Here’s my question, FWIW:

Why should we have the slightest bit of confidence that Fletcher and his front office team can turn this mess around, let alone build a championship team?
- BiggE

Because Comcast says so

For the same reason people obsessed over Amac... despite all the blocked shots, he was a terrible defender.
- Tomahawk

Except when Mac was here, we could score.

You know what the real problem is? We have so much trouble scoring that our defense is Inevitably going allow a goal, so we notice the defense’s mistakes more when they happen. Risto isn’t even our worst or second worse defenseman. Mac arguably was at the time. I don’t like watching Yandle or Seeler on any given night because they’re legitimately bad on defense.

Flyers strategic history of this century: 3 eras, 2 themes.

1. The Snider/Clarke/Homer era: Buy a group of free agents to quick-fix your way out of trouble. Thus, after 2006-7, do not allow the team to naturally correct trajectory through the following 2 drafts (which were full of studs). Instead, bring in a bunch of ill-fitting guys and run with them. Trade away firsts too. Be gobsmacked when you fail and are sudden,ly left with a barren cupboard.

2. The Hextall era/theme: Believe, against all empirical and theoretical evidence, that you can keep drafting in the middle of the rounds and build a great team, in time t, as t→∞.
Be gobsmacked when your hyped prospects turn out to be a huge basket of mehs and patience runs out.

3. The CF era: See 1.

What shall the next few years bring? the dramatic futlity of 1 or the slow burn futility of 2? Dang, I can barely wait!

a 2 dimensional yoyo
in a 3 dimensional world,
we swing from side to side,
but never attain height.

Except when Mac was here, we could score.

You know what the real problem is? We have so much trouble scoring that our defense is Inevitably going allow a goal, so we notice the defense’s mistakes more when they happen. Risto isn’t even our worst or second worse defenseman. Mac arguably was at the time. I don’t like watching Yandle or Seeler on any given night because they’re legitimately bad on defense.
- SuperSchennBros

Scoring does hide a lot of warts and man do these forwards suck

Scoring does hide a lot of warts and man do these forwards suck
- hereticpride

Absolutely. We’re in a close low scoring game last night. Defense is holding up its end. Offense isn’t. So we beat up on every little thing the defense does after a breakdown.

Because Comcast says so
- hereticpride

Comcast is run by Stone Cold Steve Austin?

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 1/25/2022 @ NYI
- bmeltzer

Best of luck on getting 13 in a row

Omg do i see the worst backskater in history mentioned here? The 6 mill puck eating Fail ​Mac 😆

Scoring does hide a lot of warts and man do these forwards suck
- hereticpride

Your captain is a joke....the leadership is horrid from ownership to parking attendants

Best of luck on getting 13 in a row
- penguininnevada

Than it will be a losing record parade all responsible in a open bus getting mauled and thrown eggs 🥚 at

Sanheim pinched while TK still had the puck. The entire weak side was open and he was moving to give TK a passing option. Oskar was rotating off the wall high, so he had the green light.

The stupid brain dead move was Risto jumping up at the blueline, not realizing Sanheim had pinched seconds before AND that F3 (Oskar) was right there to attack the puck carrier.

The breakaway was 100% on him.

(for the record, Sanheim played like poop for most of the game. But not on that play)
- Tomahawk

I agree but Ristolainen on that play needed to recognize pretty quick or he would've had no chance with the faster Hintz

Here’s my question, FWIW:

Why should we have the slightest bit of confidence that Fletcher and his front office team can turn this mess around, let alone build a championship team?
- BiggE

I think Fletcher has made significant mistakes, but I think the decision has to be made on the future belief. The trade deadline approaches and a path forward needs to be laid out. I certainly think he can grow from his experiences. He has done good drafting, and he has to be aware now of other issues in the organization to be addressed. It has been a weird few years with shortened seasons and then this season. Sometimes when someone crashes you give them another turn.

My mom told me after my dad passed away that when I went off to college, they both thought I would not make it. They were floored a few months later when they received a Dean’s list letter a few months later. She also told me that the summer before my senior year, the hospital I was working at called my Dad and asked if he knew what I was doing. They meant working nights for them, a day job downtown, and two part time jobs. Very little was budgeted for sleep. 7 days a week, 3 months, one summer. Apparently my dad told them that if my kid said they would do the job, they will. She said they were so proud of me.

Doubt is normal. You could be right or you could be wrong. Another thought: Is the alternative of starting over right before an important trade deadline with someone who knows nothing of the recent problems with the organization and team really a better choice?

If your thought is you would have rather them brought in an fa for a year or two as opposed to trading a 1st for Risto I am 100% onboard, but I am not on board with ignoring a major prob this team has had for years.. they are too soft across the board and especially in front of the net. I think a physical 3rd d pair guy or maybe a Luke Richardson Nick Shultz type to play that number 4 role would be great. Even those guys are not cheap these days, however.

I don’t agree w you on Risto. I did not like that move, but I can at least analyze the player and think in today’s nhl he is a 5 to 6 mill dman. Maybe a little less and can play in the top 4.

I do not believe Sanheim can. That’s my opinion.
His best attribute is his speed, but he does not use it enough to a point where he is effective.

Also the flyers seem to struggle with how to use him. Why does he not ever see number 1 pp time? I’d rather see that then constantly going back to Prov which we all agree is never going to work consistently. Chryst Risto has 4 40 pts seasons. Try him on the number 1 pp. Anything, but constantly going back to a well that is bone dry w Prov on the 1st unit is crazy.

Let’s stop hiding our heads in the sand acting like you can win with Sanheim and Prov in your top 4 unless your other 2 guys are pretty darn special.

Right now Provy is at best a 3 or 4 and Sanheim is maybe a 5.
- Joe Nardone

I believe that they can win with Sanheim and Provorov. Add in a legit top pair guy, if Ellis can stay healthy and a better partner for Sanheim and you've got a nice top 4.

Your captain is a joke....the leadership is horrid from ownership to parking attendants
- penguininnevada

Again, the facility staff at the WFC is good. No need to drag them into this mess.

As for Giroux - you'd love him were he wearing black and yellow.

Absolutely, Risto is a physical, 2nd pairing defenseman that a lot of teams might consider for a playoff run. Good for him that he will get a chance to play for the cup for the first time in his career, and good for the Flyer to recoup draft assets.
No hard feelings about the guy.
- NC Flyers Fan

If you have a really strong team, you can hide Ristolainen and get some value out of him. For a team that needed a player to lift their defense, not so much.

He’s 300 games in, this is about it for him and he ain’t anything special. Leaves a lot to be desired, very inconsistent
- ClaudeFather

That's the issue with Sanheim. The inconsistency. When he plays well, he is a solid player. I'd like to see him on a better and stronger team. I still like both him and Provorov moving forward.

It may be a chicken and the egg situation.

For the past two plus seasons I see a bunch of guys who play like they have no confidence in themselves OR EACH OTHER.

When you are playing or doing anything that requires structure and people filling specific roles, the system is going to break down every time when you aren't able to trust the other guy to do HIS JOB. Not yours, not anyone else's.

I see a bunch of guys who aren't doing their own job and ONLY their job because they are so worried about the other guy not doing his job. They start cheating, or their attention is divided because they are worried about covering for someone else. Its the perfect way to break down.

These guys are broken mentally. They want to win, they want to work hard. They have pride. They even like each other and what to play for each other, but deep down, to a man, I don't think they believe the guy next to him can do the job, and they all feel like they need to do too much to pick up the slack. When that happens you end up failing at both roles. It becomes a never ending cycle.

You see it when they over pursue in to someone else's assignment, when they get out of position, when they pass up a pass or a shot, when they over complicate every play instead of doing the simple thing.

There is talent on this team, but success in a team sport ultimately comes down to everyone trusting everyone else to pull in the same direction. Talent can only overcome that so much. (see Oilers, Edmonton)

Just my 2 cents (or 2 bucks in this case)
- MBFlyerfan

Great post MB!

Bill,

Slightly off topic but do you think they'd dangle a taxi squad assignment (not AHL) to Attard to make sure he doesn't try to skip out and go FA?

THX
- juiced

Taxi squad is going to end at the all star break.

Flyers strategic history of this century: 3 eras, 2 themes.

1. The Snider/Clarke/Homer era: Buy a group of free agents to quick-fix your way out of trouble. Thus, after 2006-7, do not allow the team to naturally correct trajectory through the following 2 drafts (which were full of studs). Instead, bring in a bunch of ill-fitting guys and run with them. Trade away firsts too. Be gobsmacked when you fail and are sudden,ly left with a barren cupboard.

2. The Hextall era/theme: Believe, against all empirical and theoretical evidence, that you can keep drafting in the middle of the rounds and build a great team, in time t, as t→∞.
Be gobsmacked when your hyped prospects turn out to be a huge basket of mehs and patience runs out.

3. The CF era: See 1.

What shall the next few years bring? the dramatic futlity of 1 or the slow burn futility of 2? Dang, I can barely wait!

a 2 dimensional yoyo
in a 3 dimensional world,
we swing from side to side,
but never attain height.
- PT21

Period 1: this kicks in after 1987. Before 1987, we were smart, drafted well and made good additions leading to numerous SC appearances. It was like Hoosiers and Slap Shot rolled into an extended period of awesomeness. After that, it was a constant chase of a savior FA who would take us to the promised land coupled with a woeful failure to acknowledge the reality of salary caps with disastrous personnel decisions.

Period 2: should be called Revamp, Interrupted.

Period 3: should be called the empire strikes back except instead of the Emperor and Darth Vader we get Dean Wormer (Scott) and Greg Marmalard (YKW) to lead the charge on a redux intended to prove that plan 1, post-1987 was right all along.

Agreed. Look at teams like the Pats. They take guys that do one or two things really well. They only ask them to do those things.

Guys like Ghost are interesting cases. He has the offensive ability and he does need to be defensively responsible. But what is better for the team? Him scoring 60 points and being a marginal defender or being a slightly less marginal defender and scoring 30 points.
- mickel25

Yes.

The idea of 'Flyers Hockey' has to evolve beyond 'everybody must be some shade of Bobby Clarke'.

That's the issue with Sanheim. The inconsistency. When he plays well, he is a solid player. I'd like to see him on a better and stronger team. I still like both him and Provorov moving forward.
- MJL

The team has been horrible, maybe he will be more consistent if things turn around but that’s probably not happening either which is a bigger issue. How do you properly evaluate any of these guys. Folks crap on TK but I think Tk could play on the top 6 of just about every team.

I think Fletcher has made significant mistakes, but I think the decision has to be made on the future belief. The trade deadline approaches and a path forward needs to be laid out. I certainly think he can grow from his experiences. He has done good drafting, and he has to be aware now of other issues in the organization to be addressed. It has been a weird few years with shortened seasons and then this season. Sometimes when someone crashes you give them another turn.

My mom told me after my dad passed away that when I went off to college, they both thought I would not make it. They were floored a few months later when they received a Dean’s list letter a few months later. She also told me that the summer before my senior year, the hospital I was working at called my Dad and asked if he knew what I was doing. They meant working nights for them, a day job downtown, and two part time jobs. Very little was budgeted for sleep. 7 days a week, 3 months, one summer. Apparently my dad told them that if my kid said they would do the job, they will. She said they were so proud of me.

Doubt is normal. You could be right or you could be wrong. Another thought: Is the alternative of starting over right before an important trade deadline with someone who knows nothing of the recent problems with the organization and team really a better choice?
- NC Flyers Fan

Cool story and creds to you. Chuckles is lost and should not be kept around to make important decisions. The organization needs a hard restart with new decisionmakers.

Again, the facility staff at the WFC is good. No need to drag them into this mess.

As for Giroux - you'd love him were he wearing black and yellow.
- Scoob

10000 percent.

i dont think theres a deal to be had there, but there isnt a single team in the NHL he would not immediately make better.

Yes.

The idea of 'Flyers Hockey' has to evolve beyond 'everybody must be some shade of Bobby Clarke'.
- Tomahawk

100%

It depends on the lineup, sure. But I do think he is suited to playoff style hockey.
- NC Flyers Fan

PO hockey, were one small mistake can turn a series?