Never realized Williams lives in Ventnor in the offseason is his wife from there or something? So this is his day with The Cup? I would've road down to Caesar's if I seen this sooner.
At this point if I am Homer I just stick with Giroux, Couts, B. Schenn, Voracek, Simmonds, Coburn, and L. Schenn as my core going forward. I wouldn't trade any of these players unless it was for extreme overpayment.
My priorities for upgrading the roster would be as follows.
-Try to acquire a number one d-man or potential number one d-man.
-If that cannot be done in the near future, I would try to add some depth on the defense. Especially with Timonen being toward the end of his career and Meszaros coming off of back surgery although I think he is going to be ok.
-Another big, depth winger.
-A star winger for Giroux.
At this point if I am Homer I just stick with Giroux, Couts, B. Schenn, Voracek, Simmonds, Coburn, and L. Schenn as my core going forward. I wouldn't trade any of these players unless it was for extreme overpayment.
My priorities for upgrading the roster would be as follows.
-Try to acquire a number one d-man or potential number one d-man.
-If that cannot be done in the near future, I would try to add some depth on the defense. Especially with Timonen being toward the end of his career and Meszaros coming off of back surgery although I think he is going to be ok.
-Another big, depth winger.
-A star winger for Giroux.
The problem is the Flyers don't have much to trade without dipping into that core to acquire un upgrade on defense or wing. Matt Read is still a question mark for most of the league. As of today, Laughton is considered a John Madden-like defensive center and Nick Cousins an undersized third line pest. The Flyers have no choice but to wait until the deadline and hope these three players produce this year. If Read is on pace for another 20-25 goals, his value solidifies and becomes like a Kris Versteeg. If Cousins continues to increase his speed and production his value goes up to being a 2nd line guy. The key though is Laughton. If he breaks out offensively like the Flyers think, his value goes way up. It shoots thru the roof if he makes the World Juniors and plays well. Two-way centers have tremendous value around the league. A package centered around him then becomes enough to land a top notch defenseman. At that point though is he worth trading?
OEL is getting the Jake Gardiner treatment on the main board. He is still a very young but talented dman, but people on the main board are putting him on a pedestal. Couts for OEL is a fair deal IMO, OEL doesn't "easily" have more value than him.
OEL is getting the Jake Gardiner treatment on the main board. He is still a very young but talented dman, but people on the main board are putting him on a pedestal. Couts for OEL is a fair deal IMO, OEL doesn't "easily" have more value than him.
People on the main board are underrating Couturier. They look at stats, most of them haven't watched Flyers games.
People on the main board are underrating Couturier. They look at stats, most of them haven't watched Flyers games.
OEL scored more points than a forward!! HE must be better! Typical HF though, young defenseman has a solid year, next Orr!? Watch for him to struggle next year and people will be saying he was over hyped and over rated.
OEL scored more points than a forward!! HE must be better! Typical HF though, young defenseman has a solid year, next Orr!? Watch for him to struggle next year and people will be saying he was over hyped and over rated.
OEL is the real deal. He is better than Gardiner. I agree some of their demands are ridiculous, but I get where they are coming from. Just like with Couturier, it's hard to give up a younger player that has the potential to be something great. Not to mention #1 dmen are hard to acquire. Teams do their best to keep them. If they trade him they would have a hard time replacing him. Though I agree they are also undervaluing Couturier. Potential #1 centers aren't that much easier to find.
OEL scored more points than a forward!! HE must be better! Typical HF though, young defenseman has a solid year, next Orr!? Watch for him to struggle next year and people will be saying he was over hyped and over rated.
Like I said before...
Meszaros was supposed to be the next great number one defenseman back during his Ottawa days.
There's a whole laundry list of NHL guys in their prime now who were once spoken of as such: "Holy crap! This guy's going to be the cornerstone of our defense for the next two decades!"
Then they bottomed out as solid top 4 defensemen.
Forgive me for not caring what some Phoenix fans are saying about OEL.
Meszaros was supposed to be the next great number one defenseman back during his Ottawa days.
There's a whole laundry list of NHL guys in their prime now who were once spoken of as such: "Holy crap! This guy's going to be the cornerstone of our defense for the next two decades!"
Then they bottomed out as solid top 4 defensemen.
Forgive me for not caring what some Phoenix fans are saying about OEL.
McDonagh is another current sensation. We'll see how long that lasts.
I have never seen a team like the Flyers. Everyone keeps together. Players understand the coach immediately. The year was such that there was nothing to complain about. We played some wonderful hockey. Just remember the series against Pittsburgh in the first round.
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Down in the basement, I've got a Craftsman lathe. Show it to the children when they misbehave.
Ugh, dont even get me started on McDonagh. Most overrated player in the NHL by far.
The McDonagh praise is certainly nauseating, but he is certainly one of the most defensively sound young d-men in the league. Its not like he's one of those offensively flaired d-men who get high praise until their lack of defensive game gets them put on a short leash and their game starts to nosedive. Sadly, I think he's legit.
The McDonagh praise is certainly nauseating, but he is certainly one of the most defensively sound young d-men in the league. Its not like he's one of those offensively flaired d-men who get high praise until their lack of defensive game gets them put on a short leash and their game starts to nosedive. Sadly, I think he's legit.
No, I think he is a tremendous defender. It's just that Rags fans will tell you about how he carried the Rangers defense, but then continue on to sing high praise for Staal and Girardi at the same time.
I think McDonagh is great, and he has the potential to be a #1 defender for a very long time-- but he plays in the perfect situation for him to have success. He has an excellent defensive system that he plays in with quality players alongside him. And the whole best goalie in the world thing, too...
I think OEL is much better. I was much more impressed by him than I was with McDonagh this past season.
But McDonagh gets infinite more hype than OEL does.
The McDonagh praise is certainly nauseating, but he is certainly one of the most defensively sound young d-men in the league. Its not like he's one of those offensively flaired d-men who get high praise until their lack of defensive game gets them put on a short leash and their game starts to nosedive. Sadly, I think he's legit.
No, I think he is a tremendous defender. It's just that Rags fans will tell you about how he carried the Rangers defense, but then continue on to sing high praise for Staal and Girardi at the same time.
I think McDonagh is great, and he has the potential to be a #1 defender for a very long time-- but he plays in the perfect situation for him to have success. He has an excellent defensive system that he plays in with quality players alongside him. And the whole best goalie in the world thing, too...
I think OEL is much better. I was much more impressed by him than I was with McDonagh this past season.
But McDonagh gets infinite more hype than OEL does.
One plays for New York, one plays for Phoenix. That is to be expected