Rumor: Things Not Left Unsaid 3 - Flyers Rumors and Media Mentions: Never Ending Circles

[Magua]

You'd never believe it with how the Flyers think they're the smartest team, but they likely value their own prospects way too highly.

Don’t need to draft top 10 when you’re this much smarter than every other team.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

It's funny how much they're setting the fanbase up to turn on these kids when they inevitably don't reach the lofty expectations they're publicly setting. But I guess as long as they play the game The Right Way™, the masses won't care.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

It's funny how much they're setting the fanbase up to turn on these kids when they inevitably don't reach the lofty expectations they're publicly setting. But I guess as long as they play the game The Right Way™, the masses won't care.

Blame the kids, blame the goaltending. The shit vets will continue to get free passes from the media and the people who love the try hard vets.

 

[FLYguy3911]

I would guess the sentiment is mostly based off of what they are seeing at prospect camp in which case they are playing 3D chess because most of the guys in that camp won’t sniff the NHL so of course the guys that will, even on the lower end, will standout. The quality was that of a Holmgren era prospect camp.

 

[FlyerNutter]

The expectation is for Matvei to make the opening roster.

Other than that, likely the only rookie - with maybe a chance for Brink?

As always, in a “rebuild” I can’t think this is a normal amount of influx. For the kids they do draft, it’s insane how hard they need to work to even get a consistent shot.

Zamula, and Attard are prime examples currently. Hell, how does highly touted prospect Andrae get in there?

 

[Hextallent63]

Whey the f*** does everyone under the age of 25 like garbage country pop? An entire generation of parents failed their kids.

What the f is country pop........ You know what, never mind.

 

[Magua]

Does Perrault go top 5 though?

As a footnote, a guy that is clearly a better prospect on London just went 11th.

I was thinking this through.

Bedard, Fantilli, Michkov, Carlsson, Smith are locked in. Considering the Flyers wanted the 5th pick to take Reinbacher (lol), I assume he’s in Briere’s re-draft top 10. I didn’t have him there to begin with, but let’s just say. Then there’s Benson, Leonard, Willander, Simashev, But, ASP, Dvorsky who went before Bonk — my feelings not relevant. You need to believe Bonk leaped most of them. I even skipped a handful of players.

Then, there’s Perreault, Molendyk, Musty, Cowan, Nadeau who went immediately after and had arguably better seasons and were simply better prospects in their draft year too.

Let’s shrink it down even more. London’s best player is Cowan. The smartest drafting team in the NHL watched the same London team and decided Bonk was better than Cowan (a laugher if you had eyes), who went a few picks later. So, Cowan must be a top 10 re-draft. Frankly, he’s in the bubble. But how could the brilliant Flyers pass on him then? That can’t be…..so Bonk must be the best player on London. Narrative intact.

 

[mr figgles]

I would guess the sentiment is mostly based off of what they are seeing at prospect camp in which case they are playing 3D chess because most of the guys in that camp won’t sniff the NHL so of course the guys that will, even on the lower end, will standout. The quality was that of a Holmgren era prospect camp.

That’s what’s funny about the clips and observations of the prospect camp. It’s their mediocre prospects against their mediocre prospects. Of course 30-year-old Hunter McDonald looked good against everyone else.

 

[Curufinwe]

What the f is country pop........ You know what, never mind.

Cotton eyed Joe?

 

[Curufinwe]

I was thinking this through.

Bedard, Fantilli, Michkov, Carlsson, Smith are locked in. Considering the Flyers wanted the 5th pick to take Reinbacher (lol), I assume he’s in Briere’s re-draft top 10. I didn’t have him there to begin with, but let’s just say. Then there’s Benson, Leonard, Willander, Simashev, But, ASP, Dvorsky who went before Bonk — my feelings not relevant. You need to believe Bonk leaped most of them. I even skipped a handful of players.

Then, there’s Perreault, Molendyk, Musty, Cowan, Nadeau who went immediately after and had arguably better seasons and were simply better prospects in their draft year too.

Let’s shrink it down even more. London’s best player is Cowan. The smartest drafting team in the NHL watched the same London team and decided Bonk was better than Cowan (a laugher if you had eyes), who went a few picks later. So, Cowan must be a top 10 re-draft. Frankly, he’s in the bubble. But how could the brilliant Flyers pass on him then? That can’t be…..so Bonk must be the best player on London. Narrative intact.

I give Briere credit because it’s great propaganda. He’ll never have to actually provide a top 10, and if four years from now Bonk has busted, Briere will probably not work for the Flyers any more anyway due to similar failures of player evaluation. So there’s no downside to him spewing this shit today.

 

[Hockeypete49]

Adios

 

[Beef Invictus]

Cotton eyed Joe?

Not many people realize that there is an entire album of country techno, not just that one song

 

[ajgoal]

Not many people realize that there is an entire album of country techno, not just that one song

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

 

[TheKingPin]

So TK?

No news at all. They can’t want to start the year without a deal. They already resigned Hathaway! If there was something close or in place it would already be done.

 

[Boxscore]

For better or worse, Briere has placed his early legacy on the back of three players:

Bonk
Drysdale
Luchanko

... considering the Flyers could have easily surrounded Michkov with elite talent in Perreault, Gauthier, and Buium. I don't blame Danny for the Gauthier situation, based on what we know of how it went down. However, after seeing that Buffalo was able to turn Casey Mittelstadt into Bowen Byram, you'd have to think Gauthier (during a lights-out season) could have fetched a more potent return than the Flyers received.

And, if you believe the public sources that Briere wanted to trade Gauthier to Montreal last year to draft Reinbacher, it makes you wonder if the Flyers will be constantly repeating past mistakes under Briere. The Flyers, as a top-to-bottom organization, still seem to overvalue "safe" Canadian kids who "play the game the right way" and overvalue elite talent with flashy toolkits.

Michkov was the exception to the ^ rule which had me thinking Briere and Jones were truly building the Flyers differently. However, after that pick, it seems they resorted back to their old ways -- opting for safe and solid as opposed to eye-popping spectacular.

Unfortunately, in 4 years or so, I fully suspect Briere will look like a lunatic for passing on Buium for Luchanko. It will be worse than Hextall passing on Makar or Heiskanen for Patrick since Patrick was the Canadian media darling for 18 months and Luchanko was a reach.

But I still cannot fathom how Briere could pass on a talent like Buium (who fell right into his lap) after he and Jones rambled on about "building from an elite back-end..."

I spoke to an OHL scout who has watched Luchanko up close. He shared the good and the bad...

THE GOOD:
1. Great speed.
2. One of the youngest players in the draft
3. Extremely high IQ and hockey sense
4. Brilliant in-tight passer (he said he would have more assists if Guelph had better finishers)
5. He's a bull, very strong and sturdy

THE BAD:
1. Not a very good goal scorer and is a reluctant shooter
2. Below 50% on draws and doesn't have good instincts in the dot
3. Isn't sure if he will play C in the NHL
4. If he does ^ he will be a "good 2C" or a "great 3C"

But he also said that passing on Buium for him could set the Flyers back quite a bit from reaching "serious contender status" when they feel they are ready. He also said that Helenius projects to be a better (and more dynamic) centerman at the NHL level. If his eyes, the Flyers passed on a potential elite 1D and very good 1C or elite 2C for a very good forward who "could be a nice second-line center if everything goes perfectly. But not the cornerstone pivot you want to pair with Michkov for a decade."

I'm also curious about how Briere proceeds with trades. So far, the jury is still out on the Gauthier trade, but why is Danny so reluctant to deal Laughton, when there has been tons of smoke mentioning very solid possible returns? Is he going to "sell high" on Konecny or cave and overpay him in salary and term? Is he going to make a gutsy trade for a potential gamebreaker like Necas or Ehlers so Tippett and Michkov don't have to carry the full load?

Briere and Jones said all the right things. They also did some very nice things early on, such as being extremely transparent and putting the double logo back at center ice the way Mr. Snider liked it. I certainly feel these guys want to do well and right the ship, but I'm worried there are still some old philosophies and reflexes starting to kick in that are reminiscent of past, failed eras.

 

[trostol]

we have any idea what TK's camp is asking for?

 

[freakydallas13]

For better or worse, Briere has placed his early legacy on the back of three players:

Bonk
Drysdale
Luchanko

... considering the Flyers could have easily surrounded Michkov with elite talent in Perreault, Gauthier, and Buium. I don't blame Danny for the Gauthier situation, based on what we know of how it went down. However, after seeing that Buffalo was able to turn Casey Mittelstadt into Bowen Byram, you'd have to think Gauthier (during a lights-out season) could have fetched a more potent return than the Flyers received.

And, if you believe the public sources that Briere wanted to trade Gauthier to Montreal last year to draft Reinbacher, it makes you wonder if the Flyers will be constantly repeating past mistakes under Briere. The Flyers, as a top-to-bottom organization, still seem to overvalue "safe" Canadian kids who "play the game the right way" and overvalue elite talent with flashy toolkits.

Michkov was the exception to the ^ rule which had me thinking Briere and Jones were truly building the Flyers differently. However, after that pick, it seems they resorted back to their old ways -- opting for safe and solid as opposed to eye-popping spectacular.

Unfortunately, in 4 years or so, I fully suspect Briere will look like a lunatic for passing on Buium for Luchanko. It will be worse than Hextall passing on Makar or Heiskanen for Patrick since Patrick was the Canadian media darling for 18 months and Luchanko was a reach.

But I still cannot fathom how Briere could pass on a talent like Buium (who fell right into his lap) after he and Jones rambled on about "building from an elite back-end..."

I spoke to an OHL scout who has watched Luchanko up close. He shared the good and the bad...

THE GOOD:
1. Great speed.
2. One of the youngest players in the draft
3. Extremely high IQ and hockey sense
4. Brilliant in-tight passer (he said he would have more assists if Guelph had better finishers)
5. He's a bull, very strong and sturdy

THE BAD:
1. Not a very good goal scorer and is a reluctant shooter
2. Below 50% on draws and doesn't have good instincts in the dot
3. Isn't sure if he will play C in the NHL
4. If he does ^ he will be a "good 2C" or a "great 3C"

But he also said that passing on Buium for him could set the Flyers back quite a bit from reaching "serious contender status" when they feel they are ready. He also said that Helenius projects to be a better (and more dynamic) centerman at the NHL level. If his eyes, the Flyers passed on a potential elite 1D and very good 1C or elite 2C for a very good forward who "could be a nice second-line center if everything goes perfectly. But not the cornerstone pivot you want to pair with Michkov for a decade."

I'm also curious about how Briere proceeds with trades. So far, the jury is still out on the Gauthier trade, but why is Danny so reluctant to deal Laughton, when there has been tons of smoke mentioning very solid possible returns? Is he going to "sell high" on Konecny or cave and overpay him in salary and term? Is he going to make a gutsy trade for a potential gamebreaker like Necas or Ehlers so Tippett and Michkov don't have to carry the full load?

Briere and Jones said all the right things. They also did some very nice things early on, such as being extremely transparent and putting the double logo back at center ice the way Mr. Snider liked it. I certainly feel these guys want to do well and right the ship, but I'm worried there are still some old philosophies and reflexes starting to kick in that are reminiscent of past, failed eras.

They Drysdale trade cannot be viewed as anything other than Briere trading for a lesser player. There really isn't any way to argue this, because both sides agreed Gauthier was better so ANA included a draft pick to even things out.

Regardless of how good I think Gauthier is, Briere had a top 5 pick that did nothing but increase his value in his D+1 season, and Briere used that sky high value to trade down.

 

[Don Nachbaur 26]

I was thinking this through.

Bedard, Fantilli, Michkov, Carlsson, Smith are locked in. Considering the Flyers wanted the 5th pick to take Reinbacher (lol),

Just Lougled this, couldn't find anything. I followed last years draft and never read this. Could you point me to an article or something?

Edit - nevermind. Added Gauthier to the parameters and it popped up.

 

[Boxscore]

They Drysdale trade cannot be viewed as anything other than Briere trading for a lesser player. There really isn't any way to argue this, because both sides agreed Gauthier was better so ANA included a draft pick to even things out.

Regardless of how good I think Gauthier is, Briere had a top 5 pick that did nothing but increase his value in his D+1 season, and Briere used that sky high value to trade down.

I'm torn on this but I think your perspective is valid. I started to think like this more so after I saw Mittelstadt fetch Byram.

I give Briere credit for making this move before it became public and caused loads of drama. However, if the Flyers had their heart set on landing a RHD (hence Drysdale and the Reinbacher rumor) instead of the BPA then it is what it is. The biggest (and only) concern I had with Drysdale was that he was coming off a serious injury. Unfortunately, he lived up to that billing again and missed a large chunk of time after his trade to the Flyers.

I do agree though that Gauthier's value was "sky high" and you would assume a player who is having that kind of season... and was considered "one of the best players not in the NHL"... would have fetched a higher return. But, if he gets a chance to QB PP1 and scores 55 points while playing 24 minutes a night, he will be considered a key piece of the club regardless of what Cutter does (unless he turns into Pastrnak and scores 50).

 

[Curufinwe]

Since CF is still up, I tried my hand at a 25-26 team.

ROSTER SIZE	SALARY CAP	CAP HIT	OVERAGES	BONUSES	CAP SPACE
21	$92,000,000	$86,708,094	$0	$3,300,000	$5,291,906

Left Wing	Centre	Right Wing
Tippett, Owen $6,200,000	Couturier, Sean $7,750,000	Konecny, Travis $9,000,000
Farabee, Joel $5,000,000		Michkov, Matvei $950,000 ( $3,300,000)
Foerster, Tyson $3,000,000	Laughton, Scott $3,000,000	Brink, Bobby $1,500,000
Cates, Noah $3,000,000	Poehling, Ryan $1,900,000	Hathaway, Garnet $2,400,000
Deslauriers, Nicolas $1,750,000

Left Defense	Right Defense	Goaltender
York, Cam $6,000,000	Sanheim, Travis $6,250,000	Fedotov, Ivan $3,275,000
Seeler, Nick $2,700,000	Drysdale, Jamie $2,300,000	Ersson, Samuel $1,450,000
Zamula, Yegor $1,700,000	Ristolainen, Rasmus $5,100,000
Andrae, Emil $903,333

Scratches	Injured Reserve (IR)	Long Term IR (LTIR)
	Ellis, Ryan $6,250,000

 

[iceman42]

For better or worse, Briere has placed his early legacy on the back of three players:

Bonk
Drysdale
Luchanko

... considering the Flyers could have easily surrounded Michkov with elite talent in Perreault, Gauthier, and Buium. I don't blame Danny for the Gauthier situation, based on what we know of how it went down. However, after seeing that Buffalo was able to turn Casey Mittelstadt into Bowen Byram, you'd have to think Gauthier (during a lights-out season) could have fetched a more potent return than the Flyers received.

And, if you believe the public sources that Briere wanted to trade Gauthier to Montreal last year to draft Reinbacher, it makes you wonder if the Flyers will be constantly repeating past mistakes under Briere. The Flyers, as a top-to-bottom organization, still seem to overvalue "safe" Canadian kids who "play the game the right way" and overvalue elite talent with flashy toolkits.

Michkov was the exception to the ^ rule which had me thinking Briere and Jones were truly building the Flyers differently. However, after that pick, it seems they resorted back to their old ways -- opting for safe and solid as opposed to eye-popping spectacular.

Unfortunately, in 4 years or so, I fully suspect Briere will look like a lunatic for passing on Buium for Luchanko. It will be worse than Hextall passing on Makar or Heiskanen for Patrick since Patrick was the Canadian media darling for 18 months and Luchanko was a reach.

But I still cannot fathom how Briere could pass on a talent like Buium (who fell right into his lap) after he and Jones rambled on about "building from an elite back-end..."

I spoke to an OHL scout who has watched Luchanko up close. He shared the good and the bad...

THE GOOD:
1. Great speed.
2. One of the youngest players in the draft
3. Extremely high IQ and hockey sense
4. Brilliant in-tight passer (he said he would have more assists if Guelph had better finishers)
5. He's a bull, very strong and sturdy

THE BAD:
1. Not a very good goal scorer and is a reluctant shooter
2. Below 50% on draws and doesn't have good instincts in the dot
3. Isn't sure if he will play C in the NHL
4. If he does ^ he will be a "good 2C" or a "great 3C"

But he also said that passing on Buium for him could set the Flyers back quite a bit from reaching "serious contender status" when they feel they are ready. He also said that Helenius projects to be a better (and more dynamic) centerman at the NHL level. If his eyes, the Flyers passed on a potential elite 1D and very good 1C or elite 2C for a very good forward who "could be a nice second-line center if everything goes perfectly. But not the cornerstone pivot you want to pair with Michkov for a decade."

I'm also curious about how Briere proceeds with trades. So far, the jury is still out on the Gauthier trade, but why is Danny so reluctant to deal Laughton, when there has been tons of smoke mentioning very solid possible returns? Is he going to "sell high" on Konecny or cave and overpay him in salary and term? Is he going to make a gutsy trade for a potential gamebreaker like Necas or Ehlers so Tippett and Michkov don't have to carry the full load?

Briere and Jones said all the right things. They also did some very nice things early on, such as being extremely transparent and putting the double logo back at center ice the way Mr. Snider liked it. I certainly feel these guys want to do well and right the ship, but I'm worried there are still some old philosophies and reflexes starting to kick in that are reminiscent of past, failed eras.

I think its safe to say, with looking at all the moves, that right now Briere is just a figurehead and doesn't have the final say. That still falls to the consultants, until those guys are removed its going to be the same philosophy.

Drafting kids who will likely not play for 2-3 years its dangerous to base that pick on the teams current roster, Buium was the no-brainer pick, add in that it was for the high floor/low ceiling type player that I joked they would grab is depressing. I hope we are wrong, I will root for the kid.

Gauthier situation sucks, but I don't see him translating as a Center so you traded a top-6 winger for a potential 2nd pairing and PP1 -- albeit an injury prone defenseman. The Gauthier situation reminded me a little of the Lindros-era where Clarke got all butt hurt because they found that Lindros was a bit of a prima donna and his parents ran his life. We'll Gauthier wanted things done his way, the Flyers didnt, both sides got butt hurt and everyone started acting like children. I dont fault Gauthier as much as I do the Flyers.

Not trading Laughton is f*****g mental for a rebuilding club, Konecny is close to that, but I do agree that it has to be for a windfall, Laughton for a 1st he should have been driven to the airport, 2nd + or 3rd ++ and I would still do it.

None of the moves they make are backed by anything people would confuse as analytics based. None of the moves show they are trying to rebuild, they are trying to stay competitive, while shuffling inconsequential pieces in and out haphazardly.

 

[mr figgles]

Since CF is still up, I tried my hand at a 25-26 team.

ROSTER SIZE	SALARY CAP	CAP HIT	OVERAGES	BONUSES	CAP SPACE
21	$92,000,000	$86,708,094	$0	$3,300,000	$5,291,906

Left Wing	Centre	Right Wing
Tippett, Owen $6,200,000	Couturier, Sean $7,750,000	Konecny, Travis $9,000,000
Farabee, Joel $5,000,000		Michkov, Matvei $950,000 ( $3,300,000)
Foerster, Tyson $3,000,000	Laughton, Scott $3,000,000	Brink, Bobby $1,500,000
Cates, Noah $3,000,000	Poehling, Ryan $1,900,000	Hathaway, Garnet $2,400,000
Deslauriers, Nicolas $1,750,000

Left Defense	Right Defense	Goaltender
York, Cam $6,000,000	Sanheim, Travis $6,250,000	Fedotov, Ivan $3,275,000
Seeler, Nick $2,700,000	Drysdale, Jamie $2,300,000	Ersson, Samuel $1,450,000
Zamula, Yegor $1,700,000	Ristolainen, Rasmus $5,100,000
Andrae, Emil $903,333

Scratches	Injured Reserve (IR)	Long Term IR (LTIR)
	Ellis, Ryan $6,250,000

You just missed Draisaitl

 

[Boxscore]

we have any idea what TK's camp is asking for?

I heard early rumors of 10+ mil x 8. Of course, one would hope that is the initial "asking price" and nothing close to what the Flyers would entertain. They have constantly trapped themselves with sentimental poison pills since the last LeClair signing before the buyout.

Signing Couturier to that extension, knowing how he was starting to break down physically was a poison pill. He was named captain and healthy scratched within what, 7 months? Signing TK to anything more than 7.7 x 6 years would be a massive mistake, imho, the way he plays the game.

Also, prime-age should play a part in timing a successful rebuild. If the goal, per-Jones, is to sign a big fish in 2026, the Flyers cannot cannibalize the cap by overpaying "very good" players who are about to decline. They also need to collect as many prime assets as they can for aging vets before their value decreases or they walk for nothing (Laughton).

 

[Adam Warlock]

If TK wants 10 he will get close to it.

Briere has zero leverage. He has backed himself into a corner bc he has decided they have to sign TK. TK camp knows they will never trade him...so hes either gonna get Briere to cave with a fat contract or walk as a UFA.

Briere shouldve been shopping him aggressively this whole time so that media was reporting on it...that way if TK really wants to stay, hed panic and lower his asking price. And hey, maybe a team overpays too.

Once again, the Flyers loyalty above all hurts them. Agents know the Flyers are still the biggest suckers in the league.