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  • What do the Flyers need?

    Should be an interesting offseason, as they seem to realize that big, slow, overpriced players aren't very effective these days.

    I'd look for Carter, Richards, & Umberger to make major strides next year. We'll need them too, that's for sure.

    Other than staying healthy, we need to get rid of our slow-ass D-Men. If they can get a bag of pucks for Hatcher and his contract they should do it. Hopefully Pitkanen can develop further as well.

    Maybe dump Esche?

    Lots of questions.

  • #2
    Re: What do the Flyers need?

    Originally posted by Will
    Should be an interesting offseason, as they seem to realize that big, slow, overpriced players aren't very effective these days.

    I'd look for Carter, Richards, & Umberger to make major strides next year. We'll need them too, that's for sure.

    Other than staying healthy, we need to get rid of our slow-ass D-Men. If they can get a bag of pucks for Hatcher and his contract they should do it. Hopefully Pitkanen can develop further as well.

    Maybe dump Esche?

    Lots of questions.
    Get rid of Clarke. As long as Clarke is making the decisions the Flyers will never win a cup.

    Personnel wise, Frank needs to be the #1. Which means Esche must go. Esche seems to be Hitchcock's security blanket.

    Either Rathje or Hatcher need to go. It's time to go young and fast but Clarke seems to be the only one who has yet to figure that out.

    I think the Flyer forwards are fine. PLEASE DON'T TRADE AWAY ANY YOUTH UNLESS YOU GET YOUTH IN RETURN CLARKE! Not that he reads this...LOL.

    I'm still not really sure if I don't like the new NHL or if I don't like how the Flyers play. I think it might be a little of both.
    FRESH > cancer

    I hate everything the Cowboys stand for. If you think they are America's team, then you support everything that is wrong with America. The excess, the greed, the lack of maturity, the lack of responsibility, the lack of control. - Luzinski's Gut

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    • #3
      Clarke will be here until Ed Snider is no longer with us... sad but true.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Will
        Clarke will be here until Ed Snider is no longer with us... sad but true.
        I got nothing against Ed Snider and I certainly don't wish him ill... but that statement reminds me of Raiders fans who think the team will go nowhere until Al Davis retires/dies.

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        • #5
          Snider is a good owner but he knows nothing about Hockey and Clarke has him convinced of his archaic ways.
          Carson Wentz ERA


          NFC East Titles:
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          • #6
            I must be way out of it down here in Fl. since I thought the problem was the exact opposite. It has seemed to me that Snider is the one who can't keep his hands off of the controls and HE is the one pushing Clarkey in the old style direction with his win one now approach. I read an article recently where Snider even acknowledged that he had been pushing Clarke in directions he did not want to go. I believe he said that now he understands that the game has changed and would stay the bleep out of the way for a change. I'm going to copy some comments from another board from a good friend of mine whose opinion I value.:
            "Interesting Draft for the Flyers, Now That Clarke's Been Liberated
            I don't think he ever liked the win-now philosophy forced upon him by an aging Snider pulling an Al Davis the last decade (win once more before I die!). He had built around youth in Minnesota and Florida.

            Clarke is one of the best drafters in the league finding obscure guys in the middle rounds like Nittymaki and constantly adding additional draft picks, but this all got hid by the big name free agents and desperate trades at midseason each year.

            2002: trades up to take Pitkanen at #4, then steals Ben Eager #23 a couple years later when he wouldn't sign.

            2003: trades up and gets Jeff Carter at #12, Richards at #23, still has five 3rd round picks, Stefan Ruzicka RW, Alexandre Picard D, Ryan Potulny C (top scorer in college hockey last year), all have a shot at the roster this fall. Kevin Romy C (4th) is a solid prospect and Rejean Beauchemin G will share time with the Phantoms this year. And then goes out and adds Umberger for nothing, another 1st rd talent.

            2004: traded his 1st and 2nd rd, Rob Bellamy RW (3rd) is playing for Maine, RJ Anderson D (4th) for Minnesota, Chris Zarb D (5th) for Ferris State, Travis Gawryletz D (8th) for Minn-Duluth, Gino Pisellini RW (5th), Freddie Cabana (6th), Martin Houle G (8th) will be on the Phantoms this year. All three college defensemen were big guys who are good skaters but need to fill out and work on their skills - and because they're in college Flyers have four years to decide whether they have pro potential.

            2005: 1st Steve Downie C is a Bobby Clarke clone, nasty little midget who'll do anything to win, invited to camp this summer, Oskars Bartulis D (3rd) converted forward from Latvia, mobile skilled defensiveman suited to new game (too early to judge the other picks).

            Some points:

            1) Clarke is no longer drafting the 6-2 220 lb slow power forwards and defensemen he used to love, this goes back before the rules change so he was preparing the organization for what he saw coming, he just didn't think they'd make the change as quickly as they did - i.e. signing Hatcher. When you draft, you're looking 3-4 years down the road, FAs you sign for the present.

            2) He still likes tough guys, but with the change in rules he's focused on guys like himself, scrappy two player players who can skate and agiitate, Richards, Downie, Cabana, Bellamy. He wants to build a squad of skaters who will forecheck teams to death (and carve their initials on their opponents) instead of dropping the gloves.

            3) He's trying to add mobile defensemen, both college free agents (Meyers, Jones, Cook) and draft picks, as fast as he can. The three college defensemen in 2004 have great upside and are playing in top notch programs where they all started immediately.

            4) He still hates Europeans for the most part, because they keep flopping on him due to lack of work ethic and unwillingness to mix it up and play defense, Ruzicka and Romy are the only real prospects from Europe left in the system. This year, you only have two years to sign those guys, so look for him to shy away unless it's a can't miss who's willing to sign or late round flyers.

            5. He's still a smart SOB, added 6 1st rd players the last four years, Pitkanen, Eager, Richards, Carter, Umberger and Downie while trading picks for veterans. And he has five picks between 22 and 66 in today's draft. And his success rate in the first round is tremendous, only Eager has any questions (and he didn't draft him, traded for him), on average 65% of 1st rounders became NHLers - 14% became elite NHLers."

            The above is taken from Arlington Fan/now Austin Fan aka AF, who is a die-hard Eagles nut and knowledgable Phillies and Flyers fan. I'ld love to talk him into joining us here. At least, the above should be cause for some reflection/reaction.

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