Just picked up the THN yearbook. Flyers slated to finish 4th (behind Washington, Boston, and Pitt, in that order) in the conference and have 8-1 odds at winning it all according to them. They also have Washignton winning it all. I think that is a fair prediction. I doubt they do better than Washington and Boston, but if Pitt doesn't have Crosby I can see the Flyers wining the Atlantic.
I don't think the Pens are better than the Flyers in overall depth on offense - Crosby or not, on D or in goal now either. Bryz will erase the Fleury advantage.
Sid is having a press conference to say he's not even ready to play in pick up games yet, never mind training camp. Malkin's coming off MCL/ACL surgery, which usually takes a full year to recover from. He probably won't be at full speed this whole year.
I think the Flyers should still be favorites to win the Atlantic. Where they finish in the top 3 depends on how the depth of the other divisions is. The Atlantic will be tight so it will depend how hard their competition makes Boston and Washington work.
rangers with new additions break out
new jersey picking up where they finished last year
islanders turning the corner with resolved goaltending
pitsburgh in the toilet with neither malkin or crosby fully recovered from injuries
with us competing to be the 3rd atlantic team io make the playoffs
boston and washington win thier respective divisions while tampa locks down 4th.
so somewhere between 6th and 10th. if we make the playoffs theres a run but if were looking bad late i can see it go in the toilet
Not to be the optimist (I know how much people hate that around here), but...
Pittsburgh Penguins - Crosby could still be out for a while and take a bit to get back into the groove as well. Malkin hasn't been "Malkin" for a while now. Staal was not able to "dominate" when given the opportunity last year.
New Jersey Devils - Extremely young and inexperienced. There is literally zero center depth until Zajac returns. While rumors of Brodeur's decline are greatly exaggerated, is this a defense that can buffer him?
New York Rangers - The ever mediocre Rangers signed another high-end free agent that's supposed to jet them back up to the division championship? How many years have we heard this one only for them to just end up mediocre again?
New York Islanders - They're still using DiPietro as a necessary evil to reach the cap floor for god's sake.
Tell me why the Flyers can't win the division?
I'm not here to declare a championship, but if you think we don't stand a legitimate if not a favorable shot then you're crazy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Science
Teams definitely better than the Flyers:
Caps
Pens
Bruins
The only teams that are definitely better than us are the Caps and Bruins. The rest of the division is wide open.
Not to be the optimist (I know how much people hate that around here), but...
Pittsburgh Penguins - Crosby could still be out for a while and take a bit to get back into the groove as well. Malkin hasn't been "Malkin" for a while now. Staal was not able to "dominate" when given the opportunity last year.
New Jersey Devils - Extremely young and inexperienced. There is literally zero center depth until Zajac returns. While rumors of Brodeur's decline are greatly exaggerated, is this a defense that can buffer him?
New York Rangers - The ever mediocre Rangers signed another high-end free agent that's supposed to jet them back up to the division championship? How many years have we heard this one only for them to just end up mediocre again?
New York Islanders - They're still using DiPietro as a necessary evil to reach the cap floor for god's sake.
Tell me why the Flyers can't win the division?
I'm not here to declare a championship, but if you think we don't stand a legitimate if not a favorable shot then you're crazy.
The only teams that are definitely better than us are the Caps and Bruins. The rest of the division is wide open.
Agreed. I have a few statements that I am confident stating:
1. Last years Flyers > This years Flyers
2. This years Flyers are NOT a Stanley Cup Contender (Any team that makes the postseason has a shot, but they are not a favorite for the trophy)
Luckily for the Flyers parity in the NHL is real and there are few dominate teams out there. If we were in the west, I think us missing the playoffs is a very real possibility! As it stands now I see the conference something like this:
1. Bruins
2. Caps
3. Pens/Flyers/Rangers (up for grabs)
4-9: Pens/Flyers/Lightning/Rangers/Habs/Buffalo/Jersey
***I can honestly say I wouldn't be surprised to see us in third. I also wouldn't be shocked to see us in 9th
The rest: Toronto/Ottawa/Winnipeg/Florida/Isles/Carolina
I think it depends on Crosby, really. If he plays this season, then the Flyers won't win the Atlantic so they'll be somewhere from 4-8. But if Crosby doesn't play, the Atlantic is pretty wide open. Probably a three horse race between PHI, NYR, and PIT and I could see Philly coming out on top.
If Malkin has his A game the whole season and the rest of the roster plays as well as Bylsma had them playing last season, they will be in contention to win the Atlantic even if Crosby only comes back the second half, or final third of the year. Perhaps if Fleury can have another season like last, they could contend even if he doesn't make it back at all. I have a grudging respect for what that team accomplished last year and their whole approach to the game.
That's just my take though. I'm sure many would say I'm giving them too much credit to be able to sustain that for an entire season.
If Malkin has his A game the whole season and the rest of the roster plays as well as Bylsma had them playing last season, they will be in contention to win the Atlantic even if Crosby only comes back the second half, or final third of the year. Perhaps if Fleury can have another season like last, they could contend even if he doesn't make it back at all. I have a grudging respect for what that team accomplished last year and their whole approach to the game.
That's just my take though. I'm sure many would say I'm giving them too much credit to be able to sustain that for an entire season.
Malkin has supposedly been working out harder than ever. Because of that I expect him to be the Malkin of old and become gassed by February, and wildly inconsistent down the stretch
I'm only comfortable answering this question if someone will please answer my question (to help provide context).
And, it may sound absurd, but this question is serious.
Entering the respective seasons, do you think the Flyers have as much young talent on this team going in to this season as the Blackhawks had heading into their season two years ago?
I know hindsight may blind us. And I honestly do not know: did Blackhawk fans really think of their team as anything more than a good, young team at this point two years ago?
And, when comparing (if you choose to), don't forget the value of Bryzy, whom the Blackhawks had no one comparable.
Not to be the optimist (I know how much people hate that around here), but...
Pittsburgh Penguins - Crosby could still be out for a while and take a bit to get back into the groove as well. Malkin hasn't been "Malkin" for a while now. Staal was not able to "dominate" when given the opportunity last year.
New Jersey Devils - Extremely young and inexperienced. There is literally zero center depth until Zajac returns. While rumors of Brodeur's decline are greatly exaggerated, is this a defense that can buffer him?
New York Rangers - The ever mediocre Rangers signed another high-end free agent that's supposed to jet them back up to the division championship? How many years have we heard this one only for them to just end up mediocre again?
New York Islanders - They're still using DiPietro as a necessary evil to reach the cap floor for god's sake.
Tell me why the Flyers can't win the division?
I'm not here to declare a championship, but if you think we don't stand a legitimate if not a favorable shot then you're crazy.
The only teams that are definitely better than us are the Caps and Bruins. The rest of the division is wide open.
SSSSHHH! How dare you be optimistic! I predict you will be yelled at shortly.
as an outsider i am not sure how you can see this season as anything more than a roll of the dice.
* if bryz flourishes under the pressure, giroux blossoms with his elevation in responsibility and pronger and timmo are healthy, they could easily be top 2.
* if bryz and giroux break under the the pressure and pronger and timmo break down. doom is the word.
* if its a mix of the up and the down, then it will be a struggle but playoffs.
you'd think any of those three scenarios are fairly possible.
(kind of)
