Post-Game Talk: #74 | FLYERS 4 at Red Wings 5 (1-0 shootout) | Tue., Mar. 20, 2018, 7:30 pm ET

[deadhead]

A problem with mediocre teams is that no team gets up for every game, good teams can win games when they bring their B- game, great teams when they bring their C game. This team has to bring it's B game for everyone, and it's A game against playoff caliber teams.

It is what it is, and bad goalie play exposes them.
They're not bad, they're between average and above average except for the goalies, who are below average.
The best players have been overplayed due to lack of depth.

You can see the improvement as the young players work their way into the lineup, but young teams tend to be erratic teams.
We'll see this the next couple years as the talent level improves, they'll be better on average, but until the kids mature, prone to laying eggs.

If you expect a playoff contender, it's frustrating, if you see them instead as a rebuilding team that's ahead of schedule, it's encouraging.

 

[Les Averman]

I'll give credit where credit is due and I did at least appreciate the change in icetime and usage that Hakstol gave Sanheim, Patrick, and TK. However, he kind of lost me again in Overtime and the Shootout.

I just don't understand why MacDonald gets played in OT over Sanheim and why Weal and Filp are ever out there in that situation, especially together. Weal should not be out there for the shootout. It's one thing if it's a time like late last season when he's on a hot streak and has confidence out the ass but he's clearly struggling and that makes no sense to me.

The only other note I have from the game is that G has to shoot that puck on the 4-on-3 in OT. He had a perfect opportunity from the slot and just held the puck for 3 seconds before forcing a pass down low that was deflected. Obviously, he had a wonderful game and I'm not knocking him as a player, but if we're being honest critics, that was our best goal scoring opportunity in OT and he passed it up. Something has to change on this team's mentality to pass instead of shoot in those opportunities.

 

[baudib1]

We are not anywhere close to being ahead of schedule. Hextall has been in charge of 4 drafts, Hakstol has been here for 3 seasons. We made the playoffs under Berube and Hakstol with less talent than we have now. We have a superstar core in the prime of their careers.

A rebuild ahead of schedule would be Colorado or New Jersey, not us. A rebuilding plan that takes 6 years to be competitive isn't acceptable.

 

[WIP CALLER]

We are not anywhere close to being ahead of schedule. Hextall has been in charge of 4 drafts, Hakstol has been here for 3 seasons. We made the playoffs under Berube and Hakstol with less talent than we have now. We have a superstar core in the prime of their careers.

A rebuild ahead of schedule would be Colorado or New Jersey, not us. A rebuilding plan that takes 6 years to be competitive isn't acceptable.

Just wait until the Rangers are competitive again before we are done rebuilding "on schedule".

 

[Philly Fanatik]

The rebuild is here and NOW!..
We drafted OK the last three or four years...so now it's up to Hextall...Holmgren...or somebody to piece it all together!
Drafting players year after year is fine but it's what you do with the wealth of talent you've accumulated that matters!
Carter Hart's coming is just like rapture heading our way! Winning for me starts from the crease out and our netminders are playing like they won the center seat in the game Musical Chairs! If you want to win,you need the best goalies in the game!
In this era of the game of hockey,it's all about the issues of the salary cap.The Chicagos,Penguins and the Bruins seem to have figured it out...ya need two dominant forwards, a top defenseman and a top flight goalie! And when they have lost a player to contract issues...they just go out and find a player to complement their team as if they never missed a beat!
Just saying....and this game against Detroit as cemented the fact we're not a PLAYOFF team!

 

[Embiid]

Petr Sporadik strikes again with his inconsistency....

What a waste of a rental...

 

[IronMarshal]

Sanheim has played very well lately. I admit I am a huge Sanheim fan, and I have watched him very closely. Last night, he might have been the most reliable defenseman on the team, making plays in the zone, beautiful stretch passes out of the zone, jumping up into the play etc. Previous games I have noticed him taken men in front of the net, clearing the crease, tying up sticks, getting position on would be rebound snatchers etc. He looks really good right now. I know most here don't like plus minus, but while he has been on the ice, very little damage has been done to the team, and he has assisted on some key goals. The Flyers have to find a way to protect their young D in the next expansion draft.

 

[deadhead]

It takes 5 or so years for a rebuild, because it's 2-4 years from draft to the NHL, and you need multiple drafts.
Flyer fans are spoiled because in the past they'd just trade/buy 2-3 starters to jump start a rebuild, but now there's a salary cap.

Sure, 1st rd picks can arrive in 2 years, but as we've seen, you need depth as well, and a lot of those players need both junior seasons, and 1-2 AHL seasons before they're ready.

So if you figure you need 3 drafts to accumulate enough players to fill out a roster, it won't be until the 2016 draft arrives en mass (2019-2020) that this team will be finished rebuilding.
2014: Sanheim just arrived, along with Lindblom, NAK should be here next year, Friedman in two years
2015: Provorov and Konency are here, Vorobyev by the end of next year, Sandstrom a couple years away, Kase & Marody 2-3 years away
2016: Hart, Allison, Twarynski, Laczynski, Rubtsov and Laberge are 1-2 years away, Hogberg and Bernhardt 2-3 years away
2017: Patrick is here, Frost, 0-1 year away, Ratcliffe, Strome, Sushko, Kalynck 2-3 years away, Lycksell, Cates, Ustimenko 3-4 years away

 

[hatcher]

We are not anywhere close to being ahead of schedule. Hextall has been in charge of 4 drafts, Hakstol has been here for 3 seasons. We made the playoffs under Berube and Hakstol with less talent than we have now. We have a superstar core in the prime of their careers.

A rebuild ahead of schedule would be Colorado or New Jersey, not us. A rebuilding plan that takes 6 years to be competitive isn't acceptable.

So true dude. This team is backwards as far as I'm concerned. Shitty to watch but I won't turn on my team.

 

[Rebels57]

Just wait until the Rangers are competitive again before we are done rebuilding "on schedule".

Hextalls rebuild is supposedly setting us up for a decade of success. Or so we've been told.

 

[Philly Fanatik]

I've said 4-6 to compete for a Stanley Cup but it's not just about the drafting of players....
The Islanders in their heyday drafted well but it was management's big trade or a missing piece of their puzzle( Goring) to start their dynasty!
And a whole lot of LUCK!

 

[1865]

Hextalls rebuild is supposedly setting us up for a decade of success. Or so we've been told.

Which it is, you just lack the patience to wait it out. Rome isn't built in a day and we're in about year 3. We're a play-off team most likely and we're getting into the right age.

This rebuild is going to not just turn us into a top team, but keep us there. Tampa didn't become what they are until now, they've been building longer than we have.

 

[Foggy14]

They have never practiced it since they brought it into the league.

I believe it.

 

[Rebels57]

Which it is, you just lack the patience to wait it out. Rome isn't built in a day and we're in about year 3. We're a play-off team most likely and we're getting into the right age.

This rebuild is going to not just turn us into a top team, but keep us there. Tampa didn't become what they are until now, they've been building longer than we have.

We are in Year 4, to be fair.

I dont lack patience. I have advocated for not trading any of our top prospects for a quick fix. This deadline was the first that I would have liked to see a low-cost depth improvement made. Like CBJ did with their moves, which are working like gangbusters (9 wins in a row).

What I do lack is any tolerance for Dave Hakstol.

 

[1865]

We are in Year 4, to be fair.

I dont lack patience. I have advocated for not trading any of our top prospects for a quick fix. This deadline was the first that I would have liked to see a low-cost depth improvement made. Like CBJ did with their moves, which are working like gangbusters (9 wins in a row).

What I do lack is any tolerance for Dave Hakstol.

And you're not alone there. I just don't mind waiting it out so long as we see progress, and you can't deny this year has seen significant progress across the board.

 

[Rebels57]

And you're not alone there. I just don't mind waiting it out so long as we see progress, and you can't deny this year has seen significant progress across the board.

I dont know if I would call this year progress. We are basically in the same position we were in 15-16, except our special teams are a lot worse.

I guess its progress in that we have injected more youth and our veteran core is playing at a higher level.

 

[1865]

I dont know if I would call this year progress. We are basically in the same position we were in 15-16, except our special teams are a lot worse.

I guess its progress in that we have injected more youth and our veteran core is playing at a higher level.

15/16 was near this level, but with a few aging vets and we were completely decimated in the play-offs.
16/17 was a down year for G and V which affected everything else. We got significantly younger, but took a step back.
17/18 has been a step forward. The stars are stars, the kids are in and we're improving. Hak is the one detriment, but he's changeable.

 

[JXC]

A problem with mediocre teams is that no team gets up for every game, good teams can win games when they bring their B- game, great teams when they bring their C game. This team has to bring it's B game for everyone, and it's A game against playoff caliber teams.

It is what it is, and bad goalie play exposes them.
They're not bad, they're between average and above average except for the goalies, who are below average.
The best players have been overplayed due to lack of depth.

You can see the improvement as the young players work their way into the lineup, but young teams tend to be erratic teams.
We'll see this the next couple years as the talent level improves, they'll be better on average, but until the kids mature, prone to laying eggs.

If you expect a playoff contender, it's frustrating, if you see them instead as a rebuilding team that's ahead of schedule, it's encouraging.

Great post, exactly correct.

 

[JXC]

Sanheim has played very well lately. I admit I am a huge Sanheim fan, and I have watched him very closely. Last night, he might have been the most reliable defenseman on the team, making plays in the zone, beautiful stretch passes out of the zone, jumping up into the play etc. Previous games I have noticed him taken men in front of the net, clearing the crease, tying up sticks, getting position on would be rebound snatchers etc. He looks really good right now. I know most here don't like plus minus, but while he has been on the ice, very little damage has been done to the team, and he has assisted on some key goals. The Flyers have to find a way to protect their young D in the next expansion draft.

Sanheim has been quite good.

 

[Foggy14]

haahaha **** this team sucks, just find ways to lose. #9 is awful get ready for coburn 2.0

We need to have an honest discussion about Provy.

Provy looks a little tired from overuse - and from having to watch AMac beat the puck to death every shift. Exhausting.

I think Larry's right. Provy has to be a bit gassed at this point in the season. The signs have been there for a few weeks.

He's played every game. He's #6 in League TOI as a 21 year old sophomore. He's the youngest in the TOI top ten, by far. The average age of the other nine guys is 30.22.

He's been asked to do a lot this season (actually, too much for a second year defender) and his play has been excellent.

Flawless? No. He'll sometimes lose, or misfire passes, leading to giveaways. My theory is that his super long stick (the longest in the Flyers rack) while helping him defensively, sometimes causes him a problem when he has the puck. That, plus the grind of a long season, and the giveaways are understandable. Fortunately, he recovers from this mistakes faster than most defenders and they don't often lead to a goal against.

Coburn 2.0? I don't see it. Provy and Coburn are different in a lot of ways. The biggest difference sits on their shoulders. Provy thinks the game so much better, and quicker, than Coburn ever did.

 

[WIP CALLER]

Which it is, you just lack the patience to wait it out. Rome isn't built in a day and we're in about year 3. We're a play-off team most likely and we're getting into the right age.

This rebuild is going to not just turn us into a top team, but keep us there. Tampa didn't become what they are until now, they've been building longer than we have.

We are in Year 4 of the hextall

So true dude. This team is backwards as far as I'm concerned. ****ty to watch but I won't turn on my team.

How I have felt the entire last two years. Terribly run franchise but I'm from Philly so who else am I gonna root for? Some are just so in love with the fact hextall has had a couple good draft that they're willing to turn a blind eye that he has been below average in nearly every other aspect of being a gm. How anyone can have such strong faith in the guy who thought Dale Weise was worthy of a long term deal to be able to make the moves needed to put the team over the top is beyond me... he's had 4 years now to make the bottom 6 respectable, arguably one of the easiest areas to improve, and it's as much of a garbage fire as when he arrived. But yeah this is the guy thats going to make the right moves to bring home a cup...

 

[hatcher]

We are in Year 4 of the hextall


How I have felt the entire last two years. Terribly run franchise but I'm from Philly so who else am I gonna root for? Some are just so in love with the fact hextall has had a couple good draft that they're willing to turn a blind eye that he has been below average in nearly every other aspect of being a gm. How anyone can have such strong faith in the guy who thought Dale Weise was worthy of a long term deal to be able to make the moves needed to put the team over the top is beyond me... he's had 4 years now to make the bottom 6 respectable, arguably one of the easiest areas to improve, and it's as much of a garbage fire as when he arrived. But yeah this is the guy thats going to make the right moves to bring home a cup...

My issue is how the whole team takes the first 2 period off almost every game then turns it on in the 3rd. CarolinazCLB and now DET in a f***in playoff race. When they turned it on in the 3rd it so easy to see the players from top to bottom want it easy.

 

[04hockey]

the Flyers are stuck trying to make Provy into the defensive Dman that they don't have.....after they acquire one somehow then Ivan can play more PP time and less PK time.....there's a lot more there with Provy but they're using him the wrong way .....JMHO

 

[Hiesenberg]

Provy has 34 pts and gets almost no power play time. I think he's doing just fine. I can see him exploding in 2 years

 

[AdamParrot]

I would be f***ing glad and happy if Ivan Provorov was our biggest problem. LOL.