Bertmega

One more for $hits and giggles

@jammer2 It's sad. It really is, but I think it is time to move on. I still hold a very faint hope that he'll return a Flyer one day......

Who's this Pronger guy you speak of? And the saga continues.

You almost have to let Pronger keep it until he officially retires. I would under no circumstances give it to Giroux just yet. Let's nit rush things with him and leave him to focus on playing hockey and developing his skills 100%. Maybe in a few years he will be ready. I just think that a Captain should be around 28 and played in the NHL for at least 6-7 years.

@fanaticV3.0 I would like to see a viable North American rival league step in. Almost like the WHA. This is just nuts that a sport can lockout 3x in 18 years and survive. I know that the numbers point towards progress being made under Bettman's watch, I just do not see it. Time will tell, but the thought of another lockout may have a lot of loyal fans looking at other options.

@jammer2 You have a good point his fundamentals are quite suspect, but I would hope that he spent the last 4 months practicing like no other. I am just very concerned with who his replacement would be. Out of all the Flyers goalies in the last decade, I think he is the best, despite his technical flaws. Then again that isn't saying too much. Wow, if ever I typed a backhanded compliment that would have to be it. lol

@JackStraw This is true regarding Pronger's value to the t. The other glaring issue to me regarding a buy-out of Bryzgalov would be, what high dollar free agent would want to sign here if they could be bought out and unemployed down the stretch for not performing up to the perceived contract value? It just sends the wrong message to players. Pronger makes sense because he probably will never play again, it's like paying a mortgage payment for a house you cannot live in. If he wasn't injured, I know he probably wouldn't be part of the poll. I like many have a ton of respect for the man. In addition, Pronger may want a buyout as well. He may want to retire and move away from the Philadelphia area, he may want to get his name in the HOF, and he may want to pursue other ventures that being under contract by the Flyers may not allow him.

I see all this talk of buying out Bryzgalov. Question: who is going to be the Flyers goalie? Leighton? Let a solid rookie kid play for the chance? Oh yeah been there done that, he is in Columbus now. C'mon people Bryzgalov did under performed last season, no doubt, but his record wasn't terrible. At this point there are no other options other than buy out Bryzgalov and overpay for another goalie to $hit the bed. If there is a season in 2012-13, I expect to see a very different Bryzgalov, one that may steal a few games. Pronger was the dumbest contract in Flyers history. In terms of length, amount given up, and the little nuances like signing the damn thing when he was over 35. If anything, they should do all that they can to part ways with that debacle of a contract LTIR or not. That's my 2 cents.

I agree with the LTIR with Pronger, but doesn't his salary count against the cap during the open of free agency and don't teams have to be cap compliant by the start of the season? I am not too sure about the above two questions that's why I lean towards Pronger. I interpreted the topic question as there are no CBA backlashes and the Flyers could buyout one player w/o penalty. Again, I still go with Pronger, the ship has sailed and it's time to move on. Bryzgalov had a 33-16-7 record on a new team with an entirely new system behind an average defense. I think one would have to give him a few more seasons to see if he is the guy they have been searching for.

Pronger: only because of now his hockey value is 0. Briere still can produce at a high level and I believe his contract is movable if need be. Bryzgalov could have a monster year and his value could go up again, I don't hate his contract too much either as he may be what the Flyers are finally looking for in Net. Pronger is more than likely done career wise. I hate to type it, think it, or say it, but it is. In this case there is no maybe or if the stars align, he has ZERO hockey value. Buy him out and have the room in the future to bulk up the D elsewhere.

Don't forget about this: http://www.mlrh.com/2010-11-Teams.html Ohhh I may jump on the PA Blackout bandwagon. Lol fruitboot hockey

I smell a Kuato in these parts.......

@flyerrod Great show! One of my favorite of all time and Kelly Bundy was my 1st crush.

Busch Light? Man could he at least not treat old papa bear like a frat brother. I can only imagine the "walk of shame stories" that took place on that glorious day. I don't know what is more disgusting: a) Leafs Trashcan b) Dad's leather hat c) Busch Light d) Grandma's couch circa 1967 e) the coffee table I feel like I have come down with a case of acute white-trashatitis by merely looking at that photo for too long..... my balls itch for some strange reason after looking at that couch

Nice Flyers flag in the background. Is that Steve Coates with him? If so it would make sense why there is an alcoholic beverage in the picture. Must be before 12 noon though, as that is a "light" beer.

I would imagine the contracts would have to be bought out by the league. It's a $h*t sandwich, but we're all going to have to take a bite of it before it gets better. I think if they remove four teams it would be a good start. It probably would remove the Shelley's and Carcillo's of the NHL. It would be a better product that is less watered down....

@Dynamo 47 I am too lazy to look this up, but who is the assistant coach now that the Big Chief is gone? I would hope it is a very defensively minded coach. PLEASE LORD LET THERE BE A SEASON! I AM JONESING BAD FOR HOCKEY!

1) DAN "THE PUKE" CARCILLO 2) Dustin Brown 3) Sean Avery (if he even counts anymore) 4) Sid Crosby 5) Steve Ott To me though all of the mentioned are null and void when placed next to Carcillo. I was embarrassed that he ever donned a Flyers Jersey.

I don't think he is what will put your team over the top. I agree with @pegulavill26 in regards to Leino; it just seems like they are spending money to spend money. Besides he is over 35 which means that hard number is for the entire contract. Two words: CHRIS PRONGER.

I also have a sneaky suspicion that Lavy will adjust his system a little to allow for more defensive coverage. I can see the coverage focusing more on the neutral zone to mask some deficiencies on the back end.... I refuse to use the dirty "T" word here, but it may be an option until the defense stabilizes. I predict a lot less scoring coming from the Flyers this season as a result.

Now being serious: Short of doing a trade that will probably set the team back in the long run, I'd do nothing. I would stand pat. Hopefully this team is respectable enough to compete with what they have and maybe at the deadline I would make a move. There really isn't too much in the UFA department next season, so this could be a slow building process for the Flyers. It may be nice to see what the kids have to offer and what is in Europe that can act as a respectable stopgap. In any case, it is a tough call and I would not move anything of value to fix the short term. Perhaps, and this is a long shot, the could morph Hatcher and Rathje to make a super defenseman. We will call him Hathje. He will be a 7'3" pylon that cannot skate backwards. Ok that won't work either. In time we will have Meszaros back along with Coburn, Schenn and Grossman to look forward to. Timonen will probably be gone and I expect one of the kids namely MAB to make the leap to the big club. Aside from that, they may actually have to be patient and develop a defender.

@Podein25 Ok your plan seems a little more logical. Mine is long term though homie....

(I am playing armchair GM) I would purposely tank a few seasons, get 3 very, very, very high picks, get in the good graces of Gary Bettman, use picks to build a NHL brand, then ask Uncle Gary to make sure I get a cup out of it. Lastly, I would consult a Pittsburgh fan if I have the ingredients right. Speaking of ingredients, how's old Marshmallow head? Any chances he plays out this season let alone his contract?

This was a smart move by Holmgren. Next seasons crop of forwards that are UFA's (Perry, Getzlaf, Ribeiro, Clowe, etc) will drive the price up beyond belief for Hartnell. Sure some unnamed agents are pissed (I think it is more like Timmy P making a story), but at the end of the day both sides are happy. I don't like the length of the contract, but that is the name of the game if ask me.

I hope Holtby gets the nod out of training camp. I mean, I like his honesty, but damn son win something before talking like that. SMH