Craig Berube

[GKJ]

Bellemare is supposed to get more aggressive with anchors and no ice time. Couturier is supposed to be a high-scorer with no zone starts or competition breaks. Umberger gets called out by name on effort, gets power play time.

 

[AndHeMissedTheNet]

I hate this moron.

The most recent line-up looks about as perfect as you can get aside from the most obvious ****ing flaw that he can't seem to realize - Dumberger should not be playing anywhere other than the 4th line.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Akeson has to clear waivers to get sent back down to the AHL. I would imagine someone would take a flyer on him & put a claim for him.

Laughton looking like he made the team & Raffl coming back from injury we really have no where to put him. I would imagine Akeson isn't on the roster much longer, I think once Laughton solidifies his spot fully & VV comes back from injury the situation will be resolved. Laughton will take a regular spot in the lineup & VV will be an extra foward.

 

[Garbage Goal]

Akeson has to clear waivers to get sent back down to the AHL. I would imagine someone would take a flyer on him & put a claim for him.

Laughton looking like he made the team & Raffl coming back from injury we really have no where to put him. I would imagine Akeson isn't on the roster much longer, I think once Laughton solidifies his spot fully & VV comes back from injury the situation will be resolved. Laughton will take a regular spot in the lineup & VV will be an extra foward.

Then let him go through waivers. What's the point in keeping him up just to healthy scratch him or play him on the fourth line which everyone admits is somewhere he doesn't fit? If he's as useless as some seem to believe it's no loss. Like I said, it's the least efficient use of the player possible.

Also, Laughton didn't get played until the last few games and Raffl has been injured for a while. Akeson hasn't had a shot at anything for most of the season.

 

[Random Forest]

What's the point in keeping him up just to healthy scratch him or play him on the fourth line which everyone admits is somewhere he doesn't fit?

I don't agree with that. I think the notion that your fourth line needs to be populated by big-body grinder types is one of the litany hockey perceptions that has not much basis in reality but persists because it's become so engrained in hockey culture over time. Akeson in a fourth line role (with guys like Bellemarre, not Rinaldo) can be a useful presence, imo.

Of course, it's moot because our fourth line will never not have a Rinaldo type on it.

 

[Garbage Goal]

I don't agree with that. I think the notion that your fourth line needs to be populated by big-body grinder types is one of the litany hockey perceptions that has not much basis in reality but persists because it's become so engrained in hockey culture over time. Akeson in a fourth line role (with guys like Bellemarre, not Rinaldo) can be a useful presence, imo.

Of course, it's moot because our fourth line will never not have a Rinaldo type on it.

That's not really what I said. A fourth line can be useful defensively or have great forechecking ability or players of the enforcing mold or some combination of any traits. Akeson is a skill player though. He doesn't PK or hit or fight or win board battles or play stellar D. He's got good hands and an offensive skill-set. So either let him provide great scoring in the AHL and help our prospects develop or give him an actual shot at where he can potentially produce in an NHL lineup. Healthy scratching him or playing him on the fourth line is a pure waste of a player asset and contract.

Our fourth line is also populated with the likes of Rinaldo or VandeVelde on any given night. So putting anyone there who has greater skill then a fourth liner like PEB or Akeson or Laughton is a waste and a mismatch.

I'm not saying fourth lines have to be one way or another. It's well known that Akeson is a skill player though, if anything and unless you're an extremely deep team you're not going to have players like that on your fourth line. Even in our SC final year our fourth line was Lappy-Betts-Powe. It's also well known what our bottom six looks like. Hell, Akeson isn't even playing sometimes. On any given night I wouldn't be surprised to see him a healthy scratch.

 

[GKJ]

I don't agree with that. I think the notion that your fourth line needs to be populated by big-body grinder types is one of the litany hockey perceptions that has not much basis in reality but persists because it's become so engrained in hockey culture over time. Akeson in a fourth line role (with guys like Bellemarre, not Rinaldo) can be a useful presence, imo.

Of course, it's moot because our fourth line will never not have a Rinaldo type on it.

How are you defining Rinaldo-types? Because there are players like him who are actually good, and then there is what the Flyers think Rinaldo is.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Then let him go through waivers. What's the point in keeping him up just to healthy scratch him or play him on the fourth line which everyone admits is somewhere he doesn't fit? If he's as useless as some seem to believe it's no loss. Like I said, it's the least efficient use of the player possible.

Also, Laughton didn't get played until the last few games and Raffl has been injured for a while. Akeson hasn't had a shot at anything for most of the season.

Well VV's injured right now so they need to carry an extra forward on the road. I would also imagine they're trying to see if there's a market for him so they can get something for before possibly giving him up for nothing. I mean someone gave a third round pick for McGinn so there could be a market for him.

He was a bad fit & a bubble player on this team from the start Simmonds, Read, Schenn, & Raffl are all better top 6 options. If Laughton stays up which looks like he is he moves Vinny out of center & on to the wing. Unforunately Vinny & Umberger are here to stay the best we can do is just minimize their role which Berube does a bad job at. Rinaldo's here to stay the organization & Berube love him so it's a waste of air complaining about that at this juncture.

We have 14 forwards right now & somebody has to go. Akeson likely has more value than VV while VV's probably a better fit as an extra forward since he can at least be a decent defensive player on the 4th line while someone like Bellemare or someone else can move of the lineup.

The lineup Berube put out tonight is probably the best we could considering the circumstances with Vinny & Umberger but we'll see if he actually sticks with it.

 

[Random Forest]

That's not really what I said. A fourth line can be useful defensively or have great forechecking ability or players of the enforcing mold or some combination of any traits. Akeson is a skill player though. He doesn't PK or hit or fight or win board battles or play stellar D. He's got good hands and an offensive skill-set. So either let him provide great scoring in the AHL and help our prospects develop or give him an actual shot at where he can potentially produce in an NHL lineup. Healthy scratching him or playing him on the fourth line is a pure waste of a player asset and contract.

Our fourth line is also populated with the likes of Rinaldo or VandeVelde on any given night. So putting anyone there who has greater skill then a fourth liner like PEB or Akeson or Laughton is a waste and a mismatch.

I'm not saying fourth lines have to be one way or another. It's well known that Akeson is a skill player though, if anything and unless you're an extremely deep team you're not going to have players like that on your fourth line. Even in our SC final year our fourth line was Lappy-Betts-Powe. It's also well known what our bottom six looks like. Hell, Akeson isn't even playing sometimes. On any given night I wouldn't be surprised to see him a healthy scratch.

I don't necessarily disagree with any of this. I was only contending with the comment that said Akeson's a bad fit for a fourth line. I only think he's a bad fit for a fourth line that's not intended to have any skill on it. A fourth line with players like PEB can make Akeson useful in that role, imo. All I'm saying is that a fourth line doesn't need to have big, gritty guys (eg, Vande Velde) on it like many coaches in the NHL seem to believe.

If your team is lacking size and grit, then, sure, load up the fourth line with those types to compensate. But on a team with players like Simmonds, Laughton, etc. already, I don't think think our team needs to have that type of fourth line (not saying that you are suggesting this, either).

How are you defining Rinaldo-types? Because there are players like him who are actually good, and then there is what the Flyers think Rinaldo is.

Unskilled players. Perhaps I was being too critical of unskilled players by calling them Rinaldo-types?

 

[Garbage Goal]

Well VV's injured right now so they need to carry an extra forward on the road. I would also imagine they're trying to see if there's a market for him so they can get something for before possibly giving him up for nothing. I mean someone gave a third round pick for McGinn so there could be a market for him.

He was a bad fit & a bubble player on this team from the start Simmonds, Read, Schenn, & Raffl are all better top 6 options. If Laughton stays up which looks like he is he moves Vinny out of center & on to the wing. Unforunately Vinny & Umberger are here to stay the best we can do is just minimize their role which Berube does a bad job at. Rinaldo's here to stay the organization & Berube love him so it's a waste of air complaining about that at this juncture.

We have 14 forwards right now & somebody has to go. Akeson likely has more value than VV while VV's probably a better fit as an extra forward since he can at least be a decent defensive player on the 4th line while someone like Bellemare or someone else can move of the lineup.

The lineup Berube put out tonight is probably the best we could considering the circumstances with Vinny & Umberger but we'll see if he actually sticks with it.

Common sense says you'll get nothing for Akeson. An exception doesn't make for a rule. Either way they've had plenty of time to look for someone interested and he hasn't been moved or have even heard of him potentially being moved.

The topic is about Berube so if he favors players that shouldn't be in the lineup then that's a strike against him. It's relevant to the topic of Craig Berube. You're right that he does a bad job of minimizing the roles of Lecavalier and Umberger, but one way of minimizing Lecavalier's role is to eliminate his PP time that hampers any PP he's on. Replace Lecavalier with a player like PEB or Laughton or Akeson like I've already been talking about. It all comes back around to not using players in an efficient manner.

There's no need to make excuses for Berube or Hextall at this point. Leaving Gustafsson on a permanent bench spot last season was completely wasteful, sticking PEB in a fourth line role with limited minutes and linemates like Rinaldo is a big waste, letting our 2nd PP unit get good ice-time and always consist of the same players no matter how much it sucks (rather then trying out other players) is a waste, press boxing or putting Akeson in a fourth line role as opposed to playing him in Lehigh or giving him a shot at more offensive opportunity (a la the 2nd PP unit) is a waste.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I just don't really see the point in complaining about Akeson, being PP specialist really doesn't make him much of a useful player. I would imagine when VV gets healthy he won't be on the roster anymore which I really don't see much of an issue with.

 

[Garbage Goal]

I just don't really see the point in complaining about Akeson, being PP specialist really doesn't make him much of a useful player. I would imagine when VV gets healthy he won't be on the roster anymore which I really don't see much of an issue with.

VV was healthy for a while and Berube preferred healthy scratching to doing anything with him.

If you think it's about the quality of Akeson as a player then you're missing the point entirely. It's about putting players in the best positions to succeed and being efficient with your personnel. Berube doesn't do either. Akeson is just one of many examples of that. Let him contribute scoring to your AHL team and help grow your prospects or give him a shot on a role with the NHL team that actually fits his skill-set. Letting him just rot on the fourth line or as a healthy scratch is pointless and an inefficient waste. That's a pattern with Berube, not just in regards to Akeson.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

VV was healthy for a while and Berube preferred healthy scratching to doing anything with him.

If you think it's about the quality of Akeson as a player then you're missing the point entirely. It's about putting players in the best positions to succeed and being efficient with your personnel. Berube doesn't do either. Akeson is just one of many examples of that. Let him contribute scoring to your AHL team and help grow your prospects or give him a shot on a role with the NHL team that actually fits his skill-set. Letting him just rot on the fourth line or as a healthy scratch is pointless and an inefficient waste. That's a pattern with Berube, not just in regards to Akeson.

That's because we still needed an 13th/extra forward to be with the team in case of emergency with VV out tonight that's still the case here. Laughton looking like he took VV's spot so when VV is deemed healthy I would imagine he takes Akeson's spot as the 13th/extra forward.

I actually don't want him down with Phantoms. I want to see guys like Cousins who appear to potentially have a role with the Flyers going foward take over the reigns of being the guys offensively. The Phantoms are playing well & have enough veteran leadership down there currently.

I guess he wasn't used properly but at the end of the day I just don't give a **** enough to actually register a feeling about it since he's a flawed player with a questionable NHL future.

For the record I don't want Berube back next year but this year is basically a wash me for to even care too much anymore. I don't want to fire him now because the options aren't great & I don't want to settle on a lesser candidate when better coaches should be available in the summer. My fear is them replacing him with Murray & being stuck with his boring *** style of hockey with a flawed team. I also fear them going on a run with coaching change & giving false hope. I just want to hit the reset button in the offseason.

 

[Alchemy]

Ok so we fire Berube. Who do we hire and why does their system benefit the team?

Seriously question I wonder how many of you can even answer it.

 

[hckyplayer8]

Ok so we fire Berube. Who do we hire and why does their system benefit the team?

Seriously question I wonder how many of you can even answer it.

That is the question.

Pretty evident that he wont be here much longer but theres not much out there on the market coach wise

 

[GKJ]

Unskilled players. Perhaps I was being too critical of unskilled players by calling them Rinaldo-types?

I don't know, if you ask him, he'll tell you that has the skills, just needs better linemates.

 

[FLYERSFAN18]

There isn't a coach in the NHL that would look at this roster and think that lecavalier and Umberger are two of the top 9 forwards on this team and that Grossmann is a top 6 defender on this team. A real coach would put Umberger and Levavalier with rinaldo and not let them play any more than 10 minutes if he even has them dress for the game. A real coach also wouldn't put Grossmann in the game over Schenn or colaiacovo. Berube it a turd of a coach and shouldnt be in the NHL, but he isn't the only problem. We have a lot of problems with how this roster is constructed, but he just makes the problems exponentially worse than they have to be

 

[GKJ]

Ok so we fire Berube. Who do we hire and why does their system benefit the team?

Seriously question I wonder how many of you can even answer it.

The Flyers themselves couldn't even answer it since they made him a head coach 3 games into the season after the 'worst training camp ever.' Figure that part out in the summer when more rational decisions are made and you can actually interview coaching candidates. Although I'm sure Lavy had a proper interview process, you don't hire a coach outside the organization at all without doing so.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Ok so we fire Berube. Who do we hire and why does their system benefit the team?

Seriously question I wonder how many of you can even answer it.

I rather just ride it out with Berube & hit the reset button in the offseason. We'll get a better selection of coaches as well as more time time to to do a thorough search in the offseason. The silver lining is that Berube is likely driving this team into the lottery.

 

[Appleyard]

One thing that has really annoyed me this year is him switching D pairings up (including sides) during games and keeping them fluid... I think it has led to a few goals against due to confusion and a lack of understanding between the pair of D men on ice.

I mean, the D sucks anyway but that has not helped.

 

[Alchemy]

I rather just ride it out with Berube & hit the reset button in the offseason. We'll get a better selection of coaches as well as more time time to to do a thorough search in the offseason. The silver lining is that Berube is likely driving this team into the lottery.

Go after Babcock? I'd dig it. I like his like possession center lock system.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Go after Babcock? I'd dig it. I like his like possession center lock system.

I don't think he'd come here & to be quite honest I'm perfectly fine with that. He has tendencies that would drive this fanbase nuts.

I rather try & get an up & comer who has experience working with younger players.

 

[Appleyard]

Willie Desjardins would have been a great fit.

I wanted him at the time Lavi was fired and he was available.

 

[Striiker]

Unrelated to our current coaching problem, I wonder if one day Timonen ends up as an assistant coach. Seems like the kind of player who could end up as a coach after retiring.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Unrelated to our current coaching problem, I wonder if one day Timonen ends up as an assistant coach. Seems like the kind of player who could end up as a coach after retiring.

He owns his own team in the Finnish Elite League along with Kapanen & Hartnell. He might want to concentrate his efforts there since he's never had a chance until now. The last I heard they were pretty terrible & need work.