grossmann was awesome

We can debate where Umberger plays until we are blue in the face. Point is no matter where he plays he will have far more bad plays than he will good.

Flyers are stuck between a rock and a hard place with this guy. All they can do is pray to God he gets his sh!t together.
- Pelle31Forever

This is all correct.

clearly very skilled, but he better learn to skate to with his head up.

when he's older and the goalies are bigger and can actually move laterally, he's going to have to come up with other ways to score on breakaways than using the deke to get score low on the ice inside the post.
- hammarby31

Give the kid a break, I would trade RJ for him right now.

clearly very skilled, but he better learn to skate to with his head up.

when he's older and the goalies are bigger and can actually move laterally, he's going to have to come up with other ways to score on breakaways than using the deke to get score low on the ice inside the post.
- hammarby31

Give the kid a break, I would trade RJ for him right now.

This is all correct.
- johndewar

It is, sadly -- the summer's not gonna come fast enough

It is, sadly -- the summer's not gonna come fast enough
- AllInForFlyers

I don't know about you, but I'm not hoping this season is over. I enjoy the Flyers, and I think this team is making the playoffs. And I'm going to enjoy the process of this team improving.

I don't know about you, but I'm not hoping this season is over. I enjoy the Flyers, and I think this team is making the playoffs. And I'm going to enjoy the process of this team improving.
- MJL

You missed the point entirely. I'll be glad when the summer comes so Umberger can be addressed

Luke schenn getting benched for tomorrow

Jvr/Giroux/voracek with Hartnell in top nine would be awesome

Thanks Obama

You missed the point entirely. I'll be glad when the summer comes so Umberger can be addressed
- AllInForFlyers

I didn't miss the point. I have a different outlook and said so. Umberger can be addressed before the Summer comes.

*sigh*

I didn't miss the point. I have a different outlook and said so. Umberger can be addressed before the Summer comes.
- MJL

If it's before the summer, even better

If it's before the summer, even better
- AllInForFlyers

When or if the Flyers get a full compliment of players, Raffl can be added to the lineup, and Umberger can be moved to the 4th line and have his role and icetime reduced. Can't change that they'll have a 4th line winger with a 4.6M cap hit during the season, but they can make moves to strengthen the team.

I'm sorry, I don't care that he plays left wing, Umberger has been awful, completely and totally awful. He needs to be dropped to the 4th line ASAP and should not be seeing more than 5-6 mins of ice time right now. When and if everyone gets healthy, he needs to come out of the lineup altogether.

Sorry, but if the guy has any self respect, he should just retire if this is the best he can do. Have some friggin pride man!

If it's before the summer, even better
- AllInForFlyers

Today would be good!

I'm sorry, I don't care that he plays left wing, Umberger has been awful, completely and totally awful. He needs to be dropped to the 4th line ASAP and should not be seeing more than 5-6 mins of ice time right now. When and if everyone gets healthy, he needs to come out of the lineup altogether.

Sorry, but if the guy has any self respect, he should just retire if this is the best he can do. Have some friggin pride man!
- BiggE

That's a little ridiculous that he should just up and retire. What he should do is continue to try and get better to improve his play, and help the team. He's not going to come out of the lineup entirely.

Today would be good!
- BiggE

Should've been scratched 10 days ago, for me.

I don't blame him for the second goal last night, because Schenn clearly can't let a guy get inside position on a rush. That was ridiculous.

But as Feanor pointed out, correctly, Umberger just couldn't close on the Blue Jacket well enough, fast enough, to seal off the outside. He's just not that player anymore.

He's doing what he can, but we're well past the point of seeing that what he is capable of doing just isn't enough. Sometimes, you just can't help a team anymore.

I have seen nothing from him that indicates Umberger can help the Flyers make the playoffs. He just can't do it at that level, for a playoff team. You're better off paying a faceoff specialist/defensive specialist to come in and help fortify the bottom half of the forward group, for a quarter of the cost or less

I'm not sure why some folks think that Umberger CAN play any better than he is currently doing. He struggled down the stretch last year with Columbus and has been terrible for nearly a quarter of a season so far this year.

I think we need to accept that when it comes to R.J. this is what he is. I have seen NOTHING that makes me think he can turn this around. He looks slow, weak, and, quite frankly, disinterested. IMO, he has no business skating in an NHL lineup at the present time.

I would waive him and send him down. I don't really care that they save only 925k on the cap, I just want to see if that sends a message. Does he pick up his play in Lehigh Valley? If not, they may have no choice but to just buy him out after the season and live with the cap implications. Carrying a 4.6 million hit for a completely shot and useless player is just unacceptable.

That's why I want Bellemare to slide up. Or at least assume Umberger's special teams ice time. What good is having a solid 4th line, when the third line isn't very good?

The addition of Laughton has mitigated that a bit. But the third line would be better with Bellemare
- Jsaquella

at your last 2 avatars...a theme is emerging.

When or if the Flyers get a full compliment of players, Raffl can be added to the lineup, and Umberger can be moved to the 4th line and have his role and icetime reduced. Can't change that they'll have a 4th line winger with a 4.6M cap hit during the season, but they can make moves to strengthen the team.
- MJL

Painful.

I'm not sure why some folks think that Umberger CAN play any better than he is currently doing. He struggled down the stretch last year with Columbus and has been terrible for nearly a quarter of a season so far this year.

I think we need to accept that when it comes to R.J. this is what he is. I have seen NOTHING that makes me think he can turn this around. He looks slow, weak, and, quite frankly, disinterested. IMO, he has no business skating in an NHL lineup at the present time.

I would waive him and send him down. I don't really care that they save only 925k on the cap, I just want to see if that sends a message. Does he pick up his play in Lehigh Valley? If not, they may have no choice but to just buy him out after the season and live with the cap implications. Carrying a 4.6 million hit for a completely shot and useless player is just unacceptable.
- BiggE

Exactly -- that 925K can get you another defensive forward/forechecker with speed

That $4.6 is going to get addressed

Luke schenn getting benched for tomorrow

Jvr/Giroux/voracek with Hartnell in top nine would be awesome

Thanks Obama
- Winning

Yikes, Luke. Maybe the view from up high will help his game.

And thanks stupidface EPA. Clean air and water is so over-rated.

Yikes, Luke. Maybe the view from up high will help his game.

And thanks stupidface EPA. Clean air and water is so over-rated.
- wolfhounds

Hilarious that JVR was traded for a guy who has now become a healthy scratch on a team full of # 4 and # 5 defensemen. One of the biggest issues this franchise has is not being able to get out of their own (frank)ing way.

No he wasn't. Last year Umberger scored 18 goals and had 16 assists. This year he has 1 goal and 2 assists through 19 games. Which puts him on pace for 2 goals and 8 assists.
- MJL

Wouldn't it be a 4 goal pace? Or is he going to be benched for half the season for poor play?

Hilarious that JVR was traded for a guy who has now become a healthy scratch on a team full of # 4 and # 5 defensemen. One of the biggest issues this franchise has is not being able to get out of their own (frank)ing way.
- PLindbergh31

The worst thing is...the trade keeps getting worse. I really thought LSchenn was going to put it together - and still hope he does - but his window appears to be closing.

Equally hilarious that Columbus turned Voracek into Jack Johnson. That's pretty embarrassing.

Jake has been awesome this year. Almost 1/4 of the season down, and he's leading the NHL in scoring. I don't think he will keep up this unconscious pace, but I think he'll finish in the top 5 if he plays a full season.