I think you are confusing Role Players with Core Players... I've never seen the Flyers try and promote either of those two as being Core Players -- granted, when AMac was first extended, it was under the assumption that NHL D-Men were worth $5M on the Open market... and he was to be a mainstay on the Blue-line for the following few Seasons --IMO the only thing that keeps AMac from being a solid Role Player with the Flyers who meshes in with the Core D-Men is his draining Cap Space Contract... a more reasonable Contract would not only allow more Cap viability but would also offer more options to the Flyers in moving or keeping him as an Asset... right now he is near impossible to move, and his Cap Hit is not equal to his value... I see him as a decent member of the overall D-Unit but for his Contract... which is what it is. He is a Gamer and has Heart... I agree though that his Contract would appear to place him in a higher bracket... We should bite the bullet and look at him for what he is; a Role Player with Heart... and forget his Contract.
I don't think you can look at these Role Players with the critical Statistical eye that we look at the Star Players... They are by no means on the Team to be key member of the Flyers Core; they are Support Players, and should be viewed as such... I do agree however that AMac's inflated Cap Hit does suggest otherwise.
I hope that made sense.
I dont get this post whatsoever. What have you been watching? You refer to Bellemare as a role player but let's analyze that...what is his role really?
He's an average skater in the NHL. He's also one of the worst offensive players in the league while also being a trainwreck defensively.
He's gifted PK minutes he doesnt deserve despite advanced stats and the eye test showing him to be utterly deficient in that area. He's also not really physical at all.
So again what role does he have? He "forechecks" hard (mostly ineffectively), shows up on time and doesnt rock the boat in the room too much I guess???
The best you can hope for from guys like him and VDV is that they keep their respective heads above water and dont cost the team too much...that aint worth a raise my friend. It aint worth two years of term either.
Guys like that are easily replaceable. They're are dozens of Bellemares populating the AHL at this very moment: great citizens and quality guys who dont see NHL minutes because they arent difference makers of any kind at the top level.
Hextall resigned PEB both for intangibles but also because he can look at his depth chart and see only one young center (Laughton) ready next year, maybe Vorobyov and Rubtsov in 2018-19, but maybe 2019-20, maybe Dove-McFalls. He's already written off Schenn, Weal and Cousins at center. So Filppula buys him a year, and PEB gives him veteran depth for two years if needed.
Hextall knows the first rule of being a GM, "prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
I would personally be fine with Cousins or Weal centering our 4th line over PEB. Cousins aint a worldbeater but to this point he's shown me more at center than PEB ever has. At least with Cousins you know he can make plays occasionally, use his hands when he gets time and space, and agitate/draw penalties. He's actually shown something where maybe he can eke out a regular role in the NHL.
PEB's just a symptom though. What worries me is that Hak/Hex's misguided emphasis on empty intangibles (character without skill of any kind) will be a consistent speed bump in the path of young guys who could actually move the needle for us.
I assume a guy like Laughton will be battling hard for a bottom 6 spot come next year. It worries me to think that a guy with legitimate upside and projectible skill qualities wont get a legit shot at 4C simply because PEB's got to get his minutes.
Or worse that he wont be able to play through mistakes and is healthy scrathed becuase Hak/Hex want the "reliability" that PEB brings
