AlaskaFlyerFan

@nossagog, If Dupuis saw Chara, it isn't a blindside hit. If Dupuis avoided the hit, then there is nothing there.

@yave1964, Not sure I agree with everything you're saying. I think the hit on Eriksson would have been legal if he had the puck. I've only seen 1 angle, but it looks like Orpik hit him squarely and did not "pick" the head. IMO, it should have been an interference penalty.

I think Shanny will punish based on the result of the plays and not the incidents. While I don't agree with what Thornton did, I think Neal's knee was WAY worse if you look at intent. Punches with gloved fists happen in damn near every scrum during a game, you just don't see guys get knocked out from them. I can't wait to hear Neal's excuse this time..."I stuck my knee out trying to avoid hitting him." Coward isn't a strong enough word. He went straight to the bench after the knee and left his teammates to defend themselves in the aftermath.

I couldn't open the link, so I'm still broke!

@murraycraven, What argument? We were having a discussion!!

Not apples to oranges. Both played both center & wing, both played in the same division in the Eastern Conference. You posted a statement but have provided nothing to back it up. You (kind of) got me there on the first half of your statement. Giroux had 9 pts more in one season than Gomez ever had. I only used the first 4 yrs of their careers and you're using a lockout shortened season stats...now you're comparing apples to oranges!! My point hasn't changed. Pay attention, Man!! I think Gomez was a better player through the first 4 yrs of their careers. Beyond that, we have yet to see. Obviously, we are going to have to agree to disagree on this.

Gomez signed the big contract with the Rangers in 2007 after a 60 pt season. The first year his production went up by 10 pts. Then he dropped back to his normal production level for the next two years (58, 59) before it dropped off. His production dropped off in his 4th yr of contract (2nd year in Montreal). I think that his drop off had more to do with playing in Montreal than it did with the contract. He had a bad 2010-11 season and then his role changed. As far as Giroux goes, I think his slow start was due to the hand injury/surgery and missing training camp. That affected his confidence. He is recovering his form and should be back to his old way soon (typed that with fingers crossed).

Not exactly sure what you mean by this statement? I watched both of them play, also, and I think Gomez was the better of the two early in his career. I only see a slight difference in their game/roles. Giroux is better at stick handling and tricky moves with the puck. Gomez was a superb passer. That's not it at all. Of course, there is a little favoritism because I lived in AK, I will admit to that but that isn't why I think Gomez was better. I couldn't care less who actually puts the puck in the net. It's the play leading up to the goal that catches my attention. In fact, after skating I think passing the puck is the most important skill on the ice. When I was coaching youth hockey that is what I taught my players. Good passes turns into good to playmaking. Without looking at stats, how else would you quantify your first statement..." Giroux might no be scoring a ton, but his play making and creativity is so far beyond what Gomez was ever capable of." ???

@blocker, In 1874 the first “testicular guard” known as the “cup” was used in hockey, to protect the family jewels. But it was not until 1974 that we saw players begin to wear helmets as a team. It took 100 years to figure out the brain was also an important organ. (not my quote, I read it somewhere).

@King Knut, You might want to go look at some stats. They don't support your argument, as you said, "not even close". To be fair, look at the first 4 yrs of each player (only because Giroux's 5th year was the lockout last year). Giroux - 27 pts in his rookie year. Only played 42 games. Gomez - Calder trophy. 70 pts in his rookie year. Giroux - Two seasons with more than 50 pts in his first 4 years. Gomez - over 50 pts three times in his first four years. Giroux - Played in the Finals one time. Gomez - 2 Stanley Cup rings. Played in the Finals three times. To me, playmaking & creativity shows up as assists in the stats (you may disagree). Giroux - 100 assists. Gomez - 180 assists (100 assists in first 2 yrs). Your argument is useless.

@murraycraven, I don't know any Cooter haters.

Pretty good article on Couturier's worth http://thehockeywriters.com/putting-sean-couturiers-offense-context/ Putting Sean Couturier’s Offense Into Context After a sterling rookie year where Sean Couturier finished 10th in points among rookies and played strong defensively, expectations going into the 2012-13 season were high. But in the past two seasons, many fans have been frustrated with Couturier’s perceived lack of progress offensively. Flyers’ Strong Center Depth In the current NHL, depth and strength at center has been a common denominator of recent Stanley Cup winners. The Flyers currently boast some of the best organizational depth at center in the league. They are particularly loaded at the NHL level, with Claude Giroux and Vinny Lecavalier occupying the top-six center positions, forcing Sean Couturier to the third line and Brayden Schenn to the wing. In the minors, Scott Laughton is lighting the OHL on fire. With Laughton knocking on the door of the NHL, many have clamored for the Flyers to trade Couturier to address weaknesses in the organization, specifically for a puck-moving defenseman. Through all the speculation and rumors surrounding Couturier, Paul Holmgren has maintained Couturier is untouchable in trade talks. Holmgren is deserving of criticism for a number of his personnel decisions, but refusing to trade Couturier is not one of them. While it is true Couturier has not lit the world on fire offensively, he has done very well for himself when you consider the context and circumstances in which he has played his first three seasons. Sean Couturier’s Linemates & Usage in Philadelphia The combination of Philadelphia’s center depth, Couturier’s inexperience, and his defensive acumen has relegated him to bottom-six duties so far in his NHL career. As a result, he has not been placed with offensively talented linemates, limiting his offensive output. In his three NHL seasons, his two most common linemates each year have been Max Talbot and Zac Rinaldo (11-12), Max Talbot and Matt Read (12-13), and Matt Read and Steve Downie (13-14). None of those linemates have ever scored 50 points in a single season. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports) In addition to playing with weak offensive linemates, Couturier has not been placed in favorable situations to allow him to score points. Instead, the Flyers have decided to utilize his defensive abilities and have him face and neutralize the opponent’s top players. In his career, Couturier has started just 40.3, 32.1, and 41.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. In each year, he has managed to finish his shifts in the offensive zone 45.4, 44.7, and 48.9 percent of the time for an average increase of around 8% each year. This illustrates two points. The first is that Couturier effectively helps the team transition from playing defense to creating offense and keeping the puck in the opponent’s end. This is especially impressive considering he generally does not play with very talented linemates that are good at creating and sustaining offensive pressure. The other takeaway is that Flyers coaches are supremely confident in Couturier’s ability to defend in his own zone. Giving heavy defensive responsibilities to a young forward like Couturier shows the Flyers’ coaching staff are supremely confident in his abilities. Coach Craig Berube has waxed poetic about Couturier’s defensive abilities, trusting him in high-pressure situations on a regular basis. Although his time on the power play has increased with time, he is still not a regular on the first or second unit. Among Flyers forwards, he has ranked 10th, 10th, and 9th in power play time on ice per game. Conversely, he has been in the top three in shorthanded time on ice per game among forwards each year. Combined with the fact that his even-strength assignments are usually defensive, Couturier has not been in a position to succeed offensively. Couturier Compared to Recently Drafted Players The criticism Couturier has received has been based on his offense, not his defense. The biggest problem with that criticism is that the offensive expectations placed on Couturier are unrealistic considering his usage. There have been a number of comparable players to Couturier drafted since 2006. My criteria for selecting comparables was that they are centers, top 15 picks, and were touted as being good two-way players when they were drafted. With those criteria in mind, the players that fit the profile are Jordan Staal, Jonathan Toews, Josh Bailey, Lars Eller, Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene. Here is a breakdown of those players over their first three years in the NHL: Edit: Click on this link to view the chart. The formatting would not copy/paste correctly. http://thehockeywriters.com/putting-sean-couturiers-offense-context/ The above chart is a breakdown of even strength scoring between Couturier and six notable contemporaries. Compiled using Behind the Net, the Weighted Avg. ESP/60 (WA ESP/60) column illustrates the even strength scoring ability of each player over the first three years of his career. It is a weighted average(by season) of how many points each player scores per 60 minutes on the ice at even strength. The only exception is Jordan Staal, whose score (1.6000) was calculated using just his second and third NHL seasons because data was not available for his first season. The “First Year” column is how many NHL seasons passed after a player was drafted before he played his first NHL game. This is an important number to consider because significant developmental strides can be made in a few extra years in juniors, and where the player stands in his development needs to be factored in to provide context to the WA ESP/60 column. Using WA ESP/60 puts each player on a level playing field to examine their offense. It normalizes ice time per game and games played by showing it on a per 60 minute basis where the player is on the ice. Analyzing the Chart Looking at the above chart, Jonathan Toews jumps out as being by far the most impressive player. This is no surprise considering Toews is considered one of the best players in the league. Not only is he the best offensive player listed, but he’s also the best defensively. (Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE) When you consider the final three columns of the chart, it is clear Jordan Staal is the closest comparable player to Couturier. Both entered the league immediately after they were drafted and have similar WA ESP/60 totals. Their linemates are fairly comparable with Staal’s being more established players. Factor in linemates and it is likely that their WA ESP/60 would be essentially the same. In their first three years, both were used extensively in key defensive and penalty killing situations. Through the first three years of their respective careers, Couturier and Staal have been eerily similar. Offensively, Couturier should be considered better than Eller, Bailey and Hodgson through their first three years. His numbers are far above Bailey’s and slightly ahead of Eller’s. However, Eller spent two extra years in juniors before playing in the NHL, so Couturier’s advantage is greater than the numbers indicate. Despite Hodgson’s numerical advantage, Couturier should be considered better because Hodgson played two additional years in junior and has played with two all-star linemates in Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. Even when you consider Duchene’s strong linemates, he was clearly better than Couturier in his first three years. Defensively, Couturier is at worst third. Toews is clearly No. 1, Staal likely No. 2, and Couturier No. 3. After Couturier, there is a pretty clear drop-off in demonstrated defensive ability at the NHL level through 3 years. The Big Takeaway The point? Couturier’s “offensive woes” are nothing more than a failure to provide context to the numbers. Compare him to similar high draft pick, two-way centers, and he stacks up very well. While he has not exploded offensively like Toews or Duchene, his offense has been solid considering the circumstances, and he has shown better defensive skills than most. Paul Holmgren’s refusal to deal Sean Couturier is the correct move.

With a No Movement Clause

My initial thought is no, but, I would have to see what other Dmen were available before ruling out picker...er,.. Pitkanen

@bunnyman, I voted other. If you are not a professional or playing competitively, then retaliation should be your last choice. I would let the other guy know that he cheap shotted you and you have to get up in the morning and go to work. An injury because of him playing cheap isn't cool. I skate with the same group of guys 2-3 times a week. The guy who organizes our group won't stand for that kind of stuff.

Jammer, Jammer, Jammer...what are we going to do with you? LOL

Talbot was a cancer in the locker room. (Insert ninja here)

@flyersfan83, XXX XXXX XX XXXXXXX XXXX. XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XX XXXX XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX!!!

So, reading between the lines, you guys are saying this was a good move by Homer, right?

Those sticks will cost $1K or higher. Otherwise, they won't make any money.

@EDI-Flyer, He's only 160 lbs now. That's a lot of weight to put on and will take him several years to do it. If he was a forward, 190 might be enough. I don't think its enough to play defense without getting pushed around. I think he needs to be around 210 to remain serviceable.

What do you expect from Potvin? He hates Philly so much he blames things on them when they aren't in the game!!

"What is the C for, selfish?" Tie Domie chirping at Eric Lindros when Lindros was the Flyers Captain.

NHL Tonight is reporting that he will have one more start for OKC then report to the Oilers.