What cap circumvention was that?
- login

Oh the Kucherov surgery I assume.

I remember when they played some team in the playoffs (Canes?), there were snide complaints that the Canes were having to face a team that has a 10m higher salary cap etc.

EDIT: Leight.

https://x.com/ADiMarco25/status/1895467499237622149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1895467499237622149%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=
- login

This place seems well-behaved but zillions of long time posters seem absent for some time? Reminds me of the Flyers usenet group 20 odd years ago when traffic started slowly exponentially.

Any reason for this depletion? It cannot be bans. Guys like Tomahawk and Landros2 cannot possibly be banned.

Sorry if this is well known. I just nip in now and then nowadays.

If I actually thought Briere had some guts, the LA kings look like they are primed to do something stupid to get out of the first round of the playoffs. If he was willing to move Tippett I bet the Flyers could get something really good from the kings like Clarke who is supposedly barely getting minutes now.
- psuhockey

I would agree. Kopitar and Doughty are both over 35, the time is now for them. They need more scoring touch to get thru the West. Blake has to do something. I would have no issue with that type of deal.

This place seems well-behaved but zillions of long time posters seem absent for some time? Reminds me of the Flyers usenet group 20 odd years ago when traffic started slowly exponentially.

Any reason for this depletion? It cannot be bans. Guys like Tomahawk and Landros2 cannot possibly be banned.

Sorry if this is well known. I just nip in now and then nowadays.
- PT21

I think it is due mostly to the absence of MJL. He drives a lot of engagement here. He also drives a lot of the bad behavior. I'm guessing he's been banned. Not sure what else would keep him from posting here.

Kucherov waiting to get surgery and not joining the team until the playoffs letting them go way over the cap in the postseason. I would imagine that loophole will be closed or a hard limit of how much a team can be over the cap in the playoffs will be put in place.
- psuhockey

There is no salary cap in the post season - there is no way to limit something that does not exist

Too many bans freely handed out around here. One of the mods already admitted to being an anti free speech communist and is taking out their real world frustrations on others. He still comes around every so often to taunt.

In my OPINION, the last 20 or so years post cap has proven out that you need to at least have drafted your 1C and 1D very high in the draft. Or at the very least drafted them. This isn't just because of the talent, it is also because of the time you get to keep them for reasonable cap hits before they make the big bucks. It keep your window open longer and allows more chances to win with those guys.

It just seems to me that ALL (except maybe St. Louis) have drafted and developed their star players and filled in the support via trade and free agency. And kept the cap under control during that window to add a big game fish as the final piece.

Im worried the Flyers are doing it the opposite. Just simply by where they usually draft, they are drafting the supporting cast and looking to sign the stars. While that can certainly work, it also, in my opinion, shortens the window they can contend and also stay out of cap trouble. They miss out on those lower cap hit years.

Tampa, Chicago, Pittsburgh, LA all won multiple cups this way.

I don't know, it's just my opinion.
- MBFlyerfan

But people over estimate what a #1C really is. You mention Chicago. Toews was not a high scoring C. He wasnt McDavid, Crosby or Mackinnon. He was more like a Bergeron and Couturier(Before Back surgery) During CHI cup wins Toews was only a 50-70 point guy, he was a 2 way C and one the Flyers are looking for. Can Luchenko be that player? Only time will tell. Flyers need more C prospects though because you obviously cant rely on a prospect not only living up to his potential but also surpassing his expected potential.

Unless the Flyers trade for a young C, I could easily see the Flyers taking 1 or 2 Cs with the 3 picks they got in the 1st round.

Curious, how many key pieces must an organization draft and develop to then build the rest of the roster thru the other avenues- trades and free agency? For the Flyers, how many key pieces do they currently have in the organization.
- Trox88

My point was more about how they cannot get enough high end talent via trade or FA in the current state of the league. They have also proven they are not capable of acquiring and developing enough high end talent via the draft.

Right now they have one piece that I would consider high end. They need at least a high end 1C and #1 D. Picking 7-9 in the draft or hoping for top end talent to be acquired in trade and FA will not net either of those pieces.

It will be interesting going forward what the model for success will be. I don’t think teams are going to be able to afford the amount of high talent Chicago put together. Chicago couldn’t even afford it under the new rules since Keith signed a 14 year contract until 41 years old . Tampa’s 2nd cup was largely through cap circumvention which may not be available after the new CBA. Teams might obit be able to hang onto a couple of superstars going forward without killing their depth.
- psuhockey

I hate this cap circumvention nonsense. First of all Tampa used the LTIR as it was intended. Their star player was hurt and expected to miss the full season and they used the cap to add depth. NHL investigated and found no issues

Secondly not team purposely sits their best player for a full season. You have to make the playoffs to take advantage of the no cap in playoffs. Sitting your best player is not a great way to try and make the playoffs.

Lastly Kucherov reinjured himself in his first game back. He came back too early because it was playoffs. He played through the injury bit needed surgery again in the offseason

There is no salary cap in the post season - there is no way to limit something that does not exist
- corduroy

I have read that there are certain things being discussed. One I would like to see is that in order to be eligible for the playoffs, you should have to be on the roster for game 82. That entails being cap compliant. IF not you must wait a specific amount of games (my idea is 4) before you are eligible to play in the postseason. This would go a ways to preventing players becoming magically healthy enough after game 82 but before game 1.

But people over estimate what a #1C really is. You mention Chicago. Toews was not a high scoring C. He wasnt McDavid, Crosby or Mackinnon. He was more like a Bergeron and Couturier(Before Back surgery) During CHI cup wins Toews was only a 50-70 point guy, he was a 2 way C and one the Flyers are looking for. Can Luchenko be that player? Only time will tell. Flyers need more C prospects though because you obviously cant rely on a prospect not only living up to his potential but also surpassing his expected potential.

Unless the Flyers trade for a young C, I could easily see the Flyers taking 1 or 2 Cs with the 3 picks they got in the 1st round.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Then you need to add Keith, Kane, Sharp, etc etc etc. Flyers have one high end player. They need to add a good bit more before they have the ability to win 3 cups in 6 seasons. That 2010 team was young and stacked.

This place seems well-behaved but zillions of long time posters seem absent for some time? Reminds me of the Flyers usenet group 20 odd years ago when traffic started slowly exponentially.

Any reason for this depletion? It cannot be bans. Guys like Tomahawk and Landros2 cannot possibly be banned.

Sorry if this is well known. I just nip in now and then nowadays.
- PT21

MJL got banned for a standard hockey post. Then I found out login got banned for a standard hockey post. In no universe could either of them have violated any standard of decency. login just got back and he was asking Ek in the open forum why his post got him banned and Ek was just deleting the comments. It's totally puzzling.

I've seen Tomahawk recently but not in the past few days. No idea about Landros.

I have read that there are certain things being discussed. One I would like to see is that in order to be eligible for the playoffs, you should have to be on the roster for game 82. That entails being cap compliant. IF not you must wait a specific amount of games (my idea is 4) before you are eligible to play in the postseason. This would go a ways to preventing players becoming magically healthy enough after game 82 but before game 1.
- MBFlyerfan

Cap compliant doesnt work because all teams make a ton of call ups for playoffs (Black Aces or whatever they are called) If anything maybe have a cap hit thats a bit higher than the Regular Season in playoffs to allow teams flexibility.

Better option may just be for NHL to have its own doctors to verify the injury and rehab time (Which I believe they do have already) and the NHL doctors have to clear the player for return. Players will return for Game 1 every time because they want to win. They will play hurt or not fully recovered if they have to. Players are absolutely stupid when it comes to their health

MJL got banned for a standard hockey post. Then I found out login got banned for a standard hockey post. In no universe could either of them have violated any standard of decency. login just got back and he was asking Ek in the open forum why his post got him banned and Ek was just deleting the comments. It's totally puzzling.

I've seen Tomahawk recently but not in the past few days. No idea about Landros.
- Letterkenney

I was also banned for zero reason. Asked via a PM why and was ignored with no reason given.

I was also banned for zero reason. Asked via a PM why and was ignored with no reason given.
- Striiker

I don't really understand it because it's the regular eyeballs in here that pay the adds that the site makes money from. Why make your customers angry over absolutely nothing burger hockey comments? It doesn't make sense.

B.Schenn is on the block and rumoured asking price is a 1st and prospect. Much higher than Laughton and at this point in his career he isnt that much better.

Evander Kane's NTC expires tonight. EDM may be willing to pay a team to take that Contract.

B.Schenn is on the block and rumoured asking price is a 1st and prospect. Much higher than Laughton and at this point in his career he isnt that much better.

Evander Kane's NTC expires tonight. EDM may be willing to pay a team to take that Contract.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Not to mention a lot more money

Didn’t the site have a running trade tracker at this time in previous years? Maybe I’m wrong or it’s too early yet. Maybe EK could chime in.

I don't really understand it because it's the regular eyeballs in here that pay the adds that the site makes money from. Why make your customers angry over absolutely nothing burger hockey comments? It doesn't make sense.
- Letterkenney

Idk ether but some ppl are constantly insulting and that's not good hockey conversation neither

Example mbflyersfan and I have different views on things
But not once do we argue or name call in attempt to feel smarter.

We have healthy conversation and I respect him for that, there are others that I enjoy hockey talk with

I think it is due mostly to the absence of MJL. He drives a lot of engagement here. He also drives a lot of the bad behavior. I'm guessing he's been banned. Not sure what else would keep him from posting here.
- Dkos

The "engagement" he drives seems, (at least in my opinion), to be of the benumbingly Neanderthal form. It goes on and on and on and on with very little information value, stuck in a reflexive argumentative circle (or do I mean a downward spiral)? I wonder: this sort of interaction might prolong the reply count. But does it also expand the view count, which is what drives revenue for a website? Lot of knowledgeable posters left the site in earlier years because of the culture of bickering that MJL fostered. Did the collective loss of such posters have any influence on the attractiveness of this site for casual viewers?

I really dunno. Maybe the people who come to sports sites nowadays are the same kind of folks who have sports talk radio on in the background. Doesn't matter what people say, as long as something is said. In which case, I am definitely barking up the wrong tree.

Anyway, I wish to be constructrive, not critical. I peeked, and see very little traffic. Over the years, I have spent many hours here. I would like to see the site survive and thrive.

There are many things that come to mind to rejuvenate this site. Some are structural and may not be in the owner's business interests. The easiest seems to me to be to incentivize good content. The blogs do not need to be game day coverage, which may seems like a burden. But there is still talent of knowledge here, and if guys like Tomahawk and PSUhockey and maybe others can be (monetarily?) persuaded to produce short, 2 para blog content on a daily basis, and it linked to Twitter feeds, then perhaps viewership could rise.

Gee, I dunno.

Too many bans freely handed out around here. One of the mods already admitted to being an anti free speech communist and is taking out their real world frustrations on others. He still comes around every so often to taunt.
- StepfordSam

MJL got banned for a standard hockey post. Then I found out login got banned for a standard hockey post. In no universe could either of them have violated any standard of decency. login just got back and he was asking Ek in the open forum why his post got him banned and Ek was just deleting the comments. It's totally puzzling.

I've seen Tomahawk recently but not in the past few days. No idea about Landros.
- Letterkenney

- PT21

I thought we we're cool with communism now?

I thought we we're cool with communism now?
- Dkos

You are so not drawing me in with your baiting. In fact, I am outa here.

Hopefully, next time I peek, things are more vibrant. I think I will try to be a sth again to show my support.