What was really missing was a keen understanding of where the game was going and getting in front of the wave with appropriate draft selections and other player acquisitions, something the Flyers did not do a good job of. The mentality of big and slow died decades ago but not with Flyers, at least not until recently. I am still a big believer of playing a physical and heavy game, but it must be complimented with speed, skill and depth, and the Flyers lack all of this IMO. I do believe Fletcher recognizes this and has drafted differently the past few drafts, which is why I still believe Fletcher is the right GM for this team.

And lets pump the brakes on the Bruins please. What have they won exactly? One cup in 2011, their only cup in over 4 decades! And the only reason the Bruins won that cup is because they got an out of this world performance from Tim Thomas while at the same exact time, Roberto Luongo was throwing up all over himself. The Bruins are a disciplined defensively structured team but that only gets you so far. Even with one of the best 1st forward lines in the NHL, the Bruins have suffered from the lack of secondary scoring and in the playoffs that bites you right in the rear, which the Bruins know all too well. So while I admire the job Bruce Cassidy has done, the lesson we should take away from the Bruins is you need speed and skill up and down your lineup if you want to win a Cup in this league. The days of winning with a top heavy offense are long gone.
- jd250

excellent first paragraph

Provorov simply made a fundamental skating mistake. He made a bad crossover. He is struggling right now. Your puck support comment is 100% true. You see it with other teams in every facet. Not with the Flyers. Frost is showing the skill that is going to make him a very good player.
- MJL

agree he did, but that is what you do when you have someone coming at you at full speed, you guess and lean just a little, his fault but you can't let that kind of free wheeling coming at your D. Someone has to slow him down.

Provorov simply made a fundamental skating mistake. He made a bad crossover. He is struggling right now. Your puck support comment is 100% true. You see it with other teams in every facet. Not with the Flyers. Frost is showing the skill that is going to make him a very good player.
- MJL

I will say I liked Frost on the PP last night, his puck retrieval and possession was impressive, and it enabled TK and G to produce some magic. The PP is all about possession, and the Flyers have got to learn there are better ways to enter a zone than giving up possession and dumping it in. Colorado's PP zone entries were a thing of beauty last night, and if I were Yeo I would be trying to mimic that the rest of the season. Also as you saw, good PPs don't spend time on the boards, they attack the middle of the ice, something else these Flyers need to do more of.

Funny how they shipped out Ghost with assets just for taking him, and then went out and got another Ghost - Yandle.
- backfire

They went out and got a much worse version of Ghost.

Frost looks physically overmatched to me.
- Phillywhiteout

with his size and game he will at times but it is the plays he is making in tight spaces that are important. Frost has been around the puck and setting up plays on the regular, he gets out of tight spaces with the puck, that is his game, something only G gives this team

My biggest question is what happens at the deadline. Does this organization look in the mirror and realize it’s over or are more poor decisions coming that will bleed into free agency. Tough to even care about this team. The Giroux era is about to be over and we were a bubble team, if that, for its entirety. This is a bottom 5 organization in the NHL and there is almost no glimmer of hope coming.

Funny how they shipped out Ghost with assets just for taking him, and then went out and got another Ghost - Yandle.
- backfire

While not disappointed that Ghost is gone(wish they didn't have to give up a second rounder), Yandle is much worse than Ghost. He needs to be put on waivers and bring up anyone from the Phantoms.

You could be right. Is a majority of the fan base ready for another 5 year rebuild? The team hasn't been relevant now for more than a decade.
- Hextall271

It doesn’t have to be that long… the key is your draft picks have to be spot on…

We were supposed to be a bottom 5 team this and next yr… and Hell we may fall back to earth… however when your picks become regular NHL’ers before 20 a lot can change…

It’s all about scouting & drafting today.. you just cannot FA your way to cups anymore.

Do you see in the next 3 years, a player like Adam Fox coming in or a UFA like Panarin signing with the Flyers.
- MJL

Sure, why not? Philly is as good a place to play as anywhere else. There are Adam Foxes out there, and there are players as good as Panarin out there. The key is finding them and developing them.

How about Ellis?
- jd250

Perhaps, but he's awful new to the organization. He may be the only viable candidate though.

Funny how they shipped out Ghost with assets just for taking him, and then went out and got another Ghost - Yandle.
- backfire

An older, less productive, worse defensively Ghost. Wonderful job by the crack GM.

Sure, why not? Philly is as good a place to play as anywhere else. There are Adam Foxes out there, and there are players as good as Panarin out there. The key is finding them and developing them.
- jd250

There are Adam Foxes out there? We are just going to find a Norris winning Dman haha. Do you even read your posts? The Flyers have also missed on every big name free agent to come out the last 5 years or so. The best we got was Kevin 45 point Hayes

So, who would be the candidate to be the next captain? That's the biggest problem with this team. No leaders in the room when adversity strikes. Take Giroux out of the equation and who would make a viable captain. I just don't see anyone. People say Coots, but he is an introvert, so no go IMO. Next!
- Phillywhiteout

The leadership and captain issue is being way overblown in my opinion. This is simply about not being a good enough team. Not playing as a team.

Frost looks physically overmatched to me.
- Phillywhiteout

Blown away by this. He looks like a future stud to me.

Blown away by this. He looks like a future stud to me.
- MJL

I like him too....but at the same time he doesn't match our timeline so I'd sell him for a first.

The leadership and captain issue is being way overblown in my opinion. This is simply about not being a good enough team. Not playing as a team.
- MJL

I probably shouldn't have said it's the biggest problem with this team cause this team has warts all over the place, but I do believe that it's an issue that shouldn't be overlooked. At the least bit of adversity they seem to collapse and that's been happening for years. To me, that is on ice(bench) leadership. That calming presence to keep things level in rough seas. This team seems to press the panic button at the drop of a hat.

What was really missing was a keen understanding of where the game was going and getting in front of the wave with appropriate draft selections and other player acquisitions, something the Flyers did not do a good job of. The mentality of big and slow died decades ago but not with Flyers, at least not until recently. I am still a big believer of playing a physical and heavy game, but it must be complimented with speed, skill and depth, and the Flyers lack all of this IMO. I do believe Fletcher recognizes this and has drafted differently the past few drafts, which is why I still believe Fletcher is the right GM for this team.
.
- jd250

Fletchers NHL moves are in direct contradiction with this. Did you read the transcript from the AV firing presser where Mike Yeo talked about playing slow and how thinking about what to do instead of reacting makes you play slow? Look, the Flyers don't have a player that can match the speed and skill that Makar and McKinnnon bring to the ice. Those are two big pieces. While the Flyers are certainly not a team that I would consider a fast team, they aren't slow either. They tend to play slow. If Fletcher recognizes this lack of speed and skill then why did he trade Voracek and bring in a lesser skilled and slower player in Atkinson? I've been telling you that Ristolainen was the wrong type of defenseman to commit those assets to. Maybe it's sinking in.

Blown away by this. He looks like a future stud to me.
- MJL

We shall see. I hope you're right, but I saw him get pushed off the puck very easily several times last night and we already know about some of his injury woes.

If I was CF I start the plan to sell. Hart and Farabee are probably the only guys I wouldn’t move.
I would trade Provy if I got the right return.
A top ten pick would have to be involved.
If Risto doesn’t get traded I let him walk.
I wouldn’t be opposed to him coming back but not at the price he would most likely get.
Not all the moves can be made in season because I don’t see that many guys available from Lehigh.
So either CF gets a absolute A+ prospect back in a trade from a very good playoff team that can play plus a late first or he opts for high 1st round picks and no players of substance back.
Just blow it up already.
I’d rather see young skilled exciting kids making mistakes and losing than veterans and retreads making mistakes and losing.
I would sit down Hart and say listen hang tough your our guy making the playoffs of barely isn’t our goal.
Our goal is to win multiple cups so we are fast tracking the tear down.
It’s going to be tough but your our guy.

I like him too....but at the same time he doesn't match our timeline so I'd sell him for a first.
- DrMidnite

I don't, he is young and has skill, he is who you want to keep and let him develop. If he can improve incrementally, he will be very good. You just can't teach the patience he has in small places, then he is very shifty, it allows him to come out with the puck

I will say I liked Frost on the PP last night, his puck retrieval and possession was impressive, and it enabled TK and G to produce some magic. The PP is all about possession, and the Flyers have got to learn there are better ways to enter a zone than giving up possession and dumping it in. Colorado's PP zone entries were a thing of beauty last night, and if I were Yeo I would be trying to mimic that the rest of the season. Also as you saw, good PPs don't spend time on the boards, they attack the middle of the ice, something else these Flyers need to do more of.
- jd250

They use pretty much the same PP entry scheme that the Flyers use. That pretty much every team uses. The Flyers don't have McKinnon and Makar.

Sure, why not? Philly is as good a place to play as anywhere else. There are Adam Foxes out there, and there are players as good as Panarin out there. The key is finding them and developing them.
- jd250

Readily available. That's why every rebuilding team finds them easily.

I like him too....but at the same time he doesn't match our timeline so I'd sell him for a first.
- DrMidnite

This doesn't add up.

There are Adam Foxes out there? We are just going to find a Norris winning Dman haha. Do you even read your posts? The Flyers have also missed on every big name free agent to come out the last 5 years or so. The best we got was Kevin 45 point Hayes
- ClaudeFather

but he was on pace for...

I probably shouldn't have said it's the biggest problem with this team cause this team has warts all over the place, but I do believe that it's an issue that shouldn't be overlooked. At the least bit of adversity they seem to collapse and that's been happening for years. To me, that is on ice(bench) leadership. That calming presence to keep things level in rough seas. This team seems to press the panic button at the drop of a hat.
- Phillywhiteout

That's due to an overall lack of confidence. No leader is going to change that with speeches in the locker room. The Flyers need to improve as a team. Fix the detail in their play. That is what is going to fix it.