[dutch74]

Got another late start this week while helping my wife get ready to go to Africa for three weeks. Without further adieu...

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Foppa:

Latest teams interested in getting Forsberg: Detroit, Nashville, Anaheim, Montreal, San Jose and the Rangers (!).

As for the Carolina connection, Babchuk reported to their AHL team but that certainly does not prevent him from being traded to the Flyers for Foppa... wait and see.

The Flyers are generally seeking a first round draft pick and a young roster player for Foppa, so the price is high but I can see some takers.

Panaccio is reporting that Nashville is his "best bet" and that the Flyers could be getting Radulov back in return. Apparently Foppa wants the Flyers organization to be the "bad guys" and ask him to accept a trade. I think it's all smoke-and-mirrors to make it look better for when he resigns next year.

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Hatcher is apparently being scouted hard by the Oilers (according to Eklund). He's played better this season and has made some noticeable improvements over the past month or two. This trade wouldn't surprise me but it sure would be nice as well.

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Last note, former Flyer Donald Brashear was resigned by the Caps to keep protecting the "O" factor. At least I'll be able to see him crack some skulls from time to time at the MCI center.

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Things will continue to heat up for the next few weeks... stay tuned!

[Ryan20]

Interesting. Radulov?!

[Andy]

Radulov's good, but he's not something I'd expect back for a guy like Forsberg.

Everyone knows that Foppa's injury prone, but there's still going to be a high cost involved for him. I'm torn on whether or not I want Foppa to be moved or not. There's no doubt when he's in the line-up, and healthy, he's one of the best to ever play the game, but lately it seems as if he's just slowing down and dumbing off.

Not saying he sucks, but he's slowly becoming ill productive. As I said, Radulov would be nice, but I'd expect more. Much more. And I'm really not talking about players right now, I'd hope to get some picks out of it so we can actually start building our "youth movement" club. But, knowing the Flyers ignorant organization and front office, we'd probably acquire a washed up defense man whom we'll rid of in a year anyway. Why are the Flyers always thinking of "Winning now" compared to "winning in the future because we have no chance to win now."?

Eh. End of rant.

[dutch74]

A little background info on Radulov:

DOB: Jul 5, 1986
Age: 20
Place of Birth: Nizhy Tagil, USSR (now Russia)
HT: 6-1 WT: 188
Shoots: L

Scouting Report

Assets: Profiles as a classic Russian right wing: A left-handed shooter with excellent shiftiness, stickhandling skills and the ability to finish. Also owns a mean streak. Is capable of lighting up the scoreboard.
Flaws: Needs plenty more development time, and must first prove he can dominate the Russian Super League before heading towards North America.
Career potential: First line winger.

Sounds interesting, but too much can happen between development and stardom.

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Also, here's an interesting article from TSN.ca talking about Vancouver's interesting in Foppa:

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=196067&hubname=nhl

[Hextall_Fan88]

guys, Radulov is the real deal. He's only 20, another 2 or 3 years and he'll be leading a team in scoring. I would really love to see a high scoring Russian on our Flyers team.

[Blindside]

Originally Posted by Hextall_Fan88

guys, Radulov is the real deal. He's only 20, another 2 or 3 years and he'll be leading a team in scoring. I would really love to see a high scoring Russian on our Flyers team.

That high scoring Russian's name could be Cherepanov, come June 22nd. If we could land someone like Shea Weber or Kevin Klein or Cody Franson and a 1st from Nashville, I think that would be prime return... even if the Preds 1st is low.
I also have eyes for Bobby Ryan from Anaheim, but looking at our needs right now, we need a young mobile d-man that can step in and be a consistent contributor for now and next season.

If Leighton continues to play well, I'd make every effort to move Esche and use ML to back up Frank next year.
Sanderson should be playing as a 2nd line showcase right now to garner interest, and York and Afanasenkov should be given some minutes to do something as well... At least up until D-day.
I don't buy the Oilers scouts following Hatcher around, more than likely they're still wet-dreaming about getting Pitkanen somehow.
Babchuk's attitude doesn't thrill me as part of a package for Forsberg, but if we're talking about a guy like York or something, I would definitely listen. York + 4th for Babchuk would be a nice return for Carolina as York can play any forward position and hasn't been bashed so publicly by Philly fans for at least 3 days.

Besides the obvious players like Gagne, Pitkanen, Carter, Richards and Frank, guys I would not look to move at this point: Eager (give him more minutes John!), Knuble (blood and guts role-model), Kapanen (see Knuble), Calder (re-sign him for less, pair him with Carter all year and watch him turn in 30 goals), Picard (he's been a very solid d-man and has shown flashes of his 1st pairing potential).

[Hextall_Fan88]

I agree, but I doubt they would be that desperate to part with Shea Weber, thats asking quite a bit, not that I wouldn't take him :P

Afanasenkov hasn't looked too bad the past few games, I say move Sanderson and York but keep Afanasenkov. He's a decent checking line winger for next season. As for Esche, we'll probably end up keeping him for the rest of the season and letting him go come offseason. He wouldn't fetch too much.

[Blindside]

Afanasenkov... jeez, from now on, I'm just calling him "Akov"... doesn't do much for me as a checker. His role is supposed to be a mobile sniping forward and his sniping has been non-existant. If we picked him off waivers for nothing, even if we get a 5th or something, it's more than we gave up for him.

I wouldn't mind seeing a checking line of Eager-Richards-Downie next season. Some say Richards would be wasted, but both those guys have offensive skills and decent wheels too. Could be a line that wreaks havoc for years.

For the remainder of his $1M salary, I think we could find a taker for Esche as playoff insurance for a star goalie like Luongo (who only has Sabourin as a #2).

Anybody think Brendan Morrison's playmaking abilities would make him a solid 2nd liner on this team with guys like Carter & Calder? I mean, if the plan is to re-sign Forsberg at say 3.5 for the next two years in the off-season, is it that bad of an idea to get Morrison at 3.2 to play on the 2nd line? Carter & Calder need a playmaker on the other wing because both are primarily shoot-first forwards... Dunno, just thinking out loud here.

[Ryan20]

Originally Posted by Blindside

Afanasenkov... jeez, from now on, I'm just calling him "Akov"... doesn't do much for me as a checker. His role is supposed to be a mobile sniping forward and his sniping has been non-existant. If we picked him off waivers for nothing, even if we get a 5th or something, it's more than we gave up for him.

I wouldn't mind seeing a checking line of Eager-Richards-Downie next season. Some say Richards would be wasted, but both those guys have offensive skills and decent wheels too. Could be a line that wreaks havoc for years.

For the remainder of his $1M salary, I think we could find a taker for Esche as playoff insurance for a star goalie like Luongo (who only has Sabourin as a #2).

Anybody think Brendan Morrison's playmaking abilities would make him a solid 2nd liner on this team with guys like Carter & Calder? I mean, if the plan is to re-sign Forsberg at say 3.5 for the next two years in the off-season, is it that bad of an idea to get Morrison at 3.2 to play on the 2nd line? Carter & Calder need a playmaker on the other wing because both are primarily shoot-first forwards... Dunno, just thinking out loud here.

Lot of good points in there Wes. Afanasekov has almost been a complete bust. He's shown brief flashes of what scouting says but otherwise, nothing. Atleast we didn't give anything up. If the opportunity arises to get something for him, do it.

Richards/Eager/Downie would make one hell of a checking line. Downie and Richards could be good for 20 apiece. All three certainly wouldn't shy away from the physical stuff either.

Morrison would be worth looking into. He seemed to play well when he was paired with Nazzy.

With what I've seen from Leighton, I think it's time we try and move Esche for a pick or something. Next year, hopefully, Frank will find his form from last year, and Leighton will make a great backup.

Things should start getting real interesting in the next few weeks.

And as far as the draft goes, the more I read on Cherepanov the more I like him.

[dutch74]

Reports from Edmonton are flat denying any interest in Hatcher... tantalizing for us but a little bit too wishful. Still, I'll keep an eye on it.

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I say it's a safe bet that Sanderson will be moved... I like to see the boys playing better lately but the trade deadline should effectively kill the momentum.

[dutch74]

An update on "Hatchergate" (it's getting ridiculous)

Timmy P is chiming in that the Flyers mgmt has confirmed they have received calls about Hatcher. The three main teams are Dallas, Edmonton and San Jose. While Flyer isn't the top dman he once was, he is still an effective shut-down defenseman and can put up quality numbers. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that he could be moved... but the price may be unpleasant. Timmy P. mentions that Lupul could come back the other way in an Oilers deal but that we might lose Umby. As much as I'd like to see Hatch take a hike, I'd prefer to keep Umby around.

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It appears that his teammates are pressuring Foppa to stick around. Gags, Knuble, Fedoruk and the Goat have all gone on record as harassing him about staying.

Time will tell...

[Blindside]

Originally Posted by dutch74

Reports from Edmonton are flat denying any interest in Hatcher... tantalizing for us but a little bit too wishful. Still, I'll keep an eye on it.

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I say it's a safe bet that Sanderson will be moved... I like to see the boys playing better lately but the trade deadline should effectively kill the momentum.

Sanderson would make a good addition to a playoff team looking for some 2nd line production. I'd say Vancouver would be a nice fit, but they've already tried Sandy and I don't remember it being especially fruitful.

Any momentum that is lost with the trading of certain players at the deadline will be compensated for with the youngsters battling for jobs next year. With a good amount of playing time, we could see a guy like Potulny really show off his potential as a flashy 2nd line scorer... or we could see if Carter really is a 1st line centre with out Foppa... having a good look at Richards on a scoring line wouldn't hurt, he gives nice passes and plays a cerebral game in both ends of the rink.

If there are any takers for Esche, move him... take the best return you can and pull the trigger. Same goes for York and Akov, possibly Randy Jones as well.
Homer will probably get a few calls for Knuble, Zhitnik or guys like that, but I wouldn't move them. They've been great as "stabilizer" players, guys that add a veteran presence and show some leadership on and/or off the ice. I think Zhitnik's been good at taking some pressure off of Joni and letting him open up his game a little bit.

Originally Posted by dutch74

An update on "Hatchergate" (it's getting ridiculous)

Timmy P is chiming in that the Flyers mgmt has confirmed they have received calls about Hatcher. The three main teams are Dallas, Edmonton and San Jose. While Flyer isn't the top dman he once was, he is still an effective shut-down defenseman and can put up quality numbers. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that he could be moved... but the price may be unpleasant. Timmy P. mentions that Lupul could come back the other way in an Oilers deal but that we might lose Umby. As much as I'd like to see Hatch take a hike, I'd prefer to keep Umby around.

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It appears that his teammates are pressuring Foppa to stick around. Gags, Knuble, Fedoruk and the Goat have all gone on record as harassing him about staying.

Time will tell...

Lupul has struggled this year, but Umberger has regressed a lot playing for Stevens too. If EDM added a 4th or something, I might just look into that because of Lupul's upside and what he's shown he's capable of.

As for Foppa staying this year, Gags, Knuble, Fedoruk and Gauthier should keep their respective mouths shut for now. I strongly believe the #21 would re-sign in the off-season, so I'd tell them to just suck it up for the rest of the year and earn their contracts (especially Fridge, beat someone the heck up will ya?!?).

[Hextall_Fan88]

a lot of good points there from all of ya, but I'll stick to my belief that "Akov" could be a decent checking line winger, maybe 4th line for us next season. That leaves Sanderson, York, Esche and perhaps Forsberg to be moved. I can see Sanderson going to the Leafs for perhaps a 4th or 3rd rounder. They seem to be lacking some speed in their wingers. York would be a decent 2nd or 3rd line winger on a team like Vancouver or maybe even Dallas. The injury bug is moving around, and I won't be surprised if the least likely team picks any of these guys up. And yes, Esche would probably go to Vancouver or maybe even a team like Pittsburgh for the playoff run.

I do enjoy your combination of Richards Downie Eager
That line would make for a hell of a lot of hits and entertainment.

[Hextall_Fan88]

As well, I'm tempted about Lupul. The guy has struggled this season, but hes a natural goal scorer and if we could nab him for Umby and maybe a pick...

Gagne Foppa *if he stays* Knuble

Calder Carter Lupul *Potoulny, Briere, Drury??*

Eager Richards Downie

Fedoruk/Kapanen ??? Afanasenkov


Pitkanen Timonen??

Picard Zhitnik

Jones Kapanen/ Hatcher??


I believe, if we signed Forsberg to about 3.5-4.0 million a year, with the salary cap going up next season, we would still have room to sign a guy like Drury, and a quality offensive defensmen like Timonen. Of course if we got rid of Hatch, that would really open things up. Anyway you look at it, were in really good shape for next season. Some good picks, decent returns for players like York, Sanderson etc... I really do believe that playoffs are very much in our reach next year.

[Blindside]

Originally Posted by Hextall_Fan88

As well, I'm tempted about Lupul. The guy has struggled this season, but hes a natural goal scorer and if we could nab him for Umby and maybe a pick...

Gagne Foppa *if he stays* Knuble

Calder Carter Lupul *Potoulny, Briere, Drury??*

Eager Richards Downie

Fedoruk/Kapanen ??? Afanasenkov


Pitkanen Timonen??

Picard Zhitnik

Jones Kapanen/ Hatcher??


I believe, if we signed Forsberg to about 3.5-4.0 million a year, with the salary cap going up next season, we would still have room to sign a guy like Drury, and a quality offensive defensmen like Timonen. Of course if we got rid of Hatch, that would really open things up. Anyway you look at it, were in really good shape for next season. Some good picks, decent returns for players like York, Sanderson etc... I really do believe that playoffs are very much in our reach next year.

Don't get me wrong, I know that Akov hasn't been completely terrible or anything, but he was brought in to provide some offense and he hasn't done anything that bears even the slightest semblence of goal-scoring. If his skillset is to be a scorer, but his mindset is that he's a 3rd/4th line checker, he's dead wood, wasted space. A team that needs a speedy youngish checker can have him. For all that Akov has given us this year, it wouldn't make any difference to me if we had him or Kent Manderville playing in that slot. If we can get a pick for him from some team that believes he can put the puck in the net, by all means...

The only problem with snagging a guy like Lupul is: how do we ice a 2nd line full of shoot-first forwards? Carter would ultimately end up being a set up guy (not a bad thing in itself) but his shot is too good to let go to waste. A better alternative would probably be to move Umberger for a pick or younger D prospect and then set UFA priorities in Forsberg and Briere or Gomez to centre a 2nd line behind the 12-21-22 unit.

If someone wants Hatcher, I would take the best offer for him. Move Lars Jonsson into that spot and give him some NHL minutes (the guy was taken 7th overall a few years ago, he needs a chance to prove himself before deciding on his contract for next season).