2013 Year in Review: Brayden Schenn

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 05/15/2013 at 1:00 pm

When a team trades their captain, it is inevitable that a lot of pressure will be placed on the players that come back in return. Brayden Schenn has yet to play a full season in the National Hockey League, but it’s hard to believe it based on how high expectations are on the young forward to contribute. Starting last season with injuries before finally getting a chance to stick with the club, this lockout-shortened year was his first opportunity to play an NHL season from start to finish. Though he may have fallen short of becoming a reliable secondary scoring …

2013 Year In Review: Kimmo Timonen

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 05/08/2013 at 1:00 pm

It was 2007 when the Flyers brought in both Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell in a pre-draft trade with Nashville, instantly revitalizing the roster from head to toe. Upon joining the fold in Philly, both players immediately signed contract extensions, with Timonen’s coming in at six years and $38 million. This past season marked the final year of his initial contract, and one could argue that it might have been his best stint with the Orange and Black. Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: people age, and hockey players aren’t any different. Timonen is not the …

Breaking down the Bullies: Increased offense from more net presence

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 04/24/2013 at 1:00 pm

For better or for worse, this bunch of Flyers seems to be putting it together as the season comes to a close. Even with a severely depleted blue line, they have been able to put together a stretch of 4-1 hockey for just the second time this season. It may seem bizarre, but it shouldn’t be meant as a slight to injured defenders in the pressbox. Instead, the signs point to a resurgence of offense from this talented group of players. The last time (and only other time) they were able to go 4-1, they managed to put up 21 …

Breaking down the Bullies: Low-scoring losses downed the Flyers

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 04/17/2013 at 1:00 pm

With just five games left, the Flyers’ 2013 season has been marred by inconsistency on every inch of the ice. On the surface, it felt particularly frustrating from an offensive standpoint. What appeared on paper to be a roster full of talented, budding forwards was coming up short on a nightly basis for no real reason at all, just one season removed from tormenting its opponents. Now that the year is coming to a close, the Flyers have suddenly begun to find ways to light the lamp, compiling back to back wins while scoring eleven goals in the process. They …

Breaking down the Bullies: Still making mental mistakes…

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 04/10/2013 at 1:00 pm

With nine games left in the season, there is only one conclusion left to draw: this group of players just isn’t very smart. Fresh off a loss to the playoff-bound yet beatable New York Islanders, the Flyers can pretty much call it a year. Instead, they are calling it a lack of mental awareness for the 22nd night in 39 contests (an above average amount for those keeping score at home – you know, in the standings). Scott Hartnell said they needed to be smarter. Peter Laviolette said the difference is ‘making a different decision at a different time in …

Breaking down the Bullies: Comparing down years

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 04/03/2013 at 1:00 pm

The Flyers aren’t a team that gets too comfortable outside of the playoffs. Sitting with less than a 10 percent chance of qualifying as of today, this might be just the second time since 1994 that they miss the postseason. When you compare the two teams, the amount of similarities makes you wonder if maybe we should have seen this coming. It starts from the beginning with the lack of identity and definition. During the 2006-07 season, the Flyers went through a lot of turnover due to a lack of early success and off-season change. They lost two big pieces …

Breaking down the Bullies: Third-period meltdowns

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 03/20/2013 at 1:00 pm

When the Flyers take the ice against Pittsburgh later this week, they might have a much different mindset than that of about month prior versus Winnipeg. With the team likely to be in a selling mode as their long layoff drags on, that game might best be described as the last time the Flyers had hope. After a rough start to the season, the team needed to go on a run to turn things around. Entering the third period of this contest the Flyers were trailing, but they were able to overcome adversity and get their game together when it …

Breaking down the Bullies: buy or sell?

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 03/13/2013 at 1:00 pm

The gauntlet of opponents the Flyers have faced over the last 10 days was supposed to provide some answers about what type of team they really were. Instead, a series of sporadic efforts has left both the organization and its followers with many of the same questions they faced a week ago. Some speak of playoffs, while others speak of prospects. With the trade deadline looming and the end of the season shortly thereafter, is there any way to truly categorize this team as a buyer, seller, or even something in between? After the nightmare on Broadway, the Flyers played …

Breaking down the Bullies: Keeping track of the mistakes

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 03/06/2013 at 1:00 pm

It was so close. The now mythical three-game winning streak, a feat not yet accomplished by the Flyers in 2013, was just 41 minutes away in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. Sitting at .500 after back-to-back wins, the first period produced both offense and optimism; it seemed like all was right in the land of the orange and black. Then THE line change happened: you know, that awful, inexcusable line change with less than a minute to go in the period that allowed Ryan Callahan to tie the game. Two goals from Rick Nash later, the team …

Breaking down the Bullies: Gagne makes sense

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 02/27/2013 at 1:00 pm

It’s becoming an ugly trend for the Flyers. Week after week, they fail to establish momentum, instead opting to tread water at the .500-mark in the win-loss column. The past four games have provided no relief. After a stellar win in Pittsburgh, the team followed it up with a completely deflated effort against the Panthers. They seemed to rebound with a come-from-behind victory over the Jets, but any thoughts of a winning streak quickly vanished as they failed to deliver against the Maple Leafs. This time, Paul Holmgren had seen enough. His (first?) response was swift, yesterday sending a conditional …

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