I'm more ambivalent in the sense that there is so much wrong with this team, there is no one thing that will fix it.

I just don't want any big trades for our younger players that involves getting old guys past their primes.

Beyond that, any move would likely be just re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
- johndewar

They have to look past this year in making changes. That's the bottom line.

They can't make a short term move, even one as obvious as some feel buying out Bryzgalov would be.

The balance would be needed, but long term views need to heeded to, and not worrying about the immediate future and bumps in the roadway.

no matter how you slice it, the performance is not good enuf. would that you have this many excuses for lavi in or out of the




- isaiah520

I... uh... did joshc type this post for you?

most goalies can play with a strong team in front of them and when the pressure ramped up in the plyoffs, he fell short there as well. given that we have another buyout available, it's not complete folly to give him another shot, but that's it and as i posted before, I'm not optimistic.
- isaiah520

He didn't fall short in the playoffs. That's ridiculous. Kovalchuk even said that without him, the games would have been waaaaaaaaaaay worse. The team in front of him was god awful and Lavy failed to adjust.

No he didn't. At times? Yes, but he was not the reason they lost 4 straight to NJ.

I didn't want the guy here, but I'm not on some damned foolish crusade to rip him to shreds at every chance. When the 18 guys in front of him are putrid playing in their own zone, I don't focus on the 1 guy giving his all to stop the puck.
- Flyskippy

Well said.
The way this teams runs around like headless chickens in their own zone and continually turns over the puck, Bernie Parent would have hard time stopping the puck!!

no matter how you slice it, the performance is not good enuf. would that you have this many excuses for lavi in or out of the


- isaiah520

I have not offered a single excuse for Bryzgalov's play. I've only looked at the entire picture and taken all of the aspects into forming my opinion. Rather from the rigid and unobjective viewpoint of a mind made up long ago. You simply cannot dismiss the defensive play in front of the Goalie as a factor in the results.

I'm open to discussing any matter concerning Laviolette that you wish to.

And go with who? Heeter wont be ready, and anyone else in the system is pretty much a non-option. Teams aren't just going to give up goalies for a few picks... and the free agent list is pretty slim. 35 year old Niklas Backstrom? 38 year old Tim Thomas? 40 year old Nikolai Khabibulin? Jimmy Howard (will be re-signed)? Mike Smith (will be re-signed)? 36 year old softy Jose Theodore? Chris Mason? Labarbera? Budaj? Get Emery back?

I mean, I understand everyone is frustrated with Bryz... but quite honestly, he has given them the chance to win in most of the games this season. Not to mention, who do people want to see replace him? Unless you're going to give up a combination of Couturier, prospects, or other role guys (Simmonds, Talbot, etc), you aren't going to get anything good in a trade either. Bernier? I wouldn't hold your breathe with him either. I don't think LA will keep him, but there's going to be a bidding war for him, either through trade or RFA. Luongo? Yeah, that would solve everything... or not.

I hate to say it - but yes, I will say it.... they should have kept Bob. Maybe he would have sucked, who knows. But the kid had potential, and was NHL-ready. They could have ran with him and signed a cheap vet for backup just in case. If it didn't work out, well, you gave it a shot... it takes risks to get reward. Instead, the fans were crying.. the management was standing there with money in hand.. and under pressure, they threw $54 million at Bryz, mostly due to lack of options more than his actual worth. Well, here we are. But people are now calling for Bryz to be gone... but the bigger question is, who do you replace him with? People aren't just going to take pity and give them a #1 goalie for a 4th round pick, or Harry Z. Be prepared to pay big...
- WarriorHockey21

Bob just got named star of the week btw.

Dear cap-nazis, Bryz is a good goalie who does give us the chance to win every night. He is not going to save everything but he does make the Routine saves and gives you a good chance at the really tough ones. You want to play it cheap and inhale for EVERY routine save like back in the old days? I don't.

The Flyers can buy out Briere and re-sign Gustafsson, Rinaldo and Wellwood and have $7mm in cap room.

There's a lot of younger players that are going to stay at the same level or keep improving. That will help a great deal. There's other factors, such as who is available, either via trade or free agency to fill the needs of the team.

Also, the cap is probably going to rise quickly. I wouldn't be amazed to see a salary cap of around $70mm again for the season after next.
- Jsaquella

With the attendance and rumored revenue numbers going around the league, the cap would have been near 70 mil NEXT season, if they hadn't already locked it in at 64.3. I wouldn't be surprised if its north of 72 by 14-15, which should make it much easier to keep Schenn, Couturier and Read.

On a not to closely related topic. Shea Weber and the Preds. If the Preds don't qualify for the playoffs they will have paid Weber over $27 mill without having seen any Playoff revenue. With him making $14 mill/yr over the next few years at what point do you say it was extremely stupid to match a contract that pays only slightly less than the value of the team.

For a team where the owners had to put $60 million of their own money into the team the last 5 years and who consistantly operate at a loss at some point the owners are going to decide enough is enough just like Phoenix. A better comparison might be the Penguins where the owner went bankrupt trying to keep Mario Lemieux happy and ended up being awarded the team in bankruptcy court.

Shea could own the Preds in another 5 years.

With the attendance and rumored revenue numbers going around the league, the cap would have been near 70 mil NEXT season, if they hadn't already locked it in at 64.3. I wouldn't be surprised if its north of 72 by 14-15, which should make it much easier to keep Schenn, Couturier and Read.
- BiggE

It will and teams willing to spend to will get constant relief year to year

No he didn't. At times? Yes, but he was not the reason they lost 4 straight to NJ.

I didn't want the guy here, but I'm not on some damned foolish crusade to rip him to shreds at every chance. When the 18 guys in front of him are putrid playing in their own zone, I don't focus on the 1 guy giving his all to stop the puck.
- Flyskippy

no, he stunk. there was a reason he went to homer and said he knew (frank)ed up. this yr, he hasn't been good enuf either. too many times he couldn't make the key save at the crucial moment and an automatic for opponents on breakaways/ shootouts. we are getting poor value all over the roster and that includes him as well.

no, i'm not on a crusade to run him out of here. but you know what happens on this site- you have a general point to make and people take it, mutate it and run w/ it for 20 pgs. i think he should be a buyout candidate based on his performance to date. i certainly understand why homer would want another yr to make a final determination because there have been flashes, but ultimately, this off season or next, i see him getting bought out. i only wish him the best cause i'm tired of the goalie crap here, but i have to call it as i see it.

With the attendance and rumored revenue numbers going around the league, the cap would have been near 70 mil NEXT season, if they hadn't already locked it in at 64.3. I wouldn't be surprised if its north of 72 by 14-15, which should make it much easier to keep Schenn, Couturier and Read.
- BiggE

James Mirtle did a chart, showing that if the NHL's revenues prior to the the lockout stayed the same, they could have a $90mm cap by the 8th year of the new CBA.

Revenues projected for this partial season, when averaged over 82 games, is actually almost $1 billion higher than last season, when the NHL had revenues of $3.3 Billion.

I despise James Neal more. Dumber than a bag of hammers in the first period and yet the Flyers still give that game away. Ugh.

More mad about that game than any other in a long time. Probably because it felt so much like Game 6 in 2009.
- Flyskippy

Going into last week I didn't expect the Flyers to beat Boston in Boston on Sat. The Pens and Rags games though, leave a pretty nasty taste. Up 4-1 vs the Pens? Obviously they needed to close that one out. Tied 2-2 going into the third vs. NYR? They were in that game. If they pulled off Ws in those two and then again last night vs. Buffalo, the world would be a lot sunnier in here.

The Flyers can buy out Briere and re-sign Gustafsson, Rinaldo and Wellwood and have $7mm in cap room.

There's a lot of younger players that are going to stay at the same level or keep improving. That will help a great deal. There's other factors, such as who is available, either via trade or free agency to fill the needs of the team.

Also, the cap is probably going to rise quickly. I wouldn't be amazed to see a salary cap of around $70mm again for the season after next.
- Jsaquella

I was surprised to see this. If you buy out Briere and kept the remaing 10 forwards, 5 D, and Bryz (and Pronger), you have $6.953M in space to get 2 more forwards, 1 defenseman, and a backup for next year. Where it gets interesting is what happens when Giroux, B. Schenn, Couturier, Read, and Meszaros all need raises for the following year.

Schenn will probably command around his cap hit (mostly composed of $2M+ in bonuses) in base salary, maybe another $.5M or so. Couturier will probably get a $2M (at least) raise unless he SERIOUSLY regresses. Giroux's going to be getting about a $4.5M to $5M raise. So that's another $7M-$8M.

If they keep Read, he'll want a big raise. Meszaros might not command a raise, but I can't see him taking a cut either. Plus, they'll have to replace Timonen, so they'll probably need to add another 3-4 guy at worst (or maybe one of Manning/Gustafsson/Ghost can earn a regular spot out by then). So if Read gets a $3M raise, Meszaros stands pat, and they spend another $3M on a middle of the road defenseman, you basically stand pat on Timonen's salary. It can be done, but there's a few avenues.

Sorry for that rant.

no, he stunk. there was a reason he went to homer and said he knew (frank)ed up. this yr, he hasn't been good enuf either. too many times he couldn't make the key save at the crucial moment and an automatic for opponents on breakaways/ shootouts. we are getting poor value all over the roster and that includes him as well.

no, i'm not on a crusade to run him out of here. but you know what happens on this site- you have a general point to make and people take it, mutate it and run w/ it for 20 pgs. i think he should be a buyout candidate based on his performance to date. i certainly understand why homer would want another yr to make a final determination because there have been flashes, but ultimately, this off season or next, i see him getting bought out. i only wish him the best cause i'm tired of the goalie crap here, but i have to call it as i see it.
- isaiah520

He should be a buyout candidate.

His performance, while better this year, still hasn't been elite. The biggest concern is the cap recapture issues down the road.

That said, how does he get replaced? It's not impossible, but do they run out and sign another bad deal? I'd like to see a system that plays more to his strengths as a goalie, before exercising the buyout on him, and I'd definitely wait until at least the summer of 2014.

I was surprised to see this. If you buy out Briere and kept the remaing 10 forwards, 5 D, and Bryz (and Pronger), you have $6.953M in space to get 2 more forwards, 1 defenseman, and a backup for next year. Where it gets interesting is what happens when Giroux, B. Schenn, Couturier, Read, and Meszaros all need raises for the following year.

Schenn will probably command around his cap hit (mostly composed of $2M+ in bonuses) in base salary, maybe another $.5M or so. Couturier will probably get a $2M (at least) raise unless he SERIOUSLY regresses. Giroux's going to be getting about a $4.5M to $5M raise. So that's another $7M-$8M.

If they keep Read, he'll want a big raise. Meszaros might not command a raise, but I can't see him taking a cut either. Plus, they'll have to replace Timonen, so they'll probably need to add another 3-4 guy at worst (or maybe one of Manning/Gustafsson/Ghost can earn a regular spot out by then). So if Read gets a $3M raise, Meszaros stands pat, and they spend another $3M on a middle of the road defenseman, you basically stand pat on Timonen's salary. It can be done, but there's a few avenues.

Sorry for that rant.
- jmatchett

No problem on the rant. I encourage people to use the tools on Capgeek. It's an easy way to learn the cap and they have a lot of calculators to use and other tools to do research.

They're also really good about answering questions on twitter.

I have not offered a single excuse for Bryzgalov's play. I've only looked at the entire picture and taken all of the aspects into forming my opinion. Rather from the rigid and unobjective viewpoint of a mind made up long ago. You simply cannot dismiss the defensive play in front of the Goalie as a factor in the results.

I'm open to discussing any matter concerning Laviolette that you wish to.
- MJL

so now you're saying i'm rigid and unobjective

too many opps for him to bail out this team where he didn't come thru. the prob is his play, like the teams, is too predictable in it's moments of futility in particular game situations. if they keep him another yr, i'll understand why they want to salvage, but i'm not putting lipstick on this pig. he has to play better than he has so far to justify keeping him.

I... uh... did joshc type this post for you?
- BulliesPhan87

not really. the fact that i mentioned bryz as a buyout candidate stirred the passions...informed or otherwise.

He should be a buyout candidate.

His performance, while better this year, still hasn't been elite. The biggest concern is the cap recapture issues down the road.

That said, how does he get replaced? It's not impossible, but do they run out and sign another bad deal? I'd like to see a system that plays more to his strengths as a goalie, before exercising the buyout on him, and I'd definitely wait until at least the summer of 2014.
- Jsaquella

I completely agree. Bryz put up excellent numbers behind a defense first system in Phoenix, I would love to see him have the same shot here.

so now you're saying i'm rigid and unobjective

too many opps for him to bail out this team where he didn't come thru. the prob is his play, like the teams, is too predictable in it's moments of futility in particular game situations. if they keep him another yr, i'll understand why they want to salvage, but i'm not putting lipstick on this pig. he has to play better than he has so far to justify keeping him.
- isaiah520

At the start of the season, he bailed them out left and right and how many times did the team end up making use of said bail outs? It's gotten to the point where it doesn't even make a difference the majority of the time and I think Bryzgalov knows that. He tries to do too much now and ends up letting in a softy.

He didn't fall short in the playoffs. That's ridiculous. Kovalchuk even said that without him, the games would have been waaaaaaaaaaay worse. The team in front of him was god awful and Lavy failed to adjust.
- NickTheKid87

actually, i was referring to PHO, where you referenced their system. FWIW, i would say bryz was no world beater in last yrs plyoffs. he had moments good and bad, overall, meh.

I completely agree. Bryz put up excellent numbers behind a defense first system in Phoenix, I would love to see him have the same shot here.
- BiggE

If he can get back to or at least close to his numbers in Phoenix, he'd be worth keeping for the remaining 7 years of his deal. If still struggles in a defensive system then they should by him out. That's how I see things.

Good points all over but I would like to chime in cause Im bored...Aside from the youngsters on this team a rebuild wouldnt be a bad idea. This team has regressed since the cup run something has to give. Like someone had mentioned Flyers are getting bad value across the board between overpayment to players and average production. To put this into prospective all one has to do is go to capgeek...For one Flyers have the least cap space availabe which is no shock but should have better results. Has anyone seen how much the Flyers are spending on D? Easily the most of any team in this league yet they are very average. I dont have all the answers but this team needs to first manage the cap better and somehow get a good cushion to sign impact players. How the heck would they have afforded the Suter and Parise offers as reported last summer?

One good thing about the youngsters on this team they are still developing so when they are up for RFA they shouldnt break the bank. Giroux however will get a nice payday I assume. And I am also with the others on here disapointed in Bryz, yeah he's a good goaltender but he isnt making very many impact saves. Numbers dont like, he has been average at best if it continues Flyers will have no choice but to at least look at the options including a buyout.

He should be a buyout candidate.

His performance, while better this year, still hasn't been elite. The biggest concern is the cap recapture issues down the road.

That said, how does he get replaced? It's not impossible, but do they run out and sign another bad deal? I'd like to see a system that plays more to his strengths as a goalie, before exercising the buyout on him, and I'd definitely wait until at least the summer of 2014.
- Jsaquella

prepare for the onslaught!

actually, i was referring to PHO, where you referenced their system. FWIW, i would say bryz was no world beater in last yrs plyoffs. he had moments good and bad, overall, meh.
- isaiah520

He made some huge stops against Pitt and in game 1 against NJ to keep the team in the game. After that everything imploded. Henrik Lundqvist wouldn't have put up a SV% over .900 in those last 4 games against the Devils. The team was atrocious.

I don't think it was 'giving up' on him, so much as moving in another direction (a direction they committed serious greenbacks to). Maybe they felt it was only fair to move him, that he wouldn't have been happy with or suited for a back up role. He could come to haunt them, nonetheless. For now, I'm just happy for Bob, he's getting playtime and doing fairly well for himself.
- BulliesPhan87

I agree that they didnt give up on him, they made a horrific management mistake with his playing time. Near the end on the season, Bouch was pulled and Bob went in for mop up duty. By entering these games, his games played criteria exceeded the allowable level to be eligible to be assigned to the AHL without waivers. Thus, he couldnt go to the Phantoms and develop. He and his 1,75M cap hit had to stay on the roster

Blame Boosh for sucking