The Playoff Race / The Lottery Race

[Gunnerfan]

With 87 as the captain, never accept losing; more importantly, I'll never accept finishing lower than the Flyers. Eff that

[Michael74]

With 87 as the captain, never accept losing; more importantly, I'll never accept finishing lower than the Flyers. Eff that

All Crosby has known is losing since the 1st round in 2018. We've lost FIVE consecutive playoff series and this will be three years in a row since we made the playoffs. Truth!

[dark_forces]

With 87 as the captain, never accept losing; more importantly, I'll never accept finishing lower than the Flyers. Eff that

All Crosby has known is losing since the 1st round in 2018. We've lost FIVE consecutive playoff series and this will be three years in a row since we made the playoffs. Truth!

It's sobering when you stop to think about it and it likely makes luring free agents here a bit more difficult.

[Gunnerfan]

With 87 as the captain, never accept losing; more importantly, I'll never accept finishing lower than the Flyers. Eff that

All Crosby has known is losing since the 1st round in 2018. We've lost FIVE consecutive playoff series and this will be three years in a row since we made the playoffs. Truth!

Did you serve under Philippe Pétain? Sounds like ya did.

[Victor]

With 87 as the captain, never accept losing; more importantly, I'll never accept finishing lower than the Flyers. Eff that

All Crosby has known is losing since the 1st round in 2018. We've lost FIVE consecutive playoff series and this will be three years in a row since we made the playoffs. Truth!

It's sobering when you stop to think about it and it likely makes luring free agents here a bit more difficult.

UFA has not been their friend anyways. Eller and Lizotte were good recent pick-ups. All others were from meh to terrible. 2023 had the infamours Jarry contract too.

2021 - Brock McGinn, Danton Heinen, Louis Domingue, Brian Boyle
2022 - Jan Rutta, Josh Archibald, Drake Caggiula, Dustin Tokarski
2023 - Noel Acciari, Lars Eller, Matt Nieto, Ryan Graves, Alex Nedeljkovic, Joona Koppanen
2024 - Matt Grzelcyk, Anthony Beauvillier, Blake Lizotte, Bokondji Imama

[Michael74]

With 87 as the captain, never accept losing; more importantly, I'll never accept finishing lower than the Flyers. Eff that

All Crosby has known is losing since the 1st round in 2018. We've lost FIVE consecutive playoff series and this will be three years in a row since we made the playoffs. Truth!

It's sobering when you stop to think about it and it likely makes luring free agents here a bit more difficult.

Not if they believe they are part of the process of turning the page. TBH I think bigger changes in the free agent market will take place in the summer of '26.

[Michael74]

With 87 as the captain, never accept losing; more importantly, I'll never accept finishing lower than the Flyers. Eff that

All Crosby has known is losing since the 1st round in 2018. We've lost FIVE consecutive playoff series and this will be three years in a row since we made the playoffs. Truth!

Did you serve under Philippe Pétain? Sounds like ya did.

Facts are the facts. You don't have to like them, but at least I'm not being intellectually dishonest here.

Let me know the next time (if there is a next time) when Sid captains this team to a playoff series win.

It's not all on him, but 16 points in his last 20 playoff games isn't exactly elite for a generational talent (which he is). Just sayin.

[Cow_Master66]

This situation was decided years ago when ownership prioritized having certain players finish their careers over running a smart business. They are not stupid, and knew that eventually this would occur. They had exact blueprints (LA, Chicago) showing them where the franchise would ultimately end up. To repeat, they are not stupid. It was a conscious decision to have Malkin, Letang, Rust, Crosby, etc ride off into the sunset together at the expense of smart asset management.

The biggest problem they have now, is that Crosby is still playing at a high level. Malkin is about done, Letang has been done for years, but with Crosby playing as if he's in his early 30s, they are gonna be under pressure to literally make the same mistakes all over again, that they made a few years ago.

[Daniel]

This situation was decided years ago when ownership prioritized having certain players finish their careers over running a smart business. They are not stupid, and knew that eventually this would occur. They had exact blueprints (LA, Chicago) showing them where the franchise would ultimately end up. To repeat, they are not stupid. It was a conscious decision to have Malkin, Letang, Rust, Crosby, etc ride off into the sunset together at the expense of smart asset management.

The biggest problem they have now, is that Crosby is still playing at a high level. Malkin is about done, Letang has been done for years, but with Crosby playing as if he's in his early 30s, they are gonna be under pressure to literally make the same mistakes all over again, that they made a few years ago.

I think the Red Wings are a pretty good blueprint also. I don't mind keeping Letang, Crosby, Malkin, it's the rest of the squad that wasn't really built well. I get the Jarry contract, what were the other options. I get trading for Rakell and wanted him for a long time before that. Guys like Rust don't get that big contract and they should have traded him like they did Jake.

I didn't like the Zucker trade and didn't think he'd be worth the price or the contract. They could have done better. The list of players that people here kept saying "well they could just cut him if he doesn't work out". Well guess what, only ERod did and he was just one bad penalty away from being gone. The asset management has been bad for years.

We've see FlPensFan do the roster of what might have been while keeping the trio on the roster. It had risk and not just wasted contracts. I know you said "at the expense of smart asset management" but I don't think it had to be one of the other. Instead of random low budget barely NHLer and a full roster in August, create competition and don't just give it to the guy with the most NHL experience. Even Kuhnhackl played over 200 games. If he could do it, I'm sure Hallandar or Bjorkqvist could have filled a role.