Team vs last year? What areas do areas do u see as improved and what areas do u think are weak? I think we got younger, we definately are faster and our one two punch in net might be one of the best in the NHL. We definitely lost sum scoring but improved power play and goaltending should make up for that. I don't think were as deep, but we definitely have sum young talent. We need for a couple guys to have break out years
Last edited by ONTHEFLYGUY: 09-30-2011 at 08:41 AM.
Better Hockey club all the way around in my opinion.....Faster, stronger, younger, better in goal, better in front of the net, stronger Captain figure, etc....I liked Ritchie and Carter etc, but i am really liking this years club and what i am seeing.....There will be some growing pains etc, but i think this club will be in the hunt all season long, and i will not be surprised for even a second if this club wins the East straight up.....Hows that for the cup being half full ?....Jagr's presence is really making things look bright !
Better Hockey club all the way around in my opinion.....Faster, stronger, younger, better in goal, better in front of the net, stronger Captain figure, etc....I liked Ritchie and Carter etc, but i am really liking this years club and what i am seeing.....There will be some growing pains etc, but i think this club will be in the hunt all season long, and i will not be surprised for even a second if this club wins the East straight up.....Hows that for the cup being half full ?....Jagr's presence is really making things look bright !
I think we finally solved a problem that has been haunting us since Hextall's heydays, so that's a step up. But at the same time losing both Carter and Richards hurts are team depth so its a wash for me. So I say we are on equal footing with last years team.
Last year we were dominant during even strength play. This year I dont see that happening as much. I see much of our offense relying on special teams, and i see our PK not being nearly as good as last year.
Offensively I think is about the same, wit the potential to be better. On defense our defenders are the same so its a wash. Goalie is going to be an upgrade. Now the one big thing is the defense play of the whole team. Last night we were caught WAY to many times in the defensive zone and had a tremendous amount of turnovers. We really gotta clean that up.
Last year we were dominant during even strength play. This year I dont see that happening as much. I see much of our offense relying on special teams, and i see our PK not being nearly as good as last year.
I think the PK will be fine. It just won't be as dangerous for a counter attack, but near the net and in goal it will be improved (assuming Pronger gets/stays healthy).
We're a better TEAM IMO.....you already see the chemistry coming together. We are def faster and I think we'll be more consistent even in losses. We will see much better efforts b/c there will be more harmony amongst the players. I think they will have their initial problems 5 on 5 with offensive production in the first half but team D along with the goaltending will give us more chances to win than not. My only concern is not with us so much as with the rest of the conference. Lots of parity this year...any team can beat you on any given night more so than last year from what I've gathered so far. Devils will be better and even the Islanders. Won't be too many easy games that is why it will be important for the team to be more consistent and competitive.
BTW I want to see more from Voracek offensively....if he comes on then that will help a lot.
We're a better TEAM IMO.....you already see the chemistry coming together. We are def faster and I think we'll be more consistent even in losses. We will see much better efforts b/c there will be more harmony amongst the players. I think they will have their initial problems 5 on 5 with offensive production in the first half but team D along with the goaltending will give us more chances to win than not. My only concern is not with us so much as with the rest of the conference. Lots of parity this year...any team can beat you on any given night more so than last year from what I've gathered so far. Devils will be better and even the Islanders. Won't be too many easy games that is why it will be important for the team to be more consistent and competitive.
BTW I want to see more from Voracek offensively....if he comes on then that will help a lot.
Agreed. He has got some nasty moves and works hard, but I would like to see him get some points. I know its preseason (against scrubs ) but points wise he hasnt done much if at all anything.
I think the PK will be fine. It just won't be as dangerous for a counter attack, but near the net and in goal it will be improved (assuming Pronger gets/stays healthy).
Agreed. Betts, Giroux, Talbot and Nodl are great on the PK. Some other guys like JVR, Simmonds, Hartnell and Read are going to get some looks too.
What's the old adage? Your best penalty killer is your goalie. We're covered, and Lilja is very good on the PK too, as is Bartulis.
I'm not worried about any of the situations. ES, PP or PK. It's a good team.
I think we finally solved a problem that has been haunting us since Hextall's heydays, so that's a step up. But at the same time losing both Carter and Richards hurts are team depth so its a wash for me. So I say we are on equal footing with last years team.
Not to nit pick, but Hextall's heydays? You mean the one good season he had his rookie year? This team hasn't had a legit #1 since Pelle
I'm concerned about the defensive play of our forwards and whether Pronger can be healthy. I'm excited about the young guns and Jagr but I could see this year being really good or really bad. Another thing im worried about is the fact that Bryz hasn't faired very well being a man down in the past IIRC.
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"I Came Here To Bury Caesar, Not Praise Him" - Roy Halladay
]Not to nit pick, but Hextall's heydays? [/B]You mean the one good season he had his rookie year? This team hasn't had a legit #1 since Pelle
Hextall was a legit number 1. Wayne Gretzky once called him the best goalie he'd ever faced, I'll take his word for it. Again, no knock on Lindberg, but Hextall was a very good last line of defense. Since him it's been painful.
Not to nit pick, but Hextall's heydays? You mean the one good season he had his rookie year? This team hasn't had a legit #1 since Pelle
Hextall was a legit #1 goalie. He was not the best but was far from the worst. In 95-96 he was 5th in Vezina trophy voting. Leighton and Boucher are AHL'ers. However Pelle was better and Parent was the best goalie ever to suit up for the Flyers and he was the main reason we won the cup in '74 and '75.
Not to nit pick, but Hextall's heydays? You mean the one good season he had his rookie year? This team hasn't had a legit #1 since Pelle
I am one of the few who will actually agree with you on this....Hextall was fun to watch play and fight etc, and he did a good job.....But he was not a " great" # 1 goalie like Bernie or Pelle.He was a little rough around the edges and was not as refined as a true #1 should be.He is a Flyer's legend none the less though because of the spirit and attitude he showed on the ice.
I'm concerned about the defensive play of our forwards and whether Pronger can be healthy. I'm excited about the young guns and Jagr but I could see this year being really good or really bad. Another thing im worried about is the fact that Bryz hasn't faired very well being a man down in the past IIRC.
This is pretty much what I had to say. I'm also concerned about Timonen wearing down as the year goes on...he's looked healthy in the preseason games, so hopefully the long offseason has allowed him to recover.
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Down in the basement, I've got a Craftsman lathe. Show it to the children when they misbehave.
I think with the new players the lose of carter @ richards and u add bryz our new captain and this yrs art ross winner Jagr we are going to be a better team and going to surpise alot of the negative feelings of what has happen this off season...
I am going to be very interested to see how Briere and Giroux do centering their respective lines. Carter and Richards played heavy minutes against the best competition. Look at Briere's quality of competition over the last few years -- he's had the benefit of playing 'behind' these guys. There's really no place to hide our forwards (defensively), so we'll see what happens. I don't have high expectations.
This is a real interesting club. There's lots of firepower in terms of offense and I think with Coburn and Carle being in contract years, the defense might just be even better than last year. On top of it, add in a stellar goaltender in Bryzgalov and this is a real good club.
However, there are some question marks. For instance, can Simmonds take his game to the next level and be a constant force that can produce? Can JVR maintain his high level of play from the playoffs last season and pre-season so far? Is Schenn ready to be a full time contributor? Is Couturier ready to make the jump? Can Read be a high energy player all season long? Can Rinaldo maintain a degree of discipline, yet continue to play on the edge and be an effective player?
Lots of questions, but I like what I'm seeing so far.
“One of Jaromir’s strengths is to find the holes; his whole career has been built on that, and he’s still good at getting open _ and we saw it throughout training camp,” Briere said. “But you don’t want to get too high too quick because you’re playing (against) a lot of young kids that sometimes make those mistakes a lot more than older veterans.
“But it’s good to see. I’d rather it be that way, where we have something to look forward to and build on than having to fight through frustration and disappointment.”
) but points wise he hasnt done much if at all anything.
at Cechmanek and Vanbiesbrook was past his prime when he came here.
