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

[Curufinwe]

I've maintained from the start that it is entirely possible that they are in fact rebuilding in their minds.

I wish they’d go to Carolina

 

[Chicken N Raffls]

I wish they’d go to Carolina

Those bunch of jerks? Not heavy enough, and probably play the wrong way to boot.

 

[Boxscore]

My biggest grievance with Briere so far is that he acquiesced to Cutter mid-season for a 2nd round pick and an oft-injured defenseman who is behind on the development curve due to his injuries. I think Cutter sitting out 2 more years, when the source of the dispute in the first place was $$$, was a very hollow threat and it was worth the risk of getting nothing to play it out. Or at least to take it to this draft. I think Cutter is superior in almost every respect to Sennecke. Gun to his head, I think Verbeek would’ve traded #3 for Cutter.

I think the Cutter trade was the worst loss of value by far of any Briere move thus far.

I wanted Perreault and Bonk seemed like a reach at the time, but Bonk had a great year and improved his stock. I still agree Perreault is the better prospect, but Bonk is at least somewhat justifying the pick. He looks like a top 20 (I’d say top 15) prospect from that draft, which is fine at #22. Lot of other teams passed on Perreault, wasn’t just us.

Similarly, I would’ve taken Buium this year, but I do think that when a player starts to slide without an obvious reason (medical, size, russian factor, etc.), there’s usually something to that. I was very surprised to see some D prospects that really seem to lack #1 upside going ahead of him and that gives me pause. Will be interesting to see who is right, the draft pundits or the NHL scouts. I was also quite upset with the Luchanko pick at first, but the more I hear and see, the more I’m OK with it. The media kind of seized on Briere’s response to Charlie asking about the center factor and made it sound like we reached for position, but if you look at our FO’s comments in their totality, it sounds more like we had Buium and Luchanko on the same tier and the position may have been the tie-breaker. If that’s the case, the process is OK. One of the guys at the athletic also said multiple other teams in the teens were going to select Luchanko, so if that was our guy (and it sounds like it was), we couldn’t really move down again or we’d risk losing him. Ideally though, when there’s one consensus elite D left on the board, you extract more value than just a future 3rd round pick to trade down.

Berglund was awful. But thankfully that’s “only” a 2nd round pick.

Those are fair points, but I think Briere has shown us the Flyers still have a fatal flaw, and he (and Jones) are likely nothing more than a loveable face to the same ugly extension of past Flyers regimes that left us puzzled, angry, then apathetic.

The Michkov pick was Danny's first test and he aced it with flying colors. On draft night, as Michkov was dropping, the part of me still slathered with the stench of Flyers draft failures believed that they would pass on him and draft Leonard. When they didn't I was stunned. Maybe Briere was different after all.

Then he passed on Perreault for Bonk. Is it turning out to be the worst decision? No. To your point, Bonk has seen his stock rise in his D+1. But, so did Perreault, who has turned into one of the elite forward prospects on the planet, blessed with high-end, jaw-dropping talent. The Bonk pick was followed by the selection of 325 goalies and Mike Knuble's kid (a classic, throwback Holmgren move). Barkey appears to be an excellent value pick, so Briere deserves credit... although part of me wonders, if that was more of a "broken clock, is right twice a day" scenario considering the Flyers went back to their old, familiar draft stomping grounds -- London. The cynic in me wonders if Barkey didn't dress for London, would the Flyers have considered him? I honestly don't think so, but whatever.

Then the Gauthier trade. I still don't hate that trade as much as most but your point is valid -- it was terrible asset management, especially after seeing what Buffalo paid for Byram. The rest of the year was bitter-sweet but one thing was clear -- the Flyers sold the fans a bill of goods, re: "We're going to stink and rebuild the right way."

While you can never tell the coaches and players, "You need to lose on purpose", there are no valid excuses why Briere didn't deal Laughton and Walker (at the very least) the minute the Flyers started stringing wins together and climbing the standings. Laughton, gone. Walker, gone. Is a team willing to overpay for Konecny? Gone. Farabee doesn't like it here? Gone. Any player who is not going to be at their peak level when Michkov is a monster at 22, gone. Briere's only job was to ensure the Flyers stink so bad, their consolation prize at 2 is Ivan Demidov. Period. If we're being brutally honest, the way Briere managed the in-season last year was borderline horrific. I couldn't care less that they finally squeezed a nice asset out of Walker. He already contributed to the damage and guaranteed the Flyers drafted outside the top 3 or 5. That blame directly falls on the shoulders of Briere. Not moving Laughton at the deadline for very good assets should be a fireable offense, if we're being honest. If that was Fletcher instead of Briere, fans would have become unglued.

All of that said, this offseason has been the biggest disappointment so far, starting with the lame attempts to move up in the draft. Briere wasn't fooling anyone and neither were the silly Flyers bloggers and YouTubers who ran wild with rumors of moving up to 7, let alone 4. It was a week's worth of comedy leading up to the draft.

Then -- and here's where we disagree -- I think passing on Buium for Luchanko was an unforgivable sin that will ultimately haunt Briere for decades unless Luchanko brokers his soul, defies all logic and reasoning, and emerges into the next Nate MacKinnon. Yes, I think Buium will be that good.

Not only was Buium dropping into the Flyers' lap a gift, but it was the ultimate lifeline for Briere to redeem himself for not maneuvering the Flyers into the position to draft Top-5. Despite the screw-up, one of the top D (in a D-heavy draft) was there for the taking and Briere doubled down on the screw-job and reached for a "safe" centerman who scored 20 goals in his OHL draft year. It's almost as if the hockey gods were gifting the Flyers Michkov and Buium in consecutive years. And, instead of running up to the podium smiling like the Joker, Briere chose to flagellate himself like Silas in the Da Vinci Code right in front of Tony Luke's.

In no way was passing on Buium at 12 the smart choice, especially for a reach pick. And, if the Flyers had a 20-goal scoring center like Luchanko ranked on par with a kid who shattered the offensive records of 3 of the last 4 Norris winners in the same program at the same age, then the Flyers could be the most flawed evaluators of talent in professional sports. I also don't care what other teams did. Many NHL GMs make foolish decisions often. That doesn't mean the Flyers have to. Especially during a "major rebuild" where the only goal is to collect as much elite talent as possible, not well-rounded and safe players who "play the game the right way."

I will never be convinced passing on Buium was a wise choice, especially on June 28, 2024. There is zero analytical data, projections, scouting reports, or reputable rankings that suggest Luchanko held more value or was more talented than Zeev Buium. This was a flawed tunnel vision selection made by a GM and club who built their legacy of failures on the back of thinking they were the smartest executives in the room.

And now, what will Briere do? The Flyers are entering the most important second year of their infamous "rebuild" and smart money has Briere positioning the Flyers to miss out on franchise-altering talent like Hagens while extending Konecny to a significant overpay in both term and cap hit. But, if we're lucky at this point, Danny might trade Laughton at the deadline after he's helped contribute to 3-4 unwarranted, meaningless wins in February that move the team back 4 slots in the draft to pick 10 or so. Then again, after seeing the Flyers post a pic of Laughton spooning Gritty on social yesterday, his new 8-year extension is likely being inked as we speak.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

They only traded Walker after trying all season to resign him.

If Walker comes down on his ask I think the Flyers bring him back and maybe they trade Seeler.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Those are fair points, but I think Briere has shown us the Flyers still have a fatal flaw, and he (and Jones) are likely nothing more than a loveable face to the same ugly extension of past Flyers regimes that left us puzzled, angry, then apathetic.

The Michkov pick was Danny's first test and he aced it with flying colors. On draft night, as Michkov was dropping, the part of me still slathered with the stench of Flyers draft failures believed that they would pass on him and draft Leonard. When they didn't I was stunned. Maybe Briere was different after all.

Then he passed on Perreault for Bonk. Is it turning out to be the worst decision? No. To your point, Bonk has seen his stock rise in his D+1. But, so did Perreault, who has turned into one of the elite forward prospects on the planet, blessed with high-end, jaw-dropping talent. The Bonk pick was followed by the selection of 325 goalies and Mike Knuble's kid (a classic, throwback Holmgren move). Barkey appears to be an excellent value pick, so Briere deserves credit... although part of me wonders, if that was more of a "broken clock, is right twice a day" scenario considering the Flyers went back to their old, familiar draft stomping grounds -- London. The cynic in me wonders if Barkey didn't dress for London, would the Flyers have considered him? I honestly don't think so, but whatever.

Then the Gauthier trade. I still don't hate that trade as much as most but your point is valid -- it was terrible asset management, especially after seeing what Buffalo paid for Byram. The rest of the year was bitter-sweet but one thing was clear -- the Flyers sold the fans a bill of goods, re: "We're going to stink and rebuild the right way."

While you can never tell the coaches and players, "You need to lose on purpose", there are no valid excuses why Briere didn't deal Laughton and Walker (at the very least) the minute the Flyers started stringing wins together and climbing the standings. Laughton, gone. Walker, gone. Is a team willing to overpay for Konecny? Gone. Farabee doesn't like it here? Gone. Any player who is not going to be at their peak level when Michkov is a monster at 22, gone. Briere's only job was to ensure the Flyers stink so bad, their consolation prize at 2 is Ivan Demidov. Period. If we're being brutally honest, the way Briere managed the in-season last year was borderline horrific. I couldn't care less that they finally squeezed a nice asset out of Walker. He already contributed to the damage and guaranteed the Flyers drafted outside the top 3 or 5. That blame directly falls on the shoulders of Briere. Not moving Laughton at the deadline for very good assets should be a fireable offense, if we're being honest. If that was Fletcher instead of Briere, fans would have become unglued.

All of that said, this offseason has been the biggest disappointment so far, starting with the lame attempts to move up in the draft. Briere wasn't fooling anyone and neither were the silly Flyers bloggers and YouTubers who ran wild with rumors of moving up to 7, let alone 4. It was a week's worth of comedy leading up to the draft.

Then -- and here's where we disagree -- I think passing on Buium for Luchanko was an unforgivable sin that will ultimately haunt Briere for decades unless Luchanko brokers his soul, defies all logic and reasoning, and emerges into the next Nate MacKinnon. Yes, I think Buium will be that good.

Not only was Buium dropping into the Flyers' lap a gift, but it was the ultimate lifeline for Briere to redeem himself for not maneuvering the Flyers into the position to draft Top-5. Despite the screw-up, one of the top D (in a D-heavy draft) was there for the taking and Briere doubled down on the screw-job and reached for a "safe" centerman who scored 20 goals in his OHL draft year. It's almost as if the hockey gods were gifting the Flyers Michkov and Buium in consecutive years. And, instead of running up to the podium smiling like the Joker, Briere chose to flagellate himself like Silas in the Da Vinci Code right in front of Tony Luke's.

In no way was passing on Buium at 12 the smart choice, especially for a reach pick. And, if the Flyers had a 20-goal scoring center like Luchanko ranked on par with a kid who shattered the offensive records of 3 of the last 4 Norris winners in the same program at the same age, then the Flyers could be the most flawed evaluators of talent in professional sports. I also don't care what other teams did. Many NHL GMs make foolish decisions often. That doesn't mean the Flyers have to. Especially during a "major rebuild" where the only goal is to collect as much elite talent as possible, not well-rounded and safe players who "play the game the right way."

I will never be convinced passing on Buium was a wise choice, especially on June 28, 2024. There is zero analytical data, projections, scouting reports, or reputable rankings that suggest Luchanko held more value or was more talented than Zeev Buium. This was a flawed tunnel vision selection made by a GM and club who built their legacy of failures on the back of thinking they were the smartest executives in the room.

And now, what will Briere do? The Flyers are entering the most important second year of their infamous "rebuild" and smart money has Briere positioning the Flyers to miss out on franchise-altering talent like Hagens while extending Konecny to a significant overpay in both term and cap hit. But, if we're lucky at this point, Danny might trade Laughton at the deadline after he's helped contribute to 3-4 unwarranted, meaningless wins in February that move the team back 4 slots in the draft to pick 10 or so. Then again, after seeing the Flyers post a pic of Laughton spooning Gritty on social yesterday, his new 8-year extension is likely being inked as we speak.

This is the most intensely positive post we will see this off-season

 

[Flyerfan4life]

C’mon… now you’re taking it too far. Jonesy was talking about his conversations with the players in the offseason, patting himself and the FO on the back for how competitive the team was and what a surprising season they were having. That wasn’t an admission that the rebuild is a lie. It was him puffing out his chest and taking credit for keeping the players morale high and getting them to fight like hell for the playoffs, despite being in a “rebuild”.

I don’t think the team has made enough hockey trades yet and I’m starting to sour on Briere a bit, but they are rebuilding (just not the way most of us would like). If the whole rebuild was BS, Walker would be here. Probably for like $10MM more total than he actually signed for with Carolina

umm you know he literaly said the rebuild was bullshit that they told people outside the lockerroom

 

[Chicken N Raffls]

Those are fair points, but I think Briere has shown us the Flyers still have a fatal flaw, and he (and Jones) are likely nothing more than a loveable face to the same ugly extension of past Flyers regimes that left us puzzled, angry, then apathetic.

The Michkov pick was Danny's first test and he aced it with flying colors. On draft night, as Michkov was dropping, the part of me still slathered with the stench of Flyers draft failures believed that they would pass on him and draft Leonard. When they didn't I was stunned. Maybe Briere was different after all.

Then he passed on Perreault for Bonk. Is it turning out to be the worst decision? No. To your point, Bonk has seen his stock rise in his D+1. But, so did Perreault, who has turned into one of the elite forward prospects on the planet, blessed with high-end, jaw-dropping talent. The Bonk pick was followed by the selection of 325 goalies and Mike Knuble's kid (a classic, throwback Holmgren move). Barkey appears to be an excellent value pick, so Briere deserves credit... although part of me wonders, if that was more of a "broken clock, is right twice a day" scenario considering the Flyers went back to their old, familiar draft stomping grounds -- London. The cynic in me wonders if Barkey didn't dress for London, would the Flyers have considered him? I honestly don't think so, but whatever.

Then the Gauthier trade. I still don't hate that trade as much as most but your point is valid -- it was terrible asset management, especially after seeing what Buffalo paid for Byram. The rest of the year was bitter-sweet but one thing was clear -- the Flyers sold the fans a bill of goods, re: "We're going to stink and rebuild the right way."

While you can never tell the coaches and players, "You need to lose on purpose", there are no valid excuses why Briere didn't deal Laughton and Walker (at the very least) the minute the Flyers started stringing wins together and climbing the standings. Laughton, gone. Walker, gone. Is a team willing to overpay for Konecny? Gone. Farabee doesn't like it here? Gone. Any player who is not going to be at their peak level when Michkov is a monster at 22, gone. Briere's only job was to ensure the Flyers stink so bad, their consolation prize at 2 is Ivan Demidov. Period. If we're being brutally honest, the way Briere managed the in-season last year was borderline horrific. I couldn't care less that they finally squeezed a nice asset out of Walker. He already contributed to the damage and guaranteed the Flyers drafted outside the top 3 or 5. That blame directly falls on the shoulders of Briere. Not moving Laughton at the deadline for very good assets should be a fireable offense, if we're being honest. If that was Fletcher instead of Briere, fans would have become unglued.

All of that said, this offseason has been the biggest disappointment so far, starting with the lame attempts to move up in the draft. Briere wasn't fooling anyone and neither were the silly Flyers bloggers and YouTubers who ran wild with rumors of moving up to 7, let alone 4. It was a week's worth of comedy leading up to the draft.

Then -- and here's where we disagree -- I think passing on Buium for Luchanko was an unforgivable sin that will ultimately haunt Briere for decades unless Luchanko brokers his soul, defies all logic and reasoning, and emerges into the next Nate MacKinnon. Yes, I think Buium will be that good.

Not only was Buium dropping into the Flyers' lap a gift, but it was the ultimate lifeline for Briere to redeem himself for not maneuvering the Flyers into the position to draft Top-5. Despite the screw-up, one of the top D (in a D-heavy draft) was there for the taking and Briere doubled down on the screw-job and reached for a "safe" centerman who scored 20 goals in his OHL draft year. It's almost as if the hockey gods were gifting the Flyers Michkov and Buium in consecutive years. And, instead of running up to the podium smiling like the Joker, Briere chose to flagellate himself like Silas in the Da Vinci Code right in front of Tony Luke's.

In no way was passing on Buium at 12 the smart choice, especially for a reach pick. And, if the Flyers had a 20-goal scoring center like Luchanko ranked on par with a kid who shattered the offensive records of 3 of the last 4 Norris winners in the same program at the same age, then the Flyers could be the most flawed evaluators of talent in professional sports. I also don't care what other teams did. Many NHL GMs make foolish decisions often. That doesn't mean the Flyers have to. Especially during a "major rebuild" where the only goal is to collect as much elite talent as possible, not well-rounded and safe players who "play the game the right way."

I will never be convinced passing on Buium was a wise choice, especially on June 28, 2024. There is zero analytical data, projections, scouting reports, or reputable rankings that suggest Luchanko held more value or was more talented than Zeev Buium. This was a flawed tunnel vision selection made by a GM and club who built their legacy of failures on the back of thinking they were the smartest executives in the room.

And now, what will Briere do? The Flyers are entering the most important second year of their infamous "rebuild" and smart money has Briere positioning the Flyers to miss out on franchise-altering talent like Hagens while extending Konecny to a significant overpay in both term and cap hit. But, if we're lucky at this point, Danny might trade Laughton at the deadline after he's helped contribute to 3-4 unwarranted, meaningless wins in February that move the team back 4 slots in the draft to pick 10 or so. Then again, after seeing the Flyers post a pic of Laughton spooning Gritty on social yesterday, his new 8-year extension is likely being inked as we speak.

 

[BiggE]

For the last time, pay attention children.

This is not a rebuild
They have never rebuilt
And, unless the team is sold and a competent hockey ops dept is hired, they will never, ever, rebuild.

In 06-07 they didn’t finish dead last because they were tanking. Oh no kids, they finished dead last because they were inept.

The minute Pronger went down for the last time, they should have rebuilt. They didn’t.

After the horrible 14-15 season, they should have blown it up and rebuilt, they didn’t.

And after crashing back to earth in 20-21 they should have rebuilt. They didn’t.

Now they might, due to their amazing combination of arrogance and incompetence, end up with a top 5 pick next year. But it won’t be because they are rebuilding. It will happen, if at all, because they are imbeciles.

 

[trostol]

If Walker comes down on his ask I think the Flyers bring him back and maybe they trade Seeler.

I think they'd both be here

 

[Tarpongg]

All true, and I know it’s a small thing, but how in hell do you end up paying a 4th for EJ?

 

[Magua]

This is the most intensely positive post we will see this off-season

Is your Positivity Revolution failing? Do we need a Reign of Positive Terror to get things back on track?

 

[Larry44]

All true, and I know it’s a small thing, but how in hell do you end up paying a 4th for EJ?

And then double down and resign the piece of crap.

 

[Boxscore]

For the last time, pay attention children.

This is not a rebuild
They have never rebuilt
And, unless the team is sold and a competent hockey ops dept is hired, they will never, ever, rebuild.

In 06-07 they didn’t finish dead last because they were tanking. Oh no kids, they finished dead last because they were inept.

The minute Pronger went down for the last time, they should have rebuilt. They didn’t.

After the horrible 14-15 season, they should have blown it up and rebuilt, they didn’t.

And after crashing back to earth in 20-21 they should have rebuilt. They didn’t.

Now they might, due to their amazing combination of arrogance and incompetence, end up with a top 5 pick next year. But it won’t be because they are rebuilding. It will happen, if at all, because they are imbeciles.

This is true.

But this time it was supposed to be different. And it was, between picks 7 and 22 of the NHL entry draft in 2023. A sliver of hope was drowned in orange slime and dumped on the fans by two beloved faces of recent Flyers folklore.

I honestly need to know: who is the grossly incompetent puppet master inside the Flyers org who continues to pull the strings while baby-faced Briere takes the arrows? Because, if this is Briere's own doing, he looked directly into the cameras and lied to the faces of the same fans who will defend him to the bitter end.

 

[Random Forest]

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-still-exploring-negotiations-with-seeler-walker

As I said. They had negotiations to see what the cost would be and then abandoned them when they confirmed it was too high. No shit. That was decent due diligence. Complain about the real stuff, at least. There’s plenty of things worth criticizing.

 

[Chicken N Raffls]

My favorite part of Briere explaining passing on Buium was the bit about blocking guys like Andrea. Iirc he's had a cup of coffee so far?

Meanwhile Bonk would go top 10 in a redraft (1 year later lol. Even mainboard HFers know to wait longer than that!)

And yet you know if Bonk doesn't "blow the doors off" on a guy like Seeler next training camp he's "not ready"

And then they give EJ a golden parachute.

This team talks out of both sides of their ass constantly. How anyone can't see it is beyond me.

 

[BiggE]

This is true.

But this time it was supposed to be different. And it was, between picks 7 and 22 of the NHL entry draft in 2023. A sliver of hope was drowned in orange slime and dumped on the fans by two beloved faces of recent Flyers folklore.

I honestly need to know: who is the grossly incompetent puppet master inside the Flyers org who continues to pull the strings while baby-faced Briere takes the arrows? Because, if this is Briere's own doing, he looked directly into the cameras and lied to the faces of the same fans who will defend him to the bitter end.

Clarke, and Jones, and Torts, OH MY!

These are the brainiacs that rule this franchise. They are the faces of despair.

 

[Boxscore]

My favorite part of Briere explaining passing on Buium was the bit about blocking guys like Andrea. Iirc he's had a cup of coffee so far?

It's inexcusable. Briere was just on the back end of the Ducks turning Drysdale into a top F prospect like Gauthier because they stocked their D pipeline with Mintyukov, Zellweger, Luneau, LaCombe, etc.

Briere openly admitted he passed on a better talent because he lacks vision and isn't capable of managing assets. Could you imagine the Avs passing on Cale Makar because they already had Tyson Barrie, Samuel Girard, Connor Timmins, and Mark Barberio in their organization?

 

[Boxscore]

Clarke, and Jones, and Torts, OH MY!

These are the brainiacs that rule this franchise. They are the faces of despair.

Lmao. Zero chance Clarke is wasting his time on the organization these days. He's living in Florida, taking naps, and spending time with the grandchildren. He didn't even remember Giroux's name when he was still GM. I'd be hard-pressed to believe he'd know Jett Luchanko from Joan Jett.

Convince me Holmgren still has blackmail tapes on someone at Comcast, fine. But Clarke?

 

[The Last Red]

It's inexcusable. Briere was just on the back end of the Ducks turning Drysdale into a top F prospect like Gauthier because they stocked their D pipeline with Mintyukov, Zellweger, Luneau, LaCombe, etc.

Briere openly admitted he passed on a better talent because he lacks vision and isn't capable of managing assets. Could you imagine the Avs passing on Cale Makar because they already had Tyson Barrie, Samuel Girard, Connor Timmins, and Mark Barberio in their organization?

Yes, I could imagine it, but it would just be imagined, not reality, like here.

 

[Curufinwe]

All true, and I know it’s a small thing, but how in hell do you end up paying a 4th for EJ?

The cost of Intangibles have soared since the pandemic.

 

[Adam Warlock]

It's inexcusable. Briere was just on the back end of the Ducks turning Drysdale into a top F prospect like Gauthier because they stocked their D pipeline with Mintyukov, Zellweger, Luneau, LaCombe, etc.

Briere openly admitted he passed on a better talent because he lacks vision and isn't capable of managing assets. Could you imagine the Avs passing on Cale Makar because they already had Tyson Barrie, Samuel Girard, Connor Timmins, and Mark Barberio in their organization?

And if he really really wanted Jett...would it have been that hard to trade up from 32 to get him? Or hell...even trade laughton for a later teen pick?

I actually dont hate Luchenko as a prospect. If he had gotten Buium and Luchenko in the first round that wouldve been really successful.

Buium-Bonk
York-Sanheim
Andre/McDonald-Dysdale

Much brigher blueline future.

 

[FlyerNutter]

Lmao. Zero chance Clarke is wasting his time on the organization these days. He's living in Florida, taking naps, and spending time with the grandchildren. He didn't even remember Giroux's name when he was still GM. I'd be hard-pressed to believe he'd know Jett Luchanko from Joan Jett.

Convince me Holmgren still has blackmail tapes on someone at Comcast, fine. But Clarke?

If Comcast grew a brain, and a pair of balls… and decided to change over the various departments that make up the Flyers, the same departments that have many members of the Flyer family…

How quiet would guys like Clarke, and the rest of the alumni be?

No other org is held back by such shackles as the Flyers are by their dogshit alumni, and the culture they ensure is maintained.

Comcast has already showed how scared they are if backlash from those people, knowing how much their STH adore them. Losing their base, so to speak. They doubled down on giving them even more power.

 

[Boxscore]

And if he really really wanted Jett...would it have been that hard to trade up from 32 to get him? Or hell...even trade laughton for a later teen pick?

I actually dont hate Luchenko as a prospect. If he had gotten Buium and Luchenko in the first round that wouldve been really successful.

Buium-Bonk
York-Sanheim
Andre/McDonald-Dysdale

Much brigher blueline future.

100%

It's rather simple...

If both players reach their ceiling, Buium is a Norris candidate in the mold of Adam Fox and Jett Luchanko is Robert Thomas. If both players just "pan out" Buium is Josh Morrissey and Jett Luchanko is Alex Newhook.

If the price to pay for taking a chance on Buium's massive upside is "missing out on Jett Luchanko" oh well. The Flyers were able to add another middle-6 C in Ryan Poehling for nada.

To your point, if the Flyers wanted Luchanko that bad, they had 32, the Avs 1st in 25, about 7,008 2nd rounders, Scott Laughton, Morgan Frost, and countless other "prospects" not named Michkov that they could have packaged to move up from 32 to 15. And if a team like the Blues was willing to turn down a severe overpayment for 15, so what, move on, and leave the floor in a ski mask with Buium.

 

[Redpath]

I was pretty happy with Briere heading into this summer. From his first year on the job, the Michkov pick was a breath of fresh air, Bonk's development looked great, the Provorov trade was a homerun, Hayes was swiftly cleared off the roster before he could further crater, and the maximization of Walker's value and subsequent weaponization of cap space was shrewd (Along with the Hanifin trade, too). I could forgive holding onto Laughton at the deadline after what appear to be a down market. Year 1 felt like a good step in the right direction.

But the continued lack of Laughton trade, the all-but certain mega TK extension that is coming eventually, and most unforgivably the Luchanko selection (And the justification for his selection) have all been deflating for Year 2. Unless they're certain that this team is going to come crashing back down to Earth next season to secure an elite draft pick (Which they can't be certain of) this was a summer without clear progress and leaving too much to fate.

 

[Boxscore]

If Comcast grew a brain, and a pair of balls… and decided to change over the various departments that make up the Flyers, the same departments that have many members of the Flyer family…

How quiet would guys like Clarke, and the rest of the alumni be?

No other org is held back by such shackles as the Flyers are by their dogshit alumni, and the culture they ensure is maintained.

Comcast has already showed how scared they are if backlash from those people, knowing how much their STH adore them. Losing their base, so to speak. They doubled down on giving them even more power.

Yeah, I'm not buying it. Look, guys like Clarke, Barber, Watson, Propp, many of the alumni, and even Holmgren, gave a ton to this organization. They deserve to be respected, applauded for their contributions, and granted access to any events and team facilities any time they wish. Heck, if I ran into Clarke or Holmgren tonight, I'd pick up their dinner. But... there is no way on earth I can be convinced that Bob Clarke has any say whatsoever in the current Flyers player personnel and team building. Last I heard, he doesn't even watch the NHL much these days.

I don't think the Flyers need to redo the locks and put team alumni on a Do Not Fly List in order to be successful. The Blackhawks were winning multiple Cups while honoring Stan Mikita, Robert Marvin, and Tony Spo. The Flyers need to hire "new" people with an eye for talent and insights into how NHL teams win championships in a hard-cap era. Then replicate multiple winning playbooks.

I was the sucker who thought Briere was that new person. That's my fault, not Bob Clarke's.