All playoff exits feel disappointing. Through the ups and downs, fans always convince themselves that their team can win any series. The Flyers flame-out was sudden, but in the long view, it makes a little more sense.
At no point this season did I think the Flyers were really primed for a serious cup run. They were too young up front, having traded away their core forwards. Then things started going pretty well, but Pronger went down. Without Pronger, I thought a long playoff run was precluded.
The Flyers defensive and goaltending struggles reinforced that perception, until March shutouts made me begin to think I could be wrong. The defense showed hope, and they could score whenever they needed to. Eventually however, the gas tank ran dry and ingrained problems caught up to them.
It was a memorable and exciting season, and I could not label this team as underachievers. That's pretty much all you can ask for as a fan.
PLAYER REVIEWS
Forwards:
-Giroux. The burden fell to him to step up with Carter and Richards gone, and he responded with an MVP caliber season that Richards or Carter never produced.
-Briere. A very poor regular season, largely saved by 8 playoff goals. His overall game never really fired on all cylinders though, even in the playoffs.
-Voracek. His 49 points is not all that impressive, but he was a valuable player for the Flyers, and I certainly didn't see anything like conditioning or effort issues that his old CBJ coach criticized him for on the way out. He may never break 25 goals or 65 points, but I could see him being a winger on a quality top line.
-Hartnell. A quiet playoffs shouldn't dilute a career year, and I think he was playing hurt anyway. Consistently energetic, physical, and showed a finishing touch I didn't think he had. All this after a pre-season lost to health concerns and a terrible start.
-Jagr. 54 points in 73 games, veteran leadership, and the self-proclaimed "most enjoyable year" of his career. That qualifies as a success. Jagr did have some nagging groin issues, and his energy level fluctuated throughout the year, so it remains to be seen if he will be back.
-Schenn. 18 points in 54 games is an unimpressive line, but he improved as the season wore on, and I'd go so far as to say he was the Flyers' best player in game 1 of the Pittsburgh series. I expect him to take the next step in his career next year.
-Read. He turned out to be one of the best rookies in the league. 24 goals, played everywhere on the front line, and in all situations. Pretty much ideal.
-Simmonds. Almost doubled his career high in goals, largely due to 11 PP goals. He looks to be a streaky scorer going forward, as he battles and puts himself in good positions but doesn't have very soft hands, his physical initiative will make him a fan favorite.
-Talbot. Gave the Flyers everything they could hope for. A lunchpail player and team guy, he went from 8 goals last season with Pittsburgh to 19 this year, and he and Giroux were lethal shorthanded in the playoffs.
-Couturier. Surpassed all expectations this season, with 13 goals and logged big minutes in the playoffs. Remarkable for an 18 year old, I could not identify any clear deficiencies in his game. What a draft day steal, he could be a key player for the Flyers for a long time.
-Wellwood. Nothing spectacular, but a young, speedy player that should be an asset for bottom lines and depth next year.
-Rinaldo. Did all that could be asked of him. Not a high skill guy, he successfully brought a lot of energy and spark to the Flyers. He will have to continue to work on his discipline, though in his defense, he is clearly targeted by the officials and is on the short end of a lot of marginal calls.
-JVR. I think JVR had a very disappointing season. Yes, he had injuries, and his point production was decent before all the injuries. Still, I wrote that his early stat line flattered his play even before all the injuries, and there's no escaping the reality of the 11g, 13a, 43gp for a player who was supposed to score 30+ goals this year. He was very good in game 1 against NJ, but did little else in that series.
-Shelley. Yes, he is still on this team.
Defense:
-Timonen. Another year of wear and tear on Timonen's body, he still was able to be the Flyers top defensemen this year. Injuries severely limited him in the playoffs.
-Meszaros. Was inconsistent all year, never finding the form he had most of last season. Then his season was cut short by an injury. Maybe next year will be a bounce back season.
-Coburn. Unremarkable regular season, but logged huge minutes in the playoffs.
-Grossmann. The strong, defense-first, shot-blocking defenseman the team needed. He has bad knees though, so let's hope they hold up.
-Carle. The team's de facto number 1 defensemen this year, covering a lot of territory and eating minutes. A very good chance that his time as a Flyers is over, however.
-Kubina. He could not provide the reliable veteran presence the team was looking for---too old and slow, and picked up some injuries too. Little chance of him returning.
-Pronger. His season never really started, and his career may be over. It's a shame his time with the Flyers was so short-lived.
-Gustafsson. He really made some nice strides this season, though he could struggle at times. Skilled and smart, but undersized. It will be interesting to see what he can do next year in extended time.
-Bourdon. Another pleasant surprise, as his career seemed to have stalled in the minors. Looks like he might have an NHL future yet.
-Lilja. Seldom used in the regular season, played decently in the playoffs. Too old and slow to play a significant role.
Goalies:
-Bryzgalov. Things did not go as planned, though he was amazing in March. Too inconsistent and gaffe prone, but on and off the ice. Seemingly has some growing up to do, though a full season in Philly under his belt will help. Expectations will remain high with his 9 year contract. I am optimistic.
-Bobrovsky. Started the season strong, but on the whole did not take the next step in his career this year. Now heading into the last year of his contract with the Flyers.
Opinions on NHL topics of the moment, but mostly on the Flyers.
Showing posts with label bourdon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bourdon. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Penguins Game 1 Review
The Flyers main goal this series was winning a game in Pittsburgh, and that mission is already accomplished. Now, there is no reason they can't take two.
As mentioned yesterday, the Flyers are terrible in the first 10 minutes of games--I almost expect them to give up the first goal, and just hope they don't give up a second. Yesterday, it was made even worse with that goal in the last minute of the first, which looked to be a real backbreaker. The Flyers have shown an amazing ability to come back, and the Pens aren't too adept at shutting it down with a lead, but 3-0 is 3-0.
Hopefully the Flyers now have a mental edge. The Pens dominated the first, and seemed to regain control late in the 2nd after the Flyers got one, but the Pens really wilted down the stretch. They were frankly a mess in overtime, and I was thinking to myself they were getting very sloppy around their net and one of these loose pucks around there is going to end up in the net. That outcome didn't take long to materialize.
Going forward, the Flyers should focus on getting the puck deep. The Pens defense is not strong down low, and chipping it in will also limit the Pens chance to counter, which is their strength.
Other items:
-Bryzgalov played okay. I was about ready to declare that Fleury outplayed him in game 1, then Fleury gave up a bad goal to Briere. Either way, Bryzgalov has pretty much seen the worst possible thing happen (down 3 goals early, including an unlucky one), but finished pretty strong, moving confidently.
-Bourdon and Lilja definitely looked like a weak link out there. Lilja is slow but battled, and Bourdon seemed a little overwhelmed at times. Then Bourdon picked up an injury. Maybe Kubina will go back in, though it's believed he is struggling because he is not 100% anyway. A Kubina-Lilja pairing is kind of scary, because they will be SLOW.
-The legend of Briere rises. A little bit of luck on each goal, though clearly Briere was piling up the bad luck all year to get some breaks in the playoffs....
-Of course the first Briere goal was offsides. Tipping the scales on the whole, I don't think the Pens can complain about the officiating. All 3 of their power plays were completely embellished, and they were running Flyers and got only one penalty for all their late hits. Also, their third goal came directly after an icing call was waved off for no apparent reason.
-The Pens are definitely targeting Giroux and Timonen with late hits. Honestly though, if I were the Pens, I would tone down the physical game. Their physical aggressiveness didn't hurt them directly, but it feels like the Flyers are in their heads and Pens are trying to compensate by pushing them around.
-A pretty quiet night for the "stars." Crosby had a nice goal to get things going, but neither he nor Malkin were terribly threatening. Giroux was even more invisible.
-Big game from Schenn tonight though, which is great to see. The kid is stronger on his skates than he looks.
-And I will leave you with a tweet fom Dejan Kovacevic, Penguins beat writer: "If you're looking for reaction from#Pens, forget about it. They bailed like the place was on fire or something."
As mentioned yesterday, the Flyers are terrible in the first 10 minutes of games--I almost expect them to give up the first goal, and just hope they don't give up a second. Yesterday, it was made even worse with that goal in the last minute of the first, which looked to be a real backbreaker. The Flyers have shown an amazing ability to come back, and the Pens aren't too adept at shutting it down with a lead, but 3-0 is 3-0.
Hopefully the Flyers now have a mental edge. The Pens dominated the first, and seemed to regain control late in the 2nd after the Flyers got one, but the Pens really wilted down the stretch. They were frankly a mess in overtime, and I was thinking to myself they were getting very sloppy around their net and one of these loose pucks around there is going to end up in the net. That outcome didn't take long to materialize.
Going forward, the Flyers should focus on getting the puck deep. The Pens defense is not strong down low, and chipping it in will also limit the Pens chance to counter, which is their strength.
Other items:
-Bryzgalov played okay. I was about ready to declare that Fleury outplayed him in game 1, then Fleury gave up a bad goal to Briere. Either way, Bryzgalov has pretty much seen the worst possible thing happen (down 3 goals early, including an unlucky one), but finished pretty strong, moving confidently.
-Bourdon and Lilja definitely looked like a weak link out there. Lilja is slow but battled, and Bourdon seemed a little overwhelmed at times. Then Bourdon picked up an injury. Maybe Kubina will go back in, though it's believed he is struggling because he is not 100% anyway. A Kubina-Lilja pairing is kind of scary, because they will be SLOW.
-The legend of Briere rises. A little bit of luck on each goal, though clearly Briere was piling up the bad luck all year to get some breaks in the playoffs....
-Of course the first Briere goal was offsides. Tipping the scales on the whole, I don't think the Pens can complain about the officiating. All 3 of their power plays were completely embellished, and they were running Flyers and got only one penalty for all their late hits. Also, their third goal came directly after an icing call was waved off for no apparent reason.
-The Pens are definitely targeting Giroux and Timonen with late hits. Honestly though, if I were the Pens, I would tone down the physical game. Their physical aggressiveness didn't hurt them directly, but it feels like the Flyers are in their heads and Pens are trying to compensate by pushing them around.
-A pretty quiet night for the "stars." Crosby had a nice goal to get things going, but neither he nor Malkin were terribly threatening. Giroux was even more invisible.
-Big game from Schenn tonight though, which is great to see. The kid is stronger on his skates than he looks.
-And I will leave you with a tweet fom Dejan Kovacevic, Penguins beat writer: "If you're looking for reaction from
Friday, February 17, 2012
Flyers Trade for Grossman
It figures that, after I lay out 14 trade candidates, the Flyers trade for a defensemen I don't have listed. It's not the first time I've heard the Flyers connected to Grossman, but I'm not personally familiar with him and I missed his name on the list of pending UFA defensemen. More or less, the trade was predictable in the Flyers sending away picks for a defensive defensemen (specifically, a 2nd round pick this year and 3rd round pick next year). Holmgren just can't help himself but trade away picks at the deadline.
As I said, I'm not personally familiar with Grossman, but through the magic of the internet and the written word, I can tell you;
-He is 27 years old, 6'4".
-He will be UFA this offseason, coming off a $1.65x2 contract. He will be looking for a raise on that.
-He plays 19 minutes a night and on the PK for Dallas, usually paired with an offensive defensemen. Grossman is the stay-at-home guy on the pair.
-Reliable defensively, but not overly physical.
-Not going to do much with the puck on his stick.
-Scanning youtube, you don't see Grossman making high impact open ice hits, but he's definitely strong grinding guys out into the boards
The expectation is that the Flyers will pair him with Carle, and continue his role as the stay-at-home guy paired with a skating defensemen. Best case scenario is that Grossman steps right in and Flyers fans may not really notice him. This is not a bad thing for a defensemen, and he may kick Bourdon to the scratch list.
Early in the day yesterday, the Lightning announced that they asked Kubina for a list of teams to which he would accept a trade and held him out of practice, so it made me wonder about possibilities with the Flyers. I think Kubina would've brought more the table for the Flyers than Grossman (mainly on the PP), but Kubina is older and would've been more costly in trade price.
As it is, given the Flyers deeply flawed team this year, I am not in favor of giving up significant assets for rentals. Acquiring Grossman for a 2nd and 3rd round pick isn't giving up too much, but it's not completely insignificant either. It would make me feel better if the Flyers resign him this offseason so he's more than a 2 month rental.
As I said, I'm not personally familiar with Grossman, but through the magic of the internet and the written word, I can tell you;
-He is 27 years old, 6'4".
-He will be UFA this offseason, coming off a $1.65x2 contract. He will be looking for a raise on that.
-He plays 19 minutes a night and on the PK for Dallas, usually paired with an offensive defensemen. Grossman is the stay-at-home guy on the pair.
-Reliable defensively, but not overly physical.
-Not going to do much with the puck on his stick.
-Scanning youtube, you don't see Grossman making high impact open ice hits, but he's definitely strong grinding guys out into the boards
The expectation is that the Flyers will pair him with Carle, and continue his role as the stay-at-home guy paired with a skating defensemen. Best case scenario is that Grossman steps right in and Flyers fans may not really notice him. This is not a bad thing for a defensemen, and he may kick Bourdon to the scratch list.
Early in the day yesterday, the Lightning announced that they asked Kubina for a list of teams to which he would accept a trade and held him out of practice, so it made me wonder about possibilities with the Flyers. I think Kubina would've brought more the table for the Flyers than Grossman (mainly on the PP), but Kubina is older and would've been more costly in trade price.
As it is, given the Flyers deeply flawed team this year, I am not in favor of giving up significant assets for rentals. Acquiring Grossman for a 2nd and 3rd round pick isn't giving up too much, but it's not completely insignificant either. It would make me feel better if the Flyers resign him this offseason so he's more than a 2 month rental.
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