Flyers

Mike Sielski Has Once Again Taken Aim at The Orange and The Black

By Kyle Scott

Published: Nov 1st, 2013 · 10:28 AM EDT

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Our favorite new columnist hell-bent on destroying the Flyers’ culture and the old guard, Mike Sielski, has penned his latest grammatical murdering of the OB over the Steve Downie trade.

Go ahead, Mike:

Though he has matured from his first stint with the Flyers, Downie still piles up penalty minutes at a faster rate than most players. He has 36 already this season. So in the midst of a 3-8 start, the Flyers and general manager Paul Holmgren have decided that the best way to right themselves is to promote former tough guy Craig Berube to head coach and trade for a tough guy in Downie. So much for a fresh, clean start. So much for a culture change.

No, the primary problem here is the Flyers’ belief that a marginal move like this was worth making in the first place, that a player who brings an “edge” was what they were missing most. It’s not.

While Sielski does acknowledge the most positive aspect of the deal for the Flyers – that Downie is a free agent after this season, giving the OB some flexibility – he uses the rest of his words to destroy the team and point out the fact that they make it almost too easy to ridicule them.

I don’t disagree with any of that, but Sielski is being a bit unfair here. Sure, Steve Downie is exactly the sort of player the Flyers would trade for, and they shouldn’t be given the benefit of any doubt. However, this is a relatively minor move that accomplishes two things: adds a touch more skill and gives them a bit more salary cap flexibility (Talbot had two years left on his deal). I liked Talbot– he’s a very good two-way forward and, as I wrote the other day, he’s a hockey player, but he, too, is the sort of player the Flyers value too much over guys with speed and skill. Downie is a little bit better. Though Sielski discredits that claim by noting that Downie had his most success playing with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis.

Flyers reporter and commentator Ryan Bright takes issue with that:

That Sielski column is ridiculous. "Same old Flyers" like there was a Datsyuk for Talbot trade on the table

— Ryan Bright (@philabright) November 1, 2013

Column discredits "tough guy" Downie's 22-goal season by saying he played with good players. Sorry Chris Kunitz, Brad Marchand.

— Ryan Bright (@philabright) November 1, 2013

Anyway, Sielski is right– it’s laughable that the Flyers added another grit, tough guy with upside to play for a coach known for his grit and toughness and for a team known, unfortunately, for their grit and toughness. But, it’s hard to get upset over adding more skill and flexibility. What you should be worried about is what Paul Holmgren will do with that flexibility. It’s the same thing that worries me with Ruben Amaro. Do you really trust either guy to make the right decision and not keep chasing their tails to another poorly-constructed squad? I don’t.