The Flyers could trade Carter Hart, and if they do, it's possible that decision could turn into a disaster.
It's Monday, which stinks. Mondays are objectively terrible, and maybe one day, in a perfect world, humanity will progress beyond the need for working, which will make every day a Saturday.
We're not quite there yet, though. For now, Mondays are here to stay. But that's not a totally bad thing, because with Monday comes another edition of the Monday Morning Mailbag! Hooray!
Let's get to this week's questions.
The Flyers have seen their fair share of trades blow up in their face in recent years. Perhaps the most famous of which involves Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who has played out of his mind for much of the postseason.
Back in 2012, the Flyers traded Bobrovsky, who was 23 at the time, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a second-round pick and two fourth-round picks after signing Ilya Bryzgalov to a massive nine-year, $51 million contract.
Since then? Bryzgalov has been out of the NHL for nearly a decade, and Bobrovsky has won the Vezina Trophy twice.
Now, the Flyers may be on track to trade another talented, young netminder.
Carter Hart's future with the Flyers is very much uncertain. Flyers general manager Danny Briere has stated numerous times since being named the club's full-time general manager that no player on the roster is untouchable, including the 24-year-old Hart, and that he'd consider just about anything if it improved his team as it enters its rebuilding stage.
There's no question that a trade involving Hart would bring back a colossal package, likely involving several high draft picks and proven NHL players. For a team not expected to compete for at least a few years, that wouldn't be too bad a deal.
But there is a way a Hart trade could give Flyers fans nightmares down the road. And the most obvious involves the Flyers being on the wrong end of another Bobrovsky scenario.
Sure, the Flyers could acquire a boatload of assets for their star netminder. But if they don't use those assets to obtain high-end talent, it's not out of the realm of possibility that their struggles could drag on well into the future while Hart thrives on a different club and develops into an annual Vezina contender.
That's not even the most heartbreaking scenario, though.
Picture this. A Hart trade actually takes place. The Flyers bring in a myriad of assets. They take advantage of those assets and eventually ice one of the best teams in hockey. But they're only missing one piece.
A No. 1 goaltender.
They'd be right back to where they were before Hart's emergence — a good, competitive team held back by poor play in net.
That would truly be the darkest of all timelines.
Many consider the duo of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement as the best pairing in the history of hockey broadcasting, and I certainly appreciate what they brought to hockey fans in the '90s and early 2000s.
But as good as Clement and Thorne were together, I firmly believe Mike Emrick is the best play-by-play announcer to ever call a hockey game, and I'd love nothing more than to listen to Emrick and Clement call games together in their respective primes. They did work together in the late '80s, but that duo could've been magic had it lasted a bit longer. They were perfect together.
I also want to show John Forslund some love. I think he's one of the best in the industry right now, and I'd really like to see him take over on national broadcasts one day. He's an absolute pro.
As for the studio analysts, I appreciate what Liam McHugh has done during intermissions for both NBC and TNT, though I think his work the last couple seasons has been top-tier. Assemble a team of McHugh, P.K. Subban, Kevin Weekes, and Wayne Gretzky, and I think hockey fans everywhere would approve.
I'm lucky enough to be in a healthy, committed relationship now, so hopefully I won't need to go on any first dates ever again. But if I do, the ultimate question on a first date is this...
Do you sleep with the fan on or off?
That alone can make or break a relationship. I've seen it happen. No one wants that.
(Tip: If they don't sleep with the fan on, that's a major red flag)
As for the orcas, good for them. I support their actions. We're invading their living space with our silly little buoyant death traps, and they're rightfully defending their territory.
I don't think we're doomed, because orcas, believe it or not, are generally uninterested in humans. And when they do show interest in humans, they're often very docile and playful in nature.
In a weird way, orcas already kind of rule the world. The orca is the apex predator of the oceans, and considering the world is 71% water, they technically have a bit of a leg up in the "world domination" department.
I personally love that for them.