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Bad News for Flyers Fans

Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:17 PM EDT
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By Michael Sautter

Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. D'oh! Homer isn't up to the job.

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Last week the Philadelphia Flyers announced that GM Paul Holmgren has been given a two year contract extension. This is bad news for Flyers fans.

In the press release announcing the extension, the team priased what a good job Holmgren has done since taking over for Bobby Clarke. The sports writers in Philadelphia have also lauded his work so far. I feel he hasn't really done that much.

Really, what has he done besides dump salary for young players? The salary cap space is nice but the team still . . what's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah, suck. The Flyers still suck.

So, the salary cap room is a good thing but someone needs to go through the young players and determine if any are worth anything or not. Free agents also need to be sized up. Unfortunately I do not think Paul Holmgren is up to these tasks. In the pre-salary cap days, the Flyers under Bobby Clarke and his assistant Paul Holmgren just bought their way out of mistakes. They cannot do that now. Do you remember when Homer was head coach of the team? I do and the Flyers super-sucked then.

To sum Paul Holmgren up: he can't coach players nor evaluate free agent players, two skills important to the work of a NHL General Manager. So Flyers fans had better be prepared for a lot more losing before things improve. So why then is Paul Holmgren in charge of the Flyers? Loyalty to Ed Snider and that's The Real Problem with the Flyers Family.

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Published to:

Michael Sautter

I hope Paul Holmgren proves me wrong
and the Flyers are a serious Stanley Cup
contenders in a season or two, but I got a
bad feeling about him.

  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:20 PM EDT
Jay Butler

I used to think that Clarke was the problem with the front office. Now, I can see that Snider is more the problem. As long as Snider keeps valuing his friendships more than the skills of the people who work for him in the organization, the Flyers will be relegated to mediocrity in the salary cap era. I know that is the point of your linked article too.

Snider must have been good long ago (before I lived in Philly) to build the club up in a decade and win two Cups. Since then, they have made a five of appearances in the finals (2 sweeps, one weak effort and two strong efforts). But, in between the 1987 and 1997 appearances were a few really bad teams.

  • 2 votes
#1.1 - Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:50 PM EDT
Reply
Titan124

I'm an Islander fan. If anything I should be bias against the Flyers, but lets look at what he's done.

Traded Robitaille for York (NYI)
Yeah, he lost this trade but it isn't a big deal given the fact that both suck and are about to be free agents.

Traded Meyer IV+3rd round pick for Zhitnik (NYI)
Meyer is a waste of space. He was decent his first few games, but boy does this guy suck. He totally stiffed the Isles on this one.

Traded Zhitnik for Coburn (ATL)
Coburn is a top defensive prospect. He won't be a point producer, but he will be a top defensive defensemen. If you went up to anyone who knows hockey and said "I think Coburn is worth Freddy Meyer and a 3rd rounder," they'd laugh in your face. Meanwhile, that is exactly what the Flyers did; traded Meyer and a 3rd for one of the premier defensive prospects.

Traded Forsberg for 1st rounder+3rd rounder(?)+Scottie Upshall+Ryan Parent
The first rounder is weak, but still a first rounder. With the way the new draft will work, that 1st round pick will be at most a 22nd pick (if nashville gets knocked out in the first), which is much better than what the alternative would've been (28th to last). Wait, they lost this. So basically replace the late first with Martin Biron.
In scottie Upshall, they got a player that was on the verge of being a bust. Since coming, he has gotten ample ice time and lived up to his 6th overall billing. There is still hope for Upshall, and if him in addition to Parent or one of the picks pan out, Flyers win this hands down. Forsberg is a rental for christ's sake! Upshall has looked like he can put up 60-75 point seasons easily since going to the Flyers.
Ryan Parent is yet another top defensive prospect. Another defensive defensemen, he is considered one of the top 25 prospects by Hockey's Future.

Traded for Biron
They basically traded for the rights to negotiate with him. A questionable move at best, but Biron is a solid netminder and it could turn out well

Point is, despite all of Holmgrens questionable moves, he has a long term plan and it is a very, very good one. He has turned a bare cupboard of defensive prospects (with the exception of Pitkanen) into the hands down best in the league. With Upshall, he also gives them yet another solid, young, forward. I think Holmgren has already done great, and will continue to do so (which sucks because I've been enjoying the Flyers suck it up for once).

  • 2 votes
Reply#2 - Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:45 PM EDT
Jay Butler

Pitkanen has been a stiff this season. He and Gagne have to have been the biggest disappointments over the last few years. At least, Gagne is scoring now. The way the Flyers organization was talking him up in his first few years, you would have thought he would be the next Lemieux. He is a solid player, but he needs a good centerman to be effective. Pitkanen shows flashes of brilliance among huge runs of mediocrity.

You guys got a stiff in Meyer, but the Flyers got one in York. What a zero this guy is. Another huge disappointment. I remember watching the young York with the Rangers. They, too, talked him up like he would become something great. Hmmmph.

  • 2 votes
#2.1 - Tue Mar 20, 2007 12:30 AM EDT
Titan124

I never said York would be good, the guy blows, but RR isn't a superstar either. If you can't be happy with two top defensive prospects in Coburn and Parent, 2 first rounders, and Upshall, in addition to your 23 year old 40 point scoring defensemen, then there is no pleasing flyer fans anyways, and therefore hopeless.

  • 2 votes
#2.2 - Fri Mar 23, 2007 9:58 AM EDT
Reply
Adam Kemp

Could be worse. He could be Glen Sather. Why that man still runs the Rangers is beyond me. His team had the highest payroll for years (before the cap) and still couldn't make the playoffs 7 years in a row. This year they're still fighting to hold on to the 7th seed, but they're only 3 points ahead of 3 teams that are out of the playoffs at the moment. I'm glad I'm not a Rangers fan. I don't know how they can stand having that guy in charge.

  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:13 AM EDT
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