Confirmed with Link: Derek Grant obtained from Anaheim for Criscuolo + 4th

[Striiker]

Does anyone else think Frost looks like a fit at 3C, or am I the only one?

He’s certainly the best choice.

 

[deadhead]

Hes never had as bad a game in the NHL as Grant had in his Flyers debut

Grant took a red eye, then a video session, morning skate and game.
AV didn't seem too concerned about his performance, he expected Grant to have "tired legs."

We'll see how good Grant really is the next few games.
So it's a little early to jump to any conclusions.

 

[Deadpool8812]

It's always smart to judge a player after his first game in a new uniform...

 

[Larry44]

It's always smart to judge a player after his first game in a new uniform...

I only saw the last five minutes of the game, Grant made a beautiful stretch pass to almost spring Pitlick on a breakaway, so from my sample size, he's friggin' Gretzky.

 

[deadhead]

I'll be happy if he's Tampa Bay (2015) Filppula, not Flyers (2018) Filppula.
We need 15 games and a playoff run out of him, not five years.

JVR - Grant - Pitlick just have to hold their own, not be a dominant line.

 

[Appleyard]

I'll be happy if he's Tampa Bay (2015) Filppula, not Flyers (2018) Filppula.
We need 15 games and a playoff run out of him, not five years.

JVR - Grant - Pitlick just have to hold their own, not be a dominant line.

Tbh though Flip at his best was twice the player Grant ever was... and I dont mind Grant as a player.

Grant at his age 27 peak was not close to the player Flip was from 07-17.

It would be unreasonable to expect Grant to be anything more than a decent ~30 point 3LW/4C.

 

[Rebels57]

Tbh though Flip at his best was twice the player Grant ever was... and I dont mind Grant as a player.

Grant at his age 27 peak was not close to the player Flip was from 07-17.

It would be unreasonable to expect Grant to be anything more than a decent ~30 point 3LW/4C.

I mean..it's really as simple as this...he was the 4C on a terrible Ducks team. Troy Terry is the 3C. Why would we expect him to be a good 3C on a very good Flyers team?

 

[Tripod]

I mean..it's really as simple as this...he was the 4C on a terrible Ducks team. Troy Terry is the 3C. Why would we expect him to be a good 3C on a very good Flyers team?

That is a easy way to look at it. In time, hopefully it's he or Thompson that is the #13 guy.....but do understand wanting to see them play in AV's system to see what they have in them.

I still think Farabee plays again at least by Feb 7th game at the latest.

But let's look at Grant a bit more, and you can see why Ducks fans like him(for forwards):

10th in total TOI....12th in total TOI/game
10th in ES TOI...13th in ES TOI/game
6th in points
3rd in goals
7th in PPG
7th in ES points
5th in ES goals
T3rd in PP goals
1st in SH goals and points
2nd in GWG

So when you look at getting that production, from your 4th line C going up against top line, and only making $700,00, it's great value. And we would likely like that too.

And fwiw, his .41 PPG in Anaheim compared to Flyers guys:

Laughton .48
Farabee .41
Frost .35
NAK .34
Raffl .33
Pitlick .30
Pimp .15
Bunny .10
Andreoff .07
Twarynski .07
Stewy .06

If we just compare to a NAK, Raffl, and Pitlick....we are all happy with how they are producing playing in depth roles so I can get Ducks fans being happy with Grant. We just did not see that guy in game 1. If we have another Raffl/Pit/NAK type guy in Grant, we should be happy. But ideally....ALL those guys are on the 4th line.

 

[landsbergfan]

I mean..it's really as simple as this...he was the 4C on a terrible Ducks team. Troy Terry is the 3C. Why would we expect him to be a good 3C on a very good Flyers team?

fwiw I dont think it is quite that simple. He was playing with shittier wingers than he would be with Raffl and NAK, so he has some redeeming qualities kind of like how PEB was shit next to VDV, but found a role in Vegas

 

[Rebels57]

fwiw I dont think it is quite that simple. He was playing with shittier wingers than he would be with Raffl and NAK, so he has some redeeming qualities kind of like how PEB was shit next to VDV, but found a role in Vegas

He would be with Raffl and NAK if he was on the 4th line. Unfortunately he was on the 3rd line where he was dragging down JVR and Pitlick.

 

[Rebels57]

That is a easy way to look at it. In time, hopefully it's he or Thompson that is the #13 guy.....but do understand wanting to see them play in AV's system to see what they have in them.

I still think Farabee plays again at least by Feb 7th game at the latest.

But let's look at Grant a bit more, and you can see why Ducks fans like him(for forwards):

10th in total TOI....12th in total TOI/game
10th in ES TOI...13th in ES TOI/game
6th in points
3rd in goals
7th in PPG
7th in ES points
5th in ES goals
T3rd in PP goals
1st in SH goals and points
2nd in GWG

So when you look at getting that production, from your 4th line C going up against top line, and only making $700,00, it's great value. And we would likely like that too.

And fwiw, his .41 PPG in Anaheim compared to Flyers guys:

Laughton .48
Farabee .41
Frost .35
NAK .34
Raffl .33
Pitlick .30
Pimp .15
Bunny .10
Andreoff .07
Twarynski .07
Stewy .06

If we just compare to a NAK, Raffl, and Pitlick....we are all happy with how they are producing playing in depth roles so I can get Ducks fans being happy with Grant. We just did not see that guy in game 1. If we have another Raffl/Pit/NAK type guy in Grant, we should be happy. But ideally....ALL those guys are on the 4th line.

He is shooting 17% right now. His goal scoring and points this season are not sustainable or predictive of what he will do here. Just like we know Laughton wouldn't score 20+ ES goals in a full season like he is currently pacing for.

To be clear though, I would have liked him had he been acquired to be 4C and I won't mind if he is demoted to 4C at some point. He does look to be a good PKer and better on faceoffs than Bunny.

He's just a really bad option at 3C.

 

[deadhead]

We'll see the next couple games what Grant has to offer.

But unless he totally bombs, he's not a really bad option at 3C, he's just not what we want in the long run.
There are no good options this season, but we just need someone or a combination of players to hold the fort.
Patrick last year wasn't a world beater, CF 46.67% xGF 48.48, CFrel -2.22, xGFrel +0.43, 1.63 pp/60.

 

[landsbergfan]

He would be with Raffl and NAK if he was on the 4th line. Unfortunately he was on the 3rd line where he was dragging down JVR and Pitlick.

yeah for sure...I'm still in denial that they'll actually stay with this exact lineup so most of my thoughts ignore that

 

[renberg]

What I want out of Grant and Thompson is toughness. The Flyers will likely draw wither the Caps or the Penguins. The series will be extremely physical. As Shero once said, “If you can’t beat them in an alley, you can’t beat them on the ice.” It will be a rumble. The new adds are going to have to lay some waste on the opponents. Right now neither Frost, Farabee or Bunnaman is ready to do that.

 

[Tripod]

He is shooting 17% right now. His goal scoring and points this season are not sustainable or predictive of what he will do here. Just like we know Laughton wouldn't score 20+ ES goals in a full season like he is currently pacing for.

To be clear though, I would have liked him had he been acquired to be 4C and I won't mind if he is demoted to 4C at some point. He does look to be a good PKer and better on faceoffs than Bunny.

He's just a really bad option at 3C.

I know his S% is high and account for the high goal total. I was just showing why Ducks fans would love him making so little and producing so much against top lines while having 2 trash linemates.

Whoever he plays with here, will be better than Rowney and Deslaurier in AN so that should help offset things...maybe get more assists instead of goals.

Also, no one complains about TK shooting 17.1 or NAK at 16.2. And Laughton is on the 2nd line in large part because of that S% right now.

We are on the same page that ideally, he is on the 4th line at C. I do think that we will, unfortunately, have an injury or 2 so will need to have lots of depth to cover and have guys play "up" at times. I also said before I dislike that AV instantly put Thompson in that #4 spot and at no time even mentioned that Grant could be there.

But hey, maybe we get a miracle and Patrick comes back AND plays well and slots into the #3 spot and our depth is overflowing. And I still would be fine with Frost getting another look-see before settling on everything early. Fingers crossed.

 

[Rebels57]

I know his S% is high and account for the high goal total. I was just showing why Ducks fans would love him making so little and producing so much against top lines while having 2 trash linemates.

Whoever he plays with here, will be better than Rowney and Deslaurier in AN so that should help offset things...maybe get more assists instead of goals.

Also, no one complains about TK shooting 17.1 or NAK at 16.2. And Laughton is on the 2nd line in large part because of that S% right now.

We are on the same page that ideally, he is on the 4th line at C. I do think that we will, unfortunately, have an injury or 2 so will need to have lots of depth to cover and have guys play "up" at times. I also said before I dislike that AV instantly put Thompson in that #4 spot and at no time even mentioned that Grant could be there.

But hey, maybe we get a miracle and Patrick comes back AND plays well and slots into the #3 spot and our depth is overflowing. And I still would be fine with Frost getting another look-see before settling on everything early. Fingers crossed.

The 3 of them probably have the best wrist shots on the Flyers though lol

Grant, im assuming, has scored a bunch of junk goals..being the Darroll Powe clone that he is

As you said, best case scenario is Patrick coming back and forcing either Grant or Thompson to the press box. They are better fill-in options than Andreoff, Stewart, Vorobyev, etc (though not as good as Farabee and Frost).

 

[Tripod]

The 3 of them probably have the best wrist shots on the Flyers though lol

Grant, im assuming, has scored a bunch of junk goals..being the Darroll Powe clone that he is

As you said, best case scenario is Patrick coming back and forcing either Grant or Thompson to the press box. They are better fill-in options than Andreoff, Stewart, Vorobyev, etc (though not as good as Farabee and Frost).

 

[Striiker]

fwiw I dont think it is quite that simple. He was playing with shittier wingers than he would be with Raffl and NAK, so he has some redeeming qualities kind of like how PEB was shit next to VDV, but found a role in Vegas

say you're sorry right now

 

[GapToothedWonder]

What I want out of Grant and Thompson is toughness. The Flyers will likely draw wither the Caps or the Penguins. The series will be extremely physical. As Shero once said, “If you can’t beat them in an alley, you can’t beat them on the ice.” It will be a rumble. The new adds are going to have to lay some waste on the opponents. Right now neither Frost, Farabee or Bunnaman is ready to do that.

Its 2020. Nobody has really laid waste in 15+ years. Unfortunately that brand of hockey isn't coming back.

I miss it too.

 

[renberg]

Its 2020. Nobody has really laid waste in 15+ years. Unfortunately that brand of hockey isn't coming back.

I miss it too.

If last Sunday’s Caps-Penguins game is any indication of what could come, the POs in the East are going to be physical. We all know that the officials tend to swallow their whistles in the POs. If so, some of these series are going to be rough ones.

 

[deadhead]

Its 2020. Nobody has really laid waste in 15+ years. Unfortunately that brand of hockey isn't coming back.

I miss it too.

You're never going to see the fighting, dirty hits and "clutch and grab" hockey again.

However, if you've watched some of the games in February, or the playoffs the last two years, it's obvious the league is trying to find a happy medium where they don't call every penalty.

Combine more relaxed referring with a faster league (the dinosaurs are almost extinct), and you get a fast paced game with lots of hitting, players interfering in subtle ways (leaning on smaller players, etc.), dirty stuff going on in corners and along the boards, a fair amount of cross checking allowed in front of the net. But few head shots, fights, running at players, obvious hooks, blatant slashes and so on.

So the game is evolving somewhere between the WWF on ice of a couple decades ago and the ice capades of the first few years of stricter enforcement of the rules.

This means smaller players can play in today's NHL, but they still need a minimum level of strength so they're not ridden off the puck or bounced out of plays, and they need to acclimate to smaller windows than a few years ago because the really slow players are gone, and a lot of bottom six units now have big, fast but less skilled (or they'd be top six) players (think Pitlick) that can keep up with skilled "smurfs."

 

[WhatTheDuck]

I mean..it's really as simple as this...he was the 4C on a terrible Ducks team. Troy Terry is the 3C. Why would we expect him to be a good 3C on a very good Flyers team?

Terry hasn't played center at all as a pro, Getzlaf/Henrique/Steel/Grant were the Ducks centers prior to the trade.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

This made me flash back to Bob Corkum, who was also a big journeyman center, known more for faceoffs & PKing, but who occasionally would surprise with a laser shot. Of course, Corkum was RH.

What I can say about Grant is he is huge. If he stays at C, the Flyers are gigantic & defensively responsible down the middle. Take up a lot of space in the neutral zone.

His skating isn’t particularly graceful, though. (Doesn’t mean he’s slow. Won the AHL fastest skater one year.)

 

[Rebels57]

Terry hasn't played center at all as a pro, Getzlaf/Henrique/Steel/Grant were the Ducks centers prior to the trade.

Thanks for clarifying.

So what does Grant do well? We didn't see it in his 1st game.

 

[GapToothedWonder]

If last Sunday’s Caps-Penguins game is any indication of what could come, the POs in the East are going to be physical. We all know that the officials tend to swallow their whistles in the POs. If so, some of these series are going to be rough ones.

I watched that game too. It was rougher then a normal regular season game but not really close to pre lockout playoff hockey.