Middle 3rd but 20th

20th in P%
27th in Goals scored
15th in goals against
32nd in PP%
4th in PK%

Not an awful team, but nowhere near a good team. Just a middling team, which is what we were all worried about when this "rebuild" started.
- MBFlyerfan

It won’t shock me if they are slightly better this year. I think once again they have enough talent to be a bubble team. If the goaltending holds up, they might just slide in.

You could be right. I think there is a plan, which I am not in favor of. That plan is to wait until next off season when the cap clears up, and then look to trade picks and players and to spend the freed up cap on free agents. I also think by this deadline the Flyers will trade Risto, and possibly Frost for more assets.
- jd250

I dont even thin the flyers think that far ahead. If they do not realize that philly is no longer a free agent destination for top players then they are worse than I thought.

RR has zero value. No team is taking on that contract with 2+ years left. No contending team will see him as a top 4 dman. Therefore no team will pay him over 5 million per to play bottom pair unless an equally worse contract goes the other way. just ride his contract out and maybe you can move him at 27 deadline for a 5th rd pick. Also what makes you think they want to trade him?

https://www.instagram.com/philadelphiaflyers/reel/C-aiLpWC8Rw/

Call me crazy, but Torts doesn't sound like a coach that will hold Michkov or any offensive player back. See for yourself.
- jd250

This team says one thing and does another - Players make a mistake and then they get their asses reamed by the coach and the bench, get stapled to the bench, and do not see the ice for a few games

That is the actions of the head coach

https://www.instagram.com/philadelphiaflyers/reel/C-aiLpWC8Rw/

Call me crazy, but Torts doesn't sound like a coach that will hold Michkov or any offensive player back. See for yourself.
- jd250

Torts on Drysdale when they acquired him :

“He was up the ice. I want him to go more,” Tortorella said. “He’s a candidate to be like a rover. Not a defenseman, a rover. He’s just on top of the ice the way he skates. There were a couple of times where he was up the ice and we didn’t get him the puck. He was aggressive. I think he’s more than willing to do that.”

A month later :

“I think he’s a work in progress. I think he has a lot to learn,” said head coach John Tortorella on February 8th. “I think he has a lot to learn about positioning, time and space.
..
But just the overall positioning of that play, understanding angles, understanding checking forward, we have a lot of work to do there and we expected that with a 21-year-old kid".

and of course the advanced stats :

You've NEVER divulged your plan in theory, so I am assuming. I have no other recourse. You want them to tear it down to the studs and draft first overall for several years. The problem is the fact that they still might draft second or third based on lottery luck. See 2006-07 for an example. The Flyers were the worst team by far that season and ended up with a fair/middling player versus a franchise changing cornerstone. Your way still needs luck! It will just take longer to get there your way.
- Phillywhiteout

Certainly I have stated how I want the Flyers to operate. Again, if I have NEVER divulged my plan. Why do you keep criticizing it? LOL

You're not thinking clearly. The Flyers methods clearly don't work. It's about which approach has proven to be more successful. Which method isn't pretty much solely relying on getting lucky.

Again, 14 years and counting since the Flyers have been relevant in the league.

Torts on Drysdale when they acquired him :

“He was up the ice. I want him to go more,” Tortorella said. “He’s a candidate to be like a rover. Not a defenseman, a rover. He’s just on top of the ice the way he skates. There were a couple of times where he was up the ice and we didn’t get him the puck. He was aggressive. I think he’s more than willing to do that.”

A month later :

“I think he’s a work in progress. I think he has a lot to learn,” said head coach John Tortorella on February 8th. “I think he has a lot to learn about positioning, time and space.
..
But just the overall positioning of that play, understanding angles, understanding checking forward, we have a lot of work to do there and we expected that with a 21-year-old kid".

and of course the advanced stats :


- Flyers_01

wasn't it also said torts played a key role in this trade and wanted JD or something to that effect?

It won’t shock me if they are slightly better this year. I think once again they have enough talent to be a bubble team. If the goaltending holds up, they might just slide in.
- landros 2

As JD said, if they had a middle of the road PP they probably make the playoffs. Now would that have been a good thing? Probably not in the grand scheme because even with the numbers I still they were a worse team than the numbers stated.

They outworked teams until it came time for those teams to start working harder and then they started getting trucked.

They had to go balls to the wall from day one while the good teams could coast on talent and pace themselves until they needed to turn up the heat.

Hmmm, TK was not afraid to make mistakes. Tippet was not afraid to make mistakes. Foerster scores 1 goal in the first 21 games last season, yet he didn't play afraid to make a mistake and be puilled from the lineup.

Your narrative just does not hold water. Too many players on this team demonstrate the complete opposite of what you are spewing on this board day after day. I do watch the games, every minute of every game in fact. I doubt the same can be said about you.
- jd250

Tortorella always has his favorites that are immune. Yet in game 82 of a must win game to make the playoffs, after a low event period, he benched Frost and Brink for the rest of the game! LOL The example are endless of how he has created an environment where YOUNG players are afraid to make mistakes. Unless you're either clueless or have blinders on. You can't watch every game as you claim and not see this.

Here you are again making an asinine claim about how many games I watched. Of which you couldn't possibly know.

But they were in the top half of the league for 7/8 of the season, that cannot be discounted.
- jd250

LOL, sure let's pretend some of the games don't count.

I almost forgot. Another one of your gems. OT games don't count.

Yeah, just look how Torts has hurt TKs career.

It's funny, arm chair GM's say Torts is horrible but actual players have good things to say about him. Not all of them but a majority say good things about him.

If Torts was such a bad coach he would not be in the NHL anymore.

But I digress, I am not a hockey god like you and don't know all there is about hockey like you.


How many team owners call you to consult with you when hiring a new coach or GM?
- WhiskeyMan

The comment was YOUNG players. There are countless players that have bad things to say about him. Doesn't matter.

IMO, the players ran out of gas not because of the coach, though benching Couts didn't help. To me the cause was the mental fatigue of having to play around all the crap that happened last season, with Hart being arrested, Cutter bailing on the franchise, Walker traded at the deadline, and then all the injuries on defense, plus that 7 game stretch against the best teams in the league. It was just too much to handle for team that was a good team, but let's face it, a playoff bubble team.
- jd250

Stop LOL. The Gauthier situation affected the players energy level? Seriously? Every team has injuries and loses players during a season for various reasons. Why the team ran out of gas has been explained to you numerous times.

I think he has changed some what. I also think this might be his last year. It will be interested to see if he does stick around in another role and what type of exec will he be.
- landros 2

I can see him as a senior advisor to Briere after this season.

They must be missing their target if I'm their target cause I haven't bought a ticket since that 2012 playoff series against the Pens and the only merchandise I bought was a Flyers bucket hat a couple of summers ago. They must be missing their mark. I'm completely unaware of what great hockey is? That's laughable once again from you! We had season tickets from 1985-2005. Saw the Flyers compete against those vaunted Oil teams in the Finals in 1985 and 1987. Saw lots of great hockey in that 20 year span, but apparently I didn't know what I was watching according to you? That's rich!
- Phillywhiteout

You're still supporting the team. Still watching the games. Apparently you have forgotten what that great hockey of the mid 80's looked like because you're calling parts of last season great hockey. They have things like youtube where you can go back and re-watch. I think a refresher is in order.

Stop LOL. The Gauthier situation affected the players energy level? Seriously? Every team has injuries and loses players during a season for various reasons. Why the team ran out of gas has been explained to you numerous times.
- MJL

Look, you want to blame the coach for everything that goes wrong, but never give the coach any credit when things go right. It does not work that way. You have no credibility.

Yes I do. It does not always come across consistently, but I do believe Torts has tried to change his approach and style of play.
- jd250

He's been playing the same style and system his entire career.

Look, you want to blame the coach for everything that goes wrong, but never give the coach any credit when things go right. It does not work that way. You have no credibility.
- jd250

You have a reading comprehension issue. The context and the comment was regarding the Flyers energy level as the season went along. Not about everything. As far as credibility is concerned. The public record shows who has more credibility between you and I. You can never escape the daily foolishness that you have created.

But saying Buium is the next Cale Makar isn’t?
- anti-lame

Lol 😆

You're still supporting the team. Still watching the games. Apparently you have forgotten what that great hockey of the mid 80's looked like because you're calling parts of last season great hockey. They have things like youtube where you can go back and re-watch. I think a refresher is in order.
- MJL

You're missing the point as usual. I'm not supporting them financially and that's the point. Why would I not watch the games if I enjoy it? You can't have it both ways. You like to rip Flyers fans for living in the past and yet here you are telling me to go back to the mid 1980's and watch utube video of the past. Well, which is it? Also saw the entire Lindros era from his first game through to the bitter end when cheap shot Stevens took him out in game 7 of the eastern conference finals in 2000. You still haven't divulged you genius scheme to set this organization in the right direction. Well, we're waiting (Ted Knight in Caddy Shack)...

wasn't it also said torts played a key role in this trade and wanted JD or something to that effect?
- hello it's me 2050

Remember that Torts was also on board with the TDA trade only to have to admit that he didn't evaluate properly.

“We know what Tony is. I'm a little bit — not disappointed — but the defensive liability is something we need to work at,” Tortorella said. “I didn't think the amount of work that we need to do with him … I didn't think that at the point in time that we got him

This is where Tort's "eye/gut test" fails. TDA looked good on CAR because he was protected. The underlying metrics made it clear that it was because of the cocoon provided by Slavin but if you are just watching the game he looked competent defensively. Fletch/Torts had to find out the hard way.

I think he's seeing some of that with Drysdale but maybe if he's healthy, he'll be better but alot of opinions are still being driven by the hype.

Look, you want to blame the coach for everything that goes wrong, but never give the coach any credit when things go right. It does not work that way. You have no credibility.
- jd250

Oh, look another JD just waiting to get dragged.

It is NOT intellectually stupid to label people miserable when all they post is negativety day after day. I am only referring to basically a few posters with these comments and you aren't one of them (believe it or not). You are negative, but that's just you trying to be superior to everyone in your knowledge of a game that you never played. I don't agree with your philosophy, but I don't look at you as hating the team and wishing for their demise.
- Phillywhiteout

Lol he tries to sound superior to less knowledgeable ppl, but fails miserably when someone who knows the game and is quick minded

You're missing the point as usual. I'm not supporting them financially and that's the point. Why would I not watch the games if I enjoy it? You can't have it both ways. You like to rip Flyers fans for living in the past and yet here you are telling me to go back to the mid 1980's and watch utube video of the past. Well, which is it? Also saw the entire Lindros era from his first game through to the bitter end when cheap shot Stevens took him out in game 7 of the eastern conference finals in 2000. You still haven't divulged you genius scheme to set this organization in the right direction. Well, we're waiting (Ted Knight in Caddy Shack)...
- Phillywhiteout

Yes, you are, if you watch the games. You just don't realize it.

Again, you're conflating things. As if criticizing the Flyers management for still operating with antiquated methods is the same thing as telling you to watch youtube videos of the 80's Flyers to remind you what great hockey looks like, is the same thing. You're really showing a complete lack of intelligence.

I've discussed how I want the Flyers to approach team building and operate umpteen times.

You still haven't reconciled how if I haven't divulged my plan, how you know that you're not in favor of my plan.

Lol he tries to sound superior to less knowledgeable ppl, but fails miserably when someone who knows the game and is quick minded
- SlNlSTER

Link to one example of how I have failed miserably against someone who knows the game and is quick minded? Just one! The above is all that you're capable of. Here is your opportunity to school me and put me in my place.

Link to one example of how I have failed miserably against someone who knows the game and is quick minded? Just one! The above is all that you're capable of. Here is your opportunity to school me and put me in my place.
- MJL

You tried weeks back against me, to the point you tried to purposely comment on things that I never said to fit your narrative.

Misquoting me then try to add a argumentative stand from it.

Again I do like some things you say. And it's pretty cut and dry. But I also noticed you are a cowardly fan , because you criticized someone trying to be positive or at lest attempt to see something in a positive light.

It's always easy to criticized being a fan because you leave nothing on the table( that's a cowardly fan)

Remember that Torts was also on board with the TDA trade only to have to admit that he didn't evaluate properly.

“We know what Tony is. I'm a little bit — not disappointed — but the defensive liability is something we need to work at,” Tortorella said. “I didn't think the amount of work that we need to do with him … I didn't think that at the point in time that we got him

This is where Tort's "eye/gut test" fails. TDA looked good on CAR because he was protected. The underlying metrics made it clear that it was because of the cocoon provided by Slavin but if you are just watching the game he looked competent defensively. Fletch/Torts had to find out the hard way.

I think he's seeing some of that with Drysdale but maybe if he's healthy, he'll be better but alot of opinions are still being driven by the hype.
- Flyers_01

the next GM would be a great role.