Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Laughton, Lecavalier, Flyers Alumni

If Laughton keeps playing that way, he will not be going back to Allentown. While the Flyers have to figure out what to do with Vincent Lecavalier -- there is no lineup spot where he has been effective in his Flyers tenure, and remaining a healthy scratch isn't a solution -- that is not Laughton's problem. He has earned his ice time and deserves his promotion in the lineup.

What options are then left for Vinny? Trade? Buyout?

Well written Bill.

Homer GMd like he played

To be honest scratch umberger and vinny for the rest of season and make them miserable so they want to retire to get away from this team. I mean maybe vinny is tradable if he is indeed going to retire after next season and we pick up half the contract till retirement. Im ok with that. Umberger...Man I dont now. I smell a buyout as the only option we have unless we trade laughton or our top d prospects or 2015 round pick and include umberger in there. Not the best of plans and I vote no and just buy him out at seasons end and get 3 mil in space a year till we eat dead cap space for about the same for two years. Tough pill but its gotta be done. Also move grossman,macdud,coburn for picks. I want L schenn to get big minutes and see what we truly have in him once and for all. If he pans out, great. If not move him for whatever we can get next offseason and call it a day. I still believe that b schenn must play center and not wing. So if we are lost towards the last part of the season I want the centers to be g,schenn,coots, and send laughton back down for playing time. Figure out your centers in this time period and trade either one of them not named g for a winger or dman. Most likely coots or schenn will be the odd man out.

To be honest scratch umberger and vinny for the rest of season and make them miserable so they want to retire to get away from this team. I mean maybe vinny is tradable if he is indeed going to retire after next season and we pick up half the contract till retirement. Im ok with that. Umberger...Man I dont now. I smell a buyout as the only option we have unless we trade laughton or our top d prospects or 2015 round pick and include umberger in there. Not the best of plans and I vote no and just buy him out at seasons end and get 3 mil in space a year till we eat dead cap space for about the same for two years. Tough pill but its gotta be done. Also move grossman,macdud,coburn for picks. I want L schenn to get big minutes and see what we truly have in him once and for all. If he pans out, great. If not move him for whatever we can get next offseason and call it a day. I still believe that b schenn must play center and not wing. So if we are lost towards the last part of the season I want the centers to be g,schenn,coots, and send laughton back down for playing time. Figure out your centers in this time period and trade either one of them not named g for a winger or dman. Most likely coots or schenn will be the odd man out.
- jmdodgeser4

why would they want to retire? getting paid millions to sit in the press box sounds relaxing

1) I find the idea of tanking completely reprehensible and contrary to everything hockey is supposed to be about,

Tanking by the players, definitely not good. But what about tanking initiated by the GM? I don't think any organization ever set out to be a bubble team, to be just or barely good enough, so if you can make sacrifices in the short-term to potentially become a legit contender in the long run, do you do it?

why would they want to retire? getting paid millions to sit in the press box sounds relaxing
- vejim

"Hello, escort service..."

What options are then left for Vinny? Trade? Buyout?
- wolfhounds

I'd imagine Hextall is talking about Vinny when it comes to another team taking a bad contract. Until then I guess he's slated for the 4th line playing limited minutes.

To be honest scratch umberger and vinny for the rest of season and make them miserable so they want to retire to get away from this team. I mean maybe vinny is tradable if he is indeed going to retire after next season and we pick up half the contract till retirement. Im ok with that. Umberger...Man I dont now. I smell a buyout as the only option we have unless we trade laughton or our top d prospects or 2015 round pick and include umberger in there. Not the best of plans and I vote no and just buy him out at seasons end and get 3 mil in space a year till we eat dead cap space for about the same for two years. Tough pill but its gotta be done. Also move grossman,macdud,coburn for picks. I want L schenn to get big minutes and see what we truly have in him once and for all. If he pans out, great. If not move him for whatever we can get next offseason and call it a day. I still believe that b schenn must play center and not wing. So if we are lost towards the last part of the season I want the centers to be g,schenn,coots, and send laughton back down for playing time. Figure out your centers in this time period and trade either one of them not named g for a winger or dman. Most likely coots or schenn will be the odd man out.
- jmdodgeser4

What makes you think that B Schenn has to play center rather then WIng?

"Hello, escort service..."
- wolfhounds

thats when MDZ is scratched

i think part of hextall's plan is to change the image of the franchise. the flyers don't play physical because when they do they spend 1/2 the game shorthanded. there was a series of shifts in the sharks game after the flyers went up 3-1 when sj came out and was banging hard for about 4 shifts; the result was a goal but i as i watched i was thinking if the flyers were hitting like that the arm is going up at least once.
as for purposely tanking i don't think it works consistently enough to do it, not to mention the fact it is sort of disgusting; however i think recognizing a really broken team and not scrambling as hard to fix it so it can be a bubble playoff team again that picks in the bottom of the draft again is a different thing. i think the red wings have a player that was the last overall pick who not only made the team but is a pretty decent player.....if the flyers were better at drafting it wouldn't be as bad

Friedman said players around the league have noted that, not only are the Flyers losing, they are also not making themselves tough to play against: this is not a physical team (with a few individual exceptions).
- bmeltzer

The timidity is tough to watch sometimes. It's almost as if they're trying to kill the 'Bullies' label once and for all.

I mentioned MacDonald yesterday. His board play, defensively, looks like he's at a church dance...

The timidity is tough to watch sometimes. It's almost as if they're trying to kill the 'Bullies' label once and for all.

I mentioned MacDonald yesterday. His board play, defensively, looks like he's at a church dance...


- tangent_man

from bullies to Pansies

unnamed team executive by the name of Glen Sather

Guys.

http://espn.go.com/video/...703&ex_cid=sportscenterFB

My school upset Drexel last night like wut

SC Top 10 play #6

This team doesn't need to actively tank to be in the running for Connor McDavid. They're already there.

That said, anyone who suggests tanking doesn't do so because they think one prospect will turn a team around. You tank to optimize the value of your draft assets across the board and build a stronger stable for the future.

I think some people hear the word "tank" and they think Hextall is going to walk into the locker room and tell Claude Giroux to lose hockey games. That's not how it works.

No one considers it reprehensible when teams sell off valuable assets when they are out of the playoff picture at the deadline(even if they're mathematically still in it).

Why is it an affront to hockey to start the sell off a few weeks sooner when you know your team doesn't have a reasonable shot at contention, let alone the playoffs.

Not saying I want the Flyers to tank out the season, I think there are still some obvious ways to optimize this roster if you want to go the bubble team route.

But I understand the perspective of people who do want to tank.

(sorry if I'm rambling a bit)

Guys.

http://espn.go.com/video/...703&ex_cid=sportscenterFB

My school upset Drexel last night like wut

SC Top 10 play #6
- Giroux_Is_God

Didn't even know USciences had any sports teams...

This team doesn't need to actively tank to be in the running for Connor McDavid. They're already there.

That said, anyone who suggests tanking doesn't do so because they think one prospect will turn a team around. You tank to optimize the value of your draft assets across the board and build a stronger stable for the future.

I think some people hear the word "tank" and they think Hextall is going to walk into the locker room and tell Claude Giroux to lose hockey games. That's not how it works.

No one considers it reprehensible when teams sell off valuable assets when they are out of the playoff picture at the deadline(even if they're mathematically still in it).

Why is it an affront to hockey to start the sell off a few weeks sooner when you know your team doesn't have a reasonable shot at contention, let alone the playoffs.

Not saying I want the Flyers to tank out the season, I think there are still some obvious ways to optimize this roster if you want to go the bubble team route.

But I understand the perspective of people who do want to tank.

(sorry if I'm rambling a bit)
- AndrewD

Let's call it Rebuild mode, and maximizing the value of assets.

Let's call it Rebuild mode, and maximizing the value of assets.
- wolfhounds

the Bruins are loving our 2nd rounder

The timidity is tough to watch sometimes. It's almost as if they're trying to kill the 'Bullies' label once and for all.

I mentioned MacDonald yesterday. His board play, defensively, looks like he's at a church dance...

- tangent_man

does this mean I have to change my screen name?

does this mean I have to change my screen name?
- BulliesPhan87

only if you change the year

only if you change the year
- vejim

so then just "Phan"?

This team doesn't need to actively tank to be in the running for Connor McDavid. They're already there.

That said, anyone who suggests tanking doesn't do so because they think one prospect will turn a team around. You tank to optimize the value of your draft assets across the board and build a stronger stable for the future.

I think some people hear the word "tank" and they think Hextall is going to walk into the locker room and tell Claude Giroux to lose hockey games. That's not how it works.

No one considers it reprehensible when teams sell off valuable assets when they are out of the playoff picture at the deadline(even if they're mathematically still in it).

Why is it an affront to hockey to start the sell off a few weeks sooner when you know your team doesn't have a reasonable shot at contention, let alone the playoffs.

Not saying I want the Flyers to tank out the season, I think there are still some obvious ways to optimize this roster if you want to go the bubble team route.

But I understand the perspective of people who do want to tank.

(sorry if I'm rambling a bit)
- AndrewD

Well written Bill, considering the shroud of silence that the Flyers cover themselves with it is at times frustrating and at times laughable.

Laughton is refreshing to watch, but there is so much that is so wrong with this collection of players that even he, Giroux and Voracek's play is not enough.

How much is Hextall really calling the shots? How many people are still here because of Holmgren's decisions that he is now stuck with?