Setting the tone now.
Seeing which young guys step up or not.
And there’s a lot of young competition.
The winners win.
Get JVR’s $7m next summer.
And we roll from there.
What tone? A coach can help set up a system that can work and help motivate people, but if the overall skill level isn't there, what makes this team a .500 team? Yes, they may be physical and can hit, but does that mean the goals will go in? Does this mean that they will do proper forechecking and backchecking to create chances in the offensive zone and making good defensive choices, respectfully? And going back, even if there is a system in place to get players to do this sort of thing, where is the skill level necessary to do this game in and game out to be effective?
Regardless of coach, do you see this team in its current form to be closer to a .500 team than the beginning last season? Because I don't see it. AV sucked ass and so did Yeo, but this team does not spark any form of confidence. Yes, ND can hit, but can he play offensively at an NHL level or defend at an acceptable level for a forward at an NHL level? Pretty much any and all metrics say no. Oh and the f***ing NTC for the first two years. f***ing awful. While TDA can be decent offensively, but if he's going to be more of a nightmare on the defensive end than Risto, then we're even more f***ed. Oh, and we spent 3 full f***ing picks on this player, a player that is worse defensively than Risto. Risto is basically going to be Risto. He'll hit people just to hit them and constantly get himself out of the play doing so. He has the tools but not the smarts to do anything properly. Same as he was in Buffalo, same as he is now. He's been through multiple coaches and guess what? The same shit, different coach. He's not going to be better.
On top of all of this, we brought in full awful retreads in the form of Connauton and Seeler and expect them to be better, yet both have never shown to be NHL worthy? I don't f***ing get the fact that we signed Seeler to a one-way contract as well, and FOR TWO YEARS. While Braun isn't awful, he is getting a lot older and is straight up barring any real young players from actually coming up and playing. The fact that this team is going to be bad and we refuse to play any young player to give them a chance really shows that this team does not give a shit about young players and will live in their own baffling reality where they think this is all okay. A reality where all of these new signings and trades are all okay and will make the team "playoff worthy." Yeah f*** that.
Also, signing Grosenick as a backup for Hart when he basically has no real NHL experience at the age of 32, instead of letting Sandstrom have at it (especially if Fedotov isn't able to be released), shows the lack of respect for chances for younger players. If anything, fun fact, Sandstrom has 1 more NHL game under his belt than Grosenick. Keep that in mind.
Side thing, Ginning, probably one of the worst picks the Flyers have made in the last decade, is going to make more at the NHL level than Frost... just don't f***ing get it.
Plus, with Brink, Farabee and Ellis out for either a while or the beginning of the season, what makes you think we'll have any form of real offense?
Basically, given the metrics of the known players we got signed and are having for next season, we're f***ed defensively and barely going to get anything going offensively.
One last thing, I think signing TDA also means that this management has zero interest in giving the 1st PP unit to York or Sanheim, when both have showed good puck moving prowess to do so, especially as a replacement to Provy. Hell, I'll even give this, one of the metrics that wasn't terrible for Risto was his play in the offensive zone, so why not just give him PP time? TDA is pointless and we decided to shell out so much f***ing money for him.
This is a team, as it is built, will score less than last year. They may give up as many, if not more goals, as well. That is my bet.
Another bet of mine, I feel the Flyers will go 3-12 in the first 15 games and Chuck and co get fired. Expect Hart to ask for a trade.
