NDFlyer

LMAO! That was hardly a rip.

LOL! Saying the debbies have cap issues is the understatement of the century. How likely is it that L.L. will be able to sign these four players while paying a couple of big names who won't dress a single game for them this season (ie. Malakhov/Mogilny) ? No doubt L.L. will wait until early October to sharpen his hatchet and then use it; but use it he must....and it will be used on at least one of the above mentioned players.

Breathless is a bit of a stretch. As far as Pittburgh's goaltending and defense is concerned, yes, it is a HUGE "if."

[/i also heard that the Devils are having some difficulty concerning the salary cap and that may be what's holding things up.

Yeah, chick Flyers fans called him "Rod the Bod." Eric Lindros is not the only one to have a Rink Bunny Posse. Male Flyers fans called him "Hands of Stone." Or, cement....whichever.

LOL! The reason he has (and never will) play in the NHL is because he isn't good enough to play there. If you can stop the puck at the NHL level there will be a spot for you on the roster.

The CBA? It would take less time to read The Lord of the Rings than to read the entire CBA document.

The Flyers are not giving the "young guns" a shot out of pure generosity. They are playing rookies because of injuries which have been nagging them since training camp. When healthy they are the deepest team in the league at center position. When you lose players such as Primeau, Forsberg and Nedved you have little choice but to insert a rookie into the lineup. On the blueline, Desjardins, Johnsson and Therien have also missed a ton of games forcing them to play AHL d-men from time to time. I would much rather see Potulny on the wing with a center who can get him the puck. Placing him between Brashear and Savage is a waste but it'll only be for a few games. I fully expect things to be different after next season's training camp.

Here is why it is no surprise that Potulny is playing. Keith Primeau = melon head. Out forever. Peter Forsberg = shredded groin. Out unless he believes the Olympics are next week. Petr Nedved = pu$$ with shredded groin. Saving his energy for his supermodel/SI Swimsuit model wife. That leaves Mikael Handzus centering perhaps gagne/Knuble, but who knows what Hitch will do. Jeff Carter's line remains in tact. Mike Richards will be centering??? Who Knows? Potulny will get to center the 3r or 4th line. 3 rookie centers = not good even though Carter and Richards are total studs and have played great all year.

Not only is it a bold statement it is also one of the most inaccurate statements ever made.

My guess is that he will be making NHL $$$ for the balance of this season.....all 11 games or so. He will be practicing with the big club for the balance of the year. I would think, though, that his deal is 2 way for next season when he is eligible to play in the AHL. I know, this is the wierdest thing I've ever heard, but this new CBA ....not sure if even the GMs understand it.

I have serious doubts that Potulny will see any playing time this season unless he totally lights it up and impresses the staff in practices. Flyers are neck deep in centers, therefore, there is zero chance he will play center either this year or next year for that matter. No doubt they will convert him to the wing position. If he is going to play at all it is going to be on the 4th line which currently consists of Donald Brashear, Mike Richards and Brian Savage. Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing him play over Brian Savage but Hitch has been playing Savage all season long (for some reason unknown to every Flyers fan out there) thus, I don't believe Flyers fans will be seeing RP in the orange/black any time soon. Possible, but unlikely. Here is another extremely odd footnote: word around the campfire is that under the current CBA rules Potulny has two options for the remainder of the season: to play for the Flyers or sit and watch. For some strange reason he cannot play in the AHL this year....got something to do with signing before/after the trade deadline.....makes no sense at all but it seems to be the rule.

I don't see it as a bad thing. When colleges recruit blue chip players they are fully aware of what is in store for them 2-3 years down the road. Not sure that I'd call it the "new" feeder system, though. College hockey players have some raher stiff competition for NHL spots from the usual suspects: CHL and Euro leagues. The top players are going to set their sights on the NHL regardless of where the play prior to signing a pro contract and then make the jump when they feel it is the proper time. It's hard to discourage a kid from pursuing their dream.

Big difference? Frankly, I find the two situations to be quite similar. Two years ago at this time of the season the debbies were struggling for offense as the playoffs approached. Also, I do not believe they were considered much of a contender for the Cup. The Flyers disposed of them in rather quick fashion by defeating them 4 games to 1. ZP signed with the debs with 2 games remaining. He practiced with the big club once or twice and then finished the season with the Rats. One difference this time around is that the debbies are in a fight for a playoff spot and could easily miss the playoffs unless they start racking up some points. You have to approach it from Lamiorello's point of view. It is simply unrealistic to expect a kid to jump from the college ranks into a situation where the team needs offense and is struggling to maintain a playoff spot. It is unfair to the player to throw him into that situation. I don't see Lamiorello doing it. Kid's gotta adjust to the NHL game, learn and new system and try to establish chemistry with his linemates all within a matter of days.........it just seems very unlikely and Lou has always seemed like a rather conservative guy. If Lou wanted offense he could have tried to obtain some prior to the trade deadline. Instead, he picked up a defenseman, right? To me, the time to bring up a kid and see what he can do is at the beginning of the season or after your team has been eliminated from the playoffs.

The debbies are in big, big trouble if they have to rely on a kid who has never played one minute of professional hockey to bolster their offense. 4 goals in their last 4 games, right? Does anybody honestly believe Lamiorello is going to throw a rookie into the fire like this? When ZP signed with them two years ago he went straight to Albany. If TZ signs this spring it is likely the same thing will happen to him.

It is certainly more entertaining than watching players get run from behind straight into the boards face first.........which, according to those who run college hockey, is not even close to being as serious and dreadful as a player punching another player in the face mask while wearing a glove. No, we can't have any of that. The mask might get damaged or the glove torn.

N.J. Petry = Gary Bettman ROTFLMAO! Yeah, the last thing we want at a hockey game is entertainment. N.J. Petry = Tool of the Month. Tool of the Year. Tool of the Decade. Sounds like a basketball fan.

Thank you for proving my point, Mr. McLeod. Trust in the Powers That be to protect the players. So, how many of you guys still believe The Man truly is interested in protecting players?

True. It's more exciting than any hockey game, any hockey fight, any sporting event.

I'm definitely going to Friday night's game. Not yet sure about Saturday. Depends on how drunk I get on Friday. Not sure about the Final Five. I was there last year and almost got into a brawl in the pi$$er with a fellow Flyers fan who was wearing a Brashear jersey. I was on him cuz I felt that Brashear wasn't fighting enough and the dude didn't take too kindly too it. We settled it over a couple of beers. I'm going to Philly at the end of this month for the Sens game and the Maple Leafs. That might be my hockey trip for the year unless the Flyers go deep in the playoffs. No goggles or leather jacket, but I have just about everything else.

Section 104. Row I. I wear Flyers gear to every single UND game. I'm probably the easiest guy to find in the whole rink. Not hiding from anything. Plus, I have given my location. Come there, ask around and you'd find me in about 5 minutes. Feel free to stop by an buy me a beer.

What the hell are you talking about? Hiding? Who is hiding? Secondly, what Punk did to R.B. was far closer to Bertuzzi taking out Steve Moore than what Prpich did to Punk.

Ya see, it's ironic that you would bring up Fonzie. He proved himself as a youth and after that nobody f***** with him. He got all the space he needed. Incredible. Truly incredible. I never thought I would eveer see Sioux hockey fans feel this way.

Even funnier!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I have seen how college hockey handles Paukovich! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The message is this: If you take liberties with our players you are going to have to fight. The message is this: We are team and we are going to stand up for one another. If fear of losing is what primarily motivates you then you should find something to occupy yourself at which you'll never lose. Lots luck. What do you think is going through Punkobtich's mind? "Hey, I can take out any of these guys any time I choose and they're not gonna do a damn thing about it." As I said earlier, in that situation: Game Over.