17 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

Patrick

Make it so.

4 minutes ago, Texas Eagle said:

He mentioned it while listing off the current edge/DE players on the roster and said let that foreshadow what’s to come so pretty certain it was about Graham retiring (or maybe announcing one last go?)

I gotcha, good catch there. 

Are you guys all super excited about MLB opening day? There's nothing like the boys of summer kicking off the season in front of a national stage, really it's a celebration of our shared American culture.  Can't wait to get the season started on a high note!

12 minutes ago, Waiting4Someday said:

I haven't seen it - but the exercise for me is who DJ pushing up that is questionable (e.g., Booker).

He had quite a few guys jumping up, obviously. Harmon and M. Williams went back to back at 27 & 28. I would like to jump up for one of those two guys. 

Sounds like Graham is back.

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Khani1 said:

What’s your definition of fine, bottom 3rd in the league?

Besides TK, Michkov, and Tippett, you have still need 3 more guys for the top 2 lines. Luchenko might be a second line player but it’s too early to tell. They need a number 1 center and number 1 defensemen, neither of which grow on trees. Just got hope they hit on the next couple drafts. 

My definition of fine is how a team is doing compared to expectations.

My expectations for a rebuilding team like the Flyers is showing progress in the rebuild.  They were doing that.  The NhL Salary Cap is more onerous/restrictive than the NFL Salary Cap, and as a result rebuilding is typically a longer process.

Those missing pieces were well known before the season started.  And with those shortages they still were right on the cusp of a wild card playoff spot.  And the young players were playing well.

The biggest problem they have is goaltending.

 

1 hour ago, Freshmilk said:

#1 Cs and Ds are so hard to come by teams won't trade them if they have one.  As for core pieces, out of all those drafts you listed, only MM is a no doubt core piece.  Brink is everything you want in a 3rd line winger, Foerster is a 3rd/2nd line winger.  I have hope for Jett Luchanko as he was young for his draft year, has real wheels, is a good 200ft C, but lacks elite hands and playmaking.

The one draft pick missing on your list that could be a game changer is Russian goalie Yegor Zavragin.  He and MM are both top end talent and are the Flyers top two talents by a wide wide margin.

I'm on the fence about York, but I also think it could be a Torts issue more than a York issue.  Drysdale is showing some life the 2nd half of this season, so the Cutter debacle isn't a complete disaster. 

Like you said, they have 7 picks in the first two rounds this upcoming draft and they may only get bottom 6 talent from all of that. Even if they somehow get into the top 5 of this draft, the only true #1 anything is Dman Schaefer and he will be the first pick, likely out of the Flyers reach.  Hagens looks OK as a C but is small and not a great scorer.  Misa is really good but likely a winger in the NHL.  Frondell and Desnoyers are both Cs but talent wise likely not #1 Cs in the NHL, but decent size.

They should get a lot more than bottom six talent, 8 picks in the first 70.

They've taken moves to exploit the Russian pipeline, they signed a top Russian KHL HC who I'm sure has lots of contacts, b/c a lot of teams have shied away from Russia, there are bargains to be had.

They can gamble on upside, b/c if they miss 3 but hit on 5, they're doing great, and they want more than bottom six players.

Flahr has a better track record than Hextall, who was both unlucky and bad his last three drafts.

Top 70 picks:

2019:  York #14, Brink #34, Attard #72

2020:  Foerster #23, Andrae #54 [Wisdom #94]

2021:  Tuomaala #46, Kolosov #78

2022:  Gauthier #5 (Drysdale #6), Kaplan #69 [Bump #133, McDonald #165]

2023:  Michkov #7, Bonk #22, Bjarnason #51, [Zavragin #87, Barkey #95, Knuble #103]

2024:  Luchanko #13, Berglund #51, Gill #59 [Ruohonen #107]

Barkey is the one to watch next year, an undersized forward (who supposedly the Flyers don't draft) who started slow coming off Mono, but since then has been one of the top scorers in the OHL. Currently sidelined with a shoulder injury but expected to be back for the OHL playoffs. Probably start at LHV.

Kelce announced he was coming back from his backyard—would Graham make this a whole production if it wasn’t for retirement?

9 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

Sounds like Graham is back.

 

 

 

Hopefully it's just to give his retirement speech

2 minutes ago, Texas Eagle said:

Kelce announced he was coming back from his backyard—would Graham make this a whole production if it wasn’t for retirement?

Nope, he's retiring.

15 hours ago, eagle45 said:

With Ojulari, Uche, and Huff...you are going to get one guy that plays well as a low snap edge rusher in rotation, one guy that eats snaps and doesn't play well, and one guy that gets cut.

Everyone is going to think that will be Ojulari, Uche, and Huff in that order.

But I'm not so sure who is who in this.  What I am sure of, however, is that Jalyx Hunt better grow into the starter, because none of these 3 are it.

Ojulari has been a solid player in NY.  He's averaged about a 1/2 sack a game. Production wise, he is a good replacement for Sweat.  

2 hours ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Interesting list.  I agree with nearly all of them.

Regarding 4. Cine - he is just a giant question mark to me.   They took a flyer on him given his college pedigree, but is he even healthy at this point?   I give him an "I".  

Regarding 9. Green - he only has one year left on his contract.  So, given that you believe that it will take Stout a full year to fix him... what do you think happens with him?  Is he a guy that likely could be fixed, but no one would know and they can bring back on a very cheap deal or is it a matter of trying to fix him and get a comp pick back for 2027... but likely only at best a 6, or maybe just a 7.  (I don't see this team having much money available for free agents next year either given the number of players they are likely going to be looking to extend.  Carter, Smith and Blankenship rise to the top of the list defensively, and Jurgens pops up on the offense.  I just don't see a lot of money available for outside guys, so they shouldn't cancel out any potential free agent losses.)

Like for you, Cine is a question mark for me.  Too early to tell in eagle45’s assessment scale.

My guess for Green is that they will work with him through the Bye Week under the terms of his existing contract.  If at that time (possibly earlier) Stout feels Green is salvageable, I expect Howie will negotiate a quite modest two-year deal. That would give the Eagles one year where Green has made enough progress to be a functional backup and continue to make progress, and then a second year to actually compete for a starting position.

10 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

Nope, he's retiring.

Interesting choice of a quote for that tweet if so

3 minutes ago, greendestiny27 said:

He had quite a few guys jumping up, obviously. Harmon and M. Williams went back to back at 27 & 28. I would like to jump up for one of those two guys. 

I'd take Harmon or Williams ahead of Stewart,  Stewart's scouting report reads like a DE version of Jalen Reagor, in that they think he's going to pan out based on his outstanding physical traits and athleticism but it hasn't equalled production in college, and I've seen all the stuff about him often lining up inside the tackles at A&M, I just think when you have those outstanding athletic traits, it should show up on the stats sheets as more than just pressures (pressures were the 2023 Eagles defense version of sacks and it was horsepucky)

His combine testing numbers are close to Myles Garrett level, but his college production is nowhere near, 4.5 sacks in a full 3 years starting against college O-lines gives me the heebee geebees about the pros. If you don't bring the finishing that 3 years college coaching couldn't bring out of him, you've come out with a bang average rotational D-Linemen.

10 hours ago, Alphagrand said:

I could accept that in theory except for the fact they were horrible down the stretch last season too, with almost no moves.  Tortorella is such an abrasive personality and acts even more crotchety after wins — that act gets stale after a few months.

They traded Walker even though two other starting D-men were injured.

But what sank them last year is the same as this year, worst goalies in the NHL.

Ersson has shown flashes, but when Torts says he's hoping he's a tandem goaltender, some stupid fans took offense - but Ersson has shown twice he can't handle a starter's load. He's been excellent for stretches, then implodes for a while. Boston thrived for years using goalie tandems, just recognizing some goalies can't handle a heavy load..

Fedotov has gradually improved after extensive coaching, he's a special case, exiled to the Arctic circle for a year, then adjusting to NA hockey.

But rebuilding teams can be patient, and goalies are as bad as relief pitchers, only a handful can be counted on year to year (remember Mason, great until he he wasn't).

People like to dump on Torts, but what players have left Torts and blossomed (other than Karlsson in Vegas, but he was blocked by two other young centers in CBJ). Seth Jones has been a mess without Torts, for example. Frost has been bad in Calgary, Farabee meh.Try listening to his pressers, he's honest to a fault but also very supportive of his team. As long as they're trying, he knows they're outnumbered right now. I mean his centers are Cates, Couts, Poehling and Abols, Nuff said.

 

22 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

 

Gotta say, I've always loved that quote from Rocky.  Was a great speech in that movie...best thing about the movie, really.

15 minutes ago, Texas Eagle said:

Kelce announced he was coming back from his backyard—would Graham make this a whole production if it wasn’t for retirement?

Of course a big production means he's retiring... just like this!
 

 

19 minutes ago, austinfan said:

They should get a lot more than bottom six talent, 8 picks in the first 70.

They've taken moves to exploit the Russian pipeline, they signed a top Russian KHL HC who I'm sure has lots of contacts, b/c a lot of teams have shied away from Russia, there are bargains to be had.

They can gamble on upside, b/c if they miss 3 but hit on 5, they're doing great, and they want more than bottom six players.

Flahr has a better track record than Hextall, who was both unlucky and bad his last three drafts.

Top 70 picks:

2019:  York #14, Brink #34, Attard #72

2020:  Foerster #23, Andrae #54 [Wisdom #94]

2021:  Tuomaala #46, Kolosov #78

2022:  Gauthier #5 (Drysdale #6), Kaplan #69 [Bump #133, McDonald #165]

2023:  Michkov #7, Bonk #22, Bjarnason #51, [Zavragin #87, Barkey #95, Knuble #103]

2024:  Luchanko #13, Berglund #51, Gill #59 [Ruohonen #107]

Barkey is the one to watch next year, an undersized forward (who supposedly the Flyers don't draft) who started slow coming off Mono, but since then has been one of the top scorers in the OHL. Currently sidelined with a shoulder injury but expected to be back for the OHL playoffs. Probably start at LHV.

Bump has also been putting up some good numbers and could be one to watch for as well

4 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Like for you, Cine is a question mark for me.  Too early to tell in eagle45’s assessment scale.

My guess for Green is that they will work with him through the Bye Week under the terms of his existing contract.  If at that time (possibly earlier) Stout feels Green is salvageable, I expect Howie will negotiate a quite modest two-year deal. That would give the Eagles one year where Green has made enough progress to be a functional backup and continue to make progress, and then a second year to actually compete for a starting position.

I think that will be Howie's approach with a few guys that he likes where he offers a modest extension early. I'm talking backup guys like a Harrison Bryant or an OL. Small deals but which will help lock another year of service in for guys they want to stick around

2 hours ago, LeanMeanGM said:

There is but it needs to be paid by Week 1

However, I believe (but do not know for sure) that even after it has been paid, another team can reimburse the Eagles for some or all of the paid amount.  That reimbursement would serve double purposes, the cash itself and also Cap relief. I defer to anyone with greater knowledge of the Cap though.

28 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

Sounds like Graham is back.

 

 

 

He literally hung up his cleats

7 minutes ago, Texas Eagle said:

Interesting choice of a quote for that tweet if so

That quote represents his career. He did a photo op in front of the statue, it doesn't make much sense to do a photo op just to announce you're returning.

1 hour ago, Waiting4Someday said:

Amending my thought process to, ‘we could trade him in TC’ if circumstances improve.

That is where my thought process is on him as well.  Let’s use the OTAs and TC to see if Hurtt and Washburn can make a useful player out of him.