...one thing is certain: He's being compensated at a level where he needs to play well.
- AllInForFlyers

Very astute point.

He just went from pleasant surprise, everything you get from him is gravy... to somewhere beyond Jeff Finger territory in terms of expectations.

So everyone is really that down on Vinny? I really don't see a different between his role and Briere's role here. I see zero issue with Brayden Schenn becoming a full time winger and he probably should have been all season long. Lecavalier at wing was never a good idea, that's not his fault. Plus three different injuries. The only expectation I had for Vinny was to score 20 plus goals in a support role. With four more seasons left, I don't see how he can't have at 'll east one or two solid year as a Flyer.

If you've been paying attention, you know that the president's job has been open since December. The fact that there has been not one sniff of information about how it was going to be filled and that it was suggested last week that a move up was possible for Holmgren, but on his timetable SHOULD have given savvy media the idea that something was in the works.

As discussed yesterday, an organization making this kind of change at the top will typically try to have all the talking points in the hands of all client, media, business partner, and advertiser facing employees before the press conference so that a united front can be presented.

Since the team did not want to make a GM change during the season, and they had decided that this was the route to take, that was going to happen after the season ended. It wasn't going to happen before the playoff elimination, because then IT becomes the story, not the team. And that you don't want during the playoffs. And all those people affected have other jobs to do when they are in the middle of the playoffs besides handling the communications surrounding the change.
- bodiva88

Clearly a unified front was not presented. Homer and Ed sounded like they were on two different pages. And both the initial press conference and the changes occurred well after the season had ended. From everything you say, this situation was highly predictable. Why not just trot out the usual banal fluff we Americans had elevated to an art form? Eg: Homer is a valued member of our organization blah blah and has done a wonderful job blah blah and on the other hand Hexy brings something new to the table blah blah and we will all sit down and decide what is in the best interests of the organization blah blah.

categorical denials and then immediate reversals not only makes you look like a tool, it will now start a different frenzy - what Ed's role really is in his dotage, was Homer shuffled or forced, did someone actually make Hexy an offer....etc. etc. This follows the mishandling of the PR surrounding the Carter Richie trades, the firing of Lavy 3 games into season, etc. etc.

Not that I care but I just wonder if this sort of ad libbing attitude also permeates into the hockey side of things.

Clearly a unified front was not presented. Homer and Ed sounded like they were on two different pages. And both the initial press conference and the changes occurred well after the season had ended. From everything you say, this situation was highly predictable. Why not just trot out the usual banal fluff we Americans had elevated to an art form? Eg: Homer is a valued member of our organization blah blah and has done a wonderful job blah blah and on the other hand Hexy brings something new to the table blah blah and we will all sit down and decide what is in the best interests of the organization blah blah.

categorical denials and then immediate reversals not only makes you look like a tool, it will now start a different frenzy - what Ed's role really is in his dotage, was Homer shuffled or forced, did someone actually make Hexy an offer....etc. etc. This follows the mishandling of the PR surrounding the Carter Richie trades, the firing of Lavy 3 games into season, etc. etc.

Not that I care but I just wonder if this sort of ad libbing attitude also permeates into the hockey side of things.
- PT21

oh no, not a tool!

I had no real issue with the number until Game 7. I thought he was that bad.
- SuperSchennBros

Along with everybody else. Not many defenseman can rise above a completely poor team effort top to bottom.

oh no, not a tool!
- BulliesPhan87

Its a..a... horrible insult but after careful consideration I stand by my word.

I think both Streit and AMac both need to man the center or right side of the umbrella to be effective... AMac was almost completely irrelevant on the left-point.
- Tomahawk

Well he is a LH shot.

I think if they are really conscious about putting him in a position to succeed, he'll be OK for the most part.

But overall, I'm not convinced that he's really that much better of a hockey player than, say.... Randy Jones.
- Tomahawk

What is the comparison to Randy Jones based on?

Well he is a LH shot.
- MJL

I am looking forward to seeing Akeson on that unit next year.

I am looking forward to seeing Akeson on that unit next year.
- PT21

If he makes the team.

Kaapo Kähkönen - G - 2014 NHL Draft

Kahkonen is an active puck stopper who plays the game with confidence especially when seeing a heavy workload. He utilizes the butterfly but rarely swims around his crease unlike others. He goes down and pops right back up quickly and moves side-to-side well



About 1:35 into the clip

If he makes the team.
- MJL

I think there is a high probability that the only reason he would not make the team is the same bias that kept him off it to begin with.

oh no, not a tool!
- BulliesPhan87

What makes you feel better? A Tool or a Stooge?

What makes you feel better? A Tool or a Stooge?
- mayorofangrytown

Stooges must be accompanied.

I think there is a high probability that the only reason he would not make the team is the same bias that kept him off it to begin with.
- PT21

I don't think it had anything to do with bias. If he doesn't make the team, it's likely going to be for the same reason that he wasn't with the team sooner. He's earned a chance. We'll see if he can earn staying.

so conjecture is the word of the day around here?

so conjecture is the word of the day around here?
- five4fighting10

what do you think?

What is the comparison to Randy Jones based on?
- MJL

You know... late blooming UFA dman, balanced but unremarkable game, steps in and plays well at first, then forced into an elevated role with mixed results, rewarded with controversial contract after a career season...

Hopefully the similarities end there for AMac.

I don't think it had anything to do with bias. If he doesn't make the team, it's likely going to be for the same reason that he wasn't with the team sooner. He's earned a chance. We'll see if he can earn staying.
- MJL

Well maybe but it does seem he was almost set up to fail. After leading the minor team for 3 seasons was it in points and seeing ineffectual Downie and Raffl and Mcginn on the 2nd/3rd line he gets a crack 1 game before playoffs. Takes a bad penalty in game 1. Kid must have seen his career flash before his eyes. Shows composure, makes some key plays that directly leads to goals. Seems like every game he does something that leads to a scoring chance. Outplays 70% of the forwards by a mile. But the murmurs continue. Too soft. Not strong. Slow skater. And sooner or later he will hit a bad patch and then we will say: see, I told you. And the bias will then prove self-fulfilling.


I wanna see Akeson in 30-40 games in the NHl before I agree with you.

Kaapo Kähkönen - G - 2014 NHL Draft

Kahkonen is an active puck stopper who plays the game with confidence especially when seeing a heavy workload. He utilizes the butterfly but rarely swims around his crease unlike others. He goes down and pops right back up quickly and moves side-to-side well



About 1:35 into the clip
- ob18

Nice goal against they showed. What a lousy clip.

BSH remembers...

- Homer's 10 Best Moves as GM
- Homer's 10 Worst Moves as GM

You know... late blooming UFA dman, balanced but unremarkable game, steps in and plays well at first, then forced into an elevated role with mixed results, rewarded with controversial contract after a career season...

Hopefully the similarities end there for AMac.
- Tomahawk

Very distant and vague similarities. For one, Jones never reached the level that MacDonald has. Which was being used for well over 20 minutes a game, now for two separate teams. I think characterizing MacDonald's game as balanced bu unremarkable falls short of labeling him as a player. And I wouldn't call the results so much mixed, as being misused for a time while he was with the Isles. I even think they played him too much this year, in the playoffs. And MacDonald reached the NHL at the age of 23. I wouldn't call it late blooming. It's not at all uncommon for a player to spend a few seasons in the AHL, then progress to the NHL. Not to mention that MacDonald is showing no signs of regressing as Jones did for whatever reasons. So the comparison is really a poor one.

BSH remembers...

- Homer's 10 Best Moves as GM
- Homer's 10 Worst Moves as GM
- Tomahawk

I am a big baby so I won't read the 10 Worst list, but I loved the 10 Best.

Zhitnik for Coburn isn't just Homer's best trades. It's one of the best trades in the NHL over the past 10 years.

I had to work and stuff but...


- mayorofangrytown

*bows*

Very distant and vague similarities. For one, Jones never reached the level that MacDonald has. Which was being used for well over 20 minutes a game, now for two separate teams. I think characterizing MacDonald's game as balanced bu unremarkable falls short of labeling him as a player. And I wouldn't call the results so much mixed, as being misused for a time while he was with the Isles. I even think they played him too much this year, in the playoffs. And MacDonald reached the NHL at the age of 23. I wouldn't call it late blooming. It's not at all uncommon for a player to spend a few seasons in the AHL, then progress to the NHL. Not to mention that MacDonald is showing no signs of regressing as Jones did for whatever reasons. So the comparison is really a poor one.
- MJL

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but are you saying that because Andy MacDonald played more minutes, even though he was exposed in playing them, the reason that you can't compare him to someone who was slotted properly is because...MacDonald played more minutes...even poorly?