And it's only year 1 of the rebuild. This has been an epic collapse and I'm sure this will play into player evaluations; I mean it has to when you lose 6-2 and 9-3 in back to back games against bottom dwellers. But through this entire year, Briere and Jones have no wavered in their opinion of this team, that they are not close to a contending team. I for one am looking forward to the off-season, because I think many moves will be made.
- jd250

you still buying this rebuild BS when they have said it is not a rebuild per "jonesy".

as cliff would say they have you hook line and sinker

Answer: Sh!t Coaching
- Flyfly

Agree.

There was not a single reason Staal should have played. I can kind of see if you plays Johnson with one of the younger guys. But not both.

Agree.

There was not a single reason Staal should have played. I can kind of see if you plays Johnson with one of the younger guys. But not both.
- J35Bacher

It’s not like Attard and Ginning weren’t playing as well. They have both been ok.

LOL, its year 1 under Briere and Jones. Fletcher was never rebuilding, and before that Hextall was trying to straddle the fence.
- jd250

they are not fn rebuilding. they are following the saint ronnie plan as well.

Yes.
- epa80

IF this were to happen then we are truly all duped into this "rebuild." It would be nothing ore than a marketing campaign where they are retooling on the fly again.... again, and again.

And honestly, I never really thought this was a true rebuild to begin with.

My math may be off here, but going back to our friends in Colorado, they signed a 27 year old d-man to a 7 year deal in 2015-2016 while the team was in the midst of one of those rebuilds. They finished I believe dead last in the NHL the following season.

I guess the thing is, it isn't unheard of for rebuilding teams to do signings like that.

d-man BTW was Erik Johnson
- epa80

Terrible comparison as Johnson was still considered a top-pairing defenseman at that point (and played the minutes to back that up). Nick Seeler is not that kind of signing... never was and never will be.

They should be trading anything not nailed down for picks but we know they won't. Guys Torts likes will get extensions. And DB will be bent over a barrel again to get rid of any that Torts doesn't.
- Tomahawk

The smart thing would be to wait on extensions for everyone except Brink whose ELC is done and maybe Foerster if you can get him at a cheap AAV. They already jumped into the Tippett deal, which I think is fair value but maybe not what a rebuilding team should be doing.

The Flyers are lacking elite players. You want to have as long.of an open window of contention as you can. The best way to acquire future young elite players is through the draft. The higher the pick, the better the odds are of getting those players. That's not going to happen signing Rinehart and Walker.
- MJL

well your plan will always have them outside getting a top 5 pick cliff.

I rarely post in the comments section here (mostly due to the constant bickering among certain posters), however I read Bill's blog every day. Last night was probably the final nail in the coffin for the Flyers' playoffs hopes. It was downright embarrassing! The entire organization from top to bottom should be ashamed of the product that's been on the ice the last few weeks.

Have the players quit on the coach? Maybe some of them have, but I can tell you from personal experience with a clueless HS hockey coach (parent of a player on my team), that I gave everything I had every game because I wanted to win and played for my teammates, regardless of his ineptitude. I simply controlled what I could on the ice and that was how I played.

Is the team gassed from playing above their heads for a lot of the season? It's possible some players are, but all of them? That leads me to question the character of some players and their ability to dig deep and find another gear when it's all on the line. Potentially this is what Torts was referring to when he called the team out for having no "balls".

Has the goaltending has been abysmal during significant portions of the season. Sadly, the numbers (save %) would indicate the answer is yes. There is nothing more deflating than busting your a$$ and your goalie can't save a beach ball.

Does the coaching leave a lot to be desired? They have been able to get the team to play at a level for a large portion of the season where they competed hard, beat good teams and were enjoyable to watch again. However, there have also been questionable lineup decisions, a useless PP and head scratching OT choices.

NO ONE in the organization is absolved from blame for what this team has become and it's not going to get fixed in one season/offseason.

the fact peeps still have any faith in this franchise/management is astounding to me.

they are the oakland raiders.

they are rudderless. they have zero fn plan. no clue on what they want to do. they are allergic to talent that helps you win.

right now I am enjoying this poop show. there is no end in sight. this is what the flyers organization and their fans deserve. most of the fans.

It’s not like Attard and Ginning weren’t playing as well. They have both been ok.
- landros 2

And have both been better than Staal and Johnson.

On a side note, I will keep beating this dead horse. The Phantoms are also fighting for their playoff lives and the organization is robbing them of their two best defensemen to sit in the press box watching NHL games.

I rarely post in the comments section here (mostly due to the constant bickering among certain posters), however I read Bill's blog every day. Last night was probably the final nail in the coffin for the Flyers' playoffs hopes. It was downright embarrassing! The entire organization from top to bottom should be ashamed of the product that's been on the ice the last few weeks.

Have the players quit on the coach? Maybe some of them have, but I can tell you from personal experience with a clueless HS hockey coach (parent of a player on my team), that I gave everything I had every game because I wanted to win and played for my teammates, regardless of his ineptitude. I simply controlled what I could on the ice and that was how I played.

Is the team gassed from playing above their heads for a lot of the season? It's possible some players are, but all of them? That leads me to question the character of some players and their ability to dig deep and find another gear when it's all on the line. Potentially this is what Torts was referring to when he called the team out for having no "balls".

Has the goaltending has been abysmal during significant portions of the season. Sadly, the numbers (save %) would indicate the answer is yes. There is nothing more deflating than busting your a$$ and your goalie can't save a beach ball.

Does the coaching leave a lot to be desired? They have been able to get the team to play at a level for a large portion of the season where they competed hard, beat good teams and were enjoyable to watch again. However, there have also been questionable lineup decisions, a useless PP and head scratching OT choices.

NO ONE in the organization is absolved from blame for what this team has become and it's not going to get fixed in one season/offseason.
- aantny88

Can't criticize players for not finding a higher gear when they have been playing at their highest gear all season. That is the flaw in Tortorella's coaching

A smart GM would:

Trade Konecny at the draft
Trade Laughton at the draft
Buyout no one
Replace Torts with a younger coach who understands how today’s NHL game is played
Sign no free agents, holes can be plugged, if necessary, by NHL/AHL tweeners

I don’t think Briere is that GM though.

Do we still think Fedotov, who is a UFA after playing 3games, still wants to sign with the Flyers?

Also, his KHL rink is the same size as an NHL rink before someone brings it up.

Can't criticize players for not finding a higher gear when they have been playing at their highest gear all season. That is the flaw in Tortorella's coaching
- MJL

Why am I not surprised you're the first one on here to respond with criticism of Tortorella? Taking a break from giving Saint Ronnie fellatio?

Actually I can criticize them for it. Be a damn professional! How would these guys survive in the playoffs if they can't get through the regular season without falling off a cliff?

Also, I criticized Torts in my post if you bothered to read it and not simply pick what fit your narrative. Some things never change around here...

Holy hell... they're actually selling these at the official team store now?




- Tomahawk

Looked more like this last night

I believe this is the rub. Yes they played hard. As hard as they possibly could. Like playoff level hard, just so they could compete. They were overcoming their lack of talent by just going balls to the wall playoff level intensity from game one.

It's almost impossible to do it just for the playoffs let alone an entire regular season.
- MBFlyerfan

I absolutely agree. That pace is just unsustainable for the long-term.
What would have been better was to play as hard, but with fewer veterans in the daily lineup. Let the young players be the team for a full season and see what you really have. Maybe some were not ready, maybe some were left in LHV too long, I can't pretend to know all the details. Playing younger players would have likely not resulted in being in the playoff hunt all season, and would have hopefully altered the trade deadline approach.

Do we still think Fedotov, who is a UFA after playing 3games, still wants to sign with the Flyers?

Also, his KHL rink is the same size as an NHL rink before someone brings it up.


- Flyers_01

The rink isn't the only adjustment he's had to make tho.

It was just an act of desperation to throw him in like they did. Really poor player/asset management made for a pointless purpose.

If I were him I'd go to UFA or go home.

torts still has 2yrs left at 4M/yr....you think Mgmt/Ownership would make a move to replace him this summer?

I would think they would give him another year

Do we still think Fedotov, who is a UFA after playing 3games, still wants to sign with the Flyers?

Also, his KHL rink is the same size as an NHL rink before someone brings it up.


- Flyers_01

I think he'll take the cash in hand if they offer it.

torts still has 2yrs left at 4M/yr....you think Mgmt/Ownership would make a move to replace him this summer?

I would think they would give him another year
- Symba007

He might get moved upstairs into some kind of management/mascot role, but he'll get every last penny on his deal, don't worry.

torts still has 2yrs left at 4M/yr....you think Mgmt/Ownership would make a move to replace him this summer?

I would think they would give him another year
- Symba007

I do not think the org will force his decision. Only way he is not coach of the Flyers next season is if he chooses not to be.

Call me crazy, but I think this guy could coach a better PP than Rocky 32.

The style of play under Tortorella is not a style of play that wins in today's NHL. It can make a team more competitive. Tortorella needs to be removed. They aren't moving forward. It's a mirage. What they're doing is blocking moving forward.
- MJL

my opinion, and i could be wrong, is that torts main job was to get the team to be more professional. Compete hard every night, tighten up the locker room. And i think he did that, and i think it was needed. I wished DB traded some players and didnt aquire others so torts wouldnt even have a chance to put in certain lineups. But after years of the country club the locker room did need more professionalism. Now we need to work on talent. And looks like we may need to move on from torts. I dont think the GM and coach were on the same page which is an issue

The rink isn't the only adjustment he's had to make tho.

It was just an act of desperation to throw him in like they did. Really poor player/asset management made for a pointless purpose.

If I were him I'd go to UFA or go home.
- Tomahawk

I have doubts he wants to go home after what they did to him.