Why Flyers Management and Fans Need to be Patient

By: Nick McAneney

We all know that there is one-thing Philadelphia fans crave most of all.
A championship.
We crave them, and when a team is good enough to win one, we expect them to
come through and deliver. We want them ASAP, and if they are not obtained, then
we want moves to be made by the front office to ensure that a championship will be
won the next season.
Normally I would agree with this, but this team that the Flyers have assembled are a
big exception to this viewpoint.
What I am trying to say is that the Flyers should not make the big move, no big
trades, no blockbuster deals for an aging superstar. The Flyers should keep this
core intact and simply wait.
Now that does not mean they shouldnt make any moves at all. They should
defiantly look to trade look to trade Vinny Lecavalier, who is getting paid way to
much for how little he produced this past year and does not fit within Craig Berubes
system, for some extra draft picks. They should also look to rid themselves of
Nicklas Grossmann, who just cannot skate with anyone in the NHL and for a
defenseman is pathetic in his own end and does not move the puck at all. These are
the only major moves I would really love to see the Flyers pull of for this next
season because I believe that above all else you need patience with this team.
Why patience above everything else? Because this team is still so young, it is scary.
Most people dont realize that Claude Giroux, one of the top five players in the entire
game, is only 26 years old. Most people dont know that Sean Couturier, the man
who shuts down Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby every time the Flyers and
Penguins play, is only 21 years old. 21. Just barely old enough to drink in a bar in
America.
We cant forget about Matt Read, Andrew MacDonald, Jake Voracek, Wayne
Simmonds, Michael Raffl, the Schenn brothers and Steve Mason are all 27 or
younger as of June 2. That is an amazing core to have together at such a young age
and there is still a lot more room for development.
Couple that with veterans such as Kimmo Timonen, who has not retired as of yet,
Mark Striet, Braydon Coburn, and Scott Hartnell who all still preform at high levels,
this team is looking poised to make a Cup runs for years.

And let us not forget the talent down in the other leagues. Although the Flyers do
not have a very deep field of talent in the minor hockey leagues, the talent they do
have is extremely impressive. Scott Laughton tore it up in the OHL for the Oshawa
Generals, scoring 87 points in 54 games, proving to be a good two-way player with a
good offensive upside at only 20 years of age. Sam Morin, the teams first round
draft pick from a year ago, had another productive year for his junior team, the
Rimouski Ocanic of the QMJHL, and still has yet to even tap into his potential at age
18. But you cannot teach size and speed, which he has at 6ft 7in. and at 213 lbs., and
is reportedly one of the fastest skaters in his junior league. And just this past spring
the Flyers reached agreement with the best player in college hockey, Shayne
Gostisbehere from Union (N.Y.) who could be the offensive defenseman the Flyers
are looking for while Morin fills the void of the tough, rough defensive defenseman.
All in all, we want a title. That is what this team is capable of right now, and every
season they do not win it all is disappointing, especially with the Rangers in the final
and Mike Richards and Jeff Carter going for their second Cup since they were traded.
But we as fans and new GM Ron Hextall cannot overreact if they do not win the Cup
next year, because this team is going to be intact and very, very talented for many
years to come, and I believe within the next four to five years will bring the city of
Philadelphia its first Stanley Cup title since 1975.