Hexy or Homer?

[DrinkFightFlyers]

What kid is ready? Frost? Myers (not off presesaon)? NAK (ditto)?
We can see the difference between Sanheim last year and Sanheim this year.

Patience is a virtue few possess.

No that's what I am saying. People were OBSESSED with preaching patience when Homer was here, now people are furious that we don't have a roster filled with rookies and it is because there is a conspiracy to keep them out or because the GM/Coach just can't see how good these kids are.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Syphilis or Chlamydia, I choose neither.

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

I used to ask this all the time when Homer was the subject of derision...what is it you people expect from the GM? Now, of course no one has used these words so I am sure I will get flamed, but it seems like what is really sought is essentially perfection: great drafting, steals of UFA deals, ripping of other GMs left and right, multiple Cups. We all want that, but it is unrealistic. All GMs have warts. Hextall has this team in a nice spot capwise and prospect-wise. There are issues with the depth and the goaltending, but I'm not sure what it is you want him to do? If he signed a UFA people would cry all day he is overpaid or too long. If he makes a trade that involves a prospect people's heads would explode.

Is it just because there are a couple guys you don't like on the team and you'd rather see a rookie play? I would love to see more youth, that pretty much goes without saying across the board, but at the same time putting in young guys just to put them is not how I want the GM to run the team.

 

[Rebels57]

I used to ask this all the time when Homer was the subject of derision...what is it you people expect from the GM? Now, of course no one has used these words so I am sure I will get flamed, but it seems like what is really sought is essentially perfection: great drafting, steals of UFA deals, ripping of other GMs left and right, multiple Cups. We all want that, but it is unrealistic. All GMs have warts. Hextall has this team in a nice spot capwise and prospect-wise. There are issues with the depth and the goaltending, but I'm not sure what it is you want him to do? If he signed a UFA people would cry all day he is overpaid or too long. If he makes a trade that involves a prospect people's heads would explode.

Is it just because there are a couple guys you don't like on the team and you'd rather see a rookie play? I would love to see more youth, that pretty much goes without saying across the board, but at the same time putting in young guys just to put them is not how I want the GM to run the team.

HIRE A f***ING NHL COACHING STAFF.

JESUS CHRIST.

 

[Jtown]

Syphilis or Chlamydia, I choose neither.

Chlamydia isn’t really all that bad

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Myself in franchise mode on my PlayStation.

 

[YEM]

but it seems like what is really sought is essentially perfection: great drafting, steals of UFA deals, ripping of other GMs left and right, multiple Cups. We all want that, but it is unrealistic.

what you call perfection is basically what every cup-winning GM has done
with a bit of good luck/fortune mixed in

 

[JojoTheWhale]

What I want from a GM is for the positives to outweigh the negatives and there to be a clear, well-managed long term plan. That's it. You can win a million different ways. I don't care which is chosen as long as it's reasonably repeatable.

That's not Paul Holmgren. It might not be Hextall either, but his chance is non-zero.

 

[deadhead]

Every good GM takes gambles, some work, some don't, smart ones minimize their losses and move on.

Hextall's gambles have been the same, try to get an extra year out of a veteran while developing his replacements.
Filppula as 2C/3C last year, MacDonald, Elliott/Neuvirth.
He's tried to avoid spending assets on short-term fixes up to now, or breaking up the veteran core.

But I think with the flood of talent over the horizon, Hextall's patience may wear thin.
I don't see him firing Hakstol for one simple reason, who's the replacement?
He's not going to change the general philosophy, so forget a wide open offensive minded coach, ain't happenin' on his watch.
So who's available? Gordon? Knob? on the street?

But if he's wed to the general philosophy, he may move a couple veterans to send a message.
Obviously, moving MacDonald, Lehtera, Weise, means nothing, they're on the way out in any case.
The two obvious targets are Voracek (because he's the worst fit) and Simmonds (b/c I don't think they're gonna resign him).
The biggest problem is they're both RWs and the only viable RW at LHV is probably also a trade candidate for his lack of discipline, that is, NAK.

 

[Garbage Goal]

I used to ask this all the time when Homer was the subject of derision...what is it you people expect from the GM? Now, of course no one has used these words so I am sure I will get flamed, but it seems like what is really sought is essentially perfection: great drafting, steals of UFA deals, ripping of other GMs left and right, multiple Cups. We all want that, but it is unrealistic. All GMs have warts. Hextall has this team in a nice spot capwise and prospect-wise. There are issues with the depth and the goaltending, but I'm not sure what it is you want him to do? If he signed a UFA people would cry all day he is overpaid or too long. If he makes a trade that involves a prospect people's heads would explode.

Is it just because there are a couple guys you don't like on the team and you'd rather see a rookie play? I would love to see more youth, that pretty much goes without saying across the board, but at the same time putting in young guys just to put them is not how I want the GM to run the team.

Your standards are absurdly low if you think people asking for a legitimate coaching staff and to play the kids 5 years into a retool is akin to asking for perfection.

 

[Rebels57]

Your standards are absurdly low if you think people asking for a legitimate coaching staff and to play the kids 5 years into a retool is akin to asking for perfection.

If there's one thing about DrinkFight, is that he is not ready to hold anyone accountable. It's no ones fault ever.

 

[46zone]

People who bash Homer conveniently ignore the success his teams had between '07 and '12. Homer rolled the dice on Pronger, and his career ending injury only 2 years later sunk them.

I'll take annually winning playoff rounds and going to the SCF over Hextall's model, i.e. waiting for prospects to develop and sitting on cap space.

 

[deadhead]

Holmgren's big move was spending money on Briere, Kimmo and Hartnell, and money was a key to the Pronger deal.

Hextall simply didn't have that option, the converse, he had to shed players to get under the cap.

 

[Lindberg]

Holmgren's big move was spending money on Briere, Kimmo and Hartnell, and money was a key to the Pronger deal.

Hextall simply didn't have that option, the converse, he had to shed players to get under the cap.

Hextall doesn't have to shed any players now and the ones that are expensive Lehtera and MacDonald can be shed for very little.

Hextall is now at the point where his GMing ability can totally be judged without any sort of "what-if" optics. He's got capspace, prospects, picks, and players available to trade if he so chooses to do so.

 

[46zone]

Hextall doesn't have to shed any players now and the ones that are expensive Lehtera and MacDonald can be shed for very little.

Hextall is now at the point where his GMing ability can totally be judged without any sort of "what-if" optics. He's got capspace, prospects, picks, and players available to trade if he so chooses to do so.

This is my line of thinking as well. The mess Homer left for Hextall has been cleaned up, outside of MacDonald obviously.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

RE: Holmgren

The Bryzgalov deal would still have another year after this one at ~4.8 on it if the CBA didn't bail them out of his mess. He's 38.

and money was a key to the Pronger deal.

Just a reminder for those that don't remember -- the way that money was a key was that Lupul had to be given as a throw-in to match salaries one year into a 4 year extension given by Holmgren. Anaheim did not want him and did not value him.

 

[Curufinwe]

This is the first season Hextall has had cap space to work with, so to accuse him of "sitting" on cap space as if he's had it all along is pretty disingenuous.

And I get the feeling the people who are mad about the Flyers not using 95-100% of their cap space for the first time in many years (ever?) would be the first ones to put Hextall on blast if he used it to trade picks/prospects for a veteran who didn't pan out.

 

[Lindberg]

This is the first season Hextall has had cap space to work with, so to accuse him of "sitting" on cap space as if he's had it all along is pretty disingenuous.

And I get the feeling the people who are mad about the Flyers not using 95-100% of their cap space for the first time in many years (ever?) would be the first ones to put Hextall on blast if he used it to trade picks/prospects for a veteran who didn't pan out.

Hextall has burdened himself with acquiring additional cap to gain back other assets.

It would be very interesting to be a fly on the wall inside Hextall's office. I'd love to know if he is keeping Hakstol around as a way to keep his job safe. What I don't understand is how Lappy is still around. You can swap assistant coaches without any real repercussions.

 

[Curufinwe]

Hextall has burdened himself with acquiring additional cap to gain back other assets.

I assume you're referring to the Hartnell and Schenn trades, but they didn't take up extra cap space. In both cases, the cap hits exchanged were about even for the first two years, then cap space was/will be gained two years down the line.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

Hextall has burdened himself with acquiring additional cap to gain back other assets.

Lehtera? You mean just Lehtera?

For an additional #1 pick, I do that trade every day. Considering Homer had about 8 ridiculous anchors, I think Hexy gets 1.

Also Curufinwe is correct...essentially Hextall lost cap space in that deal + Hartnell deal. Had dead Umberger so he didn't have dead Hartnell years later.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

Hextall doesn't have to shed any players now and the ones that are expensive Lehtera and MacDonald can be shed for very little.

Hextall is now at the point where his GMing ability can totally be judged without any sort of "what-if" optics. He's got capspace, prospects, picks, and players available to trade if he so chooses to do so.

But that's the point -- Hextall only now (offseason 4) has the space to do what Holmgren did Year 1. That's why they can't be measured the same. Even so -- Hextall went out and got one of the best FAs on the market this year, yet doesn't get credit for that. It's as if he sat on his hands this offseason still to some folks.

 

[The Burdened]

All to his credit, Hextall got out of 80% of the bad Homer contracts by his 2nd year.

He cleaned up that mess masterfully, but that was 3-years ago.

Some of ya'll need to check your calendars: it's the 2018-19 season not 2015-16.

He has had time

He's spent a lot of draft capital on defense with the promise of "we're gonna be great in the long haul by building from the net out", and 5-years later here we are with the 2nd most goals against in the NHL only behind a team that is off to their worst start in their 90+ year history and are blatantly tanking. How is this possible?!

He has done absolutely nothing to fix the G & D except think too highly of his own players.

Provorov isn't Drew Doughty & Ghost is a liability in our own end & Sanheim isn't the player a lot of us though he'd be (he can still be rock solid Top 4 which would be awesome, but the ship sailed on him maybe being top pair), Morin... don't even get me started on Morin both on the player himself and this teams failure to give him a rightful chance out of camp last year and now he's looking at not having a chance at a bottom pair NHL role until 2019-20.

Years ago it was "just wait for the defensive cavalry to get here! we'll be set for life!"
Well (with the exception of Myers).... they're here and it's not as pretty as promised.

We're still bleeding goals and look lost defensively. I'll accept the logic that it's on Hak & we need a better system for the the players to play in... but that sin in is 1000% on Hextall because of his inability to admit he was wrong on his son's coach.

This whole plan is now riding on the back of Carter Hart, which is foolish considering you don't know what any kind of goalie is gonna be until he proves it in the NHL. God I hope he's right on Carter Hart. If he's not, we're screwed.

Even so -- Hextall went out and got one of the best FAs on the market this year, yet doesn't get credit for that.

So with his first chance to do damage in UFA & swing his UFA dick around... he signs a 30-year old winger to a bad contract.

The same kind of contract half of this thread is rightfully kicking Homer for.

 

[Curufinwe]

I've got good news and bad news when it comes to the possibility of upgrading the defense.

Good news is one Montreal fan says Petry can be had for the bargain price of Sanheim + pick. And they'll even take Lehtera as a cap dump.

Bad news is another Habs fan says he's not available with how well Montreal have been playing. So we're stuck with Sanheim for now.

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/petry-to-tor-trade-deadline.2550411/page-11

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

what you call perfection is basically what every cup-winning GM has done
with a bit of good luck/fortune mixed in

GMs since the lockout:

Brian MacLellan
Jim Rutherford
Rutherford
Stan Bowman
Dean Lombardi
Bowman
Lombardi
Peter Chiarelli
Stan Bowman
Ray Shero
Ken Holland
Brian Burke
Rutherford

Maybe give me a rundown of how these guys did something different from what Hextall is doing? How did these teams navigate the waters of the Salary Cap without making the same blunders that Hextall is making? Does it have anything to do with having multiple elite players on the rosters that were acquired after a decade of sucking? There are moves that I guarantee you the fanbases of these teams (and others) lambasted from these guys. I am pretty sure that I suggested taking a chance on Justin Schultz and he was called the worst defenseman in the NHL by at least one person on here. I also recall people poo-pooing the idea of signing Oshie. Hextall is in his fifth year and has given this team a slew of prospects and a very manageable cap. Did you expect that he would have made this team a Cup champion by now? Is this the year that he was supposed to do it and you are counting him out already? What exactly is your measurement for what he is supposed to do?

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

HIRE A ****ING NHL COACHING STAFF.

JESUS CHRIST.
View attachment 148119

Well yeah that is step one but that is not this team's only problem (but seemingly it is the easiest to fix).