Bill Meltzer: Quick Hits: January 27, 2017

Thanks Bill

Thanks for the update on the Phantoms, Bill. It's really great to see Laughton excelling in a shutdown role and on the PK. If he could fill the Flyers hole at 3C and be one of their top 4 forwards on the PK next season, that would be fantastic.

Any thoughts on the entire flyers roster being all minuses at the all star break?

Even in 06-07 gagne and Knuble managed to be plus players

Amazing how theyre in a playoff position

How would Valiquette explain to us that every goal BGSM lets up is a bad goal?

Any thoughts on the entire flyers roster being all minuses at the all star break?

Even in 06-07 gagne and Knuble managed to be plus players

Amazing how theyre in a playoff position
- Just5

Kind of shows how much they rely on the pp to be successful. While +/- doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to any one individual player, it certainly means something when an entire roster is on the minus side. It shows that they are not a very good team at ES which I don't think really comes as a surprise to anyone that follows the team. Right now Couturier is the only center on the team that is effective at ES and Jake and TK are the only consistent wingers at ES as well. Add that to their #1 Dman being a 20 year old kid who's saddled with AMac as a partner and it is what it is.

If they make the playoffs, it will be a helluva accomplishment. One thing in their favor at least to some degree, is that every other team that they are competing with for that last wildcard spot has holes as well.

How would Valiquette explain to us that every goal BGSM lets up is a bad goal?
- Giroux_Is_God

I'm sure 2real will be happy to fill him in.

How would Valiquette explain to us that every goal BGSM lets up is a bad goal?

I watched the video. Didn't agree with shots from the point. He didn't take into account screens from opposing players as well as a goalie's own players. It was a blanket statement that shots from the point were considered "bad goals". Was surprised by that...

Yippee Laughton scored a single short handed goal.
This should be a regular occurrence not like Haley's comet.
I really don't see how this kid is now a hope for 3C with what he is doing in the A.
I think Leier or Weal will be called up before Laughton at this point.
Laughton still "in my opinion" is a good add into as trade bait for an bona fide NHL player, not a player who is barely learning a role in the minors.

Yippee Laughton scored a single short handed goal.
This should be a regular occurrence not like Haley's comet.
I really don't see how this kid is now a hope for 3C with what he is doing in the A.
I think Leier or Weal will be called up before Laughton at this point.
Laughton still "in my opinion" is a good add into as trade bait for an bona fide NHL player, not a player who is barely learning a role in the minors.
- konalover711

You sure are obsessed with a player you don't see as part of the future.

I watched the video. Didn't agree with shots from the point. He didn't take into account screens from opposing players as well as a goalie's own players. It was a blanket statement that shots from the point were considered "bad goals". Was surprised by that...
- WhirlingDervish

I watched it 3 hours ago, but didn't he say "open" i.e. no screen shots from the point?

Could be wrong.

What got me was the rebound bit. He should have went into a little more detail of when the line of bad goals is crossed when the shooter "shoots for a rebound". He just kind of was like yeah it's 2017 goalies have to control their rebounds then shows a clip defending the goalie on a clear "shoot for rebound" play, where the puck sits right in the slot and is picked up by Grabner (?).

not obsessed just contrary to everyone who seems to think this kid will be something in the form of a Coots lite at best.
I just do not and have not seen anything for me to believe otherwise that this kid will be nothing more then potential as he wallows/toils in the AHL.

not obsessed just contrary to everyone who seems to think this kid will be something in the form of a Coots lite at best.
I just do not and have not seen anything for me to believe otherwise that this kid will be nothing more then potential as he wallows/toils in the AHL.

http://www.foxnews.com/en...in-celeb-hockey-game.html

not obsessed just contrary to everyone who seems to think this kid will be something in the form of a Coots lite at best.
I just do not and have not seen anything for me to believe otherwise that this kid will be nothing more then potential as he wallows/toils in the AHL.
- Konalover

I don't think there is anyone fighting near as hard for his cause as you are against it. Sure some of us hope he can be a solid bottom 6 forward..why wouldn't we? What do you expect to get in return for him in a trade right now?

It is now my dream to play in the All-Star celebrity game and wipe the floor with Justin Bieber because he wasn't actually that good. Just have to decide what I'll be a celebrity in.

Don't get me wrong on Laughton.
I would love to see this kid pan out.
I, in my opinion do not feel he will be much more then a AHL player.
I believe that even though in a "shutdown role to learn" he should still dominating the A not just pedestrian or average.

Sorry that opinion is different then most here, but if he does make it up and excels beyond VDV/PB/Wezzer (a super low bar) I will eat my hat.

Don't get me wrong on Laughton.
I would love to see this kid pan out.
I, in my opinion do not feel he will be much more then a AHL player.
I believe that even though in a "shutdown role to learn" he should still dominating the A not just pedestrian or average.

Sorry that opinion is different then most here, but if he does make it up and excels beyond VDV/PB/Wezzer (a super low bar) I will eat my hat.
- Konalover

who the hell is wezzer

See, Laughton doesn't get much PP time, so if he did, he's definitely a lot closer to p/pg territory. And his minutes have been top line type difficulty. He doesn't need to prove to me that he can score at the AHL level, which he already has done in his rookie year. And he already did it last year at the NHL level, ranking something like ~75 in the NHL in 5v5 p/pg. Not saying he'll do that again because the often 4th line minutes he got can skew those rate stats, but I don't see why Laughton can't be a 30 point, 15-20 goal, bottom 6 player and a good PKer (which he was last year too). He's shown me he has some solid bottom 6 scoring ability.

His problem, and major problem, is that in his 100+ games in the NHL, he barely looked average defensively at wing, and was way below average there are at center. If he can't play defense, the scoring means nothing, and I personally don't think he plays even offensively with the puck much like a center. So, he's in the AHL once again being developed as a 2-way shutdown 3C type, despite his NHL time pointing to the contrary. By all reports and my watching, which hasn't been that much the last few weeks, he has been solid. But I don't really care what he does in the AHL because he needs to overwrite the more important 100+ game sample in the NHL, and he's always looked good in the AHL. All this is a story we've been through before with Laughton. When he gets back to the show is when we'll see if anything has actually changed.

who the hell is wezzer
- Giroux_Is_God

Rivers Cuomo

who the hell is wezzer
- Giroux_Is_God

Weise

See, Laughton doesn't get much PP time, so if he did, he's definitely a lot closer to p/pg territory. And his minutes have been top line type difficulty. He doesn't need to prove to me that he can score at the AHL level, which he already has done in his rookie year. And he already did it last year at the NHL level, ranking something like ~75 in the NHL in 5v5 p/pg. Not saying he'll do that again because the often 4th line minutes he got can skew those rate stats, but I don't see why Laughton can't be a 30 point, 15-20 goal, bottom 6 player and a good PKer (which he was last year too). He's shown me he has some solid bottom 6 scoring ability.

His problem, and major problem, is that in his 100+ games in the NHL, he barely looked average defensively at wing, and was way below average there are at center. If he can't play defense, the scoring means nothing, and I personally don't think he plays even offensively with the puck much like a center. So, he's in the AHL once again being developed as a 2-way shutdown 3C type, despite his NHL time pointing to the contrary. By all reports and my watching, which hasn't been that much the last few weeks, he has been solid. But I don't really care what he does in the AHL because he needs to overwrite the more important 100+ game sample in the NHL, and he's always looked good in the AHL. All this is a story we've been through before with Laughton. When he gets back to the show is when we'll see if anything has actually changed.
- Mononoke

Agree, well said.

Weise
- Konalover

ahhh

Bill Meltzer: Quick Hits: January 27, 2017
- bmeltzer

I've been a pretty big defender of the All-Star Game for years. It's always a pretty big deal when a rising star like a Jake Voracek or a Wayne Simmonds make their first game. It becomes apart of their resume. However, as a fan of the skills complication, what a circus they've turned it into. I'm all for disliking the game itself but they've certainly gone south by turning the competition into a jungle gym.

I also think it's a bit of a joke that Frans Neilson made it or any Red Wing for that matter.

It is now my dream to play in the All-Star celebrity game and wipe the floor with Justin Bieber because he wasn't actually that good. Just have to decide what I'll be a celebrity in.
- Mononoke

This should be interesting