Before I go on, I’d like to preface this poll by saying this situation is purely hypothetical. I am not speculating that this might happen or suggesting it is a legitimate rumor. For the love of all that is good and holy, don’t read anything into it or claim that I said this might happen. As rivals, the Flyers and Capitals make for unusual bedfellows but, this offseason, they could be a match. Washington has goaltending depth and a right-handed offensive defenseman, both rumored to be available. The Flyers have a surplus of centers and an alleged need for goaltending. …
The Flyers need to rebuild the fourth line
The fourth line needs new wingers. We’ve heard it over and over again from pundits and fans alike, although they may not have realized they were saying it at the time. So, let’s take a look at some of the common themes we have seen this off-season in regards to the needs of the Flyers: They need more heart The forward crop is small and needs to get bigger The team needs more grit The Flyers are really missing a guy like Ian Laperriere The Flyers really miss Arron Asham Jody Shelley and Dan Carcillo have been unable to contribute …
Hitting the posts: 5.19.11
It’s already been a busy morning. So, I thought I’d post some links to help keep on top of the news. Former Flyer Brad McCrimmon, is leaving his job with the Red Wings [Sporting News] Nikolay Zherdev may or may not have assaulted his wife/her Bentley [Puck Daddy] Dick Ebersol resigns from NBC Sports Group [Puck the Media] Former Flyer Ben Eager, gets flashed, hurts the Sharks [SB Nation , Mercury News] Peter Luukko seems to believe the Flyers might have a shot at landing Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Miller or Martin Brodeur. Sure, why not? [The Sabres Observer] The Flyers …
The case against Mike Richards
I’ve made it a point to stick up for Mike Richards recently. While the general consensus seems to be that the captain of a professional sports team should be someone who is public relations savvy, I prefer to believe that a captain should be someone who is capable of leading his team on the ice. If he’s great in front of a microphone, well then that’s just icing on the cake. The way I see it, for every smooth orator like Julius Caesar, there is a Genghis Khan. Each has very different skill sets but both were great leaders. After …
An open letter to Paul Holmgren
Dear Paul, We’ve had our differences in the past. The lack of value you see in draft picks and prospects worries me. Your willingness to give picks away in trade, and hand out no trade clauses like candy was mystifying at one point, but now I have become numb to it. Additionally, the idea of putting all of your eggs in one basket, like you did this season, is far from an approach I prefer take. There’s still no guarantee that you’ll win the Stanley Cup, as we saw, and now we’re left in the same spot where we always seem to …
2011 third round predictions
Dan A EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL #3 Boston/ #5 Tampa Bay Both teams are coming off of sweeps in the second round, Boston with a quick dismantling of Philadelphia and Tampa with a slightly less convincing romp over top-seeded Washington. Both teams have their top offensive weapons firing on all cylinders with the re-emergence of the Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton line as well as Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis finding their strides. On the defensive sides you have two big bodies on the backend in Boston’s Zdeno Chara and Victor Hedman who can dominate a game. In goal you have …
Playoff predictions checkpoint
Series Winner Marcello D Penaltykiller Bob H Dan A Nick D Frick Pavialax Craig F Capitals/Rangers Capitals Capitals Rangers Rangers Capitals Capitals Flyers/Sabres Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Bruins/Canadiens Bruins Bruins Bruins Bruins Canadiens Bruins Penguins/Lightning Lightning Lightning Lightning Penguins Penguins Lightning Canucks/Blackhawks Canucks Canucks Canucks Canucks Canucks Canucks Sharks/Kings Sharks Sharks Sharks Sharks Sharks Sharks Red Wings/Coyotes Red Wings Red Wings Red Wings Red Wings Coyotes Red Wings Predators/Ducks Predators Predators Predators Ducks Predators Ducks Capitals/Lightning Lightning Lightning Capitals Capitals Capitals Lightning Lightning Lightning Bruins/Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Flyers Canucks/Predators Canucks Canucks Canucks Canucks …
Another Philly sports drama
A player who assumes a role of leadership for a sports team in Philadelphia is bound to bear the brunt of undue criticism. This is particularly true for players who have great expectations thrust upon them. It happened with Charles Barkley. It happened to Eric Lindros. It happened in Randall Cunningham’s later years, just as it did for Donovan McNabb. It happened with Terrell Owens. It happened with Allen Iverson. It happened with Pat Burrell to some extent. It happens intermittently with Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels. The Flyers are not immune to these perils either, despite a near-unbroken chain …
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who helped make our first season at Flyers Faithful a successful one. We were truly blown away by the support we’ve gotten from the hockey community this season. Thank you to everyone who reads our site, subscribes to our RSS Feed, likes us on Facebook, follows us on Twitter, and/or comments on our articles. We wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you to Ladyneat, David Strehle, and the others who originally helped spread the word of our existence on Twitter. Thank you to Broad Street Hockey, Puck Daddy, and the other sites and bloggers who graciously quoted …
In case you missed it: Useful insights from Bill Meltzer
Not long after the Flyers’ 2011 season came to a close, Bill Meltzer revealed some useful bits of information on Twitter that are simply too important not to point out. In case you missed it, here they are: Too many Flyers failed to compete. There were also egos that got a little out of control this season. Too many guys more worried about their ice time than winning, too many guys who wanted the easy way out. There’s a lot of blame to go around. I think some of the offseason moves will answer the questions as to which players …