Post-Game Talk: #7 | Wild at Flyers | October 26, 2023 | Flyers win 6-2

[freakydallas13]

They have a younger, deeper core than 2015-16.

B Schenn (24), Ghost (22), Couts (23), Laughton (21), Gudas (25), Cousins (22)
The only players 25 and under on that team
Sanheim, Provorov, TK and Lindblom in the pipeline
From 2016-18 they would add Hart (2019), Cates (2022), Frost (2022) and Farabee (2019).

This team has 9 starters 25 and under, plus Frost
Andrae, Michkov, Gauthier, Bonk in the pipeline
(2) 1sts, (2) 2nds in the 2024 draft

2015/2016 was half way through the decade in question, 5 years from now no one on the current roster will be 25 or under. They built around Giroux by drafting 13 times in the first 2 rounds from 2011 to 2016. If management cuts the rebuild short, the final product will be the team you see in front of you, plus Gauthier, Michkov, and Bonk, and who ever they add in the next 2 drafts.

Unless they walk away from the next 2 drafts with a minimum of a 1st line C and #1 dman, the team they build will be nothing more than a playoff bubble team. And even if they do add those things, it's not a powerhouse team, just one that has the very bare minimum to even think of contending.

 

[AdamParrot]

Those wins will make our team an average team for another decade.

Typical Flyers. Still same.

 

[VladDrag]

Was a fun game:
-Sanheim was awesome
-congrats to Brink
-Couts’ line looked a bit better
-Apart from his goal, Tippett is still trying to figure out the left side, doesn’t look comfortable. But he’s still working.
-Foerster looked lost for most of the game. That was the first ‘bad’ game this year. He struggled before, but this one was bad. He got an assist only because he fumbled a prime scoring chance and Sanheim is the shit.
-Did Laughton play? Honestly don’t remember any real play he made.
-Farabee is playing really well right now. He and Brink look awesome together.
-Get Frost in.

 

[gto64dr]

They have a younger, deeper core than 2015-16.

B Schenn (24), Ghost (22), Couts (23), Laughton (21), Gudas (25), Cousins (22)
The only players 25 and under on that team
Sanheim, Provorov, TK and Lindblom in the pipeline
From 2016-18 they would add Hart (2019), Cates (2022), Frost (2022) and Farabee (2019).

This team has 9 starters 25 and under, plus Frost
Andrae, Michkov, Gauthier, Bonk in the pipeline
(2) 1sts, (2) 2nds in the 2024 draft

How dare you post something positive.

 

[deadhead]

2015/2016 was half way through the decade in question, 5 years from now no one on the current roster will be 25 or under. They built around Giroux by drafting 13 times in the first 2 rounds from 2011 to 2016. If management cuts the rebuild short, the final product will be the team you see in front of you, plus Gauthier, Michkov, and Bonk, and who ever they add in the next 2 drafts.

Unless they walk away from the next 2 drafts with a minimum of a 1st line C and #1 dman, the team they build will be nothing more than a playoff bubble team. And even if they do add those things, it's not a powerhouse team, just one that has the very bare minimum to even think of contending.

2015-16 was a year after Hextall took over with a mandate from Snider to rebuild.
CF left Briere better talent in terms of young depth than Holmgren left Hextall.

Now it still comes down to patience, if by some miracle the Flyers were to make the playoffs this year, the way they did in 2015-16 under Mason's regular season before he melted down in the playoffs, that's no reason to declare "mission accomplished."

They need to keep acquiring young assets and build organizational depth and avoid the FA market - but what it would mean is they don't need to make drastic moves.

 

[Random Forest]

“Five years from now no one on the current roster will be under 25”

Lmao.

I guess it makes sense that the quality of the complaints on here has to get dumber the better the team is playing.

 

[Pantokrator]

If only we could be so lucky to see multiple conference finals in the near future. You need a bit of luck in the playoffs and if you are making multiple conference finals you have a good chance of breaking through

Lucky teams don't win the Stanley Cup though. All I have wanted for the last 10 years is a team built to win consistently and challenge for the Cup, not maybe get lucky and get to a conference championship.

 

[Curufinwe]

-Foerster looked lost for most of the game. That was the first ‘bad’ game this year. He struggled before, but this one was bad. He got an assist only because he fumbled a prime scoring chance and Sanheim is the shit.

 

[flyersnorth]

Happy to see Brink bury a few.

This team is fun to watch. They play fast. They are opportunistic. They are tenacious.

Keep it rolling.

 

[Curufinwe]

I see the untouchable 4th line was underwater once again.

 

[VladDrag]

I know, I know. I don't take his player evaluations seriously anymore....

Remember, he said Giroux was aging due to PP scoring numbers, Sanheim isn't a top-line defender, thought Ratcliffe was a can't-miss prospect, compared Gauthier to Draisaitl..... That list goes on.

 

[Curufinwe]

I was only able to see highlights, but I'm not surprised his Foerster fluffing has continued unabated.

The organization trying as hard as they could to move on from him due to one down year is definitely their fault.

And it was only a down year offensively as he played with mostly useless partners. Defensively, his results were the still best on the team considering the tough minutes he played.

Go figure that when he gets to play with York instead of an almost retired Braun, useless Risto, and the absurd Angelo that he looks much better. And, unlike Provorov, Sanheim doesn't have a religious objection to playing his off side which, makes things a lot easier for 22 year old York.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Nobody is worried about a 101 PDO normalizing back down to the usual 98-99? I don't know why people fall for this and proclaim "the team is different" every October.

Have fun while the fun lasts by all means, but let's be prepared for the usual to happen.

 

[deadhead]

Sanheim sucked last year, let's not sugar coat it.

The difference this year is night and day, yes, playing with York helps (it helped everyone last year) but Sanheim looks different, both physically and in his approach to the game. It's almost like he realized he's 27, with a big contract, he's not supposed to wait for the veterans to take over, he IS that veteran.

Zamula is a bit overmatched on the second pair, in a perfect world Zamula - Walker would be our third pair and get sheltered minutes. Instead we have Seeler - Belpedio right now!

Foerster can look awkward at times, but he has the lowest HDCA/60 of the forwards, which suggests he's avoiding bad mistakes when he's on the ice. I don't like Foerster or Tippett at LW, but you have to keep one for now.

Nobody is worried about a 101 PDO normalizing back down to the usual 98-99? I don't know why people fall for this and proclaim "the team is different" every October.

Have fun while the fun lasts by all means, but let's be prepared for the usual to happen.

Maybe b/c they're 6th in the league in xGF% instead of 31st like last season?
They're not doing this with smoke and mirrors.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Lucky teams don't win the Stanley Cup though. All I have wanted for the last 10 years is a team built to win consistently and challenge for the Cup, not maybe get lucky and get to a conference championship.

But if you’re consistently making the 2nd round and conference finals, you’re in that group of teams that has a legitimate shot at a cup.

 

[Curufinwe]

You're the worst talent evaluator on this entire forum, let's not sugar coat it.

 

[usahockey22flyers]

1st live game of year, here's some thoughts:
-Sanheim is damn good, Krug not wanting to come here might be a huge point in this decade's history

-PHD line was sadly decent to start, but then as the game went on, they were pinned in their own zone, and didn't offer anything. Hathaway would have been a Flyers cult favorite if he played on a good team. *I have to applaud their effort, even though I hate their existence*

-Zamula was bad to start, couple D zone turnovers to high slot, settled in ok though. Don't be surprised if Mete plays Saturday

-Hart is really good

-I thought Foerster's skating is better than it was last year or even in the first few games. I noticed this against Vegas, he is more caught up to the speed of play

-Coots is still a genius

-Gritty's chaos corner is hell to sit by, but it's really creative and I could see how families would really like that section

-A cool moment that may not have been caught on camera, but during the last PP up 6-2 they sent out the PHD line, and let Brink play the right point. He tried to change like 45 seconds in after a clear - and the entire bench players/coaches were waving him to stay to try and get the hat trick. Really cool moment. Fans were also chanting "Brink, Brink, Brink"

Shout out to the Flyers for surviving the 3rd period push by Minnesota the first 7 min or so.

 

[tnfrs]

Maybe b/c they're 6th in the league in xGF% instead of 31st like last season?
They're not doing this with smoke and mirrors.

I like the results we're getting, but it still seems like Torts is doing Danny's job and Danny is doing is Tort's job. Danny's got everybody more or less on the same page Konecny was on last year when they were working on their little science project, and we know Tort's is making the roster decions, its like they phreaky phriday'ed themselves

 

[VladDrag]

Nobody is worried about a 101 PDO normalizing back down to the usual 98-99? I don't know why people fall for this and proclaim "the team is different" every October.

Have fun while the fun lasts by all means, but let's be prepared for the usual to happen.

I tend to agree with DH, they are earning their wins right now. They are out performing their competition in terms of the standard metrics. But, it's soo young in the season right now, lets just let it play out, see what happens.

Remember, the PHD line was one of the best lines in terms of xGF (per money puck) around ~70%. Two games later (and about 10 mins of actual icetime), they've droped to 56%. There is just too much variability looking at xGF stats this early in the season.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Sanheim sucked last year, let's not sugar coat it.

The difference this year is night and day, yes, playing with York helps (it helped everyone last year) but Sanheim looks different, both physically and in his approach to the game. It's almost like he realized he's 27, with a big contract, he's not supposed to wait for the veterans to take over, he IS that veteran.

Zamula is a bit overmatched on the second pair, in a perfect world Zamula - Walker would be our third pair and get sheltered minutes. Instead we have Seeler - Belpedio right now!

Foerster can look awkward at times, but he has the lowest HDCA/60 of the forwards, which suggests he's avoiding bad mistakes when he's on the ice. I don't like Foerster or Tippett at LW, but you have to keep one for now.


Maybe b/c they're 6th in the league in xGF% instead of 31st like last season?
They're not doing this with smoke and mirrors.

Already pointed out the history with having a good offense. Last season when they were running similarly hot, their coach got in front of the media, expressed concern about it, and vowed to make it stop. And did. They went from doing everything they're doing now to a religious and unflinching devotion to dump and chase, board grinding hockey. During an in-game interview Tortorella already expressed annoyance at how they are playing and said they needed to focus more on getting pucks deep; he has repeatedly expressed his dismay at controlled entries and east/west passing. The concern should be that he simply hasn't had time to reign them in yet. I hope the players ignore him. This is far better for all their development.

It remains to be seen that they'll allow this to continue. In the past, they have not, and the coach has made discontented noises.

 

[wankstifier]

Nobody is worried about a 101 PDO normalizing back down to the usual 98-99? I don't know why people fall for this and proclaim "the team is different" every October.

Have fun while the fun lasts by all means, but let's be prepared for the usual to happen.

I'm worried about the PDO increasing.

I'm witnessing 3 hockey miracles: (1) Couturier and Atkinson almost look tradeable, (2) Meathead Sanheim continues to dominate after years of franchise f***ery, (3) @Stizzle returns

 

[FlyerNutter]

Winning again huh. Rebuild my ass. Hello 12th overall pick.

 

[deadhead]

I tend to agree with DH, they are earning their wins right now. They are out performing their competition in terms of the standard metrics. But, it's soo young in the season right now, lets just let it play out, see what happens.

Remember, the PHD line was one of the best lines in terms of xGF (per money puck) around ~70%. Two games later (and about 10 mins of actual icetime), they've droped to 56%. There is just too much variability looking at xGF stats this early in the season.

Oh, I have no illusion that they're a good team right now, but it's clear they're no longer a bad team.
And because this is driven primarily by players 25 and under (plus Sanheim (27), TK (26)), and a top 5 talent pipeline and extra picks in the 2024 draft, it should be sustainable.

They're not going to tank, but the key is still patience, keep adding young assets.

 

[wankstifier]

Winning again huh. Rebuild my ass. Hello 12th overall pick.

If they improve by 5 positions every year, they're due for a Cup in the fourth year. Right on target

 

[Rich Nixon]

1st live game of year, here's some thoughts:
-PHD line was sadly decent to start, but then as the game went on, they were pinned in their own zone, and didn't offer anything. Hathaway would have been a Flyers cult favorite if he played on a good team. *I have to applaud their effort, even though I hate their existence*

They're just bad and sheltered and bad. 70% offensive zone starts, not a goal or even a dangerous chance to speak of. They're just Torts' stupid pet project.

Last night that insane 3+ minute defensive shift late in the 2nd period started with an offensive zone draw after a break. The Wild won it if I remember correctly and committed 2 unforced turnovers before exiting the zone, and still proceeded to set up more than 2 minutes straight of offensive zone time. What the f*** are we doing here? What's the purpose of putting out that line when you have last change and an offensive zone draw, especially when they can't even hold a puck in-zone after the other team hands it over to them repeatedly?

They suck. Poehling is fast and decent, but giving him 70% O-zone draws mitigates his main/lone asset: speed through the neutral zone. Hathaway is a good net banger but that's not worth much if no one is there to create for him or get pucks on net. Deslauriers is an ECHL defenseman. Blech.

-A cool moment that may not have been caught on camera, but during the last PP up 6-2 they sent out the PHD line, and let Brink play the right point. He tried to change like 45 seconds in after a clear - and the entire bench players/coaches were waving him to stay to try and get the hat trick. Really cool moment. Fans were also chanting "Brink, Brink, Brink"

It looked like the whole bench was standing, which is something you don't usually see with a PP up by 4 in the 3rd. They really wanted it for the kid.