Will Flyers need both top tier centre and winger next season?
OK, right now we're flying with Harts-Giroux-Voracek as first line and Briere-Simmonds on our second line, I guess.
Briere makes a lot of money and will be 35 next yr.. we may or may not bring him back. And even if we do bring him back, he may not play as well due to age.
Voracek may or may not be good enough to be a real good first line winger. No harm whatsoever if he is good enough for the 2nd line but not good enough for the first.. at his payscale (approx 4 mil/yr), most teams would be happy to get a competent second line winger at that price.
SO, if Briere deteriorates or goes away, and Voracek doesnt quite cut it as a first line premier winger, the top 6 will look like:
Harts-Giroux-??
Voracek-??-Simmonds
So who'll be available to fill in ??.
Will we be needing botha superstar centre and a superstar wiinger next season?
Remember that in this scenario, Briere's rather big cap can be used to fill these needs, so capspace may not be that much of an issue.
Let me add that Couts and Schenn may still be too young to be Top 6 and for the sake of having good forward depth, we may wanna keep both of em on the third line for awhiel ratehr than elevating them too early into aTop 6 role.
Couturier should stay as the 3rd line center next season. The third line of a team is it's best defensive line and Couturier showed how good he was defensively last season/postseason. Couturier certainly has the offensive skill to be a 2nd line center. Likely after next season. Right now we're fine with Hartnell-Giroux-Voracek and Schenn-Briere-Simmonds as our top 6.
Briere has two more seasons afer this coming one... so he is here for three more seasons with a NMC. To me it looked like you were writing him off after this season with the Flyers having the option of either bringing him back or going another route.
I really don't see Danny choosing to move his family from the Area -- I hear he wants to settle here for the long haul -- and the way he is in the PostSeason, I don't seriously see the Flyers wanting to push him to waive his NMC and find him a desirable home while having to seek out another top tier replacement... who most likely would be at a higher Cap hit and much higher Cash Salary than the lowering Briere one.
Personally I wouldn't look for that great reduction of production and in fact I expect a rebound season as long as he stays healthy... I see the concussion being the reason for the drop off last season; he was having a decent season before it was short circuited... and his PostSeason to me points to the fact he is back on track.
That said, it seems the Flyers are open to a top tier winger ala a Bobby Ryan THIS season to place besides Giroux... I'd rather them go for a top tier or second pairing D-man instead. I believe Jake can become a force in the NHL and that may begin this coming season.
Everyone talks about Couturier being the third line center, but his line is going to be the second most played line this year (I think there will be a year). Bank on it. Couturier isn't going to get 13 minutes of ice time this year. He should be good for about 17 to 18. Schenn will probably start off at 14 to 15 minutes a night and Laviolette will bring him along and increase his ice time every 10 games until he and Couturier are at the same ice time. That's when the competition will begin to see who ends up in the second spot.
The sum of the article is that Couturier worked out this off season. He put on weight, he's talking power skating lessons and he wants to take a bigger role in the offense, but realizes defense always comes first. He's ready to take the second center spot. I'd like to read what Schenn is up to, but haven't found anything on him.
Couturier should stay as the 3rd line center next season. The third line of a team is it's best defensive line and Couturier showed how good he was defensively last season/postseason. Couturier certainly has the offensive skill to be a 2nd line center. Likely after next season. Right now we're fine with Hartnell-Giroux-Voracek and Schenn-Briere-Simmonds as our top 6.
LOL Nice User Name, Friend!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobbyClarkeFan16
Couturier isn't going to get 13 minutes of ice time this year. He should be good for about 17 to 18. Schenn will probably start off at 14 to 15 minutes a night
I frankly think both of them are going to be looking at about 16 minutes a game to start, but if there were any restrictions on playtime this year, they're probably still on Couturier. Yes, he's starting the season more prepared, but frankly, its too critical for Couturier to be strong and healthy in the spring than it is early in the season.
I think Schenn's body is just a bit more physically mature and ready to handle a little more TOI over the course of a long season. Even in a shortened season, I'd expect Couturier is still logging similar minutes on the first line with the Phantoms.
OK, right now we're flying with Harts-Giroux-Voracek as first line and Briere-Simmonds on our second line, I guess.
Briere makes a lot of money and will be 35 next yr.. we may or may not bring him back. And even if we do bring him back, he may not play as well due to age.
Voracek may or may not be good enough to be a real good first line winger. No harm whatsoever if he is good enough for the 2nd line but not good enough for the first.. at his payscale (approx 4 mil/yr), most teams would be happy to get a competent second line winger at that price.
SO, if Briere deteriorates or goes away, and Voracek doesnt quite cut it as a first line premier winger, the top 6 will look like:
Harts-Giroux-??
Voracek-??-Simmonds
So who'll be available to fill in ??.
Will we be needing botha superstar centre and a superstar wiinger next season?
Remember that in this scenario, Briere's rather big cap can be used to fill these needs, so capspace may not be that much of an issue.
Let me add that Couts and Schenn may still be too young to be Top 6 and for the sake of having good forward depth, we may wanna keep both of em on the third line for awhiel ratehr than elevating them too early into aTop 6 role.
Briere has 3 yr left on his contract with a NMC, he's not going anywhere. But even so Couts and Schenn by then will be in their 3rd NHL season i think it highly unlikely one of them can't jump up to the 2nd line C position. As far as a 1st line winger is concerned they could look at a trade or UFAs if Jake doesn't work out but honestly if you consider what Jagr did on the first line last year sufficient then i wouldn't worry about it cause there is no way Voracek can't put up the same type of numbers.
And I wish the Flyers would have given Semin a shot. Giroux needs an elite finisher. Hartnell has a good shot and Voracek usually ends up passing the puck away.. Unless Voracek worked on his shot this summer, I'm not sure what's gonna happen..
so you just think that the Flyers aren't going to bring Briere back? How are they going to do that? Tell him to stay home? The chances of Briere waiving his NMC are pretty slim, and he isnt going to retire leaving $5m on the table. He's here until his contract is up.
This is the most glass half empty post I've seen in a while. Basically Voracek might not be good enough to play on the first line, Briere will die of natural causes, Schenn will not only not be ready to step up this year, but not next year either, and Couter will be have junior slump. To make up the difference we have to get a superstar center for not the first but the second line along with a superstar winger because Giroux, Hartnell and a second line calliber player just won't cut it?
The Flyers need a superstar center because you're too impatient to wait for the young guys to develop?
you dont know what these guys are capable of, if the flyers got a crosby type of goal scorer, i would say yes, but waiting 4 or 5 for players to turn out studs or duds, that could really hurt this hockey team.
you dont know what these guys are capable of, if the flyers got a crosby type of goal scorer, i would say yes, but waiting 4 or 5 for players to turn out studs or duds, that could really hurt this hockey team.
So Holmgren should just hop on down to the Crosby Store and buy one?
Do you really think Crosby-type players are available for the taking?
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still dont understand this Voracek and Giroux pairing on the top line, their skill sets don't seem to fit. Voracek has a garbage shot and good playmaking abilities/size. Giroux is a natural playmaker with a solid shot. Why is everyone so hype about this combo? Explanation would be useful...think briere and Giroux would be better to go along with Hartsy
still dont understand this Voracek and Giroux pairing on the top line, their skill sets don't seem to fit. Voracek has a garbage shot and good playmaking abilities/size. Giroux is a natural playmaker with a solid shot. Why is everyone so hype about this combo? Explanation would be useful...think briere and Giroux would be better to go along with Hartsy
fixed. He should be forced to play wing until his two way game changes. Put Schenn at 2C, he's going to have to regularly cover Crosby and other elite centers eventually, might as well start him now.
