And which teams consistently draft this elite talent year in and year out? Which teams do this and win cups? Over the just the last 15 years who has built strictly thru draft to get their elite talent without moving pieces to win cups.
- Sms401

Blackhawks, Pens, Red Wings, Avalanche, Lightning

I'm not saying you can't make trades. I just don't think it's necessary to bottom out to get better.

if you are saying that you need to pick high to win, in hockey, that is simply not true.

but if you are simply saying that maybe trades should be more aggressively pursued, thats a different matter entirely, and is just a matter of opinion. im always game to hear those bounced around. theyre just more enjoyable when they are rooted in a rational thought process.
- stayinthefnnet

My thought process is trades are the future. Look at the last few fa classes. Not much elite talent. Everyone is locking young core players up long time and all that's left are the vinnys streits macdonald types that aren't worth the price or term. Look at clarkson last year to Toronto. What a joke. And offer sheets forget it. No team is letting a star player go to an offer sheet. So you're left with only 2 options to get elite talent 1 is to draft it. Which isn't easy if you don't pick high in the draft or 2 trade for it. I think it's easier to trade a few good players to a team like as an example Nashville is loaded with dman. We are loaded at forward. Easier to make a fair trade. Better than picking 20th and hoping you get a gem.

These things are making their rounds on the internet the passed few days.. so I made a Flyers one..

You have $18 dollars to make your all-flyers starting 6.

Center

$5 Bob Clarke
$4 Eric Lindros
$3 Claude Giroux
$2 Rod Brind'amour
$1 Danny Briere

Left Wing

$5 Bill Barber
$4 Brian Propp
$3 Rick Macleish
$2 John Leclair
$1 Simon Gagne

Right Wing

$5 Tim Kerr
$4 Mark Recchi
$3 Reggie Leach
$2 Rick Tocchet
$1 Michael Renberg

Defense (select 2)

$5 Mark Howe
$5 Eric Desjardins
$4 Kimmo Timonen
$4 Chris Pronger
$3 Brad MacCrimmon
$3 Tom Blandon
$2 Kim Johnsson
$2 Bob Dailey
$1 Joe Watson
$1 Kjell Samuelsson

Goalies

$5 Bernie Parent
$4 Pelle Exlund
$3 Ron Hextall
$2 Roman Checmanek
$1 Bob Froese

My thought process is trades are the future. Look at the last few fa classes. Not much elite talent. Everyone is locking young core players up long time and all that's left are the vinnys streits macdonald types that aren't worth the price or term. Look at clarkson last year to Toronto. What a joke. And offer sheets forget it. No team is letting a star player go to an offer sheet. So you're left with only 2 options to get elite talent 1 is to draft it. Which isn't easy if you don't pick high in the draft or 2 trade for it. I think it's easier to trade a few good players to a team like as an example Nashville is loaded with dman. We are loaded at forward. Easier to make a fair trade. Better than picking 20th and hoping you get a gem.
- Sms401

What and who are you offering. It's easy to say "we should make a deal", but the other team needs to be willing to also.

Blackhawks, Pens, Red Wings, Avalanche, Lightning

I'm not saying you can't make trades. I just don't think it's necessary to bottom out to get better.
- PhillySportsGuy

Outside of det all those teams bottomed out to get their core pieces that won a cup. Philly doesn't do that.

These things are making their rounds on the internet the passed few days.. so I made a Flyers one..

You have $18 dollars to make your all-flyers starting 6.

Center

5$ Bob Clarke
$4 Eric Lindros
$3 Claude Giroux
$2 Rod Brind'amour
$1 Danny Briere

Left Wing

$5 Bill Barber
$4 Rick Macleish
$3 Brian Propp
$2 John Leclair
$1 Simon Gagne

Right Wing

$5 Tim Kerr
$4 Mark Recchi
$3 Reggie Leach
$2 Rick Tocchet
$1 Michael Renberg

Defense (select 2)

$5 Mark Howe
$5 Eric Desjardins
$4 Kimmo Timonen
$4 Chris Pronger
$3 Brad MacCrimmon
$3 Tom Blandon
$2 Kim Johnsson
$2 Bob Dailey
$1 Joe Watson
$1 Kjell Samuelsson

Goalies

$5 Bernie Parent
$4 Pelle Exlund
$3 Ron Hextall
$2 Roman Checmanek
$1 Bob Froese
- jak521

Eklund???

What and who are you offering. It's easy to say "we should make a deal", but the other team needs to be willing to also.
- PhillySportsGuy

Hell if I know. That's hexys job. Can't tell me you don't like my plan better than homers sign macdonald/streit/Vinny and trade jvr for schenn cap killing team f ing for years strategy

Outside of det all those teams bottomed out to get their core pieces that won a cup. Philly doesn't do that.
- Sms401

Red Wings didn't when they won with Datsyuk and Zetterberg

These things are making their rounds on the internet the passed few days.. so I made a Flyers one..

You have $18 dollars to make your all-flyers starting 6.

Center

5$ Bob Clarke
$4 Eric Lindros
$3 Claude Giroux
$2 Rod Brind'amour
$1 Danny Briere

Left Wing

$5 Bill Barber
$4 Rick Macleish
$3 Brian Propp
$2 John Leclair
$1 Simon Gagne

Right Wing

$5 Tim Kerr
$4 Mark Recchi
$3 Reggie Leach
$2 Rick Tocchet
$1 Michael Renberg

Defense (select 2)

$5 Mark Howe
$5 Eric Desjardins
$4 Kimmo Timonen
$4 Chris Pronger
$3 Brad MacCrimmon
$3 Tom Blandon
$2 Kim Johnsson
$2 Bob Dailey
$1 Joe Watson
$1 Kjell Samuelsson

Goalies

$5 Bernie Parent
$4 Pelle Exlund
$3 Ron Hextall
$2 Roman Checmanek
$1 Bob Froese
- jak521

$2 LeClair - $4 Lindros - $1 Renberg

$3 MacCrimmon - $5 Howe

$3 Hextall

Of course, if you've accumulated a surplus of young assets/picks, you can eventually move some of those to bring in pieces to push your team over the top.

The Flyers aren't at that point yet... they have one of the emptiest cupboards in the league...
- Tomahawk

Have to look at the full picture. I would consider Couturier, and B. Schenn as part of the cupboard.
It wasn't that long ago with the Bryzgalov failure, that goaltending was a big hole for the team. That seems to have been corrected. Things can change in a NY minute in Hockey.

Hell if I know. That's hexys job. Can't tell me you don't like my plan better than homers sign macdonald/streit/Vinny and trade jvr for schenn cap killing team f ing for years strategy
- Sms401

Actually, I feel like I would have no trouble liking Homer's plan more than your's

Hell if I know. That's hexys job. Can't tell me you don't like my plan better than homers sign macdonald/streit/Vinny and trade jvr for schenn cap killing team f ing for years strategy
- Sms401

What the (frank) is your plan!?

My thought process is trades are the future. Look at the last few fa classes. Not much elite talent. Everyone is locking young core players up long time and all that's left are the vinnys streits macdonald types that aren't worth the price or term. Look at clarkson last year to Toronto. What a joke. And offer sheets forget it. No team is letting a star player go to an offer sheet. So you're left with only 2 options to get elite talent 1 is to draft it. Which isn't easy if you don't pick high in the draft or 2 trade for it. I think it's easier to trade a few good players to a team like as an example Nashville is loaded with dman. We are loaded at forward. Easier to make a fair trade. Better than picking 20th and hoping you get a gem.
- Sms401

The bottom line is that a GM has to use all the tools available to develop a team. That includes drafting, trades, Free agency, signing undrafted free agents, all of it. No stone left unturned.

Hell if I know. That's hexys job. Can't tell me you don't like my plan better than homers sign macdonald/streit/Vinny and trade jvr for schenn cap killing team f ing for years strategy
- Sms401

I'm going to repeat what was said earlier. It seems as though some players are being underrated here.

damn it. see i thought we were just finally getting on the same page.

you just told me you werent advocating tanking. i dont agree with tanking, but again, should you want to, thats a matter of opinion.

but i get lost when you repeatedly say youre not advocating tanking, and then say you need to bottom out and get top 5 picks.
- stayinthefnnet

Lol I posted before I was done with my thought. I meant name team that has won cup in last 15 years me remind go back and put those last two post togetger

Lol I posted before I was done with my thought. I meant name team that has won cup in last 15 years me remind go back and put those last two post togetger
- Sms401

....I..you are like....how are you....actually....

..wut

My thought process is trades are the future. Look at the last few fa classes. Not much elite talent. Everyone is locking young core players up long time and all that's left are the vinnys streits macdonald types that aren't worth the price or term. Look at clarkson last year to Toronto. What a joke. And offer sheets forget it. No team is letting a star player go to an offer sheet. So you're left with only 2 options to get elite talent 1 is to draft it. Which isn't easy if you don't pick high in the draft or 2 trade for it. I think it's easier to trade a few good players to a team like as an example Nashville is loaded with dman. We are loaded at forward. Easier to make a fair trade. Better than picking 20th and hoping you get a gem.
- Sms401

now this is much easier to follow and get on board with.

....I..you are like....how are you....actually....

..wut
- Giroux_Is_God

I'll sum up what he's saying:

"The Flyers are terrible, and need to trade all of their players for low picks and better players."

Lol I posted before I was done with my thought. I meant name team that has won cup in last 15 years me remind go back and put those last two post togetger
- Sms401

alrighty.

I'll sum up what he's saying:

"The Flyers are terrible, and need to trade all of their players for low picks and better players."
- jmatchett383

but if he was saying something like hey, the team obviously is better off at forward than defense. by the time they can likely hit a home run in the draft, theyd be better off trading for it from a position of strength.

that i can follow. but its getting lost in a lot of scattered fluff

When did he say any team was consistently picking elite talent? Or any of those things?
- BulliesPhan87

That's the whole point. No team can count on drafting elite talent that wins you a cup picking in the middle of the rounds. No team can consistently expect to do that so hoe do WE get that talent????????? We can't expect to get it thru the draft. At least not on a yearly basis? We were lucky to make the playoffs this year but we're going to be contenders because ghost and morin are coming in a few years? Really? I'm not buying it. Where is this team speed and scoring wingers going go come from? We were exposed by rags. Laughingly if not for our goaltending we eold have been done in 5 games if lucky. How and where are we fixing this team???

Hell if I know. That's hexys job. Can't tell me you don't like my plan better than homers sign macdonald/streit/Vinny and trade jvr for schenn cap killing team f ing for years strategy
- Sms401

i think it is unfair to lump macdonald in with the streit and vinny signings.

My thought process is trades are the future. Look at the last few fa classes. Not much elite talent. Everyone is locking young core players up long time and all that's left are the vinnys streits macdonald types that aren't worth the price or term. Look at clarkson last year to Toronto. What a joke. And offer sheets forget it. No team is letting a star player go to an offer sheet. So you're left with only 2 options to get elite talent 1 is to draft it. Which isn't easy if you don't pick high in the draft or 2 trade for it. I think it's easier to trade a few good players to a team like as an example Nashville is loaded with dman. We are loaded at forward. Easier to make a fair trade. Better than picking 20th and hoping you get a gem.
- Sms401

You're right about UFA/offer-sheets drying up as solutions...

But it's really really hard to find a fair trade these days if your need is defense... as was alluded to in the blog, the prices to acquire a marquee dman are often staggering/debilitating.

For our forward needs, sure, pick up the phone, maybe there's a fair deal out there. But probably not for defense, unless you want to take a risk on a reclamation or prospect stuck in somebody's pipeline.

That's the whole point. No team can count on drafting elite talent that wins you a cup picking in the middle of the rounds. No team can consistently expect to do that so hoe do WE get that talent????????? We can't expect to get it thru the draft. At least not on a yearly basis? We were lucky to make the playoffs this year but we're going to be contenders because ghost and morin are coming in a few years? Really? I'm not buying it. Where is this team speed and scoring wingers going go come from? We were exposed by rags. Laughingly if not for our goaltending we eold have been done in 5 games if lucky. How and where are we fixing this team???
- Sms401

as i said. its not as easy for any team than youre making it out to be. i dont know if there is a team with more elite talent on it than the pens, and they were flat out embarrassed by the rangers.

and that last question is what i am posing to you, albeit with only a singular punctuation mark. its easy to just say things suck and all that, but it would be nice to offer your opinion on a potential solution.

You're right about UFA/offer-sheets drying up as possibilities...

But it's really really hard to find a fair trade these days if your need is defense... as was alluded to in the blog, the prices to acquire a marquee dman is staggering/debilitating.

For our forward needs, sure, pick up the phone, maybe there's a fair deal out there. But probably not for defense, unless you want to take a risk on a reclamation or prospect stuck in somebody's pipeline.
- Tomahawk

ill give you one simon despres for one matt read. guy has size and can skate like coburn given the body he has.

(frank). i forgot coburn was part of the problem. can i start my pitch over?