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PHLY Philadelphia Flyers Podcast

PHLY Flyers Podcast | “What if?” Mailbag: Matvei Michkov, Ron Hextall, Flyers playoff chances

On a mailbag edition of “What if?” Wednesday, the gang answers questions about the GM tenures of Chuck Fletcher and Ron Hextall, as well as what to expect from the current Philadelphia Flyers team.

Broadcast on:
28 Aug 2024
Audio Format:
other

On a mailbag edition of “What if?” Wednesday, the gang answers questions about the GM tenures of Chuck Fletcher and Ron Hextall, as well as what to expect from the current Philadelphia Flyers team.

What if Matvei Michkov is a star right away? What if Brayden Schenn was never traded? What if the Devils just aren’t that good? All this and more from Bill and JP as the offseason winds down and Labor Day and training camps approach.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Hey everybody, how you doing? - Well that's good. Welcome to PHLY Flyers. My name is Bill Matts. I'm your director of fun games on this beautiful. What if Wednesday joining me today is the one and only star of the Anthony Gargano show. It is JP Zapata. What's going on JP? Long time no talk. - What's happening, bro? I know man, it's been a minute. It's been a little bit, we got a lot of catching up to do. We're doing a mail bag episode today. So it's going to be a lot of fun. - I'm excited. It's been a question today. - What you been up to this summer? - Dude, I got a little hitched. Got one hitched a month ago in Columbia. Two weeks off, it was really good. Got some good weather, good food. May have gained a couple, you know, that love pounds that they always talk about. But no, everything's good. I'm blessed that cuz shows are really good. We're obviously really excited for football season. Of course, hockey season, which I'm excited to talk to Cuzabout with some hockey, with some Philadelphia Flyers. But no, everything's been really good, man. I can complain. - No, absolutely. It's been a good time here the summer PHL wise. We're all kind of getting used to what the off season is. Obviously, Phil's every day. But three of our, well, you know, four main sports. And then we have the union as well. Don't want to discount the union. - I appreciate that. - Obviously, can never discount the union. But it's been a good time. So I'm glad to have you here today. And before we get into our, what if mailbag, it's, we're just stacking the gimmicks today. Not only is it what if Wednesday, but it's a mailbag, what if Wednesday? Because I told Charlie, man, this is, this is the week. It took us to the last week of August for us to just run out of stuff. And we're gonna stack some gimmicks. So he was like, oh, well, guess what? I'm off Wednesday and Friday. - I don't think we're allowed to swear anymore, sir. We at least have to cut down. - We have to behave, guys. - Yeah, but Charlie's not here, but we have JP instead. But before we get to the, as I knock over my water bottle, before we get to the mailbag questions today, we have the ticket giveaway. That's right for Friday's rookie series game, Friday, September 13th at 7.05 up an hour in town at the PPL center. We're gonna have a great time. Gonna have a little meet up before the game. - Absolutely. - Bunch of tickets to give away. We're giving away our giving away one pair today. And we're gonna do that right now. You have to be a die-hard to enter a few more entries from the die-hard discard got added to the bucket today. So we will see who's today's winner is. - We don't sound effects, but remember the drumrolls, guys. - Yeah, we'll do the drumroll. Look, it's not an empty bucket. Got a whole bunch of names in here. Not just making it up. - It's like the actual draft lottery right now. - Yeah, we have one name here. It is JH, John Tortorelli, is today's winner. - That's right. - That's right. - John Tortorelli. - We will be getting contact with you on the Discord. You have to have a Ticketmaster account. I'm sure most people listening have one. If you enjoy going to events, you probably need a Ticketmaster account. I'll be in touch and I'll forward you a pair of tickets to Friday's rookie series game, which should be in all likelihood. Obviously, card always subject to change, but the fact that they're advertising Navay Mishkov tells me he's gonna be at these games. He hasn't played North America yet. You gotta believe they want to get him some ice time before getting him started in the NHL. - I'll take a bill. - And I gotta believe they want to sell some tickets to this thing. So Mishkov, in all likelihood, is gonna be there. John Tortorelli, we'll-- - It's your appetizer for Mishkov. - We'll get you hooked up. And now we have our mailbag questions to get to today. And we will start it with a couple of questions from that die-hard Discord. Of course, if you're not a die-hard, just go to allphly.com, sign up. All sorts of benefits, including access to the PHLY lounge where you get to have way more sane conversations about the teams than you probably do on social media. - Facts. - Start it with a couple from the die-hard Discord. First one from Jay Chime. What if Fletcher, what if Chuck Fletcher was fired earlier? Would Johnny Hockey have fit the timeline? Would Drew have been signed back? - That's a great question. - It's a very interesting question. I'm choosing to look at this like, like Chuck Fletcher was stuck in between like, okay, Johnny doesn't fit our timeline. Somehow Rasmussen Delinein does. Like somehow Travis Sandheim does. But if he had been fired earlier, I gotta believe it's 'cause the team just flat out stinks earlier. They're far more just far more interested in hitting the rebuild sooner. Like, you know, they suck that last year, Fletcher, and end up picking fifth draft and cutter gochier. I just think there's probably a push to sell a lot earlier. Like, I think the difference would be, like, even if he trades for Risto, even if he's still around to do that at the 21 draft. Like, all right, yeah, we're not extending this guy. Sunk cost be damned. We're not doing things like that. Maybe Travis Sandheim is traded rather than extended. I don't, I think it's less of a chance that like, Drew is back, like, no, man, we have to trade this guy and get assets for him. And Johnny definitely doesn't fit the timeline in that regard. 'Cause that was my biggest issue at the time. It was like, all right, if you're telling me Johnny Goudreau doesn't fit the timeline, you're probably right. Like, I wanted him 'cause I thought it would be fun and this team just seems stuck anyway. So get me this guy, like, awesome. Get me, if we're gonna be in this middle area, go get me the best player available. That was Johnny at the time. But if they come to the conclusion, like, no, I think it's more about the players we have now not being here than like, Drew and Johnny being here. It's like, yeah, man, Risto doesn't make sense. Sandheim doesn't make sense. I think it's more about that. Like, maybe with a couple of years left on his contract, I'm like, mmm, does Travis connect me? Like, as he struggles before the last two years, where he really broke out again, maybe we trade him. Like, I think it's more of a subtraction than an addition thing. - Well, I would say that I think that Chuck Fletcher should have been fired after 22, 23. He said that that's how I fell after watching that year. But, like, a couple of those things. Like, the thing about Johnny hockey was interesting what made us frustrated probably as well. We obviously know the talent that is Johnny hockey. I mean, the dude's one of the best forwards. But, like, the dude actually wanted to play here. - Yeah. - And, like, he saw what was happening in Philadelphia. And the fact that he saw that said, like, I still wanna be a flyer. Like, I think that's what drove us to another level, like, one of the-- - He wanted to be here. He's from here. - Right. - And we just hadn't had a shiny new toy in a while. - Exactly. - And did it make sense? No, probably not. Especially seeing the direction the team took. I wanted him because it would have been fun. But if you're telling me he doesn't fit the timeline, then all the other stuff you did didn't make sense. Like, you bring in John Tortorella. It's like, okay, he's gonna evaluate everyone. He's our evaluator. He's gonna tell us who has it and who doesn't. - I, so my-- - But you signed Sandheim before the season even begins. - None of that makes sense, man. None of it makes sense. - None of it makes sense. - That stuff just didn't make any sense. If you're telling me that this good player doesn't fit these mediocre guys, like, Risto and Sandheim do fit the time, like, what are we doing? So I think it's more about that than-- - He did contradict himself a lot while he's here. - I know people have an issue, like, does this plan really make sense with the flyers? And, listen, I've said, I don't know if some of the stuff they've done has made a ton of sense. But that plan, there was none. Like, Chuck Fletcher was just kind of treading what he was just trying, I don't know. Like, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this team. We're supposed to stay competitive. Everything I do to try to keep us competitive makes us worse, like, also bad luck, like Ryan Ellis, you know? - Oh, my God. - Like, that sort of thing. So it's tough to say, but I just think they would have embraced who they are sooner and who they were was nowhere near good enough. - I agree. The timetable probably we would further into our process if that would have definitely happened there. It is truly interesting to kind of look back at that time period. And, you know, the one thing I do look at, too, would JVR have been traded if he was fired earlier at the deadline? - I just, I wonder how much interest, I mean, obviously, no one was willing to give up much. And even at 50%, JVR was still like three and a half million. Maybe there were teams that was just like, no, man, we don't want to give that. We don't want to give you anything for a guy who isn't very good still making not a substantial amount, but three and a half million at the deadline. There's other ways we could spend that money, but I got to believe someone else is able to trade it. - But like, I feel like at that time, like when teams would call the flyers and when the flyers would call teams, they see the phone, they see Chuck Fletcher. They're like, ah, Chuck Fletcher, they start laughing. That's how I felt at the time. The league saw Chuck Fletcher as a joke. - It was very odd, like he was able to get a return. And like, yeah, some of the players he traded just weren't very expensive. And but he's able to get something back for a couple of the defenseman he trades and a couple of the depth players. And it was just like, JVR still has something. And that's evidenced by the fact he goes to Boston the next year. - Exactly. - For one year, one million dollars and isn't bad, you know? Like wasn't horrible for them. Gets scratched a little on the playoffs, but it was just, he just didn't seem to really know what direction to take the team. It's probably a little bit on ownership. Like he's getting contradicting messages. Like you have to stay competitive, but also you need to somehow get a sass. It was just as bad as I do, as much as I look back on Chuck Fletcher and go, you failed, bro. I think there was a lot above him that was going wrong as well. And it's hard to judge his tenure on like, yeah, he couldn't trade JVR. We were so far beyond that. Like we needed to be in rebuild mode a year sooner than we were. Like that's really what it comes down to. - What was the moment you felt we needed to go to a rebuild again for Fletcher's tenure? - Really, I mean, when they trade Juru, it's like, okay, so it's over. - Yeah. - But looking back, I didn't know what direction the team should go in 'cause they had these guys and you looked back at 2020 and be like, there's something there with this group. And then maybe when it's, oh, yeah, I'm gonna trade, I'm gonna trade J, can try to salvage this thing. And we're gonna keep Elaine Vigno. Like maybe it's there where it's, the team needed wholesale changes. Everyone from the top down should have been like, this thing ain't working. All these guys are now a year or two old, like we're not gonna get back to what we were a year or two ago. All these guys have aged going through injuries and stuff. Maybe it's 2021 where we go. Yeah, this thing just needs to be blown up. - That season was so tough, 2021, because you were battling COVID, right? You know, you're playing a lot of the same teams because of that schedule as well. And like, you know, you look back at that year, you lost the Rangers like, what? Like three times with like more than five bulls at the Ranger score on you, it was demolished. - Vigno gets fired. And like, I at that point, I'm like, yeah, we were just like a year off from that bubble that was nice. But like, this is not nice. This was not Fliers hockey. They were, they essentially kind of gave up on a lot of those games and that. I was kind of the moment was like, we might need to rebuild guys. - All right, our next question, which also came out of the die hard discord is from B Pezzy. He says, like many of us, I had extremely high hopes for the Hexdall administration. I declared to friends that if Hexi is able to GM Philadelphia to a cup, that he never won as a player, he would have a place in the Flyers, Mount Rushmore alongside Clark, Bernie Perant and Ed Snyder had Hexdall orchestrated a cup as GM. Where do you think he would have ranked among all time Flyers and the fans minds and how much did his stint as GM tarnishes legacy and Philly? That's a hell of a question. - That's a lot there. - Yeah, I do think because he's such a beloved, like he's the fighting goalie. He has the rookie year where he wins the Vessinate and the cons mife. He comes back, goes to another cup in 1997. I do think, yeah, if he's able, if his plan all comes together, if all those draft picks work out or he drafts better, you know, all that stuff. Say he takes Mika Ranton and instead of Ivan Proverov, he takes Miro Hayskin in instead of Nolan Patrick, all these things work out, the team ages well, all that stuff. Yeah, he is thought of as an all time great flyer, maybe one of those four dies on the Mount Rushmore. His legacy now. I think all things can be healed with time. Like Eric Lindross, great example of that. It's not as if it was just the organization that hated Lindross. Like there was a large, I was there. The day Lindross came back as a ranger. Everyone hated him. I was wearing a Lindross flyers jersey at that game and I'm like a kid and I have old dudes behind me like heckling me saying they're gonna draw on my jersey and stuff. - Yeah, what you doing, boy? - It was a long time before it was like, man, he was really good and concussions are a big deal. And yeah, man, if you could have hooked that dude up with an Eastern synergy in 1999, it would have had a totally different career if he could feel the puck on his stick 'cause he was so tall. It took a long time to get there. I think hext all eventually. Like luckily he's already in the flyers hall of fame and stuff, so it's like he's not gonna be an outcast. He's not, they're not taking his name off the banner, you know? But I think it's gonna be a while. Time heals everything, but considering the propaganda fight against him, like Bob Clark coming out and going, actually all the scouts wanted to kill McCar, you know? And he locked himself in the room and said, no, no, no. I was like, well actually, I think some of the scouts wanted Haskin' in and he said, no, I'm going with, I'm going to Nolan Patrick, we need a center. - Right. - The Brandon Sweet Kings, that's where he played juniors. Like the fact that there was a barrage against Hext all. Like Hext all has a press conference at like the hotel across the street after he gets fired to tell his story. Like it was such an adversarial parting of the ways it's gonna take a long time. - Yeah dude, you know what's funny is that like in Philadelphia flyers this year, there's a lot of what it's meant, too many what is. - That's why we've been able to do a month's worth of what is Wednesdays. And I'm like, I'm going down to material, let me ask the people and we have dozens of questions we're not gonna get to today. - I don't know, but it's funny because like when you look at the situation, like for me, like I do separate the player that was Hexty and I would separate him as a GM. But like you can kind of compare it to the Bobby Clark thing. Like obviously Clarky was beloved here as a player and some people felt sour about him as a personnel guy, but I mean for Hexty, I mean obviously, like I said, I separate the two, but you look at when he came here, I was genuinely excited, like our listeners said too, because came from a Kings organization, just came off some Stanley Cup wins. Also they were emphasizing development during the time in LA too, and those are all things that made us all super happy and excited. - He was the GM of the Kings AHL team. They said he was like, he was one of the guy, no, he wasn't the GM there, he was just the assistant GM, but it was like, he helped orchestrate a team that won cops and you see, it's like, no, it's Flyers West out there and he's gonna come here with this plan and draft and develop this talent. It's something we've never done. And it was very much, I always said, it's like we sent him to college. Like Hextall was, it was the prodigal son returning and he takes over for Paul Holmgren and everyone was so sour on Homer at the time and it was, oh, okay, here's our savior. And we really liked his drafts. It was okay, he's doing a great job. And then suddenly none of these players are living up to the billing. Like, it's not happening. It's not happening the way we thought it would. And just one move after another where, okay, well, when are we gonna get better? Are we not bringing in good players to help Drew and these draft picks aren't working out. So what the hell are we? And it was just, yeah, I'm not doing anything with just more wait and see. - Well, I have to ask, is Ryan Hextall, the GM downfall Dave Hextall? - I just don't think Hext was a very good coach to begin with, part of the reason Hextall was fired is 'cause he refused to fire Dave Hextall. Like, I think the two kind of go hand in hand, maybe those groups needed a more experienced coach to kind of help them, like going through a lot of stuff, whether it's goalie issues or, you know, the, those two were so in lockstep. Like Andrew McDonald, yes, that was a Paul Holmgren mistake giving him that extension. But he kept playing and he kept playing a lot for Dave Hextall and Ron Hextall. And it was like, what are we doing here guys? Like Chris Vandivel, he played 81 consecutive games that year under Dave Hextall for Ron Hext. Like it was those two were to me so connected that I really can't separate the two. - Well, when we hired Hextall, my question at the time was, did we just hire the Chip Kelly for the NHL? 'Cause obviously, success in college comes here. You always get a little weary when you, you know, you come from that level college and all into the, to the pros like that. So it was definitely like my first, you know, reaction to that news. - And like hockey culture is so different, but you do just go, first time coach straight out of college, dealing with men who don't need you is much different than dealing with college kids whose whole future depends on listening to you. 'Cause they can bury your career. Like, you know, it's two very different things. And yeah, it's maybe that move. More than any failed draft pick or anything, like going with a coach who just wasn't ready for it, maybe wasn't good enough to begin with, but at the very least just wasn't ready is like what buried the on ice product for Hextall. And it was, all right, so that if this is all about development and these players aren't developing, what the hell are you giving us? - Do you, like taking back to that time, do you remember for yourself? Like, what kind of coach or what coach did you want for The Flyers with Hextall? - There was, I know I definitely had thoughts at the time. I cannot remember. I know I was excited about Dave Hextall because it was such a departure from what The Flyers always do. - You just want something new? - It was so different. And I was like, oh, finally. We're like, we're doing something different. And I was excited about the way they were playing for him for a little bit. And then it was, I do blame a lot of his early failures on like, I think he wanted a more aggressive, like just a more aggressive offensive oriented style. And then his first couple of weeks on the job, it was like, yeah, every odd man rush resulted in a goal. We can't do this 'cause our goalies are terrible. Like that's what, like the first couple of weeks on the job they were just giving up so many goals. It's like, yeah, our defenseman can't pinch 'cause every time it's a two on one, the goal he's giving up a goal. Like we have no chance at getting saved in these high leverage situations. So I guess we just have to play a more conservative style. It was like, oh, so the team's boring. They're not very good. What are we doing here? And it was just a whole confluence of events that buried those two. - Good times, good times guys. - Yeah, it was tremendous, tremendous times. Before we get to, those were the couple of questions I pulled out of the Discord. Before we get to the Twitter questions, I wanna talk to you about fall allergy season. That's right, we are going to Rite Aid fall allergies. Man, it's been, I know it's funny talking about fall today 'cause it's about 140 hours, but don't be fooled. Fall allergies can begin as early as August and last well into November with culprits, the causes of these allergies ranging from ragweed, mold to sagebrush, dust mites, pet dander and fur, really anything. I've been a fall allergy sufferer my whole life. It was especially bad when I was in school. But still, to this day, I'm sure long time listeners can tell, like, oh, Bill's going through it today. You can always hear it in my voice. There's ways to get relief. Preventative measures you can take. First thing, super easy, go to Rite Aid.com/rewards and sign up to receive email pollen alerts for your area. You can also go to your local Rite Aid, pick up a dehumidifier, dust mites and mold, a thrive in humid environments and a dehumidifier. Helps take the moisture out of the air so that these allergens can't grow. Shower frequently, not only do you get all the pollen and mold spores off your skin and hair, but also just shower frequently, man, you should. Check pollen counts, like I said. You can sign up for the pollen alerts at Rite Aid.com/rewards. Run your AC, keep the windows closed, and wear protective mask and gloves when gardening. Just a few preventative things you can do to try to avoid the fall allergies. 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All right. - Real quick, Bill. - Yeah. - So, Beelenson in the comments actually brought up a really good point. You know, talking about hack stall in that goalie room in the early days. It feels like Steve Mason, Michael Neuweworth, was the last time we had a strong goalie room. Like, I know like Moose in the quarter heart, young quarter heart was fine, but quarter heart was still like, you know, we're trying to find himself at that point. - He was still working it out. - Yeah. - Yeah, absolutely. It was, and Mace, if I remember the timeline correctly, he was going through some real tough personal stuff, that first half of a hack stall's first season. Neuweworth was very good. Just could not stay healthy. - Exactly. - And it was like, how much can we use him? He's a really good backup, really good tandem goalie. Can we make him the starter? Can he stay healthy? It was, the whole thing was just the fliers luck, man. If they didn't have bad luck, they'd have no luck at all. That's what the fliers have been. Basically my entire life. - I take that room right now. - You know, 2019-20, hey, man, it looks like we're going to win this division. (laughing) - Global pandemic, you know. Hopefully once in a lifetime, world shutting down. Yeah. - Dude, did we have like a nine game win streak that we lost the Boston? - We lost the Boston. They still had a game coming up against Washington. And I think if they had beat Washington, they'd be first place in the division. And nope, game never happened. I had tickets for that weekend or the following weekend. Edmonton was coming to town. I was like, "Ah, I'm a David. Like, I still have the tickets. I want to get them framed." Like the game that never happened with David coming to town. - That's sick, dude. - All right, let's go to some of the Twitter questions. Let's go to Devin. I'm pretty sure that's how he told me. I've pronounced it, Devan, Devan. And he one time tweeted me like, "It's the easiest way to pronounce it." I'm pretty sure it's Devin. If I get it wrong again, I'm sorry, bro. - Sure, Charlie's got it. - He does. What if the flyers are out of the playoffs? Come trade deadline, the hell are they selling? And that's a great question. - Yeah. - Because it's very well possible. There's a lot of ways this season can go. I think the best way for this season to go down if I'm the fly. And I know they want to play meaningful games and get them to develop in these situations. For me personally, the best way for this season to unfold is guys like Forrester and Tippet, even Frost, Jamie Driesdale, all the dudes that we need to see take a step forward do. - Yes. - But the results are skewed by goaltending that isn't great. If Ersin and Fidotov are just eh or worse, well then guess what, we're going to have a top 10 pick, probably better. In that scenario, they will be out of the playoffs of the trade deadline and I have to believe. Raspousers to line in number one name. Like you have to figure out a way out of this contract. And you just have to make room for other defenseman. Like you have other dudes coming and you have other guys who require the ice time if for nothing else than to just see who the hell they are. I think he's number one, maybe this is the year it's Lawton but we've been saying that for like five years. So who knows. Who are you looking at as dudes who might not be long for this team if the season doesn't go well up to March? - Yeah, no, we're definitely looking at those vets but even I asked you to like, dude, what's the deal with Risto going into this year? Because I feel the same way. Like if he's healthy, Bill, you got to put him out on that ice. As much as you possibly can, showcase his talent. The thing is too, like Risto has really proved his game since arriving Philadelphia. Again, the issue's been those injuries. So like, yeah, I mean, if you could find a way to put him out on the ice if he's healthy and you showcase his talent, I mean, 15.3 mil over the next three years is a hefty price for a guy who can't stay healthy but the upside is definitely there but that's definitely one of the names I would truly be looking at. And then like those fringe guys, like obviously like guys like with some not so great contracts either would they, would they, you know, kick the tires off sealer, you know, Garnet Hathaway is another guy I would be looking at too. Obviously, some of those rental guys like Eric Johnson, some of these vets, it's going to be really interesting. Obviously, I don't personally want to be in that situation. Yeah, but these are some of the names that they would definitely be looking at. I think Eric Johnson's an interesting one because teams are always looking for that sort of depth experience maybe you can get. I mean, it wouldn't be anything substantial but maybe get something for him. Hathaway, I thought was absolutely a trade candidate before he signed the extension. Guys, I am looking at though with just and granted, there are a phase, but Morgan Frost and Noah Kate's are in contrast, they are in contract years. And especially Morgan Frost, like we know the coach isn't exactly in love with his game. He's had spurts throughout his career where it's like he looks like something and other times where he just disappears for weeks at a time. If he doesn't find any real sort of consistency yet again, they could definitely be looking to move Morgan Frost. I think he's an interesting name. I don't think there's much interest in moving Cam York. I do think they really like him. But yeah, I think Kate and Frost, especially Morgan Frost could be, guys we're not looking at right now as trade candidates, but depending on the seasons they have, yeah. - Let me throw another hypothetical at you. Let's say we're not good, right? And Drysil doesn't develop at all. You got another year after this season with him. He's an RFA in 26, 27. Would they give up on the night that easily that early? - I mean, it always depends on return. I don't think you can admit defeat in the cutter, Gochi. Like just from a PR stand, like. If you train a cutter, Gochi, like, and he say he's in the running for the Calder, he's looking good. Can you give up on Drysdale this quickly? Now if someone's offering you a whole bunch for him, maybe, but I don't know if that would be the case if he's not really showing anything. And I think I have to channel Charlie here and say. - Well, logic. - This year, like, I believe Jamie Drysdale really needs to show me something for me to have a high opinion of him. Charlie has said this season, this coming season for Drysdale, he just needs to show he can stay healthy. Like that's the number one thing. And then his progress from there, it's up to Bradshaw and the coaching staff to turn him into the player. They think they can be, but it's not necessarily about, oh yeah, he's our number one power play guy and the power play made a big jump with him. And he's playing 22 minutes a game. Like Charlie has said, it's not about him. It's not about that so much for him this year as it is. Dude, you gotta be on the ice. You have to be out there healthy and showing us something of what we think you can be. 'Cause if you're not out there, we can't assess you at all. - I agree with that, but I would throw this question to the fans, like, what do you guys expect from Jamie Jize all going into the season? Like I feel like this fan base, we do want to see him as a quarterback of that power play. 'Cause we also have skating ability. We all, we all had that thought in our head. Like, yeah, that's gonna be awesome. You know, 10 years I've been running your power play. It'd be awesome, but yes. You need him to stay healthy for most of the season. So we'll see how his health holds up here this year. - That's, he was at no point healthy last season. He had the late start, he had the late start, didn't really get a training camp because it was contract negotiation. He suffered the core muscle injury, allegedly in the first game of the season with the Ducks. He's out for a little while after that. Comes back in December, the Flyers go, "Yeah, we've seen enough, let's pull off this trade "and gets hurt after a few weeks with the Flyers." So never really, never was right. Now he's had the core muscle surgery. So we will see about Jamie Jizedale, but man. - You know, looking at the Flyers and Ducks yesterday and comparing their prospect pools and their rebuilds. - I'm assuming it wasn't that fun. - So much hinges on Drysdale. Like it's the difference between looking at it and going, man, they just don't have nearly enough blue chip guys to, all right, they did pull off a good trade. Like the 2022 sixth overall, 2022 fifth overall pick and Gucci for the 2026th overall in Drysdale. Good return, way to go, cancel each other out or shit. We really messed this one up. Like that's the, that's what it's gonna come down to. It's gonna be a big part of Danny Breyer's tenure and what this thing looks like going forward. - Yeah, Ducks are definitely interesting though. I mean, like they're, obviously they're gonna go through the growing pains with some of these young players, but if they do find some bets on the line, I don't know, man. Well, obviously Gucci, earlier this year, man, we'll see. This is an interesting one from RJ Smiley. I love it 'cause it frames this coming season and the timeline in a totally different way. What if Matt Vay Mishkov receives heart trophy votes this season? Not saying he wins MVP, but he has a good enough year to be like, look what he did as a 20 year old in the NHL. He's this good. Then to me, it becomes, you have to turn the corner. You have to turn the corner. Danny Breyer has to look at this as we have two years of a star caliber player making very little. Like even if he hits his bonuses, you know, it's like three and a half mil. It's like having a quarterback on the rookie deal. We have to take advantage of this in some way. - It's great point. - We have to take advantage of this in some way because we might not get a financial opportunity like this again 'cause if he gets heart trophy votes as a rookie, there is no bridge deal. - Yeah. - It's like eight years, eight million, eight years, 10 million right away after that ELC expires. You know, whatever star caliber players are getting by the time that happens with the cap going up, new CBA and everything, probably some new teams coming into the league. Like it is immediate that you have to give him the star level contract. So right away, like next June, we're going, go shopping, Danny, make some trade, sign some free, whatever the hell you have to do 'cause you'll never be in as advantageous a financial situation as you are right now. - Yeah, and then all of a sudden, Philadelphia again becomes a nice destination playing with that young kid. I know you're a betting guy. So the other week we were on Anthony Gargano's show, we were looking at the Calder, it's there. And he has the highest odds right now. According to Vegas. - He is the favorite. I think I got him at, I think I got him at four to one and I hit his points total over two. I think it was like 46 and a half. What am I not gonna, like I want it to happen? And listen, even though he's the favorite, it's still four to one. Like it's not like I'm getting killed. It's not minus 110, you know? So yeah, I'm gonna bet on it. And I really, the fliers really need, he needs to at least be a finalist. Like for this thing to play, it's not as if he can't grow into a star, but I really want this to happen. And the fliers kind of need it to happen. - Yeah, and I mean, if the expectation fulfills itself, obviously a lot of people expect it's gonna be Michkaw and Salabrini. I mean, when I look at both the fliers and the sharks, I know we're not looking at last year's game in San Jose, but the fliers do have a better situation than the sharks do. I mean, like we were what, two points away from that final wild card spot. The sharks were horrendous last year. - And the sharks may have right now, like you look at it and go, "Oh, in five years, they're gonna have a real nice lineup there." I don't know what the fliers are gonna have because, you know, how's Travis connecting to age? Who's the goalie? Like all these different questions. But like, yeah, if Michkaw is good right away, it's like, well, we do have some really nice pieces, whether it's to be a part of a team with Michkaw over the next few years, or something of value for trades. Like we have a lot of assets, we have some pretty good players for second, third line roles. They could pull off something that it's like the sharks. Well, our whole thing is five years from now. - Yeah, you know what too, Bill? Like just looking at the larger Philly sports landscape here. It'd be so awesome, Michkaw fills what his expectations are. So that way we could talk about Jalen, Bryce, Joel, and Matt V. Like, I'd be sick. - It would be nice for the fourth team to be relevant again. I mean, for us personally, like, I got a contract, you know? - It would be nice if way more people were interested in this show because the team's good. I love the viewers we have now, but we're opening that bandwagon, baby. I want millions of people to watch this show because they're as invested in the flyers as they are the Eagles. I know that's a pipe dream because the Eagles aren't just a team here. They're like our civic religion, but it would be nice. - Yeah, and keep me nice. - Keep rocking those Michkaw Mania t-shirts, guys. We appreciate that. - Oh, yeah, yeah. - It's great stuff. - We have a new, what's the new store website? - Allcity.scy.com. - Allcity.com/PHly. It's really dope. We have some new shirts in there. If you kind of just glance through, it's got some new stuff in there. - We have really sick stuff. - The Liberty Bell logo, or Liberty Bell Flag logo in Orange is really cool. - Oh, dude. - It's really cool. - Great job, bosses. - I may have grabbed one the other day. - This is next question from Ethan Freeman, something you brought up about Risto. - Yes, sir. - He says what happens with the third pair, with the third D pair, projecting to be between Zamoula, Adder, Johnson, and Risto, but what's the biggest priority? Is it showcasing Risto, keeping prospects, or having a Russian friend from Mishkavel and the roster? How do they manage this? What am I missing that complicates it more? First things first, I think, as long as Risto is healthy, it's coming into camp, Zamoula Risto is your second pair, or your third pair, and someone is going to, Zamoula's gonna have to stink, or someone's just gonna have to be awesome, whether it's Adderd, whether it's Genning, whether it's handedness also kind of messes it up, like Adderd is right handed. He's also not waver exempt, so he's probably, we're gonna see if he makes the team, but I think it's Zamoula Risto to start depending on health and everyone being all right, and Zamoula is one of the guys who speaks Russian, you want him around, he's gonna be on the team. Like, unless someone comes call and like, hey, we'll give you one of the centers you need for a package that involves Zamoula, then like, yeah, sure, we'll trade for another dude who speaks Russian. They did it with Geriana, I have less trade deadline, but I do think having that guy around is important, and Zamoula, he's nothing special, but he is the best of the group. Like, he is the best of the group. I don't think Eric Johnson weighs in much, he's gonna be your seventh or eighth defense man. If he has to play, he has to play, but I think the line is like 30 games for him, and I'd probably bet the under, you know. It's gonna be, I think there's some guys who could, like, if Emil Andre is awesome, he could absolutely supplant Zamoula. There are some guys who might be able to take that spot, but going in the camp, I think it's Zamoula and Risto's spot to lose. - I mean, listen, Risto, like I just said, Risto is the priority right now. We need to showcase what this man still has in his tank there, so that has to be the priority. Now, after, I mean, honestly, Bill, that's sixth defenseman. Zamoula's not really getting me excited. Adder's not really getting me excited. Jinning's not really getting me excited, so, well, let's throw someone out there. And, you know, listen, to the point of Zamoula, yes. You want those Russian guys out there, 'cause you want Michikov to feel comfortable, so that's where I would put them slightly over at. - The Michikov and Fedotov seem to be pretty close. They're on vacation together right now. They seem to be hanging out. They're gonna be at the rookie showcase together, so you do have that guy, and Fedotov is gonna be on the team all year. Like, that's gonna happen. So you do still have that, you know, Russian counterpart for Michikov, even if Zamoula is traded, waived, whatever. - But the de-units are very intriguing, 'cause, you know, we talked about, you know, you brought up Cam York earlier. We'll wanna see if he can take that next step. You saw him, you know, be more willing to be active, especially on the defensive end. He was blocking shots at a ridiculous rate last season. We just talked about Jamie Drizell as well, seeing if he could just stay healthy for the majority of the season, too. So, like, just a defensive unit in general is very intriguing going to this year. And look, the blueprint's kind of out there. You saw the Florida Panthers won, that's the only caught man. You need to be loaded at that blue line. Any guys who can play on both sides, too. So, I'm gonna be intrigued to see you, especially at that six-defencement, if any of those guys can actually step up. - It will be, and before we get to some of the rest of these questions, let's pay a couple more bills. That's right, and it starts. It starts with our friends at FOCO. You know I love FOCO, because FOCO is the absolute best officially licensed gear for all sports and fandoms, whether it's hoodies, jackets, beachwear, even overalls. 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They just have so much cool stuff, like the bobblehead selection they have. I'm a straw hat guy on the beach, I have a couple of straw hats from FOCO. - Strong bill, strong. - Yeah, so it's a FOCO. Pretty dope, PHLY10, that promo code, and speaking of going to the beach, what's great at the beach? Loading up that cooler, baby. I love loading up the cooler to go to the beach, and there's no better cooler than the Rugged Road cooler. Rugged Road is dedicated to creating innovative and durable outdoor gear for adventurers who demand the best Rugged Road products are designed with the highest quality materials and craftsmanship, ensuring they perform in the toughest conditions. Whether you're on land or wood or Rugged Road gear is built to accompany you on every adventure. One of the most unique features of Rugged Road coolers, is their ability to always float upright. You never lose a drink. I'm not much of a wooder guy, not much of a boater, but if you are, it can be a little rough out there. You might be having a little too much fun. Well, guess what, that cooler, it's gonna float upright no matter what. There's nothing more devastating than losing a drink. And unlike other heavy-duty coolers, Rugged Road coolers are incredibly light, making them easy to transport on any trip without compromising performance. And how insane is that performance? Well, the coolers are guaranteed to keep their contents cool for up to seven days, and oftentimes much longer than that. They're perfect for a variety of outdoor activities, from fishing and tubing, to camping and tailgating. Perfect tailgating season coming up. You know, we have hockey coming, basketball coming, baseball playoffs, bird season. Who doesn't want to be tailgating? Your tailgate partner should be a rugged, rolled cooler. So gear up for your next adventure with Rugged Road coolers. Reliable, durable, and built to be used. Rugged Road is your ultimate outdoor companion. Head to RuggedRoadOutdoors.com and use code PHLY for 10% off today. For my Brigantine Cove people, that's the, that's the item you need. Float in on the cove there while you're in the water. I like that. All right, let's get to a couple more questions here. Go to fly guy seven. I like these historical, what ifs? What if we didn't trade Braden Shen for Frost and Faraby? Draft day, draft day 2017. Flyers have the second overall pick. They select Nolan Patrick, and then they trade back into that draft. Trade Braden Shen to St. Louis. Take the first round pick that becomes Morgan Frost. And then a year later, the extra first round pick they got, they select Joel Faraby. In all likelihood, he's traded shortly after that anyway. I don't, Ron Hextahl just really never seemed to like Braden Shen all that much. - Interesting. - His, the first contracting negotiated with Shen. They figured out on arbitration day in the room before the arbiter got there. They're like, "Hey, give us a minute." And finally got to the contract before arbitration. He was just never really sold all the way on Braden Shen. - Wonder where that was. - And he just, I don't know, it was never, just never fully got on board with Shen. But let's say they keep him, say he's still a flyer. Right now, they would be paying 6.5 million a season for a guy who over the last two years has scored 20 and 21 goals. I mean, that's less, that's more than you're paying Owen Tippett right now for his 27, 28 goals. And hopefully a lot more. He's 32, he turned, he just turned 33. The other day, his birthday is August 22nd. So he turned to 33 years old last week. He is the captain of the St. Louis Blues now. So perhaps he's our captain right now. I doubt it, 'cause it seemed like Sean Catoria is kind of the guy. The room looks up to Sean Catoria a lot. But listen, Morgan Frost, I doubt he ever really lives up to what we expected from him on that draft night. And really, I mean, draft night people were disappointed 'cause we thought we were getting Eli Tovine and he didn't really turn out either. But Joel Faraby, we will still see he's given you the output that Braden Shen's giving you right now. And he's younger and about a million bucks cheaper a season, maybe a million and a half cheaper a season. So one for one seems like a pretty decent trade and there's still room for Faraby to grow a little bit and Shen at 33, like he's only gonna get worse. So there's just not, I was never the biggest Braden Shen fan. He had a few real good seasons. He does win a cup in St. Louis. That cup had a whole lot more to do with Ryan O'Reilly and Alex Petranjolo and even Jordan Bennington than it did Braden Shen. But he was a nice deaf piece on those teams. He only scored like five goals in those playoffs, not like he went nuts, but we always look back and go, it is funny that he's a return we get from Mike Richards. LA obviously wins with Richards and Carter and Shen after we trade him a year later wins the cup. - Never ends, Bill. - The trade trees always end with a Stanley cup on the other end. And that's how obviously disappointing, but like Shen's a nice player. He's no different than anything the Flyers have except the plays center. - Yeah, dude. I mean, listen, regardless, it always felt like the timelines were just never gonna call that together. But so I look at Deeper. So like in that 2018 playoffs here against Pittsburgh, what if it helped us at all? I was just, if you losing six, would have helped you beat in Malkin and Crosby over there? - It would have been, they probably needed a little more offense. - Drew was real bad. And everyone, but Sean Katore basically was real bad in that 2018 series. Maybe Braden Shen with that depth. He's got a little size. Maybe that helps you. I just, those teams were just never destined for anything. Maybe if you have Braden Shen, you're a little better, but like, is he better than Crosby or Malkin? - What about the 2019, 2020 Vignette first season? Could he have helped you? You have a little size against the Islanders. It does go seven. That's, I hadn't, I had not considered 2020. What kind of year did Shen have? - In that. - 1920, he plays 71 games, 25 goals, 58 points. It's one of the better years of his career. Do St. Louis make the playoffs that year? What did he do? 1920, he had five points and nine playoff games for them. Maybe he's the difference. Maybe Braden Shen's the guy who scores a goal in game set. I honestly hadn't thought about 2019-20, but if you're just looking for a little bit extra, maybe he's the thing that helps you. But Joe Faraby was real good that year too. - That he was. - So like that was maybe Joe Faraby, I realized he set the career highs last year. But that was maybe Joe Faraby's best season was 1920. So you just cancel out one with the other. I'm not sure. - I also probably think he's the Kevin Hayes tree too. - That's a thing. Maybe you don't, you have that center. So you're not looking for depth down the middle with Kevin Hayes, you have Braden Shen. So maybe you're able to add pieces elsewhere. Maybe it was a bit in the smart move to keep them honestly. That's a good question. I kind of blew this question off, but I wanted your outside perspective because you haven't been as deep in it as long as I have or I'm just like, I don't know, nothing would ever worked out. That's my thing with the flyers is, you know what, nothing would have ever worked because this year's gonna be 50 years without a cop. Was never gonna happen and Braden Shen wouldn't be the difference, but maybe in 2020 it would have been. - 'Cause I agree with you like he wasn't like some like superstar type player, but he played winning hockey. And that's what I look at in some of those other years would he have helped in those years. I look more at that 2019, 2020 season than that 2018 year, but it is always interesting. It's always fun looking back at these trees. - He's 28, he's still in his prime at that point. I can see him maybe having an, especially in that, in that Islander series where it's just like-- - Do we could have won that? - We need somebody to get to the goddamn net, just go. And he was great in that bumper position on the power play. He was a good slot player, nice compliment to Jeru. He had his best years with, you know, Jeru setting him up on the power play. Maybe that could have helped. Maybe they get to a conference final, one extra win in round two in 2020. And the bubble isn't looked like his, oh yeah, and that's what toured the team apart. - Hey, then I got, well, listen, in 2020, we were not being the Lightning, but like if we did make it to Eastern Conference finals, but I probably would have pushed back this rebuild as well. 'Cause then they're like, "Ah, well, you know, that team did go to the Eastern Conference fine." Well, I don't know man. - That's the, they have, and then 2021 plays out the exact same way. And it's like, yeah, yeah, but you know, this core maybe a couple of adjustments, like maybe we're still saying that. Like, Jeru gets, maybe this would have been a disaster. Like, it would have helped in 2020, but they ultimately lose in the conference final anyway. And then everything else keeps getting pushed back and we don't even have Miskoff. - Bill, everything happens for a reason, buddy. - I hope so. And that reason is to spike the flyer. So like, that's the problem. This is a fun one from John Burner. - Johnny. - What if one of Luchenko, Bonke, or Barkey has a ridiculously good camp? - It's gonna be interesting. Luchenko, like, he just turned 18. Like he was 17 when they drafted him. He turned 18 like last week. I just don't see them having any interest in that. Bonke, they just really seem invested in this idea of, go back and dominate your level, like go to world, like be on the world junior team, like go, have that awesome year and then next year, hopefully you're up here. If not, you're in the AHL. They seem very interested in having a slow burn process with Oliver Bonke. But I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility. Like, he took a big step last year if he has the same sort of development leap he took last year. I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility to make roster space for him. You're probably gonna have to trade some guys. I don't know how much of a fire there is under Danny Brier to accomplish that. We'll see. I think Bonke has the best chance. Barkey, he just needs to develop more. Like he still looks like a little kid, man. I think he could be maybe the next Scott Lawton, something like that. He could be a really nice third line winger for you, penalty killer, do those sorts of things. But I just don't know if he's physically developed yet enough. Oliver Bonke, it's, I guess it's non-zero, but it's gonna be like a couple of other guys have bad camps, maybe some injuries, maybe some trades. Like they just have to clear out too much to create, to totally deviate from their plan for him. Yeah, you know, let's do like a Connor B'Darr type. Like just, I just find it crazy just bringing up a kid that's not even 20 years old. It was not fully developed in this game. Like, yeah, they may have some great camps and that does happen, but like you just talked about, like look, look at Barkey, he still needs to build on his body. Luchenko definitely still needs to build on his body. So if they have great camps, awesome. That's great to see, but they still need to develop physical development. Luchenko, I guess because they need centers and he is a guy who has worked on like developing physically a bit. He's one of these guys who I read during there. Maybe I heard him Satan in an interview, like during the pandemic, he just kind of built a gym in his garage and really went to town. So maybe he has a little less development to do physically than Barkey and, I don't know, just everything I heard out of development camp is like, yeah, he ain't there. They do need centers, but I think if anyone has the possibility, it's bonk, but they just have such a plan in place for him that it's like, I don't see it happening. Yeah, dude. Like what would a great camp, a ridiculously good, it would have to be ridiculous. Yes, yeah. There's even an Emil Andre is so far ahead of him on the developmental path. Like he'd have to beat out so many guys. Dude, get excited thinking about Luchenko and Mitch cosplaying on the line together in the future. It'd be awesome. I really hope they're right about Luchenko. I know, man. Dude. The world just hates that pick so much. Yeah, man. But listen, the draft is a crapshoot and everyone is wrong about it all the time. There are busts, there are breakouts, there are surprises. Guys, go in the second round. You look at redrafts and it happens. Maybe the scouting world is wrong about Jet Luchenko and the flyers are right. I just don't see that being the case right away. That doesn't help that we just watch the draft special and the network is putting out there. You don't see anywhere that Jet Luchenko's in there. All those first round prospects. This is a depressing one from Marshall Morissell. What if someone goes after a mishcove and no one does anything the way they did with Oscar Limblom? Yeah, that was maybe the most, the low point of flyers fanhood is when the Islanders were just beating on Oscar Limblom after he returned from cancer and no one did anything. Half of this rebuild is about avoiding that. Like there are multiple players on this team who, like if that were to happen, they'd be unemployed the next day. Like Nick Sealer, they've looked determined like, talk about a material breach of contracts from Nick Sealer. It's like, no, man, we gave you a whole bag of money to do that like I don't expect Nick Deloria to play a lot. But if this were to happen and he's on the bench, he needs to jump off the bench and commit a crime against the guy who does that. Like, yeah, man, we'll bail you out. Not even just fight him. Like, no, you hit him over the head with your stick. That's what you do now. Like, it's why you're here. We don't care if you get suspended for life. We'll get, you now have a job for life. You're a senior advisor to the Philadelphia Flyers 'cause you're not allowed to play anymore. Like, there's just multiple guys on this team whose job is not to do that. If it were to happen in this hypothetical, John Tortorella should be fired. Like, 'cause it's his job to instill this culture where that doesn't happen. Like, half of this rebuild is about avoiding those situations. - Yeah, Mitch Cobb's the baby. He's the cornerstone piece of this rebuild that we're doing. And this is why, you know, I know a lot of people are set with some of the decisions towards the deal, but, dude, we've been building culture over the last two years. And this is why, so things like that do not happen again. So, I would fully expect that this team would come in defense for Matt Veymichkov. Yeah, they, and the Slack Room knows, too, how important Mitch Cobb is to all this. Now, obviously, too, new to this country, doesn't really speak the language as well. So, make him as comfortable as possible. And that does, first off, that does happen. I feel like Mitch Cobb also got to punch him, too. - And that's, yeah, and like Danny said, like on the ride back from JFK, like they're in the car, and he's showing him videos of the Deloriae Repay fight and be like, "This is your new best friend." Like, that simply cannot happen. Like, that's the thing. Before we go any further, before we wrap up today's show, wanna thank all of our diehards out there. If you're not yet a diehard, go to allPHLY.com. Sign up, the benefits are never ending. Access to all of our premium contents, including all of Charlie O'Connor's articles and our superstar lineup of writers. We have it all, PHLY.com. Access to the Discord eligibility for things like this ticket giveaway. That's only for diehards that I'm doing this week and next week, so all sorts of benefits. But thank you to the people who are already signed up to be diehards. Couldn't do it here without ya. Let's try to get one more question in. Let's see, what's interesting here. All right, let's go to the just the next one up. From Seth Familia, what if Fidotov is the starter at some point this season? What if he supplants Sam Harrison? - Not good. - Yeah, I think that would be more of an indictment of Sam Harrison, but maybe he's, it's not without precedent even in this franchise. Roman Checkmonic comes over at 28, 29 years old and not only wins the starting job, but like gets Vesina votes, gets a Wednesday Jennings Trophy one season. Like one of the best goalies by production numbers in franchise history. So it's not impossible. But in my mind, if that were to happen, it would be a real indictment of Sam Harrison. - Right, well, context is always important, right? I mean, obviously, what if Harrison's like a season ending injury or something like that? But obviously, like that wouldn't be a good thing if Fidotov becomes a full time starter there. But I'm intrigued by Fidotov too. You know, obviously we saw like not even a handful of games from him. - It's like, as Charlie always puts it, he's coming over jet lagged without even like a full like season behind him. Like he's breaking in new pads. They're basically hand me down pads. Like he might be great. He might stink. We learn nothing about it from those three games and one start that he had in the NHL last year. Completely clean slate for him. But if I had the guess, he is not the answer to our goal-tending question. It would be awesome. But like, I'm not putting money on that. - Right, right. I wonder obviously like the big body definitely helps in between the pipes, but like how quick is he? Like that's something that we did see in those handfuls start or handful games that we saw from him. Like he's not the quickest guy out there. - And just like I heard Mertitus today, Jason Mertitus on Fliers Daily just talking about and you know, much more adept at evaluating goalies than I'll ever pretend to be. So I'll absolutely just tell you what Mertitus said. Like things he was looking at when he saw Fedotov play where like he's looking down at his skates and making sure he's in the right place and net and then looking up and trying to track the puck. It's like, yeah man, you can't do that here. Everyone's the best player you've ever been up against at the NHL. Like the fourth liners here are awesome. So if that happens, you're gonna get beat five hole before you look up and try to track the puck. - That's a good point. - You need to, the technical aspects of his game need to come along quite a bit. Maybe they will. Like maybe he's this good and finally getting a chance. I'm not banking on it. Like I have much higher hopes for Sam Harrison and I don't know if he's a number one in the NHL. - Exactly. Well, Fedotov's also people. I got the Holiday Train, man. - There you go and get out on the Holiday Ice and anything can happen. Before we finish up today, it's time for the Super Chats. We always wrap up with Super Chats and today we have three. First one from Adam S. Bill, do you want to play on my beer league team? Patriot Ice Center in Newark, Delaware. Tuesday is at eight. - That's a great invitation, man. - Adam, I haven't played beer league in a while. Don't have much equipment anymore after a snowstorm destroyed at all. I would love the invitation, not sure I'm willing to go to Delaware, but here's the thing. - Is there a answer to that? - Hockey season, eight o'clock on Tuesdays, quite often the flyers are playing and I'm doing this. I very much appreciate the invitation, Adam. Thank you for thinking of me. But I'm a little wrapped up with flyers post games. Appreciate it, though. Thank you, Adam. And his next one also from Adam. Since Charlie is on vacation, big trade goes down. - Oh, we just traded a wrist though, you guys. - That would be so freakin' funny. He's here tomorrow, but won't be here Friday. - That'd be the worst, you don't know. - Charlie and I are both not here Friday. It's gonna be Friday. I'm hoping for tomorrow. That would be great for tomorrow, honestly. - Kelly and I got you at the breaking home. - Yeah, you guys had breaking news. That would be a lot of fun. Like, I would probably tune in and be like, "What are they doing?" Like, "Bren, send me an invitation. I'm jumping in." - She gave it would kill me. She'd be pissed. - I get you, all right. - And final super chat from our buddy Gary B. Charlie being away 1,000%. This team does something crazy. I can't wait for that domino to fall. It's always a possibility with Charlie away that they do something, because he is convinced that half of the moves they make are to spite him. - I think he told me this year on Valentine's Day, he won on a dinner. - He was away when they named the captain, yeah. - Oh, yeah. - It's bound to have him, guys. - No, I was, Ava was hosting a Quizzo when I was out with Adabar with her, and Charlie was like on his Valentine's dinner, and Vince is hitting us up like, "Emergency show?" Like no. (laughing) No, we'll be there. - We'll draw the line. - We have our normal time tomorrow, and we'll talk all about them sewing a letter on a guy's sweater. It's, what does this mean? It means that jerseys in the pro shop are gonna have extra decorations on them. Like, you know, we're not doing it. (laughing) Vince is like, "All right, you're probably right." We could've done it, but it wasn't happening. All right, and that is all the time we have for you on "PHL Life Liars' Day." Thank you all for listening. Thank you for hanging out. If you just can't get enough Bill Matt's, if you're like, "Man, I hear this guy talk "for 60, 65, 70 minutes, five times a week, "and I wanna hear him more." Tune in to the Anthony Gargano show tomorrow. I'm hosting, filling in for Anthony. You can catch me live 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Gonna be a great time right here on our YouTube channel. Make sure you're subscribed to the "PHL Life" YouTube. - I'm so pumped for tomorrow. - Set those reminders so you never miss a live show. We'll be back with "PHL Life Liars," of course. At our usual time, 1 p.m. as well. Follow us on Twitter @PHLY_Fliers. Follow the podcast wherever you get those as well. Just search, "PHL Life Liars." Hit subscribe, we'd really appreciate it. All right, my name is Bill Matt's. That's J.P. Zapata. 'Til tomorrow, you have a great day, Philly. (upbeat music) (crowd cheering) ♪ Y'all sitting like the mayor ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]