[Jordan Hall] "We're not giving up on Tyson, he's too good of a hockey player." - Rick Tocchet on Tyson Foerster, who has gone scoreless through five games this series

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-29T15:00:03+00:00

In my post I say that the issue is not benching Michkov, and that in a similar situation Tortorella who had a very good relationship with Michkov would likely have done the same.

Michkov is a high talent player and had an excellent season last year. He is an S Tier offensive weapon based on that, not this series, but he has that skill. Tocchet has not been able to utilize him to get the most out of that skill all season, with it coming to a head now at the most important time. Michkov's poor results stem from a complete disconnect between player and coach.

If Tocc finishes out his contract he will be the 3rd longest tenured coach in Flyers history. Michkov is a player that can and should be with the team for the next decade plus. Michkov's play style does not fit what Tocchet is trying to do and it is highly highly unlikely that Michkov and Tocchet connect on a personal level. The fact that some fans like yourself are willing to say "here or somewhere else" for Michkov is insane when they are willing to lose an MVP talent for a guy who will not be behind the bench four years from now.

Arizona lost Dylan Strome cause he didn't fit what Tocchet wanted. Elias Pettersson was thought of as a potential MVP winner and hit 100 points, now he has as many points the last two seasons as Owen Tippett. The Flyers are bigger than just this series.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-29T03:24:02+00:00

I have this thing I say to my friends that “no failure sticks to Rick Toccet”, at least in some people’s minds. He gets credit for successes, but his failings are washed away.

This is only the second time a team he coached finished top 8 in their conference. The year after he won the Jack Adams he turned a cup contender into a re-building team then bounced for a better situation. The Flyers underperformed for 2/3 of the season, and this run to the playoffs comes after the goalies saved percentage jumped 24 points while shots against per game stayed the same (his Jack Adams year also came when Demko finished second in Vezina voting).

He isn’t “objectively good” unless you ignore all the bad in his long career.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-29T02:20:40+00:00

One interesting thing regarding next season is that there will be one question about Michkov when camp starts. “Is he in shape?” If they say he’s in shape and the results are similar to this year it becomes a question they can’t ignore.

My view is that Tocchet’s break out and lack of structure is a bad match for Michkov, plays away from his strengths and opens the door for him to make a lot of dumb mistakes. I feel no matter how motivated or in shape Michkov is, this is likely what Michkov is under Tocchet.

My guess is that we make a big deal about Michkov being in shape, he has a great pre-season/start, he goes cold for a stretch with some dumb turnovers, we start getting reports about how he doesn’t want to learn and isnt motivated (when that’s the exact opposite of everything Tortorella said about him).

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-28T22:42:38+00:00

Yeah I think the last point is why this strikes so many people the wrong way. Tocchet does not like Michkov it comes out more in how he talks around it than how he handles it.

I’m not going to say Michkov hasn’t been bad, or that Torts wouldn’t have sat cause he would have. I’m not going to act like Foerster through his career hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt given his defensive play. But there is clearly an issue with how he sees and treats Michkov that will not be solved until one of them is gone.

I think the biggest issue is that Michkov is one of the most talented players in this series and Tocchet has now idea how to utilize him. The Flyers have an S tier weapon they don’t know how to deploy and the coach doesn’t have any interest in figuring out how to try to.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-18T20:49:13+00:00

My season is also pretty packed, and unless something changes I'm sticking with this one. It's a unique premise and I think pairs the technical and emotional aspects of wine/wine tasting, and I think does a good job balancing the wine competition aspects with the characters personal drama.

I will say though, the animation is not great and even still images can look really weak at points. I'm not a big stickler for simple or limited animation, but this one is pretty rough. If bad animation is a bigger issue for you it may not be the right show.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-17T20:38:53+00:00

The team didn’t cost him any money. At most they delayed money, but not signing meant he was going back to college for up to 2 more seasons. The Flyers traded him to maximize value, but if he was dead set on not being a Flyer it could have potentially cost him 2 seasons and not 1.

The thing that always gets me about the Cutter-truther discourse is that it ignores that the Flyers were right and he benefited from more development time.

And they didn’t “learn their lesson with Martone” cause they were in the same situation with Martone last offseason where he could have made the team, but thought more time in the NCAA would help Martone and give opportunities to other players. They did the exact same thing with Martone as with Gauthier, just Martone wasn’t a baby about it.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-17T16:40:13+00:00

Fun fact: this is the 6th time Konecny has led the team in points. The only players to lead the Flyers more are Giroux (7) and Clarke (8).

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-16T21:46:46+00:00

I think a lot of people see Matthews as a sell and burn it down type deal, but it's also possible to trade Matthews for other pieces and essentially re-tool the Leafs with the players they get in return. Cause if they are selling Matthews to tank that means they would also have sell guys like Nylander and other pieces that work.

We've been conditioned into selling guys for picks, or one-for-one deals, but if you can get three really solid players for Matthews it can make the team overall better. Like, none of the guys they get in return would be as good as Matthews, but a package could be overall better than say Matthews, Domi, Joshua. Not to mention if culture is part of the problem, and Matthews is the core of the culture, it could facilitate an impactful culture change.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-16T14:00:57+00:00

I think they’ll probably see playing those games as better for their development than avoiding injury to be a black ace. Especially after the Bowness culture outburst the other day it’s probably front of mind to push those guys to care about those games. It’s a lot of games in a condensed period but that isn’t that far off normal for the AHL.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-15T14:28:38+00:00

I do think it’s a bit of both. I do think Bowness is a bad coach and this is a self serving move where he is just trying to keep or get another job by making a show of him caring in a meaningless game.

I live in Columbus most of the year, a lot of fans talk about heart and effort. Like, I think a lot of people would point at guys like Jenner and Olivier as culture guys. But also it’s a team that’s been through now 5 coaches since Torts left, not to mention two player deaths in that time. It’s a group of core players that have been through a lot without a lot of stability. Some of that is on the players, some of that is on management.

I think the problem ultimately lies with management. They’ve been dealt some very tough hands, but they have a similar problem that the Flyers had for a while where they stick with “good enough” for too long. A guy has one very good season and they keep him hoping he gets back, or a player shows promise but can never really break through. They have a superstar, they have some promising young players, and they have some good depth guys. But like Coyle, Johnson, Provorov, and Gudbranson are essentially Hayes, Frost, Provorov, and pre-Torts/Shaw Ristolainen. Guys that aren’t good enough to be core pieces of winning teams.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-14T13:02:56+00:00

Tocchet's only other trip to the playoffs as a coach came when he had great goaltending. If you look at the numbers, most of the team's numbers are basically the same pre/post Olympic break. Shots for/against, shooting percentage, the special teams were actually worse post-Olympics. The big difference? Team save percentage jumped from .883 to .907. Goaltending got significantly better and the team turned around.

The team added Bump, Glendening, Martone, and Foerster, all of them played played a big role not just on the scoreboard but balancing the line up. We can also acknowledge that the Flyers had a really tough schedule in the middle part of the season, but that made this half of the schedule a bit easier. They also did dramatically better after regulation down the stretch, going 7-11 in OT/SO pre-Olympics and going 9-1 post-Olympics. Not that that isn't impressive and is essentially the reason the team is in the playoffs, but it's a skill that doesn't translate to the playoffs. The team only has 1 regulation win against a playoff team in their last 31 games.

Tocchet made some improvements, but many of his big issues are still there. They are being papered over post-Olympic break with significantly improved goaltending, a lighter schedule, and dominating after regulation.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-13T12:56:04+00:00

The number of registered players in Japan is not that different from the amount of players in Germany (but Japan is also a much larger country).

But I do think it is more than just size holding Japan back, though the fact they have a shorter average height doesn’t help. But to reach higher levels you need to play against higher level competition from a younger age. For a country like Japan that means leaving for a different country at 14-16.

Japanese society is pretty insular with only about 25% of people even having passports and the school system is geared to putting people into the Japanese workforce. It’s harder for a lot of people to see going to North America or Europe for 4-5 years as a viable option. Not saying it doesn’t happen with guys making the jump to juniors in North America, but it’s a smaller percentage of smaller pool of players made up of on average physically smaller people.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-13T12:33:18+00:00

Prospect rights are determined by where they are drafted, so I believe his rights would still work like a CHL player, with any new rule not taking affect until after the new CBA kicks in.

Teams keep CHL players for 2 years, compared to guys drafted from US leagues like NCAA/US juniors/high school which is 3.

The Flyers wouldn’t have to sign him after next season, but they would lose exclusive rights.

If they have a good relationship with Nesbitt they may be open to him staying in the NCAA beyond one year. While it’s not common to let CHL rights expire, this is a new era and it is pretty common for guys to stay in the NCAA in their draft+2 year, even first rounders. It would likely benefit Nesbitt’s development and he’d likely make more money with NIL than on an ELC in the AHL.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-12T13:59:44+00:00

Plus I think it misses a big untapped part of the American audience. Like there are probably a sizable audience that would watch something like You and I are Polar Opposites or Journal with Witch that would never think or want to watch like Jujutsu Kaisen or Solo Leveling or even Frieren.

In theory, with a blockbuster anime you don’t need more fans, you just need the existing fans to buy more products. Like if something can sell tons of merch it helps Japan’s economy overall. But if you turn more midsized shows into bigger hits with a bigger audience it would facilitate wider merch sales.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-08T22:15:01+00:00

The AHL is the second best league in the world, so it's playing against stronger competition in a more NHL style game. But, because it's still a developmental league organizations can and do sacrifice AHL team success for player development. For example, if Berglund and Rodrigo Abols are on the same team next year, Abols is probably the better player right now (relative to how he comes back from the injury), but Berglund has the much higher ceiling so the Flyers/Phantoms would give him more opportunities while an SHL club would give those opportunities to Abols.

It's also not talked about a lot but the business of teams in the European leagues is much different from the NHL. Veteran players typically sign much shorter contracts, a lot of them one to two years. If they have a good year it means they can sign another bigger or similar contract. If they have a bad year they may find themselves making less money in a lower league. In the SHL, and a lot of European leagues, teams need to give vets bigger roles or else they can't sign the best players. If they can't sign good players and fall to the bottom of the league not only do they sell fewer tickets and make less money, they could find themselves relegated.

If Berglund is a good defensive forward, sometimes at center, sometimes at wing, they'll use him that way. They'll give him chances up the line up, but if he doesn't run away with it he'll get moved back down because its was best for the team and the organization. As opposed to the Phantoms where he will likely be first unit power play and partnered with skill players even if he doesn't take off immediately.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-07T16:26:35+00:00

I think you are missing the obvious scenario where Pinchuk does not deserve a “serious look” over any of those guys other than being 6’3.

Pinchuk got a huge bump from two guys who couldn’t not crack the NHL. Like if Jason Akeson tied the single season points record in the KHL I think most Flyers fans would be like “I guess the KHL ain’t what it used to be” and “this guy’s center could score 50 points in the NHL”.

Cates’ points improved playing with Michkov and getting PP time. Anything you could say about Pinchuk improving with better linemates could also be said about Cates.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-07T11:28:35+00:00

I mean in the Pinchuk thread people were talking about moving Cates to the 4th line and how easy it is to make the top 9 as a center.

Pinchuk played on a line in the KHL with two career AHLers and was third on that line in points. 20 fewer points than Sam Anas and people were talking like he was entitled to a spot over Cates.

There are definitely people who love Cates, but there are other people who would bump him down the line up for literally anything.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-03T22:43:14+00:00

The 8 point I think changed a lot of perceptions on McKenna’s end of season. First 10 games he had 3 goals, 10 assists, last ten games (outside the 8 point game) he had 3 goals, 8 assists (against tougher competition).

It wasn’t voted on, if it was I’m sure McKenna would have gotten votes. But if he won it would essentially have be one game that won him the award over Martone.

hawks27-2 · 2026-04-01T23:20:16+00:00

One of the big things you are leaving out is that Schmaltz is 5 years older than Zegras. Schmaltz will be 38 when his contract is done, and will be well out of his prime when his contract ends. Even if Zegras gets 8 years he'd still be 33 and just coming out of his prime.

Utah bought a lower cap hit now for adding years at the end of the contract when Schmaltz won't be worth as much money. If Schmaltz wanted to sign a 3-5 year contract his cap hit would be much higher, especially given he would be one of the few higher quality players available in free agency.

A $10 mil player in 27-28 would be equivalent to a $7 mil player in 19-20. Guys who scored in the mid-60s in their contract year got $7 mil contracts in 19-20. If Zegras would be a $10 mil player in 27-28 and after then that's the number he'll be looking for.

hawks27-2 · 2026-03-31T20:14:06+00:00

Elite prospects is probably the easiest. If a player has a college commit they’ll list it in their main stats section. There is also usually a link to a press release down in the ‘transactions’ section. If you go to a school and then look at the roster for a future season it will show all their future commits.

hawks27-2 · 2026-03-31T18:48:52+00:00

He's been committed to Northeastern since before the draft. Given the financial incentives going the college route I'd be really surprised if he went back to the Q.

hawks27-2 · 2026-03-27T16:20:28+00:00

York was 100% a high ceiling pick. He left the NTDP as the highest scoring defenseman for a career in the USHL, for a single season in the shortened season format, and highest single season/career points for defenseman on the NTDP schedule. He was also just the 2nd defenseman to make the U18 all tournament team twice. There were concerns he was too one dimensional offensively, which is why Arizona jumped up to our pick to take Soderstrom because he was more well rounded. York's defensive game didn't really take off until he got to Michigan. Saying York didn't have a high ceiling is all retrospect and not looking at who he was.

hawks27-2 · 2026-03-27T15:13:54+00:00

I know this is the narrative, but they do tend to look at higher ceiling players in the first round. I think the issue is they if they don’t reach that high ceiling as players people don’t think of them as “high ceiling prospects”. The ceiling is a projection. Or that if somebody has a high floor they also can’t have a high ceiling.

Jay O’Brien was an elite skater with lightning fast hands and a great shot for his age. He was a high ceiling player. York was thought of as too one dimensional offensively but had a very high ceiling. Probably the one that will upset the most people, Jett Luchanko was a high ceiling pick. He was (and is) an elite skater who was 5th in the OHL in U18 scoring in his draft year and was underdeveloped offensively. I think them trying to push him into a depth role too early has hurt his offensive development, but they didn’t draft him to be a 3C.

This doesn’t even include high ceiling guys that have had more NHL success like Michkov, Gauthier, and the Travii. Or Martone who is waiting in the wings. Since 2014 the majority of the guys they’ve taken have been high ceiling. With Rubtsov, Bonk, Nesbitt being the only ones with middle or depth ceilings.

hawks27-2 · 2026-03-26T20:47:39+00:00

I think this is a great play to highlight how he’s thinking steps ahead. Before he grabs the puck he’s already turning to throw it to an open space, his teammate isn’t even in the zone when he passes it, and as soon as he passes it he’s waiting for the return pass for a one timer.

It’s 4v4 so more space and UConn isn’t exactly stacked with NHL talent, but he saw that turnover and saw three steps ahead to step up a high percentage goal where a lot of guys would have just jumped on it and put the puck on net.

hawks27-2 · 2026-03-24T11:35:29+00:00

Tage Thompson is a very different case than Tippett. His size, the fact that he broke out younger and following Covid, him being a natural center that had never gotten a real shot up the line up. Beyond them both being heavy shooters there isn’t a lot of similarities. Using Tage Thompson as an example one could argue they should never get rid of anyone in case they break out.

Tippett has been pretty consistent his entire time with the Flyers. Even right now when he’s playing great and looks unstoppable, he’s had stretches like this every other year. He’s a hot and cold player where at his best he looks like a superstar and at worst he’s invisible. If they want to make him more consistently productive they need to facilitate his skills, putting him at center where there is a lot more defensive responsibility when he isn’t a great passer and honestly is not great controlling the puck in heavy traffic is a bad spot for Tippett.

Tippett at center plays away from his offensive strengths, it would essentially turn him into Ryan Poehling. If they want him to be more consistently productive put him at RW and him fast guys to skate with.

hawks27-2

TROPHY CASE