including Attard, Andrae, McClennon, Brink, etc? The former must be ready to start his AHL career next year?
- biggbear77

I'll be doing a system midseason feature on the official site and we'll do a Prospect Pipeline podcast as well.

Yandle was just a one year signing that didn't give up any future assets or future cap space past this year. With the situation the Flyers are in, having Gostisbehere and the draft picks is absolutely better for the Flyers. The Flyers would be better off today in terms of the future if all of the major moves made by Fletcher, were not made.
- MJL

Yep, we should have brought the exact same players back, because we know how well they did.

Gostisbehere is playing solidly and putting up points on one of the worst teams in the league. So was Gostisbehere the issue, or was the team environment the issue? Either way, the Flyers still gave up a skilled defenseman and a 2nd and 7th round pick for nothing in return but cap space. What did they do with it? If he continues to play well, Arizona will trade him at some point and get a future asset in return.
In trading Voracek, the Flyers traded the best players and traded skill and speed. I wouldn't mind the trade if they had filled the hole they created in another transaction. The Flyers also took on another contract year.
Ristolainen has been mediocre for most of his games. He's had some sporadic good play. Are the Flyers going to trade him this season? If so what will they get in return and what would that say about the deal?
Were Patrick and Myers bigger red flags than Ellis is and his 5 more years at 6M after this season? Are you confident in him staying in the lineup consistently?
These are all relevant arguments and certainly aren't old. These situations are paramount to the Flyers future.
- MJL

So what you are confirming is that it’s still a flawed team as I said. I could care less what Ghost is doing in Arizona, he wasn’t doing it here. The trade, maybe not the best but at the end of the day it’s a second round pick, you are over valuing that pick. I think Risto has been good here, he’s been good in a terrible situation nonetheless and has been one of the few bright spots. He has his flaws don’t get me wrong. The issue has become the win now move to get him and we are still a terrible team. Patrick is a bigger red flag than Ellis, Myers still can’t seem to find his way on a team that breeds Dmen.

We don't know if "nobody" wanted him because there could have been teams who could have been interested had they the cap dollars available, either when he was on waivers thing or on the trade block.

Seattle was also reluctant to pick up many players w/ dollars + term remaining.

But we know people are gonna keep trotting out the "nobody" line because it takes the least amount of brain cells to compute.
- Tomahawk

When traded in the summer chuck said three teams were willing to take on his contract. Arizona was the cheapest of the three. The other teams he said wanted our first round pick or York to take on ghost and his cap hit. The rest is irrelevant.

So you think he'll have no value at the TDL next season? Let's bookmark this and revisit in 15 mos.
- Tomahawk

Ok and that’s not what I said.

Haven't been paying close attention..... Last game I watched was the debacle against the Devils. Brassard played against the Devils, reading the box scores against LVK, and the Coyotes I see he didn't play. Also saw he didn't practice today.

Is this now Ellis, Hayes, and Brassard injured in their first game back?
How is anyone defending this garbage.

Haven't been paying close attention..... Last game I watched was the debacle against the Devils. Brassard played against the Devils, reading the box scores against LVK, and the Coyotes I see he didn't play. Also saw he didn't practice today.

Is this now Ellis, Hayes, and Brassard injured in their first game back?
How is anyone defending this garbage.
- PLindbergh31

I think that’s correct. They must be getting their medical advice from dr nick riviera.

Haven't been paying close attention..... Last game I watched was the debacle against the Devils. Brassard played against the Devils, reading the box scores against LVK, and the Coyotes I see he didn't play. Also saw he didn't practice today.

Is this now Ellis, Hayes, and Brassard injured in their first game back?
How is anyone defending this garbage.
- PLindbergh31

I believe we learned that Seeler was the issue. He did not play in the last two games. The Flyers won both. Problem solved.

What about Ellis yandle and risto over ghost Haag myers. Bc that’s what it is.
- Peter Richards

You're missing picks so it's Ellis, Yandle, Risto over Ghost, Hagg, Myers, a 1st, two 2nds, and a 7th.

I just hate being the team that blinked and ate their hat on the Ghost trade. I want the Flyers to be the ones pouncing on these opportunistic situations, not the ones blinking and giving away the goods. The string of logic leading up to this trade is all well and good, but the bottom line is we pushed the panic button and paid the price.

I just hate being the team that blinked and ate their hat on the Ghost trade. I want the Flyers to be the ones pouncing on these opportunistic situations, not the ones blinking and giving away the goods. The string of logic leading up to this trade is all well and good, but the bottom line is we pushed the panic button and paid the price.
- BulliesPhan87

That blinked? He’s sucked for 2-3 years in a row here

We don't know if "nobody" wanted him because there could have been teams who could have been interested had they the cap dollars available, either when he was on waivers thing or on the trade block.

Seattle was also reluctant to pick up many players w/ dollars + term remaining.

But we know people are gonna keep trotting out the "nobody" line because it takes the least amount of brain cells to compute.
- Tomahawk

It's amazing sometimes what has to be explained.

So what you are confirming is that it’s still a flawed team as I said. I could care less what Ghost is doing in Arizona, he wasn’t doing it here. The trade, maybe not the best but at the end of the day it’s a second round pick, you are over valuing that pick. I think Risto has been good here, he’s been good in a terrible situation nonetheless and has been one of the few bright spots. He has his flaws don’t get me wrong. The issue has become the win now move to get him and we are still a terrible team. Patrick is a bigger red flag than Ellis, Myers still can’t seem to find his way on a team that breeds Dmen.
- ClaudeFather

The overvaluing that pick is really one of the most poorly thought out arguments you can make. As a team that is not ready to win now, the more picks you have and use, the more chances you have to get fortunate and get a good young player out of a later pick.
I have no clue what you could base Ristolainen being good here on. There is no information to support that. How he is a bright spot is baffling to me but to each his own.
How could Patrick possibly be a bigger red flag than Ellis? Makes no sense. Same with Myers. You are always better off as a team in the position the Flyers are in, to have failed prospects than to have aging and declining players on long term higher hit cap deals. Especially with Ellis injury issues.

I just hate being the team that blinked and ate their hat on the Ghost trade. I want the Flyers to be the ones pouncing on these opportunistic situations, not the ones blinking and giving away the goods. The string of logic leading up to this trade is all well and good, but the bottom line is we pushed the panic button and paid the price.
- BulliesPhan87

Well said. That's what the Flyers need to do now. At the deadline, trade Giroux and Ristolainen at a minimum and collect assets. Use the cap space to collect more assets.

Elliott Friedman or NHL network mentioned (after AV got fired) that Ghost was in AV’s doghouse and Fletcher wasn’t thrilled about it. Also mentioned: GMs were calling flyers mid season asking about Ghost and Fletcher told them all he wasn’t available.