Who is the one player (realistically) you would add this summer

[Lindberg]

O no? So adding a guy that can elevate our ****ty PK from 29th to lets say 15th will do nothing? Yeah ok.
He does not even have to skate, just help us out on PK.. That's By the way Hal Gill was awesome on PK, @OzFlyers. Older Hal Gill is what doctor ordered for this team.

Who is this bottom pairing player going to be better than? If P. Myers makes camp and ends up as a top four (end of season) then you have quite a few players on a roster that would be on the bottom pair (Morin, Hagg, MacDonald, Gudas).

 

[BrindamoursNose]

Bozak, Grabner and Kunitz.

Do it.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

There is zero reason for any team to want Kunitz. Kunitz is old and it truly shows. He's not worth picking up in the NHL anymore.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

There is zero reason for any team to want Kunitz. Kunitz is old and it truly shows. He's not worth picking up in the NHL anymore.

I have my reason, which will just be silly to most here (and I'm okay with that): his presence and grind.

I think we need more of that in the bottom 2 lines. Now, it doesn't HAVE to be Kunitz bringing that, but he's won and can chip in a few more goals than the average 4th liner.

He's what I'd call a "character" choice in my eyes.

 

[Rebels57]

Kunitz is f***ing trash. Team has plenty of character and signing him takes away a spot from Aube-Kubel who is also gritty and was one of the best ES scorers in the AHL this season. I think people forget that.

Lets say we signed Bozak and Grabner, which im not opposed to..

Giroux - Couturier - Konecny
Lindblom - Patrick - Voracek
Grabner - Bozak - Simmonds*
Raffl - Laughton - Aube-Kubel

Lehtera healthy scratch
Weise healthy scratch
Weal traded for 3rd

*If still here

Those are 4 lines you can role and win a lot of matchups with.

 

[Domino666]

Kunitz is a clown no f***ing thank you

 

[Deadpool8812]

Kunitz is a POS. Have zero respect for a player that blatantly targeted a player's knees (Timonen) when he would take runs at them.

 

[duffy9748]

The issue with Bozak is what do you do with him when Frost is ready in 19-20? He’s getting at least 3 years, likely 4. Do you want to have that money tied up in a 4th line center when that spot could be filled by Laughton/Vorobyev/Rubstov?

 

[Deadpool8812]

Kunitz is ****ing trash. Team has plenty of character and signing him takes away a spot from Aube-Kubel who is also gritty and was one of the best ES scorers in the AHL this season. I think people forget that.

Lets say we signed Bozak and Grabner, which im not opposed to..

Giroux - Couturier - Konecny
Lindblom - Patrick - Voracek
Grabner - Bozak - Simmonds*
Raffl - Laughton - Aube-Kubel

Lehtera healthy scratch
Weise healthy scratch
Weal traded for 3rd

*If still here

Those are 4 lines you can role and win a lot of matchups with.

It would just depend on what type of contracts Bozak and Grabner would want.

 

[hatcher]

This team with additions won't be any better with the leaders we have. Watching these playoffs makes a man sick to be a flyers fan. Due time I guess 6 to 7 yrs we should have a chance.

 

[duffy9748]

This team with additions won't be any better with the leaders we have. Watching these playoffs makes a man sick to be a flyers fan. Due time I guess 6 to 7 yrs we should have a chance.

I’m sure people were raving about Washington’s leadership the last 3 years...

 

[Tripod]

The issue with Bozak is what do you do with him when Frost is ready in 19-20? He’s getting at least 3 years, likely 4. Do you want to have that money tied up in a 4th line center when that spot could be filled by Laughton/Vorobyev/Rubstov?

Trade him. We really need a guy for 2 years....next year, then the following year move to wing. Then hopefully a kid will be ready.

This team with additions won't be any better with the leaders we have. Watching these playoffs makes a man sick to be a flyers fan. Due time I guess 6 to 7 yrs we should have a chance.

Over reaction Hatch. Have faith.

 

[hatcher]

Trade him. We really need a guy for 2 years....next year, then the following year move to wing. Then hopefully a kid will be ready. Not after watching every other playoff team and the efforts of in. Even Minnesota went balls out but lost. Let's see what happens but it's not good right. A bunch of flat boring wins if all we'll watch it looks like.



Over reaction Hatch. Have faith.

 

[hatcher]

I’m sure people were raving about Washington’s leadership the last 3 years...

Played so much harder and deserved better. Lindros teams never won but could have and played the way hockey should be played and that's intense. We don't resemble nothing of a winner.

 

[duffy9748]

Trade him. We really need a guy for 2 years....next year, then the following year move to wing. Then hopefully a kid will be ready.



Over reaction Hatch. Have faith.

That’s easier said then done. In year 3 of that deal, Bozak will be turning 35. I’d love to just dump Weise or MacDonald right now as well. Bozak just doesn’t move the needle for me.

 

[Rebels57]

The issue with Bozak is what do you do with him when Frost is ready in 19-20? He’s getting at least 3 years, likely 4. Do you want to have that money tied up in a 4th line center when that spot could be filled by Laughton/Vorobyev/Rubstov?

If all goes well with Frost, his timeline could look something like..

18-19 - Juniors
19-20 - Starts in AHL and ends season at 3rd line RW (same as Giroux)
20-21 - 3rd line C with Bozak moved around or traded

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I have my reason, which will just be silly to most here (and I'm okay with that): his presence and grind.

I think we need more of that in the bottom 2 lines. Now, it doesn't HAVE to be Kunitz bringing that, but he's won and can chip in a few more goals than the average 4th liner.

He's what I'd call a "character" choice in my eyes.

Kunitz can't even skate well enough to grind with the current NHL. Not to mention that he's about to be 39 years old and we can clearly put better people on our team than him just from the Phantoms. I'd rather have McDonald grind it out than Kunitz on this team. He'd an aged vet who doesn't really have it anymore for the NHL. Raffl is the grinding and speed type that we need on the bottom line and he clearly younger, faster and stronger than Kunitz. So in the end, Kunitz is a pointless endeavor for this team because we have younger and better choices than him in our system and on the team already.

Character means nothing if you can't even play the current NHL game. Might as well keep Lehtera around since he has character right?

 

[duffy9748]

If all goes well with Frost, his timeline could look something like..

18-19 - Juniors
19-20 - Starts in AHL and ends season at 3rd line RW (same as Giroux)
20-21 - 3rd line C with Bozak moved around or traded

I’m really just not a fan of Bozak at this point in his career. He won’t be playing with the same caliber of wingers as he did in Toronto and I could see his hame dropping off fast. For the first time in years, this team has a ton of money to spend and really only 1 or 2 positions that it needs to be spent on. Go big and make a splash for a player that can help now and when this team is contending. Just my opinion, but I have no interest in adding a 3rd line depth player when we have the assets and money to add whatever forward we want.

I also think the goal should be to become a legit contender in 19-20, which is more than doable if you add a veteran goalie over the next 12-18 months.

 

[deadhead]

I don't see Frost spending a day in the AHL, he's NHL ready mentally, just needs to fill out some more and get stronger and play a more physical game.
And he's not a wing, Giroux was a wing in juniors and AHL, Frost is a pure center.

 

[Tripod]

Reality is we likley won't get a #3C thru UFA for 1-2 years. So the option becomes do you sign a guy like Plecs who should be a 4th line C now, and still play him at #3C? Do you suffer thru a year with Laughton then Lehtera at #4? Not ideal options.

Or go the trade route and try and grab a guy?

It just sort of sucks because as of today, it does look like in 1 year, Vorobyev and Frost should be ready for the 3rd and 4th line dutes. But that does not help us this year.

 

[Rebels57]

I’m really just not a fan of Bozak at this point in his career. He won’t be playing with the same caliber of wingers as he did in Toronto and I could see his hame dropping off fast. For the first time in years, this team has a ton of money to spend and really only 1 or 2 positions that it needs to be spent on. Go big and make a splash for a player that can help now and when this team is contending. Just my opinion, but I have no interest in adding a 3rd line depth player when we have the assets and money to add whatever forward we want.

I also think the goal should be to become a legit contender in 19-20, which is more than doable if you add a veteran goalie over the next 12-18 months.

But we need a 3rd line Center though. We don't have one on the NHL roster or one that is clearly NHL ready in the AHL.

The only spot that could maybe use an upgrade in the top 6 is 2LW, but I actually have a lot of faith in a Lindblom-Patrick-Voracek line being even better next year, and they were really good for a long stretch of the 2nd half.

If we could sign Bozak or a similar UFA like Derek Ryan, and trade Simmonds for a guy like Skinner, pushing Lindblom down to the 3rd line, i'd be all about it.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I still think Bozak at 2 years at 3M per would be perfect. Good length but not costing too much.

 

[Lindberg]

I still think Bozak at 2 years at 3M per would be perfect. Good length but not costing too much.

I highly doubt guys like him are going to take 2 years at 3 million. Just get the guy for 3 years with a higher AAV and move him to wing once Frost arrives. Pretty simple and you clear out trash like Filppula and hopefully banish Lehtera.

 

[bauer]

This team with additions won't be any better with the leaders we have. Watching these playoffs makes a man sick to be a flyers fan. Due time I guess 6 to 7 yrs we should have a chance.

did it make you sick to watch Couturier (one of the team's leaders) score 9 points in 5 games playing on one leg?

leaders aren't the problem. lack of depth and bad goaltending is.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I highly doubt guys like him are going to take 2 years at 3 million. Just get the guy for 3 years with a higher AAV and move him to wing once Frost arrives. Pretty simple and you clear out trash like Filppula and hopefully banish Lehtera.

Why would he not take it? He's currently 32 and he's more of what we need in a 3rd line center than someone Stastny. Stastny would want 6M+ and I don't think that is a very smart idea spending that much on a 3C. Also, someone like Stastny and Bozak aren't wingers, they've been centers their entire careers.