Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Can Couturier Grow His Offensive Game? Co

Thanks Bill. It was a great read to start the day with. One of the best ways for this Flyers team to be better than last season is to have Couturier and Schenn both develop their games.

My prediction: couturier scores 20 goals 45 points while Read reaches 30 goals.

Couts is no doubt going to improve offensively. He is still very young and last season he showed how strong he has gotten along the boards. He will only improve. I feel its time for him to take the next step as the 2C. I know he already plays those minutes but I think adding a scoring winger along with Read on that line it will pan out to be the Off-Def line they are looking for.

Read-Couturier-Simmonds

Schenn needs to play wing....

Coots/Read need to be promoted to 2nd liners. The talent and chemistry is there. Pair them with Simmonds and you've got a nice mix of speed, passing, sniping and "garbage" goal ability.

Interesting fact:

Mason finished 7th in Vezina voting last season
Bobrovsky finished 8th

Also Giroux has made it 25th and 14th in previous years for the Selke. (For those who say he is'nt sound defensively)

Coots/Read need to be promoted to 2nd liners. The talent and chemistry is there. Pair them with Simmonds and you've got a nice mix of speed, passing, sniping and "garbage" goal ability.
- hereticpride

Agree, you got to give him a chance and that would be a great 2nd line.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Can Couturier Grow His Offensive Game?
Co
- bmeltzer

Couturier finished with two fewer points than Brayden Schenn, playing a far more difficult role. The Flyers can get more offense out of Couturier if they actually used him in a less defense first role. He faces top competition, starts more in the defensive zone at a higher rate than anyone else and still almost matches Schenn's production.

Does he need to be more consistent? Sure. What 21 year old doesn't. But the Flyers seem to demand more from Couturier than other young players...and of course the coach is talking about saddling Couturier and Read with Rinaldo, which should turn Couts into Sidney Crosby

Coots/Read need to be promoted to 2nd liners. The talent and chemistry is there. Pair them with Simmonds and you've got a nice mix of speed, passing, sniping and "garbage" goal ability.
- hereticpride

I would stay away from calling it "second line"

I want to see G, Cout, and Vinny be the top 3 centers.
then see the even strength ice time roughly divided up like 35% G, 25% for Cout and Vinny lines, then 15% for the 4th center.

Coots/Read need to be promoted to 2nd liners. The talent and chemistry is there. Pair them with Simmonds and you've got a nice mix of speed, passing, sniping and "garbage" goal ability.
- hereticpride

If Berube feels he has to keep Voracek & Giroux as a pair, it's a good idea. A "second" line of Read, Couturier & Simmonds would be great, and then Schenn can fit in with Giroux and Voracek

If Berube feels he has to keep Voracek & Giroux as a pair, it's a good idea. A "second" line of Read, Couturier & Simmonds would be great, and then Schenn can fit in with Giroux and Voracek
- Jsaquella

If you want Schenn and Couts to produce more thats what needs to be done. Schenn can get 30 goals on Giroux's wing. If Hartnell can do it. Schenn can surely do it.

If you want Schenn and Couts to produce more thats what needs to be done. Schenn can get 30 goals on Giroux's wing. If Hartnell can do it. Schenn can surely do it.
- GOA88

Not sold on that. Schenn had a solid season, but he had some hot and cold streaks. But if they're keeping Lecavalier at C and not splitting Giroux and Voracek then I don't see another spot for him

Not sold on that. Schenn had a solid season, but he had some hot and cold streaks. But if they're keeping Lecavalier at C and not splitting Giroux and Voracek then I don't see another spot for him
- Jsaquella

Well, Vinny cant play wing so I dont see another spot either. I think Schenn can improve like he has every season. I dont like him as the 2C at least not yet. It would help him to have elite talent to play with.

Great discussion lead.

Drives me crazy that the discussion of analytics has become so exotic that we no longer seem comfortable with simple statistical yardsticks. Bill did a really nice job of developing a good profile of Couturier's NHL growth and reliability and where he fits on the team.

The most important team statistic is goal differential. Probably even more important is goals allowed, essentially the teams that allow the least goals do well in the standings and often thrive in the playoffs (LA, Chicago, Rangers and Montreal are all good examples from last year).

Couturier played against top players last year and ended the season +1. LaCavalier ended the season -16, Schenn was even on the season. The players always figure it out at training camp. Smart coaches just let the dynamics between the players work themselves out. By the time camp breaks I would expect that Couturier will be well established as the Flyers second line center.

Couturier finished with two fewer points than Brayden Schenn, playing a far more difficult role. The Flyers can get more offense out of Couturier if they actually used him in a less defense first role. He faces top competition, starts more in the defensive zone at a higher rate than anyone else and still almost matches Schenn's production.

Does he need to be more consistent? Sure. What 21 year old doesn't. But the Flyers seem to demand more from Couturier than other young players...and of course the coach is talking about saddling Couturier and Read with Rinaldo, which should turn Couts into Sidney Crosby
- Jsaquella

I'm really happy w/ Couturier's offensive development last season... yeah, it came in fits and starts, but ~40pts ain't nothing to scoff at these days, especially in light of the kind of defensive responsibility that Coots has strapped to his back.

You know those early Jordan Staal comparables? Don't look now, but Coots is just about there already. JS's career high is 50, but he mostly hovers in the low-40's.

Revised forward lineup. Forgot to include raffl last night

Schenn giroux voracek
Read coots Simmonds
Raffl lecavalier akeson
Rinaldo/Bellemare Laughton umberger

I think Laughton spends most of the year with the flyers. This lineup has a defensive element on each line. I don't want to see coots line with so many defensive starts. Its possible that later in the year that 4th line with Bellemare could see significant time against scoring lines

P4 of Tim's Hexy interview:

http://www.csnphilly.com/...-be-better-physical-shape

Revised forward lineup. Forgot to include raffl last night

Schenn giroux voracek
Read coots Simmonds
Raffl lecavalier akeson
Rinaldo/Bellemare Laughton umberger

I think Laughton spends most of the year with the flyers. This lineup has a defensive element on each line. I don't want to see coots line with so many defensive starts. Its possible that later in the year that 4th line with Bellemare could see significant time against scoring lines
- Just5

Thats pretty much what I would do. Raffl and Umberger could switch depending on who wins that job.

Thats pretty much what I would do. Raffl and Umberger could switch depending on who wins that job.
- GOA88

Schenn g voracek
Simmonds couturier read
Raffl lecavier umberger
Bellemore Laughton rinaldo
Putting another veteran with lecavier could be really useful.
I'm not a fan of Laughton playing on the 4th line but kids gotta start somewhere and ther is no room on top 3 lines right now. I can see him moving up the line up fast tho.

P4 of Tim's Hexy interview:

http://www.csnphilly.com/...-be-better-physical-shape
- Tomahawk

The thing about Paddock actually made a lot of sense to me.

Thats pretty much what I would do. Raffl and Umberger could switch depending on who wins that job.
- GOA88

What I really want to see is Simmonds with coots and read and an expectation for that line to score. Simmonds has real chemistry with coots.

I'm really happy w/ Couturier's offensive development last season... yeah, it came in fits and starts, but ~40pts ain't nothing to scoff at these days, especially in light of the kind of defensive responsibility that Coots has strapped to his back.

You know those early Jordan Staal comparables? Don't look now, but Coots is just about there already. JS's career high is 50, but he mostly hovers in the low-40's.
- Tomahawk

Don't tell me what to do

I love it when coots just uses his size along the boards. He shown flashes of that type of game plenty of times. He's a big kid that can really assert himself.

If he plays like that game in and game out.....oh man

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Can Couturier Grow His Offensive Game?
Co
- bmeltzer

Great stuff as always, Bill!!

There is no doubt in my mind that Couturier can reach 20 goals and 45-50 points this season. I also feel, and I have felt this since his rookie season, they he will eventually top out as a 25 goal 55-60 point player and be a perennial finalist for the Selke.

Don't tell me what to do
- Giroux_Is_God

+1