I was right and wrong.
by Gizmoitus on Feb 1, 2010 12:42 AM EST
Email
PrintUp to this point, Scottie Upshall was leading the suprising Coyotes with 18 goals. About the only city where this wasn't a surprise is Philadelphia. I know that many of us felt that the Upshall for Carcillo trade was a turning point in last year's season, and one that appeared to take a lot of wind out of the sails of a Flyers team that was enjoying success and striking fear into the hearts of anyone they oppossed, even if they were inconsistent. Upshall played limited 3rd line minutes, and found himself in Steven's dog house several times, yet was a huge fan favorite for his high energy shifts that often seemed to swing momentum and ignite the team, even if it didn't show up on the scoresheet.
Unfortunately Scottie is now out indefinately with a torn ACL --- a terrible break for a guy who found out about his trade from a cup contender to the sinking ship in Phoenix from a reporter (talk about your classy moves, thanks to the Flyer's front office for that beauty.)
With that said, I have to admit that I was wrong about Carcillo who has shown this season that he is without a doubt a better skater and all around player than I could possibly have imagined, having watched his play last year. In many ways, Carcillo has taken Upshall's place as the guy who plays a role postion and manages to go out and make the hits, and occassional goals that get things flowing in the right direction.
I have to admit that I misjudged Dan Carcillo, but then again, I wonder if Homer would be able to admit that the Upshall trade wasn't the best move for the Flyers last year, and maybe, just maybe, the army of hardcore fans who howled at the move last year, actually saw something in Upshall that the Flyer's organization apparently couldn't. Is there such a thing as being too close to a situation?
Here's wishing Scottie a speedy recovery, and hoping that it's one that won't completely derail what could very well have been a break out season for the guy.
This item was written by a member of this community and is not necessarily endorsed by Broad Street Hockey.
24 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Well said
Carcillo has really come on this year and fit nicely into a productive role. That said, Scottie was making moves in Phoenix. Terrible break for him to go down like that, but I’m sure he’ll be back better than ever in November/December. And he has Melanie Collins to keep him comfortable, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice…
Get well Scotty, we love you.
If my thinking is correct, then we only got rid of Scotty because:
1. Danny Briere got hurt
2. Claude Giroux came up and played amazing
3. Danny came back and we couldn’t afford to have both
4. Scotty was traded because Carcillo’s cap hit wasn’t as much, thus allowing Claude and Danny to both play. And Scotty was gone after the year because we wouldn’t have resigned him.
by orangeandblack20 on Feb 1, 2010 1:50 AM EST reply actions
That is the standard line but I never really believed it. Yes the team had cap issues — what team doesn’t, but instead of looking at this as.. .we have a dynamic player who is a key member of a team that is beating the world right now, they looked at it as — he’s tantamount to a fender on the Zamboni. I won’t retread what the actual cost saving were, since it’s been analyzed to death, but it was not much, and so much more of a losing proposition when you factor in the draft choice that we apparently needed to throw in to sweeten the deal.
I believe I saw nearly every game that season except for about 5, and it was clear that after that trade, something was amiss. The team went from being one that other teams feared to one that could be outmaneuvered. To put it in perspective, you have to remind yourself that everyone was drooling about the prospect of a 3rd line of: Giroux Briere Upshall.
I still think that’s a line that would have made other teams shit their pants. Instead we got Danny Briere on wing……………………. and of course, even with all the things that went wrong, we still could have beat Pittsburgh.
Upshall leaving was the beginning of the bad Chi that now hangs over this team like a death mist. All for 400,000.00, what a cap saver. And Carcillo is a mediocre player at best that for some reason people in this town typically embrace for all the wrong reasons.
Given to overstatement are we?
Carcillo has done everything asked of him this year. I have no issues with him at all.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Carcillo playes with Heart, thats why I embrace him. I loved Scotty, I was a sap who bought a jersey of him too, but Carcillo has been a great addition to this team.
"NO HONOR"
The Flyers would be no closer to a Cup if Upshall were here than they are now. Maybe they’d be a little higher up in the standings.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
That is not at all what I was getting at, rather the mentality of the organization and the fans of this team. No Upshall isn’t the difference in this team being good, but swapping these two players and selling it as an upgrade in talent is the problem.
. . . but swapping these two players and selling it as an upgrade in talent is the problem.
I don’t think the Flyers ever sold this as a talent for talent swap. Maybe others feel differently, but when the trade happened last year, never did I think that Carcillo was coming as to be a top line producer. His reputation preceded him and the impression that I got was that Flyers fans were gonna like Carcillo and appreciate him, not for his goal scoring (not that Upshall was doing much goal scoring either), but for the way that he plays; hard, tough, high energy and the attitude that he brings.
At the time of the trade, I wasn’t that upset to see Upshall go. He just wasn’t producing to the caliber that I thought he could and he wasn’t real great in the pest/Sean Avery role. There just wasn’t room for him of a very deep team. I saw it as a way to dump cap space, retain a player (Carcillo) and solidify player roles. Granted, I am still left scratching my head at why Homer gave PHX a draft pick as well as Upshall.
Now, I might agree with you about the mentality of the organization and the fans but in this case I don’t think the organization was trying to sell this as an equal talent-for-talent swap.
by Mitchell Green on Feb 1, 2010 4:18 PM EST up reply actions
Talent Swap or P.T. Barnum?
Maybe not a talent swap, but PR misdirection. So you get an agitator that can really fight and with some skill should he choose not to spend the game in the penalty box. Cap issue aside, this was to a certain extent, a PR type of move for the front office. They were banking on stirring that piece of Broadstreet Bullies DNA all Philadelphian’s are born with…at least he’s evovled under Laviolette, and though not as talented as Upshall, has been very entertaining. Let’s hope the loss of offense doen’t affect our play-off chances. And Carbomb is one of the coolest nicknames I’ve heard in a long time.
They were trading a player they couldn’t afford in March 2009, and would lose to free agency in June 2009, for a player they could afford in March 2009 and would be under contract for the 2009-10 season.
“cap issue aside” and “to a certain extent” I think express the fact that the reason I posited wasn’t the only one
Okay, then the fact that it did and continues to generate only bad publicity and public opinion of the team I think speaks to the fact that its wasn’t a PR move.
I was speculating about one of FO’s possible motives not the effect. However, he’s been embraced by alot of fans….the ones who buy the tickets…they were the intended target of the PR move. And since when have the Flyers not been one of the more hated teams in the NHL. Maybe this causes undue penalities but so does undisclipined play. Bottom line is does this reputation have a statistically relevant effect on the outcome of a season in terms of unwarranted penalities or effect ticket sales? Doubt it.
Effective ticket sales? No. Unwarrented penalties? If you think no, then you just haven’t watched the games.
Was it a PR move? Absolutely not. That Broad Street Bullies thing is bullshit that died in the 80s and only continues to be perpetrated by national media who love to give us a bad reputation because people still buy into it. Nobody in this town buys tickets to see goons, or to boo Santa.
"He told me, 'Keep your head up.' I didn't realize he meant the whole season."
He was absolutely sold as an upgrade, not as an upgrade to Gagne, but to Upshall. If not why did they throw in a pick for Carcillo if he wasn’t an upgrade? They even drug out quotes from Gretzky saying how impressive this kid is and other erroneous junk. We needed a guy for the third line that can skate and chip in minimal offense not take penalties. This team already has six guys that fill the exact same roll as Carcillo and only one really talented winger. I would just rather have had Upshall for the 400K. It also seemed the mojo of the team changed right around the time when that trade was made and it was noticeable then and lingered throughout the early part of this season.
I don’t think he was sold as an upgrade. They just put the best spin on it they could. When they first brought him in, I was determined to not like him. But since he’s gotten better with the ridiculously stupid penalties and actually started to play hockey, he’s been a solid player.
"In fact, it is probably safe to say, the statement "I am a hockey fan" is the same as "I hate gary bettman."- bfrank27
Most importantly, however...
…is that by bringing Carcillo here, the Flyers (and Carcillo) have an exciting addition to their fanbase!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Puck Previews: Blackhawks reeling; Sabres streaking; Holmstrom’s 1000th game
- Will Teemu Selanne remain with the Anaheim Ducks through the trade deadline?
- Nikolai Zherdev takes stick to crotch, elbow drop in KHL game (Video)
- Puck Headlines: Accused coach Pravilov dead; more Tim Thomas heat; Junior team goes nuts post-shootout
- After Scott Gomez scored, other candidates for NHL goal drought obsessions
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
