well, I have been educated.

the Flyers have no cap problems but the Rangers have 4 guys signed beyond next season and will be in cap hell anyway because Peter Laviolette is going to send Zac Rinaldo on the ice to try and kill Brad Richards in a game next April.

Does that cover it?
- jimbro83

Sounds accurate

why did guys like Ed Snider force us to miss half a season and lock the players out again?
- jimbro83

False.

Good job, good effort.

well, I have been educated.

the Flyers have no cap problems but the Rangers have 4 guys signed beyond next season and will be in cap hell anyway because Peter Laviolette is going to send Zac Rinaldo on the ice to try and kill Brad Richards in a game next April.

Does that cover it?
- jimbro83

That only happens if Richards is not a healthy scratch for that game I guess...

I'm trying to find the clinical definition of a "good GM" to help out some of hte people that love to hate on the Flyers.

Is a good GM the guy that constantly stays way under the cap, has a good pool of young talent and his team either hits or misses year by year?

or

Is a good GM the guy that spends to the cap, constantly figures out new ways to work around the cap, goes out and gives his team a chance to make a run every year?

I don't think a GM can be measured as good or bad until he's done and you can look back at his record of cups vs no cups.

People like to jump all over Holmgren over some of his deals but I don't think they look objectively at the outcomes. I'm constantly amazed at the witty criticisms that the Flyers get as if they totally forgot there's a cap or that they haven't even thought about the idea that they Flyers might have projection numbers and know where and how they will fit who and when under the cap.

Amazing how many out of work GMs there are on Hockeybuzz.

Re: Vinny - I like it, may even love it by the end of this season. Beginning with the fact that we won't have to run Giroux out there for every D-zone faceoff and ending with a 60+ point second line center at a 4.5m cap hit, I like the move.
- shekkie

criticism of homer at this juncture is warranted. he just paid a goalie $39 MM for 2yrs of work and last off season was wretched. the team has been headed backwards since 2010 and while the pronger injury played the major role in this decline, it's not as if the flyers have shown the ability to formulate contingency plans. he certainly can regain some luster w/ a good off season, but it will prob be his last if the team misses the plyoffs.

wait, I just read that the Flyers can put Chris Pronger's cap hit on LTIR and actually have no cap problems. Do I have to read this blog again? Could swear I just read that...
- jimbro83

You appear to be somewhat confused. There is a one week period next summer where the Rangers will be able to buy out Richards. If he is injured during this period like Heatley is now, they will not be able to use their second compliance buyout on him and will be stuck with his contract until 2020 because no team would be crazy enough to trade for it.

LTIR is useful in the case of career ending injuries like the ones Savard and Pronger suffered, but not something you want to rely on (especially with a huge annual cap hit of $6.67M) or something we would assume would apply to Brad Richards.

jose is atrocious at this point
- isaiah520

I honestly think you can get Tim Thomas for 1.5

Well the hatred for Vinny will be very large to say the least, it is a good move though.

I don't see Hartnell being on your team at the end of the year, and Vinny would be a great leader for your team. Hartnell is pretty much done.

Broad street hockey had a fantastic post about how if we were to look into thomas at around 3.5 mill for a 1-2 yr deal and trade mezz for a pick we would have an upgraded roster (even if its not a huge upgrade) 2 capable goalies over one (we hope) with 6 million less cap space.

Not bad all things considering.

I also think last years team was good enough to make the playoffs, the way we were trending if 82 games were played we would have made it in imo. Im not saying it could have been much improved, or that we should have handled free agency differently, but for as much as we give hommer poop, he knows when he made a mistake and does the best job he can to fix it.

He disappears at times?

He'll fit right in with this team then!
- Flyersgod

Now that's funny....

well, I have been educated.

the Flyers have no cap problems but the Rangers have 4 guys signed beyond next season and will be in cap hell anyway because Peter Laviolette is going to send Zac Rinaldo on the ice to try and kill Brad Richards in a game next April.

Does that cover it?
- jimbro83

Nope, just twists words and ideas.

Flyers are not cozy, but not nearly as restricted as most haters wish to believe. They have a very manageable cap "problem".

As for the Rags, I think a lot is being made of nothing. It is certainly a risk to go into the season with Richards because if he does sustain a non-career ending injury it will screw you guys for a long time.

All in all, getting taken to school doesn't necessarily translate into being educated, but maybe one day you'll get there.

Well the hatred for Vinny will be very large to say the least, it is a good move though.

I don't see Hartnell being on your team at the end of the year, and Vinny would be a great leader for your team. Hartnell is pretty much done.
- nbartley9

I think you will be surprised.

I'm on board w/ Thomas if the price/term is right...listening to kevin woodley, TT is the type of competitor that can overcome a layoff. no challenge insurmountable and he's already head many in his career.

You appear to be somewhat confused. There is a one week period next summer where the Rangers will be able to buy out Richards. If he is injured during this period like Heatley is now, they will not be able to use their second compliance buyout on him and will be stuck with his contract until 2020 because no team would be crazy enough to trade for it.

LTIR is useful in the case of career ending injuries like the ones Savard and Pronger suffered, but not something you want to rely on (especially with a huge annual cap hit of $6.67M) or something we would assume would apply to Brad Richards.
- Feanor

well you know what, the way the Flyers and Penguins are spending money leads me to believe that the salary cap will be going up to levels never seen before in the coming years, and if that unfortunate scenario you just laid out with Brad Richards occurs, it should be too crippling for our cap in future seasons.

criticism of homer at this juncture is warranted. he just paid a goalie $39 MM for 2yrs of work and last off season was wretched. the team has been headed backwards since 2010 and while the pronger injury played the major role in this decline, it's not as if the flyers have shown the ability to formulate contingency plans. he certainly can regain some luster w/ a good off season, but it will prob be his last if the team misses the plyoffs.
- isaiah520

Right but I'm not trying to defend Homer, more of a "wait and see" outlook on him. That said, what is the measure of good - never making mistakes or making mistakes and learning from them? One could argue your point about contingency plans as everything that comes after Pronger going down is now a contingency plan.

I think you will be surprised.
- jak521

About Vinny or Hartnell?

About Vinny or Hartnell?
- nbartley9

Hartnell. He played last season with a broken foot, on a team that was having a down year. I fully expect 20-30 goals and 20-30 assists to go along with his antics and 100 pim.

Well the hatred for Vinny will be very large to say the least, it is a good move though.

I don't see Hartnell being on your team at the end of the year, and Vinny would be a great leader for your team. Hartnell is pretty much done.
- nbartley9

Yawn, another troll. Your team just signed two players who are three years older than Hartnell to three/four year deals and now have 48 million tied up in 8 players for next season. Go discuss that on your own board.

Right but I'm not trying to defend Homer, more of a "wait and see" outlook on him. That said, what is the measure of good - never making mistakes or making mistakes and learning from them? One could argue your point about contingency plans as everything that comes after Pronger going down is now a contingency plan.
- shekkie

Pronger was a win now move that did bring us to 2 games of the cup... also when he went down, he had at least 2 more good years left in him. poop happenes and you have to work within the market with what you have.

The only huge gaff the flyers have made in the last 3 offseasons was banking on sutter and not resigning carle when they had the chance.

About Vinny or Hartnell?
- nbartley9

Hartnell's one injury-filled year away from posting career highs in goals and points. I don't think he's on the way out.

Pronger was a win now move that did bring us to 2 games of the cup... also when he went down, he had at least 2 more good years left in him. poop happenes and you have to work within the market with what you have.

The only huge gaff the flyers have made in the last 3 offseasons was banking on sutter and not resigning carle when they had the chance.
- flyers4487

I dont doubt for a second that Pronger would have finished that deal had he never sustained the eye injury. Shame he never had the chance to prove me right.

CAPGEEK.COM USER GENERATED ROSTER
My Custom Lineup
FORWARDS
Scott Hartnell ($4.750m) / Claude Giroux ($3.750m) / Jakub Voracek ($4.250m)
Brayden Schenn ($3.110m) / Vincent Lecavalier ($4.500m) / Wayne Simmonds ($3.975m)
Simon Gagne ($2.250m) / Sean Couturier ($1.375m) / Matt Read ($0.900m)
Zac Rinaldo ($0.750m) / Maxime Talbot ($1.750m) / Scott Laughton ($1.107m)
Jay Rosehill ($0.675m) / Tye McGinn ($0.775m) /
Jason Akeson ($0.900m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Mark Streit ($5.250m) / Luke Schenn ($3.600m)
Kimmo Timonen ($6.000m) / Andrew Ference ($3.000m)
Erik Gustafsson ($0.851m) / Nicklas Grossmann ($3.500m)
Marc-Andre Bourdon ($0.613m) / Bruno Gervais ($0.825m)
GOALTENDERS
Steve Mason ($1.500m)
Tim Thomas ($2.000m)
OTHER
Buyout: Oskars Bartulis ($0.100m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $62,237,594; BONUSES: $2,960,000
CAP SPACE (25-man roster): $5,022,406


thoughts?

Yawn, another troll. Your team just signed two players who are three years older than Hartnell to three year deals and now have 48 million tied up in 8 players for next season. Go discuss that on your own board.
- Feanor

I dont think he was trolling at all...

I honestly think you can get Tim Thomas for 1.5
- flyersfan51

i think he'll ask for 3.5-4 mm for 2yrs...what he'll get, i dunno

anybody else think the Flyers will move Talbot. I think him and his 1.75 cap hit will be gone. With the addition of Lecavalier the Flyers are now loaded down the middle with Giroux, Schenn, Couturier and last years 1st round pick Scott Laughton.

criticism of homer at this juncture is warranted. he just paid a goalie $39 MM for 2yrs of work and last off season was wretched. the team has been headed backwards since 2010 and while the pronger injury played the major role in this decline, it's not as if the flyers have shown the ability to formulate contingency plans. he certainly can regain some luster w/ a good off season, but it will prob be his last if the team misses the plyoffs.
- isaiah520

Yes, because the owner who was reluctant to see Bob Clarke replaced will obviously fire Homer for making moves that he, the owner, demanded and are thus his own fault. Makes perfect sense.

It's a wonder Mr. Snider allows Pronger to scout for the team since Pronger's eye is the source of his -- and the Flyers' -- issues since November 2011.