Sestito eating the Phantoms for dinner. Is there any doubt his Brother scores tomorrow night?
- PLindbergh31

Doesn't help that Phantoms D basically gave up on that 2 on 1 rush for Albany's 4th goal. Not sure who was on the ice there but pretty awful coverage

Doesn't help that Phantoms D basically gave up on that 2 on 1 rush for Albany's 4th goal. Not sure who was on the ice there but pretty awful coverage
- mcefalu

At least the Phantoms don't have a revolving door to the box. Murray has team discipline right where it needs to be.

And he's got the PP humming like a well oiled machine.

It’s not exactly been the best summer for Nikolai Zherdev, the former NHL winger that’s had a rather colorful run in the KHL.

The former Columbus Blue Jackets pick, who also played for both the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, was dropped from Atlant of the KHL after his contract was bought out. The 28 year old found a new home with HC Lev Praha, another KHL team, signing a 1-year deal last week.

Then things went sorta bad.

Like, voodoo curse bad.

According to vesti.ru, Zherdev was involved in a physical altercation at the Barvikha Luxury Village hotel, in a suburb just outside of Moscow. The Fourth Period termed it a “bar fight,” so we’ll go with that.

Then Zherdev crashed his new black Bentley, which cost 10 million rubles ($302,177 US). The damage will cost him another 1 million rubles to repair.

In what is our favorite part of the story: Local residents scrawled obscenities on Zherdev’s car because they were so revolted by his behavior.

So things couldn’t get worse, right? Well, there’s also the pending divorce....

http://sports.yahoo.com/b...ght-pretty-142952351.html

JFC, we gotta sign him before the Rangers do!
- Raven728

That article makes it sound like Zherdev just happened upon some bad luck, when in actuality, he's a moron who screwed up royally. When you are cursed, bad things tend to happen regardless of your actions. In short: Zherdev = idiot.

At least the Phantoms don't have a revolving door to the box. Murray has team discipline right where it needs to be.

And he's got the PP humming like a well oiled machine.
- PLindbergh31

Phantoms did have their chances on the PP. Moved the puck pretty well but couldn't cash in. Maybe McGinn and Raffl really meant that much to their offense. Certainly explains the call ups.

Don't forget Game 2......Ben (frank)ing Eager
- KINGKENZO

don't worry. i'll never forget.

That article makes it sound like Zherdev just happened upon some bad luck, when in actuality, he's a moron who screwed up royally. When you are cursed, bad things tend to happen regardless of your actions. In short: Zherdev = idiot.
- mcefalu

So....3rd line winger?

Phantoms did have their chances on the PP. Moved the puck pretty well but couldn't cash in. Maybe McGinn and Raffl really meant that much to their offense. Certainly explains the call ups.
- mcefalu

The rangers have Asham and Biron on waivers.. would there be any interest in us claiming Asham? I would prefer we stick with Raffl and Mcginn.. I also think he's a RW and we would need a LW but with this org you never know.

The rangers have Asham and Biron on waivers.. would there be any interest in us claiming Asham? I would prefer we stick with Raffl and Mcginn.. I also think he's a RW and we would need a LW but with this org you never know.
- Hextall271

not from me.

Final/OT

London - 2
Kitchener - 3

Stolarz finished with 36 saves

Final/SO

Saginaw - 2
Oshawa - 1

Laughton no points today

The idea is to use Streit as a PP/O-zone specialist (he's the 7th D) or give him 4th line forward minutes (he's done it before in MTL). We know that Mez isn't great in his own zone, but Streit is exponentially worse. Transition-wise, Mez and Streit are a wash at this point. It's only in the o-zone that Streit has an advantage over Mez.
- Tomahawk

Streit is easily the best puck move and outlet passer on the team. And when the Flyers actually play a game where they aren't hemmed in their own end for large chunks of the game, and actually posses the puck. Streit has shown that ability numerous times. Making quality outlet passes to start the break. As well as using moving up on the play.

That premature Cup run was not a good thing to happen to this team in retrospect... they were lulled into thinking that they were only a step away from winning the prize, instead of stepping back and realizing that they were a team that literally sneaked into the PO's and rode a sequence of very favorable matchups and hot goaltending to the Cup Finals.

In reality, they were really never that close, but kept making moves/signings with a mind that it was within their grasp.
- Tomahawk

When you get to the Cup finals, that's pretty close. And if they were lulled into thinking they were only a step away. How do you explain the trades and Richards and Carter? A team doesn't trade those players if they feel they're only a step away.

That team was not ready to beat a team like Chicago that was really on the cusp developmentally... the Flyers were a half-rebuilt team with a ton of good fortune and a never say die attitude. If they had finished that rebuild the following seasons, and kept that identity and retained all the experience as a team, they would have been a juggernaut in short order.

Instead, we have a team built on a shaky foundation that's collapsing in on itself.
- Tomahawk

What we have is a core of young players that were taken in the wrong direction by a Coach. Lot's of bad habits and dysfunction were the by product of that. And from that has come a lack of confidence in how they were being asked to play. that was pretty clear and led to the firing of Laviolette. Coming back from that is not going to happen overnight. But they're making progress. Far too many people lose sight of the fact that they made drastic changes with this club. Compounded by the loss of Pronger. It is a work in progress.

The rangers have Asham and Biron on waivers.. would there be any interest in us claiming Asham? I would prefer we stick with Raffl and Mcginn.. I also think he's a RW and we would need a LW but with this org you never know.
- Hextall271

Well, we haven't had a good face cross-checker since we lost Boulerice....sure, let's bring him and put him on a line with B. Schenn.

Well, we haven't had a good face cross-checker since we lost Boulerice....sure, let's bring him and put him on a line with B. Schenn.
- jmatchett383

That was a douchebag move in the playoffs for sure, however he was a solid player during our run to the finals in 2010. My preference is to go young and see what we have.

Best example is going out and getting a Bryzgalov because you think you're really one piece away.

Or a Mez/SOD away, or a Nik Zherdev away.

Their focus should have been on replenishing the long-term depth of the organization to recover from the Pronger trade, with an eye on making another serious run in another 1-2 seasons. Instead, they got impatient and we are all too familar with the results of that.
- Tomahawk

O'Donnell and Zherdev were signed to one year deals. So I seriously doubt that they thought either player was the missing peice. Meszaros for a 2nd round pick was a steal at the time. Signing a top free agent has zero to do with long term depth of the Organization. Other then the pick they traded for his rights. YOU can do both at the same time. I don't think there is a basis for your premise.

Does anyone know/remember why Mesz's contract was backloaded? It just seems very oddball and very unHolmgrenlike.
- Flyers_01

Meszaros signed his current deal when he was with TB.

Despite their record under Berube, I think the Flyers have looked far and away better than under Lavy this year. I think the change was the right call. For whatever reason this team was not in game shape for the beginning of the year. When McGinn and Raffl come in and look like they have that much of a step on some of the Veterans, you have to ask if the Phantoms were getting better conditioned that the Flyers were. I have a feeling Berube is going to be skating this team hard til they start to pick up some speed. Overall I'm much happier with the effort and play of this team since the coaching change. I'm confident they will be a competitive team soon. But how fast is going to be the question of making the playoffs or not.
- flyler

Well said!

The rangers have Asham and Biron on waivers.. would there be any interest in us claiming Asham? I would prefer we stick with Raffl and Mcginn.. I also think he's a RW and we would need a LW but with this org you never know.
- Hextall271

We have a guy who provides the same skillset as Ash does in Kris Newbury. I'd pass.

Well, we haven't had a good face cross-checker since we lost Boulerice....sure, let's bring him and put him on a line with B. Schenn.
- jmatchett383

well at least Asham timed this right. He's played for all former-Atlantic division teams. With an expanded Metro conference, now he can branch out.

Final/SO

Saginaw - 2
Oshawa - 1

Laughton no points today
- ob18

no points? trade him! but seriously, Laughton has really impressed me over the past year.

pick up asham make cooter play with him

Streit is easily the best puck move and outlet passer on the team. And when the Flyers actually play a game where they aren't hemmed in their own end for large chunks of the game, and actually posses the puck. Streit has shown that ability numerous times. Making quality outlet passes to start the break. As well as using moving up on the play.
- MJL

Mark Streit so far has 0 ES points. (His two assist came on the PP)

His Corsi Rel is (-20.7), meaning the Flyers give up an average of 20 more shot attempts against when he's on the ice/60 mins than when he's not on the ice. That ranks him second to last among Flyers dmen -- a guy that's supposed to be driving possession should be much better than that.

Also, he's started 53% of his shifts in the o-zone and only managed to finish 43% of his shifts there. While the team as a whole as largely seen the ice tilted against them, he was brought in make an appreciable difference in the team's ability to move the puck up the ice. Instead, the team is still back-peddling into their own zone when he's on the ice... he hasn't had much impact there.

Granted, the sample size is tiny, but the initial returns show that he's hardly been the best driver of possession on the blueline... in fact, he's been mostly a passenger.

When you get to the Cup finals, that's pretty close. And if they were lulled into thinking they were only a step away. How do you explain the trades and Richards and Carter? A team doesn't trade those players if they feel they're only a step away.
- MJL

Adding Bryzgalov completely f'ed up their budget structure... the reset was just as much a cap-reset as a culture-reset.

Boston also has a lot of NTCs and NMCs. Many teams do.

The only one I have an issue with on the Flyers is Hartnell's. If security was that important to Hartnell then Homer should have used that to negotiate a shorter deal.
- Feanor

Contracts are a give and take. If Holmgren would've insisted on a shorter deal, then the Cap hit would've been higher. Hartnell was willing to take less money, for longer term.