Yandle was expected to be better. Seeler and Connaughton were not supposed to be long term players. You do realize we have a ton of injuries right? Flyers D going into the season was expected to be:

Provorov - Ellis
Sanheim - Ristolainen
Yandle - Braun

Buy hey keep pushing your false narrative that Hagg is somehow a piece that would have kept this team together. He must have turned Buffalo around right?




We would probably be a wildcard team with the potential to be better. If Hayes and Couturier are healthy the offense doesnt dry up. It also prevents guys like Macewen and Willman from being brought up. Ellis puts Braun on D with Yandle which likely reduces his liability on the ice. At the end of the day our defense would improve, we'd move the puck better and our offense would be stronger.



This is Laughable. I guess Tampa Bay doesnt understand the modern day NHL. They have been over the cap limit for years. All it got them was 2 Stanley Cups.... Look at cap friendly. Majority of the teams are near the cap limit or over. This modern day NHL is apparently a mystical premise only you understand. How you arent a GM is mystifying





Hextall negotiated the contract genius...... Bill has stated this 100x Maybe 101x will finally get it through your thick skull.





Konecny also had those points playing with the likes of Couturier and Giroux. Look what happens when they arent around to carry him? He was also looking to earn a fat contract. You can tell by the way he plays, he is content with with his game. It is a huge reason why players like him fizzle out. They stop trying to improve. Theres always another player looking to take your job and Farabee took it. He is not top 6 material.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

True, but his boss, Homer, directed him to make the deal happen. Not like he picked the guy or made the call. At least he understood the salary cap rules. The last big deal that Homer had done before, for Pronger, was a nightmare for the team as he did not understand the salary cap implications. If you only blame Hexy for this deal and ignore the whole picture, you are being selective and misrepresenting what happened.

What he said is Clarke is around more. As I said I think Clarke had a voice in the decision to hire Fletcher. ( which although taking a wait and see approach, didn’t exactly get me excited). But in that interview with Clarke he didn’t exactly sound like a guy that had very much say or contact. Who knows but that was my take.
- landros 2

No, it went beyond that. Not going to go back and dig these out but the plain impiication from him and others is that Clarkie is engaged to a significant extent. This is the Chucky and Bobby show.

Yandle was expected to be better. Seeler and Connaughton were not supposed to be long term players. You do realize we have a ton of injuries right? Flyers D going into the season was expected to be:


Provorov - Ellis
Sanheim - Ristolainen
Yandle - Braun

Buy hey keep pushing your false narrative that Hagg is somehow a piece that would have kept this team together. He must have turned Buffalo around right?




We would probably be a wildcard team with the potential to be better. If Hayes and Couturier are healthy the offense doesnt dry up. It also prevents guys like Macewen and Willman from being brought up. Ellis puts Braun on D with Yandle which likely reduces his liability on the ice. At the end of the day our defense would improve, we'd move the puck better and our offense would be stronger.



This is Laughable. I guess Tampa Bay doesnt understand the modern day NHL. They have been over the cap limit for years. All it got them was 2 Stanley Cups.... Look at cap friendly. Majority of the teams are near the cap limit or over. This modern day NHL is apparently a mystical premise only you understand. How you arent a GM is mystifying





Hextall negotiated the contract genius...... Bill has stated this 100x Maybe 101x will finally get it through your thick skull.





Konecny also had those points playing with the likes of Couturier and Giroux. Look what happens when they arent around to carry him? He was also looking to earn a fat contract. You can tell by the way he plays, he is content with with his game. It is a huge reason why players like him fizzle out. They stop trying to improve. Theres always another player looking to take your job and Farabee took it. He is not top 6 material.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Not sure that Florida would agree with you about Yandle. They were ready to move on and did. Zito does not seem to make a lot of mistakes with talent.

I agree about Hayes and Coots and expect both to recover their prior form especially Coots.

I had seen enough of Hagg and wouldn't ever expect to have missed him unless I was asked to consider Seeler and Connauton and then I would be in a quandary.

If you look at the Ellis injury history, you have to accept that this was a gigantic roll of the dice. Why not DeAngelo? The Canes did their homework and he has worked out really well. Chucky did not do his homework and now we are tanking so that he can get a shot at a high pick. Not optimistic about this and think that this is the last refuge of the incompetent.

The RR move has just not worked out. I like his size and speed but he is just not a smart defenseman. Sanheim has much better numbers without him than with him.

Your notion that a lst and a 2nd are not alot to give up brings us back to Homer and the notion of trading picks for nothing. I just don't think that is ever smart. I wanted to give Chucky the benefit of the doubt and I am just done with the guy. If you like the drafting, keep Rick Flair around but Chucky must go.

Yandle was expected to be better. Seeler and Connaughton were not supposed to be long term players. You do realize we have a ton of injuries right? Flyers D going into the season was expected to be:

Provorov - Ellis
Sanheim - Ristolainen
Yandle - Braun

Buy hey keep pushing your false narrative that Hagg is somehow a piece that would have kept this team together. He must have turned Buffalo around right?


- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Oh, where to start. It doesn't matter what Yandle was expected to be. He hasn't been good. Of course I'm aware of the injuries. The only false narrative is the one you're trying to push by making the focus point on Haag and your BS claim that I've implied in any way that Haag would've kept this team together. You were wrong in claiming that he was an irrelevant player. All I did was simply point out that he was one of the assets traded away by the GM who made an awful deal.

:

We would probably be a wildcard team with the potential to be better. If Hayes and Couturier are healthy the offense doesnt dry up. It also prevents guys like Macewen and Willman from being brought up. Ellis puts Braun on D with Yandle which likely reduces his liability on the ice. At the end of the day our defense would improve, we'd move the puck better and our offense would be stronger.


- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Yep, that's exactly why you want to cap your team out, trade young players and high draft picks for. Adding aging injury prone players for. To be a wild card team. LOL

:

This is Laughable. I guess Tampa Bay doesnt understand the modern day NHL. They have been over the cap limit for years. All it got them was 2 Stanley Cups.... Look at cap friendly. Majority of the teams are near the cap limit or over. This modern day NHL is apparently a mystical premise only you understand. How you arent a GM is mystifying


- xShoot4WarAmpsx

I didn't think your lack of understanding ran this deep. If you're a legit cup contender, which TB was and is, you should be capped out and use all of your resources to go for it. When your not and not even close to it, like the Flyers are, you shouldn't be taking that approach.
Don't need to be a GM. Just need to have common sense. Building a team is a process. Done the right way it takes time and how the team operates will change depending on it's status in a cap environment.

:
Hextall negotiated the contract genius...... Bill has stated this 100x Maybe 101x will finally get it through your thick skull.


- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Assistant GM's are often assigned tasks. Hextall as AGM did not have the power to finalize a contract. Nor did he have the power or final say to acquire the player in the first place. That power belongs to the GM who was Paul Holmgren
Don't need to be a genius. Just need to have common sense.

:
Konecny also had those points playing with the likes of Couturier and Giroux. Look what happens when they arent around to carry him? He was also looking to earn a fat contract. You can tell by the way he plays, he is content with with his game. It is a huge reason why players like him fizzle out. They stop trying to improve. Theres always another player looking to take your job and Farabee took it. He is not top 6 material.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Most good players in the NHL play with other good players. We're not talking about an elite player here who elevates other players. So that point makes zero sense.
Stating that Konecny is content with his game is pure speculation and just your opinion not supported by any facts.
Speaking of narratives, if Farabee took Konecny's job, why does Konecny average more ice time per game the last two seasons at both ES and on the PP than Farabee?

No, it went beyond that. Not going to go back and dig these out but the plain impiication from him and others is that Clarkie is engaged to a significant extent. This is the Chucky and Bobby show.
- iamscore2day

I'd like to know how someone who apparently had no say and little contact, knows so much about what went on?

I'd like to know how someone who apparently had no say and little contact, knows so much about what went on?

- MJL

Maybe it's late but not getting that one.

I'd like to know how someone who apparently had no say and little contact, knows so much about what went on?

- MJL

You don't think its possible that Clarke talks to people within the Flyers organization from time to time when he comes up for events? You don't think its possible he could have heard a story or two from scouts or other people he knows? I don't think its far fetched to believe Clarke can know about what goes on behind the scenes and still have no say in decisions that are made.

Do you really think Clarke had this much say these days? Last I heard is he golfs 6 days a week in Florida. I do think Fletch’s hiring had Clarke written all over it, but I don’t blame anyone other the Fletcher for the last two years.
- landros 2

The only thing I blame for the past two seasons is Covid and injuries, because that is the only legitimate source of the problems this team has faced. I'm not saying they would be Cup contenders right now, but they would have easily been in the top 4 in the Metro and maybe higher with a healthy lineup. And I am not making excuses, the Flyers have been snake bitten up and down their organization with injuries and its just a fact we all have to recognize, and what is worse is it doesn't seem to have any end in sight.

1) No Fletcher didnt. He traded a 2nd and 3rd for Braun. Traded a 2nd to dump Ghost and a 1st and a 2nd in a shallow draft for Ristolainen. Where did Fletcher move important picks and prospects?

2) Where is this so called Talent Hextall Drafted? AHL team has trash on it aside from Frost - excluding Fletcher's picks. Hextall's young players on the team are part of the problem

3) Just because a player plays a top 6 spot on a team doesnt mean he's actually fit for that position. Konecny is not as good as was expected. He isnt good with the puck, he doesnt make good decisions with the puck and unless someone is feeding him pucks in scoring spots he is useless. Sanheim is the same, he is constantly outmuscled, he often loses his coverage and he doesnt generate enough offense for an offensively skilled Dman.

4) Hextall did a good job of clearing dead space but he did his fair share of wasting space too. He signed Voracek long term to an 8 mill deal, gave JVR 7 mill long term, signed Weise. You are 100% biased. You choose to ignore all his faults and you live or die by it because you need to believe you are the smartest poster here.

5) You suggest the Flyers are incompent of developing players but whos fault is that? Hextall hires and employs the development team. If the development team is garbage thats on him as a hiring manager.

Overall aside from a few good picks here and there and clearing some cap. He did nothing.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Spot on

Player development stalled under AV
- THE BLACK HAND

For sure, I think the AV hire has been Fletcher’s biggest mistake. I also wonder if some of the players acquisition decisions aren’t a direct result of that as well.

You don't think its possible that Clarke talks to people within the Flyers organization from time to time when he comes up for events? You don't think its possible he could have heard a story or two from scouts or other people he knows? I don't think its far fetched to believe Clarke can know about what goes on behind the scenes and still have no say in decisions that are made.
- jd250

Sure it's possible which makes it all hearsay. It's also possible that some may have a grudge against Hextall because they don't like the way he did things. Were whatever sources Clarke listened to around Hextall all the time? To know every detail of how he operated? One story comes out that Hextall went against the majority of the scouts to select Patrick and now an asinine narrative is formed that Hextall ignored the scouts. It just brings the entire obvious circle the wagons mentality from the country club members of a dysfunctional organization into further view.

The only thing I blame for the past two seasons is Covid and injuries, because that is the only legitimate source of the problems this team has faced. I'm not saying they would be Cup contenders right now, but they would have easily been in the top 4 in the Metro and maybe higher with a healthy lineup. And I am not making excuses, the Flyers have been snake bitten up and down their organization with injuries and its just a fact we all have to recognize, and what is worse is it doesn't seem to have any end in sight.
- jd250

I gave them somewhat of a pass for Covid in the past. I was wrong to do that. Covid is out the window as far as I'm concerned for any reason why. The injuries could be a blessing in disguise if the Flyers do things correctly. They won't though however.

The only thing I blame for the past two seasons is Covid and injuries, because that is the only legitimate source of the problems this team has faced. I'm not saying they would be Cup contenders right now, but they would have easily been in the top 4 in the Metro and maybe higher with a healthy lineup. And I am not making excuses, the Flyers have been snake bitten up and down their organization with injuries and its just a fact we all have to recognize, and what is worse is it doesn't seem to have any end in sight.
- jd250

Maybe they would be significantly better without the injuries and such, but this seems to ignore the lack of growth and regression among the Flyer’s young players. The environment looks dysfunctional.

The only thing I blame for the past two seasons is Covid and injuries, because that is the only legitimate source of the problems this team has faced. I'm not saying they would be Cup contenders right now, but they would have easily been in the top 4 in the Metro and maybe higher with a healthy lineup. And I am not making excuses, the Flyers have been snake bitten up and down their organization with injuries and its just a fact we all have to recognize, and what is worse is it doesn't seem to have any end in sight.
- jd250

You do know that covid has affected every other team in the league its not just a Flyers disease????? You sound like Fletch that will be his excuse end of year covid and injuries...or the schedule maker..the refs..the league hates the Flyers..hot goalies...the list of excuses goes on and on and on. Every team has injuries look at Pens..Tampa...doesnt seem to kill their seasons when they lose players like Crosby.. Malkin..Kucherov..Stamkos over last 2 yrs. The Flyers problems are their vet players are just not great, not 1 elite player, and their young players havent developed into what they were hyped to be....poor drafting..poor coaching..poor leadershsip..poor development..poor trades..poor UFA signings.... therein are the problems not covid and injuries

The best we could probably hope for under present circumstances would be for them to hire Babcock or something, and have him mind (frank)/strong arm Fletch into getting him the players he needs to play possession hockey. Babs could have Frost list his teammates in order of work ethic too, that would be fun.

They're just not forward thinking enough to do a Leafs style front-office shakeup. It's retread city.
- Tomahawk

You and those damn leafs lol. They haven't won squat. All the did was win the lottery and get some other top 5 picks. Something Hextall and Fletch haven't done. But they may get one this year. Talk to me when the leafs at least win a couple of rounds.

But saying that. They are entertaining to watch. Just don't think they are built for playoff hockey.

Maybe they would be significantly better without the injuries and such, but this seems to ignore the lack of growth and regression among the Flyer’s young players. The environment looks dysfunctional.
- NC Flyers Fan

I don't think the environment is dysfunctional at all. Yes, losing sucks but I agree with Fletcher when he says this is the time the younger players have to step up and show they can step in and want to be here. What younger players are regressing or lacking growth, TK, Provorov and Sanheim? TK and Provorov have taken a step back for the past 2 seasons. With Provorov I am thinking its completely due to the number of minutes he is playing game after game (3 of the past 5 games he has played over 26 minutes) and relying on him as being your number 1. With TK I just think he is what he is, and its inconsistent which is what makes it frustrating. I think we have to just ask ourselves, is there more to TK than what we are seeing and can it come out consistently moving forward? With Sanheim, I just don't think he is that good and I would trade him.

Fletcher talks about adding top-end talent while also wanting more size and be tougher to play against. If Giroux was willing to go to the Rangers, would you take back Kaapo Kakko? He has the potential to be both a solid top 6 forward with scoring skill and size though he has not shown it enough yet.

I gave them somewhat of a pass for Covid in the past. I was wrong to do that. Covid is out the window as far as I'm concerned for any reason why. The injuries could be a blessing in disguise if the Flyers do things correctly. They won't though however.
- MJL

I disagree, I think the Flyers have a great opportunity to retool the right way and they will.

You do know that covid has affected every other team in the league its not just a Flyers disease????? You sound like Fletch that will be his excuse end of year covid and injuries...or the schedule maker..the refs..the league hates the Flyers..hot goalies...the list of excuses goes on and on and on. Every team has injuries look at Pens..Tampa...doesnt seem to kill their seasons when they lose players like Crosby.. Malkin..Kucherov..Stamkos over last 2 yrs. The Flyers problems are their vet players are just not great, not 1 elite player, and their young players havent developed into what they were hyped to be....poor drafting..poor coaching..poor leadershsip..poor development..poor trades..poor UFA signings.... therein are the problems not covid and injuries
- hfc355

Yes the number 1 problem on the Flyers is the lack of top-end talent and it has been this way for the past few years now. I have routinely posted that the Flyers top players are not top players in the league. This to me is the primary reason the Flyers would not be a cup contender, because just looking around the league you can see the real cup contenders (Tampa, Florida, Colorado for example) have multiple elite players. However, this Flyers team coming into this season should have been a playoff team that maybe wins a round, and after last season that would have been a step in the right direction. Injuries stopped this step in its tracks.

I don't think the environment is dysfunctional at all. Yes, losing sucks but I agree with Fletcher when he says this is the time the younger players have to step up and show they can step in and want to be here.
- jd250

This is exactly what makes it dysfunctional. What Fletcher should be doing, especially now when there is no chance of making the playoffs. Is putting the young players in the best position to succeed and giving them every opportunity to show what they can do at the NHL level and supporting them in every way.

I disagree, I think the Flyers have a great opportunity to retool the right way and they will.
- jd250

What is re-tooling the right way? More of the same of what they've been doing? Re-tooling is exactly what they shouldn't be doing.

Fletcher talks about adding top-end talent while also wanting more size and be tougher to play against. If Giroux was willing to go to the Rangers, would you take back Kaapo Kakko? He has the potential to be both a solid top 6 forward with scoring skill and size though he has not shown it enough yet.
- jd250

There is zero chance of the Rangers giving up Kakko for a playoff rental. C'mon, be real.

The Sixers are tap-dancing on the Flyers' skulls
- THE BLACK HAND

Different fan bases. Your comment is irrelevant. The reality is that the Flyers have way more REAL fans than the Sixers do. The Sixers couldn't give tickets away when they sucked or even when they were an average .500 team. Thanks!

Different fan bases. Your comment is irrelevant. The reality is that the Flyers have way more REAL fans than the Sixers do. The Sixers couldn't give tickets away when they sucked or even when they were an average .500 team. Thanks!
- Phillywhiteout

ok....miserable (frank)

There is zero chance of the Rangers giving up Kakko for a playoff rental. C'mon, be real.
- MJL

Yeah, the Rags ain't giving up Kakko for Giroux. No way no how.