Eklund: Eklund on Flyers: Briere on the Rebuild. Your chance to weigh in.

Tanking has been responsible for numerous Cup wins and teams that have been perennial contenders. The Flyers methods have resulted in a team not being relevant in the NHL for 15 years. By the way Ek, the Oilers went to Cup finals last year.

Pretty tough to find those type of players picking outside the top 10…good news is it seems DB struggles like most past Flyers GM’s….he can’t seem to find competent goaltending. By having the worst goaltending in the entire league this team has a good shot this year at a top 10 pick.
All this method of building is doing is allowing the Flyers to be a mediocre team for yet another decade.
And please….enough of the term “rebuild”. Rebuilding teams openly trade vets with value for future pieces….the Flyers seem to want to skip that part….
If I had a message for DB? You should send Krug a gift basket for refusing your deal for him to come to Philly…another misstep avoided.

Eklund: Eklund on Flyers: Briere on the Rebuild. Your chance to weigh in.
- Eklund

The already have a losing atmosphere. That is all these players they have built around know. They refuse to trade them.

Briere is a putz who is in over his head or is afraid to make a move or isn't allowed to make a move. He has no plan. The flyers have no plan. they are not rebuilding. they have no path to cup contention doign what they are doing

The simple fact he overvalues the seelers, GH, and Laughton's of the world is mind boggling. they are allergic to wanting top end players. build with it with average depth is the motto

the fact you agree with him enforces it even more they are dumb.

They spend more money and resources on in game entertainment, like that's what paying fans want. This has become a very expensive night out. I don't want to be entertained by f'ng Ice dancers who don't touch the ice. Gritty and his stupid side shows, just STOP!! Let's do HOCKEY! this team and fan base has become a powder puff show... I hate it and regret getting season tickets.

I think he’s dead on right. I think it’s always missed by fans that tanking breeds a losing atmosphere, and we’ve seem plenty of examples: In Toronto they have only won a single playoff series, in how many years? And how long did it take Edmonton to become competitive after tanking for years? And look at Buffalo? Tanking is not the answer.

Could not say it better myself!

Tanking has been responsible for numerous Cup wins and teams that have been perennial contenders. The Flyers methods have resulted in a team not being relevant in the NHL for 15 years. By the way Ek, the Oilers went to Cup finals last year.
- MJL

and lost!

and lost!
- jd250

That's an absurd reply that shows you lack understanding of what it takes and the time it takes. It's amazing, you criticize a strategy that got a team to the cup finals and back a strategy that has resulted in a team being completely irrelevant in the league for 15 years and hasn't come close to contending for the cup. The Flyers in your opinion are on the right track but the Oilers, "they lost". Can't make it up.

Could not say it better myself!
- jd250

2 peas in a pod.

Could not say it better myself!
- jd250

Flyers already have a losing culture/atmosphere do they not?

Tanking has been responsible for numerous Cup wins and teams that have been perennial contenders. The Flyers methods have resulted in a team not being relevant in the NHL for 15 years. By the way Ek, the Oilers went to Cup finals last year.
- MJL

The vast majority of Stanley Cup winning teams have multiple Top 5 draft pick players and usually at least 1 player who was top 2 with those players generally being center and defense.

This doesn't even account for the higher 2nd and 3rd round selections that get overlooked but provide important depth.

Maybe the problem is a recency bias and amnesia. The teams that are perennial contenders and win the Stanley cups were bad 6-8 years ago while the Flyers suck right now.

It sounds like Ek wants a guarantee that tanking will guarantee a cup before he would consider it. There is none. It is, however, the only current method with a statistically significant chance and apparently Ek would rather have no chance.

Also, draft position can't overcome bad drafting or bad management. Ek, do you think the Leafs are a well run franchise? I don't.

Could not say it better myself!
- jd250

I'll ask a simple question...

Have the Philadelphia Flyers had a winning culture in the past decade?

If your answer is yes, what have you been watching? If your answer is no, how does that make the Flyers better than a tanking team?

I've been a fan for a long time, and I can't remember this franchise ever being as directionless as they are right now.

The sad truth is the Flyers have 4 first round picks not workout because of injuries and organizational apathy.
Morin, Rubstov, Patrick injuries and O’Brien never even given a chance. Add Provorov and that is 5 picks that could have made a big difference.

The organization has to be willing to play youth and take lumps to improve. They also need to update and improve the player development and skills coaching.

I'll ask a simple question...

Have the Philadelphia Flyers had a winning culture in the past decade?

If your answer is yes, what have you been watching? If your answer is no, how does that make the Flyers better than a tanking team?

I've been a fan for a long time, and I can't remember this franchise ever being as directionless as they are right now.
- BaronVonShiznit

Or what are you drinking or taking?

You don't need an ounce of hockey knowledge to figure this out. It's common sense.

Pretty tough to find those type of players picking outside the top 10…good news is it seems DB struggles like most past Flyers GM’s….he can’t seem to find competent goaltending. By having the worst goaltending in the entire league this team has a good shot this year at a top 10 pick.
All this method of building is doing is allowing the Flyers to be a mediocre team for yet another decade.
And please….enough of the term “rebuild”. Rebuilding teams openly trade vets with value for future pieces….the Flyers seem to want to skip that part….
If I had a message for DB? You should send Krug a gift basket for refusing your deal for him to come to Philly…another misstep avoided.
- landros 2

The best kind of tanks are the accidental ones with bad goaltending or injuries instead of the complete tear downs. Briere gets no credit for this if he does get lucky but I think it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Flyers end up with two top ten picks over the next two seasons just because he tied himself to horrific goaltending. It’s just a matter of whether they hit on those picks.

The best kind of tanks are the accidental ones with bad goaltending or injuries instead of the complete tear downs. Briere gets no credit for this if he does get lucky but I think it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Flyers end up with two top ten picks over the next two seasons just because he tied himself to horrific goaltending. It’s just a matter of whether they hit on those picks.
- psuhockey

he can always make a trade to upgrade the goalies, if he chooses.

If the goalies continue to play bad, I can't see him not addressing it in the offseason. Short term at least.

I'll ask a simple question...

Have the Philadelphia Flyers had a winning culture in the past decade?

If your answer is yes, what have you been watching? If your answer is no, how does that make the Flyers better than a tanking team?

I've been a fan for a long time, and I can't remember this franchise ever being as directionless as they are right now.
- BaronVonShiznit

Three trips to the playoffs since the 2014-2015 season began. One series win. Winning culture for sure. At least they are not losers like Buffalo.

What many don't get and that has been on display on this thread and other recent threads is that tanking is only the first step. You still have to continue to build the team and develop players. You still have to coach them and continue to draft and develop. No one strategy is fool proof and or idiot proof. People will bring up Buffalo and think because they failed at the later steps in the process, that means that the first step in the process is the wrong approach. Some also apparently think that a culture in place with a mediocre team is so much better than the culture with a bottom feeder. As if the atmosphere and culture of a .500 team is so much more conducive to the future that with the team with a .300 percentage. As if the team with a .500 points percentage is "winning". LOL

I'll ask a simple question...

Have the Philadelphia Flyers had a winning culture in the past decade?

If your answer is yes, what have you been watching?
- BaronVonShiznit

and lost!
- jd250

Really splitting hairs here.

he can always make a trade to upgrade the goalies, if he chooses.

If the goalies continue to play bad, I can't see him not addressing it in the offseason. Short term at least.
- login

Ersson is here next year no matter what. Both russians goalies are signed next year. Unless they choose not to come back, I don’t know how they get another one in here. I doubt they are going to block Bjarnason when they have stated that next year doesn’t matter either.

Flyers already have a losing culture/atmosphere do they not?
- furio16

Apparently losing when you're trying to win somehow doesn't count as losing.

Flyers already have a losing culture/atmosphere do they not?
- furio16

IMO, No I don't thnk they do. There is a difference to me between losing games and competing hard and losing games on purpose which is what tanking teams do. And by on purpose I don't mean the players throw the game, but instead management does not give the team what it needs to succeed. Players are not stupid. Players can see when management doesn't give a crap about winning. And though players want to win, when they see their leadership doesn't care, they eventually don't care either. Its touch to get rid of that perception once its in place. The Flyers are trying to win every game they can. They just don't win games because they lack high end talent and have the worst goaltending in the league. But no, I don't think the Flyers have a losing culture. I think there a few different ways to build a contending team. Tanking is one of those ways and not one I support.

Apparently losing when you're trying to win somehow doesn't count as losing.
- Tomahawk

It should be clear that this is very different from tanking, where organizations are actively trying to lose.

Really splitting hairs here.
- Pelle31Forever

My point is, Edmonton took a very long time before they got to the finals, and though the series went 7 games, it really was not that close; Florida was a superior team. Now if Edmonton gets back there this year and eventually wins then we can say getting Draisaitl and McDavid payed off. But up until last year, Edmonton was a joke of a franchise. Its too early to say they have got past that.