Bill Meltzer: Flyers Acquire Braun from Sharks; Braun's Reaction; USNTDP Draft Prospects

If you read the comments on the Sharks board, every fan to a man thinks the Sharks got the better of the deal

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Acquire Braun from Sharks; Braun's Reaction; USNTDP Draft Prospects
- bmeltzer

Ugh

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Acquire Braun from Sharks; Braun's Reaction; USNTDP Draft Prospects
- bmeltzer

It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks/months.

I've seen the statistical analysis and understand why people are gonna have concerns. I get it.

But here's where I am, with Braun and Niskanen: Fletcher evaluated the team, and had enough time to do so, to where he clearly decided he didn't like what the defense looked like.

I'm not saying that I want picks flying around every which way, but at the same time, they haven't been good enough for a long time. You can't keep bringing the same guys back. You can't keep waiting for draft picks to pan out -- they have enough picks, have made enough picks, to offset some of that.

Braun needs to be better, and Niskanen needs to play like he did the second half of last year.

But we need more than we've gotten from this roster. We can't keep bringing back the same guys and hoping, praying, wishing for them to be better when they've shown they won't.

This team has needed multiple right-handed defenders for YEARS. YEARS. That isn't the only reason to make a deal, and you certainly don't want to make bad deals, but I guess I simply refuse to lose my mind over these deals because they simply haven't been good enough with what they've had and neither Braun nor Niskanen are signed for long enough for me to worry

Now, here's the thing that almost has to happen: Hagg or Ghost, hell, maybe even Provorov but him I doubt, one of them has to be on the move. That's just math.

I've said all along that I wouldn't trade Ghost. I still wouldn't. I don't think these trades mean that he's expendable, by any stretch.

But if you're truly serious that you're gonna play Myers, that he is a roster defenseman who is replacing Gudas, then SOMEBODY's gotta go

He generally faces the tough minutes with Vlasic so you don't expect his results to look great when looking at team-relative numbers, but last year he got his face caved. -15.3% relGF, -20.2% relHDGF and an 89.6% on-ice sv%; San Jose is an interesting beast when you look at relative numbers because of how much they try to shelter Burns and how much he kills it in those minutes. Adding Karlsson to the mix just exacerbates those effects.

That said, the trend even in his raw numbers has been downward. It's hard to tell how much is San Jose's deployment strategies, how much is a bad luck year and how much is the natural degradation of his play. Either way, a 2nd and a 3rd seems like a high price to pay to a team in desperate need of cap space.

1 of Sanheim, Myers, or Ghost is gonezo.

Either way, a 2nd and a 3rd seems like a high price to pay to a team in desperate need of cap space.
- MaximumBone

Now this is where I am in complete agreement -- it seems like some people just won't crush you for being capped out, and I just don't understand it

Hextall got Tampa out of cap jail with Flip, and now Fletcher's given Doug Wilson and Brian McClellan a rope. Not saying that you have to be tools every single minute of the day, but I don't know that you need to help teams out that are better than you, either

Defense wins championships. Now they finally have bodies in front of a goalie so he doesn’t get shelled every night. It’s good for carter to put solid, experienced D in front of him. I’ll still stand by this, people were livid when Hextall did nothing and sat on his hands. Now things are happening and people are still losing their minds. Moves are being made finally which is great so it’s just time to wait and see. The first week of October can’t come soon enough.

also keep in mind you have a somewhat rookie in net. Maybe just maybe the GM didnt want to continue to play the inconsistent "young" guys and ruin his potential franchise goalie of the future. The kid needed some help.

Hagg goes. Redundant at this point

But it’ll prob be ghost to address the forward unit

Defense wins championships. Now they finally have bodies in front of a goalie so he doesn’t get shelled every night. It’s good for carter to put solid, experienced D in front of him. I’ll still stand by this, people were livid when Hextall did nothing and sat on his hands. Now things are happening and people are still losing their minds. Moves are being made finally which is great so it’s just time to wait and see. The first week of October can’t come soon enough.
- Jdrini56

Agreed, in that there's no way I'm gonna be female doging and moaning now when I have begged for this team to change personnel when it became clear that for whatever reason, they just didn't appear capable of moving forward

People are gonna female dog about the numbers that Hayes comes in at, if he signs. I might blink but I won't complain, because they need him, too. Doesn't mean he will sign, but they need him or someone like him

Hagg goes. Redundant at this point
- Just5

I'm almost always wrong, but I think you can get a 2nd for him from the right team. He's a good age, has good physical tools

've seen the statistical analysis and understand why people are gonna have concerns. I get it.

But here's where I am, with Braun and Niskanen: Fletcher evaluated the team, and had enough time to do so, to where he clearly decided he didn't like what the defense looked like.

I'm not saying that I want picks flying around every which way, but at the same time, they haven't been good enough for a long time. You can't keep bringing the same guys back. You can't keep waiting for draft picks to pan out -- they have enough picks, have made enough picks, to offset some of that.

Braun needs to be better, and Niskanen needs to play like he did the second half of last year.

But we need more than we've gotten from this roster. We can't keep bringing back the same guys and hoping, praying, wishing for them to be better when they've shown they won't.

This team has needed multiple right-handed defenders for YEARS. YEARS. That isn't the only reason to make a deal, and you certainly don't want to make bad deals, but I guess I simply refuse to lose my mind over these deals because they simply haven't been good enough with what they've had and neither Braun nor Niskanen are signed for long enough for me to worry


- AllInForFlyers

The idea of you can't keep bringing the same players back just doesn't apply when you're talking about young developing players in their early 20's for the most part. Every team doesn't have to have 3 RH and 3 LH defenseman to make up their defense corps.

With the addition of Hayes at a soon to be 7 year 6.5 per year deal with a NMC all the pieces will finally be in place for a strong one or two year push at a first or second round exit.

Just as the Comcast overlords desire.

You guys will like Braun. He is very steady and works hard.

Hagg goes. Redundant at this point

But it’ll prob be ghost to address the forward unit
- Just5

Probably right. Although I'm not crazy about Myers and Morin sharing the 6th spot. Both those guys need to be playing consistently at this point. Especially Morin.

The best thing you can do for a young goalie is bring in vocal great defensive leaders. This improves us and will help hart especially. We got better even though I dont like the cost.

It seems like most people don't like the Braun trade. We have a young d core, but as last year proved, they needed help keeping the puck out of the net, even w rookie Hart in net. Niskanen and Braun have experience on top lines and big minute eaters. Gudas played well last year, but he's gone, and he's not the guy we want teaching our younger D-core. AMAC is gone, too. Braun seems like a temp fix with his one year contract. Hopefully by 2020 our young guys will be able to handle things on their own? We still need a sniper/scorer and a back up goalie. Things are gonna get interesting between the draft and free agency......

With the addition of Hayes at a soon to be 7 year 6.5 per year deal with a NMC all the pieces will finally be in place for a strong one or two year push at a first or second round exit.

Just as the Comcast overlords desire.
- StepfordSam

The prospect of doing anything in the 2nd round is enough for me for now. 2012

The idea of you can't keep bringing the same players back just doesn't apply when you're talking about young developing players in their early 20's for the most part. Every team doesn't have to have 3 RH and 3 LH defenseman to make up their defense corps.
- MJL

So far, they've just lost Gudas and MacDonald. Obviously, somebody else is gonna go, and I've said clearly that I wouldn't trade Ghost, but I don't think I've said "jettison every young player." I've said that you can't keep waiting for them either -- it's a results-oriented business. I have no doubt that I won't love every move they make -- I don't necessarily love Braun -- but at the same time, we already know what a defense corps with Gudas and AMac in it looks like

So far, they've just lost Gudas and MacDonald. Obviously, somebody else is gonna go, and I've said clearly that I wouldn't trade Ghost, but I don't think I've said "jettison every young player." I've said that you can't keep waiting for them either -- it's a results-oriented business. I have no doubt that I won't love every move they make -- I don't necessarily love Braun -- but at the same time, we already know what a defense corps with Gudas and AMac in it looks like
- AllInForFlyers

Actually yes you can keep waiting for them and that's exactly what they should do in my opinion. Adding Niskanen for Gudas was a nice move and added a player they could pair with Provorov while still having enough spots for younger players. Now they've taken away another spot. I guess it depends on what results you're looking for.

Actually yes you can keep waiting for them and that's exactly what they should do in my opinion. Adding Niskanen for Gudas was a nice move and added a player they could pair with Provorov while still having enough spots for younger players. Now they've taken away another spot. I guess it depends on what results your looking for.
- MJL

they havent taken away anything.