It's close to it.

You need to stir in a Streit slapper concussing Giroux and then you have the recipe down.
- Marc D

Why am I now expecting this to happen tonight?

I know. Berube makes no sense to me sometimes. Things would be going well then he'd break up a line to appease VL. Raffl-G-Jake had great success along with Hartnell-Schenn-Simmonds, but Berube felt the need to break those lines up because VL wouldn't fit in the lineup unless it was on the 2nd line.
- PhillySportsGuy

Makes no sense to me, either. Just gotta hope it works. Some days, I just don't understand it, but what are you going to do?

If he really is best at center and can't adjust to wing, which I admit is possible, then we should be getting offers for him since the short term centers are G, Coots, Vinny and the long term centers are G, Coots, Laughton.
- Feanor

Laughton hasn't played an NHL game in years. I don't see how you can jump to that conclusion. Personally, I think Schenn is a better center right now than VL at even strength. I just think the team see VL only being able to play C or RW and not LW. Unfortunately for VL, the team has 2 high caliber RWs, so the team is forced to play him at center. I think they feel Schenn can adjust better to LW. I haven't seen anything in him that says he can be a LW. He's never played well in that spot.

His most successful stints as a Flyer have been at center with two, top six wingers. Think about the lines he's always played on. How often has he been saddled with VL or Briere? I'd say most of his career has been with either of those guys and both of them have struggled over the last 3 years.
- PhillySportsGuy

B Schenn hasn't been any better at Center then he has at Wing. He has struggled, and has had success at both positions. B Schenn has to take some responsibility for his own play. Not saying that he hasn't, but he needs to be better.

At this point, I'd try any combos that may work:

Raffl-Giroux-Simmonds
Bellemare-Schenn-Voracek
Umberger-Coots-Read
Rinaldo-Jones-Akeson
- BiggE

Read has been LW and Umberger has been RW on that line.

Also, is Raffl-G-Simmonds going to be a 60% CF line like Girafflcek was last year? Taking out only elite, puck-possession winger away from the 1st line is a dangerous move.

B Schenn hasn't been any better at Center then he has at Wing. He has struggled, and has had success at both positions. B Schenn has to take some responsibility for his own play. Not saying that he hasn't, but he needs to be better.
- MJL

We watch different games

That was more the exception to the rule than the norm though
- PhillySportsGuy

Agreed.

I'm not saying it has to be Michael Del Zotto, but the Flyers need to have a player with his skillset on the roster. It could be Ghost, or Sanheim in a few years, whatever.

That doesn't mean they can't play defense, be responsible. But guys like Torey Krug and Kris Russell are just as valuable as shutdown defensemen who are sporadic in moving a puck or joining a rush -- the Flyers have to get used to the changes in this league. Not every player can be Zdeno Chara, and not every player should be like Grossmann and Coburn and Schenn.

There has to be some level of risk on defense, anymore. Sometimes it won't be pretty, but it's just as ugly to have defensemen who can't move a puck very well
- AllInForFlyers

PSG kind of nailed it on the head earlier about the MTL 3rd-period... MDZ barely played that period, yet that was their worst defensive period of the young season by a country mile... that's what it looks like when you don't have enough guys who can get the puck out of the darned zone.

You just keep telling yourself that, I, for one, am not holding my breath.
- BiggE

Keep telling myself what?

In regards to Schenn's faceoff ability: It's an area he needs to work on, but they keep telling him to come to camp ready to play LW, so how often does he practice face-offs in the offseason? Probably as often as Hartnell or Simmonds practiced face-offs.

They do this every year where they tell him he's a winger then he becomes a center and Berube complains about his face-off ability. He'll never get better at face-offs if he isn't taking face-offs in practice and in games consistently!

I know. Berube makes no sense to me sometimes. Things would be going well then he'd break up a line to appease VL. Raffl-G-Jake had great success along with Hartnell-Schenn-Simmonds, but Berube felt the need to break those lines up because VL wouldn't fit in the lineup unless it was on the 2nd line.
- PhillySportsGuy

Hexy sees it.
He tried hard to trade VLC this summer.

Schenn is not the prototypical puck carrying playmaker as center.

But he could be a good center with a playmaking winger.

The Flyers after G and Jake are pretty short on puck carrying playmakers.

And they both play on the same line.

Pretty sure the GM sees this too.
He said on a radio interview he would love another playmaker on this team.

Laughton hasn't played an NHL game in years. I don't see how you can jump to that conclusion. Personally, I think Schenn is a better center right now than VL at even strength. I just think the team see VL only being able to play C or RW and not LW. Unfortunately for VL, the team has 2 high caliber RWs, so the team is forced to play him at center. I think they feel Schenn can adjust better to LW. I haven't seen anything in him that says he can be a LW. He's never played well in that spot.
- PhillySportsGuy

The way Brayden Schenn is playing right now, he's not better then anybody. And Lecavalier has been much, much better then Schenn has been.

I know. Berube makes no sense to me sometimes. Things would be going well then he'd break up a line to appease VL. Raffl-G-Jake had great success along with Hartnell-Schenn-Simmonds, but Berube felt the need to break those lines up because VL wouldn't fit in the lineup unless it was on the 2nd line.
- PhillySportsGuy

It's pretty infuriating to realize just how much the VL signing has affected Schenn's development.

PSG kind of nailed it on the head earlier about the MTL 3rd-period... MDZ barely played that period, yet that was their worst defensive period of the young season by a country mile... that's what it looks like when you don't have enough guys who can get the puck out of the darned zone.
- Tomahawk

MDZ has flaws. No one would deny that. I just don't understand why his flaws are worse than ALL of the other defenseman's.

Why am I now expecting this to happen tonight?
- BiggE

Part of the master plan

PSG kind of nailed it on the head earlier about the MTL 3rd-period... MDZ barely played that period, yet that was their worst defensive period of the young season by a country mile... that's what it looks like when you don't have enough guys who can get the puck out of the darned zone.
- Tomahawk

You mean like when MDZ and LSchenn couldn't clear the zone for two straight minutes between the first goal and the second goal?

PSG kind of nailed it on the head earlier about the MTL 3rd-period... MDZ barely played that period, yet that was their worst defensive period of the young season by a country mile... that's what it looks like when you don't have enough guys who can get the puck out of the darned zone.
- Tomahawk

That 3rd period had zero to do with MDZ playing time, and everything to do with the entire team stopped skating and playing.

It's pretty infuriating to realize just how much the VL signing has affected Schenn's development.
- Tomahawk

I know. This is why I hated the signing and wanted him gone this summer. I just don't understand why the team is so accommodating to him, but don't give a poop about Schenn. He's never complained publicly either despite being moved around so much and constantly mis-led.

I just don't see the playmaking ability in him to be a top 6 center.
- Feanor

Last season I had to have mistaken Schenn for Lecavalier a dozen times or more.

In regards to Schenn's faceoff ability: It's an area he needs to work on, but they keep telling him to come to camp ready to play LW, so how often does he practice face-offs in the offseason? Probably as often as Hartnell or Simmonds practiced face-offs.

They do this every year where they tell him he's a winger then he becomes a center and Berube complains about his face-off ability. He'll never get better at face-offs if he isn't taking face-offs in practice and in games consistently!
- PhillySportsGuy

Logical. So decide what he is. If he is a Winger, leave him there and forget about faceoffs.

That 3rd period had zero to do with MDZ playing time, and everything to do with the entire team stopped skating and playing.
- MJL

The Flyers are doing with MacDonald the exact same thing the Islanders did with him.

MDZ has flaws. No one would deny that. I just don't understand why his flaws are worse than ALL of the other defenseman's.
- PhillySportsGuy

I think he has to earn the trust of the Coaching staff. His play has been too sporadic to this point to do that.

MDZ ES Stats (team D rank):

P/60 1.32 (1)

CF 48.9% (1)
CF/60 59.4 (1)
CA/60 62.0 (2)

QoT TOI: 27.1% (6)
QoC TOI: 27.4% (7)
OZS% Rel: 9.84 (6)

OnIceSV%: .778 (6)


Translation:
When he's on the ice, the Flyers have the puck more than with any other dman, including Streit. That means more time playing 200-ft away from their own net, and less time hemmed in.

He's playing sheltered minutes, but no less sheltered than Streit. Streit actually gets the easiest minutes of anyone. MDZ also doesn't see the same quality of teammates that Streit enjoys.

But... what about all those goals against!

Look at that OnIceSV%... when your goalies can't stop more than 3/4 of the shots on net when you're on the ice, you're looking at some wicked short-term, unsustainably bad luck. Mark Streit, by comparison, enjoys a 96.2 SV% when he's on the ice.

So yeah, MDZ has been better than Streit, but has been a victim of poor short-term puck luck. He's not the most hearty guy down low, nor the most risk-averse... but as far as doing his darned job (pushing play forward), he's faring as well as can be expected.

They could bench him when Coburn gets back, but right now he's the only thing that's holding the anchor that is Luke Schenn afloat.
- Tomahawk

I think this is a case of the possession stats not really telling the story. Either it's short-term bad luck, or the shots the opposition are getting are high-percentage shots because he can't limit them well.

If he really is best at center and can't adjust to wing, which I admit is possible, then we should be getting offers for him since the short term centers are G, Coots, Vinny and the long term centers are G, Coots, Laughton.

His faceoff numbers have gotten worse every year in Philly, which is concerning.
- Feanor

Whether Schenn is a better LW or C is irrelevant to a certain extent. Like you said earlier, if he can't play LW, he'll have no place here with Giroux, Couturier and Lecavalier in the NHL and Laughton in the pipeline. Because of that, they might as well give him as many games at LW as possible and hope he can figure it out. Otherwise he doesn't fit the roster.

The way Brayden Schenn is playing right now, he's not better then anybody. And Lecavalier has been much, much better then Schenn has been.
- MJL

Lecavalier deserves credit for having another good start to season. The newest injury might give us some doubts on whether or not he can stay healthy but it's still possible he could bounce back this season.