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10 (Bold or Otherwise) Predictions for the Upcoming Season

MisterHyd3

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Ladies and gents, I'm getting more excited for this upcoming season everyday, and after seeing a similar thread at Hockey's Future, I wanted to see what everyone here at SH thought about things. I saw basically this exact top-10 in that thread, and agree with basically every point, so here are MY top 10 bold predictions for the upcoming year based on those (with my own commentary):

1. The Flyers become a respectable team 5 on 5 again. With a Top-9 as balanced as any in hockey (and two bona fide offensive defensemen in Timonen and Streit in the Top-4), as long as the team stays healthy they'll be able to put pressure on opposing goaltenders and score goals when NOT on the man advantage.

2. The additions of Streit, Lecavalier, and Emery lessen the leadership burden on Claude. Though I believe that he is a fine leader (see: Game 6 of the playoffs against the Pens the year before last when he lit up Sid and then scored less than a minute later), it's never a bad thing to add players with a history of strong leadership to supplement your captain. By my count, we now have 5 players on this team who could be captains elsewhere in Claude, Vinny, Streit, Kimmo, and Emery, and that's a beautiful thing.

3. Both Mason and Emery have strong seasons with the team with a nearly 50/50 split in starts. As a team, we'll finish in the top-10 in the league in save percentage and GAA, with one of the two inside a 2.3 GAA and .920+ save percentage, and the other around a 2.6 GAA and .905%.

4. Coburn and Schenn split time on Timonen's pairing. Kimmo is such an asset to this team not only for his elite passing and defensive abilities, but also for his leadership abilities and propensity to make the man he's playing with better. Schenn took large strides last year, and I believe he'll start the year on Kimmo's pairing, but Coburn has historically been at his best when playing with a true puck-moving defender who can shut down the opposing team's best players.

5. Coburn has a renaissance of sorts, and bounces back nicely from last year's abomination of a season. He's never been a great defender, but he's NEVER been as awful as he was last year. Also, the team sees Schenn and Gustafsson develop nicely as the 3rd and 6th defenders on the team.

6. Sean Couturier takes positive steps forward and improves upon a season in which he experienced the sophomore slump. I believe him to be a blossoming two-way stud who is in the conversation for the best overall 3rd line center in the NHL. He'll finish with 15 goals and 25 assists, for a solid 40 point season at only 21 years of age.

7. The second line of Brayden Schenn, Vincent Lecavalier, and Wayne Simmonds struggle at first as they develop chemistry, but eventually blossom into something dominant. Even at Lecavalier's size, no one has ever accused him of being a power forward, but Simmonds will fill that role nicely posting up in front of the net and causing havoc in the crease. This line should finish the year with 3 20+ goal scorers on it, as Schenn really progresses shooting the puck, Simmonds deflects his share of shots into the net, and Vinny capitalizes on both his time being the veteran presence on a line with two pups and his time on the 2nd powerplay unit.

8. Peter Laviolette rebounds after a year that saw him handily out-coached. He adds some wrinkles to his brand of dump and chase hockey, as he finally has more than one defender who can excel taking shots from the point, and I expect him to utilize Streit's big blast, allowing his players to capitalize on rebounds. What I love about the threat of a shot from the point is that once teams begin expecting Streit/Timonen to shoot from the point more, the team can set themselves up for some beautiful tic-tac-toe plays that see a guy within the slot pass it back to the point, the goaltender and defenders (expecting the one-time shot to come) cut down the angle toward the shooter by moving toward him, and the defenseman (receiving the pass) winds up as though he will take a shot before bringing the stick down in a shot motion but passing the puck to the opposite slot to the waiting winger who now has the angle on the goaltender who had been challenging the shot from the point, hopefully resulting in a pretty goal.

9. Max Talbot has a nice bounce back season after struggling in his last season with the team. I expect he and Tye McGinn (who I think will spend 40-50 games with the big club this year) to develop a nice chemistry as hustle players with a knack for scoring dirty goals. I expect he and McGinn to both break the 20 point mark, making them valuable bottom-6 players for this team.

10. Finally, I believe Rinaldo continues developing into a guy who draws penalties and benefits the team with his ability to get under the opposing players' skin. I'm looking forward to seeing him spend time in the box after goading the opposing teams' best players into tussles, creating an imbalance of power on the ice. I can't tell you how much I love seeing that guy irritate guys like Chris Kunitz and James Neal so much that they end up in the box with him, taking one of the opposing teams' best players off of the ice.​

I could keep going, but in the interest of everyone's time, that's all I've got for now. Thoughts? Looking forward to reading YOUR 10 (bold or otherwise) predictions for this team this season!
 

JBM73

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Great post! Clearly a bit tinted by orange colored glasses, but well thought out in that positive spirit. The only one I'll take a bit of exception with is number 2, in that I'm not convinced that Claude is a "good" captain. Yes he leads by example on the ice, but so did Richards up to his last year here. And, let's be honest, in hindsight Richards was NOT a good captain. He did not command respect in the locker room. I'm not sure Claude really does, either. Could he develop into a good captain? Absolutely. Unfortunately, this is just another case of too-much-too-soon decision making by the Flyers. But yes, at least they have compensated for this by surrounding him with strong leadership assistance.
 

awaz

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Great post! Clearly a bit tinted by orange colored glasses, but well thought out in that positive spirit. The only one I'll take a bit of exception with is number 2, in that I'm not convinced that Claude is a "good" captain. Yes he leads by example on the ice, but so did Richards up to his last year here. And, let's be honest, in hindsight Richards was NOT a good captain. He did not command respect in the locker room. I'm not sure Claude really does, either. Could he develop into a good captain? Absolutely. Unfortunately, this is just another case of too-much-too-soon decision making by the Flyers. But yes, at least they have compensated for this by surrounding him with strong leadership assistance.

agreed. should've been timonen as a stop gap. but it is what it is, i dont think who wears the C is really all that important as long as the leadership group is strong. the only people that make a big deal out of the C are in the media

great OP hyde, i'll try to make some predictions today too, but i'm about to go in to a meeting
 

mall3013

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I'm assuming Gagne isnt coming back? McGinn w more than 40-50 games? It's possible, but that def means Gags is history.
 

lasgop8

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I'm assuming Gagne isnt coming back? McGinn w more than 40-50 games? It's possible, but that def means Gags is history.

I wouldnt mind Gagne on this team as i like him and his play last season wasnt bad at all except for 2 issues in signing gagne.One we dont have any cap room to sign him as of yet and two i would like to see McGinn play with the big club.
 

awaz

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Why would anyone take this writer seriously? He works at espn. :gaah:

fixed :)

i would call emery the front-runner for the 'starter' tag, but i would expect a very close to 50/50 split for the first few months of the season.. especially in the olympic year with so many back to backs and 3 games in 4 nights situations.. really, it's a great year to have 2 'starters'
 

lasgop8

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fixed :)

i would call emery the front-runner for the 'starter' tag, but i would expect a very close to 50/50 split for the first few months of the season.. especially in the olympic year with so many back to backs and 3 games in 4 nights situations.. really, it's a great year to have 2 'starters'

Im hoping it happens the other way that Mason takes the reigns and becomes the everyday starter because we only signed emery for one year and if Ray has a good year either way were screwed,either he leaves for the money or will cost us a lot of money to keep him.
 

EVille3

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Mason is only signed through this year as well...
 

awaz

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i'd definitely rather have mason win the job and take the reigns, i just think emery is a little more proven than mason right now, and coming off a much better season.

i'm sure the flyers hope mason takes over too, like las said, RFA would be better than UFA. but, lately, it doesn't really matter that much. goalies don't (or at least shouldn't) get paid like skaters do. there's too many of them out there that can fill the need, and it's becoming more and more evident that outside of one or two guys, it's impossible to tell who is going to be in the running for vezina year in and year out
 

lasgop8

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i'd definitely rather have mason win the job and take the reigns, i just think emery is a little more proven than mason right now, and coming off a much better season.

i'm sure the flyers hope mason takes over too, like las said, RFA would be better than UFA. but, lately, it doesn't really matter that much. goalies don't (or at least shouldn't) get paid like skaters do. there's too many of them out there that can fill the need, and it's becoming more and more evident that outside of one or two guys, it's impossible to tell who is going to be in the running for vezina year in and year out

I believe i could say this with defininite confidence that Bryz wont be winning the Vezina anytime soon. :lol:
 

DoobeeDoobeeDoo

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Would be sort of funny if Bryzgalov wins the Vezina this year.
 

awaz

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ha, it doesn't even look like bryz is gunna play in the NHL this year
 

flyersfan4706

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1. Hartnell loses his top line spot due to an injury and regression. Read gets bumped up, and the line of Read-Giroux-Voracek becomes a thing of beauty.

2. Scott Laughton goes back to Oshawa.

3. Mason proves me wrong and plays like a capable starter. Emery as well is a fine backup, but never truly challenges to be our #1.

4. Gus continues his beastly play from down the stretch and solidifies a top 4 spot while scoring 30+ points.

5. Couturier's offense slowly progresses, racking up 35 points and the 3rd line with stellar defensive play.

6. Streit becomes our defensive whipping boy, and rightfully so. That being said he will add great offense to our 2nd PP unit.

7. Vinny plays streaky, but ends up with a solid season.

8. The Schenn brothers break out big time. Luke becomes a legit #2 defenseman who stills lacks offense. Brayden becomes a dominant force, and improves on his consistency.

9. Giroux scores around 83 points.

10. Voracek outscores Giroux, and pushes for the Art Ross.
 

raptorlife4

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1. Flyers win the Stanley cup
 
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