GDT: Pre #1| Sunday, Sep. 15, 2013|Flyers vs. Maple Leafs (London, ON) | 6:00 p.m. ET

[NHLAlert]

Laughton looked good but I dont think he stood out as much as your making it out to be. He played a good game but he didn't really do anything too much different than our other forwards(except for a shot he was robbed on by Reimer).

I still think he beats out McGinn and Cousins as of now though. Cousins needs more muscle and McGinn doesn't have the overall game that Laughton has.

Nah.

Laughton was definitely the best overall player in the game. He was incredible at both ends of the ice. Brayden Schenn was number two, and I'd give Cousins a close three.

Stolarz was better than expected but not nearly enough to beat out some of our forwards who had great games.

Clarkson was good, but he definitely was not in our top 5 of best players today; probably not even top 10.

I want to point out that, before his injury, Rinaldo was freaking EVERYWHERE. He looked really good and seemed to have a step on everyone on the ice.

 

[NHLAlert]

Brayden Schenn, Nick Cousins and Anthony Stolarz were the 3 most encouraging players on the ice for me.

I second this

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Good to hear the young guys looked good. How did the old man Hal Gill look? Who was he paired with?

He was ok, he was basically what he's advertised as.

He was mostly paired with Gus who was probably the worst defensemen tonight.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Laughton looked good but I dont think he stood out as much as your making it out to be. He played a good game but he didn't really do anything too much different than our other forwards(except for a shot he was robbed on by Reimer).

I still think he beats out McGinn and Cousins as of now though. Cousins needs more muscle and McGinn doesn't have the overall game that Laughton has.

He didn't show up on the score sheet but he was creating a lot of opportunities tonight. He was probably the best defensive forward for tonight too.

I really don't see how he doesn't make this team come October 2nd.

 

[Gert B Frobe]

I thought Grossman looked good - skated the puck out a lot more than usual.

Cousins does a lot well besides skate. Unfortunately for him - hockey is on skates.

 

[NHLAlert]

He didn't show up on the score sheet but he was creating a lot of opportunities tonight. He was probably the best defensive forward for tonight too.

I really don't see how he doesn't make this team come October 2nd.

I hear ya, I was just really saying that I don't think he was the best forward tonight. He did play good D but I don't think anyone would ever question that.

I'd be really surprised if he didn't. He's at that point where he's too advanced for juniors and not old enough for the AHL(not that he needs to be there with who he's competing with). I'd be shocked if he was sent back. I've never seen Raffl play so I can't comment on what his game is like but from all reports, it sounds like Laughton has the nod

 

[sa cyred]

He was ok, he was basically what he's advertised as.

He was mostly paired with Gus who was probably the worst defensemen tonight.

Yep. He did not confirm what I hope would be a good season as a 6. He did look ALOT better when paired with Grossmann. Does make me think how much was on Gill also who looked slow.

Really hoping the other squad plays better. On defense they have Timonen,Streit, Coburn, Morin and I'm guessing Manning, and Konan. Maybe they site Timonen or Streit.

Overall the other squad looks stronger.


On Laughton, he looked average to me. Was losing the puck ALOT and was getting pushed off. Was aggressive like normal but can't say I was super impressed like some are saying.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Yep. He did not confirm what I hope would be a good season as a 6. He did look ALOT better when paired with Grossmann. Does make me think how much was on Gill also who looked slow.

Really hoping the other squad plays better. On defense they have Timonen,Streit, Coburn, Morin and I'm guessing Manning, and Konan. Maybe they site Timonen or Streit.

Overall the other squad looks stronger.

Yup, the defense core that stayed in Philly are much more mobile than the ones that went to Canada. I think they should have balanced that out a little better, although if you have Alt out there tonight over say a guy like Lauridsen it looks much better on paper.

I'm looking more forward to the game here in Philly than I am for the one in Toronto tomorrow night. The roster looks much better except for maybe the goaltending position.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I hear ya, I was just really saying that I don't think he was the best forward tonight. He did play good D but I don't think anyone would ever question that.

I'd be really surprised if he didn't. He's at that point where he's too advanced for juniors and not old enough for the AHL(not that he needs to be there with who he's competing with). I'd be shocked if he was sent back. I've never seen Raffl play so I can't comment on what his game is like but from all reports, it sounds like Laughton has the nod

I would agree that he wasn't the best forward tonight but I still think he was one of the better looking ones on the night.

 

[Larry44]

Raymond & Ranger for me, Gibson was pretty solid as well.

Went to the game with a buddy who is a Hawk fan. We agreed that Raymond was the best player on the ice tonight.

Read and the Schenns looked good, as did Cousins. Stolarz was good too.

I thought Laughton played a mediocre game. Fumbled it like a hand grenade. Passed up a handful of scoring chances trying to overpass. Frankly, he looks like he could us another year in Jr. working on his offense.

Toronto played a lot of young D with on experience and did well. The Flyers had no beginner rookies (not sure if Lauridsen still qualifies) and didn't.

Meszaros looked awful early and picked up. Gill is done. Buh-bye. He got walked by Kadri, then blew the GWG by lying down instead of taking his man.

Mason had no real chance on Kadri's goal, and the scramble goal is hard to blame on him. I blame him for backing into far on Raymond's SH breakaway. When you've got a guy getting that much backside pressure, you have to come out and challenge.

Among the rookies, Alderson looked pretty good. McGinn had moments but not enough. Clarkson, Holmstrom and Bordson are just AHL roster filler.

 

[tymed]

I only managed to catch a shifty stream of the 3rd period,

and from the limited viewing, again Cousins stood out as he did in the prospect game last week. Hes got an instinct for the net that cant be taught, and although hes clearly developed some good puck protection skills for a player his side and speed, he will absolutely not take the next step until he actually fixes the mechanics of his skating, which are nothing short of atrocious. His stride reminds me almost of Ranford's-yikess. He won't gain much more speed skating the way he is.

Stolarz and L. Schenn also stood out for me. Cant really say I noticed any others out there in that time.

 

[hockeyphan25]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Lauridsen playing well. Not that it means much because every other defender was pretty bad in this game but he was the only dman that I was impressed with tonight. I was surprisingly impressed by his play at the end last year and he seems to have built onto that. He is poised with the puck (as far as get it out of his own end and finding teammates when forechecking pressure is on), confident and plays well defensively, he was probably the bright spot for me in this game as far as gauging expectations for these players.

Cousins really played well (brought much of our offense almost single handedly) but you still could see he has to learn the all around game. I thought Laughton played well in the first but wasn't too noticeable after that.

The Leafs made some good pickups this offseason, they may end up being a scary team with their skill, experience and toughness.

Man it's great to have Hockey back with a full season to look forward too.

 

[FLYguy3911]

I didn't really notice Lauridsen which is a good thing because he stood out last year when called up, mostly for the wrong reasons. He's got a lot of climbing to do to sniff the big club though.

 

[markzab]

I think Mason started out a little rough, but finished off nicely. 2 of the goals against him you cant really fault him too much on, and while he did get beat on that breakaway, there were a few more after that which he stopped which was nice to see.

 

[Hiesenberg]

Rough game for Gus, that's about the most I noticed. I'm not gonna take too much away from this game. It was a get your feet wet type of game. How many guys are gone in 2 days that played last night. Get a better feel in a week or so.

 

[Evergreen]

Gustafsson was easily the most disappointing player on the ice for the Flyers. Nearly every time he tried to move the puck in the defensive zone, he flubbed the pass, sent it to an empty area, or gave it to the other team. He couldn't keep the puck in at the point (leading to the Raymond SH goal) or get shots through to the net.

If he doesn't pick it up, and Meszaros proves healthy and capable, I think Gustafsson is sitting in the press box to start the year.

Timonen - Schenn
Streit - Coburn
Grossmann - Meszaros
x: Gustafsson, Gill/Gervais

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

I second this

Third. I don't get excited about goalie prospects, and I know this was only one (pre-season) NHL game, but he looked smooth out there. He probably could have saved that goal he let in, but the rest of the time he was looking good.

Cousins and Schenn were definitely bright spots, but I don't think either stood out as much as Stolie. Mark me down for being psyched for this goalie prospect.

 

[Hiesenberg]

Gustafsson was easily the most disappointing player on the ice for the Flyers. Nearly every time he tried to move the puck in the defensive zone, he flubbed the pass, sent it to an empty area, or gave it to the other team. He couldn't keep the puck in at the point (leading to the Raymond SH goal) or get shots through to the net.

If he doesn't pick it up, and Meszaros proves healthy and capable, I think Gustafsson is sitting in the press box to start the year.

Timonen - Schenn
Streit - Coburn
Grossmann - Meszaros
x: Gustafsson, Gill/Gervais

What is capable? I think Mesz is a mediocre player, the guy has barely played hockey in almost 2 years, he's going to be average to below average for the better part of the year.

Is a slow footed Mesz who's scared of the puck better than a 24 year old Gus who will take chances, but can skate/pass/shoot?

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I still think how Gill went down so easily and couldn't even reach Kadri on his goal was pretty bad.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Here is how Frank @ the Daily News graded some players if you want to compare and contrast:

GAME GRADES: Just a couple quick hits from Sunday night’s action:

THUMBS UP:
Nick Cousins - Very active in the play, controlled the puck and helped create offensive chances. Was not noticeably unreliable in the defensive zone, which had been his knock. Finished with one shot on net and was even for the night.

Scott Laughton - Did a lot of little things right that help make a team successful - things that don’t always show up on the scoresheet. Helped get the Flyers out of trouble in their own end on numerous occasions. Decent on face-offs.

THUMBS DOWN:
Hal Gill: The veteran tryout seemed just a step slow, even playing against a Leafs roster that barely made it to the veteran minimum for preseason. Slid and took himself out of the play on a 2-on-1, which resulted in a goal for Nazem Kadri. Passes weren’t crisp coming out of the zone. Likely a true longshot to earn a contract.

Erik Gustafsson: After a strong end to last season and a trip to the World Championships, Gustafsson had a rough start to the first half of Sunday’s game. He lost a clear footrace to Mason Raymond for a shorthanded breakaway goal. He also made a boneheaded turnover just inside the Flyers’ blue line, which resulted in Toronto’s second goal.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...impressive-in-London.html#I2WHj1qekCFx1s7B.99

 

[Harold Bingo]

I still think how Gill went down so easily and couldn't even reach Kadri on his goal was pretty bad.

I understand what he was trying to do, but yea, that was pretty bad. Now we just have to wait for Homer to sign him to a 3 year contract.

 

[Embiid]

Here is how Frank @ the Daily News graded some players if you want to compare and contrast:


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...impressive-in-London.html#I2WHj1qekCFx1s7B.99

What..Hal Gill thumbs down? But he was " a mountain of a man" out there like Foster was described last season. Just on that fact alone he should make the team

 

[Harold Bingo]

Here is how Frank @ the Daily News graded some players if you want to compare and contrast:


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...impressive-in-London.html#I2WHj1qekCFx1s7B.99

Yea, out of all Flyers I was most impressed with Cousins. He showed good confidence with the puck and created a few scoring chances. As others have said though, it seems he needs to work on his skating, both speed and balance.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Lauridsen playing well. Not that it means much because every other defender was pretty bad in this game but he was the only dman that I was impressed with tonight. I was surprisingly impressed by his play at the end last year and he seems to have built onto that. He is poised with the puck (as far as get it out of his own end and finding teammates when forechecking pressure is on), confident and plays well defensively, he was probably the bright spot for me in this game as far as gauging expectations for these players.

I believe he took a 10 minute misconduct penalty at one point during that game. So he wasn't really out there that much.

I barely noticed him to be honest & the times I did was because of Coatsey babling about how great he was & how he got beat up by Kaleta last year Buffalo & how that supposedly a good thing.

 

[Legion of Gloom]

Harnell looked as bad as he did last year, hopefully that improves if he is on the top line.

Lule Schenn looked a little slow and was beat a few times, but I thought he did a good job getting the puck out of his zone