1) Frost is playing fine. He absolutely has been competing consistently, winning his share of battles, not cheating out of the zone whatsoever, and creating a healthy number of chances. I'd like him to work on his shot -- the one thing that hasn't come back 100% since the surgery, IMO -- this offseason. But his two-way game has improved by leaps and bounds. He has done everything asked of him. I fully expect a points surge out of him next season because he's right on the precipice. But I do want to see more chances turning into goals and assists for him and for Tippett as well. The Flyers need it.

2) Brink is clearly highly skilled. Last night was a game where both teams had all sorts of time and space to make plays. This offseason, he is going to be asked to trim his body fat percentage a bit and replace it with a bit more muscle. But there's no doubt about the vision, hands or work ethic.

3) Sanheim has been playing very well pretty much ever since the coaching change. Ristolainen, overall, has worked well with Sanheim. But Sanheim has taken the next step his game regardless of partner.

4) I'm not going to pile on Yandle by taking your apparent glee in his decline.

He's at the "Steve Carlton is working on a screwball because his slider has no bite anymore and his fastball is down 5-7 MPH" stage of his late career. In other words, Yandle has lost a stride-plus, and no longer brings the offensive game he once had. It is sad to see someone who had such a meritorious overall career and is so universally liked and respected within the game be a shell of himself as a player.

When the puck is in the D zone with him, it's probably not leaving. When it's up ice, you just hope there's no turnover because there's a big risk of him getting caught above the puck and being unable to recover.

The will is still there. The preparation and professionalism are still there. But Father Time always wins in the end. It's not amusing or worthy of sarcasm.

Strictly based on the merit of his played, he should not have played every game for FLA last year and then every game for the Flyers this year until he was beyond setting the ironman streak record. That's the cold reality.

It's no fun saying that about a player as beloved within hockey as he is. But it's the truth. If the streak had ended last season or one of the past occasions when he was banged up but played through it, it would have been a non-issue about scratching him for game performance-based reasons.

Yandle handled the end of the streak with tons of class and dignity. He's doing everything he can to be a positive influence on the young players who are coming through, even though he's likely in his final weeks as an NHL player.

I will be totally candid. Along with being without Ellis for all but the first three games of the season and a one-game return, the severe struggles of the third pair -- Yandle + whomever he was paired with-- were one of the biggest problems this entire season beyond the first two weeks.

Add in Braun being pressed into first-pair duty all year prior to the trade -- rather than being a steady 3rd pair vet who could be spotted higher periodically as needed. Add in Provorov, after a strong first five weeks, struggling with inconsistency until late in the season.

These have been the primary issues with the blueline. Ristolainen has his strengths and weaknesses that come along but there was WAY too much focus on him by segments of the fan base. The Flyers had and still have much bigger issues to figure out on the D corps.
- bmeltzer

Self awareness is important as a player. A lot of players retire before they get to this point of embarrassing himself. This is completely on Yandle. As far as Ristolainen. He is a major issue moving forward. It is a disastrous move overall.

1) Frost is playing fine. He absolutely has been competing consistently, winning his share of battles, not cheating out of the zone whatsoever, and creating a healthy number of chances. I'd like him to work on his shot -- the one thing that hasn't come back 100% since the surgery, IMO -- this offseason. But his two-way game has improved by leaps and bounds. He has done everything asked of him. I fully expect a points surge out of him next season because he's right on the precipice. But I do want to see more chances turning into goals and assists for him and for Tippett as well. The Flyers need it.

2) Brink is clearly highly skilled. Last night was a game where both teams had all sorts of time and space to make plays. This offseason, he is going to be asked to trim his body fat percentage a bit and replace it with a bit more muscle. But there's no doubt about the vision, hands or work ethic.

3) Sanheim has been playing very well pretty much ever since the coaching change. Ristolainen, overall, has worked well with Sanheim. But Sanheim has taken the next step his game regardless of partner.

4) I'm not going to pile on Yandle by taking your apparent glee in his decline.

He's at the "Steve Carlton is working on a screwball because his slider has no bite anymore and his fastball is down 5-7 MPH" stage of his late career. In other words, Yandle has lost a stride-plus, and no longer brings the offensive game he once had. It is sad to see someone who had such a meritorious overall career and is so universally liked and respected within the game be a shell of himself as a player.

When the puck is in the D zone with him, it's probably not leaving. When it's up ice, you just hope there's no turnover because there's a big risk of him getting caught above the puck and being unable to recover.

The will is still there. The preparation and professionalism are still there. But Father Time always wins in the end. It's not amusing or worthy of sarcasm.

Strictly based on the merit of his played, he should not have played every game for FLA last year and then every game for the Flyers this year until he was beyond setting the ironman streak record. That's the cold reality.

It's no fun saying that about a player as beloved within hockey as he is. But it's the truth. If the streak had ended last season or one of the past occasions when he was banged up but played through it, it would have been a non-issue about scratching him for game performance-based reasons.

Yandle handled the end of the streak with tons of class and dignity. He's doing everything he can to be a positive influence on the young players who are coming through, even though he's likely in his final weeks as an NHL player.

I will be totally candid. Along with being without Ellis for all but the first three games of the season and a one-game return, the severe struggles of the third pair -- Yandle + whomever he was paired with-- were one of the biggest problems this entire season beyond the first two weeks.

Add in Braun being pressed into first-pair duty all year prior to the trade -- rather than being a steady 3rd pair vet who could be spotted higher periodically as needed. Add in Provorov, after a strong first five weeks, struggling with inconsistency until late in the season.

These have been the primary issues with the blueline. Ristolainen has his strengths and weaknesses that come along but there was WAY too much focus on him by segments of the fan base. The Flyers had and still have much bigger issues to figure out on the D corps.
- bmeltzer

The bottom line will be the overall production from those 2. They cant afford to have both be 25-32 point players. They need much more

How about Ivan lifting Ronnie A to a plus 4 for the night.

Laughton has been a shell of himself since the return, you hope he takes the last few games and picks up some confidence. The same for all players really. I would like to see TK put 3 more in. JVR to hit 25. Attard to show some D awareness, Provy small steps forward, challenge him to carry Attard. Lindblom hit 15 goals, Frost to put a point streak together while his line all get on the board. Let Zam get some confidence and most important, play well but lose

1) Frost is playing fine. He absolutely has been competing consistently, winning his share of battles, not cheating out of the zone whatsoever, and creating a healthy number of chances. I'd like him to work on his shot -- the one thing that hasn't come back 100% since the surgery, IMO -- this offseason. But his two-way game has improved by leaps and bounds. He has done everything asked of him. I fully expect a points surge out of him next season because he's right on the precipice. But I do want to see more chances turning into goals and assists for him and for Tippett as well. The Flyers need it.

2) Brink is clearly highly skilled. Last night was a game where both teams had all sorts of time and space to make plays. This offseason, he is going to be asked to trim his body fat percentage a bit and replace it with a bit more muscle. But there's no doubt about the vision, hands or work ethic.

3) Sanheim has been playing very well pretty much ever since the coaching change. Ristolainen, overall, has worked well with Sanheim. But Sanheim has taken the next step his game regardless of partner.

4) I'm not going to pile on Yandle by taking your apparent glee in his decline.

He's at the "Steve Carlton is working on a screwball because his slider has no bite anymore and his fastball is down 5-7 MPH" stage of his late career. In other words, Yandle has lost a stride-plus, and no longer brings the offensive game he once had. It is sad to see someone who had such a meritorious overall career and is so universally liked and respected within the game be a shell of himself as a player.

When the puck is in the D zone with him, it's probably not leaving. When it's up ice, you just hope there's no turnover because there's a big risk of him getting caught above the puck and being unable to recover.

The will is still there. The preparation and professionalism are still there. But Father Time always wins in the end. It's not amusing or worthy of sarcasm.

Strictly based on the merit of his played, he should not have played every game for FLA last year and then every game for the Flyers this year until he was beyond setting the ironman streak record. That's the cold reality.

It's no fun saying that about a player as beloved within hockey as he is. But it's the truth. If the streak had ended last season or one of the past occasions when he was banged up but played through it, it would have been a non-issue about scratching him for game performance-based reasons.

Yandle handled the end of the streak with tons of class and dignity. He's doing everything he can to be a positive influence on the young players who are coming through, even though he's likely in his final weeks as an NHL player.

I will be totally candid. Along with being without Ellis for all but the first three games of the season and a one-game return, the severe struggles of the third pair -- Yandle + whomever he was paired with-- were one of the biggest problems this entire season beyond the first two weeks.

Add in Braun being pressed into first-pair duty all year prior to the trade -- rather than being a steady 3rd pair vet who could be spotted higher periodically as needed. Add in Provorov, after a strong first five weeks, struggling with inconsistency until late in the season.

These have been the primary issues with the blueline. Ristolainen has his strengths and weaknesses that come along but there was WAY too much focus on him by segments of the fan base. The Flyers had and still have much bigger issues to figure out on the D corps.
- bmeltzer

To be honest Bill, my humor just tends to be sarcastic. Some like it and some don't, but it this case I take no glee in having to watch Yandle play for the Flyers this year. It's actually been quite maddening in reality. He should have never been brought here. I have no personal anger towards the guy(as another poster said) and I really take no glee in his failures. Everyone says he's a professional and a nice guy, but sometimes players need to know when it's time to hang up their skates. It's a shame his career had to end this way and I can understand that it can be hard for guys to admit that they just can't compete at that high of a level anymore. I'm guessing that the Flyers will be 10 points better next year without his constant blunders on the blueline. I at least thought he still had some offensive game left(I guess the Flyers did too), but that part of his game is gone too. I wish him luck in his retirement cause as you said he seems like a nice guy.

Laughton has been a shell of himself since the return, you hope he takes the last few games and picks up some confidence. The same for all players really. I would like to see TK put 3 more in. JVR to hit 25. Attard to show some D awareness, Provy small steps forward, challenge him to carry Attard. Lindblom hit 15 goals, Frost to put a point streak together while his line all get on the board. Let Zam get some confidence and most important, play well but lose
- wcorvette

I've noticed that too. Since his(Laughton) return from injury I haven't even noticed him on the ice. He has been totally invisible with the exception of a few giveaways here and there.

1) Frost is playing fine. He absolutely has been competing consistently, winning his share of battles, not cheating out of the zone whatsoever, and creating a healthy number of chances. I'd like him to work on his shot -- the one thing that hasn't come back 100% since the surgery, IMO -- this offseason. But his two-way game has improved by leaps and bounds. He has done everything asked of him. I fully expect a points surge out of him next season because he's right on the precipice. But I do want to see more chances turning into goals and assists for him and for Tippett as well. The Flyers need it.

2) Brink is clearly highly skilled. Last night was a game where both teams had all sorts of time and space to make plays. This offseason, he is going to be asked to trim his body fat percentage a bit and replace it with a bit more muscle. But there's no doubt about the vision, hands or work ethic.

3) Sanheim has been playing very well pretty much ever since the coaching change. Ristolainen, overall, has worked well with Sanheim. But Sanheim has taken the next step his game regardless of partner.

4) I'm not going to pile on Yandle by taking your apparent glee in his decline.

He's at the "Steve Carlton is working on a screwball because his slider has no bite anymore and his fastball is down 5-7 MPH" stage of his late career. In other words, Yandle has lost a stride-plus, and no longer brings the offensive game he once had. It is sad to see someone who had such a meritorious overall career and is so universally liked and respected within the game be a shell of himself as a player.

When the puck is in the D zone with him, it's probably not leaving. When it's up ice, you just hope there's no turnover because there's a big risk of him getting caught above the puck and being unable to recover.

The will is still there. The preparation and professionalism are still there. But Father Time always wins in the end. It's not amusing or worthy of sarcasm.

Strictly based on the merit of his played, he should not have played every game for FLA last year and then every game for the Flyers this year until he was beyond setting the ironman streak record. That's the cold reality.

It's no fun saying that about a player as beloved within hockey as he is. But it's the truth. If the streak had ended last season or one of the past occasions when he was banged up but played through it, it would have been a non-issue about scratching him for game performance-based reasons.

Yandle handled the end of the streak with tons of class and dignity. He's doing everything he can to be a positive influence on the young players who are coming through, even though he's likely in his final weeks as an NHL player.

I will be totally candid. Along with being without Ellis for all but the first three games of the season and a one-game return, the severe struggles of the third pair -- Yandle + whomever he was paired with-- were one of the biggest problems this entire season beyond the first two weeks.

Add in Braun being pressed into first-pair duty all year prior to the trade -- rather than being a steady 3rd pair vet who could be spotted higher periodically as needed. Add in Provorov, after a strong first five weeks, struggling with inconsistency until late in the season.

These have been the primary issues with the blueline. Ristolainen has his strengths and weaknesses that come along but there was WAY too much focus on him by segments of the fan base. The Flyers had and still have much bigger issues to figure out on the D corps.
- bmeltzer

Not often when reading another’s opinion have I agreed 100% while covering so much.

Laughton has been a shell of himself since the return, you hope he takes the last few games and picks up some confidence. The same for all players really. I would like to see TK put 3 more in. JVR to hit 25. Attard to show some D awareness, Provy small steps forward, challenge him to carry Attard. Lindblom hit 15 goals, Frost to put a point streak together while his line all get on the board. Let Zam get some confidence and most important, play well but lose
- wcorvette

Laughton had his usual season. Nice little hot streak. People then talk about his "pace" and get all warm and fuzzy. Then he returns back to normal. Disappears. For long stretches. Nothing to do with his injury. Should have moved him last deadline. Another GM mistake.

JVR with meaningless goals when they do not matter in any way. Guess looks good for his stats.

Self awareness is important as a player. A lot of players retire before they get to this point of embarrassing himself. This is completely on Yandle. As far as Ristolainen. He is a major issue moving forward. It is a disastrous move overall.
- MJL

Well when teams still call and offer contracts then it gives you the thought you still have game left. The flyers weren't the only one trying to sign him.

I get what your saying and would have stayed away from him because of the whole streak thing because it put you in a position to almost allow him to try and get it.

I mean look, Chase Daniel as made a career of just taking contracts that teams offer in the NFL.

How about Ivan lifting Ronnie A to a plus 4 for the night.
- hello it's me 2050

How about giving the kid some love for playing a really good game and not melting like so many before him with some horrible games.

In a game the Flyers won by 3 goals, Keith Yandle managed to be a -2 in 7 minutes of ice time.

Power play goals on the season:

Philadelphia Flyers: 27
Chris Kreider: 26

In a game the Flyers won by 3 goals, Keith Yandle managed to be a -2 in 7 minutes of ice time.

Power play goals on the season:

Philadelphia Flyers: 27
Chris Kreider: 26
- PLindbergh31

If they didn’t have a bunch of injuries Yandle wouldn’t be suiting up….at this point he’s a warm body to help get across the finish line.

And how about, like 8 total pp goals in the last almost 40 games? I didn’t think that was possible.

If they didn’t have a bunch of injuries Yandle wouldn’t be suiting up….at this point he’s a warm body to help get across the finish line.

And how about, like 8 total pp goals in the last almost 40 games? I didn’t think that was possible.
- landros 2

Sure, but what was the excuse for playing Yandle what 60+ straight games? The fact Fletcher brought this stiff here is an embarrassment. Couple that with this disaster that is the Ellis trade how the (frank) is this guy still employed?

Well when teams still call and offer contracts then it gives you the thought you still have game left. The flyers weren't the only one trying to sign him.

I get what your saying and would have stayed away from him because of the whole streak thing because it put you in a position to almost allow him to try and get it.

I mean look, Chase Daniel as made a career of just taking contracts that teams offer in the NFL.
- J35Bacher

Some guys claw there way to every possible chance to still play…it’s a hell of a life. They play until every one tells them they can’t.

In a game the Flyers won by 3 goals, Keith Yandle managed to be a -2 in 7 minutes of ice time.

Power play goals on the season:

Philadelphia Flyers: 27
Chris Kreider: 26
- PLindbergh31

Hogberg looked better imo.

Sure, but what was the excuse for playing Yandle what 60+ straight games? The fact Fletcher brought this stiff here is an embarrassment. Couple that with this disaster that is the Ellis trade how the (frank) is this guy still employed?
- PLindbergh31

There is no excuse….I’ve been on that band wagon since game 6 or 7. As far as Fletch….the NHL is a results based business. Guys who continually lose aren’t employed long term. Fletcher is running out of chances even if they won’t say he’s on the hot seat….of course he is.

Hogberg looked better imo.
- hello it's me 2050

I thought he looked poised…pretty good 1rst game.

There is no excuse….I’ve been on that band wagon since game 6 or 7. As far as Fletch….the NHL is a results based business. Guys who continually lose aren’t employed long term. Fletcher is running out of chances even if they won’t say he’s on the hot seat….of course he is.
- landros 2

How many yeras has the GM been here? How many of those years has he missed the playoffs?

There is zero excuse for keeping him on at this time. He has made the team worse now and in the future.

I thought he looked poised…pretty good 1rst game.
- landros 2

Doesn't matter as we all know how the D will shake out come September. I do not even think they will keep Zamula in the top 6.

I can see Hogberg going back to Europe as well.

How many yeras has the GM been here? How many of those years has he missed the playoffs?

There is zero excuse for keeping him on at this time. He has made the team worse now and in the future.
- hello it's me 2050

I’m not advocating for him one bit. Whether or not I think he deserves another shot doesn’t matter. I think they give him another chance to fix this.

Doesn't matter as we all know how the D will shake out come September. I do not even think they will keep Zamula in the top 6.

I can see Hogberg going back to Europe as well.
- hello it's me 2050

We’ll see what the summer brings.

Guy Lafluer….RIP

Sad day.

We’ll see what the summer brings.
- landros 2

It will be as predictable as the morning dump i just took

I’m not advocating for him one bit. Whether or not I think he deserves another shot doesn’t matter. I think they give him another chance to fix this.
- landros 2

they will and it is a mistake. It is clear he cant fix this as he is just not a good GM. How the phuck the powers that be cant see this is mind boggling

Guy Lafluer….RIP

Sad day.
- landros 2

Indeed it is. A legend of the sport will be sorely missed.