This in and out Coach (Whatever this means) gets results within his limited window. The way you speak, you'd think no Coaches in the league ever get fired.
- SuperSchennBros

All coaches and their messages will become stale if they are with the same players year after year, especially if there is a lot of success right away. It happens all the time in every sport.

Geez, put the AMac bashing to rest already. You do realize NO ONE has more points in the NHL over the last 4 seasons that Giroux! Voracek is leading the NHL in points right now and is emerging as one of the best wingers in the league. Sorry but your top 3 isn't as good!
- aantny88

I'm not bashing I'm stating facts. He was terrible on our team and i said as such and unfortunately due to injury he will be your #1. Voracek looks great but I don't see him keeping at this pace it's unrealistic. I'd still take our top 3 over yours let alone top 6 which I don't even think is a debate really. Depth is key in todays NHL and for making the playoffs and actually competing which was the core of the debate you replied too.

Yes. Hextall is on page 457 of Catcher in the Rye, and Berube is on page 3 of Cat in the hat.
- PLindbergh31

Did they get rid of Brian Strait? The games I watched the Isles play in the early season he looked like the weak link to the D.


I think you guys look great.
Beating Tampa 5-2 is not easy.
- Marc D

Brian Strait is our #7. He's looked terrible this season. I expect him to be waived soon and one of Pulock(Who is absolutely tearing up the AHL) or Reinhart to be called up when there's an injury.

Forward group solely dependent on one line + Mediocre group of defensemen = Draft lottery

Go ahead, tell me again how this is not a bad team.
- BiggE

Eh they are mediocre, not really "bad".
If Mason plays like he did last night, they will win some games with their #1 PP unit alone.

With Raffl they have two good lines.

Bellemare with Akeson and Rinaldo showed signs of being a competent 4th line.

The Vinnie/RJ/poor sod line is just going to be bad.

Not sure they are even in the same book
- BiggE

Doesn't feel like it at times. I agree with jak's earlier post that a young team needs an experienced head coach. And I don't mean years of assistant coaching.

Why not? His word means nothing otherwise. At some point you have to show you mean business. Why didn't you mention Bellemare?
- MBFlyerfan

He can do anything he wants. I just think his thought process was the the game was still in reach. So he's not going to play players like Rinaldo more, or Vandevelde more. he's going to play the hand that he was dealt. Umberger and Lecavalier aren't the only issues. I just didn't mention Bellemare, no reason for it.

But here's the flip side. If he had taken away icetime from players like Lecavalier, Simmonds, Read and Couturier, and had played Laughton, Rinaldo, or Vandevelde more because they were giving more effort. Then the criticism would be the coach is an idiot for playing those players. And how is COuturier going to develop an offensive game, blah, blah.
The team as a whole, other then Mason, gave the coach nothing last night. I'm not going to blame Berube for that.

Brian Strait is our #7. He's looked terrible this season. I expect him to be waived soon and one of Pulock(Who is absolutely tearing up the AHL) or Reinhart to be called up when there's an injury.
- Cptmjl

He was forced to play because Vis was out?

The Coach is not going to include a player like Laughton in the after game criticism. Laughton wasn't awful, but he looked like a player that isn't ready for the NHL. So he's obviously going to give that player a pass. They're down 2-0 in the game, Lecavaleir is an offensive player. He can score. That's why he's playing more then Laughton is. Not really hard to figure out. And they're going to keep playing Umberger and hope that he gets out of his doldrums. Again, with Raffl hurt, the only other LW's are Umberger and Rinaldo.

There is nothing about that game that is on the coach. He's playing the players that he has.
- MJL

You've determined that Laughton doesn't look like an NHL player through 7 mins of ice time with scrubs after being called up with basically zero practice time with the team?

That Lecavalier is an offensive player. What is that based on? What leads you to believe that he can actually score the puck. My contention is that he can't score. Based on the 15 mins a night he's getting, the ample PP time he's getting. He's actually not even close.

But we've already formed an opinion on Laughton?

Eh they are mediocre, not really "bad".
If Mason plays like he did last night, they will win some games with their #1 PP unit alone.

With Raffl they have two good lines.

Bellemare with Akeson and Rinaldo showed signs of being a competent 4th line.

The Vinnie/RJ/poor sod line is just going to be bad.
- Marc D

Instead of cutting an anchor lose, they traded for another one.

All coaches and their messages will become stale if they are with the same players year after year, especially if there is a lot of success right away. It happens all the time in every sport.
- aantny88

That's conventional wisdom, but I kind of doubt its validity.

Player turnover is pretty crazy -- for example, G, Coburn and Emery are the only current players who are left over from Lavi's first year -- I'm not sure the message even has a chance to get stale.

I disagree.. it was not a mistake. The mistake was letting Berube be the guy to take the reigns.

When you have a young team, with lots of developing players, I prefer to have a rather experienced coach.
- jak521

The team was young last year. When Berube took over last year, he guided the Flyers to one of the best records in the League over that stretch. What's changed?

He was forced to play because Vis was out?
- Marc D

Yep. Then we lost DeHaan for a stretch. Hamonic. We had some injuries on our back end. Quite a few and that kept him on our back end unfortunately for most of this season so far. He showed glimpses of being a decent 5/6 this year but I wouldn't even want him as a #7 this year. He's been that bad.

don't even care. I tell Rinaldo his first shift to go cause some hell. Smartly of course.
- J35Bacher

17 mins in his first shift...

The team was young last year. When Berube took over last year, he guided the Flyers to one of the best records in the League over that stretch. What's changed?
- MJL

Year two of a coaching change is more telling than the year they first take over, in my opinion.

The best option for the Flyers right now is to buy out Vinny and Zombie. Bring Laughton and Alderson up and play it out.....
- GOA88

Right now? You can't buy players out during the season.

Number one selling jersey in the NHL that year. Probably gag gifts for people
- Cptmjl

do you work for the Islanders? if not they could use you

I'm not bashing I'm stating facts. AMAC is terrible. Was on our team and i said as such. Voracek looks great but I don't see him keeping at this pace it's unrealistic. I'd still take our top 3 over yours let alone top 6 which I don't even think is a debate really. Depth is key in todays NHL and for making the playoffs and actually competing which was the core of that debate.
- Cptmjl

I think you are under valuing the Flyers forwards. RJ and Vinny excluded, they have a solid corp IMO...Simmonds, Cooter, Read (although he's struggled this eyar so far) G, Jake (who I think will keep up strong pace and set career highs. Not sure if you've watched him at all this yearbut he's been consistent.)

The d corps is paper thin and not strong IMO. Mason looks to have regained last year's form and is in no way to blame for the bad start to the season.

Year two of a coaching change is more telling than the year they first take over, in my opinion.
- funmaster18

We're less then 20 games into year two.

Somehow his trade value is worse now than it used to be. Umberger is completely unmovable. Even if the flyers are money, I doubt anyone wants him
- PhillySportsGuy

IMO, Vinny's a bigger problem than Undieburglar. As poopty as 18 has looked, he can still play some D from time to time. 40 is a dumpster fire 5V5... only sign of life from him last night was when he was licking his chops 6V5.

do you work for the Islanders? if not they could use you
- vejim

Again. Just stating facts. it was the #1 selling jersey for a while. In no way am I defending it though.

He can do anything he wants. I just think his thought process was the the game was still in reach. So he's not going to play players like Rinaldo more, or Vandevelde more. he's going to play the hand that he was dealt. Umberger and Lecavalier aren't the only issues. I just didn't mention Bellemare, no reason for it.

But here's the flip side. If he had taken away icetime from players like Lecavalier, Simmonds, Read and Couturier, and had played Laughton, Rinaldo, or Vandevelde more because they were giving more effort. Then the criticism would be the coach is an idiot for playing those players. And how is COuturier going to develop an offensive game, blah, blah.
The team as a whole, other then Mason, gave the coach nothing last night. I'm not going to blame Berube for that.
- MJL

In the past maybe it would. But now, he needs to back it up with action. You don't play hard, you get your ice time cut. Words mean something. I don't think anyone in here would have a problem with him doing what you say they would have a problem with. If the ice time for PEB/Rinaldo and VLC/Umberger were reversed last night, everyone in here would understand the reason and praise Berube for it because at least he is backing up his words.

BUT

Berube keeps harping on working and skating hard, but he does nothing about it. Reward the players working hard regardless of their roles. That is the way it has to be. Otherwise he is tuned out. I think he already has been frankly.

IMO, Vinny's a bigger problem than Undieburglar. As poopty as 18 has looked, he can still play some D from time to time. 40 is a dumpster fire 5V5... only sign of life from him last night was when he was licking his chops 6V5.
- Tomahawk

I couldn' believe how slow he was on that semi breakaway... I wasn' sure that he wouldget a shot away.

May I remind everyone that the Flyers were in worse position last season at this time? They can still turn it around and make this a fun season.

I couldn' believe how slow he was on that semi breakaway... I wasn' sure that he wouldget a shot away.
- Hextall271

I almost wish he hadn't gotten it away... it was pathetic.