I know there has been some talk about splitting G and Jake, using their puck possession and passing skills to benefit two different lines.

These two players are the ones I feel most comfortable carrying the puck in transition and making great set ups.

I think having Voracek on a line would benefit both BSchenn and Vinnie, as both of them are better shooters then puck carriers/play makers.

On the same set of principles, would anyone want to see G and Jake on different power play units?

The second unit was more of an afterthought last season, and highly ineffective.

I really think the key to improving the power play is when a guy like Ghost is ready for the NHL. Kimmo and Streit are OK but at this stage of their careers, less then the dynamic puck carriers I think they need.

Yep, exactly. You got me. Because skating does not require physical exertion whatsoever.
- jmatchett383

Sorry, can't hear you...just getting ready for the Angry Birds isn't a sport debate.

Back in 2007, before he got back into the NHL fulll-time and was doing some bird-dog pro scouting, I had the opportunity to sit next to Dave Poulin in the pressbox at a Flyers game.

I asked him if he minded if I picked his brain periodically during the game and he said sure.

Far and away, Poulin's level of hockey intellect -- and the way he articulated it -- blew away anything else I had ever experienced before. He hadn't even seen much of the Flyers that season and pretty well struck at the heart of what the team and its players did and didn't do well. Specifically, some of it had to do with the way the team was trying to exiting the defensive zone and get the puck into the offensive zone.

That has always stuck with me, and it was years before the whole "advanced stats" stuff took off yet it was based off a similar principle that there a cumulative effect to subpar puck management. He didn't tie it to shots or scoring chances, specifically, but it was all about constructing a series of productive shifts to achieve a bigger result.

It amuses me that people who have never sat down and talked hockey with Poulin are painting him as some dinosaur in the way he thinks the game. They take a certain soundbite or quote and try to it a broader conclusion. Poulin actually has a very analytical mind -- if you even spend 30 minutes talking hockey with him, it becomes very clear that he thinks in bigger-picture terms.

I can almost guarantee you that he is not "anti-analytics" so much as that he doesn't believe in using them the way that fans/bloggers do. Actually, I suspect his view has evolved pretty much right in line with how Ron Hextall says he sees it.

Lastly, I will say that for a dinosaur, he did pretty well as the Marlies' GM.
- bmeltzer

I'd love for Poulin to be in the Flyers management.
I suspect he will take a head GM spot before long, and with Hextall here, there may not be a spot for him.

I'd love for Poulin to be in the Flyers management.
I suspect he will take a head GM spot before long, and with Hextall here, there may not be a spot for him.
- Marc D

I think he will be an assistant GM in the NHL to keep himself current and then continue to interview for lead GM spots as they become available.

I just felt I had to comment on the way Dave has been conveniently painted as some closed-minded relic, because that is far from the truth.

I think he will be an assistant GM in the NHL to keep himself current and then continue to interview for lead GM spots as they become available.

I just felt I had to comment on the way Dave has been conveniently painted as some closed-minded relic, because that is far from the truth.
- bmeltzer

Depends, are you planning the wedding to make you happy or to make others happy?
- Jsaquella

The ceremony is for me and the reception is for everyone else. Problem is I want a small wedding in a Scottish ruin, and could care less about the reception. The fiance wants the reception to be nice for his family... Which basically means we need to be able to provide bathtubs full of beer. Which I'm perfectly fine with. Problem is that Philly is halfway between our friends and his family and that jumps the money/planning for the reception tremendously. And I groan even thinking about planning an international ceremony without some help.

Back in 2007, before he got back into the NHL fulll-time and was doing some bird-dog pro scouting, I had the opportunity to sit next to Dave Poulin in the pressbox at a Flyers game.

I asked him if he minded if I picked his brain periodically during the game and he said sure.

Far and away, Poulin's level of hockey intellect -- and the way he articulated it -- blew away anything else I had ever experienced before. He hadn't even seen much of the Flyers that season and pretty well struck at the heart of what the team and its players did and didn't do well. Specifically, some of it had to do with the way the team was trying to exiting the defensive zone and get the puck into the offensive zone.

That has always stuck with me, and it was years before the whole "advanced stats" stuff took off yet it was based off a similar principle that there a cumulative effect to subpar puck management. He didn't tie it to shots or scoring chances, specifically, but it was all about constructing a series of productive shifts to achieve a bigger result.

It amuses me that people who have never sat down and talked hockey with Poulin are painting him as some dinosaur in the way he thinks the game. They take a certain soundbite or quote and try to it a broader conclusion. Poulin actually has a very analytical mind -- if you even spend 30 minutes talking hockey with him, it becomes very clear that he thinks in bigger-picture terms.

I can almost guarantee you that he is not "anti-analytics" so much as that he doesn't believe in using them the way that fans/bloggers do. Actually, I suspect his view has evolved pretty much right in line with how Ron Hextall says he sees it.

Lastly, I will say that for a dinosaur, he did pretty well as the Marlies' GM.
- bmeltzer

I don't think anyone called him a dinosaur, specifically, but to not have questions about him after the team he worked for missed the playoffs in 5 out of 6 seasons, seems kind of naive.

My concerns have nothing to do with analytics and more to do with the team not being good enough to make the playoffs for the majority of his time there.

I'm not dismissing him summarily, I'm asking how much input he had and how much say he had in the decisions that built what has been a pretty bad team.

He was a great player, remains one of my favorite Flyers more than twenty years after his last game as a Flyer. And I have no problem with the ex-Flyers thing.

The ceremony is for me and the reception is for everyone else. Problem is I want a small wedding in a Scottish ruin, and could care less about the reception. The fiance wants the reception to be nice for his family... Which basically means we need to be able to provide bathtubs full of beer. Which I'm perfectly fine with. Problem is that Philly is halfway between our friends and his family and that jumps the money/planning for the reception tremendously. And I groan even thinking about planning an international ceremony without some help.
- FlyersGrace

In that case, I'd probably go with the planner. Regardless of anything else, it sounds like you're dropping major coin anyhow. Might as well bring in a pro, whi might be able to do something about travel costs or other expenses that limit the guests availability to attend

In that case, I'd probably go with the planner. Regardless of anything else, it sounds like you're dropping major coin anyhow. Might as well bring in a pro, whi might be able to do something about travel costs or other expenses that limit the guests availability to attend
- Jsaquella

I'm just wrestling with the whole idea that this is going to be much more expensive than I wanted, sigh...

The ceremony is for me and the reception is for everyone else. Problem is I want a small wedding in a Scottish ruin, and could care less about the reception. The fiance wants the reception to be nice for his family... Which basically means we need to be able to provide bathtubs full of beer. Which I'm perfectly fine with. Problem is that Philly is halfway between our friends and his family and that jumps the money/planning for the reception tremendously. And I groan even thinking about planning an international ceremony without some help.
- FlyersGrace

So you're having a destination ceremony and a local reception?

I'm just wrestling with the whole idea that this is going to be much more expensive than I wanted, sigh...
- FlyersGrace

There's an entire wedding industry built around making things more expensive than they should be. Our wedding was ten years ago, and it cost a ton of cash. Sometimes the best thing to keep in mind is, that no matter how wonderful, the wedding/reception is one day.

Depends, are you planning the wedding to make you happy or to make others happy?
- Jsaquella

Best thing I have ever done was plan my own wedding the exact way my wife and I wanted it listening to no one else. It was 100% our day. Piñatas, dance offs, tears laughter, contra dancing, keg stands, and so on. Best day of my life. I hope for you FlyersGrace it's the same. Make it special because you deserve it

Edit: And we went cheap and people donated money to a honeyfund.com (honeymoon) instead of buying us worthless crap which helped with finances as well.

Best thing I have ever done was plan my own wedding the exact way my wife and I wanted it listening to no one else. It was 100% out day. Piñatas, dance offs, tears laughter, contra dancing, keg stands, and so on. Best day of my life. I hope for you FlyersGrace it's the same. Make it special because you deserve it
- coffee junkie

Oh yeah, looking back, If I had a DeLorean with a flux capacitor, we'd have eloped.

Best thing I have ever done was plan my own wedding the exact way my wife and I wanted it listening to no one else. It was 100% our day. Piñatas, dance offs, tears laughter, contra dancing, keg stands, and so on. Best day of my life. I hope for you FlyersGrace it's the same. Make it special because you deserve it
- coffee junkie

Best thing I have ever done was plan my own wedding the exact way my wife and I wanted it listening to no one else. It was 100% our day. Piñatas, dance offs, tears laughter, contra dancing, keg stands, and so on. Best day of my life. I hope for you FlyersGrace it's the same. Make it special because you deserve it
- coffee junkie

Hot as hell
guinness for all
party till 1am

the heat was the only part 9f the day we didn't plan

Sorry, can't hear you...just getting ready for the Angry Birds isn't a sport debate.


- wolfhounds

It sure is a redneck sport, much like igniting a bonfire.

Yep, I'm all in favor of Adam Hall returning, either as the 4th C or as the 13th forward
- Jsaquella

I'm ready to move on from Hall (and Rinaldo). I don't want a 4th line that can barely handle six minutes of ES ice time.

Schenn-Giroux-Voracek
Read-Couturier-Simmonds
Raffl-Lecavalier-Akeson
Bellemare-Laughton-Umberger

3rd and 4th lines would see fairly similar ice time with this set-up. Vinny is the only below average skater in the group.

It sure is a redneck sport, much like igniting a bonfire.
- jmatchett383

Drunk Gasoline Bonfires on TLC.

Wooo-Daddy!

Back in 2007, before he got back into the NHL fulll-time and was doing some bird-dog pro scouting, I had the opportunity to sit next to Dave Poulin in the pressbox at a Flyers game.

I asked him if he minded if I picked his brain periodically during the game and he said sure.

Far and away, Poulin's level of hockey intellect -- and the way he articulated it -- blew away anything else I had ever experienced before. He hadn't even seen much of the Flyers that season and pretty well struck at the heart of what the team and its players did and didn't do well. Specifically, some of it had to do with the way the team was trying to exiting the defensive zone and get the puck into the offensive zone.

That has always stuck with me, and it was years before the whole "advanced stats" stuff took off yet it was based off a similar principle that there a cumulative effect to subpar puck management. He didn't tie it to shots or scoring chances, specifically, but it was all about constructing a series of productive shifts to achieve a bigger result.

It amuses me that people who have never sat down and talked hockey with Poulin are painting him as some dinosaur in the way he thinks the game. They take a certain soundbite or quote and try to it a broader conclusion. Poulin actually has a very analytical mind -- if you even spend 30 minutes talking hockey with him, it becomes very clear that he thinks in bigger-picture terms.

I can almost guarantee you that he is not "anti-analytics" so much as that he doesn't believe in using them the way that fans/bloggers do. Actually, I suspect his view has evolved pretty much right in line with how Ron Hextall says he sees it.

Lastly, I will say that for a dinosaur, he did pretty well as the Marlies' GM.
- bmeltzer

you just described the plot for trouble with the curve

I know there has been some talk about splitting G and Jake, using their puck possession and passing skills to benefit two different lines.

These two players are the ones I feel most comfortable carrying the puck in transition and making great set ups.

I think having Voracek on a line would benefit both BSchenn and Vinnie, as both of them are better shooters then puck carriers/play makers.

On the same set of principles, would anyone want to see G and Jake on different power play units?

The second unit was more of an afterthought last season, and highly ineffective.

I really think the key to improving the power play is when a guy like Ghost is ready for the NHL. Kimmo and Streit are OK but at this stage of their careers, less then the dynamic puck carriers I think they need.
- Marc D

ever since jsaq started beating the drum to have G and Jake split up, ive been on board

which means berube is likely not even considering it

Yes, but as you said, "It would certainly help." So, given the choice of a CEO who understands the company's products (or at least has a general knowledge of those types of products) versus a CEO with no working knowledge, you always go with the first one.

Again, may be specific to fields like engineering, but it's all I know well.
- jmatchett383

But that doesn't suggest the person has to be an engineer. And there are aspects to the personalities of most engineers I've known that can make them a poor choice above a certain level in an organization (too much need for task-specific control, too focused on analytics and unable to drive through to completion in a timely manner). So understanding a line of work or its products enough to be a senior manager in such an organization does not necessarily require the know-how to complete technical tasks in the business.

I'm just wrestling with the whole idea that this is going to be much more expensive than I wanted, sigh...
- FlyersGrace

You could get married in the ruin with just a few close people/family. Then have a reception/party here that's Scottish themed without breaking the bank for you or the attendees.

you just described the plot for trouble with the curve

- 2Real

You could get married in the ruin with just a few close people/family. Then have a reception/party here that's Scottish themed without breaking the bank for you or the attendees.
- bodiva88

That was the original idea...

I know there has been some talk about splitting G and Jake, using their puck possession and passing skills to benefit two different lines.

These two players are the ones I feel most comfortable carrying the puck in transition and making great set ups.

I think having Voracek on a line would benefit both BSchenn and Vinnie, as both of them are better shooters then puck carriers/play makers.

On the same set of principles, would anyone want to see G and Jake on different power play units?

The second unit was more of an afterthought last season, and highly ineffective.

I really think the key to improving the power play is when a guy like Ghost is ready for the NHL. Kimmo and Streit are OK but at this stage of their careers, less then the dynamic puck carriers I think they need.
- Marc D

This is an important thing, in my opinion, that doesn't really get talked about too often. The powerplay lived and died with that first unit, so much so that when the Flyers PP as a whole was inconsistent it was mostly due to the fact that the first unit wasn't getting it done night in and night out.

The second unit never really got a chance to gel. Guys like Read, Couturier and Downie got cycled in and out on a nightly basis. They also didn't seem to have the ease of entry and the superior cycle game the first unit had, which could be due to personnel. I would like to see Voracek moved down, so you have an elite puck handler on each unit. I would also like to see Read and Couturier put on the second unit and left there. Read has one of the best hands and shot on the team and Couturier could provide a big body in front and has underrated hands down low and he's adept at winning puck battles in the corners.

I think having a full training camp/preseason with Berube, we will see a better second unit.