If we are talking sports heroes in general, Dr J was the first poster I had hanging on my wall as a kid. Charles Barkley was God to me and as a Raider fan Bo Jackson was Jesus.

If we are talking from a hockey prospective specifically I will have to go with Pelle Lindbergh as a kid but as I got older I was a huge LeClair fan when he came here in 94 and he probably as of now is my all time favorite Flyer (maybe it's 1a and 1b with Pelle).

I will have to admit that I had a soft spot for Calgary in the early 90's because I was huge fans of Theron Fleury.

Pavel Bure has been a top 4 or 5 player of mine that I have got to see live and was sad when they lost to the Cup to the Rags.

MacDonald might be the worst defenseman on the Flyers. He might be the worst defenseman in the league. If the numbers suss that out and synch with the eye-test, so be it.

But hockey's a team sport. Whatever failings the guy has, he's on a team now that, thus far, was able to make the playoffs.

The Flyers are a better franchise than the Leafs. Have been since expansion. That's what you're missing in all of this.

MacDonald might be the worst defenseman on either team. But the Flyers have been better than the Leafs for damn near 50 years now.

FIFTY YEARS.

That's all that matters. Your franchise is horrible. One of the most inept organizations, pre- and post-lockout, the NHL has to offer.

You can throw out advanced stats on MacDonald all day long. But take a look at the scoreboard once in a while.
- AllInForFlyers

I don't think MacDonald is horrible, but he's definitely limited. Even those who defend him readily state that he was counted on too heavily by the Isles. The problem there is, the Flyers made a 6 year commitment worth $30mm to a guy whose ceiling-admitted even by his defenders-is second pair defenseman.

If I'm making that sort of commitment to a guy, I want him to be more than that. I want him to be able to slide up and be an effective first pair guy in case of injury or team needs.

We all readily admit that he can't handle that workload, which makes the contract questionable to me.

I think you can argue he is slightly overpaid. Possession numbers are a team number, not an individual number.
- MJL

How are they a team number? Ever heard of Corsi relative? How can you argue that he's only slightly overpaid? Back it up with some numbers.

So it's okay to sign bad players because, historically, your team has been better than the Leafs?

Great measuring stick, bud.
- BINGO!

In a league where 14 teams don't make the playoffs, sure as hell that's a measuring stick that matters. Did you make the playoffs, or not?

Andy MacDonald was playing in a Game 7 for the Flyers three months ago. If it's a bad contract, they'll deal with it -- but in this case, it had to wait until AFTER THE PLAYOFFS.

This makes puff the magic dragon a little more difficult to listen to
- PhillySportsGuy

Not if you're into swingers who smoke pot

http://www.extraskater.com/players/possession?min_gp=50&per_page=all&pos=D&season=2013&sit=5v5&sort=cf_pct_rel


ranked 194th out of 194 defenders that played over 41 games.


That's a fact.


Please counter with one other than "he played 22 minutes"
- Schenn-Sational!

Wow! Drew Doughty is the 35th best defenseman in the league. Keith is 47, Chara is 51 and Suter is 97th.

Sounds legit.

No, not yet.

Thats actually mean. I really do have a weight problem. You dont actually live in an igloo…I think
- PhillySportsGuy

I just told you that I don't live in one. Your American educational system still clearly needs work.

How are they a team number? Ever heard of Corsi relative? How can you argue that he's only slightly overpaid? Back it up with some numbers.
- EagleNuck

Oh, (frank)....Well, I'm going to go eat, do my taxes, build a 3,000 mile wall along the southern border of the US and check back in to how this one is progressing.

I just told you that I don't live in one. Your American educational system still clearly needs work.
- EagleNuck

We're first in everything. Clearly, you'd know this if you went to school in 'merica!

Wow! Drew Doughty is the 35th best defenseman in the league. Keith is 47, Chara is 51 and Suter is 97th.

Sounds legit.
- mayorofangrytown

Oh Gawd.


There's more to it than that, you have to look at zone starts, quality of teammates/competition. And none of those help Amac's case much either btw.

Well, no, they won't be under the cap, they will have an exemption to spend over the cap. Where that hurts is in a case where a player who has bonuses is concerned. They can't use LTIR exemption to pay bonuses.

They already had dead cap space because of bonuses earned last season that got pushed to this season because they dipped into LTIR
- Jsaquella

I'm not aware of any CBA or salary Cap rule that says that you can't use LTIR cap space to pay bonuses earned.

Oh, (frank)....Well, I'm going to go eat, do my taxes, build a 3,000 mile wall along the southern border of the US and check back in to how this one is progressing.
- Jsaquella

I only came in here to talk Eagles football, but I've found MacDonald to be hilariously overrated since he was an Islander and even at HF I've had these same arguments before and I still don't get why everyone thinks he's a solid top 4 d-man.

Not if you're into swingers who smoke pot
- Jsaquella

You make several remarks about swingers. I'm beginning to question why you and ob are friends now

See, here's the thing about it:

Umberger and Lecavalier might not work out for the Flyers. That's fine. I can acknowledge the risk in both players.

But. Again: The Flyers made the playoffs last season. After a full, 82-game season, the Flyers were in the playoffs.

Now, Umberger's and Lecavalier's contracts expire in three and four years, respectively. Not ideal, but that's what they are. But those two deals, on a team that made the playoffs, are deals I can stomach. Again, not ideal. But at least they made the playoffs.

You have Dion Phaneuf on a 7x7, and David Clarkson with 6x5.25, both with no-moves...and saw no playoff hockey. As a matter of fact, in Captain Phaneuf's 4.5 seasons in Toronto, you've seen a whopping SEVEN playoff games.

So, ask yourself this: Are you entirely certain the Flyers problems are something to be concerned about?
- AllInForFlyers

Not to mention that Clarkson's contract is buyout proof. Because of how the contract is structured.

I'm not aware of any CBA or salary Cap rule that says that you can't use LTIR cap space to pay bonuses earned.
- MJL

Worded poorly

How can long-term injured reserve cause a bonus overage?

Teams requiring long-term injury relief to fit a roster under the salary cap throughout the season can be at risk of ending up with a bonus overage. That's because utilizing LTIR results in the team finishing the season with $0 cap space. For teams in these positions with players earning performance bonuses, those bonuses are tacked onto their final cap payroll as an overage and carried forward as a penalty the following season.

CBA reference: Section 50.10 (d) (P. 226-231)

I only came in here to talk Eagles football, but I've found MacDonald to be hilariously overrated since he was an Islander and even at HF I've had these same arguments before and I still don't get why everyone thinks he's a solid top 4 d-man.
- EagleNuck

Zach Ertz

In a league where 14 teams don't make the playoffs, sure as hell that's a measuring stick that matters. Did you make the playoffs, or not?

Andy MacDonald was playing in a Game 7 for the Flyers three months ago. If it's a bad contract, they'll deal with it -- but in this case, it had to wait until AFTER THE PLAYOFFS.
- AllInForFlyers

So, It doesn't matter that you signed him to a bad contract because you made the playoffs? Maybe you would have won that game 7 with a better player. That's a ridiculous argument.

No need to improve, because we made the playoffs!!!!

Using advanced stats to make a point here is like shooting Mongo in Blazing Saddles. It only makes them mad
- Jsaquella

Doesn't make me mad, just makes me realize even more how few truly understand them.

Not to mention that Clarkson's contract is buyout proof. Because of how the contract is structured.
- MJL

Wonder if Vinny for Clarkson works.

You make several remarks about swingers. I'm beginning to question why you and ob are friends now
- PhillySportsGuy

He just hopes I'll get drunk at a game again and go on a 45 minute rant about how the Flyers blew a 3-1 lead in the third.

Zach Ertz
- PhillySportsGuy

Meh. Solid, but nothing special IMO. Ladarius Green from SD is the next big breakout TE IMO.

We're first in everything. Clearly, you'd know this if you went to school in 'merica!
- PhillySportsGuy

Do we really have to take this kind of crap from some peasant from a 3rd world country like Canuckistan?

Doesn't make me mad, just makes me realize even more how few truly understand them.
- MJL

No one understands them. Except you

corsi rel is designed to show the most accurate individual number, by weighing his performance against the rest of the team's.
- Schenn-Sational!

There's a difference between most accurate, and truly accurate. It's not accurate to the point of being reliable.

No one understands them. Except you
- PhillySportsGuy

Not true, some do. Jmatchett appears to get it.