NHL level coaching (synonymous with Q behind bench) - this team has lacked competent coaching since Lavy was fired. And at the end of Lavy's tenure, he was no longer credible because he refused to change his system insisting on square pegs into round holes. Berube, Hakstol, and Gordon are bottom feeder coaches, as is Lappy. Gord Murphy was a whole lot of nothing, the goalie coach isn't working any miracles, Knob is a question mark that leaves much wanting. Without proper instruction, how can we expect the players to perform in a consistent and repeatable basis? Especially against teams with good coaching, it is important to fight fire with fire, or more apt, know how to zig, when others are zagging.
NHL level starter - again, Flyers haven't had this since Mason's penultimate season. Not chasing games, not having to outscore your own goalies mistakes, those are important obvious factors to continued winning. If the Flyers had a modest NHL starter, the back-up could fit in. Hakstol ruined whichever goalie he got by workload amounts, lack of rest. That's a stain on the current Elliott/Neuvy combo because neither can stay healthy now, regardless- NHL teams should have NHL level goaltending to be taken seriously.
2C- Arbitrary player, roster inclusion. I prefer G at the wing, although he is still a damn good center. If G is returning to center, this issue becomes moot, as G and Coots are a good 1, 2. However, the center depth does leave some wanting, and why not aim higher than the proverbial 3c? For how many years has it been said getting a solid 3c should be an easy thing to do as bottom 6 NHLers are a dime-a-dozen, yet the lack is still there. Nolan Patrick, do better, be better, please, we all want it for you, earn your large 2nd contract and f*** whomever on stacks of money that you can casually light on fire for a post-coital smoke. This could've been a Top4 defenseman, pick a flavor, but I still have a lot of faith in our home grown guys + Gudas. Would like to see them before going out and getting someone new, irrational I know (why not same rationale for the forwards- because). Dmen are expensive, so expensive.
Generally, the talent levels are ok, it's utilization that's most often not addressed. And if not utilization, philosophy of composition, which leads into the next selection.
Bigger role for young players as opposed to established guys (synonymous with Out with bad vets) - Gosh, fi there is ever a fault with watching this team for a pure entertainment aspect, it's this. Watching bad hockey from guys I know have little to no future. Dale Weise, AMac, Jori, Umberger, VdV, pick a Russian KHLer, Read, Manning, I forget anyone? All of those dudes, just unnecessary. Everyone knows they are bad, no need to recapitulate the reasons why. At times there was not credible youth behind those guys, but now there is, so they should not see the ice. They make watching the team unbearable. Most are gone, but not soon enough. A notch above is Weal & Simmonds. Spinning wheels just so Comcast can suck me dry watching drek.
The Flyers need to play these younger players, from the Phantoms, sooner rather than later to at a minimum make room on the Phantoms for guys in juniors, college, overseas, etc. Yeah the mystery box is great, it could even be a boat. But you gotta open the damn thing to find out what is inside! The Flyers are treating their prospects like Schrodenger's cat, and it is f***ing annoying.
Clear direction/vision for the team - And this falls on ownership/Pres/GM. Hextall was a mess because his vision did not match up with reality. Roster construction of the Flyers suffered for the benefit of an unknown tomorrow, while trying to emulate that of successful past teams (all that talk of heavy this, work hard that - screams LAK whom are the suck now, and Boston whom are not the most relevant recent Cup winner). The hot mic situation with the broadcast team, and the subsequent post game by the studio talking heads hinted at problems with chemistry. And it's not as if there is a Karlsson v. Hoffman toxicity going on (that we know of, are hinted at), but this team is not working. From starting games late, not competing for a full 60 minutes, no/little pushback in the face adversity, it's gone on too long. With clear no idenity, is this team a 200' team (Coots & Provorov), a finesse team (Voracek & Ghost), a bully team (Simmonds & Gudas), a speed team (TK & Sanheim), a starfish team (Weise & AMac)? It helps that Giroux can play each of these roles to aplomb, but that only hides the warts that this team is so thin, because it has no idea what it's doing. A great coach could instruct, and make instinctual, each of these types of game modes (less starfish) to the players on the ice to perform to their best capabilities. A good coach would implement a system that maximizes the collective talent of all the players. But our coaching hasn't been that great/good. Our GM hasn't been that focused. And our players are lost in what the hell they are supposed to be doing (defensive, 200 ft, offensive - where do we lay the hammer down?). Time to throw dirt on the previous coach- he instructed players to play like cowards. And that stink of being "responsible and defense conscious" neutered all the fun (except Gudas hip-checks) from this team unless it was an attack on the rush before structure could be restored to game play.
Nice thing to say- I've found it very impressive that the Flyers have an identity of being a great FO team. Laughton has greatly improved, as has NP and Weal. Coots was always above average, but now very good, and G went from very good to great. Impressive. Sanheim is probably a sneaky good FO guy too, because everyone in a winged P is this year.
@ me.