It's damn hard to watch the Flyers and simultaneously want them to lose, just to get a better pick.

I guess I'll just not watch.

I don't see how Bryz's bad contract is the coaches fault
- Dkos

Me neither.

I don't see how Bryz's bad contract is the coaches fault
- Dkos

The coach buried Bobrovsky behind a guy who was in the AHL for most of the year after 1 bad playoff period. That led the owner to demand the GM to fix the goalie position. The GM went out and signed the best FA goalie on the market. The contract was longer to mitigate the cap hit.

Had Laviolette simply stuck with Bobrovsky, perhaps they don't sign Bryzgalov. Or maybe Bob gets lit up again and they still have a hole. The point is, the coach bailed on him after one bad period, which set the other stuff in motion.

So is he directly responsible? no. But his handling of the goalies did play a role.

Laviolette's track record is sink or swim. His Carolina team's won the Cup one year, and then missed the playoffs 3 straight years. That's his track record. He can be a good Coach and has had success. But there is no doubt that he did a horrendous job with this team, this Season. And what he did in 06, or whatever when Carolina won, really doesn't matter now.
- MJL

agree 100%

It's what have you done for me lately. Last Season is last Season. This Season is this Season. Laviolette did a fine job in 10, and in 06 in Carolina. This year, not so much. That's what it's all about. Past success only takes you so far. There is only so much credit in the bank.
- MJL

I can accept that. I'm not averse to changing the coach. I just can't put all the blame on him for this poor season.

I'm so tired of hearing about Bobrovsky. He had so many chances to take over and he never could. He's playing great this year. Maybe he'll be a great goalie. I don't know, but they didn't get rid of him because Laviolette didn't play him in the playoffs. Holmgren traded him because he didn't think he was good enough to be the starter and he was going to cost too much to be a backup.

Seems to me Couturier just didn't play well enough to play on a top line. He's a young kid who had a down year. So Lavy gets no credit for Coot's good rookie season, but all the blame for this season?
- Dkos

I agree with you about Bob but lavy doesn't inspire confidence with how he handles goaltenders. Bob did get a stretch of games last year when bryzgalov first got sick then got hurt. He didn't exactly steal the show with extended playing time. We'll see how he does in Columbus over the course of a full season.

I can accept that. I'm not averse to changing the coach. I just can't put all the blame on him for this poor season.
- Dkos

There isn't anyone who is putting all the blame on him. There's blame on every level of the organization for this year's mess.

I don't see how Bryz's bad contract is the coaches fault
- Dkos

The coach makes the decision of which players dress. The damn Goalie carousel nightmare pissed off anyone watching that Lavi had no confidence in any of our goalies. This forced Holmgren's hand to get Bryz. Holmgren takes his share of the blame for the crazy contract Bryz got sure... And it was that contract which alienated Bob, no question. So it's a matter of dominoes. If Lavi had a better grasp of when to trust and when to sit his players then Bob might still be here. I thought it was a stand up move by Holmgren to trade Bob someplace he could fight for that #1 spot.

He won a Stanley Cup in 2006, then failed to make the playoffs the next three years. His team's gotten progressively worse each year as Flyers coach, too.

As for blame this year, yes, Holmgren deserves a share. But Laviolette tried to run the same system he had success in 2010 without a lot of the same pieces. He asked players to do things they were not adept at doing. He made few adjustment to account for the different talent on the roster.

Over the last few years, he's failed to find a way to even break even against divisional rivals like New Jersey and the Rangers, and has had issues with Boston and even Tampa Bay. He buried Bobrovsky after one bad period in the 2011 playoffs, which led to the Snider forced move to sign Bryzgalov, which basically punched Bob's ticket out of town. He's taken a kid that the Flyers had made an untouchable asset and cornerstone and turned him into a 4th line center, playing almost exclusively with goons and career 4th liners.
- Jsaquella

He ran Bryz into the ground, turning a mostly effective goalie in the 1st 6 weeks into a tired shell of his former self. That will probably punch his ticket out of town too!

There isn't anyone who is putting all the blame on him. There's blame on every level of the organization for this year's mess.
- Jsaquella

They can sign Joacim Eriksson, or that kid OB always goes on about from Barrie.
- Jsaquella

not sure sunshine would want to sign here. area 51. seriously though, they let him go...i haven't seen his name pop up anywhere in terms of being targeted by an nhl club. maybe that will happen after this season.

not sure sunshine would want to sign here. area 51. seriously though, they let him go...i haven't seen his name pop up anywhere in terms of being targeted by an nhl club. maybe that will happen after this season.
- hammarby31

He's played very well this year.

I think Bryzgalov gets heat as much for his personality as his play. Right or wrong, the media will focus on both. But if a guy comes in, and just does his job, it's not impossible to fly under the radar.

He ran Bryz into the ground, turning a mostly effective goalie in the 1st 6 weeks into a tired shell of his former self. That will probably punch his ticket out of town too!
- TheGreat28

I'm sorry that I have a 9-5 job that doesn't allow me to take day trips to all parts of the world to scout Flyers prospects. I took a look at his stats, read some talent analyses of him, looked at his size, saw what he has done, and I think he has the ability to translate as an NHL player. I'm not saying put him in there and expect him to be the savior. I'm not saying put him in there and evaluate whether or not he's worth anything over a 7-game stretch. But if the Flyers want to give him a little exposure to NHL play without too much of a burden, now would be a good time.
- jmatchett383

what everyone is forgetting is that Alt's contract starts next year. he is playing on a ATO contract right now

He ran Bryz into the ground, turning a mostly effective goalie in the 1st 6 weeks into a tired shell of his former self. That will probably punch his ticket out of town too!
- TheGreat28

That's something I can blame Holmgren for. Neither Boucher or Leighton gave the team any chance of winning during their starts, so I can't blame Laviolette for not playing them more.

Mason's played solidly, and has gotten the opportunity to play.

what everyone is forgetting is that Alt's contract starts next year. he is playing on a ATO contract right now
- nastyflyergirl

The kid just left college, why rush him to see if he can step right in. Let him play at the AHL level and get his feet wet.

Nor did I, and I also don't base my desire to see him fired on just this season. This has been brewing for the past couple years.
- Jsaquella

That's one thing being misconstrued, is that the desire to see Lavi fired is about blame for this season. It's about a guy who hasn't excelled at his job. He's even been a hindrance, in the ways you've described. I understand that his system can and has won, and he even got us to the Finals, but the fact is that it hasn't been working, and he's been to rigid to adapt to the circumstances on a number of occasions, instituting change only once it's too late.

That's one thing being misconstrued, is that the desire to see Lavi fired is about blame for this season. It's about a guy who hasn't excelled at his job. He's even been a hindrance, in the ways you've described. I understand that his system can and has won, and he even got us to the Finals, but the fact is that it hasn't been working, and he's been to rigid to adapt to the circumstances on a number of occasions, instituting change only once it's too late.
- BulliesPhan87

Well that's one thing that's been misconstrued....the other item is that I don't just blame Laviolette. I blame him more than others, but not him alone. I blame Snider's meddling almost as much.

I'm so tired of hearing about Bobrovsky. He had so many chances to take over and he never could. He's playing great this year. Maybe he'll be a great goalie. I don't know, but they didn't get rid of him because Laviolette didn't play him in the playoffs. Holmgren traded him because he didn't think he was good enough to be the starter and he was going to cost too much to be a backup.

Seems to me Couturier just didn't play well enough to play on a top line. He's a young kid who had a down year. So Lavy gets no credit for Coot's good rookie season, but all the blame for this season?
- Dkos

I agree with JSaq. Bob had ONE year as a starter, a year that saw him enter the league as a 21 year old with virtually no English skills, first time out of the country. That is a tough thing for anyone to do. And all he did was play 54 games and post a 2.59 GAA and .915 save percentage.

And for this he got basically ONE PERIOD in the playoffs to prove himself. Imagine...Pronger has 2 bad shifts in the 1st period of game 1 that lead to goals...does he get benched for most of the rest of the series. Absolutely not.

The embarassment of a new goalie every period, especially with the team already being a virtual laughingstock in the league where goalies are concerned, was what drove Snider to push Holmgren to sign Bryz.

And if the team was winning and playing well. Those "out there" moments turn from a distraction to the team, and a major issue. To a he's just a quirky Goalie and it's laughed off. Which is what makes the entire thing a bunch of bullpoop!
- MJL

Yep.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother following the beat writers on Twitter. Often times I just roll my eyes at their comments and I learned long ago to not click on the links to their "stories."

Well that's one thing that's been misconstrued....the other item is that I don't just blame Laviolette. I blame him more than others, but not him alone. I blame Snider's meddling almost as much.
- Jsaquella

I appreciate his passion for this team, but I do wish Snider would take more of a backseat. There's plenty of blame to go around, you're right about that. When I'm looking at ways I improve my team this summer, though, my notes definitely include mention of certain divisional and conference rivals that have made a science of out-coaching Laviolette.

They can sign Joacim Eriksson, or that kid OB always goes on about from Barrie.
- Jsaquella

Unfortunately, they only bring back players that were ACTUALLY here, and only then after they cross the 30 threshhold.

The coach buried Bobrovsky behind a guy who was in the AHL for most of the year after 1 bad playoff period. That led the owner to demand the GM to fix the goalie position. The GM went out and signed the best FA goalie on the market. The contract was longer to mitigate the cap hit.

Had Laviolette simply stuck with Bobrovsky, perhaps they don't sign Bryzgalov. Or maybe Bob gets lit up again and they still have a hole. The point is, the coach bailed on him after one bad period, which set the other stuff in motion.

So is he directly responsible? no. But his handling of the goalies did play a role.
- Jsaquella

Hey, I would have liked to see the Flyers hold onto Bob longer than they did too, but I can't blame his being traded on the coach. The coach was desperately trying to win playoff games. I feel like had a no win goalie situation. Say he stuck with Bob and Bob poop the bed. You'd be telling how Lava ran Bob out of town by playing such a young and inexperienced kid in such a difficult situation.

i'm sure they'll draft a goalie. i have no read on the prospects. hartzell's name was floating around as they had him in prospects camp last summer and that they were pressing hard to sign him.
- hammarby31

what about the other goalie they had in prospect camp. crud I can't recall his name but he played in the Q

The coach makes the decision of which players dress. The damn Goalie carousel nightmare pissed off anyone watching that Lavi had no confidence in any of our goalies. This forced Holmgren's hand to get Bryz. Holmgren takes his share of the blame for the crazy contract Bryz got sure... And it was that contract which alienated Bob, no question. So it's a matter of dominoes. If Lavi had a better grasp of when to trust and when to sit his players then Bob might still be here. I thought it was a stand up move by Holmgren to trade Bob someplace he could fight for that #1 spot.
- FlyersGrace

Did you have confidence in any of the goalies? I sure didn't. Once again, it wasn't Lava who put that goalie crew together