That's what I thought. Best you can do. Should've known from your first post.
- MJL

You just repeat same old stuff and don't actually respond to anything I said

You just repeat same old stuff and don't actually respond to anything I said
- VilleLeinoShow

I responded to everything you said. What are you talking about?

Free Samu as he belongs in juniors.
- hello it's me 2050

#FreeSamu

I responded to everything you said. What are you talking about?

- MJL

We needed a top 4 right hand D man. He isn't perfect but he is good enough which allows us to spread out our D to spots that actually belong. Risto isn't perfect but guess what? If he was he would have cost even more to trade for and the team most likely wouldn't have been trading him anyway. You are just a cry baby and like I said name some good D men that were trade last few years we should have gotten? Wahh wahh he isn't perfect. Like I said before we were ruining Hart and trades NEEDED to happen. You think we should have just kept Gudas? Now do something but repeat the same old crap and cry.

We needed a top 4 right hand D man. He isn't perfect but he is good enough which allows us to spread out our D to spots that actually belong. Risto isn't perfect but guess what? If he was he would have cost even more to trade for and the team most likely wouldn't have been trading him anyway. You are just a cry baby and like I said name some good D men that were trade last few years we should have gotten? Wahh wahh he isn't perfect. Like I said before we were ruining Hart and trades NEEDED to happen. You think we should have just kept Gudas? Now do something but repeat the same old crap and cry.
- VilleLeinoShow

You have to get personal which complete exposes you. Much of what you say here doesn't make any sense. Trades needed to be made so that makes them automatically good?

What we needed was a good top 4 RH dman. Not just a top 4 RH dman.

Your question of naming some other defenseman we could've traded for is completely disengenous. No fan has that inside information.

Well said, Bill.

You have to get personal which complete exposes you. Much of what you say here doesn't make any sense. Trades needed to be made so that makes them automatically good?

What we needed was a good top 4 RH dman. Not just a top 4 RH dman.

Your question of naming some other defenseman we could've traded for is completely disengenous. No fan has that inside information.
- MJL

aww do you need a safe space?

A little slow but just noticing Bill's color coded posts. White jersey on away game days. Orange at home. Black off day? Am I just making that up? Sorry it's taken me this long to notice.

If true, nice touch Bill.
- cdearth23

I had to go back and look too. Nice attention to detail.

Pens fan here and I'm not here to rub salt, I promise. We have a philly troll posting on our board today, so I was curious to see what he says here, but I saw this comment and got to thinking. When I saw the moves made before this season it really just felt like lateral-ish moves as a whole.

The Ellis move was maybe the only true upgrade to the lineup. The Atkinson trade seemed more of a "shake up the locker room" type of deal. Risto was the worst of the deals; he's really just Jack Johnson 2.0 with a little more snarl. It's still VERY early in the season and with so many new faces it will take time to see if they gel and figure out where people fit in the lineup, but truly being non-bias if you'll believe me as a Pens fan, I really didn't expect a very different flyers team.
- Rinosaur

I think you are right in the assessment that the moves cf made were lateral, at best. IMHO he was not a good GM in Minnesota, and nothing he has done here has made me re-think that opinion. They will have a remote chance at making the playoffs if Hart is the goalie people thinks he can be, and Kevin Hayes plays at a 1C level for the 65 or so games he will play. Even then, I am not sure this team is more than an 80-84 point squad.

I've been pledging gifts to the hockey gods that Fletcher has some self awareness and is able to admit his mistake and not compound it by re-signing him.
- MJL

That's what I hope. Resign a guy based on level of play not because you gave up more than you should have .

He rolled the dice. So far it's not looking good. It happens.

He has average hockey sense, which is why he's not an upper-echelon D man despite all his physical skills. But he brings things the Flyers sorely lacked. He was an absolute warrior in the Edmonton win and, the last couple games, has started to show some of his offensive game, too.

He'll never be everyone's cup of tea. But big RH defensemen who can skate, hit, block shots and provide some offense too if deployed as such aren't easy to find. It's why so many teams -- all playoff teams last season, by the way -- were willing to meet the Bufffalo demand of a first-round pick as the starting point in trade offers.

Ristolainen doesn't always take good routes or play his angles right. He lacks situational awareness and tends to be overaggressive and prone to getting fooled when an attacker dekes. He also staples opponents, gets under their skin and can make some good things happen up ice.

When Ellis is back in the lineup -- and hopefully stays there -- I think Ristolainen should be fine. He hasn't been bad so far.
- bmeltzer

Does RR bring much more than Eric Gundbrandson? Specially when looking at the cost?

I will say this.
Last year the amount of blown coverages per game were astounding. Multiple gafs per game and they were atrocious where you put your hand to your head and say WTF was that?

This year thru 9 games I have not seen nearly as many. Whether that’s part of the defense or part of the forwards coming back to help or bit of both I’m not sure. But it has been better.

I think you are right in the assessment that the moves cf made were lateral, at best. IMHO he was not a good GM in Minnesota, and nothing he has done here has made me re-think that opinion. They will have a remote chance at making the playoffs if Hart is the goalie people thinks he can be, and Kevin Hayes plays at a 1C level for the 65 or so games he will play. Even then, I am not sure this team is more than an 80-84 point squad.
- corduroy

Hayes wasn't brought here to be a #1 center and he will never be a #1 center. If you are expecting that you will be disappointed. He is a #2 center at best and perhaps a #3 center on a team that is deep at the center position.

Hayes wasn't brought here to be a #1 center and he will never be a #1 center. If you are expecting that you will be disappointed. He is a #2 center at best and perhaps a #3 center on a team that is deep at the center position.
- Phillywhiteout

Trust me I know the limitations of hayes. I was in no way stating that he was a number 1 C, I said he needs to play like one for them to entertain thoughts of making the playoffs. There is a huge difference in saying he NEEDS to play like a 1C, and that HE IS 1C. Hayes, IMO is a borderline 2C, more of a 3C. Again, that is my opinion of him.

I think you are right in the assessment that the moves cf made were lateral, at best. IMHO he was not a good GM in Minnesota, and nothing he has done here has made me re-think that opinion. They will have a remote chance at making the playoffs if Hart is the goalie people thinks he can be, and Kevin Hayes plays at a 1C level for the 65 or so games he will play. Even then, I am not sure this team is more than an 80-84 point squad.
- corduroy

Hart is definitely an x-factor. If he’s good enough through an entire season to make up for the defense issues and the offense is strong, there’s a chance. The Metro is IMO the toughest it’s been which is saying a lot for what’s been the toughest division for a long time. Caps and Pens(if injuries don’t sink us) will still challenge hard for the top five and now you add in NYR, NYI and CAR, this has become a crazy hard. Even NJ once Hughes return could make life hard for everyone.

aww do you need a safe space?
- VilleLeinoShow

Actually the guy who can't put a logical argument together and instead has to make comments like this is who needs something. Debate me and counter my actual points and then we might be able to have an adult conversation. Based on the majority of your responses, I doubt it though.

I will say this.
Last year the amount of blown coverages per game were astounding. Multiple gafs per game and they were atrocious where you put your hand to your head and say WTF was that?

This year thru 9 games I have not seen nearly as many. Whether that’s part of the defense or part of the forwards coming back to help or bit of both I’m not sure. But it has been better.
- Buzzo

Last year especially the latter half of the season was the worst stretch of team defense I've ever seen. It was catastrophic and historic. How could it be worse? It is better. It would've been better if they had done nothing.

Scary times ahead with this team's metrics looking exactly like last year.
Winning despite ugly underlying numbers could be exposed today.

The team that has been put on the ice the last few games is really no better than last year's team. They have won a few games even though they shouldn't have, and have been thoroughly outplayed in almost every game. I hope Ellis and Hayes are magic elixirs, but as Eddie Vedder once said, hope doesn't get much applause.
- corduroy

I heard Eddie V has a wicked wrister and can play the 4th line.

A little slow but just noticing Bill's color coded posts. White jersey on away game days. Orange at home. Black off day? Am I just making that up? Sorry it's taken me this long to notice.

If true, nice touch Bill.
- cdearth23

Yup, that's the system.

Yup, that's the system.
- bmeltzer

Good stuff. You're the best!

Thanks.

Scary times ahead with this team's metrics looking exactly like last year.
Winning despite ugly underlying numbers could be exposed today.
- konalover711

If the second line could drive some play for ounce we should be alright but that might not happen until Hayes is back. Sanheim has sucked and Risto has been uneven, need them to be much better.

The Flyers D is just woefully thin without Ellis, they are going to have a very hard time beating anyone until he gets back. Seeler tries hard, but he's an AHL player. Yandle is a pp specialist, who, for some inexplicable reason they have taken off the top pp unit. Makes no sense since it's the only thing he does well; he's a serious liability in the D zone. Ristolainen is the crappy player that he's been his whole career and is another guy who should be seeing only limited minutes in a 3rd pairing role. Braun is an ok player but they are asking way too much of him and it's going to burn them eventually. He's fine as a 4/5 kind of guy, but it's simply not fair to the player to ask any more of him.

So basically that leaves 2 guys who can function in the top 4 of a good team. Provorov, while not a franchise #1, is at least a legit top pairing guy. Sanheim has flaws, but, when he's on his game, he's a solid top 4 player.

Right now, it's just not enough. And, once you add Brassard as a 2nd line C to the mix along with Nate's black hole of possession on L4 it's not a pretty picture.
- BiggE

I don’t feel like the D is the problem as much as the collective effort of all five players on the ice or the mixture of players used on each line. I would agree with anyone in here who says Laughton’s line is playing well but for me, they’re just staying afloat. They can chip in but not to the level we all expect. We’re not being blown out but we’re losing close games because we’re currently a one line team. We know the shortcomings of our players but if Vigneault doesn’t mix up the most important part of hockey, which is the five on five player, this is gonna be along season. I feel like we’ve held up well without Ellis and Hayes but we can’t be dependent or place all our hopes that these two players are going to cure all our ills.

Last year especially the latter half of the season was the worst stretch of team defense I've ever seen. It was catastrophic and historic. How could it be worse? It is better. It would've been better if they had done nothing.
- MJL

Whoops, you’re already on top of things and you nailed it.

The team that has been put on the ice the last few games is really no better than last year's team. They have won a few games even though they shouldn't have, and have been thoroughly outplayed in almost every game. I hope Ellis and Hayes are magic elixirs, but as Eddie Vedder once said, hope doesn't get much applause.
- corduroy

I think this team is much improved from last season’s team. It starts with improved play in net and upgrades on D. The structure on the ice in all three zones needs to be picked up by the five players on the ice, working well together as a unit.