The View From the Bottom.

28th in the league. Leaves you wondering just what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is going on, right?

We acquire Chris Pronger and make a bunch of changes in the off season. We acquire one of the most passionate players in the game with Lappy. We fill some voids with some guys who played strong for us last season. For crying out loud we were striking fear in our opponents before the season started and were being favored to do extremely well. 28th in the league?!?! Speechless, right?

Okay, Flyers fans, let's snap out of it. What is going wrong? Okay probably everything under the sun. I'm just as upset as the rest of you. (Trust me on that one.) The major problem now is still the one we faced over a week ago: how do you snap the team out of it?

I'm sure there are a lot of suggestions floating around in Flyersland. For me the main thing is to break the cycle and that is multi-layered.

Somewhere there is a rotten egg. We're all hearing the rumors so let's not ignore it. My concern is that we have the likes of Pronger and Lappy in the dressing room and the team is still being derailed by one player? Is this possible? Being that I'm not in the locker room it leaves me wondering. Can one player really rock the entire boat?

Even if we offload this so called problem player, the team is pretty shaken and beat up right now. It's going to take some major motivation to get them over this bump. The next question is a pivotal one: can the current leadership team get this ship turned around?

I actually fear that our "problem child" is within the leadership team. Now I have no way of knowing this for sure, but it is definitely a fear that is weighing heavily on my mind. If it is someone on the leadership team, why were they allowed to continue? Either way, shouldn't the remainder of the leadership team have addressed this issue? Perhaps some change is needed.

Richards, I'm sorry, I know everyone thinks you're a golden boy, but man up! Either ask for Pronger to step in and clean house or do it yourself. And while your at it, you might want to focus on the team until you are safely heading in the correct direction.

I understand that he is young and that he is learning. This is not entirely his fault. He is soft-spoken and seems to prefer to lead by example, but this team needs someone to throw something at them so they snap out of it! That could very well be Pronger IF someone lets him.

Peter Laviolette is still implementing his system and I understand this, but if the current lines don't start producing this team's fragile ego is going to completely burst. They need to start scoring NOW not a few weeks down the line. If they start scoring their confidence will build quicker and their confidence could use all the help that it can get.

I don't know if he's doing it, but Laviolette really needs to ensure that the future of our club is not getting destroyed. I mean that Giroux, JVR, Parent and Bartulis need special attention. Don't misunderstand me, I don't want them babied and I don't want them put on a pedestal. They need more personal attention right now and I think they should be given it.

So Flyers fans, I could go on for hours, but I won't.

This team has a lot of work ahead of them if they are up to the challenge. Right now this hockey club is a tired, frustrated and emotionally wrecked one. If they are to move forward and snap out of this downward spiral, things need to start getting shook up immediately. How do you do that? By any means necessary.

If the only way to get these guys moving forward (and upward) is to take drastic measures, then Laviolette and Homer need to make it happen. Someone not producing or showing their best effort? Bench them. Can't get them to snap out of it? Trade them. Can't trade them? Waive them.

Harsh? Sure but as a friend reminded me last night: desperate times call for desperate measures. This is the O&B and we as fans, we don't accept anything less than a best effort.