Not that I disagree but great coaches make adjustments to the personnel they have. Play to your strengths and limit the weaknesses.
- stveshdy

That is a very rare animal. Andy Reid is always going to be a West Coast guy. Ken Hitchcock is always going to be a defensive first Coach. Laviolette is always going to be a pressure the puck, aggressive forechecking Coach.

i thought the return for carter was light, but i was wrong- i overvalued him. the richards return was fine, but between the two trades, i don't know how you fail to get the young dman we needed even then. i said so at the time, so it's not a monday morning QB thing. the JVR trade was a backup plan in case homer failed to land a puck mover at the draft. i'd rather have carle and JVR. not a knock on luke. Bill's post clearly outlines the issues here in terms of the mix.

your 2nd paragraph outlines the squandering of assets and knee jerk nature of some of these personnel decisions. i'd also add sacrificing leverage w/ bryz in a buyers mkt.

like you, i want a new org direction with a GM who will stay the course once he does a re-boot like richards/carter. last yrs mantra was "bigger, faster, stonger...i don't know if we are better, but we are different". this yr i don't know what they are...except worse.
- isaiah520

That young D man has to be available in order to get him in either of the Carter and Richards trades.

The thing is...

If the team has Parise and Suter.
Or Weber.

They are much better suited to fit that aggressive mold. Especially with a healthy Meszaros and the growing pains of the kids not being as extreme as they are.
- flyer_nutter

yea but lavi had the whole lockout to think how he's going to handle his new team he knew for months that he wasn't going to have them

Go to go study some nursing.

I will leave off with this. I do not want the organization to panic. I want them to stick the course with everything they have. If they are out of it at the deadline then make trades that help the team in the long term.

Stay the course. Stay with the aggressive identity. Attempt to bring in a young d-man with star potential in the off-season, or draft one and get a second tier offensive-dman.

Attempt to upgrade the offense either with Perry or Getzlaf. If not, go to FA and bring in a second tier guy.

Most of all I want them to accept that this may simply be an evaluation year to see which young kids are worth sticking with. I want them to realise that poop happens, and nobody really wanted the current group to be the one for this season.

That is a very rare animal. Andy Reid is always going to be a West Coast guy. Ken Hitchcock is always going to be a defensive first Coach. Laviolette is always going to be a pressure the puck, aggressive forechecking Coach.
- MJL

andy reid won nothing and hitcocked has been fired numerous times

The Devils and Wings have systems in place that work for them. They draft/acquire players who fit and buy into their system, they do not rush their younger players into positions they can't handle.

They are two very patient franchises, or basically the opposite of what we have here.
- 77rams

what did the eagles do when andy reid couldn't win with the players in his system? they fired him

now the eagles have a coach that will be scary good cause our players matched the type of system he played in college and was successful

If Murray is brought in so be it.

They better make bigger changes in the off-season then. People talk about the team not fitting Lava's aggressive system.

How exactly would a group of mistake prone, young and undersized forwards do in a defensive system, where the D is sub-par in the transition game.

Bryzgalov will buying one way tickets to Mars.
- flyer_nutter

Mistake prone can be fixed with Coaching. Young players can be taught to play better. Any player can become a better 2 way player. Regardless of what style you play, that problem in the transition game is going to be there.

what did the eagles do when andy reid couldn't win with the players in his system? they fired him

now the eagles have a coach that will be scary good cause our players matched the type of system he played in college and was successful
- 2Real

lol wut

Do not get me wrong, I am all for getting the young kids to get solid defensive games.

The point I am getting at is... Is it easier to fit this rag tag group to an aggressive hunt the puck identity? Or a defensive one?

The forwards as assembled aren't a group that will excel in a defensive role to me.
- flyer_nutter

Wouldn't be asking the young players to excel in a defensive role. Asking them to play better defensively.

The best thing about Murray is that he's a good coach that can get younger players to be better two way players, which is a big issue right now.

Also, Murray isn't Jacques Lemaire. Did he stifle Eric Lindros' offensive ability? Or Rod Brind'Amour? Or John LeClair?
- Jsaquella

not a murray fan, but he's one of the better d zone coaches

Murray is a retread. Not interested in him being the coach. Didn't he just refuse to speak to reporters in Adirondack? Very professional of a 60+ year old man.
- PLindbergh31

Most of them are retreads. Laviolette was a retread.

So about this years draft....

Mistake prone can be fixed with Coaching. Young players can be taught to play better. Any player can become a better 2 way player. Regardless of what style you play, that problem in the transition game is going to be there.
- MJL

Last little bit...

The bolded part is what is most important to me. Any coach would struggle with this group.

Young players can be made into better defensive players. At that same time I do think some players you will get more out of with an aggressive identity than a defensive one. Those being Hartnell, Giroux, Read, Brayden Schenn and Simmonds.

Regarding Briere, the first thing they should be doing is buying him out if Murray is brought in.

not a murray fan, but he's one of the better d zone coaches
- isaiah520

I'm not a huge Murray fan, either. But as a developmental guy he's not a bad choice, at least as an interim coach.

lol wut
- flyfan1212

you clearly dont' know anything about the coach the eagles hired them

Last little bit...

The bolded part is what is most important to me. Any coach would struggle with this group.

Young players can be made into better defensive players. At that same time I do think some players you will get more out of with an aggressive identity than a defensive one. Those being Hartnell, Giroux, Read, Brayden Schenn and Simmonds.

Regarding Briere, the first thing they should be doing is buying him out if Murray is brought in.
- flyer_nutter

Here's the biggest misconception that I'm reading. That it's a choice between the two. That you can't play aggressively on the forecheck, and offensively, while also being a good defensive club. That is not the case. You can be both. Most of the top team are. The Devils are.

So about this years draft....
- MrPerfect316

You have questions I take it

That young D man has to be available in order to get him in either of the Carter and Richards trades.
- MJL

love couts, but hamilton was there like i said at the time.

Here's the biggest misconception that I'm reading. That it's a choice between the two. That you can't play aggressively on the forecheck, and offensively, while also being a good defensive club. That is not the case. You can be both. Most of the top team are. The Devils are.
- MJL

I have a fear of that with this current group.

For some reason just dont believe they can really be a good defensive team or you will get the best of guys like Giroux, Hartnell and Brayden Schenn.

I'm not a huge Murray fan, either. But as a developmental guy he's not a bad choice, at least as an interim coach.
- Jsaquella

At the very least, Murray will set a precedent for playing the right way. You will backcheck or you will play less. You won't leave your position early on the breakout causing a breakdown as Briere did last night on the Plekanec goal, or you will not play as much. And the Flyers will be better off in the long run for it. The caveat is the lack of practice time for instilling a new style of play.

love couts, but hamilton was there like i said at the time.
- isaiah520

That's an issue for the draft selection, not the return for the trades.

At the very least, Murray will set a precedent for playing the right way. You will backcheck or you will play less. You won't leave your position early on the breakout causing a breakdown as Briere did last night on the Plekanec goal, or you will not play as much. And the Flyers will be better off in the long run for it. The caveat is the lack of practice time for instilling a new style of play.
- MJL

That's true. I'm not sure of a long term commitment to Murray. But as a stop gap I'd be OK with him.

One thing in his favor, most of the team has had him, either as an assistant under Stevens or with the Phantoms.

I have a fear of that with this current group.

For some reason just dont believe they can really be a good defensive team or you will get the best of guys like Giroux, Hartnell and Brayden Schenn.
- flyer_nutter

Every player is made a better and more effective player, by becoming a better all around player. Defense creates offense. Briere was at his best in a style of play that played well defensively, and created transition offense off of it.

At the very least, Murray will set a precedent for playing the right way. You will backcheck or you will play less. You won't leave your position early on the breakout causing a breakdown as Briere did last night on the Plekanec goal, or you will not play as much. And the Flyers will be better off in the long run for it. The caveat is the lack of practice time for instilling a new style of play.
- MJL

One of the biggest issues with this team so far is lack of goal scoring. What will Murray do to solve that issue?