This looks like a PO team.

xxx
- Doc_Sarcasm

I see where your mind is

So Hak should be praised after the team got "dominated" last night?
- Just5

That was on the players not the coach. You look at all the decisions and moves a coach makes, take into consideration the results, and you come out with a balance. That's how you rate a coach and not on one individual game. The overall balance to this point on Hakstol is well into the positive in my opinion. You can't look at that game individually and say the Flyers played a dominant game as the score would indicate. Florida carried the play for most of the game, the Flyers just finished more plays and outscored them.

I see where your mind is
- nastyflyergirl

It wasnt, if it had been, I would've posted XXX.

But now I have, and my mind is now where you previously thought it was. Thanks.

What baffled me about the Giroux criticism isn't that a player can never be faulted, but just how quickly people can turn on a player who was drafted by you and excelled for you

It wasn't his best season last year. Nobody disputes that or makes excuses for that, and when you miss the playoffs, everybody is going to take some heat

I just don't quite get how even a down year from a guy who still put up 58 points means you need to get stripped of the 'C' -- I mean, man. That's excessive, even for Philadelphia

It wasnt, if it had been, I would've posted XXX.

But now I have, and my mind is now where you previously thought it was. Thanks.
- Doc_Sarcasm

always happy to help inspire

What baffled me about the Giroux criticism isn't that a player can never be faulted, but just how quickly people can turn on a player who was drafted by you and excelled for you

It wasn't his best season last year. Nobody disputes that or makes excuses for that, and when you miss the playoffs, everybody is going to take some heat

I just don't quite get how even a down year from a guy who still put up 58 points means you need to get stripped of the 'C' -- I mean, man. That's excessive, even for Philadelphia
- AllInForFlyers

My thoughts weren't based on his production but the perception I had that his effort on the ice was declining. I am glad I was wrong about the decline and that he's back to looking like a top NHL player.

What baffled me about the Giroux criticism isn't that a player can never be faulted, but just how quickly people can turn on a player who was drafted by you and excelled for you

It wasn't his best season last year. Nobody disputes that or makes excuses for that, and when you miss the playoffs, everybody is going to take some heat

I just don't quite get how even a down year from a guy who still put up 58 points means you need to get stripped of the 'C' -- I mean, man. That's excessive, even for Philadelphia
- AllInForFlyers

Ask 2Real, he'll let you know.

Congrats to Joe Pavelski on scoring his first goal of the season last night.

That was on the players not the coach. You look at all the decisions and moves a coach makes, take into consideration the results, and you come out with a balance. That's how you rate a coach and not on one individual game. The overall balance to this point on Hakstol is well into the positive in my opinion. You can't look at that game individually and say the Flyers played a dominant game as the score would indicate. Florida carried the play for most of the game, the Flyers just finished more plays and outscored them.
- MJL

hmm..

This looks like a PO team.
- Tomahawk

It was baffling to me how some picked them to be last in the conference -- that never made sense to me to begin with. They aren't perfect, but man. I don't know that they'll make it after 82 games because stuff happens, but damn

I mean, at a minimum, I'm not the biggest fan of Brian Elliott and even I knew that if he was roughly average, there were 4-6 more points for them to have. Neuvirth couldn't be any worse than he was last year and you would hope that he'd be in the realm of league average, as well

I never understood how anyone didn't believe they wouldn't be in the mix for one of those slots

What baffled me about the Giroux criticism isn't that a player can never be faulted, but just how quickly people can turn on a player who was drafted by you and excelled for you

It wasn't his best season last year. Nobody disputes that or makes excuses for that, and when you miss the playoffs, everybody is going to take some heat

I just don't quite get how even a down year from a guy who still put up 58 points means you need to get stripped of the 'C' -- I mean, man. That's excessive, even for Philadelphia
- AllInForFlyers

I see it as pretty normal for Philadelphia.

What baffled me about the Giroux criticism isn't that a player can never be faulted, but just how quickly people can turn on a player who was drafted by you and excelled for you

It wasn't his best season last year. Nobody disputes that or makes excuses for that, and when you miss the playoffs, everybody is going to take some heat

I just don't quite get how even a down year from a guy who still put up 58 points means you need to get stripped of the 'C' -- I mean, man. That's excessive, even for Philadelphia
- AllInForFlyers

I swear I think people think athletes are robots. Sometimes guys have down years due to health, personal things or just because they just didn't have a good year. Just because they are pros and the best in the world it doesn't mean they aren't immune to not playing well. Giroux has been an excellent player for the Flyers. Yes, I get annoyed at the defensive lapses at times but all in all the guy has played well and hard here.

this team is easy to like for me. Even with lineup decisions I am not in favor of (Sanheim sitting and Morin in the minors and Elliott in over Neuvirth early on) I still root 100% for every player on the ice.

there were more empty seats at the game last night than what I would have hoped for but I suspect if they keep playing like that it won't be the case as the season progresses

Lots of posts complaining about Hakstol's lineup decisions but none praising him for the move of Giroux to the wing, switching Filppula and Patrick, putting the 4th line together.
- MJL

I don't think that's fair

It wouldn't be too hard to find that some of us wanted to see L1 well into the season and thought it would work, and the praise for L4 has been universal -- in my mind and world, that's the same as me saying that I agree with the coach, which I actually did on both

As always, I can admit when I am wrong -- Filppula's been much better the last, what, three games, even at ES, according to the eye test. Hakstol deserves credit for making that move, and I have no issues saying that

I swear I think people think athletes are robots. Sometimes guys have down years due to health, personal things or just because they just didn't have a good year. Just because they are pros and the best in the world it doesn't mean they aren't immune to not playing well. Giroux has been an excellent player for the Flyers. Yes, I get annoyed at the defensive lapses at times but all in all the guy has played well and hard here.

this team is easy to like for me. Even with lineup decisions I am not in favor of (Sanheim sitting and Morin in the minors and Elliott in over Neuvirth early on) I still root 100% for every player on the ice.

there were more empty seats at the game last night than what I would have hoped for but I suspect if they keep playing like that it won't be the case as the season progresses
- nastyflyergirl

G had 12 pts in 10 games to start the year last year. Now he was a -7 also so certainly it looks more promising now. Fans have every right to be concerned about Giroux and his outlook going forward, it wasn't just a one year decline but a steady decline over the course of several years. Let's hope what we're seeing is in fact a rebound year.

That was on the players not the coach. You look at all the decisions and moves a coach makes, take into consideration the results, and you come out with a balance. That's how you rate a coach and not on one individual game. The overall balance to this point on Hakstol is well into the positive in my opinion. You can't look at that game individually and say the Flyers played a dominant game as the score would indicate. Florida carried the play for most of the game, the Flyers just finished more plays and outscored them.
- MJL

spin your web

I see it as pretty normal for Philadelphia.
- MJL

Ha! Actually, yeah. I say it a lot, but Mike Schmidt could've hit 1,000 homers and he was still gonna get booed

This looks like a PO team.
- Tomahawk

It's early

I don't think that's fair

It wouldn't be too hard to find that some of us wanted to see L1 well into the season and thought it would work, and the praise for L4 has been universal -- in my mind and world, that's the same as me saying that I agree with the coach, which I actually did on both

As always, I can admit when I am wrong -- Filppula's been much better the last, what, three games, even at ES, according to the eye test. Hakstol deserves credit for making that move, and I have no issues saying that
- AllInForFlyers

You're just one poster. The overall tone towards Hakstol as a coach is negative.

spin your web
- Just5

Is that all you got?

I like the skill and compete the young guys are bringing. Weal not only works his butt off but he has talent too. Konecny is a buzz saw out there. Leier and Laughton never quit on a play and both are fast. Raffl is the perfect 4th line guy, good possession player, decent size and some skill. Patrick is going to be very good for years.

The mix of vets is good too. They needed another puck handling skill guy and Filppula fits that role pretty well. I know Amac gets bashed but really he is fine filling a minute eating role on this team until other young D are ready.

Great to see G able to skate and get that separation again. Last year was tough to watch, it is very good to see. His hands were always there but without his ability to get separated from coverage he would become a power play specialist mainly. Now they have a dominant top line at 5 on 5 again.

Couts is a gem and I have always been a fan. Nice to see him score a bit, but even if he doesn’t, he’s a guy you can win a Cup with.

I hope Simmonds is ok. He’s the heart and soul of this team.

The D core Hexy is building here is something special. They could have a group of 6-7 legit NHL players for years potentially. Pretty exciting to see them at this point, but the future could be even better.

G had 12 pts in 10 games to start the year last year. Now he was a -7 also so certainly it looks more promising now. Fans have every right to be concerned about Giroux and his outlook going forward, it wasn't just a one year decline but a steady decline over the course of several years. Let's hope what we're seeing is in fact a rebound year.
- Just5

But players decline, though -- I understand criticism. I really do. But at what point does it become excessive?

I read and watch a lot of other teams, and while there are always exceptions, it's rare when you just see other fanbases just turn on the good players who have performed for you like Philadelphia does

The Sedins are a perfect example. They are shadows of what they once were, and Vancouver is not very good. They make a lot of money as well. They haven't won a Cup, and they've been to one Cup final, just like Giroux

How they're treated is totally different than how some -- not all -- in this fanbase treat players who, again, were drafted by you and excelled for you

No one is calling for Henrik Sedin to be stripped of the C. They understand that they are moving down the lineup, are situational players now, but they are appreciative of what they did for the team over the course of their careers

At what point does someone like Claude Giroux get that?

G had 12 pts in 10 games to start the year last year. Now he was a -7 also so certainly it looks more promising now. Fans have every right to be concerned about Giroux and his outlook going forward, it wasn't just a one year decline but a steady decline over the course of several years. Let's hope what we're seeing is in fact a rebound year.
- Just5

Not saying people don't have a right to be concerned. I was concerned as well looking at how many years he has left on his contract and that cap hit. Just saying I don't think it was ever out of lack of trying. The whole strip him of the C stuff was stupid.

What baffled me about the Giroux criticism isn't that a player can never be faulted, but just how quickly people can turn on a player who was drafted by you and excelled for you

It wasn't his best season last year. Nobody disputes that or makes excuses for that, and when you miss the playoffs, everybody is going to take some heat

I just don't quite get how even a down year from a guy who still put up 58 points means you need to get stripped of the 'C' -- I mean, man. That's excessive, even for Philadelphia
- AllInForFlyers

I think the whole "he doesn't deserve the captaincy" thing is dumb. First of all, no matter who is wearing outward signs of being a leader....that doesn't make them someone others will respect and follow. You never hear whispers of players saying anything bad about Giroux.

And actually, judging from online fan reaction from last year, you would scarcely know that Giroux was having a down here. It's like people fixated on things like Chris Vandevelde and didn't notice.

I don't think the whole "strip the captaincy" thing is unique to Philly, though....Todd MacLellan saw no problem stripping it from Patrick Marleau.

Marleau owns just about every record in Sharks history.

You're just one poster. The overall tone towards Hakstol as a coach is negative.
- MJL

That's a fair statement, and to your point, it's undeserved. I don't agree with everything he does but it's clearly not accurate that he's an idiot

It sure as hell wasn't his fault that he couldn't get a save last year for way too much of the season when it mattered last year

This looks like a PO team.
- Tomahawk

hopefully there are only 7 other teams in the east that look like that