Oct 8, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers head coach Craig Berube behind the bench in the first period against the Florida Panthers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
***UPDATE: 11:30 10-12-2013*** The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Michael Raffl and Tye McGinn.
The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a 1-4-0 start. That is not what anyone associated with the team wanted. In the wake of this poor start we have already seen a coaching change and now we will lose Hartnell and Lecavalier for at least a week each. When it rains it pours in Philly. Even in the one victory the Flyers didn’t look all that good. To spin it in a positive direction though; good teams win ugly games. Problem is the Flyers really haven’t looked great in any game so far. Yeah their top players have yet to get anything going so that magnifies the situation, but the team as a whole seems to be a bit of a mess right now. With each game that they have played there is an insane amount of shots that are nowhere near the net. That is usually a sign of a team that is not only out of sync, but they are also trying too hard. They need to simplify their game. When that happens they can focus on the little things and the game will slow down. There is always a ton of pressure to “WIN-NOW” in Philly and the players are showing it. Look; there is a lot of talent on this team and I am a big fan of Craig Berube as the new head coach. It is going to take a few more games to install Berube’s new system, but what if it is more than just that. How long does Ed Snider give this team to turn things around before some major changes are on the horizon again?
Here is your chance to speak your thoughts.
*Before I get to the next poll I have to say that in the last couple years the two players that get talked about a lot in trade rumors are Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier. In various reports they were perceived to be “untouchable” by the front office. Why? Neither has shown so much that they are virtual lock on this team. If I had to side with one of them I would say that Schenn is the one of the two I would like to hold on to. Couturier is still very young and I think he is going to have nice NHL career for himself, but his worth to this team is nothing more that a good penalty killer and an okay third line center. Maybe I am wrong about him and he blossoms into something more. For which I would gladly be wrong about, but there is something that others are seeing that I am just not. The Flyers have a log jam of centers in their system that I feel could do, at they very least, just as good of a job as Couturier is as of right now. His value is high though on the trade market. So why is there such a reluctance to deal him for something that would fit more of a need on the roster?
*I have stated in earlier posts that I like Zac Rinaldo on the roster, but if he keeps taking all these uncalled for penalties maybe it’s time for him to be a healthy scratch for a couple games. On top of that why not add Jay Rosehill and Kris Newbury to that list. Do the Flyers really need three guys that play the same roll in the lineup on a nightly basis? What is so wrong with having a young skilled player take their place? Especially right now with the way the Flyers are not scoring.
*Last one. Even with the slow start has your season outcome for the Flyers changed? My answer would be no. I still feel that this is a very good team with a chance to do some damage in the playoffs. Now the road to get there might look a little ugly at times and there very well could be some major changes needed to make it happen, but in the end I still see them making the playoffs.