Bertmega

Is Carle worth more than Coburn? I know Coburn had his struggles, but he has really become the staple of the Flyers defense. This reminds me of 2008 all over again where the Jeff Fingers of the world were getting 3.5mm per year. To me Coburn has a higher value than Carle. If Carle cannot be signed I would expect a trade early in the season (kind of like how we acquired Carle in the first place). I like Carle but not for over 5mm a year.

@RonJeremy There really are not the same type of defender (Carle and Schenn). It is to my understanding that Schenn was used incorrectly in Toronto; which coincided with his struggles.

wait he's not married to Clancey Kabella any longer. That explains the "lack of physical contact" that people say he has....... Poor guy.

@Podein25 I know getting traded is part of the business, but winning is instilled long before the first contract is ever awarded. Where am I going with this you may ask? Well, the way I see it, and I mean no disrespect to Holmgren and his cabinet, why should Carle sign below market value? If he signs long term below relative market value he may only be hurting himself. Say he inks 6 years at $4.75mm/year only to get moved to Columbus for younger players? That would be complete bunk and it kind of takes the winning thing out of the equations. I say he should sing where it fits best for the most reasonable price. As far as the "haters go", well that is very typical of the myopic faction of the Flyers' fan base. Some tend to forget our top pairing that included Rathje and Hatcher. Those days are long gone, thank you to the lockout, a really bad season, and a GM that knows how to address the current state of the game. Now we have a quick and mobile defense. I like Carle, sure he has his faults, but there isn't much waiting in the wings to replace him. For the money, pound for pound, I would take Carle over Suter. Now if there is some inside dope that I am missing regarding Shea Webber, then Carle is not that expendable.

Some of the comments on TSN are classic. "Call me when Edmonton does not have the 1st overall pick" "If Burke had his shot he would have drafted Schultz over Stamkos" "Toronto is awarding him the Norris trophy already" Good stuff up there. I hope he plays well, but I suspect it won't be as easy of a path as he thinks. I said it before, if he wants big time minutes, Edmonton is his destination. Young team that should shape up nicely. LOL at the Matt Gilroy reference.....

@NastyNate http://www.hockeysfu...justin_schultz/ Looks to be the #1 prospect not in the NHL yet. He was drafted by the Ducks in 08' but is a FA as of 7/1/12. He is highly sought after and is listed to be a top four defender. He looks to be smart and confident with the puck and has a tremendous hockey IQ. Downside is he weighs 185 and is listed at 6'2" and an 82 game schedule may be a little much. I do not expect him to come to PHL only due to his probable demands of ice time. I highly suspect EDM is the front runner as he will almost be guaranteed a roster spot when he makes the leap into the NHL...

@jammer2 Wait are you still mad about this? I agree with the LTI thing, but Pronger's cap hit hurts us the most when it counts (free agency time). I am hoping that is gets figured out sooner rather than later.

@jammer2 I think with the departure of Bobrovsky we are not going to see anything close to this happening. I fully expect some stiff that will not challenge Bryzgalov for the starting position and that will be that. If there is any buy-out clause, I would fully expect them to buy out Pronger. Bryz is a huge question mark, but Pronger is just wasted cap space at this point.

I can see a Kyle Wellwood type player. That's about it. Carle will be resigned, Jagr will walk and we'll have some room in-case of a trade or injury.

Jeff Hackett would be my 1st vote. Oh wait, never mind. I second Scott Clemmensen...

I was wearing this shirt at the gym today... this was before he was traded. Now I can officially retire the shirt. Best of luck Bob. Now if he wins a cup next season, I'll s**t bricks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dI1Q2AY1-Eo

@edgardc32 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teemu-Selanne-and-Paul-Kariya-SIGNED-Ducks-puck-/221049685358 As Van said, I would hold on to it. It's sentimental value far outweighs the monetary value. Or you could always try those Pawn Star guys on the Vegas strip. Best of luck.

@flyercanuck I just threw up thinking about that "dynamic duo". I have just spent the last 20 minutes searching for his playoff meltdown where he smashed, then broke his stick on the cross bar, then tossed it in center ice. Mind you the puck was still in play. I think this was the 2001 playoffs against Buffalo, the 8-0 loss. SMH

@Irishjim I heard Michael Gross circa 1982 will be playing Eskin..... fur coat and all.

@Podein25 That is good logic with Montreal, and from what I am reading they are pretty high up on Yakupov. In any case, I have to get up to speed on the names you mentioned. I cannot wait to see what happens. Friday night is blocked off from all house and work duties. @flyercanuck This could be interesting to say the least. I am still trying to figure out who Holmgren trades the #20 to.... my mind would be at ease if he does stick to the plan and draft a defender. I can't recall a draft in many years that was this heavy on defensive prospects.

@OH1FlyersFan This is sad, but I had to Google that term. I laughed my ___ off too! I cannot wait to use that in a social situation.

@flyercanuck This is true FC, in fact there should be a star next to both their names on the NHL draft class. I am reading that Murray should go #2. If they trade down to Columbus (knowing that they love to draft Russian offensive talent), what would that get them in return? The #2 and a prospect? If Edmonton takes Murray #1 overall, then Yakupov is absolutely going to Columbus. I can see Nash becoming more expendable at that point. NYR expendable to collect the finishing touches to Columbus' squad.

Gagner, Eberle, **Hall, **Hopkins, **Yakupov C'mon man, Pittsburgh did it with two rigged lotteries, if Edmonton can't do it with three then they just need start trading these gifts from Bettman.

@flyercanuck Would it be worth trying to trade up for him? Not JvR trade up, but maybe Bourdon and the #20 pick?

@Mad Dog Are you telling me Jody Shelley is not one of our more sought after forwards???

@mojo1917 Thanks Mojo, I will take a peek at some of the guys you mentioned. That is also a valid point about teams ahead of the Flyers needing an instant spark. I really hope we draft and develop a defender. My fear though is JvR or Bob and our 1st will be packaged for an established player. I hope I am wrong though.

@Vanflyer I watched a little youtube on some of the D prospects along with read their profiles. Realistically, what defender do you think will fall to the Flyers should they use their 1st rounder on one? I wish I had access to better scouting information, but it seems rather limited where I am at. I read some of the profiles and I like what I see, but I get nervous with the inability of the organization to have any patience with defensemen beyond 3 years. Hopefully, the stock the cupboard with some defensive talent and let the homegrown products develop. One that caught my eye is Codi Ceci. Has maturity, size and hockey IQ. Is there a possibility that he falls in the 15-20 spot?

I can see trading the #20 pick to the Leafs for their #5 and getting taking a shot at Cody Ceci. Dreaming though because more than likely if the Luongo rumors are true, I can see that pick along with others going to Vancouver. The only thing is they (Burke and Co) are going to want a lot to make this happen. I wouldn't trade JvR to facilitate this either. Maybe Brandon Manning and our 1st and 3rd could make this happen. Besides Burke will waste his 1st on somebody from Coastal Carolina Community College. If we can't draft a decent defender in the 1st round, maybe go with a forward and acquire the defense through free agency or a trade.

@mojo1917 I agree that he probably doesn't need the money; however, I have a little issue with giving him 1st line minutes and PP unit 1 time all year. Most of the year fine, but not all year. At some point Voracek is going to have to step into that 1st line role. In any case, we shall see next week what his "true" plans are.