Injury Report: Nov. 26: Michael Raffl (foot) activated from IR; VandeVelde placed on IR

[4thline4life]

Lol, it is seriously mind-blowing that we as fans can make a better lineup than the guy paid to make the lineup.

I would suggest even the fans that yell "shoot it" every 3 seconds on the power play know that VV on the first line is an idiotic decision.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Our best hope is that he's basically giving everyone a tryout at the spot. And not that he has decided VV is the logical solution.

 

[OriginJM]

i like VV as a person but why he is still on this team over other options (even UFA ones) makes me bleed internally

edit: i forgot to mention the thought of christopher mother****ing vandevelde playing on the 1st line of an NHL club is akin to akeson playing QB for the eagles

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

On his Twitter account, Bill M quotes Berube as saying "That line needs a simple player. He goes into the corners, he's been physical and he skates well."

Yep. Can't argue with that logic.

Hextall seems to share to same view.

I asked Hexy about what Berube described as the elements needed to play with Giroux and Voracek -- simple game, size, corner work, speed.

Hextall agreed with Berube's description and said that Raffl was the best guy the team had on Giroux and Voracek's LW even last year.

Source: Bill Meltzer @billmeltzer

 

[The Rage Kage]

I never thought Berube could be so stupid... Berube logic at its finest. **** I want him fired

 

[Fire Tortorella]

Hextall seems to share to same view.



Source: Bill Meltzer @billmeltzer

I don't necessarily disagree with his line of reasoning, but thinking that that player can be VdV is just so dumb.

 

[BernieParent]

Does Berube have a twitter account? Maybe we as fans need to pepper him with comments about how bad of a move it is putting Vandevelde on the top line

@FailToTheChief

 

[blinds]

I bet we see VdV there for the next 2 games, and if that's it I'm okay, but I'm going to be upset if we don't see something different after the 5 day break. Schenn or PEB would be so much better. Keeping the other lines together doesn't make much sense seeing as they've been together for all of 2 game.

How could you think putting a career AHLer, a guy who has scored 7 points in his career, with the 2nd highest scoring tandem in the league is a good idea? The mind boggles. It's like we're trying to handicap Giroux and Voracek.

 

[TheSpectrum]

Maybe I am alone in this but I would break up the Read-Cooter combo, bump Reid up to the first line. Seems like his name needs a little jump start, he's been pretty awful since the Penguins game and I think the fact that he has to go up against top units on a nightly basis is wearing his game down

This would also open up room for Akeson to re-enter the roster in a more expanded role

Read-G-Voracek
Schenn-Bellemare-Simmonds
Akeson-Cooter-Umberger
VDV-Vinny-Rinaldo

 

[BillDineen]

@FailToTheChief

LOL. Great.

 

[Qyburn]

I have no idea why this hasn't been posted in here yet, since it answers the question everyone seems to have "omg wth is he thinking?????????"

Berube said VandeVelde was on the top line on a game-by-game basis. The Flyers host Florida on Thursday.

"I'm not sold on anything yet," he said, adding he "didn't want to mix all the lines up again, but on the other side of it, we need someone to do the job there."

So not only is he trying to do what people have been screaming at him to do - let the lines try to gel - it's pretty obvious his biggest priority is to do that with the Schenn/Lecav/Simmonds line. Considering the talent wasted by not finding a way to get a minimum of 2 of those 3 players going, it's really not a terrible idea. All season long, I've thought the best option (sadly) was to let those 3 keep hammering it out in practice until something works, like we saw with Hartnell/Briere/Leino. The assets are too valuable to stick one on the 4th and let the other slide up and down all season.

Read and Umberger are both terrible ideas, imo. I hope Bellemare gets his shot after 1 or 2 games.

 

[ILoveStephanieBrown]

Hextall seems to share to same view.



Source: Bill Meltzer @billmeltzer

those things dont exactly describe VV though. Not the speed part at least

 

[The Rage Kage]

I have no idea why this hasn't been posted in here yet, since it answers the question everyone seems to have "omg wth is he thinking?????????"

So not only is he trying to do what people have been screaming at him to do - let the lines try to gel - it's pretty obvious his biggest priority is to do that with the Schenn/Lecav/Simmonds line. Considering the talent wasted by not finding a way to get a minimum of 2 of those 3 players going, it's really not a terrible idea. All season long, I've thought the best option (sadly) was to let those 3 keep hammering it out in practice until something works, like we saw with Hartnell/Briere/Leino. The assets are too valuable to stick one on the 4th and let the other slide up and down all season.

Read and Umberger are both terrible ideas, imo. I hope Bellemare gets his shot after 1 or 2 games.

The Schenn-Vinny-Simmonds line has never worked and I don't think it ever will. Simmonds and Couts looked great when they were together, don't know why he felt the need to change that and put Simmonds in the worst place possible for even strength succes

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

The Schenn-Vinny-Simmonds line has never worked and I don't think it ever will. Simmonds and Couts looked great when they were together, don't know why he felt the need to change that and put Simmonds in the worst place possible for even strength succes

Read requested to be switched back to RW.

 

[Sombastate]

I hate Berube. I have an ex fiance that Cheated on me on my birthday that I like more than Berube.

Lets hire her as coach

 

[Swic21]

I know Read doesn't prefer LW, but why not try it to get him going?

Read-G-Jake
Schenn-Couts-Akeson
Umberger-Vinny-Simmer
VdV-PEB-Zac

 

[RJ8812*]

put Schenn back there

 

[Random Forest]

Read requested to be switched back to RW.

True, but he's had success on the left side in the past and he hasn't looked okay on the right side this year, anyway.

He started the year poorly and likely just wanted to chalk it up to playing his off wing. Doesn't seem like that was the problem, though.


As for this ingenious decision by Berube...I'm just going to laugh at this point. Not much more you can say. His lineup decisions have been embarrassingly bad. I also find it disconcerting that Hextall agreed with what Berube said.

 

[Striiker]

This is beyond depressing.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I mean, Hextall has to publicly go along with his coach and support him.


But if he isn't privately questioning Berube's decisions I would be really concerned.

 

[Neumatic]

Am I the only one who doesn't want our forwards blocking shots? Especially our skilled forwards?

 

[Curufinwe]

When it gets too much just remember two words: transition year.

 

[Tripod]

I look at our lineup and see 5 guys who had 18 goals or more last year that could be put on the wing beside G and Jake. Obviously, no to Vinny. That leaves 4 guys who are more logical options.

Yet our coach want a 27 year old guy with 2 career goals there instead.

To steal the line from BernieParent....Fail to the Chief!

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Am I the only one who doesn't want our forwards blocking shots? Especially our skilled forwards?

Somebody has to do it when the time calls & there's more forwards than defensemen.

Raffl's a defensive first player, the only problem is he blocks shots like a moron.

 

[The Rage Kage]

Read requested to be switched back to RW.

Yeah, I know, and this year Couturier looked better with Simmonds than he did with Read. Read can play with Lecavalier instead.

Edit: and Simmonds was taken off Couturiers wing before Read switched back to right wing, the two weren't connected