The Philadelphia Flyers 2024-2025 Season: Progressing Towards Lord Stanley's Cup

[Sparhawk]

This is going to happen all year. Same as last year we win games we shouldn't and I'm all excited for the playoffs and then they lose games they should win and I'm like why didn't we tank.

We are 1 point behind the 2nd wild card and only 4 points ahead of the team with the 5th pick in the draft.

 

[lasgop8]

We are 1 point behind the 2nd wild card and only 4 points ahead of the team with the 5th pick in the draft.

Definitely going to be a see saw ride all year long. Im hoping for the best case scenario and we get into the playoff and upset a higher seed in round one.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

Here is a current comparison of a guy you want traded off the team and a guy you say is far from the issue on this team: Why the hatred for Laughton and not Farabee?

Laughton 3 goals 7 assist 10 points minus 15: Top penalty killer, 3 million per year .

Farabee 4 goals 6 assist 10 points minus 9: doesn't kill penalties, 5 million per year.

Side note i dont hate either one of them.

No hate for either player, Laughton has been in the league 12 years and has accomplished nothing. He is not a stand out in any field, I did watch that kid lose his ass on that 3 rd goal they scored though. He looked good watching. They can both go, like I said won't break my heart either way.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

Definitely going to be a see saw ride all year long. Im hoping for the best case scenario and we get into the playoff and upset a higher seed in round one.

I'd prefer a season of exploiting and filling the weak spots followed by a strong draft. If we make the playoffs along the way that would be cool, good winning experience, but putting out a solider team to compete each season is what I'd like to see first and foremost.

 

[lasgop8]

No hate for either player, Laughton has been in the league 12 years and has accomplished nothing. He is not a stand out in any field, I did watch that kid lose his ass on that 3 rd goal they scored though. He looked good watching. They can both go, like I said won't break my heart either way.

They are both just middle of the road players as well as Frost ,Foerester, Cates, Brink ,Poehling ,Hathaway. It would be fine if we had some super stars on the top lines besides TK and Michkov. That way all the middle players move down a line or two.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

They are both just middle of the road players as well as Frost ,Foerester, Cates, Brink ,Poehling ,Hathaway. It would be fine if we had some super stars on the top lines besides TK and Michkov. That way all the middle players move down a line or two.

I agree, I think a couple of those guys would be better if they had better linemates Poehling, Brink. Hopefully we can load up more talent in the draft or a couple of trades, we're not that totally far off.

 

[Maverick426h]

Everything will start falling into place with this squad once we get a young, top line center, a young left winger that can score and a young, top 4 defenseman that can run the power play and eat minutes in all situations. That said, these types of assets are not exactly easy to acquire and as much as we want the 2025 draft to be tomorrow (because we have 3 picks in the top 20 as of this moment), it is still 6 months away yet (probably closer to 7).

Perhaps one of these players is already with our franchise. That has yet to be seen.

I'm not about to complain about any of the vets on this squad because I realize that they still play a very important role. Laughton is probably playing hurt and obviously not having a good year. It's really easy to just take a dump on him right now, but you can't have a team full of 20 year olds either and expect to even be somewhat competitive in this league. We would get spanked again and again, game after game, for probably multiple years. There would be absolutely no end in sight.

 

[awaz]

This is going to happen all year. Same as last year we win games we shouldn't and I'm all excited for the playoffs and then they lose games they should win and I'm like why didn't we tank.

Be good or be bad. In between is the worst place you can be.

 

[awaz]

Everything will start falling into place with this squad once we get a young, top line center, a young left winger that can score and a young, top 4 defenseman that can run the power play and eat minutes in all situations. That said, these types of assets are not exactly easy to acquire and as much as we want the 2025 draft to be tomorrow (because we have 3 picks in the top 20 as of this moment), it is still 6 months away yet (probably closer to 7).

Perhaps one of these players is already with our franchise. That has yet to be seen.

I'm not about to complain about any of the vets on this squad because I realize that they still play a very important role. Laughton is probably playing hurt and obviously not having a good year. It's really easy to just take a dump on him right now, but you can't have a team full of 20 year olds either and expect to even be somewhat competitive in this league. We would get spanked again and again, game after game, for probably multiple years. There would be absolutely no end in sight.

Oof. That's a high percentage of the core of a cup contender that we still need to acquire.

Gunna have to really kill it at the draft or find a 10 game losing streak in the 2nd half to get one of those picks into the top 5. (or find a team willing to part with one of those pieces for some not top-end draft picks)

 

[Maverick426h]

Oof. That's a high percentage of the core of a cup contender that we still need to acquire.

Gunna have to really kill it at the draft or find a 10 game losing streak in the 2nd half to get one of those picks into the top 5.

I don't think you disagree though.

Idk about a 10 game losing streak, but we probably will sell at the deadline and then lose a few extra games.

I don't think picking outside of the top 5 is a death sentence. We have a lot of assets, Danny B just has to draft smart and consolidate them into the pieces that we need.

 

[Maverick426h]

If we grade a player in the top 5 of the draft that much higher than everyone else, then by all means, aggressively seek out a trade and take him. With 6 picks in the first couple of rounds, I definitely feel we have the ammunition to pull that off.

 

[Maverick426h]

Be good or be bad. In between is the worst place you can be.

That's a great plan and all, but I'm pretty sure the days of tanking and hitting on the next couple of generational talents within the first couple of picks of several drafts is over with. It's not going to happen anymore in the Nhl. The Devils lucked out and may end up being the last team to do it. We shall see.

 

[Maverick426h]

Our division is insane right now. Only Shitsburgh is one game below hockey .500. It's a really tough road for us to travel, but I think we're better than our record indicates. Too many blown leads lately. It's frustrating to watch. We're better than this.

In a lot of ways though, the bounces just aren't going our way. That will change, at some point.

 

[lasgop8]

Be good or be bad. In between is the worst place you can be.

Im going to choose good!!

First round playoff upset of one of the top seeds!

 

[Chris p Bacon]

Im going to choose good!!

First round playoff upset of one of the top seeds!

We actually do match up pretty good against Florida.

 

[awaz]

I don't think you disagree though.

Idk about a 10 game losing streak, but we probably will sell at the deadline and then lose a few extra games.

I don't think picking outside of the top 5 is a death sentence. We have a lot of assets, Danny B just has to draft smart and consolidate them into the pieces that we need.

Nope, definitely agree with you. Just a scary reality IMO. Like you say though, a lot of assets for Danny to work with. Hopefully he can address at least 2 of those needs this summer.

 

[purdue81]

Anyone else tired of hearing hockey “experts” constantly saying “playing the right way”

The phrase needs to be banned.

 

[awaz]

That's a great plan and all, but I'm pretty sure the days of tanking and hitting on the next couple of generational talents within the first couple of picks of several drafts is over with. It's not going to happen anymore in the Nhl. The Devils lucked out and may end up being the last team to do it. We shall see.

Perhaps. The lottery odds have certainly changed the game. But that blueprint is still very present in the league. I bet you would've gotten pretty strong odds on COL or FLA or EDM to win the cup at the start of the year.

COL
MacKinnon - 1st
Makar - 4th
Rantanen - 10th

FLA
Tkachuk - 6th
Barkov - 2nd
Ekblad - 1st

EDM
McDavid - 1st
Draisatl - 3rd
Bouchard - 10th

Toronto obviously has their demons but I bet adding them would've increased your odds a good bit and Rielly, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander were all top 8 picks.

Picking outside the top 5 doesn't kill you, but you gotta hit home runs down the line. And TK was pretty damn close to a home run at 24, but even he probably isn't the centerpiece of a cup team. It's early in Danny's tenure of course so it could change, but the Flyers scouting department hasn't exactly showered themselves in glory the past 10-15 years and a lot of those guys are still in place.

 

[lasgop8]

Perhaps. The lottery odds have certainly changed the game. But that blueprint is still very present in the league. I bet you would've gotten pretty strong odds on COL or FLA or EDM to win the cup at the start of the year.

COL
MacKinnon - 1st
Makar - 4th
Rantanen - 10th

FLA
Tkachuk - 6th
Barkov - 2nd
Ekblad - 1st

EDM
McDavid - 1st
Draisatl - 3rd
Bouchard - 10th

Toronto obviously has their demons but I bet adding them would've increased your odds a good bit and Rielly, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander were all top 8 picks.

Picking outside the top 5 doesn't kill you, but you gotta hit home runs down the line. And TK was pretty damn close to a home run at 24, but even he probably isn't the centerpiece of a cup team. It's early in Danny's tenure of course so it could change, but the Flyers scouting department hasn't exactly showered themselves in glory the past 10-15 years and a lot of those guys are still in place.

We had Patrick -2nd Gauthier-5th and Couts -8th. Where are our strong odds to win a cup.

 

[awaz]

We had Patrick -2nd Gauthier-5th and Couts -8th. Where are our strong odds to win a cup.

Tons of ways to screw up top 10 picks still! Not saying picking up there is a guarantee. Just saying most of the contenders the past 10+ years built their cores with picks in the top 10. Florida, Edmonton, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Chicago did.

San Jose, Dallas, and LA were/are built a little differently but still had some high picks in Couture, Hertl, Heiskanen, Doughty, and Kopitar. Caps kinda fall in this bucket too with OV and Backstrom. Maybe Michkov is enough.

Really Boston would be the one true exception to that. Marchand, Bergeron, Pastrnak, McAvoy were all > #10. Chara was a UFA. So there's a way it can work. But you gotta hit on those picks and hitch your wagon to the right free agents.