Right Where they left off in April …
Well, after a couple weeks of camp and 1-5-0 preseason record, the Flyers actually look worse than they did last season when Buffalo drove a stake through what was left of the team’c collective heart.
I was at the game again tonight. Boy, this team looks like it would have a hard time against some better local high school squads. Cowboy Esche gave up 5 goals on 16 shots. And after he was yanked in the 2nd, he actually stood and watched the game with a mad and intense look of his face like it was everyone else’s fault that he sucks.
Just wondering why the management of this team thinks Esche is worth a damn dime. To me, and likely thousands of others, he looks spent. His mental aspect of the game is an eggshell and opposing snipers can sense this 150 feet away. When you watch the footage of the Flyers 2 Stanley Cup clinching games - and the other clutch Cup games - there is one constant: outstanding goaltending.
When are these guys that run the show going to get the memo? Nitty is now injured and your current No. 1 goalie is an eggshell. I said last year to trade him but at this point he has no value whatsoever on the block. And Esche again will prove he has even less value on Broad Street and beyond. Give the rookie a look before you commit to putting this clown back in net. Career numbers of 73-55-16-5 IS NOT GOING to win you anything …. Ever.
After 11 years after he was picked in the draft, Esche has proven to be worth about where he was selected in 1996: 6th round. In Philly, hype can’t change that and neither can slick PR. At the end of the day, you have $44 million in payroll resting on the shoulders of a 6th round goalie.
Unless Esche makes a traumatic improvement in his game this year, it feels like he will just fade into the books as an “also ran” that almost made it to the finals. The writing on the wall is clear here: Either Esche steps forward as a real player this season or his career is done.
He has one more shot, especially with Nittymaki on the mend. I do not think that he has the mental fortitude to handle it. Something is missing with this guy. I expect a long season for the Flyers with him in the net. After speaking with players privately, they have no confidence in this guy either. An neither do the fans.