Nicely done, Bill! So many people around the league just fall in line with this narrative and I doubt many watched many Flyers games where Mason was clearly the team's best player at times last year.

My worry is that Flyers fans actually overvalue the current team, in general, because I think Mason's work in the net against the Rangers made that series closer than it really was, IMO.
- johndewar

So true. Rangers really gave it to the flyers in 5 on 5. Reminded me of the Debbie's series a few years ago where our asses were handed to us

Fair point and interesting topic. As most things it's probably a combination of team d and goalie and how they work together that make for a good match.

A relevant question for everyone including Bill: where would you rank Mason right now in the league?

Example:
1. Henrik
2. Quick
3. Price
4. Pikka
5. Smith
6. Rask
7. Crawford
8. Bob
9. Mason
- coffee junkie

Not sure I would have Bob ahead of Mason but I also will not argue with someone who does.

Report: Zuccarello wants $4.5M per on new deal, Brassard eyeing $5.5M

http://prohockeytalk.nbcs...eal-brassard-eyeing-5-5m/

I could be dead wrong, but I didn't gather from the quote that he was saying Mason is a bad goalie... just not "upper-echelon". Maybe he thinks you need a Quick, Hanky or Rask to win the Cup? Guess he forgot Niemi and Crawford and Fleury have Cups too?

The thing I like about Mason is that he is just a solid, good, goalie. I can count on one hand how many soft goals he let up all season.

And isn't that what we really need? A goalie who will stop all the pucks he is supposed to, stop some of the ones he has no chance on, and doesn't make it easy for the other team by letting up softies.

Mason is fine. He is the guy we need.

If/when Mason can produce back-to-back solid seasons I'll buy in. Until then, we've just seen far too many one year goaltender wonders in the NHL - including Mason himself.

I could be dead wrong, but I didn't gather from the quote that he was saying Mason is a bad goalie... just not "upper-echelon". Maybe he thinks you need a Quick, Hanky or Rask to win the Cup? Guess he forgot Niemi and Crawford and Fleury have Cups too?
- Tomahawk

Osgood, Bill Ranford....the list of non-upper echelon goalies who won cups as starters is HUGE

If/when Mason can produce back-to-back solid seasons I'll buy in. Until then, we've just seen far too many one year goaltender wonders in the NHL - including Mason himself.
- Quetzalcoatl

To be fair, 1 and a half. He played very well in the lockout season as well.


But your point is well taken.

If/when Mason can produce back-to-back solid seasons I'll buy in. Until then, we've just seen far too many one year goaltender wonders in the NHL - including Mason himself.
- Quetzalcoatl

That's where most of us are. Would like to seem some stability from him now

My top 10 list for the day: The 10 best goaltender seasons in Flyers history!!

Lets keep the suspense, by starting with guys that just missed the cut.
Bob Froese 85-86 - Frosty did a remarkable job under incredibly difficult circumstances that year.

Roman Cechmanek 01-02 - 2.05 gaa, 1.86 in the playoffs, not too shabby!

John Vanbiesbrouck 98-99 - Folks remember the one softie he gave up in the playoffs, however they forget that he finished the postseason with a gaa of 1.46 and a sv% of .938!!

Ilya Bryzgalov 11-12 - He was damn good that year, live with it haters!

10. Steve Mason 13-14
2.50 and .917 along with 33 wins. His playoff numbers of 1.97 and .937 were fantastic. I have no doubt that he is the real deal, no matter what JR thinks!

9. Martin Biron 07-08
Took a team that had finished dead last the previous season to the 3rd round in the playoffs. His numbers of 2.59 and .918 were very impressive.

8. Brian Boucher 99-00
The rookie finished with a gaa of 1.91 and a sv% of .918, he also backstopped the Flyers to the 3rd round in the playoffs as well and made one of the great saves of all time against Elias in that last series.

7. Cechmanek 00-01
Yeah, the playoffs were a mess, but you just can't ignore numbers like 2.01, .921, 10 shutouts and 35 wins.

6. Pete Peeters 79-80
All this rookie did was help this team go 35 games without a loss on his way to winning 29 of his 39 starts. He also helped them get to the finals with an 8-5 record in the postseason

5. Cechmanek 02-03
Yeah, he was a headcase too, but man what a year he had! 1.83, .925, 6 shutouts, 33 wins and he backstopped them to their first playoff round win since the 99-00 season that year.

4. Pelle Lindbergh 84-85
Ahh, what might have been... His gaa and sv % were nothing by today's standards but were amazing for his era. More importantly he led the team to the best record in the NHL with 40 wins and went 12-6 in the playoffs before bowing out in the finals due to injury. He capped off the season with a Vezina trophy too!

and now the top 3!!!

3. Ron Hextall 86-87
Talk about a rookie sensation!! Hextall did it all in 86-87, 37 wins and a Vezina trophy, followed by one of the great playoff runs in NHL history. He is one of the very few players to win the Conn Smythe trophy in a losing effort as he almost singlehandedly willed the Flyers to a cup. I can still hear his stick rattling off the post today!

2. Bernie Parent 74-75
Wow, 2.03 gaa, 12 shutouts, 44 wins, 1st team all star, Vezina trophy. He then went on to lead the team to their 2nd straight Stanley Cup and his 2nd straight Smythe trophy. How can you top this, you ask, well.....

1. Bernie Parent 73-74
Perhaps the greatest season by any goalie ever is how you top 74-75!! Gaa 1.89, 12 shutouts, 47 wins!! Good god, the man was unbeatable. Oh, and he was perhaps even better in the playoffs leading the Flyers to the Cup and winning his 1st Conn Smythe trophy too! This will forever be the season that all Flyer's goalies should aspire to!

Report: Zuccarello wants $4.5M per on new deal, Brassard eyeing $5.5M

http://prohockeytalk.nbcs...eal-brassard-eyeing-5-5m/
- Feanor

Yikes....plus Kreider is going to hammer them! Thank God for small miracles.

I like JR. He unabashedly speaks his mind, for better or worse.

That said, at this time, I agree with his general assessment of Mason. Sure, he was very good last season. Does that make him upper echelon? No. But that's not an insult or a put-down. Put together a couple more seasons like that and we'll talk. Do I think he can do it? Sure, why not? He's young and seems to be a good learner. Time will tell. I'll be rooting for him to get there.

Regarding his comment about defense, he's right again, imho. Imho, that's the bigger issue with this team, not goaltending. Ultimately this team will only go as far as the defense (and team defense in general) take it.

My top 10 list for the day: The 10 best goaltender seasons in Flyers history!!

Lets keep the suspense, by starting with guys that just missed the cut.
Bob Froese 85-86 - Frosty did a remarkable job under incredibly difficult circumstances that year.

Roman Cechmanek 01-02 - 2.05 gaa, 1.86 in the playoffs, not too shabby!

John Vanbiesbrouck 98-99 - Folks remember the one softie he gave up in the playoffs, however they forget that he finished the postseason with a gaa of 1.46 and a sv% of .938!!
- BiggE

The story of Beezer's career!

The story of Beezer's career!
- ggunky

I can't wait for this whole dicussion about bad goaltending to go away. It drives me nuts. I like Mason. He's a damn fine goalie who can only get better with consistency. I realize people want to wait until they think he's the guy, but if you compare him to our last guy (he who shall not be named) he's a major improvement. My only issue with Mason is his tired zombie theme.

I have no issues going into this upcoming season with Mason. In fact, I'm quite happy about it.

Thank you, Bill. Talk about Silly Season. How that loud mouthed bobble head's moronic opinion became a new story is beyond comprehension. Considering the fact that Roenick was shown on 24/7 telling Bryz that HE could be the guy to win the Cup for the Flyers, I'm taking his uninformed opinion as a sign that Mason IS, in fact, a goalie that the Flyers can ride to a title.

Between statements like this and his babbling, crying "Chicago Blackhawks, man!" speech after the Flyers and their fans had their hearts torn out in OT of game 6 in 2010, I do not understand how this guy gets actual ovations when he's shown on the jumbotron at home games at the WFC.

jr is brain dead, maybe hes thinking of chris mason

I have no issues going into this upcoming season with Mason. In fact, I'm quite happy about it.
- wolfhounds

It's the most comfortable I've felt about the goal tending going into a season in a long time. Emery surprised how well he played before injuries derailed the season, but he was still a question mark coming in. I guess we maybe knew what we were getting with Biron… but we know we're getting better with Mason. It's nice for a change

Mason needs to change his handedness. Left handed goalies are an abomination.

That is all.......

Mason needs to change his handedness. Left handed goalies are an abomination.

That is all.......
- hockeylover

Is he truly left handed or does he just use the glove on his right?

Mason was by far the best single thing from last season about the Flyers.

A distant second was rebounding from the awful start to rally and make the playoffs.
Giroux getting a nomination for the Hart is third, and the positive surprise of Raffl honorable mention.

As far as this year, my reasons for feeling optomistic is mainly the team having a full year and getting a full preseason to work with Berube and his system. Coming into camp in playing shape hopefully they start playing the right way from jump.

Pessimism?
Even though they go 6-7 deep with legit nhl defenseman, they still are lacking at the #1 spot. Lack of a #1 LW is maybe a concern, we will see if BSchenn gets a shot and sticks there.

Most looking forward to see Laughton play, and hopefully get to see one of the young D prospects get a call up at some point.

I truly believe the 3-5 yr future looks very bright with Hexy at the helm.

Mason was by far the best single thing from last season about the Flyers.

A distant second was rebounding from the awful start to rally and make the playoffs.
Giroux getting a nomination for the Hart is third, and the positive surprise of Raffl honorable mention.

As far as this year, my reasons for feeling optomistic is mainly the team having a full year and getting a full preseason to work with Berube and his system. Coming into camp in playing shape hopefully they start playing the right way from jump.

Pessimism?
Even though they go 6-7 deep with legit nhl defenseman, they still are lacking at the #1 spot. Lack of a #1 LW is maybe a concern, we will see if BSchenn gets a shot and sticks there.

Most looking forward to see Laughton play, and hopefully get to see one of the young D prospects get a call up T some point.

I truly believe the 3-5 yr future looks very bright with Hexy at the helm.
- Marc D

Well put, I agree with all of this!

Mason needs to change his handedness. Left handed goalies are an abomination.

That is all.......
- hockeylover

Grant Fuhr disagrees.

Mason was by far the best single thing from last season about the Flyers.

A distant second was rebounding from the awful start to rally and make the playoffs.
Giroux getting a nomination for the Hart is third, and the positive surprise of Raffl honorable mention.

As far as this year, my reasons for feeling optomistic is mainly the team having a full year and getting a full preseason to work with Berube and his system. Coming into camp in playing shape hopefully they start playing the right way from jump.

Pessimism?
Even though they go 6-7 deep with legit nhl defenseman, they still are lacking at the #1 spot. Lack of a #1 LW is maybe a concern, we will see if BSchenn gets a shot and sticks there.

Most looking forward to see Laughton play, and hopefully get to see one of the young D prospects get a call up at some point.

I truly believe the 3-5 yr future looks very bright with Hexy at the helm.
- Marc D

I'd have to agree as well. There seems to be some good looking prospects in line for the future.

As far as this coming season, it will be interesting to see what kind of lines they try if they don't move anyone this summer.