The following is a repeat of what I posted yesterday, with a few minor changes. I think it bears repeating.


Please don't make a panic move Homer!! The Flyer's struggles are a combo of growing pains for the young forwards and injuries and lack of depth on the D.

They will struggle this year, and may very well miss the playoffs. It's not the end of the world!! They have their 1st round pick this year, it will most likely be somewhere between 8-16 and they should be able to get a very good player with that pick.
While most seem to want them to grab a defenseman, I would rather see them take the best available forward. Before you all freak out on me, lets look at some facts. First their track record at picking forwards in the 1st round over the last dozen years or so is excellent: Gagne, Williams, Carter,Richards, Giroux, JVR are all pretty damn good players and Couturier and Laughton look they will be pretty good too.

However the organization has never drafted well on D and any scout will tell you it is much harder to judge the upside of an 18 year old Dman than an 18 year old forward.

Coburn, Timonen, Schenn and Grossmann is not a bad start to your top 6. To me most of Coburns struggles are due to being paired with a journeyman like Gervais while being asked to match up against other teams top lines. Trade Mez along with perhaps 2014's first and a prospect for a better more durable defenseman and buyout Briere so you can afford to sign a decent free agent defenseman and you will have a very solid top 6.

Add that to a one year older group of very good forwards with a healthy Hartnell and a relaxed and solid Bryz and there is no reason the Flyers can't contend next year. Also if they are out of it at the deadline, I would consider moving the following players for draft choices:
Talbot - should get them a late 2nd from a contender
Fedotenko- should get them a late 3rd from a contender
Gervais-should get them a 4th or 5th from a team looking to add defensive depth for a playoff run.

Thoughts anyone?
- BiggE

I wouldn't trade Talbot. He should remain a Flyer.

I wonder if briere would take a trade to anaheim. They will make the playoffs and desperately needa center.

The following is a repeat of what I posted yesterday, with a few minor changes. I think it bears repeating.


Please don't make a panic move Homer!! The Flyer's struggles are a combo of growing pains for the young forwards and injuries and lack of depth on the D.

They will struggle this year, and may very well miss the playoffs. It's not the end of the world!! They have their 1st round pick this year, it will most likely be somewhere between 8-16 and they should be able to get a very good player with that pick.
While most seem to want them to grab a defenseman, I would rather see them take the best available forward. Before you all freak out on me, lets look at some facts. First their track record at picking forwards in the 1st round over the last dozen years or so is excellent: Gagne, Williams, Carter,Richards, Giroux, JVR are all pretty damn good players and Couturier and Laughton look they will be pretty good too.

However the organization has never drafted well on D and any scout will tell you it is much harder to judge the upside of an 18 year old Dman than an 18 year old forward.

Coburn, Timonen, Schenn and Grossmann is not a bad start to your top 6. To me most of Coburns struggles are due to being paired with a journeyman like Gervais while being asked to match up against other teams top lines. Trade Mez along with perhaps 2014's first and a prospect for a better more durable defenseman and buyout Briere so you can afford to sign a decent free agent defenseman and you will have a very solid top 6.

Add that to a one year older group of very good forwards with a healthy Hartnell and a relaxed and solid Bryz and there is no reason the Flyers can't contend next year. Also if they are out of it at the deadline, I would consider moving the following players for draft choices:
Talbot - should get them a late 2nd from a contender
Fedotenko- should get them a late 3rd from a contender
Gervais-should get them a 4th or 5th from a team looking to add defensive depth for a playoff run.

Thoughts anyone?
- BiggE

I'm in agreement, with pretty much all of that. Some minor disagreements, but it's a solid idea.

I'm not sure the trade value of the vets listed, but I'd be open to moving just about anyone of them.

I also doubt they trade a future first, especially 2014, when they host that draft.

I don't entirely buy that. There is a lot of parity in the NHL, especially when you are talking about roughly 6th to 12th place in the regular season.

Even some of the best teams may not have eye-popping rosters on paper but they manage to be more than the sum of their parts. They have an identity. They have cohesion. The Devils are the ultimate example.

Have you looked at New Jersey's roster? How deep is their blueline on paper? How many high-end puck movers do they have? Apart from Kovalchuk, how many genuine "superstar" forwards -- not just good ones, but franchise caliber ones -- do they have? How good has Martin Brodeur looked each of the last two seasons when he's actually been tested?

What they DO have is a relentless forecheck, a good mix of veterans and young players, outstanding coaching, and above all a teamwide commitment to two-way hockey. The roster is set up to play a certain way, Pete DeBoer reinforces it through his system and the players execute it. No more and no less.

Let's say you could put David Clarkson on the Flyers. I bet you he wouldn't have 10 goals right now, even though he'd be on Giroux's line. He might have a couple more than Simmonds (let's say six or seven) doing the same role, but the team's record would not be markedly better.

Conversely, let's say we swapped all six of New Jersey's starting defenseman for all six of the Flyers' (Meszaros injury included). Might the team have a win or two fewer right now? Maybe, maybe not. But they wouldn't be markedly worse; I feel very confident in saying that.

Now where would the Flyers be if they had NJ's entire D corps? They'd probably still be 6-9-1 and people would be saying "you can't win with this defense!"

So it's NOT just the personnel here. It's also the assembly of said personnel and the usage of it. What is this year's team's "winning hockey identity"?

Are they a skating team? A wear-down-the-opposition cycling team? Are they a club that is comfortable in low-scoring games? Are they are a team that should be high-scoring (ala last season)? Really, they've been none of the above.

Peter Laviolette wants the team to play one way, although his blueline really isn't built to do it and they don't have blazing speed up front. Meanwhile, upper management made VERY clear they want the team to play grind-it-out, two-way hockey but the forward corps on the whole is a little undersized to do it and too many of the "scoring forwards" (Briere, Simmonds, Brayden Schenn come to mind) have some defensive deficiencies.

So this year's Flyers have kind of tried to be a hybrid team, and it hasn't really worked.
- bmeltzer

great post, Bill.

If Homer and Lava have such vastly differing visions on what this club should be ... how long can one or the other last?

Do we need a different GM to acquire the guys to play Lavy's style, or a different coach to teach a system more in line with the players Homer brings in?

If the circumstances were different, and the Flyers didn't need a #1 defenseman, I would have been fine with Carle and the contract he got. And one of the biggest reasons why the Flyers are paying that hefty price as you put it, is because of letting Carle walk. He would make the defense more"dynamic".
- MJL

Are you saying the flyers wouldn't need a 1 dman if they resigned carle?

I'm in agreement, with pretty much all of that. Some minor disagreements, but it's a solid idea.

I'm not sure the trade value of the vets listed, but I'd be open to moving just about anyone of them.

I also doubt they trade a future first, especially 2014, when they host that draft.
- Jsaquella

Good point re the draft in 2014. My thought though, is that they could always make a future move to acquire a 1st in that draft.

great post, Bill.

If Homer and Lava have such vastly differing visions on what this club should be ... how long can one or the other last?

Do we need a different GM to get the guys to play Lavy's style, or a different coach to teach a system more in line with the players Homer brings in?
- FlyerGuy

Here's the biggest conflict. Holmgren when he fired Stevens, who played a grind it out two way style, said he wanted a team that hunted the puck, and played a high pressure game. Well he got what he wanted in Laviolette. Now he wants to go back and play more of a two way style. Which is it? Make up your mind!

Are you saying the flyers wouldn't need a 1 dman if they resigned carle?
- Just5

That's clearly not what I'm saying.

I don't see the need for a fire sale, or massive trades that would blow the team up. People seem to forget or ignore that the Flyers are a young team, and with a young team you're going to have ups and downs.

The problem is, for the Flyers, it's not just the kids that are having the ups and downs. Guys like Braydon Coburn are struggling and the Flyers need him to be a rock. Guys like Briere and Timonen are supposed to be strong leaders, but it hasn't shown up on the ice.

Granted, the Flyers are missing a lot of pieces due to injury. So are other teams. You have to find a way to overcome those injuries. That's where the leadership issue comes to play.

Does it mean they need a new coach? Or a big trade? Not sure. I do want them to keep the path with the younger guys on hand. There's talent there, despite the struggles.
- Jsaquella

There will be no blowing this team up this year, so lets look at the numbers for the upcoming season. We do not have the veterans other teams want and the upside on the younger guys means Homer will want too much. Let's go through the roster (using Capgeek for the numbers)

Centers:
Giroux - Top line talent Age 25
B. Shenn - Possibility of top line talent, need to think a bit more before commiting to plays Age 21
Couturier - 3rd Line defensive specialist with scoring potential Age 20
Talbot - 4th Line checker, let not glorify it with his numbers from last year, he is what he is. Age 29
Briere - Odd man out if left here. At 6.5m cap hit he is a piece we cannot afford. Age 35

Wings:
Voracek - Top line potential. Needs to stop handling the puck up high in the offensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 23
Read - Great finisher, 2nd liner, upcoming pay increase Age 26
Rinaldo - 4th Line checker, good speed, gives 110% Age 22
Fedetenko - More than useless. Bad signing Free Agent Age 34
McGinn - 2nd Liner with some toughness Age 22
Sestito - 4th Line, nothing to glorify here, he has 1 job, he needs to do it more often. Age 25
Shelley - Career over Free Agent Age 37
Hartnell - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, good hands. Slightly overpaid but he is a fan favorite. Age 30
Knuble - Emergency signing, will be a healthy scratch once Hartnell returns Free Agent Age 40
Simmonds - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, overtries. Slighty overpaid. Age 24
Zolneirczyk - 4th liner with 3rd line potential due to speed Age 25
Wellwood - 3rd Liner with 2nd line petential, needs to mature and become more consistent on effort Age 22

Defense :
Coburn - 2nd line, first line when he shows up. Make too many bad choices on pinches and is soft along the boards in defensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 27
Foster - 3rd line, good shot, not much else Free Agent Age 31
Gervais - 3rd line stopgap, days are numbered if Gustafsson proves he belongs Age 28
Grossmann - 2nd line shutdown guy, good hitter, at times bad at handling the puck Age 28
Gustafsson - 2nd line, dencent all around, good up ice Age 24
Meszaros - Top line talent when not injured, hard shot, defensively responsible
L Shenn - 2nd line, not going to score much, defensively responsible and hard hitter. Age 23
Timonen - Obvious topline, good decision making, good puck movement. Undersized and getting older and worn. Not sure why the organization re-upped him in-season, have a feeling that will bite us in the ass.

Goalies:
Bryz - Overpaid, but thats the price of "elite" goaltending. Had a rough season last year as a young group of guys hung him out to dry too often, never came up with the big-save. Much better this year, however the defensive system has changed a bit, but he has made some of the back-breaking saves we need him to. Worse than useless in shooutout and breakaways. Being the Flyers will still have 1 buyout available after Briere he must remain on top of his game through all of next season.
Bouch - Leighton Both Free Agent, best I can say here.

Looking at this team you will see the old man on the roster come next season (except Timonen) will be a whopping 31 years old in the form of Hartnell, young teams will go through growing pains as we are seeing. This offseason we need 1 offensive defenseman to replace Timonen. Jordan Leopold, Yandle (will come at a premium) and I believe we need to get 1 more big wing, not big in the form of 40 goal scorer but more along the lines of a Hartnell/Simmonds possibly a Dustin Brown or player along his lines.

great post, Bill.

If Homer and Lava have such vastly differing visions on what this club should be ... how long can one or the other last?

Do we need a different GM to acquire the guys to play Lavy's style, or a different coach to teach a system more in line with the players Homer brings in?
- FlyerGuy

Let's not ignore Snider's influence.

Holmgren tried to land dynamic defensemen all summer. He didn't, despite offering over $200mm worth of contracts. We can argue that he should have just kept Carle or even traded for one if the free agency route didn't pan out or whatever. But the bottom line is, he didn't land a defenseman to replace Carle.

In a situation such as this, the coach has to make adjustments to the personnel he's given. It's not his fault that the GM couldn't land the pieces needed to run his system. But he has to deal with what he's got on hand.

In Laviolette's defense, he HAS made adjustments, but they haven't worked out too well. Execution has been a major issue, which isn't his fault.

As far as a coaching change, I'm on the fence. As far as a GM change, I'd like to see Holmgren stay.

Let's not ignore Snider's influence.

Holmgren tried to land dynamic defensemen all summer. He didn't, despite offering over $200mm worth of contracts. We can argue that he should have just kept Carle or even traded for one if the free agency route didn't pan out or whatever. But the bottom line is, he didn't land a defenseman to replace Carle.

In a situation such as this, the coach has to make adjustments to the personnel he's given. It's not his fault that the GM couldn't land the pieces needed to run his system. But he has to deal with what he's got on hand.

In Laviolette's defense, he HAS made adjustments, but they haven't worked out too well. Execution has been a major issue, which isn't his fault.

As far as a coaching change, I'm on the fence. As far as a GM change, I'd like to see Holmgren stay.
- Jsaquella

It all boils down to one mans opinion. An 80 yoa owner stuck on the bullies era. When I say cooter and a 2nd for jaybo. Just remember how very real something like that could be. Bc it's one mans decision

The big moves are exciting, but there's times I'd like to see less of it.

The biggest organizational issue with the Flyers is that they always seem to be chasing somebody else's approach. For years they tried to outmuscle the Devils, then post lockout, they tried to out speed the Sabres. then out tough the Bruins, now it seems they're trying to be the Devils again, based on what owner Ed Snider said before this season began.
- Jsaquella

Good point re the draft in 2014. My thought though, is that they could always make a future move to acquire a 1st in that draft.
- BiggE

True.

I'd rather see Meszaros stay. Prior to this last year and a half, he was an ironman, playing 81 or 82 games in all but one season, over 6 seasons.

Let's not ignore Snider's influence.

Holmgren tried to land dynamic defensemen all summer. He didn't, despite offering over $200mm worth of contracts. We can argue that he should have just kept Carle or even traded for one if the free agency route didn't pan out or whatever. But the bottom line is, he didn't land a defenseman to replace Carle.

In a situation such as this, the coach has to make adjustments to the personnel he's given. It's not his fault that the GM couldn't land the pieces needed to run his system. But he has to deal with what he's got on hand.

In Laviolette's defense, he HAS made adjustments, but they haven't worked out too well. Execution has been a major issue, which isn't his fault.

As far as a coaching change, I'm on the fence. As far as a GM change, I'd like to see Holmgren stay.
- Jsaquella

agreed.

Here's the biggest conflict. Holmgren when he fired Stevens, who played a grind it out two way style, said he wanted a team that hunted the puck, and played a high pressure game. Well he got what he wanted in Laviolette. Now he wants to go back and play more of a two way style. Which is it? Make up your mind!
- MJL

i agree

There will be no blowing this team up this year, so lets look at the numbers for the upcoming season. We do not have the veterans other teams want and the upside on the younger guys means Homer will want too much. Let's go through the roster (using Capgeek for the numbers)

Centers:
Giroux - Top line talent Age 25
B. Shenn - Possibility of top line talent, need to think a bit more before commiting to plays Age 21
Couturier - 3rd Line defensive specialist with scoring potential Age 20
Talbot - 4th Line checker, let not glorify it with his numbers from last year, he is what he is. Age 29
Briere - Odd man out if left here. At 6.5m cap hit he is a piece we cannot afford. Age 35

Wings:
Voracek - Top line potential. Needs to stop handling the puck up high in the offensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 23
Read - Great finisher, 2nd liner, upcoming pay increase Age 26
Rinaldo - 4th Line checker, good speed, gives 110% Age 22
Fedetenko - More than useless. Bad signing Free Agent Age 34
McGinn - 2nd Liner with some toughness Age 22
Sestito - 4th Line, nothing to glorify here, he has 1 job, he needs to do it more often. Age 25
Shelley - Career over Free Agent Age 37
Hartnell - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, good hands. Slightly overpaid but he is a fan favorite. Age 30
Knuble - Emergency signing, will be a healthy scratch once Hartnell returns Free Agent Age 40
Simmonds - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, overtries. Slighty overpaid. Age 24
Zolneirczyk - 4th liner with 3rd line potential due to speed Age 25
Wellwood - 3rd Liner with 2nd line petential, needs to mature and become more consistent on effort Age 22

Defense :
Coburn - 2nd line, first line when he shows up. Make too many bad choices on pinches and is soft along the boards in defensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 27
Foster - 3rd line, good shot, not much else Free Agent Age 31
Gervais - 3rd line stopgap, days are numbered if Gustafsson proves he belongs Age 28
Grossmann - 2nd line shutdown guy, good hitter, at times bad at handling the puck Age 28
Gustafsson - 2nd line, dencent all around, good up ice Age 24
Meszaros - Top line talent when not injured, hard shot, defensively responsible
L Shenn - 2nd line, not going to score much, defensively responsible and hard hitter. Age 23
Timonen - Obvious topline, good decision making, good puck movement. Undersized and getting older and worn. Not sure why the organization re-upped him in-season, have a feeling that will bite us in the ass.

Goalies:
Bryz - Overpaid, but thats the price of "elite" goaltending. Had a rough season last year as a young group of guys hung him out to dry too often, never came up with the big-save. Much better this year, however the defensive system has changed a bit, but he has made some of the back-breaking saves we need him to. Worse than useless in shooutout and breakaways. Being the Flyers will still have 1 buyout available after Briere he must remain on top of his game through all of next season.
Bouch - Leighton Both Free Agent, best I can say here.

Looking at this team you will see the old man on the roster come next season (except Timonen) will be a whopping 31 years old in the form of Hartnell, young teams will go through growing pains as we are seeing. This offseason we need 1 offensive defenseman to replace Timonen. Jordan Leopold, Yandle (will come at a premium) and I believe we need to get 1 more big wing, not big in the form of 40 goal scorer but more along the lines of a Hartnell/Simmonds possibly a Dustin Brown or player along his lines.
- ICUBB

Agree for the most part, thinking that a couple guys were overrated. I think Gustafsson is a 3rd pair defenseman, and that Wellwood's lack of scoring ability limits him to a 3rd line role at best...Overall, I'm in agreement, though.

It all boils down to one mans opinion. An 80 yoa owner stuck on the bullies era. When I say cooter and a 2nd for jaybo. Just remember how very real something like that could be. Bc it's one mans decision
- Just5

that would be a brutal trade

Here's the biggest conflict. Holmgren when he fired Stevens, who played a grind it out two way style, said he wanted a team that hunted the puck, and played a high pressure game. Well he got what he wanted in Laviolette. Now he wants to go back and play more of a two way style. Which is it? Make up your mind!
- MJL

I like that Bill brought this up and I mentioned it yesterday.

The Flyers have been switching up their identity ever since the Hatcher/Rathje era.

If they fire Lava, which I think is a stupid move so be it. However build the team with a permanent identity in mind, and stick to it. Bill mentioned that they want them to be a grind it out team, or so it seems. I think he was exactly on par with saying a lot of the forwards have weaknesses in their defensive games. Brayden Schenn, Simmonds and Briere are iffy in the defensive zone. Hell you can throw in Giroux, Hartnell, Rinaldo and an aging Knuble into that mix.

The team as it is currently set up is set to be a hunt the puck offense, that unfortunately is going through growing pains and needs some more top level talent. The D core is not set up to support that kind of game. There are many valid approaches to winning games in the NHL. The Flyers need to stick to one.

There will be no blowing this team up this year, so lets look at the numbers for the upcoming season. We do not have the veterans other teams want and the upside on the younger guys means Homer will want too much. Let's go through the roster (using Capgeek for the numbers)

Centers:
Giroux - Top line talent Age 25
B. Shenn - Possibility of top line talent, need to think a bit more before commiting to plays Age 21
Couturier - 3rd Line defensive specialist with scoring potential Age 20
Talbot - 4th Line checker, let not glorify it with his numbers from last year, he is what he is. Age 29
Briere - Odd man out if left here. At 6.5m cap hit he is a piece we cannot afford. Age 35

Wings:
Voracek - Top line potential. Needs to stop handling the puck up high in the offensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 23
Read - Great finisher, 2nd liner, upcoming pay increase Age 26
Rinaldo - 4th Line checker, good speed, gives 110% Age 22
Fedetenko - More than useless. Bad signing Free Agent Age 34
McGinn - 2nd Liner with some toughness Age 22
Sestito - 4th Line, nothing to glorify here, he has 1 job, he needs to do it more often. Age 25
Shelley - Career over Free Agent Age 37
Hartnell - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, good hands. Slightly overpaid but he is a fan favorite. Age 30
Knuble - Emergency signing, will be a healthy scratch once Hartnell returns Free Agent Age 40
Simmonds - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, overtries. Slighty overpaid. Age 24
Zolneirczyk - 4th liner with 3rd line potential due to speed Age 25
Wellwood - 3rd Liner with 2nd line petential, needs to mature and become more consistent on effort Age 22

Defense :
Coburn - 2nd line, first line when he shows up. Make too many bad choices on pinches and is soft along the boards in defensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 27
Foster - 3rd line, good shot, not much else Free Agent Age 31
Gervais - 3rd line stopgap, days are numbered if Gustafsson proves he belongs Age 28
Grossmann - 2nd line shutdown guy, good hitter, at times bad at handling the puck Age 28
Gustafsson - 2nd line, dencent all around, good up ice Age 24
Meszaros - Top line talent when not injured, hard shot, defensively responsible
L Shenn - 2nd line, not going to score much, defensively responsible and hard hitter. Age 23
Timonen - Obvious topline, good decision making, good puck movement. Undersized and getting older and worn. Not sure why the organization re-upped him in-season, have a feeling that will bite us in the ass.

Goalies:
Bryz - Overpaid, but thats the price of "elite" goaltending. Had a rough season last year as a young group of guys hung him out to dry too often, never came up with the big-save. Much better this year, however the defensive system has changed a bit, but he has made some of the back-breaking saves we need him to. Worse than useless in shooutout and breakaways. Being the Flyers will still have 1 buyout available after Briere he must remain on top of his game through all of next season.
Bouch - Leighton Both Free Agent, best I can say here.

Looking at this team you will see the old man on the roster come next season (except Timonen) will be a whopping 31 years old in the form of Hartnell, young teams will go through growing pains as we are seeing. This offseason we need 1 offensive defenseman to replace Timonen. Jordan Leopold, Yandle (will come at a premium) and I believe we need to get 1 more big wing, not big in the form of 40 goal scorer but more along the lines of a Hartnell/Simmonds possibly a Dustin Brown or player along his lines.
- ICUBB

Have to disagree in a few areas. Fedetenko is far from useless, and it was a good one year signing.
Don't know that McGinn is a 2nd line player in this League in the future. I think 3rd line is more realistic, but anything is possible.
Hartnell is a first line Power Forward in this League.
I don't see harry Z as any more then a part time 4th line player in the future. And I don't see Wellwood as having 3rd line upside either.
Luke Schenn has top pairing potential as a physical compliment to a true #1 .

But player prognostications aren't an exact science.

Let's not ignore Snider's influence.

Holmgren tried to land dynamic defensemen all summer. He didn't, despite offering over $200mm worth of contracts. We can argue that he should have just kept Carle or even traded for one if the free agency route didn't pan out or whatever. But the bottom line is, he didn't land a defenseman to replace Carle.

In a situation such as this, the coach has to make adjustments to the personnel he's given. It's not his fault that the GM couldn't land the pieces needed to run his system. But he has to deal with what he's got on hand.

In Laviolette's defense, he HAS made adjustments, but they haven't worked out too well. Execution has been a major issue, which isn't his fault.

As far as a coaching change, I'm on the fence. As far as a GM change, I'd like to see Holmgren stay.
- Jsaquella

i think its justified to give homer a chance, but i'm ready to move on

There will be no blowing this team up this year, so lets look at the numbers for the upcoming season. We do not have the veterans other teams want and the upside on the younger guys means Homer will want too much. Let's go through the roster (using Capgeek for the numbers)

Centers:
Giroux - Top line talent Age 25
B. Shenn - Possibility of top line talent, need to think a bit more before commiting to plays Age 21
Couturier - 3rd Line defensive specialist with scoring potential Age 20
Talbot - 4th Line checker, let not glorify it with his numbers from last year, he is what he is. Age 29
Briere - Odd man out if left here. At 6.5m cap hit he is a piece we cannot afford. Age 35

Wings:
Voracek - Top line potential. Needs to stop handling the puck up high in the offensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 23
Read - Great finisher, 2nd liner, upcoming pay increase Age 26
Rinaldo - 4th Line checker, good speed, gives 110% Age 22
Fedetenko - More than useless. Bad signing Free Agent Age 34
McGinn - 2nd Liner with some toughness Age 22
Sestito - 4th Line, nothing to glorify here, he has 1 job, he needs to do it more often. Age 25
Shelley - Career over Free Agent Age 37
Hartnell - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, good hands. Slightly overpaid but he is a fan favorite. Age 30
Knuble - Emergency signing, will be a healthy scratch once Hartnell returns Free Agent Age 40
Simmonds - 2nd Line talent, aggitator, overtries. Slighty overpaid. Age 24
Zolneirczyk - 4th liner with 3rd line potential due to speed Age 25
Wellwood - 3rd Liner with 2nd line petential, needs to mature and become more consistent on effort Age 22

Defense :
Coburn - 2nd line, first line when he shows up. Make too many bad choices on pinches and is soft along the boards in defensive zone. Slightly overpaid Age 27
Foster - 3rd line, good shot, not much else Free Agent Age 31
Gervais - 3rd line stopgap, days are numbered if Gustafsson proves he belongs Age 28
Grossmann - 2nd line shutdown guy, good hitter, at times bad at handling the puck Age 28
Gustafsson - 2nd line, dencent all around, good up ice Age 24
Meszaros - Top line talent when not injured, hard shot, defensively responsible
L Shenn - 2nd line, not going to score much, defensively responsible and hard hitter. Age 23
Timonen - Obvious topline, good decision making, good puck movement. Undersized and getting older and worn. Not sure why the organization re-upped him in-season, have a feeling that will bite us in the ass.

Goalies:
Bryz - Overpaid, but thats the price of "elite" goaltending. Had a rough season last year as a young group of guys hung him out to dry too often, never came up with the big-save. Much better this year, however the defensive system has changed a bit, but he has made some of the back-breaking saves we need him to. Worse than useless in shooutout and breakaways. Being the Flyers will still have 1 buyout available after Briere he must remain on top of his game through all of next season.
Bouch - Leighton Both Free Agent, best I can say here.

Looking at this team you will see the old man on the roster come next season (except Timonen) will be a whopping 31 years old in the form of Hartnell, young teams will go through growing pains as we are seeing. This offseason we need 1 offensive defenseman to replace Timonen. Jordan Leopold, Yandle (will come at a premium) and I believe we need to get 1 more big wing, not big in the form of 40 goal scorer but more along the lines of a Hartnell/Simmonds possibly a Dustin Brown or player along his lines.
- ICUBB

Shelley's career is far from over, mascots can work well into their 60's.

If Lava gets fired do they bring in Murray for rest of year? If so who do they look for long term?

To some extent I think Lava has been dealt a tough hand this year. The team didn't get the d they needed in the off season, the young core is looking young and all the injuries. I know Lava needs to adapt, but some of this is out of his control.

As far as the team not showing up I'm putting that 50/50 on players and Lava.

i think its justified to give homer a chance, but i'm ready to move on
- isaiah520

Laviolette has won a Cup as a coach. Firing him to bring in some retread would be foolish. Firing the guy who assembled this mess of a roster should be the way to go.

i think its justified to give homer a chance, but i'm ready to move on
- isaiah520

I wouldn't be completely against a GM change, provided it's not an Old Boy Network sort of hire.