Six foot-five inches, two hundred-twenty pounds, the ability to make the big hit, block a shot, lead a rush, and be the quarterback on a power play — Braydon Coburn possess all of those qualities and more. But what happened to Braydon Coburn during the 2013 season? To be quite blunt, Coburn’s struggles epitomized the Flyers 2013 season. Coburn came to Philadelphia in 2006, the last time the Flyers missed the playoffs prior to this year, via a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers for defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. He was the crown jewel of new general manager Paul Holmgren’s salary dump …
Flyers face decisions with crowded blueline…again
So I sit down to begin this article, and I write the headline “Flyers face decisions with crowded blueline” and then I think to myself… “wait, didn’t I write something similar last summer”. Of course I go take a look and, sure enough, I did. I wrote almost the same exact article last summer that I am about to begin now. It’s the same story, with different players, and some slightly different circumstances. The major difference is timing. Last summer I wrote the article after the Flyers had made their defensive acquisitions. They knew who they had and it was just …
Flyers Year In Review: The Bad
The Flyers season may have been a downer, but there were still positives to take out of it. Such positives were the strong play of Jakub Voracek, Luke Schenn, and the young kids on defense. Now, we take a look at the Bad. Braydon Coburn: Mistakenly, I chose Coburn as my dark-horse for the Norris trophy this year. Coburn has all the tools to be a top-tier defenseman. He has size, speed, offensive skills and awareness, as well as strong defensive prowess. Coburn plays all three phases of the game. Yet, this was not a good year for him. In …
Podcast Episode 61: Oy, The Flyers
NOTE: This was recorded on Sunday, April 14th On this edition of the Flyers Faithful podcast, Steve and Hal discuss the Flyers losses to the Islanders, Senators, and Sabres, the latest media firestorm over Ilya Bryzgalov, their feelings on the Mike Richards and Jeff Carter trades almost 2 years later, and the NHL teaming up with You Can Play. Steve rants in this one, folks. A lot. Flyers Faithful Podcast Episode 61 You can listen to the episode by following the link above, or by right clicking on it and saving it to your computer as an mp3. You can also download the Flyers Faithful …
Saturday Morning Musings*
Something, something, intro paragraph. Fluff, yay! Let’s start off by facing the cold, hard truth. There is something like a 1% chance (with a 1% margin of error) that the Flyers could make the playoffs this season. Pointless wins are meaningless. Planning for next year is significantly more important at this point. So, what does that mean? Well, for starters, it does not mean that your loyalty as a fan is not contingent upon whether or not you want the team to win the remaining games of the season. The rational choice is to do what it takes to make …
Five Questions: Fixing the Flyers
Flyers Faithful revisited a former recurring feature, Five Questions, to address some current hot and important topics, including the draft, prospects, and the future of the Flyers. For this edition of Five Questions, we asked John Saquella, Jim Butler, James Centifonti, Joshua Janet, and our very own Jared Abbott to participate. Below, you will find their answers to today’s question. If you were currently the General Manager of the Flyers, how would you go about fixing the defense without decimating the core of the team? John Saquella: I feel, rather strongly, that a lot of the team’s defensive issues are due …
Flight Plan: Playoffs Still Within Reach
The Philadelphia Flyers took a four game win streak, their first of the season, into Winnipeg yesterday. They scored the first goal and, after a few shaky minutes at the beginning of the first period, completely took over registering 13 shots in the primary stanza, limiting the Jets to just four through 20 minutes of play. Winnipeg roared out of the gates in the second and notched four goals on just 12 shots, while Philadelphia could only muster five all period. Newly acquired backup goaltender Steve Mason saw his first action as a Flyer, stopping all seven shots he faced …
Looking forward: Who goes?
Prior to curating your opinions last week, I ran down a list of the players that the Flyers should keep heading into next season. This week, I will take a different approach, stating not what should happen but what may actually happen. Throughout yesterday’s trade deadline, the team remained relatively quiet, surfacing only to claim Adam Hall off of waivers to fill Max Talbot’s spot and to swap backup goalies. The front office openly acknowledges there are many holes to fill but the restraint shown today is an indicator that Paul Holmgren is not going to overpay for players just for the sake of …
Atlantic Watch: Flyers add Huskins and Rosehill, Pens’ streak ends, Islanders sit in eighth, Rangers add Clowe
The Philadelphia Flyers fought hard this week to stay in the playoff hunt, but a laundry list of injuries is only going to make things more difficult for the Orange and Black to reach the postseason. With a depleted defense and the loss of a key energy forward, Philly will need to grab a handful of points against three teams in the playoff picture and one looking to crack the Eastern Conference’s top eight. The Flyers started the week with a 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Islanders in Philly on Thursday. Josh Bailey beat Ilya Bryzgalov on the …
Rumors and rumblings! Thomas Vanek and Keith Yandle
With the trade deadline now just 24 hours away, the rumors are going to begin pouring in. Big market teams, like the Philadelphia Flyers, are always in the mix when star players are reportedly available. Today in the rumor mill, according to Dave Davis of Kuklas Korner, as originally reported by The Fourth Period, the Flyers have contacted the Buffalo Sabres and Phoenix Coyotes regarding Thomas Vanek and Keith Yandle. The Fourth Period writes, “Flyers GM Paul Holmgren has kicked the tires on Anaheim Ducks sniper Bobby Ryan, Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle, Dallas Stars right wing Jaromir Jagr and Buffalo …