Vanflyer

right, wrong, or indifferent, I am of the position that your team is built from the goal line outward. it has allot to do with how the team plays in front. the flyers did not have that guy when the "dynamic" duo were here.

Its good fodder i guess. But someone has to play LW. Who????

Richards NTC / NMC was voided in his current contract when he was traded by the Flyers (same with Carter).

I just can't get behind this at all. I am not being a stepford here, but c'mon. The flyers choose to fish or cut bait. They cut bait. I am not protecting the organization for their stupidity in many areas or their acumen in others. The first cup was predominantly Quicks cup. Nobody can deny that. Carter / Richards contributed as cogs in the wheel- behind Brown, Doughty, Kopitar and others. This year, Carter shined. I think in large part that he finally got a coach that kicked him the ass enough to get him going (and Stevens was baking him cakes behind the scenes so he could lick his wounds). 9 pts separated Richards and Carter in the regular season. But the Stolls of the world make Richards obsolete on that team when Carter is more defensively able than Richards (I know an oxymoron). Richards game has always been a salt / pepper game sprinkled in with some talent.

Truth be told, I think Doughty is better than Pronger. He does not have the snarl / mean streak that pronger has, but he can control the game better than pronger- even when healthy. I mean is it an apples to oranges thing?? Don't get me wrong- I love pronger and all the baggage that comes with him. But, I REALLY like Doughty in this day and age (above Keith and Weaber).

Settle down nellie (I mean that in jest). I was not bashing / lambasting you- just more speaking in general (ps. I have had a crappy day, so take that what its worth).

I actually wasn't giving you that line at all (someone else was and opened up the can of worms AGAIN). Who knows, maybe the two win a cup in Philly. I am neither a fortune teller, nor do I have a time machine. All I know is that its done. Would have, could have, should have are for *******. You pull the trigger for better or worse. But because I can't resist: the flyers had little supporting cast for the "dynamic" duo when in philly. No Doughty (who is the best dman in the league), no quick, who is arguably in the top 5 goalies in the league, no Kopitar who is arguably in the top 5 centers in the league, no brown who is arguably in the top 5 center / agitators in the league. I can go on and on. The Flyers had none of that surrounding Carter / Richards. Carter / Richards were both supporting cast members in the first cup. Carter shone this year (sutter sure has his game going), richards meh. So what? At the end of the day, there are 19 spots to fill in the forward position. figuring out the round pegs for round holes and square pegs / square holes is not an easy science. LA figured it out. The travesty is not in the Carter (whom we did not even trade to LA) or Richards trade, but in letting BOTH Lombardi AND Hextall go.

Yup and both were integral parts of the Flyers reaching lofty heights in the playoffs as well. So what. It is what it is. I could have sworn this horse has been beaten to death so much that even the sire of the horse is starting to get beat. Two players do not win you a cup. End of discussion.

I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or not. If not, let me know before I go on my diatribe. cheers.

That should be the end of the discussion right there.

Fixed it for ya. Yet, if I am going to choose my overpaid 4th liners, Richards wins hands down over VLC. And that with a 20% increase in pay. All you need to know about VLC is stated right there!

While not a swamy, I think the intent of listing Laughton is a much cheaper version of Richards (yet not NHL proved). Two birds in hand are better than one in the bush- so to speak.

Ughhhh, are we really going to go down this road AGAIN???

We got that Vodka drinking, cigarette smoking Markov!!! :-P

Why would we need him anyway?? I like his grit and all that, but I will take a flyer on him. Let him go to some place that needs veteran leadership, can play second or third fiddle (not fourth or fifth like LA - OR Philly). 4m is too steep for what he brings these days (at least in the Flyers realm). That said, I will gladly exchange VLC for Richards everyday of the week and twice on sunday. I will drive BOTH cars!!

I think LA is in the same bucket as the Flyers regarding Centers. Too many. And the centers they have that Richards fills a role for have surpassed him (tifolli / stoll). Combine that with the price tag and I can see why LA fans are a bit discontented. I think Richards is still a fine player. I do not think he was what he once was- for whatever reason. That said, I think he can be an integral cog to an up-and-coming team, even at his price tag. I think you see him moved this summer and the destination will definitely not be in the O&B (that ship has done sailed).

Thats actually a good idea (don't know the particulars regarding what the service deals are with HF / digity), but seems like a reasonable idea aside from that linchpin.

I don't think move on as much as watch his kids grow. He has inferred over the past season that his decision to continue playing will depend allot on his family. He really wants to go back to finland and finish raising them there (no pun intended). :-)

If its because the bonuses surround a +10 or greater, 15 goals and 30 assists, I would be fine. Also, a 2m in a penalty hit is allot more digestible than 4.5 million.

I have said this repeatedly on a couple of threads and in game chats. He is a ball buster for sure- he demands nothing more than utmost effort. Yet, he also knows the buttons to push. I like Suter. He has done a nice job of getting the boys ready when they needed to be (they had another ho hum year offensively and light up the stars in the playoffs).

My biggest beef with him. The defense and float. I don't care about the money either.

Juniors- and know. He was an excellent two-way player in juniors. In fact, using the NHL selke qualifications (defense alone will not win you the award but good offense as well). He scored 90+ points twice while being a great two way player. You can not be slow afoot and be able to play 200 ft of ice as a centerman. If there was a knock, it might have been his foot speed (ie. his first step or two), but once he got going, he was fine. Also, his last season he had mono early in the year and he lost a ton of weight and strength which certainly hampered all aspects of his game (including his skating), yet he still posted 97 points (there abouts- too lazy to look). His offensive game has not translated as of yet to the NHL- but that is not because its not there. Its because that is not what he is asked to do and he is much more valuable in a shut down role One of the biggest thing about him is his tremendous hockey smarts. I think the poster above whom quoted Mark Streit in saying (paraphrase) that coots is way beyond his years in his ability and play. As a 21 y/o he plays like a 24 / 25 y/o. If only he could get a few more pounds (5 max). He is 6'3, but still langly, but uses leverage well.

The problem is that they moved to Glendale. While I can understand they needed a new arena, they needed to put the arena in Phoenix proper. There is no rail system. While its only 15 miles as the crow flies, during rush our (which runs 2-2.5 hours in Metro Phoenix / Suburbia), its brutal. At peak times it will take 1.5 hours to get to jobing.com arena. So, you essentially have to leave your job in down down phoenix at 5 pm to make it to the game. That means no dinner and sitting in stop and start traffic for an hour and half. Completely undesirable.

As petty as that sounds, probably not to far off base.

Yes, but I don't believe he is a douche of Lucics caliber.