Posts Tagged ‘Nick Bramante’

The 5 Most Important Flyers This Season

October 9th, 2012 by Nick Bramante | Comments Off on The 5 Most Important Flyers This Season | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

When and If the season starts...

Assuming there will be a season (Although its not looking likely), there are 5 players that need to either step up or maintain their game for the Flyers this year.

5) We can start with number 5 himself, Brayden Coburn.  With the addition of a true defensive defenseman in Luke Schenn, Coburn can finally stop trying to be that Chris Pronger replacement and just be himself and play his style.  With Pronger and Andrea Meszaros out for most likely the whole season, and with Kimmo Timonen being in what looks like his last season, Coburn really has to excel as the number one D man for the Flyers.  If he can play like he did in the 2009 playoffs where he was clearly the best player in the back end, the Flyers would be good enough to make a playoff run.

4) Jakub Voracek is next.  With the departure of Jaromir Jagr, the Flyers had a vacant spot at the 1st line for a right wing.  Paul Holmgren decided to give the empty spot to the returning Flyer.  In my opinion, Voracek is an extremely good 2nd line player at best.  With his pass-first mentality and great control of the puck, he will develop into a great player.  I truly hope that he can prove me wrong and that he actually can excel as a 1st line winger this season.  This season will show what Voracek is truly made of and will prove if he can excel as a first liner or if I was right in believing that he is a second line player at best.

3) With a very sub par season last year, Danny Briere really needs to step up and deliver this season.  In the playoffs last season Briere was there, but he was not a factor at all during the season.  If the Flyers want to be successful in the Atlantic Division, they NEED Danny Briere to be the Danny Briere of the playoffs all season long.  Briere is supposed to be a leader and a mentor for the young core we have, and putting up only 49 points in 70 games isn’t going to cut it, especially for the salary he gets.

(more…)

Tags: , , , , , , ,

What are the NHL Players Doing During the Lockout?

September 24th, 2012 by Nick Bramante | Comments Off on What are the NHL Players Doing During the Lockout? | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

No Hockey for you!

The NHL is almost two weeks in to its lockout, and there has been next to nothing getting done by either side to get it done.  Because of this, players are looking for places to play until this all gets worked out.  Many Russian players, like Ilya Bryzgalov, are playing in the KHL (Which is considered the second best hockey league in the world by many).  Other Flyers, however, have different plans.

The players that are still eligible to play in the AHL for the Phantoms without having to clear waivers will do so.  They are Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Zac Rinaldo, and Erik Wellwood.  Jakub Voracek returned home to the Czech Republic to play in the Czech Extraliga league.  Wayne Simmonds signed in Germany and is playing in the Bundesleague of Germany.  And then there are some guys that are staying in the US and renting ice to run unofficial practices together.  Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Kings forward Justin Williams, and others that live in the Philly, South Jersey area, have been renting out ice slots at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees.  Former Flyer Todd Fedourk, who is currently an assistant coach of the Trenton Titans, has volunteered to run these practices and help his fellow hockey players out.

What does all this mean though? This means that, although they prefer the NHL, they are willing to play over seas also.  With a lot of the NHL’s talent going to the KHL, that could make them the most powerful league in the world.  If that were to happen, why would they want to come back to the NHL? For the guys who decided to stay in the US, they will grow tired of practices and no games, especially if they keep getting in offers from other leagues world wide.  The AHL guys will eventually want better competition and they will leave too.

In saying all this, I do not want the NHL to take a devastating blow like that.  The owners, the players, and Gary Bettman need to get together in a room and not leave until they reach an agreement, or at least start to agree on some terms.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Getting to Know the New Flyer, Luke Schenn

August 22nd, 2012 by Nick Bramante | Comments Off on Getting to Know the New Flyer, Luke Schenn | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

A Modern Broad Street Bully

This past offseason the Flyers dealt a highly valued young player, James Van Reimsdyk, to the Toronto Maple Leafs and were able to get a very young, physical defenseman Luke Schenn.  Who is Luke Schenn? Besides being the older brother of forward Brayden Schenn, Luke is a 22 year old, 6’2 220 lbs, stay at home defenseman with a giant upside.  He was drafted 5th overall by Toronto in the 2008 draft.  The Flyers did not acquire him to put up many points; with his career high being 22 in a season.  Last season he lead all defenseman in the NHL in hits with 270.  He is also a very durable player, missing only 3 games last season because he was listed as a healthy scratch, and missing no games the season before.

Luke is also a representative of his nation, Canada.  He won a Gold medal in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2006, and also a World Juniors Championship in 2008.

What should Flyers fans expect of Luke Schenn? Schenn is a modern day Broad Street Bully.  Look for him to play a lot like the retired Sharks defenseman Rob Blake.  That being very sound defensively and also a very dominant hitter.  He will play the penalty kill and he will also log up a lot of minutes every game.

 

(more…)

Tags: , , , , ,

Why Holmgren Should Wait till Next Year to Make a Huge Deal

August 15th, 2012 by Nick Bramante | 2 Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

Should Holmgren Wait??

Coming into this season, the NHL had two superstars, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter,in the free agent market.  As any GM with money to spend would do, Holmgren made a strong push to acquire both players.  As we all know now, they ended up together in Minnesota.  Then there was the Shea Weber epidemic, which ended up being almost a full week of excitement for flyers fans and then sudden disappointment when Nashville’s GM David Pollie matched the mega offer and retained his captain.  Now that those three elite players are no longer available, I think its best for Holmgren to just wait until next off-season to make another strong push at a player.

I say this because I do not believe that there is anyone else available now that is worth the roster spot ( and yes that includes Shane Doan).  As per capgeek.com, next years unrestricted free agent class is headlined by the 2011 NHL MVP Corey Perry, his teammate Ryan Getzlaf ( an all-star and representative for team Canada) , Stars captan Brenden Morrow, and future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla.  Perry, Getzlaf, Morrow, or Iginla would all be a better fit then Doan at this point in their careers, especially for the money Doan is expecting.

Follow me on twitter @nickbramante66 and let me know what you think Homer should do.

Tags: , , , , ,