Based on his excellent starts and being the best player on the Flyers so far this season?
- wolfhounds

Low hurdle

I think we'll find that McGinn is going to come crashing down to Earth. Hartnell when he comes back fits the same mold, and has the pedigree of a goal scorer. I think playing McGinn in that spot long term is setting him up for failure.
- MJL

You are probably right. But I say let him fail or succeed. If he fails you knew it would happen and he either goes down or plays on the 3rd or 4th line. But for now, leave him where he is and see what happens. We got nothing to lose. He may surprise.

At least we can say he has about three more weeks to do what he has to do, until Hartnell comes back.

It's his own fault for not playing below expectations
- funmaster18

Mason's an inconsiderate bastard, and clearly not a team player by playing well when everybody else is playing like crap.

Trade Him!

Let's not ignore his career pattern of looking fantastic for awhile, getting everybody's hopes up, then subsequently turning into a pile of doggy poo.

I'm pulling for the guy, but a dozen or so games as a Flyer is hardly enough evidence to declare a turned page, much less a complete career turnaround.
- Tomahawk

Don't be negative now.

Mason's hot start = The answer
Players dramatically poopting their drawers = small sample size

Let's not ignore his career pattern of looking fantastic for awhile, getting everybody's hopes up, then subsequently turning into a pile of doggy poo.

I'm pulling for the guy, but a dozen or so games as a Flyer is hardly enough evidence to declare a turned page, much less a complete career turnaround.
- Tomahawk

he will be stellar until a long term extension is done

then dog poo city

Low hurdle
- Scoob

It's true.

But with the rest of the team playing poorly, especially in their own end, Mason't job gets significantly harder...and he's still been solid.

I blame ESPN and TSN, plus the instigator rule.
- jmatchett383

i still blame stevens.

he will be stellar until a long term extension is done

then dog poo city

- Marc D

So depressing, but true.

Don't be negative now.

Mason's hot start = The answer
Players dramatically poopting their drawers = small sample size

- PLindbergh31

Are you saying Mason hasn't played well?

Are you saying Mason hasn't played well?
- wolfhounds

Of course not. He's played great. But as Tomahawk mentioned, the history can't be ignored.

Don't be negative now.

Mason's hot start = The answer
Players dramatically poopting their drawers = small sample size



- PLindbergh31

Don't be negative now.

Mason's hot start = The answer
Players dramatically poopting their drawers = small sample size

- PLindbergh31

Mason has been great in Philly either side of a five month break. If he falls apart later this season then they don't resign him and get a new goalie in free agency. So I can't be too worried about the goalie situation when we have forwards signed for 6 and 9 more years in the worst form of their careers.

In reality McGinn's play will fall off but I think he is playing for a full time bottom six role on the team. Raffl too.

But this is not a problem, really.

Raffl Hall Talbot would be a heck of a 4th line. A lot more skill and responsible play then the current 4th line getting benched in the third in tight games.

Couts between Read and McGinn has possibilities as a third line.

So depressing, but true.
- Tomahawk

I was joking, I surely hope not.

In reality McGinn's play will fall off but I think he is playing for a full time bottom six role on the team. Raffl too.

But this is not a problem, really.

Raffl Hall Talbot would be a heck of a 4th line. A lot more skill and responsible play then the current 4th line getting benched in the third in tight games.

Couts between Read and McGinn has possibilities as a third line.
- Marc D

And if they get healthy enough to do that it would be welcomed. A 4th line of Hall, Talbot, and Raffl could be decent as well. The Zac Rinaldo show of running around hitting everyone for the 30-40 seconds he's on the ice was cute for a while, but it's getting old. A 4th line that could play 8-10 minutes that can have some puck possession would be cool.

That's why I said the #2 pick plus. You'd hope that the plus evens the trade out.

Take a look at last year's draft. If you talked to 5 people, you would have gotten 3 different answers as to who the #1 pick would be. And one of the "sure" top-3 bets ended up going #4. So if you thought Jones was #1 overall, you could have traded back to 4th and gotten him plus other assets.

That was a special case with no clear-cut #1, but still, you hope and attractive enough package comes along with another high pick if you value a player more than the "consensus" top pick.
- jmatchett383

You didn't know Jones was going to go 4th.
I would have expected Jones 1/2

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/US-Canada-womens-hockey-game-ends-in-brawl.html
- nastyflyergirl

hey, that looks like gutterson field house! go, cats, go!

hey, that looks like gutterson field house! go, cats, go!
- hammarby31

it is.

And if they get healthy enough to do that it would be welcomed. A 4th line of Hall, Talbot, and Raffl could be decent as well. The Zac Rinaldo show of running around hitting everyone for the 30-40 seconds he's on the ice was cute for a while, but it's getting old. A 4th line that could play 8-10 minutes that can have some puck possession would be cool.
- PLindbergh31

YES! YES! A breakthrough!

YES! YES! A breakthrough!

- AllInForFlyers

Everyone loves Rinaldo, and I get it, he's an energy guy, but they fail to realize he's out there hitting players because the Flyers never have the puck when he's on the ice.

You are probably right. But I say let him fail or succeed. If he fails you knew it would happen and he either goes down or plays on the 3rd or 4th line. But for now, leave him where he is and see what happens. We got nothing to lose. He may surprise.

At least we can say he has about three more weeks to do what he has to do, until Hartnell comes back.
- MBFlyerfan

I have no issues with leaving him there with Hartnell out. And maybe he'll prove me to be wrong and he's a diamond in the rough.

Of course not. He's played great. But as Tomahawk mentioned, the history can't be ignored.
- PLindbergh31

Yup, we'll see what happens over the course of this season.

Everyone loves Rinaldo, and I get it, he's an energy guy, but they fail to realize he's out there hitting players because the Flyers never have the puck when he's on the ice.
- PLindbergh31

One observer at a time, everyone who watches this sport without rose-colored glasses comes to this inevitable conclusion.

http://www.cbssports.com/...odies-athlete-commercials

it is.
- wilsonecho91

of course it is! it's like those miserable psalms, they're sooooooooooooo depressing.