I've always felt it was about partner more than # of minutes. When he was paired with mid 30s Kimmo, he looked really good and logged a ton of minutes in 2010 playoffs.
- PhillySportsGuy

I agree with you.
Mid 30s Kimmo
I know, it's funny, as oppose to early 40s Kimmo.
Think if he is done, how much weaker we are on the blue line, can we really afford to wait another 2-3 years?

I think he's more of a 2/3. He's a prototypical defensive defenseman. He was slotted as our #1 this year and held his own. That was without another top pairing guy to help out. If you give him another top pairing guy (not even a true #1), he would look even better.
- PhillySportsGuy

Maybe your right. He plays really well for short periods of time but he just doesn't do it for me. He doesn't excel at anything. He's not physical at all, doesn't block shots, doesn't shoot well, doesn't take advantage of his speed, makes crazy turn overs too often. Don't get me wrong he does play ok usually but usually only for short periods of time. I would expect more from a 2/3 at least bring something that you excel at every game if your a 2/3

People making the comments about moving Coburn plus for Myers... That would not fix anything on the backend. Myers is not a #1 in my opinion and makes just as many if not more mistakes in his own end as Coburn does not to mention he's probably not as good a skater as Coburn.
- RobFlyers#1

I think you would have to keep Coburn if you were going to add Myers.
He is 5 years younger than Coburn and would help balance our overall D

To buffalo for Myers & foligno
- Sms401

Pay the man I hope he gets as much cap space as possible. I wouldn't want Myers tho he is the next jim Carrey of calder winners. A 7ft turd

Bad D zone coverage was a total team issue.
- puckhead17

They were especially futile in the corners, behind the net, and in front of the net... most of that is on the dmen, IMO.

Not to hash on the weber thing but say we traded coots and schenn for weber as what was commonly reported we turned down. In essence we would have traded frick & frack for jake/simmonds& mofo WEBER!!!! Damn homer married to his players
- Sms401

I don't think the 2 young guys would have made that trade, but again, no one really knows.
The Weber dynamic may change with every passing year moving forward.

Knowing Poile, he may have really wanted Hall, & Rinaldo for his 2nd line, along with 2 D men.

I agree with you.
Mid 30s Kimmo
I know, it's funny, as oppose to early 40s Kimmo.
Think if he is done, how much weaker we are on the blue line, can we really afford to wait another 2-3 years?
- puckhead17

Losing Timonen creates an even bigger hole in the backend.

[quote=3flyerkids]

Have you watched him since his rookie season? He's regressed a great deal. He's the same age as Luke Schenn and has experienced the same kind of regression. Myers provides a little more offense than Coburn, but he's way behind him defensively.

I agree with you.
Mid 30s Kimmo
I know, it's funny, as oppose to early 40s Kimmo.
Think if he is done, how much weaker we are on the blue line, can we really afford to wait another 2-3 years?
- puckhead17

I'm willing to wait it out. I think we've demonstrated that FA and trades can't be your primary source of getting defenseman.

Frightening but apt analogy.

Avs, Flyers and Habs are all in for a rude awakening next season. You can't be terrible 5V5 and hope to sustain success.
- Tomahawk

C'mon, the current season hasn't even ended yet and we're already damning the Flyers to failure next year? Let's see what Hexy does, how the draft goes, who makes the team out of training camp, etc.

Flyers this past season had 233 goals, 58 on the powerplay, equaling a bit less than 25% of total goals scored.

Flyers in 2011/12 had 260 goals, 66 on the powerplay, equaling a bit more than 25% of total goals scored.

Flyers in 2010/11 scored 256 goals, 49 on the powerplay, accounting for less than 20% of total goals scored, the best percentage in recent seasons.

The Flyers definitely need to be better 5v5, but I don't expect any rude awakening to occur. Powerplay opportunities are part of the game, and being able to cash in on them is an incredibly valuable trait for a team.

As a comparison, for this season:
Anaheim scored the most goals with 16.7% coming from the powerplay;
Chicago with 19% of goals coming from the powerplay,
then Boston at 19%,
then the Avs at 20.4%.
Further down, Pitt got 26% of their goals from the powerplay.
The Rangers, 214 goals, 48 on the powerplay for 22.4%.
LA, 26th in the league in goals scored with 198, 43 on the powerplay, were at 21%.

They were especially futile in the corners, behind the net, and in front of the net... most of that is on the dmen, IMO.
- Tomahawk

Board battles were a problem, but again, something's are rectified with a different coaching philosophy, the Rags double teamed the puck, along the boards & won most battles.

Have you watched him since his rookie season? He's regressed a great deal. He's the same age as Luke Schenn and has experienced the same kind of regression. Myers provides a little more offense than Coburn, but he's way behind him defensively.
- PhillySportsGuy

Some would say clueless in his own zone.

Losing Timonen creates an even bigger hole in the backend.
- RobFlyers#1

Yeah, top 4

Coburn AMac Streit Schenn?

Ahhhhhhh, NO.

Edit, do we make the playoffs with this?

Maybe your right. He plays really well for short periods of time but he just doesn't do it for me. He doesn't excel at anything. He's not physical at all, doesn't block shots, doesn't shoot well, doesn't take advantage of his speed, makes crazy turn overs too often. Don't get me wrong he does play ok usually but usually only for short periods of time. I would expect more from a 2/3 at least bring something that you excel at every game if your a 2/3
- Sms401

He defends the rush very well and he does utilize his reach and speed effectively. He's, by far, the best Flyers defenseman in defending zone entries. His rate of allowing zone entries is far less than any other dman we have.

Without Coburn, this defense may fall apart. If you trade him, it better be for a SURE THING. It can't be for a flake like Myers.

Some would say clueless in his own zone.
- Tomahawk

Schenn or Myers?

People making the comments about moving Coburn plus for Myers... That would not fix anything on the backend. Myers is not a #1 in my opinion and makes just as many if not more mistakes in his own end as Coburn does not to mention he's probably not as good a skater as Coburn.
- RobFlyers#1

Your right Myers isn't as good a skater as coburn. He's way better. Did you see Myers at all his rookie year? Flying up and down the ice. The problem with Myers is buf tried to make him into chara. He's got a little nasty in him and he dhows it from time to time but he's not chara. He's got blazing speed and a rocket shot. You don't try and change that. That's like us trying to play briere on the wing year after year. Just plain stupid. Look at clip from Myers rookie year. There was a reason he won the Calder

Yeah, top 4

Coburn AMac Streit Schenn?

Ahhhhhhh, NO.
- puckhead17

We all defended the Amac trade because we said we would slot him properly and his game would improve. I believe it did, but we're going to end up going into next year with him on the top line.

Have you watched him since his rookie season? He's regressed a great deal. He's the same age as Luke Schenn and has experienced the same kind of regression. Myers provides a little more offense than Coburn, but he's way behind him defensively.
- PhillySportsGuy

We'll Schenn is slowly getting better in his own end now that he plays for a better team. Luke played well in the playoffs, better o thought he was going to.Myers first 3 years were pretty good. His last two have been bad as he has played for one of the worst teams in the league over that time.

We all defended the Amac trade because we said we would slot him properly and his game would improve. I believe it did, but we're going to end up going into next year with him on the top line.
- PhillySportsGuy

If this is our top 4 & Grossman & "Gots to be here" on 5&6, we do not make the playoffs.

We all defended the Amac trade because we said we would slot him properly and his game would improve. I believe it did, but we're going to end up going into next year with him on the top line.
- PhillySportsGuy

Too many minutes...

Frightening but apt analogy.

Avs, Flyers and Habs are all in for a rude awakening next season. You can't be terrible 5V5 and hope to sustain success.
- Tomahawk

Unless your point was primarily the Flyers have to improve defensively 5v5...cause then I misunderstood your point. And agree.

Offer Schenn 3 years 6.5 million.

Schenn or Myers?
- PhillySportsGuy

Schenn was bad in Toronto during his last year ( being a healthy scratch)
He has improved with the Flyers...no doubt

Your right Myers isn't as good a skater as coburn. He's way better. Did you see Myers at all his rookie year? Flying up and down the ice. The problem with Myers is buf tried to make him into chara. He's got a little nasty in him and he dhows it from time to time but he's not chara. He's got blazing speed and a rocket shot. You don't try and change that. That's like us trying to play briere on the wing year after year. Just plain stupid. Look at clip from Myers rookie year. There was a reason he won the Calder
- Sms401

That was 5 years ago. There are a number of players who have strong rookie years then fall off.

Teemu Selanne is a HOFer and he never got close to duplicating the numbers from his rookie season.

C'mon, the current season hasn't even ended yet and we're already damning the Flyers to failure next year? Let's see what Hexy does, how the draft goes, who makes the team out of training camp, etc.

Flyers this past season had 233 goals, 58 on the powerplay, equaling a bit less than 25% of total goals scored.

Flyers in 2011/12 had 260 goals, 66 on the powerplay, equaling a bit more than 25% of total goals scored.

Flyers in 2010/11 scored 256 goals, 49 on the powerplay, accounting for less than 20% of total goals scored, the best percentage in recent seasons.

The Flyers definitely need to be better 5v5, but I don't expect any rude awakening to occur. Powerplay opportunities are part of the game, and being able to cash in on them is an incredibly valuable trait for a team.

As a comparison, for this season:
Anaheim scored the most goals with 16.7% coming from the powerplay;
Chicago with 19% of goals coming from the powerplay,
then Boston at 19%,
then the Avs at 20.4%.
Further down, Pitt got 26% of their goals from the powerplay.
The Rangers, 214 goals, 48 on the powerplay for 22.4%.
LA, 26th in the league in goals scored with 198, 43 on the powerplay, were at 21%.
- wolfhounds

The problem is, goaltending and special teams and shooting %'s vary from year to year... luck you obviously can't control... the only reliable and repeatable thing you can carry from year to year is how good you are at controlling play 5V5.

That's why you see a team like Toronto look on the verge one minute, and free-falling the next. The foundation of their 5V5 play isn't there.

The Flyers aren't nearly as bad as the Leafs are/were at 5V5, which probably means their "rude awakening" probably won't be as brutal. But expecting to ride 3rd-period comebacks, being able to keep killing off a poop ton of penalties, and having opponents continue to fail to figure out your PP rotations for another season might not be the most guaranteed path to victory.