GDT: Free Agency 2014. 12:00 PM EST

[shartnell]

who is going to score? theres no 1st line wing and has our old expensive defense gotten any better? no it hasn't

I think you have a valid point about the defense, but this "Who's gonna score" thing is sounding pretty tired. I heard the same refrain in 11-12 (where we finished 3rd in goal scoring) 12-13 (9th) and last year (9th, even with the early season drought). The offense is fine. I expect two of Schenn, Voracek, and Couturier to get better.

 

[JayB]

i could replace Grosman+Lecavalier or Grosman+Umberger with Kulemin,Ott and Downie to bring speed.

Dump those and add free agents.

Schenn-G-Voracek
Kulemin-Umberger/Lecavalier-Downie
Read-Couturier-Simmonds
Rinaldo-Ott-XXX

 

[bauer]

I think we all need to get used to the fact that we now have a GM that is willing to not make moves to improve the team in the long run. No more of these ridiculous deals that do nothing to get us closer to a cup, but only guarantee a playoff appearance and a 1st or 2nd round loss, not to mention, no chance at a lottery pick.

While I am not one of those people that will commend teams like the Penguins and Blackhawks that sucked for years and built a team with high picks year after year, if it takes one (or MAYBE two) below average season to get this team back to being an annual contender, I'm okay with it.

isn't that what Homer essentially did when he traded Richards and Carter?

 

[beetee15]

Hypothetically speaking here but assume we had the capspace who did you realistically want on the open market that was a huge upgrade over what we have currently?

i honestly don't know, it could of been a blessing in disguise with the contracts i saw offered today. The flyers will be on the lower end of the league for about 2/3 years, hextall wants to build through the draft and that takes time. Flyer fans including myself tend not to have that patience. but we will see

 

[Curufinwe]

i understand that we had 7, 20 goal scorers, but I watched this team struggle with scoring from time to time last season. Puck possession and speed were also a HUGE issue for flyers, none of that has been resolved yet "I know I know Umberger is faster than Hartnell" still not an upgrade. Schenn may be able to score but he's not a pure goal scorer. We have too many grinding forwards. don't get too amped for this team the way it is right now

They're probably just a playoff bubble team again. That wasn't going to change today.

 

[El Emperor]

This isn't a lottery team, though. Our forward core is generally pretty solid. If Schenn can click with Giroux and Voracek, and Couts can take the next step offensively, we may even be better than we were last year. If Laughton can come up and contribute, and our bottom 6 starts shaping up at some point, there's even more of a chance to improve.

Then it's just about developing the defensive prospects we already have.

Hey, I'm all for the Flyers making the playoffs, but I just want to point out that people overreacting to the Emery signing need to realize that this team wasn't going to sign the biggest and best free agents regardless of where they were in regards to the cap.

Additionally, it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to have a lottery pick in the 2015 draft, especially with the changing lottery rules.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

i could replace Grosman+Lecavalier or Grosman+Umberger with Kulemin,Ott and Downie to bring speed.

Dump those and add free agents.

Schenn-G-Voracek
Kulemin-Umberger/Lecavalier-Downie
Read-Couturier-Simmonds
Rinaldo-Ott-XXX

That's like upgrading a snail with a tortoise.

 

[El Emperor]

isn't that what Homer essentially did when he traded Richards and Carter?

Yes, but he then turned around and signed Bryzgalov.

 

[The Couturier Effect]

i could replace Grosman+Lecavalier or Grosman+Umberger with Kulemin,Ott and Downie to bring speed.

Dump those and add free agents.

Schenn-G-Voracek
Kulemin-Umberger/Lecavalier-Downie
Read-Couturier-Simmonds
Rinaldo-Ott-XXX

You spelled "penalties" wrong.

 

[Sniped]

Beat me to it... lol

 

[bauer]

damn, Hawks get Richards at 2m. absolute steal. not the player he once was but for 2m that is a bargain. and to think he's better than Vinny and making half as much.

 

[McNasty]

Ok? I didn't know the offseason concluded already.

I'm actually happy Hextall was blocked from potentially doing something stupid today seeing all these crazy prices.

Agreed, save Ehrhoff (who I think went to Pitt so he can make big money next offseason) there aren't many contracts I would have been happy with the Flyers adding.

 

[beetee15]

I am in no way upset about the flyers not signing a lot of FA's today, my biggest concern is the lack of market for moving some of our not so great contracts "Grossman/Vinny" the way the roster is now and how some contracts are tied up for the next few years they are no where close to being contenders, unless you all want to wait 5-7 years for all Hextall's draft picks to develop, Giroux is entering his prime, you dont want to waste it.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

Chicago with a shrewd move signing Brad Richards.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Bryan Murray just said they need a center that is "proven" even if isn't similar to Spezza. He said they're more inclined to fill this hole through trade rather than through free agency.

It has to be Flyers have no interest trading Gross and Vinny is blocking trades and they don't care about cap space. Some of these deals are insane

It is repulsive that Montoya and his 2.30 .920 save % makes 5 thousand more than Emery.

 

[bauer]

i could replace Grosman+Lecavalier or Grosman+Umberger with Kulemin,Ott and Downie to bring speed.

Dump those and add free agents.

Schenn-G-Voracek
Kulemin-Umberger/Lecavalier-Downie
Read-Couturier-Simmonds
Rinaldo-Ott-XXX

blah. **** Ott and Downie. Vrbata is still out there. he'd be perfect for our top 6. of course we can't sign him unless Vinny goes first.

 

[bennysflyers16]

damn, Hawks get Richards at 2m. absolute steal. not the player he once was but for 2m that is a bargain. and to think he's better than Vinny and making half as much.

I wonder why they didn't offer Richards 5 years 22 mill ?

 

[Chinatown88]

Retweeted by Bob McKenzie
Craig Custance ‏@CraigCustance 2m

Niskanen closing in on a deal with the Capitals.

Caps are spending a bunch on defense.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Please be right Eklund !

 

[Random Forest]

It has to be Flyers have no interest trading Gross and Vinny is blocking trades and they don't care about cap space. Some of these deals are insane

It is repulsive that Montoya and his 2.30 .920 save % makes 5 thousand more than Emery.

Let's remember that for the last eight years, this team's "direction" was set on July 1st. Hextall's direction is not one to be determined as soon as the NHL calendar turns over.

We've been conditioned to expect our plans to be made clear immediately, so clearly none of us have any patience right now. I'll give Hextall some time-- I fully expect both Lecavalier and Grossmann to be moved.

 

[bauer]

I wonder why they didn't offer Richards 5 years 22 mill ?

I think Richards is doing the same as Ehrhoff. hoping for a big year on an offensively stacked team to make more as a UFA next year.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

It has to be Flyers have no interest trading Gross and Vinny is blocking trades and they don't care about cap space. Some of these deals are insane

It is repulsive that Montoya and his 2.30 .920 save % makes 5 thousand more than Emery.

on a team with a poor defensive core.
not sure what the conversation was with some of these backups that were on the market. I said it a month or more ago. It is going to be difficult to move Vinny and or Grossmann unless the Flyers add something. if they refuse to retain salary or add something both players will be here and the Flyers will be in Cap hell. again.
but hey Holmgren knew what he was doing.

 

[Chinatown88]

Elliotte Friedman ‏@FriedgeHNIC 45s

Niskanen 7 yrs, $40.25M with WASH

Oh my.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

I think Richards is doing the same as Ehrhoff. hoping for a big year on an offensively stacked team to make more as a UFA next year.

With the cap likely going up a lot due to the new Rogers TV deal kicking in, it's not surprising to see some older guys take a one year deal this year and cash in next year.

 

[Harold Bingo]

Do you guys really think the Brad Richards signing was a good one? Is he much more than a PP "specialist" at this point?