GDT: #54 | Flyers at Avalanche | Sunday, February 2, 2025 | 3:00 PM | NBCSP+

[ellja3]

Most Dmen are fully known commodities by the time they are 23. "Dmen take longer" is a myth.

There is more to offense than the act of shooting. A thing the Flyers do not understand, and a reason their obsession with shoot-first players like Tippett has never paid off.

I ask again. If offense is easier than defense, why don't the Flyers just score? They're already doing the hard thing. Why not do the easier thing too?

Because they lack the high-end skill and creative spontaneity to create something from a free-flowing game, therefore have to slow the game down to have any chance. Once it happens, you cannot score from rushes etc., you actually have to rely on cycles, broken plays and grinding the goals in, unless you're MM/TK, but MM is being load-managed. That's why it feels like Tippet's absence hurts so much - he would mindlessly throw everything but the kitchen sink at the net and something would eventually fall in.

 

[flyersnorth]

Tortorella barely plays their like 1 of 2 players on the team that can actually create offense.

Michkov is the type of talent to rise above this going forward but it doesn’t make it any less stupid now & concerning when it comes to other players who aren’t as talented.

Why does he do this? Every team he's coached, he picks one of the most talented players to basically alienate - Laine, Dubois, Michkov.

He's from the bygone era of "I have this box, and you *will* fit inside it." He also has a tremendous penchant to gaslight ("Oh, I didn't even know Sanheim was from Calgary").

 

[ybnvs]

Just curious, if the point of playing in juniors is to develop future pros, why do none of these coaches teach the importance of defense? Do they teach it in Europe? Why do kids get to the highest level with all these bad habits?

I can't speak about JRs from personal experience, but I organize Tier I/II/III youth travel tournaments (some of the fun stuff before JRs) and the biggest thing honestly is skating. The better skating teams (and deeper benches) tend to win more games (especially when you have no delayed offside or allowed to ice on PK). With no delayed offside the better skating teams will catch the opposition flatfooted in the neutral zone and defenders on the blueline, and then in the matter of two seconds and two simple entry passes are already behind the defense, and it's basically 2 on 0 against the goalie. The best defense in youth hockey is a fast offense. Control the puck. You don't need to have dangles or great stick skills, just skate and pass.

Each kid develops at such drastically different rates from ages 8 through 18, which creates a lot of variance and disparity in skating and ability. All game long you'll hear, "SKATE SKATE SKATE!" from the bench. Kids can work by themselves on individual stick/puck handling drills, skill moves, etc, but getting ice-time and becoming a great skater (depending on region and accessibility and finances) takes kids very far early on in their "careers" (and will likely improve network connections them within their organizations to move up to higher levels); and ice time is not cheap at all.

 

[Curufinwe]

He's a petty, petty man.

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Knuble is a fun name to say. So there's still a little joy left in Flyerland.

 

[ellja3]

He's a petty, petty man.


Knuble is a fun name to say. So there's still a little jot left in Flyerland.

Latvian heritage. Are you surprised it's a fun name if it has originated from the country that gave NHL Zemgus Girgensons, Teodors Bļuģers and Rodrigo Ābols? [:

 

[Strawberry Fields]

He's a petty, petty man.


Knuble is a fun name to say. So there's still a little joy left in Flyerland.

His dad was one of my first favorite Flyers

 

[Razzamanazz]

The tank is finally happening even if it is not on purpose. Which should have been done the last couple of years. However they definitely should be looking for partners to take Laughton and Risto not the likes of Frost. If Nashville were to end up picking third in this years draft I would try to trade our two #1's for the third overall pick and grab Misa. Especially if the Flyers drop down to 6th or 7th. I can't see Chicago or San Jose giving up the #1 and #2.
Sadly I have not been interested in there season this year except for MM. I figured they would be picking in the 12-13 range again.

 

[MJL66]

The tank is finally happening even if it is not on purpose. Which should have been done the last couple of years. However they definitely should be looking for partners to take Laughton and Risto not the likes of Frost. If Nashville were to end up picking third in this years draft I would try to trade our two #1's for the third overall pick and grab Misa. Especially if the Flyers drop down to 6th or 7th. I can't see Chicago or San Jose giving up the #1 and #2.
Sadly I have not been interested in there season this year except for MM. I figured they would be picking in the 12-13 range again.

Nashville is not giving up the 3rd overall for two later picks. The pick later in the round is not valuable enough.

 

[renberg]

MM is being load-managed.

I don't buy into this. Is Cellibrini or Bedard being load managed? Michkov is not a puny guy. I don't believe that he's injured. He's a strong twenty year old young man. If he needs some breaks from the ice, he can get that during practice or being given maintenance days. Sure he's getting adjusted to playing in the NHL instead of the KHL but that happens by playing not watching. He can watch tape when he away from the rink. Tortorella is just messing with him.

 

[ellja3]

I don't buy into this. Is Cellibrini or Bedard being load managed? Michkov is not a puny guy. I don't believe that he's injured. He's a strong twenty year old young man. If he needs some breaks from the ice, he can get that during practice or being given maintenance days. Sure he's getting adjusted to playing in the NHL instead of the KHL but that happens by playing not watching. He can watch tape when he away from the rink. Tortorella is just messing with him.

I think it's 70/30 fatigue/Torts being an ass. Of course, there's no way to prove it. Let's see next season.

 

[1865]

217 minutes and 11 seconds since we scored past an actual netminder. Not far off four games. I wonder if we can get to 5

His dad was one of my first favorite Flyers

Mad how time changes your view on things. His name was a verb for a while.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

I think it's 70/30 fatigue/Torts being an ass. Of course, there's no way to prove it. Let's see next season.

Torts who runs Couts and Ersson to the ground chasing the wins is all of a sudden concerned about Michkov being fatigued?

 

[dragonoffrost]

So I notice someone has not posted the diatribe about how they either played with Colorado, or that they still need to adjust after the trade, or that this is what we wanted when it really isn't.

 

[Danko]

Definitely think Michkov is tired and that's causing a significant amount of his issues getting into plays and creating offense...I mean if you see him on the bench he's huffing and puffing constantly. However, he needs linemates, he needs space on the ice, he isn't a grinder...this is where I have problems with Torts and Rocky. His usage is dumb..he needs to play with other high performing offensive players. Ideally for me, he should be playing with TK,

 

[MJL66]

Definitely think Michkov is tired and that's causing a significant amount of his issues getting into plays and creating offense...I mean if you see him on the bench he's huffing and puffing constantly. However, he needs linemates, he needs space on the ice, he isn't a grinder...this is where I have problems with Torts and Rocky. His usage is dumb..he needs to play with other high performing offensive players. Ideally for me, he should be playing with TK,

Michkov is not tired. He is a 20 year old who has been playing hockey for a considerable time. He is frustrated and he has no confidence and he has lost his flair due to the coaching trying to get him to play a safe and conservative defensive checking style. Tortorella is more concerned with his "track backs" then with his attacking forward.

 

[Danko]

Michkov is not tired. He is a 20 year old who has been playing hockey for a considerable time. He is frustrated and he has no confidence and he has lost his flair due to the coaching trying to get him to play a safe and conservative defensive checking style. Tortorella is more concerned with his "track backs" then with his attacking forward.

Why not both? I'm just using my eyes to observe the guy clearly breathing much harder then his other teammates when he gets back to the bench from camera angles. The team has alluded to it as well, take that for what it is worth. If your tired, your tired...doesn't matter how old you are.

 

[Fight4yourRight]

Michkov is not tired. He is a 20 year old who has been playing hockey for a considerable time. He is frustrated and he has no confidence and he has lost his flair due to the coaching trying to get him to play a safe and conservative defensive checking style. Tortorella is more concerned with his "track backs" then with his attacking forward.

It’s been well reported he had multiple rounds of pneumonia and other illness last year. I don’t think it’s as much of a stretch as you’re making it out to be that his conditioning is partly off. @Danko’s eyes are not failing him as it’s plainly observable that he looks out of breath a lot and really struggles to get to the bench after a long shift. This doesn’t fully excuse Torts treatment, benching, or him playing 8 minutes a night, though.

 

[Razzamanazz]

Nashville is not giving up the 3rd overall for two later picks. The pick later in the round is not valuable enough.

We could be picking 6th or 7th overall. Not a huge drop and they get a late 1st round pick

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

We could be picking 6th or 7th overall. Not a huge drop and they get a late 1st round pick

That’s a huge drop off and those picks NEVER get traded.

The Flyers may believe that’s what their plan is but they’re going to get laughed at.

 

[MJL66]

We could be picking 6th or 7th overall. Not a huge drop and they get a late 1st round pick

Nope, won't get it done

Why not both? I'm just using my eyes to observe the guy clearly breathing much harder then his other teammates when he gets back to the bench from camera angles. The team has alluded to it as well, take that for what it is worth. If your tired, your tired...doesn't matter how old you are.

Seriously, that's what your basing it on? A perception that he's breathing harder? That's an observation bias. The team is using it as an excuse for the way they're handling him.

 

[MJL66]

It’s been well reported he had multiple rounds of pneumonia and other illness last year. I don’t think it’s as much of a stretch as you’re making it out to be that his conditioning is partly off. @Danko’s eyes are not failing him as it’s plainly observable that he looks out of breath a lot and really struggles to get to the bench after a long shift. This doesn’t fully excuse Torts treatment, benching, or him playing 8 minutes a night, though.

I watch the same games. I'm not seeing that observation. I think it's seeing what you want to see.