2009-10 Flyers Season Thread

[ice grillin you]

Hartnell is my least favorite Flyer ever, maybe top 5 most hated Philly athletes of all time.

he is such a POS its amazing

not only is he a HOF look test fail but his game is just atrocious and on top of all that hes a complete dick

[Seabiscuit36]

Hartnell left practice today, personal reasons.  Hopefully he jumps off the bridge

[smeags]

Hartnell left practice today, personal reasons.  Hopefully he jumps off the bridge

[rjs246]

not only is he a HOF look test fail

This 'sentence' makes me want to lobotomize myself. The fact that I understood what you were saying is even worse.

[ice grillin you]

carrot top farged weird al yankovic and hartnell popped out

not only is he a HOF look test fail

This 'sentence' makes me want to lobotomize myself. The fact that I understood what you were saying is even worse.

its a love hate thing

[Seabiscuit36]

one thing i'll give the flyers credit for, they've been signing young guys from europe, who are either previous draft picks or just free agents playing in the KHL, to retool the Phantoms.  They're getting rid of the Boyd Kane players who take up roster spots, and getting college and euro players hoping one turns out. 

[smeags]

good plan but we're way behind the curve but you hope they draft this way as well and maybe for once spend a 1st round pick on a goalie. who is available for the next year's draft goalie wise ?

[SD]

one thing i'll give the flyers credit for, they've been signing young guys from europe, who are either previous draft picks or just free agents playing in the KHL, to retool the Phantoms.  They're getting rid of the Boyd Kane players who take up roster spots, and getting college and euro players hoping one turns out. 

The sad part is they just figured this out. You don't need 4th liners that can be called up when Asham goes down, you need prospects even if they're raw as farg.

[Seabiscuit36]

one thing i'll give the flyers credit for, they've been signing young guys from europe, who are either previous draft picks or just free agents playing in the KHL, to retool the Phantoms.  They're getting rid of the Boyd Kane players who take up roster spots, and getting college and euro players hoping one turns out. 

The sad part is they just figured this out. You don't need 4th liners that can be called up when Asham goes down, you need prospects even if they're raw as farg.

Yeah, so late, but at least they're doing it finally.  A lot of them are Leino like players, that have done well over in the other leagues.  I'm actually surprised at the # of Russians they're picking up since historically they hate them.  I think Dennis Bodrov, the 3rd round pick from 2007 has helped since he came over earlier this year.  He's got his brother coming to play for the phantoms, and it doesnt hurt to give unknows a shot over old junk Manderville like guys. 

smeags, they're without a first or second this year, they may not even have a 3rd rounder.  They do have two guys in the system/drafted who are decent.  Adam Morrison and Joachim Erikkson whos in the SEL.  Erickkson in particular has some upside, but its gonna take years for him, since he's 18-19 now.  There was talk of bringing him over for next season, but he supposedly wasnt going to be given a starting job for the phantoms(Backlund has done better than expected), and he's going to stay over in europe for another season. 

They're best hope is to snag a goalie via trade at this point, since they have no decent picks until 2011

[SD]

They need to go away from the ole boys network of Clarke/Holmgren/Snider etc. and bring in an outside source to run the team. Someone on the EMB a while back mentioned bringing in Yzerman as the GM. He's a VP in the wings organization and ran the hockey side of the winter olympics for Canada.

[Seabiscuit36]

I'd be fine with that, they really need to get away from Holmgren, because he has zero understanding of how a cap works.  He's a great scout, especially of NA players, but he's proven to be a horrible GM. 

Here's a writeup of the season ticket holder meetings they held on monday

I just got home from the STH meeting, so I'll give you guys the report as best as I can remember. A lot of stuff said tonight and I'm gonna be honest, you're not really going to be all that enthused with the answers.

Lukko: Lukko stated that he is trying very hard to get the NHL draft and the All Star game in town within the next few years.

The group I was in got pretty testy with Lukko and he got pretty defensive. One guy asked if Homer's job honestly was safe for next year and Lukko said absolutely. The guy then said if the Flyers miss the playoffs and if Homer is still here, that he will no longer be a STH and Lukko sort of shrugged it off and said that it is his choice to renew or not.

I asked the question as to whether management had any idea as to why this team can't play consistently well and he basically said that if he knew, he would fix the problem. That was very discouraging.

Finally, I asked about the Winter Classic Jersey's and I was told that those will serve as the team's away jersey's next season.

Don Luce: He basically just went down a list of prospects and shows some video footage of each. They are very high on this D-man Marshall and they talked up Nodl, Kalinski, Maroon, and a few other guys. They are also very high on Backlund and they think he has come a long way from the start of the season. They called him the backbone of the Phantoms. Nothing to get all that excited about IMO.

Homer: Here is where things got very testy. One guy led off with a shot at Homer asking if he feels responsible for strapping the team for cash by being up against the cap and for his NTC contracts. Homer got pretty ticked and told the guy that many teams are right up against the cap and that the NTC means nothing with regards to moving any player he wants. He said if we wanted to trade Harts in the off-season , all he would do is go up to him and say things are not working out here and to give him 10 teams he would be willing to go to. He said players do not want to be on a team that does not want them because they will not get the playing time and it will not be a comfortable situation. He said the NTC are a ploy to get players to sign as UFA's so that if they are to be traded, they have more say over it.

When asked about what was holding the team back, he did not give a straight answer, rather just said that the team does have heart and he does not think it is a matter of chemistry. Problem is, he never said what he thinks it is!

When someone took a shot at Richie, Homer got a little upset and said" I'll say one thing about Richie, he is a gem of a player and a gem of a captain. He told a story about after the Pitt game, as the bus pulled up to the airport, the guys stood up to get off the bus and Richie yelled out..."players stay on the bus" So Homer and the coaches got off the bus and onto the plane and waited 30 minutes before the players got off the bus and boarded the plane.

Homer agreed that the fans have every reason to be frustrated with the team and that management is as hungry to win as the fans.

As far as goalies are concerned, Homer confirmed that Emery's injury is absolutely career threatening and that the only goalie under contract for next year is Boooosh! Homer said that someone would def be brought in next year, but he did not give any names. He said resigning Leighton is def an option that he is considering. He did not say whether he would sign him to be the starter though. So for you Leighton haters and lovers, I really have no solid info as to Leighton, just that he is an option.

A guy also ripped Homer for lack of a farm system and Homer asked the guy is he has been to any Phantoms games this year to which the guy replied no and Homer said, so you have no idea how good or bad the guys are, you are just throwing $h!t at the fan. Homer did not hold back with the bad language!

Homer thinks that Carcillo will be suspended for the Clarkson incident, even though he fully believes it would be ridiculous.

Lavi: Last stop was Lavi, and let me tell you, he was the best stop on the whole thing! Nicest guy and the most open and honest. Never got defensive.

I opened the questions by asking if he had said anything or done anything with Carcillo to make him into the impact player he has become. Lavi then raved about Carcillo and how much he loves him as a player. He said Carcillo deserves all the credit in that all he needed was a little push in the right direction and Carcillo ran with it. I brought up the 1st game that Lavi was coach where Carcillo got the 9 minute peanlty and Lavi started laughing and said it was probably the most memorable coaching debut of his life. He said that before each game,
Lavi and the players literally wind Carcillo up like a toy and say stuff like "The fans want to see you put on a great show, go out there and kick some butt" He said it gets Carcillo crazy like a caged animal and then just as he is heading out the tunnel, Lavi yells to him....but no dumb penalties! Lavi really thinks a lot of Carcillo and hates the thought of the line-up without him if he gets suspended.

Someone asked Lavi if he thinks the Flyers are over-penalized to which he said....absolutely! He said the refs accuse the coaches and the players of being whiners. He said a certain ref, who he would not name, HATES Berube and threatens to toss Berube from the game even if he doesn't say a word. I bet it is McCreary! He said that just wearing the O&B sweater makes you more likely to be penalized, so he tries to make sure the players are full aware of that he he holds them accountable for certain phantoms calls, because he said just making it look like you're doing something wrong will get you called because of the crest on your jersey.

Lavi thinks the refs were so ridiculous with waving off the goal in Pitt. He said that the 1 ref called it a goal, but the other ref and the 2 linesmen told him it was no goal. He said they "conveniently gathered over by the penalty box and looked skyward so they could see the replay. He said that is absolutely illegal in the NHL and he has no idea how they got away with it.

Lavi still believes that Coburn will turn things around and be a very good D-man for this team. Sounds like he is not giving up on him, though it could have been a PC answer.

Lavi loves the passion of the fans in this town and he does not mind the booing and criticism.

That is all I can remember. I hope I did not miss any of the main points, but so much was said tonight. Sorry that it is not very well organized and probably has typos and grammar errors, but I'm just trying to type it out as fast as I can so that I don't forget anything! My bro did that really good write up last year, but I don't think I can live up to that one!!

its first hand, but some good stuff about Laviolette, i really like the guy.  Holmgren and Luuko really come off like idiots

[ice grillin you]

im not doubting it cause i dont know anything about morrison other than what i heard when he was drafted last year but who says hes a good prospect

hes not a starter for his junior team
backs up a guy who wasnt even drafted
and didnt have great numbers this year

[Seabiscuit36]

yeah, Morrison was a guy who i think got hurt early in the year, lost his starting job to his backup.  I woudlnt even consider him anything more than a career backup, but you never know.  Backlund was pretty bad to start the season, but he really did turn it around once he adjusted to the NA style of play.  Too bad he got hurt, because i'd rather go with an unknown over Boosh any day.  Short term this team is farged unless they shed salary, or there is a change in teh CBA and they get rid of the Cap, and only enforce a salary Floor.  Long Term, this team has no bonifide stars in the pipeline, and wont unless they start valuing draft picks

Heres a breakdown of some of the official signings
D Erik Gustafsson

Quote:
What He Does: Gustafsson is an excellent skater and plays a very intelligent game, helping to make up for his lack of size. At just 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Gustafsson's stature might not strike fear in opponents, but his ability to move in the defensive zone and outskate opponents makes him an extremely reliable partner and provides him with the ability to jump in and contribute offensively without giving up opportunities coming the other way. The sophomore also eats up almost 30 minutes of ice time per game with partner T.J. Miller and will play as many minutes as coach Walt Kyle can give him.

The Bigger Picture: Because he's suck a slick passer and he stays out of the penalty box, Gustafsson will play an important role in both of Northern Michigan's special teams units. With strong scoring threats Mark Olver, Matt Butcher and Nick Sirota returning for this season in Marquette, the blueliner has the opportunity to regularly find his name in the scorebook as a playmaker, and will likely contribute a few goals of his own this time around.  

F Michael Testwuide
Quote:
Despite being 6'3, 216 pounds, Testwuide does not seem to realize exactly how powerful he is, even though he regularly overpowers opponents. He drives the net hard and his 18 goals prove he can capitalize on some of his chances. Testwuide doesn't have elite skill or speed, but he's a hardworking player who is difficult to play against and can lay out heavy hits along the boards.  His name is pronounced Test weed

F Luke Pither

Quote:
He is talented offensively, but he tends to shy away from physicality and is not particularly reliable defensively.  

F Ben Holmstrom

Quote:
Holmstrom, 22, recently completed his senior year at UMass-Lowell of the Hockey East Association of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where he recorded 23 points (9G,14A) and 69 penalty minutes in 39 games. His 23 points tied for fourth on the team and he led all River Hawks with four game-winning goals. He was recently honored by the Hockey East Association by being named Best Defensive Forward for the 2009-10 season, becoming the first UMass-Lowell player to receive the honor since 1998-99.  

F Shane Harper

Quote:
2009-10: Harper's play this past season earned him a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. Over the past three seasons, Harper has missed only one regular-season game. The 5'11, 195-pounder had his best offensive season this year, collecting 42 goals and 38 assists in 72 games. He also posted a rating plus-36. In the playoffs he has 10 points in seven games.  

[MDS]

who is homer.

simpson?

[SD]

It sucks I can't root for this team to lose since they don't have a 1st round pick. This team  has one and done written all over them...and I'm not by any means assuming they get there.