A winger. I would much rather him on g's wing then hartnell
- J35Bacher

He's a RW though. He would be taking the place of Jake.

I wouldn't hang up the phone if the Sharks offered him. I think he has value. I'm just not prepared to part with a decent amount of assets for him. He's making a shade under $6M over the next 3 years.

If the Sharks need to move salary, they would much prefer to move Havlat. Burns plays on their top line.

he didn't say that. he credited the entire line, not art ross specifically.

as for lauridsen, it's a bit of apples and oranges. defense. wing. fewer spots, others ahead on the depth chart that had been there previously, ie, gus, and insurance policies like gill. i also think it's a lot harder to stick on D with limited slots and being a younger player. there's just more wiggle room up front.

the only way he can prove anything is if he performs well in camp and is given the opportunity by the coaching staff to be on the team. he acquitted himself rather well in a limited, pressure-filled scenario after not getting a single chance the entire season. i expect he'll work hard and give himself every chance to succeed,
- hammarby31

Absolutely. I think he has earned a legit chance for a spot on the roster next year. He has to give the coaching staff no choice but to keep him up.

Without reading Bill's blog yesterday I wanna give my opinion of Lecavalier's role on the team without any influence.

Lecavalier's role to me is no different from Danny Briere. He's basically a bigger, stronger Danny Briere. Briere played with Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn and now Lecavalier...should have. All this confusion of whether or not Schenn should play center or wing should have been resolved long before Tampa Bought out Vinny, because this question has been an issue the past two seasons prior to this one.

Many openly admit that they never liked the Lecavalier signing but I've always felt the signing was a bargain and necessary. A year ago we failed to make the playoffs due to weakness and inexperience at center. Outside of Giroux, we were awful at faceoffs. Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Max Talbot were not getting the job done. So Homer rightfully brought in the experience of Adam Hall and Vincent Lecavalier.

Now, I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but Vincent Lecavalier was brought in for secondary scoring at center. He's spend his entire career in Tampa playing center. It's not Homer's fault or even Lecavalier's fault that Berube has kept him on the wing for at least half of his season when healthy. I feel it was no accident that Vinny began to play well on the fourth line once he was finally placed in his rightful position. I don't think him having chemistry on the fouth line had anything to do with it because Vinny saw time with Hall, Rinaldo, McGinn and Rosehill in this span. I just think it just had more to do with him playing where he belonged.

You know, it's funny. I felt near the end of the season that Schenn and Simmonds looked like complete nonfactors more often then not five on five without Lecavalier. I thought Lecavalier completely out played them both in the playoffs until Simmonds scored a Hat Trick in game 6. Then again Simmonds does most of his damage on the Power Play. I felt Lecavalier played better then a lot of players in the playoffs. These names include Brayden Coburn, Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen (who I felt was the worst player on the team).

I'm fine with Vincent Lecavalier. I feel if he had was able to stay healthy, he would have been even better then he was. The guy still managed to pot 20 goals even with the miserable season he's had with a limited role and three different injuries. I tip my hat to him.

Personally I blame a number of issues the team has on Chief. The team has heavily relied on the Power Play this season for wins. The PP was 10th in the league. Great on the road, crap at home. I believe Berube should have tried something different. With Timonen likely to retire, this team is in a transition period. Why not put Mark Streit on this first unit? He was brought here to post points and he's done so but probably could have done more if seeing regular first unit time. Vincent Lecavalier in my opinion could be much more effective then Scott Hartnell on the PP. Lecavalier easily has the best shot on the team and I believe had the best shooting percentage on the team during the regular season.

Now obviously Craig Berube isn't entirely to blame for the team's lack of success but I am seeing a lot of John Stevens in him. I didn't like Stevens as a coach here. His lack of emotion and not screaming at the team when they deserved it, really rubs me the wrong way. It makes me feel like these two guys ( Stevens, Berube) are letting the players off the hook. I really miss Peter Laviolette. I miss him screaming to a point where his face turned red, punching Ville Leino's helmet and calling time outs at key times because he never stopped coaching. it's just a shame that he couldn't adjust his system to be more defensive.

What's definitely apparent, the team has to start outworking the other team. From my understanding, you seriously had to be in shape to play Lavy's system and even Lavy himself did drills with the team.

I digress.

I think many expect Vinny to magically be traded this offseason. Sure a team like Toronto could use a number one center but it's not that simple. I believe Lecavalier has a No-trade of some sort and no matter what, he's in the driver seat of where he wants to play. Whether it be here or wherever he feels comfortable playing. The only player I think it's time to move on from is 6 million dollar, 39 year old Kimmo Timonen for the good of the team and for the good of Kimmo's future. I love Kimmo Timonen but we've rested him quiet a bit this season at times, during big games no less. To me, that's not a good sign. Sorry, Hockey is a business and I don't think the haters can just wish Vinny away. What I do know, after watching what Justin Williams, Patrick Sharp, Jeff Carter, Ben Eager and most recently Dan Carcillo have done to us in recent years, I'd live and die with our youth.
- SuperSchennBros

tl;dr

Your name has schennbros in it.

He's a RW though. He would be taking the place of Jake.

I wouldn't hang up the phone if the Sharks offered him. I think he has value. I'm just not prepared to part with a decent amount of assets for him. He's making a shade under $6M over the next 3 years.

If the Sharks need to move salary, they would much prefer to move Havlat. Burns plays on their top line.
- PhillySportsGuy

Pre-emptive "Havlat was once good, we can put him on G's line."

He's a RW though. He would be taking the place of Jake.

I wouldn't hang up the phone if the Sharks offered him. I think he has value. I'm just not prepared to part with a decent amount of assets for him. He's making a shade under $6M over the next 3 years.

If the Sharks need to move salary, they would much prefer to move Havlat. Burns plays on their top line.
- PhillySportsGuy

Byfuglien's a better winger and a defenseman.

Without reading Bill's blog yesterday I wanna give my opinion of Lecavalier's role on the team without any influence.

Lecavalier's role to me is no different from Danny Briere. He's basically a bigger, stronger Danny Briere. Briere played with Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn and now Lecavalier...should have. All this confusion of whether or not Schenn should play center or wing should have been resolved long before Tampa Bought out Vinny, because this question has been an issue the past two seasons prior to this one.

Many openly admit that they never liked the Lecavalier signing but I've always felt the signing was a bargain and necessary. A year ago we failed to make the playoffs due to weakness and inexperience at center. Outside of Giroux, we were awful at faceoffs. Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Max Talbot were not getting the job done. So Homer rightfully brought in the experience of Adam Hall and Vincent Lecavalier.

Now, I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but Vincent Lecavalier was brought in for secondary scoring at center. He's spend his entire career in Tampa playing center. It's not Homer's fault or even Lecavalier's fault that Berube has kept him on the wing for at least half of his season when healthy. I feel it was no accident that Vinny began to play well on the fourth line once he was finally placed in his rightful position. I don't think him having chemistry on the fouth line had anything to do with it because Vinny saw time with Hall, Rinaldo, McGinn and Rosehill in this span. I just think it just had more to do with him playing where he belonged.

You know, it's funny. I felt near the end of the season that Schenn and Simmonds looked like complete nonfactors more often then not five on five without Lecavalier. I thought Lecavalier completely out played them both in the playoffs until Simmonds scored a Hat Trick in game 6. Then again Simmonds does most of his damage on the Power Play. I felt Lecavalier played better then a lot of players in the playoffs. These names include Brayden Coburn, Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen (who I felt was the worst player on the team).

I'm fine with Vincent Lecavalier. I feel if he had was able to stay healthy, he would have been even better then he was. The guy still managed to pot 20 goals even with the miserable season he's had with a limited role and three different injuries. I tip my hat to him.

Personally I blame a number of issues the team has on Chief. The team has heavily relied on the Power Play this season for wins. The PP was 10th in the league. Great on the road, crap at home. I believe Berube should have tried something different. With Timonen likely to retire, this team is in a transition period. Why not put Mark Streit on this first unit? He was brought here to post points and he's done so but probably could have done more if seeing regular first unit time. Vincent Lecavalier in my opinion could be much more effective then Scott Hartnell on the PP. Lecavalier easily has the best shot on the team and I believe had the best shooting percentage on the team during the regular season.

Now obviously Craig Berube isn't entirely to blame for the team's lack of success but I am seeing a lot of John Stevens in him. I didn't like Stevens as a coach here. His lack of emotion and not screaming at the team when they deserved it, really rubs me the wrong way. It makes me feel like these two guys ( Stevens, Berube) are letting the players off the hook. I really miss Peter Laviolette. I miss him screaming to a point where his face turned red, punching Ville Leino's helmet and calling time outs at key times because he never stopped coaching. it's just a shame that he couldn't adjust his system to be more defensive.

What's definitely apparent, the team has to start outworking the other team. From my understanding, you seriously had to be in shape to play Lavy's system and even Lavy himself did drills with the team.

I digress.

I think many expect Vinny to magically be traded this offseason. Sure a team like Toronto could use a number one center but it's not that simple. I believe Lecavalier has a No-trade of some sort and no matter what, he's in the driver seat of where he wants to play. Whether it be here or wherever he feels comfortable playing. The only player I think it's time to move on from is 6 million dollar, 39 year old Kimmo Timonen for the good of the team and for the good of Kimmo's future. I love Kimmo Timonen but we've rested him quiet a bit this season at times, during big games no less. To me, that's not a good sign. Sorry, Hockey is a business and I don't think the haters can just wish Vinny away. What I do know, after watching what Justin Williams, Patrick Sharp, Jeff Carter, Ben Eager and most recently Dan Carcillo have done to us in recent years, I'd live and die with our youth.
- SuperSchennBros

I agree with some of this. I can't blame Cheif as he tried to play his system with what he had. Maybe this offseason they can continue to make moves to play the system.

I completely agree with letting Kimmo go. I know he is a warrior but we need to start transitioning the d.

tl;dr

Your name has schennbros in it.
- FlyersSteve118

hahaha.
In his defense, I believe he was here first.

Byfuglien's a better winger and a defenseman.
- Tomahawk

...and here we were having such a nice time...

Nodl got claimed.
- PhillySportsGuy

Different skill set. A decent bottom-six guy, not a tweener like Akeson.

Absolutely. I think he has earned a legit chance for a spot on the roster next year. He has to give the coaching staff no choice but to keep him up.
- jmatchett383

Flyers have a huge hole to fill with Timonen gone. And now we have a bunch of young guys coming up that will not get to play because of all these high price long term contracts that the flyers have signed. Man the MacD deal feels very wrong right now and next year will probably be even more annoying.

Timonen's hole needs to be filled or this team will be getting a top 10 pick next year.

he didn't say that. he credited the entire line, not art ross specifically.


- hammarby31

Yes, he absolutely said that, with this statement right here

"That line was still the Flyers' 2nd-best at driving play, and most of it was due to Akeson being a very strong possession player throughout the series, while not being much of a liability on defense."

as for lauridsen, it's a bit of apples and oranges. defense. wing. fewer spots, others ahead on the depth chart that had been there previously, ie, gus, and insurance policies like gill. i also think it's a lot harder to stick on D with limited slots and being a younger player. there's just more wiggle room up front.


- hammarby31

It's not apples and oranges in terms of fans penciling a player in, based on a small sample of game. As was done with Lauridsen.

the only way he can prove anything is if he performs well in camp and is given the opportunity by the coaching staff to be on the team. he acquitted himself rather well in a limited, pressure-filled scenario after not getting a single chance the entire season. i expect he'll work hard and give himself every chance to succeed,
- hammarby31

He absolutely should be given an opportunity, based on his performance in the playoffs. He has earned that at least. I'm just questioning whether he can do it long term. And I think any talk of Akeson driving play, is overstating it.

Without reading Bill's blog yesterday I wanna give my opinion of Lecavalier's role on the team without any influence.

Lecavalier's role to me is no different from Danny Briere. He's basically a bigger, stronger Danny Briere. Briere played with Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn and now Lecavalier...should have. All this confusion of whether or not Schenn should play center or wing should have been resolved long before Tampa Bought out Vinny, because this question has been an issue the past two seasons prior to this one.

Many openly admit that they never liked the Lecavalier signing but I've always felt the signing was a bargain and necessary. A year ago we failed to make the playoffs due to weakness and inexperience at center. Outside of Giroux, we were awful at faceoffs. Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Max Talbot were not getting the job done. So Homer rightfully brought in the experience of Adam Hall and Vincent Lecavalier.

Now, I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but Vincent Lecavalier was brought in for secondary scoring at center. He's spend his entire career in Tampa playing center. It's not Homer's fault or even Lecavalier's fault that Berube has kept him on the wing for at least half of his season when healthy. I feel it was no accident that Vinny began to play well on the fourth line once he was finally placed in his rightful position. I don't think him having chemistry on the fouth line had anything to do with it because Vinny saw time with Hall, Rinaldo, McGinn and Rosehill in this span. I just think it just had more to do with him playing where he belonged.

You know, it's funny. I felt near the end of the season that Schenn and Simmonds looked like complete nonfactors more often then not five on five without Lecavalier. I thought Lecavalier completely out played them both in the playoffs until Simmonds scored a Hat Trick in game 6. Then again Simmonds does most of his damage on the Power Play. I felt Lecavalier played better then a lot of players in the playoffs. These names include Brayden Coburn, Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen (who I felt was the worst player on the team).

I'm fine with Vincent Lecavalier. I feel if he had was able to stay healthy, he would have been even better then he was. The guy still managed to pot 20 goals even with the miserable season he's had with a limited role and three different injuries. I tip my hat to him.

Personally I blame a number of issues the team has on Chief. The team has heavily relied on the Power Play this season for wins. The PP was 10th in the league. Great on the road, crap at home. I believe Berube should have tried something different. With Timonen likely to retire, this team is in a transition period. Why not put Mark Streit on this first unit? He was brought here to post points and he's done so but probably could have done more if seeing regular first unit time. Vincent Lecavalier in my opinion could be much more effective then Scott Hartnell on the PP. Lecavalier easily has the best shot on the team and I believe had the best shooting percentage on the team during the regular season.

Now obviously Craig Berube isn't entirely to blame for the team's lack of success but I am seeing a lot of John Stevens in him. I didn't like Stevens as a coach here. His lack of emotion and not screaming at the team when they deserved it, really rubs me the wrong way. It makes me feel like these two guys ( Stevens, Berube) are letting the players off the hook. I really miss Peter Laviolette. I miss him screaming to a point where his face turned red, punching Ville Leino's helmet and calling time outs at key times because he never stopped coaching. it's just a shame that he couldn't adjust his system to be more defensive.

What's definitely apparent, the team has to start outworking the other team. From my understanding, you seriously had to be in shape to play Lavy's system and even Lavy himself did drills with the team.

I digress.

I think many expect Vinny to magically be traded this offseason. Sure a team like Toronto could use a number one center but it's not that simple. I believe Lecavalier has a No-trade of some sort and no matter what, he's in the driver seat of where he wants to play. Whether it be here or wherever he feels comfortable playing. The only player I think it's time to move on from is 6 million dollar, 39 year old Kimmo Timonen for the good of the team and for the good of Kimmo's future. I love Kimmo Timonen but we've rested him quiet a bit this season at times, during big games no less. To me, that's not a good sign. Sorry, Hockey is a business and I don't think the haters can just wish Vinny away. What I do know, after watching what Justin Williams, Patrick Sharp, Jeff Carter, Ben Eager and most recently Dan Carcillo have done to us in recent years, I'd live and die with our youth.
- SuperSchennBros

You might not want to read Bill's blog if you feel this way about VL.

I agree with some of this. I can't blame Cheif as he tried to play his system with what he had. Maybe this offseason they can continue to make moves to play the system.

I completely agree with letting Kimmo go. I know he is a warrior but we need to start transitioning the d.
- J35Bacher

I have no interest in "transitioning" to a top pair of Coburn-Streit, or Coburn-unnamed young prospect defenseman. So if we're going to let go of Kimmo and "transition" we better have a hell of a foolproof plan that takes all variables (minus injury) out of the equation.

hahaha.
In his defense, I believe he was here first.
- jmatchett383

If this is a different guy, than I apologize and will absolutely read that post.

Pre-emptive "Havlat was once good, we can put him on G's line."
- jmatchett383

I hate Havlat. He's a player I would hang up the phone on if offered to me for free.

Byfuglien's a better winger and a defenseman.
- Tomahawk

We need a top line player and top pairing defenseman. Byfuglien is perfect because he can fill both roles.

We need a top line player and top pairing defenseman. Byfuglien is perfect because he can fill both roles.
- PhillySportsGuy

At once.

Yes, he absolutely said that, with this statement right here

"That line was still the Flyers' 2nd-best at driving play, and most of it was due to Akeson being a very strong possession player throughout the series, while not being much of a liability on defense."



It's not apples and oranges in terms of fans penciling a player in, based on a small sample of game. As was done with Lauridsen.





He absolutely should be given an opportunity, based on his performance in the playoffs. He has earned that at least. I'm just questioning whether he can do it long term. And I think any talk of Akeson driving play, is overstating it.
- MJL

I was pleasantly suprised by Akesons play and i know he deserves a look at camp but i dn't think he is making this team. I think you could put Laughton on that wing if you want to keep Hall. Raffl can play there. I think his odds are just too strong against him. I am not knocking him but just stating the odds are tough

Flyers have a huge hole to fill with Timonen gone. And now we have a bunch of young guys coming up that will not get to play because of all these high price long term contracts that the flyers have signed. Man the MacD deal feels very wrong right now and next year will probably be even more annoying.

Timonen's hole needs to be filled or this team will be getting a top 10 pick next year.
- FlyersSteve118

Remove Timonen and MacDonald from the defense mix next season. How does it look? And it's actually the opposite. Having a lot of high priced long term deals, gives young players a better chance to play. Because you need players on EL deals to fill in some of the holes.

Flyers have a huge hole to fill with Timonen gone. And now we have a bunch of young guys coming up that will not get to play because of all these high price long term contracts that the flyers have signed. Man the MacD deal feels very wrong right now and next year will probably be even more annoying.

Timonen's hole needs to be filled or this team will be getting a top 10 pick next year.
- FlyersSteve118

Right now, they have:
Coburn
Streit
Schenn
AMac
Grossmann

They'll probably trade one of Schenn/Grossmann. If Kimmo doesn't come back, that's 2 spots. Gus will have the inside track on one (if he resigns). That leaves Lauridsen/Ghost/Alt to battle for one spot this year (assuming no FA signings). By the time guys like Morin and Hagg are ready to be full-time NHL contributors, Streit will have maybe 1 year left. You can't have a blueline full of kids or you'll get murdered and they'll be no good in 2 years.

Different skill set. A decent bottom-six guy, not a tweener like Akeson.
- bradleyc4

I know. I just dont think its a foregone conclusion that Akeson won't get claimed. His fancy stats are very good and it only takes one GM to like him. I dont see why a team like Florida or Nashville wouldn't jump at a player like Akeson.

If this is a different guy, than I apologize and will absolutely read that post.
- FlyersSteve118

That was "SuperSchennBros" not "SchennBros." Totally different guy.

I have no interest in "transitioning" to a top pair of Coburn-Streit, or Coburn-unnamed young prospect defenseman. So if we're going to let go of Kimmo and "transition" we better have a hell of a foolproof plan that takes all variables (minus injury) out of the equation.
- jmatchett383

I know. People are so quick to get rid of Timo. He's 39 years old and the Flyers play him against the toughest competition on a nightly basis. He's not a top pairing D anymore, but he can still play in the top 4. He's a top 6 defenseman on EVERY NHL team.

At once.
- Tomahawk

Exactly. When Jim Jackson says "Are there 2 Byfugliens on the ice tonight?" He won't be referring to his weight.

I have no interest in "transitioning" to a top pair of Coburn-Streit, or Coburn-unnamed young prospect defenseman. So if we're going to let go of Kimmo and "transition" we better have a hell of a foolproof plan that takes all variables (minus injury) out of the equation.
- jmatchett383

And not only is overplaying veteran defenseman, in roles that they aren't best suited for not a good thing. It's even worse to over rely on young inexperienced defenseman, and putting too much responsbility on them. That's a sure fire way and exposing a young player, and not giving him much of a chance.