Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Victims of Inertia

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Victims of Inertia
- bmeltzer

Flyers fans are past getting angry. They're starting to get apathetic. The Flyers are turning into the Oakland Raiders of the NHL.

Flyers fans are past getting angry. They're starting to get apathetic. The Flyers are turning into the Oakland Raiders of the NHL.
- Jsaquella

i'm apathetic, truly, for the first time in 33 years as a flyers fan. i'm done watching for awhile. it's really an exercise of pointless torture. beyond the losing, the worst part is how boring they are. a flat out bad hockey team that is virtually incapable of doing just about anything right, except in the net. right now that's not enough to keep me interested.

Flyers fans are past getting angry. They're starting to get apathetic. The Flyers are turning into the Oakland Raiders of the NHL.
- Jsaquella

exactly. I'm to the point where I honestly don't care when the next game is.

this team needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt.

Who would have known trying to trade Claude Giroux in my pool would become so difficult

i keep hoping i'm actually in a medically induced coma and all this unspeakably bad hockey is a product of my sub-conscious and the drugs. i hope to wake up soon and look at the sports page to find the flyers in first place, giroux leading the league in scoring and the phillies signing brian mccann to a 5 year $82 million contract

Who would have known trying to trade Claude Giroux in my pool would become so difficult
- vancity787

Same here.

Can't drop him or trade him away for nothing.

UGH.

Same here.

Can't drop him or trade him away for nothing.
- As_I_See_It

This won't last forever, too good a team and player for that to happen.

This won't last forever, too good a team and player for that to happen.
- LeftCoaster

I think so too. I also think firing Laviolette when they did kinda (frank)ed the team psychologically.

As long as Gus and Luke Schenn get back into the lineup on Saturday, then at least we're doing the right thing developmentally.

We're one of the three worst teams in the league right now. On merit. A bit more than 15 percent of the season is in the books, and that's a big enough sample size to get a feel for where this is headed.

Play the younger players we have for as many minutes as they can stand, rotate the kids up from the Phantoms as injuries strike, (likely) get a Top-5 pick, likely have new management in place for the draft, maybe even a new coach.

Ask Timonen where he wants to go, see if Hartnell is willing to waive the NMC and if another team would like to have him.

Really, that's about all that's left. It's tough to see it, but really, they've been playing like this for so long...there's really nothing that can be done to fix this team during the season.

So you just acknowledge that and look for positive signs for the young players.

I think so too. I also think firing Laviolette when they did kinda (frank)ed the team psychologically.
- As_I_See_It

At this point it's all mental, they'll get out of it at some point.

At this point it's all mental, they'll get out of it at some point.
- LeftCoaster

It really isn't mental. As a whole, the lineup they iced tonight is simply too slow, with and without the puck, to win hockey games at this level.

It's not an insult or indictment to anyone. But there's no mental block in place. The team simply isn't good enough to win. You can mitigate some of that with good coaching and if we had heavy doses of skill in a few more spots on the roster, but we don't.

Somebody's got to pick first overall, second overall, so on and so forth. We're just that team right now.

As long as Gus and Luke Schenn get back into the lineup on Saturday, then at least we're doing the right thing developmentally.

We're one of the three worst teams in the league right now. On merit. A bit more than 15 percent of the season is in the books, and that's a big enough sample size to get a feel for where this is headed.

Play the younger players we have for as many minutes as they can stand, rotate the kids up from the Phantoms as injuries strike, (likely) get a Top-5 pick, likely have new management in place for the draft, maybe even a new coach.

Ask Timonen where he wants to go, see if Hartnell is willing to waive the NMC and if another team would like to have him.

Really, that's about all that's left. It's tough to see it, but really, they've been playing like this for so long...there's really nothing that can be done to fix this team during the season.

So you just acknowledge that and look for positive signs for the young players.
- AllInForFlyers

Yeah, it's gotten to the point where the focus needs to shift from winning games to developing players for tomorrow. If Snider fails to recognize that, then this is really going to get ugly for a long time.

Yeah, it's gotten to the point where the focus needs to shift from winning games to developing players for tomorrow. If Snider fails to recognize that, then this is really going to get ugly for a long time.
- Tomahawk

We're 15 games in. It's the first week of November. We're going to stop trying to win games?

Who are we going to develop that's not already seeing ice time? Luke Schenn and Eric Gustafsson? They're the answer? They're the difference? That's the fallow field we need to sow? How much of a long term difference are those two players going to make?

This team needs to find a system and will to win games NOW!!! You don't toss away 67 games.

They need to make moves to get even younger but that's not a development issue. Some of these players need to be moved. Some old and possibly some young but it's not about casting away the rest of this season to develop what we have.

Think a trade or two are coming, Bill?

It has grown tiresome to talk about the Flyers entering third periods -- as they did again tonight for the 14th time in 15 games -- in position to come away with one or two points if they could get one more crunch-time goal than the opposition. It's tiresome to talk about defensive improvements because, while this team has improved in cutting down opposition scoring chances, much of the credit for the aforementioned statistic goes to the Philadelphia goaltenders.

We feel your pain.

* The Flyers held a closed-door team meeting after the game. When the locker room doors opened, club president Ed Snider was in conversation with Claude Giroux just outside the locker room. Giroux ultimately left without speaking to reporters.

That's the most intriguing bit of the night. Any semi-educated opinions on what that's all about?

Flyers fans are past getting angry. They're starting to get apathetic. The Flyers are turning into the Oakland Raiders of the NHL.
- Jsaquella

Apathy is horrible. It makes you so meh.

I said the coaching move was ill timed when it happened. Now I think Berube was a horrible decision. I think this team is getting worse and has less direction than before.

Yeah, it's gotten to the point where the focus needs to shift from winning games to developing players for tomorrow. If Snider fails to recognize that, then this is really going to get ugly for a long time.
- Tomahawk

100% agree. Get Gus and LSchenn as many minutes as possible. Get Coots playing meaningful minutes WITH GOOD WINGERS. And hey, maybe get a skill winger. Novel idea, I know.

Kimmo needs to go have one last shot somewhere. I don't care what the return is. One of Coburn or Grossmann needs to go and needs to be replaced by a faster moving D man. I think one of Hartnell/Simmonds needs to be replaced with a skill winger for sure.

Apathy is horrible. It makes you so meh.
- wolfhounds

"Give me apathy, or give me something else."

We're 15 games in. It's the first week of November. We're going to stop trying to win games?

Who are we going to develop that's not already seeing ice time? Luke Schenn and Eric Gustafsson? They're the answer? They're the difference? That's the fallow field we need to sow? How much of a long term difference are those two players going to make?

This team needs to find a system and will to win games NOW!!! You don't toss away 67 games.

They need to make moves to get even younger but that's not a development issue. Some of these players need to be moved. Some old and possibly some young but it's not about casting away the rest of this season to develop what we have.
- mayorofangrytown

They've been trying to win games -- they're not good enough to do it. They've proven it.

One game over .500 last year after a late surge that came out of nowhere, a preseason where they couldn't beat teams dressing AHL forwards, a coach firing, line brawls, goalie fights, the GM addressing the team, now a player-only meeting...

In horse racing parlance, they've already gone to the whip, and they've spit the bit.

You're not casting away the season by seeing if Gus and Luke Schenn can play in your Top 6, moving forward. You're identifying potential holes in your roster if they can't.

"Give me apathy, or give me something else."
- tangent_man

They've been trying to win games -- they're not good enough to do it. They've proven it.

One game over .500 last year after a late surge that came out of nowhere, a preseason where they couldn't beat teams dressing AHL forwards, a coach firing, line brawls, goalie fights, the GM addressing the team, now a player-only meeting...

In horse racing parlance, they've already gone to the whip, and they've spit the bit.

You're not casting away the season by seeing if Gus and Luke Schenn can play in your Top 6, moving forward. You're identifying potential holes in your roster if they can't.
- AllInForFlyers

So we're dedicating 67 games to see if two bubble defensemen can play in the NHL? That's just the most terrific attitude I've ever heard.

What do we do with the rest of the team? Just run them out there as support until we know where Schenn and Gustafsson eventually fit on a last place team?

Just wonderful...

People on this thread have completely lost hope, focus and any grasp on reality.

g'night folks.

Flyers fans are past getting angry. They're starting to get apathetic. The Flyers are turning into the Oakland Raiders of the NHL.
- Jsaquella

I actually fell asleep before the third period started. I wasn't trying to, I just did. That never happens but this team is so boring.