Vrana cleared waivers btw

I'm just not a fan of blackouts, being forced to listen to Jack Edwards, all the gambling/CarShield commercials and paying Comcast another damned cent.


- Tomahawk

Lead us to the promise land, send some guidance !

Although I like TDA as a player, hes not some positive impact on young players. His defending in general is sub par but he’s good with the puck. You can tank and bring in veterans to be a role model
- ClaudeFather

Then I think you're missing the point. The reason why this team is showing some promise is because of their improved play both with & without the puck. Ghost was NOT good with the puck - something you expect from the proverbial "QB of the pp".
Maybe you forget the not too far past when the puck was a hand grenade for this team. I am seeing a ton of confidence with this group and it is because of improved decision making. Whether it is veterans, or young players, doesn't matter. Just need people to improve puck management, and they've come a long way from the days where they couldn't wait to get rid of it. Now they want it. II also forgot to mention yet ANOTHER reason. Look at all the minutes TDA is playing ? It took some pressure off of Provy plus all situations, plays with pace. Can he be a little better defensively ? Yeah, but we knew what he was. And also getting a lot more of other stuff we didn't know about. He's a leader too. I think he's great for this team.

As much as I loved Ghost (I have his shirt), I saw what the coaches (at the time) saw. Too many turnovers caused by his inability to control the puck at the point. It went on for a long time. TDA uses the wrist shot to ensure the puck gets to the net for deflections or rebounds. This is not an earth shattering concept, but yet, Ghost consistently resorted to the slapper along with other forced plays that turned around on him at the blue line.
Maybe he learned his lesson with AZ and isn't doing that anymore ? Don't know. I don't watch their games. Probably is. He has a lot of points again & lower +/-.
I even agree with you to a point. Why couldn't he solve that problem here instead of management having to spend the assets ? I always think of Jeff Carter when this kind of question comes up. He had the talent to be the player he is today while here. But he needed Daryl Sutter to bring it out in him. Maybe if Ghost got a chance to work with Torts ? We'll never know. But it was a huge issue at the time.
Teams had him scouted for it. The odd man rushes made the team very unstable.
- BluehorseShoe64

IMO the problem with Ghost was that AV didn't like him and didn't know how to use him correctly. Ironically, they say they needed cap space and they traded him away for pennies on the dollar, and the coach was fired not long after. So they compounded that mistake when they realized they needed to replace what he did by spending three MORE draft picks and 500k MORE cap space on a guy who in my opinion is at best a lateral move.

Fletch was acting like he had a team that was much closer than it was and in the process continually set them back. We are now further away then when he started.

I'll take that last year of Hagg, the 1st and 2nd pick, and the cap space any day over Ristolainen just like I would take Ghost and those 4 picks over DeAngelo. This team had no business making those moves ever. This isn't hindsight on my part as I have felt this way from the very beginning about Ghost AND Ristolainen. Plus all the wasted cap space.

Lead us to the promise land, send some guidance !
- ClaudeFather

NHL66.ir seems to be working again

I'm just not a fan of blackouts, being forced to listen to Jack Edwards, all the gambling/CarShield commercials and paying Comcast another damned cent.


- Tomahawk

Only way around blackouts is unethical at best, but I agree that they are horrible and archaic; on CI I always take the home feed so don't have to listen to opposing broadcast teams; I don't gamble, but if I did, I'd quit because of all the commercials and the between period betting line discussions - it's horrible; agree on the CarShield commercials - they are horrible and far too frequent; DirecTV doesn't offer CI in HD so xfinity is my only option.

Also horrible: ESPN+/Hulu exclusive games; pissing contests between providers and networks (looking at you Comcast and MSG)

Then I think you're missing the point. The reason why this team is showing some promise is because of their improved play both with & without the puck. Ghost was NOT good with the puck - something you expect from the proverbial "QB of the pp".
Maybe you forget the not too far past when the puck was a hand grenade for this team. I am seeing a ton of confidence with this group and it is because of improved decision making. Whether it is veterans, or young players, doesn't matter. Just need people to improve puck management, and they've come a long way from the days where they couldn't wait to get rid of it. Now they want it. II also forgot to mention yet ANOTHER reason. Look at all the minutes TDA is playing ? It took some pressure off of Provy plus all situations, plays with pace. Can he be a little better defensively ? Yeah, but we knew what he was. And also getting a lot more of other stuff we didn't know about. He's a leader too. I think he's great for this team.
- BluehorseShoe64

Ghost just didn't all of the sudden become bad with the puck. Leg injuries and AV tried to keep him from playing his game and robbed him of all his confidence. Benched him any time he tried to be creative and basically neutered him as a player. That is just my opinion, but seeing how he played before AV and after he was traded would seem to back that up.

IMO the problem with Ghost was that AV didn't like him and didn't know how to use him correctly. Ironically, they say they needed cap space and they traded him away for pennies on the dollar, and the coach was fired not long after. So they compounded that mistake when they realized they needed to replace what he did by spending three MORE draft picks and 500k MORE cap space on a guy who in my opinion is at best a lateral move.

Fletch was acting like he had a team that was much closer than it was and in the process continually set them back. We are now further away then when he started.

I'll take that last year of Hagg, the 1st and 2nd pick, and the cap space any day over Ristolainen just like I would take Ghost and those 4 picks over DeAngelo. This team had no business making those moves ever. This isn't hindsight on my part as I have felt this way from the very beginning about Ghost AND Ristolainen. Plus all the wasted cap space.
- MBFlyerfan

Considering how the Flyers go thru coaches basically every couple of seasons, basing personnel decisions on who the coach likes or doesn't like just seems like a bad idea.

Torts is not gonna be here for long either.

IMO the problem with Ghost was that AV didn't like him and didn't know how to use him correctly. Ironically, they say they needed cap space and they traded him away for pennies on the dollar, and the coach was fired not long after. So they compounded that mistake when they realized they needed to replace what he did by spending three MORE draft picks and 500k MORE cap space on a guy who in my opinion is at best a lateral move.

Fletch was acting like he had a team that was much closer than it was and in the process continually set them back. We are now further away then when he started.

I'll take that last year of Hagg, the 1st and 2nd pick, and the cap space any day over Ristolainen just like I would take Ghost and those 4 picks over DeAngelo. This team had no business making those moves ever. This isn't hindsight on my part as I have felt this way from the very beginning about Ghost AND Ristolainen. Plus all the wasted cap space.
- MBFlyerfan

Ok, I didn't make any statements about the other dumb stuff Fletcher did. Merely pointing out the holes in Ghost's game. And those holes MB, are the reason why A.V. didn't like him. They didn't make these 2 moves together.
You and I will agree all day about Risto. I'll even throw another one at ya. I love Yorkie as a player, as I am both a junior & pro hockey fan. Followed him from the U.S. national team. But I was a mess after they passed on Caufield twice - when this team was so hungry for offense the very next season ! However, this team had both needs at the time of this pick. Tough choice, but we ended up just fine. Gotta go with the flow now.
I'm not sure why you aren't seeing the reduction in turnovers. With Provy's ice time reduced, he is doing better. Could Ghost play as many minutes as TDA ? First off, he wasn't correcting his turnover problem. More minutes wasn't going to fix it. C'mon, stop living in the past and watch TDA make plays from all over the rink. He has a lot more range in his play making than just the point ! And Ghost wasn't even play making. He always did the same thing - shoot. TDA has way more variety to his game.

Only way around blackouts is unethical at best, but I agree that they are horrible and archaic; on CI I always take the home feed so don't have to listen to opposing broadcast teams; I don't gamble, but if I did, I'd quit because of all the commercials and the between period betting line discussions - it's horrible; agree on the CarShield commercials - they are horrible and far too frequent; DirecTV doesn't offer CI in HD so xfinity is my only option.
- Scoob

Nothing unethical about VPNs to get around geo-restrictions. Pirated streams are another question tho, lol.

I actually prefer away announcers for the most part (JJ bugs me!).

And jfc, DirectTV still doesn't have HD CI?

Nothing unethical about VPNs to get around geo-restrictions. Pirated streams are another question tho, lol.
- Tomahawk

I guess if I ever bite the bullet and subscribe to ESPN+ I'll look into that (unless Comcast and MSG kiss and make up)

I actually prefer away announcers for the most part (JJ bugs me!).

It is nice to get a different perspective from time to time but I don't find any away team compellingly interesting enough to watch for a whole game. And some I avoid like the plague, such as the aforementioned Edwards.

And jfc, DirectTV still doesn't have HD CI?

To be fair, I don't know what they have now. I switched a few years ago when they didn't and see no reason to go back to them.

Considering how the Flyers go thru coaches basically every couple of seasons, basing personnel decisions on who the coach likes or doesn't like just seems like a bad idea.

Torts is not gonna be here for long either.
- Tomahawk

The idea is to stick with a coach. But in order to do that, his system has to "work". AV's system worked for a while, but faded. With a younger team like they have, has a better chance to stick around longer. The kids see some success and want to improve upon their entry level deals. If they see better results with Torts, they'll want to keep playing for him. Helps their contract negotiations. Look at Cates & Tippett. They're benefitting from playing in this system. In many ways, this is the first time they've had a "good" coach in a while. I made the mistake of thinking A.V. was better than he showed. Torts is making a believer out of me. He is showing something he hasn't done in the past, working with younger players, on a long term project. Let's hope nothing goes wrong !

It is nice to get a different perspective from time to time but I don't find any away team compellingly interesting enough to watch for a whole game. And some I avoid like the plague, such as the aforementioned Edwards.
- Scoob

I prefer games called straight up without too much bro banter.

Ghost just didn't all of the sudden become bad with the puck. Leg injuries and AV tried to keep him from playing his game and robbed him of all his confidence. Benched him any time he tried to be creative and basically neutered him as a player. That is just my opinion, but seeing how he played before AV and after he was traded would seem to back that up.
- MBFlyerfan

Then Hakstol and Scott Gordon must have "robbed him" of his confidence too. Because his numbers started to drop with those 2 behind the bench before A.V. You must be a relative or something of Ghost. Use him correctly? A defenseman ? They are there to limit scoring chances of the opposition, first & foremost. Offense is second. If a player needs to pull back on offense to play proper D, then so be it. If he cannot pull it off, then anything is on the table. Both Provy & Sanheim have pulled back on their offense to play in Torts' system. They can certainly do more there. But, the coaches want them to be in the position required by the system. You can tell it's working because they are in most games now.

I prefer games called straight up without too much bro banter.
- Tomahawk

I agree! It's terrible - hockey isn't like baseball with lots of dead space to fill with meaningless drivel and ridiculous stats (oh, wow, it's the first WC with three players with more than 1,000 career points - wfc?, but please tell us this again)

Ghost just didn't all of the sudden become bad with the puck. Leg injuries and AV tried to keep him from playing his game and robbed him of all his confidence. Benched him any time he tried to be creative and basically neutered him as a player. That is just my opinion, but seeing how he played before AV and after he was traded would seem to back that up.
- MBFlyerfan

I just read this again and couldn't believe it. You're basically saying Ghost would resort to a slap shot EVERY time because of leg injuries ? That is between the ears not in the legs. He was too one dimensional. Sounds like you've never played. If the other team knows what you're going to do EVERY time, is easy to defend & exploit And that is what happened. Different decisions needed to be made with the puck. Like sending it deep when no play exists, or passing to a teammate to cycle or maybe a wrist shot ? Go watch some replays.

The idea is to stick with a coach. But in order to do that, his system has to "work". AV's system worked for a while, but faded. With a younger team like they have, has a better chance to stick around longer. The kids see some success and want to improve upon their entry level deals. If they see better results with Torts, they'll want to keep playing for him. Helps their contract negotiations. Look at Cates & Tippett. They're benefitting from playing in this system. In many ways, this is the first time they've had a "good" coach in a while. I made the mistake of thinking A.V. was better than he showed. Torts is making a believer out of me. He is showing something he hasn't done in the past, working with younger players, on a long term project. Let's hope nothing goes wrong !
- BluehorseShoe64

I agree that Torts is really helping these younger players find their game and reach closer to their potential. While I don't always like or approve of his tough love and sometimes A-hole like approach with these kids it's hard to argue that it's not working.
It could all be coincidental that all of these kids are developing at the same time but I am not a man of coincidence. Torts has had a massive effect (albeit he was hired one year too early) on these young players. The flip aide of that is that if Torts didn't arrive this year what team would frost have been moved to in order to unlock his potential.
The torts hiring is a double edged sword, if you will...
The team of yonder did buy into the AV system and it worked great.. for a few months.... but then came crashing down and I still have no idea how it crashed so hard after such a dominant NHL run that that team had before the lockdown. Truly amazing ending, imo...
But back to Torts, I am also a believer of what he is doing. The more of the youth they can get involved to develop under Torts the better the long term outcome of this team will be.

I agree! It's terrible - hockey isn't like baseball with lots of dead space to fill with meaningless drivel and ridiculous stats (oh, wow, it's the first WC with three players with more than 1,000 career points - wfc?, but please tell us this again)
- Scoob

Latest one I remember was JJ ignoring the play on the ice to describe some weird thing about Jonesy being in a speedo. Jonesy seemed weirded out but JJ just kept talking about it lol.

What would it take to move Provy to Edmonton? What would you want the return to look like, considering they would probably produce a later first round draft pick?

They need defense in a bad way and if we had s competent GM he would move in and prey upon these franchises that are truly only 2 players away from contention

I agree that Torts is really helping these younger players find their game and reach closer to their potential. While I don't always like or approve of his tough love and sometimes A-hole like approach with these kids it's hard to argue that it's not working.
It could all be coincidental that all of these kids are developing at the same time but I am not a man of coincidence. Torts has had a massive effect (albeit he was hired one year too early) on these young players. The flip aide of that is that if Torts didn't arrive this year what team would frost have been moved to in order to unlock his potential.
The torts hiring is a double edged sword, if you will...
The team of yonder did buy into the AV system and it worked great.. for a few months.... but then came crashing down and I still have no idea how it crashed so hard after such a dominant NHL run that that team had before the lockdown. Truly amazing ending, imo...
But back to Torts, I am also a believer of what he is doing. The more of the youth they can get involved to develop under Torts the better the long term outcome of this team will be.
- Bob Habib

It's still the honeymoon period w/ Torts. Let's check back in 12-mos time and see if the players and fans are still feeling the same way. It tends to turn on a dime around these parts.

What would it take to move Provy to Edmonton? What would you want the return to look like, considering they would probably produce a later first round draft pick?

They need defense in a bad way and if we had s competent GM he would move in and prey upon these franchises that are truly only 2 players away from contention
- Bob Habib

N/A. Edmonton is not a team deep with defensive talent. Therefore not a place to go shopping.

Latest one I remember was JJ ignoring the play on the ice to describe some weird thing about Jonesy being in a speedo. Jonesy seemed weirded out but JJ just kept talking about it lol.
- Tomahawk

lol!!!

Sorry, going to go the other way on this one. I really like the TDA deal. 2 reasons. He is fun to watch, is a good skater and makes the pp better. 2nd, without someone like him to help the defense play with pace, this would not be a good enough team to develop young players. We saw that last season. Do we want that again just to tank? Sometimes when you tank, you drag others down with the ship. They needed a somewhat positive environment to develop their existing prospects. They have that now. Young players can just go out and play without a near disaster every game.

Maybe Risto is the signing you should be disappointed with. Too many assets were given up to get him. Should only do that for a bonafied superstar. I didn't even mention TDA's point production and pk work. I guess that's too many reasons.
- BluehorseShoe64

Fletcher gave up 3 draft picks to get DeAngelo. For what? On top of giving up picks to move Gostisbehere. Who is the same player. Just another bonehead move by Fletcher.

It's still the honeymoon period w/ Torts. Let's check back in 12-mos time and see if the players and fans are still feeling the same way. It tends to turn on a dime around these parts.
- Tomahawk

I agree with Bob. Look at it this way. If the Torts project fails, we as fans lose another 3 years minimum. Let's all try to think positive that Torts KNEW what he was getting into and accepted the challenge to turn this team around as a long term project.

I am actually fearful of the return of Coots. Can he play with pace ? It's a shame, but he does not skate like a young man out there. And what will he be like trying to get back to form ? Atkinson can play with pace. Even JVR looks "faster" out there. (who knew ?) Brink is young enough to overcome major surgery, was fast before. And Gauthier will be another young player to join these improving young forwards. We can only hope now that CF doesn't mess up the draft, or can pick up a good asset at the trade deadline.

Ok, I didn't make any statements about the other dumb stuff Fletcher did. Merely pointing out the holes in Ghost's game. And those holes MB, are the reason why A.V. didn't like him. They didn't make these 2 moves together.
You and I will agree all day about Risto. I'll even throw another one at ya. I love Yorkie as a player, as I am both a junior & pro hockey fan. Followed him from the U.S. national team. But I was a mess after they passed on Caufield twice - when this team was so hungry for offense the very next season ! However, this team had both needs at the time of this pick. Tough choice, but we ended up just fine. Gotta go with the flow now.
I'm not sure why you aren't seeing the reduction in turnovers. With Provy's ice time reduced, he is doing better. Could Ghost play as many minutes as TDA ? First off, he wasn't correcting his turnover problem. More minutes wasn't going to fix it. C'mon, stop living in the past and watch TDA make plays from all over the rink. He has a lot more range in his play making than just the point ! And Ghost wasn't even play making. He always did the same thing - shoot. TDA has way more variety to his game.
- BluehorseShoe64

They're the same player. DeAngelo is bad defensively. Look at the offensive numbers Gostisbehere is putting up in Arizona..