Tim Panaccio: Do You "Like" The Flyers Roster?
- tpanaccio

exhausting coverage indeed

How do you think members of the media are aware that some of his teammates don't like Bryzgalov? Frank Seravalli claims that multiple players came to him and asked him to write the story about Bryzgalov allegedly napping during a meeting. If any of that is true, then those teammates have acted unprofessionally by violating the privacy of the locker room and the inner sanctum of the team.
- MJL

Asked him to write the story? I didn't hear that. All I heard was that 2 players confirmed that Bryz closed his eyes during a team meeting. Whatever. It's all so silly. Who cares who said what? What is this middle school?

The bottom line is he gets attention because he acts weird.

Asked him to write the story? I didn't hear that. All I heard was that 2 players confirmed that Bryz closed his eyes during a team meeting. Whatever. It's all so silly. Who cares who said what? What is this middle school?

The bottom line is he gets attention because he acts weird.
- Dkos

Frank wrote that Talbot said that Giroux told him that Briere was overheard telling Couturier, all in French of course, that Bryzgalov liked to fall asleep while watching films. Frank's translation--Bryzgalov falls asleep watching film.

Asked him to write the story? I didn't hear that. All I heard was that 2 players confirmed that Bryz closed his eyes during a team meeting. Whatever. It's all so silly. Who cares who said what? What is this middle school?

The bottom line is he gets attention because he acts weird.
- Dkos

Your first point, I agree with totally. The second point, not so much. The media should be covering Hockey, not the BS they get so wrapped up with. A players personality quirks shouldn't determine how much attention he gets from the Media.

I am not sure which Flyers' fans cringe when they hear Holmgren say "I like our team." Quite the opposite--I think many of us find it refreshing that managment is exercising patience in young players development. (Bobrovsky, after all, was not Holmgren's call.)

Why do you say that Holmgren failed to address the team defense? What, prey-tell, would you have liked him to do last off season? He did go out and get Luke Schenn--who performed admirably this year. Holmgren did sign Shea Weber, who, unfortunately, had his poisonous contract matched by Nashville. And, furthermore, I do not hear too many fans in Tampa clamoring with excitement that Matt Carle is signed for five more years at $5.5mil.

I do not fully blame Laviolette, either. He chose to give his players rest in the early part of the season rather than holding practices. That makes sense because of the brutality of the Flyers' early season schedule, but also makes it difficult to make adjustments in addressing the problems from the 2011-12 season.

Do I like this team--yes (for the most part). I like this team more than many Flyers teams in recent memory. I think they have balance down the center and some good young wingers. Am I disappointed, of course. But I was also disappointed after 2006-07 when Carter, Richards, and Umberger were sorting things out.

No need to overreact--it was a half season.



On second thought, can we use our amnesty clause on Tim?
- Moose_15

agreed

Your first point, I agree with totally. The second point, not so much. The media should be covering Hockey, not the BS they get so wrapped up with. A players personality quirks shouldn't determine how much attention he gets from the Media.
- MJL

It sells newspapers.

I'm not asking you to like it, but let's not pretend that the reporters should be above it.

Until the general public (everywhere - not picking on Flyers fans here) stops wanting this crap, it will be reported.

It sells newspapers.

I'm not asking you to like it, but let's not pretend that the reporters should be above it.

Until the general public (everywhere - not picking on Flyers fans here) stops wanting this crap, it will be reported.
- Atomic Wedgie

I agree it will be reported because people like that nonsense. But they should be above it. Never will be, but they should.

The only way to do it is if the other team is extremely cash strapped or cap strapped. Even then, it's a long shot.

The Ducks had cap troubles when Edmonton offer sheeted Penner.
- Jsaquella

And lucky for us it's St.Louis. They don't have cap problems, but they have cap balance problems. When (if) they get the same D corp back next year, they'll be paying their 10-11 D men more than their 16-17 forwards. If they match an offer to say, Shattenkirk, I imagine it would be only so they could trade him and get assets back instead of just letting him walk, which is very possible. I imagine if an offer sheet is made, it will be an atrocious contract that would make said D man virtually untradable, and if the flyers need anything, its a contract we can't get rid of

Your first point, I agree with totally. The second point, not so much. The media should be covering Hockey, not the BS they get so wrapped up with. A players personality quirks shouldn't determine how much attention he gets from the Media.
- MJL

Bryzgalov isn't the first Goalie to appear on an NHL team to have less than stellar relationships with his teammates. Billy Smith allegedly was a Total SOB in the locker room. You couldn't get near him and Woe unto you if you touched any of his methodically laid out gear. BUT, he was at the helm for 4 Stanleys...I guess, once this team hopefully gets winning again, all the Bryz locker room shenanigans become more or less irrelevant....This stuff is amplified and exacerbated by the Crappy season and losses...When your a winner, this stuff isn't newsworthy...At all!

And lucky for us it's St.Louis. They don't have cap problems, but they have cap balance problems. When (if) they get the same D corp back next year, they'll be paying their 10-11 D men more than their 16-17 forwards. If they match an offer to say, Shattenkirk, I imagine it would be only so they could trade him and get assets back instead of just letting him walk, which is very possible. I imagine if an offer sheet is made, it will be an atrocious contract that would make said D man virtually untradable, and if the flyers need anything, its a contract we can't get rid of
- JAKEw1234

If a team matches an Offer Sheet, they can't trade that player for one calendar year.

Bryzgalov isn't the first Goalie to appear on an NHL team to have less than stellar relationships with his teammates. Billy Smith allegedly was a Total SOB in the locker room. You couldn't get near him and Woe unto you if you touched any of his methodically laid out gear. BUT, he was at the helm for 4 Stanleys...I guess, once this team hopefully gets winning again, all the Bryz locker room shenanigans become more or less irrelevant....This stuff is amplified and exacerbated by the Crappy season and losses...When your a winner, this stuff isn't newsworthy...At all!
- HigginzMask

Well said, and I'm with you 100%.

And lucky for us it's St.Louis. They don't have cap problems, but they have cap balance problems. When (if) they get the same D corp back next year, they'll be paying their 10-11 D men more than their 16-17 forwards. If they match an offer to say, Shattenkirk, I imagine it would be only so they could trade him and get assets back instead of just letting him walk, which is very possible. I imagine if an offer sheet is made, it will be an atrocious contract that would make said D man virtually untradable, and if the flyers need anything, its a contract we can't get rid of
- JAKEw1234

They are going to match any offer that the Flyers give to Pietrangelo. It's not even worth discussing. Maybe they can land Shattenkirk, but even then they'd be paying a good number two like a number one.

Bryzgalov isn't the first Goalie to appear on an NHL team to have less than stellar relationships with his teammates. Billy Smith allegedly was a Total SOB in the locker room. You couldn't get near him and Woe unto you if you touched any of his methodically laid out gear. BUT, he was at the helm for 4 Stanleys...I guess, once this team hopefully gets winning again, all the Bryz locker room shenanigans become more or less irrelevant....This stuff is amplified and exacerbated by the Crappy season and losses...When your a winner, this stuff isn't newsworthy...At all!
- HigginzMask

Very true. As Meltzer has pointed out more than once, Tom Barrasso was the least popular guy in the Penguin room...but they won, so it's minor BS

Your first point, I agree with totally. The second point, not so much. The media should be covering Hockey, not the BS they get so wrapped up with. A players personality quirks shouldn't determine how much attention he gets from the Media.
- MJL

If two players come to you, a reporter, and say "we want you to write an article saying our goalie sleeps thru team meetings",how do you not report that?

Of course a player's personality will affect the amount of attention he gets from the media and of course fans are interested in the players personally. That's how it works. If you're interesting people want to know about you. If you're likeable and you can string a few words together you get to do commercials. This may sound like a gratuitous restatement of the obvious but, people like likeable people. I don't have a problem with the things Bryz has said and I don't mind that it's being reported. It's a little childish that his team mates are "telling on him", but I don't expect too much from 20 year old jock meat-heads. Whether he does it intentionally or not Bryz calls attention to himself with the way he acts. He has a similar relationship with the press in Russia and I'm pretty sure it's not because of his silly accent.

Yes, the GM failed to compensate for the losses of Jagr and Carle, but the Flyers still had enough talent to be a top 8 team in the East. There were several players that underachieved, too. But there were also several players that were put in roles that they simply were not able to succeed in.

- Jsaquella

I disagree that Jagr and Carle were not compensated for...

Jagr's replacement was Voracek... And, he exceeded expectations. Voracek's replacement at the low lines was Fedotanko, and later upgraded to Gagne...

Carle's replacement was Schenn... I'll take that switch. Schenn play very well this year. Other defensive pieces were injured and lead to a weaker over-all defense.

I disagree that Jagr and Carle were not compensated for...

Jagr's replacement was Voracek... And, he exceeded expectations. Voracek's replacement at the low lines was Fedotanko, and later upgraded to Gagne...

Carle's replacement was Schenn... I'll take that switch. Schenn play very well this year. Other defensive pieces were injured and lead to a weaker over-all defense.
- leon neon

Voracek was on the roster last season, so while he took over Jagr's role, that left others to fill Voracek's spot-and he played mostly on the 2nd line last season.

Carle's mobility wasn't replaced at all. That was part of the issue.

This. All of it. GMs have to say things generally and positively if they involve an area you are looking to make changes to. It's why he was easy to say that Bryzgalov didn't live up to expectations this year. Bryz didn't live up to expectations, and if he is going anywhere this offseason, it will be after a buyout. He=omer doesn't need to convince any other teams that Bryz is good, or that he's "happy with Bryz". You are spot on my friend.
- JAKEw1234

Don't even get me started with Bryz bashing... They played the $hit out of him with an injury depleted defense made up of AHL'ers, and he still wound up with a winning record. The biggest issue was the lack of a back up goalie.

Voracek was on the roster last season, so while he took over Jagr's role, that left others to fill Voracek's spot-and he played mostly on the 2nd line last season.

Carle's mobility wasn't replaced at all. That was part of the issue.
- Jsaquella

Coburn's dropping of the ball really hurt the back end this year. I think what happens with Coburn and Mesz are the first steps into figuring out this back end. Meszy just seems like Mr. Glass, and Coby is making decent penny for a guy that just can't seem to put all his tools together at once with any consistency.

Coburn's dropping of the ball really hurt the back end this year. I think what happens with Coburn and Mesz are the first steps into figuring out this back end. Meszy just seems like Mr. Glass, and Coby is making decent penny for a guy that just can't seem to put all his tools together at once with any consistency.
- GirouxForTheShow

If Laviolette plays them in roles that they are capable of filling, they will be fine. Coburn's not a top pair guy, but he is a solid, stay at home second pair guy.

Voracek was on the roster last season, so while he took over Jagr's role, that left others to fill Voracek's spot-and he played mostly on the 2nd line last season.

Carle's mobility wasn't replaced at all. That was part of the issue.
- Jsaquella

That's kind-of my point. You can really replace anyone 100%. Players get better and move up, others get older and slow down.

So, was Voracek this year better then Jagr last year. And, was Schenn (who played Voracek's 2 line minutes) this year better then Voracek last year. etc...

As, for Carle mobility... There was a lot of talk on this before the season, but at the end of the season - Not as big as an issue in my mind. Sure Schenn was not as good with mobility, but he was not exactly a liability.

If two players come to you, a reporter, and say "we want you to write an article saying our goalie sleeps thru team meetings",how do you not report that?


- Dkos

I don't report it because they obviously have an agenda. And I won't be their puppet. And if I did decide to report it, I tell them I'm using your names in the story. And if they don't agree, then I tell them don't come to me with that nonsense then. Real brave of the players. Whatever happened to responsible journalism?

Of course a player's personality will affect the amount of attention he gets from the media and of course fans are interested in the players personally. That's how it works. If you're interesting people want to know about you. If you're likeable and you can string a few words together you get to do commercials. This may sound like a gratuitous restatement of the obvious but, people like likeable people. I don't have a problem with the things Bryz has said and I don't mind that it's being reported. It's a little childish that his team mates are "telling on him", but I don't expect too much from 20 year old jock meat-heads. Whether he does it intentionally or not Bryz calls attention to himself with the way he acts. He has a similar relationship with the press in Russia and I'm pretty sure it's not because of his silly accent.
- Dkos

I agree that it will affect it. Bryzgalov gets the attention because they're hoping he will stumble to find the words and it will be misinterpreted, and it will create drama. As I said previously, he's a strange guy. Doesn't make him a bad guy.

If Laviolette plays them in roles that they are capable of filling, they will be fine. Coburn's not a top pair guy, but he is a solid, stay at home second pair guy.
- Jsaquella

I think management was relying on Coburn to pick up at least some of the slack caused by Carle leaving, especially with the mobility and puck moving aspect. I think he struggled greatly with his decision making. But say we do bring in a #1, pair him with Schenn, and then Timonen-Grossman as a 2nd pair, are you gonna pay Coby 4M+ to play on the 3rd pairing? Even if you are saving money by having Gus a full-time NHLer on the 3rd pair. Would it not make more sense to get rid of Coburn and throw his money at a #1?

Obviously then you get into who is available and yada yada. I just think Coburn is getting paid a lot if the expectation is 4-5 defenseman in a shutdown role.

I disagree that Jagr and Carle were not compensated for...

Jagr's replacement was Voracek... And, he exceeded expectations. Voracek's replacement at the low lines was Fedotanko, and later upgraded to Gagne...

Carle's replacement was Schenn... I'll take that switch. Schenn play very well this year. Other defensive pieces were injured and lead to a weaker over-all defense.
- leon neon

Schenn can't replace the elements that Carle brought to the ice. Different kind of player.

I think management was relying on Coburn to pick up at least some of the slack caused by Carle leaving, especially with the mobility and puck moving aspect. I think he struggled greatly with his decision making. But say we do bring in a #1, pair him with Schenn, and then Timonen-Grossman as a 2nd pair, are you gonna pay Coby 4M+ to play on the 3rd pairing? Even if you are saving money by having Gus a full-time NHLer on the 3rd pair. Would it not make more sense to get rid of Coburn and throw his money at a #1?

Obviously then you get into who is available and yada yada. I just think Coburn is getting paid a lot if the expectation is 4-5 defenseman in a shutdown role.
- GirouxForTheShow

Whatever pairing you play Coburn on, he's still going to play 20 minutes a game, and play on the PK. And as we saw this year, defenseman get hurt.

Whatever pairing you play Coburn on, he's still going to play 20 minutes a game, and play on the PK. And as we saw this year, defenseman get hurt.
- MJL

Isn't that the truth. I was impressed with Lauridison, good to see he can play in a limited role as a call up.

Coburn wasn't hurt all year, and his play before his injury wasn't exactly indicative of a 20 minute a night defenseman warranting 4M+ a year.