GDT: #53: Sabres at Flyers, Thursday, February 11, 2016, 7:00 pm ET

[bennysflyers16]

Does Read and Laughton get Drouin ?

No chance right,,

 

[Rebels57]

They weren't close to that total in the last two games despite the Laughton line getting limited minutes. I'd much rather see what Weal can do before the season's over than just keep sending Laughton out there to have his doors blown off. I wouldn't have scratched Read, but I'd not only scratch Laughton I'd send him down to the Phantoms.

Least ES TOI against Anaheim
Read 7:19
Raffl 7:26
Laughton 7:39
White 9:49
VdV 10:00
Bellemare 10:20.

Least ES TOI against Washington
Bellemare 9:49
Raffl 9:50
VdV 9:57
Cousins 10:12
Read 10:58
White 11:01
Laughton 11:10

I'm guessing the size of Anaheim's lineup is the reason the Hak-line played more than the Laughton line against Anaheim.

Either way, it's still nauseating seeing them on the ice.

 

[bennysflyers16]

I'm guessing the size of Anaheim's lineup is the reason the Hak-line played more than the Laughton line against Anaheim.

Either way, it's still nauseating seeing them on the ice.

Plays the scrubs with more size and get ***** handed to them , I get the premise but when the players you choose are fringe NHL ers , it makes no sense.

 

[Flyerfan4life]

this coach is outcoaching HIMSELF..

now that takes talent..

he keeps taking OUT the players who ARE scoring and putting in the players who ARENT...

mindnumbingly stupid...

 

[Alex91]

I am really upset about the line up changes. I'm actually okay with the VV White PEB. Other then the offensive starts of course, esp after icings.
But taking out Laughton and Read for Weal and RJ is a joke. What has RJ done or capable of doing in the future? Hakstol is really getting on my nerves.

 

[Flyotes]

Going to the game tonight with someone I'm trying to get into hockey. I'm already dead.

 

[hatcher]

Laughton and Read are sitting because they don't do much and aren't tough players to play against either. Umby sucks and Weal is a joke to. It's just their turn to play.

 

[Curufinwe]

I am really upset about the line up changes. I'm actually okay with the VV White PEB. Other then the offensive starts of course, esp after icings.
But taking out Laughton and Read for Weal and RJ is a joke. What has RJ done or capable of doing in the future? Hakstol is really getting on my nerves.

I really don't get why people are upset with Weal replacing Laughton. Laughton's struggled all season long. When you get the easiest minutes and still have the worst possession numbers it's a pretty good sign you aren't an effective NHL player yet.

http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_stat...3+5+4+6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67#

 

[TCTC]

Read and Laughton out for Umberger and Weal

Hakstol's becoming predictable. Team's not playing well? Scratch one or two random players to send a message...

 

[Curufinwe]

Laughton being scratched is anything but random. It probably should have happened a long time ago.

 

[Striiker]

No it really shouldn't have. Especially not if the replacements are worse.

What should have happened is he should have been given actual playing time thats currently being wasted on trash players that this idiot coach loves.

 

[Curufinwe]

No it really shouldn't have. Especially not if the replacements are worse.

What should have happened is he should have been given actual playing time thats currently being wasted on trash players that this idiot coach loves.

He has to earn more playing time and he hasn't. What he's earned is a demotion back to the AHL.

And I'm not sure why you'd assume Weal is a worse player than Laughton right now. We've only seen him play 10 minutes so far.

 

[dats81]

Brace yourself. Hak is trying to pull a rabbit out of his hat to somehow provide a spark for a final push for the playoffs and it's getting ugly because the rabbit is already dead.

 

[Striiker]

He has to earn more playing time and he hasn't. What he's earned is a demotion back to the AHL.

And I'm not sure why you'd assume Weal is a worse player than Laughton right now. We've only seen him play 10 minutes so far.

He looked very good in the beginning of the year when he got real time with real linemates. He only started playing worse when his time plummeted and got trash linemates dumped on him (Like Umberger). If he has to earn more time then why doesn't the Hakstol line or Umberger? They get time without earning it, so why should anyone else be different? He sure as hell hasn't earned a demotion to the AHL, he hasn't been even near that bad. He's made mistakes here and there, like all rookies so, but he's also shown some flashes of great play that get ignored.

I know for a fact that Umberger is worse and Il not going to assume Weal is better until he shows he's better. I also don't assume he's worse, but the point is unless the replacement is a clear upgrade then there's no point.

 

[Curufinwe]

Laughton's numbers without Umberger are worse than they are with Umberger. So linemates are a poor excuse for his poor season. If you get the easiest minutes of any regular forward and still have the worst possession numbers that's clearly bad enough to justify a demotion.

Umberger's average ice time of 9:50 is the lowest of any regular the team and he has been healthy scratched at least five times, so he has been punished for poor performances.

There are only 30 games remaining to see whether Weal has an NHL future with the Flyers since he loses his waiver exemption after 15-16, so there's a very obvious point to playing him now.

 

[Striiker]

Laughton's numbers without Umberger are worse than they are with Umberger. So linemates are a poor excuse for his poor season. If you get the easiest minutes of any regular forward and still have the worst possession numbers that's clearly bad enough to justify a demotion.

Umberger's average ice time of 9:51 is the lowest of any regular the team and he has been healthy scratched at least five times, so he has been punished for poor performances.

There are only 30 games remaining to see whether Weal has an NHL future with the Flyers since he loses his waiver exmeption after 15-16, so there's a very obvious point to playing him now.

Gettin 10 minutes of icetime and getting scratched ~5 times isn't the a punishment to scale for the type of play he's showing on the ice. That's like murdering someone and the punishment being put on timeout. What he deserved is being scratched for the rest of the year.

And I have no problem with Weal coming in, I've been in favor of it since he came here, but the person getting scratched should be one of 76 or 25.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Laughton being scratched is anything but random. It probably should have happened a long time ago.

Not at all, he should be playing 10 plus mins per night or he should be top 6 on the Phantoms. This ******* him around is the worst scenario.

And RJ over Read is moronic on every level

 

[Curufinwe]

Gettin 10 minutes of icetime and getting scratched ~5 times isn't the a punishment to scale for the type of play he's showing on the ice.

The type of play he's showing on the ice is not much different than what Laughton has done. The numbers back that up.

And Weal is presumably going to be playing center on the 4th line while 76 and 25 are wings.

 

[Tripod]

I'm with you Curu. I have no issue with Weal being in for Laughton. Let's see what he can do THIS YEAR since Cousins will be in the same situation next year. And if Weal is not going to cut it, let him go.

As for Umberger, I hoped we had seen the last of him. Oh well. Read is certainly better than he is but maybe it shakes him up to play better too. Hell Schenn was benched as well this year and has been much better since then.

In the end, it really doesn't matter much. We are a bad team that is building for the future. I hope we win tonight, but know a lose probably helps us more for the big picture.

 

[Curufinwe]

Yeah, just in case it's not clear, I'm not in favor of benching Umberger for Read unless Read is banged up or in need of a rest.

Manning playing over Medvedev is still the most bizarre decision, but it's happened so often I've become numb to it. Hopefully he fights again and gets off the ice for 5 minutes.

 

[YEM]

Laughton's numbers without Umberger are worse than they are with Umberger.

 

[bennysflyers16]

I'm with you Curu. I have no issue with Weal being in for Laughton. Let's see what he can do THIS YEAR since Cousins will be in the same situation next year. And if Weal is not going to cut it, let him go.

As for Umberger, I hoped we had seen the last of him. Oh well. Read is certainly better than he is but maybe it shakes him up to play better too. Hell Schenn was benched as well this year and has been much better since then.

In the end, it really doesn't matter much. We are a bad team that is building for the future. I hope we win tonight, but know a lose probably helps us more for the big picture.

Wasn't Read a healthy scratch earlier in the year as well ?

 

[Random Forest]

I'm not in favor of putting Umberger in for Laughton/Read, but I'm not exactly against sitting out Laughton. He's been extremely underwhelming even when accounting for his lack of opportunity. He does some nice things with the puck occasionally, but in all three zones, when he doesn't have the puck, he's often very far from the play seemingly lost and unable to read and anticipate the direction of the game.

He's tenacious and seems to give lots of effort, but I just don't see a player who has ever been truly comfortable making decisions at NHL pace.

I don't think he gets much out of the AHL, though. His tenacity and physical skill set mitigate his deficiencies at that level, and I don't think he'll really overcome those deficiencies playing 20 minutes a night in LV. I don't necessarily see anything wrong with how Hakstol is using him right now. 10 minutes a game with sheltered minutes is the only way to allow him to adjust to NHL pace. Watching the game from the press box will be good for him. He needs to study the game a little bit here. He's a player who coaches should be meticulously breaking down video with.

 

[Psuhockey]

Wasn't Read a healthy scratch earlier in the year as well ?

Hopefully it will come out that he has some sort of injury. If not he has fallen off the cliff badly before he hit 30.

 

[Curufinwe]

Read's possession numbers are still very good. Dropping from 40 points to a 30 point pace on a team with systemic scoring issues isn't that surprising.

Christ, he scored two goals in those two good wins we had just last week.