Confirmed with Link: Flyers sign 24 year old C/RW Mike Vecchione (Union, NCAA) to 1-year ELC

[LegionOfDoom91]

Neither Scott Hartnell or Sam Gagner PK & Columbus seems to be doing fine with them floating between their bottom six. The idea that you need to PK to play on a fourth line is such a stupid concept. You have 12 forwards, if you can't find at least 6 of them that are good to competent on the PK regardless of where they slot in the lineup than you're in trouble.

The key for those first two which is way more important is that they're way better at ES than most other teams third & fourth lines around the league. They outscore & outpossess their opposition.

 

[deadhead]

Actually, Matt Calvert and Korpikoski play a simliar role to VdV and PEB for Columbus.

Though I think Bob is the real difference maker, you can play Hartnell and Gagner for their offense when you have an all world goalie behind them.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Get Giroux and Bobby Clarke on the guy to get his FOs up to NHL speed ASAP and make him 4C

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I'm not really seeing how they're the same. Columbus spreads their PK time around. They're not overly reliant on one or two players. Dubinsky (1:42), Calvert (1:42), Karlsson (1:38), Atkinson (1:32), Korpikoski (1:22), & Jenner (0:48). For the Flyers as far as regulars goes it's like this. Bellemare (2:45), VandeVelde (2:28), Couturier (1:44), Simmonds (1:28), & Read (0:53). The need to manufacture a role for guys like Bellemare & Vandevelde is everything wrong with that line of thinking.

Hartnell & Gagner both outposssess the opposition, to chalk it up to just Bobrovsky is foolish as well.

 

[Random Forest]

I'm tired of antiquated hockey dogma that says your bottom six needs to be big and PK. I'd have a fourth line of Jordan Weal-Paul Byron-Sam Gagner any day of the week if they can provide depth scoring.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I'm tired of antiquated hockey dogma that says your bottom six needs to be big and PK. I'd have a fourth line of Jordan Weal-Paul Byron-Sam Gagner any day of the week if they can provide depth scoring.

Agreed. If they can legitimately PK like Byron it's all the better but it shouldn't be a sticking point. You have 12 forwards at your disposal to find at least 4 legitimate PKers. Even the Flyers currently could find 4 PKer's better than Bellemare & VandeVelde but the coaching staff has to manufacture roles for these guys just because of that line of thinking. So we have two terrible 5v5 players for a payout of mediocre PKing from those two.

 

[Striiker]

Especially when the current 4th line isn't defensively responsible.

It's not like we'd be replacing defensively responsible grinders with a bunch of one dimensional offensive players.

Going from zero offense and zero defense to some offense and zero defense is an improvement right now.

 

[ted2019]

Seems like this would take the "sting" out of losing Weal, Cousins, or Laughton in the ED. I feel like the college UDFAs are not as exciting as they used to be since it seems like a lot more premier players are going the NCAA route and getting drafted high so the UDFAs are more along the lines of signing an overage junior player. I remember years ago when you'd have like Stephane Da Costa and people thought he was going to be a stud etc. Still like the signing though and hopefully he can make an impact in the bottom six next year. I would imagine the Flyers think he's got a shot and told him that, otherwise I'm sure he could have gone elsewhere and had a shot too.

By the way he's been playing, Weal should be a shoo-in to be protected.

 

[Brayden Fattison]

By the way he's been playing, Weal should be a shoo-in to be protected.

He's UFA. He's not eligible for the ED.

 

[Rebels57]

4th lines need to be good defensively. Beyond that, they can be knee high to a ****ing duck and they can be effective. Size is overrated.

 

[GKJ]

How is VdV the reason Weal is a UFA? Even if he was on the Flyers all season there's no guarantee he would have been extended by now. Dominating as a top 6 center in the AHL was the best spot for him after a season where he barely played.

He wouldn't be extended, but he would have been RFA instead of UFA. He's been-there-done-that in the AHL, and he showed in pre-season that only playing 14 games last year was not an issue. That as a spot that came down to him and Konecny, so even if Weal did make it, imagine how irate people would be if Konecny didn't make the team instead.

Less than 6 months ago, Hextall, with the influence of our draft-and-develop coach came to a decision that it was worth risking him leaving the organization and getting nothing, because we were better off going into war with a slug since he's one of his boys. They knew Weal was one of the 10 best forwards on the team, especially with a hole at center that wasn't filled until the trade deadline, and didn't care. So, no, I'm not convinced Lindblom or Vecchione are making team out of camp, and not holding my breath right now that they even see the NHL next year.

 

[deadhead]

4th lines need to be good defensively. Beyond that, they can be knee high to a ****ing duck and they can be effective. Size is overrated.

Except than in a league full of big fast centers, you have to be able to "man up" to be responsible defensively. People confuse size with height, it's more about strength and leverage, for example, Kimmo had strength, Ghost gets pushed aside.

Forget about this season, VdV played b/c no one beat him out (and Luby was a RW who got benched for Cousins, Weise and Read).

Flyers need a fourth line with some talent, if Laughton or MV or someone can step up that would be great. But I'm not sure Leier is strong enough, or Weal or Cousins fast enough to play on a fourth line.

 

[deadhead]

Less than 6 months ago, Hextall, with the influence of our draft-and-develop coach came to a decision that it was worth risking him leaving the organization and getting nothing, because we were better off going into war with a slug since he's one of his boys. They knew Weal was one of the 10 best forwards on the team, especially with a hole at center that wasn't filled until the trade deadline, and didn't care. So, no, I'm not convinced Lindblom or Vecchione are making team out of camp, and not holding my breath right now that they even see the NHL next year.

Uh, Weal looked like crap last year, far worse than Cousins. He went back to the AHL and elevated his game. No way last September anyone thought Weal was one of the 10 best forwards on this team. And Weal has never been considered a NHL quality center, he was brought up to play LW.

 

[whitstifier]

He wouldn't be extended, but he would have been RFA instead of UFA. He's been-there-done-that in the AHL, and he showed in pre-season that only playing 14 games last year was not an issue. That as a spot that came down to him and Konecny, so even if Weal did make it, imagine how irate people would be if Konecny didn't make the team instead.

Less than 6 months ago, Hextall, with the influence of our draft-and-develop coach came to a decision that it was worth risking him leaving the organization and getting nothing, because we were better off going into war with a slug since he's one of his boys. They knew Weal was one of the 10 best forwards on the team, especially with a hole at center that wasn't filled until the trade deadline, and didn't care. So, no, I'm not convinced Lindblom or Vecchione are making team out of camp, and not holding my breath right now that they even see the NHL next year.

Vecchione will play in the NHL this year. Lindblom isn't leaving the SHL to play in the AHL

 

[CodyTheHuman]

I know some people don't want to admit Girouxs decline, but it's inevitable. So Hextall has to give him talent to maximize his efficiency. He's not Crosby. Crosby turns every homeless guy into a 20 goal scorer. Giroux isn't that guy.

Giroux turned Raffl into a 21 goal scorer (18 at even strength)

 

[dats81]

Love the signing. More skill and speed to the lineup.

But it's going to be blood and thunder between him Cousins, Laughton, Leier, Raffl,... next season. Too many bodies. I wonder if Hextall plans on shedding some weight during the off-season?

 

[Appleyard]

Love the signing. More skill and speed to the lineup.

But it's going to be blood and thunder between him Cousins, Laughton, Leier, Raffl,... next season. Too many bodies. I wonder if Hextall plans on shedding some weight during the off-season?

One forward will be taken in expansion most likely. That will be 16.
One forward will be/have their rights traded (I imagine Cousins with how this season has gone). That will be 15.

Then maybe Leier is sent back to LHV.

I believe they will carry 14 forwards. Hextall has said all along that is ideal for him... he has just not been able to do it so far due to circumstance.

 

[tymed]

Would be a slight mistake to pull the plug on Cousins who continually puts this useless sack of sh** core on the man advantage. As big a fan I am of our elite talent, they're so embarrassingly half assed outside the man advantage it's saddening. That's the truth. Jake get's pissed on by our fans because he's a waste of money at 8.25M, end of story. Cry about it if you want to, he's good but not 8M good and f*** him that's what he put his name to, so what. Get rid of his ass. We have a real core to go forward with and it doesn't include wastes of money like that so trade him and lets go forward. I've followed Jake game by game since juniors and he simply doesn't have the tools to earn the money Hextall paid him, I only wish he had the balls to live up to that but he doesn't-oh well. No one else in the league would take him for that price outside of another couple of fools if that. We're stuck with it. We got duped and he deserves no more than 6M per year the way he's performed for our loyal fans. He's paid to be what he will never be, trade him if you can but you can't. He's overpaid, fact.

 

[GKJ]

Vecchione will play in the NHL this year. Lindblom isn't leaving the SHL to play in the AHL

Again, Vecchione isn't playing in the NHL this year because he's NHL-ready, that was just part of the deal to get him to sign. If we didn't, someone else would have.

 

[PALE PWNR]

Uh, Weal looked like crap last year, far worse than Cousins. He went back to the AHL and elevated his game. No way last September anyone thought Weal was one of the 10 best forwards on this team. And Weal has never been considered a NHL quality center, he was brought up to play LW.

I did. I thought he looked great in preseason and said he should make the team, much to the malign of a bunch of others who "see nothing in him".

 

[Prongo]

With the amount of forwards we have I wouldn't be surprised to see a trade involving one or two of them to bring in another defender. I just don't know what you can get for the likes of Laughton, cousins and a pick. Never bad to have depth but we are over loaded on bottom 6 forwards right now.

 

[Striiker]

Except than in a league full of big fast centers, you have to be able to "man up" to be responsible defensively. People confuse size with height, it's more about strength and leverage, for example, Kimmo had strength, Ghost gets pushed aside.

Forget about this season, VdV played b/c no one beat him out (and Luby was a RW who got benched for Cousins, Weise and Read).

Flyers need a fourth line with some talent, if Laughton or MV or someone can step up that would be great. But I'm not sure Leier is strong enough, or Weal or Cousins fast enough to play on a fourth line.

Incorrect, as always.

 

[whitstifier]

Again, Vecchione isn't playing in the NHL this year because he's NHL-ready, that was just part of the deal to get him to sign. If we didn't, someone else would have.

Yes, that's part of the contract, but the Flyers could also think he's ready for the NHL. Also, some cause for hope: VandeVelde still hasn't been re-signed.

 

[Curufinwe]

He wouldn't be extended, but he would have been RFA instead of UFA. He's been-there-done-that in the AHL, and he showed in pre-season that only playing 14 games last year was not an issue. That as a spot that came down to him and Konecny, so even if Weal did make it, imagine how irate people would be if Konecny didn't make the team instead.

Less than 6 months ago, Hextall, with the influence of our draft-and-develop coach came to a decision that it was worth risking him leaving the organization and getting nothing, because we were better off going into war with a slug since he's one of his boys. They knew Weal was one of the 10 best forwards on the team, especially with a hole at center that wasn't filled until the trade deadline, and didn't care. So, no, I'm not convinced Lindblom or Vecchione are making team out of camp, and not holding my breath right now that they even see the NHL next year.

He would have been an RFA only if he had played 66 games, which was unlikely to happen. Cousins and Lyubimov and Laughton and then Leier were ahead of him on the depth chart for the first half of this season because after a year of barely playing hockey me needed a lot of AHL minutes to get his mojo back.

Saying that Lindblom won't see the NHL next year is absurdly negative, even for you.

 

[whitstifier]

He would have been an RFA only if he had played 66 games, which was unlikely to happen. Cousins and Lyubimov and Laughton and then Leier were ahead of him on the depth chart for the first half of this season because after a year of barely playing hockey me needed a lot of AHL minutes to get his mojo back.

Saying that Lindblom won't see the NHL next year is absurdly negative, even for you.

Usage could be a concern given how Konecny has been handled. But, even if the points don't translate for Lindblom, his defensive play could give him a long Hakstol leash.