Hockey season is too long. Glad it’s starting but it should be over in April at the latest.

I predict a playoff team that gets bounced in the second round.
- StepfordSam

I predict they miss the playoffs.

AV is canned by xmas.
They reacquire Hagg.
Frost is traded.
Lindblom has a quietly effective year.
Clode bumps his head; gets amnesia then request a trade.

Not that it really matters but I wonder how that Macavoy extension sits in the locker room. Pasta could have got a huge extension but chose to give the team flexibility.
- ClaudeFather

Yeah. That’s another team friendly contract Boston has. Allows them to compete year after year. The loss of tuuka might hurt them but I won’t count them out. They support swayman well with team structure and I think they won’t miss a step.

Do you think the cap will be going up significantly soon? I think that’s the gamble here. Some teams think it’ll go up to 90 or 100 maybe? I don’t know.
- Hextall271

It literally can't go up more than $1M per year until the players pay off their Covid debt to the owners. Could be another 2-3 years before that happens.

On top of that, at some point the growth in revenue will slow down. We saw huge bumps in the salary cap in years past because the NHL was going from a regional league into a more nationwide footprint. Also the league got lucky in that teams like the 'Hawks and Kings resurrected interest in huge media markets. That trend isn't gonna hold forever. At the end of the day, it's still a niche sport that mostly only rich white kids can afford to play.

I’m a bit old school. I think you can pay your core players that if they have shown the track record that includes playoff success. Kane toews Keith Tampa stars pitt. I just find it hard to pay young players 10 or 11 mil before they have proven at least that they can deliver deep in the playoffs.

Of note. I’m very happy coots took a bit less to allow us to try to put a quality team around him. That’s what you’ll need nowadays imo.
- Hextall271

You also need competent management to make sure that happens. IMO ex selke is a rare breed in terms of taking less.

It literally can't go up more than $1M per year until the players pay off their Covid debt to the owners. Could be another 2-3 years before that happens.

On top of that, at some point the growth in revenue will slow down. We saw huge bumps in the salary cap in years past because the NHL was going from a regional league into a more nationwide footprint. Also the league got lucky in that teams like the 'Hawks and Kings resurrected interest in huge media markets. That trend isn't gonna hold forever. At the end of the day, it's still a niche sport that mostly only rich white kids can afford to play.
- Tomahawk

So with no movement in the cap, teams can’t afford to pay several players 10mil plus long term or they’ll get burned.

It's the way the league is going. Every team is gonna have 3-4 (young) guys eating 30-40% of the cap.

Salary parity is gonna slowly die. Gonna be a handful of guys making most of the dough, and depth players, old guys and non-elite kids will have to be happy dividing up what's left.
- Tomahawk

Flyers are right there, except their big earners are old and signed to infinity. They never seem to be "riding the wave", either they are missing it or being engulfed by it

So with no movement in the cap, teams can’t afford to pay several players 10mil plus long term or they’ll get burned.
- Hextall271

The best players will always get paid. The guys further down the line are the ones who will take haircuts and eat buyouts.

It's already happening.

I predict they miss the playoffs.

AV is canned by xmas.
They reacquire Hagg.
Frost is traded.
Lindblom has a quietly effective year.
Clode bumps his head; gets amnesia then request a trade.
- hello it's me 2050

Did the Perkin's breakfast disagree with you this morning?

Did the Perkin's breakfast disagree with you this morning?
- StepfordSam

No perkins today.

Projected Flyers starting lineup:

28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 19 Derick Brassard - 89 Cam Atkinson
23 Oskar Lindblom - 21 Scott Laughton - 25 James van Riemsdyk
71 Max Willman - 42 Nate Thompson -62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel

9 Ivan Provorov - 94 Ryan Ellis
6 Travis Sanheim - 61 Justin Braun
3 Keith Yandle - 24 Nick Seeler

79 Carter Hart
[35 Martin Jones]

Ermagerh can you believez the centerz ermagerd we shuld talk abut it sum morr. How cumz the team dusnt have more top sicks cenetrz on the rawtur! Evry utter team has 5 or 6 to chooz frum

No perkins today.
- hello it's me 2050

So you're hangry now?

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: vs. Vancouver
- bmeltzer

Flyers roster in mid season form with these call ups. What do the lines look like?

Projected Flyers starting lineup:

28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 19 Derick Brassard - 89 Cam Atkinson
23 Oskar Lindblom - 21 Scott Laughton - 25 James van Riemsdyk
71 Max Willman - 42 Nate Thompson -62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel

9 Ivan Provorov - 94 Ryan Ellis
6 Travis Sanheim - 61 Justin Braun
3 Keith Yandle - 24 Nick Seeler

79 Carter Hart

- MBFlyerfan[35 Martin Jones]

Ermagerh can you believez the centerz ermagerd we shuld talk abut it sum morr. How cumz the team dusnt have more top sicks cenetrz on the rawtur! Evry utter team has 5 or 6 to chooz frum

Man that 4th line is a travesty.

Not certain if I am more excited for the wait to be over or for the Flyers first game of the new season. At any rate, tomorrow there will be talk about an actual Flyers game. I could not be happier about that. Make it a good one!

Cheers!

Let’s go Flyers!

I predict they miss the playoffs.

AV is canned by xmas.
They reacquire Hagg.
Frost is traded.
Lindblom has a quietly effective year.
Clode bumps his head; gets amnesia then request a trade.
- hello it's me 2050

Somewhere out there Plind feels a change in the Force as he realizes he has a new ally.

I’m not sure who’s bottom pairing is worse lol

Projected Flyers starting lineup:

28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 19 Derick Brassard - 89 Cam Atkinson
23 Oskar Lindblom - 21 Scott Laughton - 25 James van Riemsdyk
71 Max Willman - 42 Nate Thompson -62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel

9 Ivan Provorov - 94 Ryan Ellis
6 Travis Sanheim - 61 Justin Braun
3 Keith Yandle - 24 Nick Seeler

79 Carter Hart

- MBFlyerfan[35 Martin Jones]

Ermagerh can you believez the centerz ermagerd we shuld talk abut it sum morr. How cumz the team dusnt have more top sicks cenetrz on the rawtur! Evry utter team has 5 or 6 to chooz frum

Sometimes this place is utterly ridiculous. nearly 50% of the league is 0-1 after their first game. Kraken opened without 5 regular liners....Pittsburgh without their 3 best player...the list go on!!! Yet the resident geniuses here are predicting catastrophe based on a lineup card.

Not certain if I am more excited for the wait to be over or for the Flyers first game of the new season. At any rate, tomorrow there will be talk about an actual Flyers game. I could not be happier about that. Make it a good one!

Cheers!

Let’s go Flyers!
- NC Flyers Fan

It’s been an exhausting off-season

I watched the Predators vs. Kraken game last night, the Kraken are a lot better than some might give them credit for, they played a very good game. They had the Predators on their heels most of the game. By the time Monday rolls around, the Kraken would have played 3 games to the Flyers 1, advantage Kraken!
- jd250

Since the Flyers aren't competing with them. What advantage?

I don't think any team can win when they put this much cap into 1 player. MacAvoy is a very good defenseman, but does he do that much more than say Ryan Ellis at $6.25M per? When you are trying to build a contender in a flat cap league, I'm not sure this is how you do it. With that said, MacAvoy is a good player and I'm sure he must be quite happy right now!
- jd250

They bought 5 UFA years with the deal. Comparing is deal to Ellis' is not how you do it.

That pair had a hell of a game. They didn't allow a single scoring chance against the entire game at ES. Kraken couldn't get anything done when they were on the ice.
- Tomahawk

That's not possible. Myers stinks with a capital S and will never be a good player.

They bought 5 UFA years with the deal. Comparing is deal to Ellis' is not how you do it.
- MJL

I'm greatful that Caufield hasn't got a point in the last 2 games, so we don't have to listen to those criers complain we should've drafted him instead.

Yes. Vancouver is vastly superior. They did great in that weak all Canadian division last year.
- Hextall271

you talk like we were good last year

Very jealous. Have fun and cheer on the boys for us! I’m also disappointed rr not playing.
- Hextall271

Thank you! I definitely will!