Aaron Ekblad is already doing that and he's 18.
- JAKEw1234

Alex Gudbranson had an impressive one as well

wiggins or parker?

wiggins or parker?
- Crimsoninja

coin flip

coin flip
- ob18

I've got a beard, now where's my 14 year, 110 million $$ contract!!

- BiggE

Can your beard melt glaciers and wield a battle axe?

wiggins or parker?
- Crimsoninja

Ender.

"This is more than just a hockey game..."

- Crimsoninja

Julius Randle

"This is more than just a hockey game..."


- Giroux_Is_God

I don't like that the "LOSER" is on the US player. Seems a bit ethnocentric to me.

Julius Randle
- ob18

Ever wonder why Finland seems to turn out all the great goalies?

http://www.theatlantic.co...e-puck-stops-here/357579/
(it's a lengthy, but wonderful read)

- Crimsoninja

Who would you select

Bill,
Great article but must disagree with one point you said:



This is very true if you only look at it as a JVR for Luke Schenn situation but as you stated the Flyers sold low and didn't get a more mobile PMD. It was poor asset management even at the time. L. Schenn was getting small minutes and was also getting healthy scratched the year they traded for him. Even with the injuries, JVR had more value. This wasn't the Sharp trade where his was an unknown. JVR was still a 20 goal scorer on a reasonable contract coming off a great playoffs the year before. The flyers wasted their best trading chip on a third pair defenseman. It's as bad as trading the 1st rd pick for Eminger. Imagine the defenseman the flyers could get with JVR packaged with the forward or forwards they will inevitably trade this summer for defense help.


- psuhockey

First of all, the Flyers didn't trade the JVR of today, they traded JVR 2 Seasons ago. And if he was worth more in a trade, then I think they would've gotten more in return. I think JVR's value when the deal was made is being over valued. And in my opinion, it doesn't come close to the Eminger deal.

I can understand that you don't want to discuss hypotheticals, but to say the flyers wouldn't be any closer to a Stanley Cup is a hypothetical in its own right because you do not know what could of happened if JVR was traded later. This is another example of the overall lack of patience that has killed this franchise. I can see not bashing Schenn because of the trade but you can bash the patience and asset management of the flyers.
- psuhockey

They traded a young player for a young player in return. They may have lost patience with JVR, but they got youth back in a position of need.

Can your beard melt glaciers and wield a battle axe?
- jmatchett383

No but it can leap tall buildings in a single bound and it plays a mean guitar!

"This is more than just a hockey game..."


- Giroux_Is_God

Dammit
Losing is NOT an option!!

I don't like that the "LOSER" is on the US player. Seems a bit ethnocentric to me.
- jmatchett383

Yeah but Beiber is on the Canadian!

No but it can leap tall buildings in a single bound and it plays a mean guitar!
- BiggE

If Shea Weber's beard ever played the guitar, there would be no need for any music to ever be made again.

Who would you select
- ob18

Honestly dont know havent watched any games

Did look at some video today tho.

Parker reminds me alot of paul pierce

JVR was traded the last day of the draft. The Weber offersheet occurred after. JVR was unavailable to trade at that point.



Yes he is 24 but this is his 6th year in the league. How much more consistency do you expect him to develop. Last year when he played well was a strike-shortened half a year where he was paired with Timonen to begin with and than later with AHL defenseman after the Flyers were well out of the playoffs. The full season before and this season he was and is a low minutes 3rd pair defenseman that has been healthy scratched. I am not so sure using last year as a barometer of future success is that great of an idea.
- psuhockey

Well if using last year as a barometer of success isn't a great idea, then neither is using this year. And 24 is still pretty young for a defenseman.

If Shea Weber's beard ever played the guitar, there would be no need for any music to ever be made again.
- jmatchett383

Here is Chara's 4, 5, 6 season.
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM +/-
2000-01 New York Islanders. 82 2 7 9 157 -27
2001-02 Ottawa Senators NHL 75 10 13 23 156 30
2002-03 Ottawa Senators NHL 74 9 30 39 116 29


Also time on the average time on the ice for Chara was 22:20 in his 4th season, 22:16 in his 5th season, 24:57 in his 6th.


Luke Schenns time on the ice average was 16:02 for his 4th, 21:51 for his 5th, and 16:46 for his 6th.

2011-12 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 79 2 20 22 62 -6
2012-13 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 47 3 8 11 34 3
2013-14 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 56 3 4 7 49 2


So by his 4th season, Chara was already a consistent big minute defensive defenseman. By his 6th season he would pretty much become a double digit goal 40 pt guy. Point of the story is by his 6th season, Chara was who he was going to be at the NHL level. That does not bode well for L. Schenns future. Please find a guy who improved from professional year 7 on because that is what Schenn has to do to be more than what he is this year.
- psuhockey

Every player develops at his own pace. And yes, the inconsistency from Season to Season with Schenn, is concerning. There are defenseman in the Flyers system right now as prospects that some think can have an NHL future, that are older then Schenn is. To think at 24 regardless of how many Seasons Schenn has played, that there isn't room for significant growth is crazy.

Honestly dont know havent watched any games

Did look at some video today tho.

Parker reminds me alot of paul pierce
- Crimsoninja

I don't watch much to know how good any player really is

Patrick Sharp was a different story. He was pretty much unknown at the NHL level before the trade.

What's done is done and there is no use crying over spilled milk. However there was a bit of a dig in there, intentional or not, at those that still crap all over that trade. I don't think it is unreasonable to blast an organization for making a bad trade. You always here commentators say, especially with a questionable trade at the time or with young players, to wait a few years to see who truly won it. So you have to wait a few years to see who won it but if it goes bad your suppose to forget about it and move on?
- psuhockey

I don't think it is unreasonable to blast an Organization for making a bad trade either. But the outcome of this trade has not been decided yet. If it turns out that Schenn never becomes a consistent high minute defenseman for this team, then it will become a bad trade. But no where near that point yet.

Talked to a co-worker about Parker, he seems to think we shouldn't rule out Parker staying at Duke for a 2nd season.
- ob18

Not a chance

Every player develops at his own pace. And yes, the inconsistency from Season to Season with Schenn, is concerning. There are defenseman in the Flyers system right now as prospects that some think can have an NHL future, that are older then Schenn is. To think at 24 regardless of how many Seasons Schenn has played, that there isn't room for significant growth is crazy.
- MJL

I agree
Will Schenn become Chris Pronger? Of course not, however he could certainly become a solid top 4 shut down guy who kills penalties and is out there in the last minute to protect a lead. Certainly pairing him with a skilled mobile partner would help quite a bit too!