PHILADELPHIA, Pa – With the recent trade of Steve Downie and Steve Eminger to the Tampa Bay Lighting for Matt Carle, one had to wonder out loud about what is going on down at the Philadelphia Flyers team headquarters these days. The one question had to be asked after the trade: Why do the Flyers even show up for the NHL Entry Draft every year?
One look at the Flyers draft history and it is easy to see why the Flyers have not won the Stanley Cup since 1975. It is scary to think just how bad things have gotten in Flyerland when it comes to their success on draft day. Than again, maybe, just maybe, there is an underlying reason why things are this bad. You might be shocked to hear that it has something with the Flyers AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms.
The Phantoms came into the AHL during the 1996-97 season. The Phantoms have since won two Calder Cups, while the Flyers are still waiting for the team’s third championship.
Oddly enough, the Flyers had the same General Manager for both teams: Bob Clarke. While the General Manager’s position has changed to Paul Holmgren, the Flyers philosophy has not. Like drunken sailors on shore leave, if given the opportunity to spend the money, you better believe they will do just that.
Before the Phantoms became a reality, it was common for a player to be drafted past the first round of the draft to make the Flyers roster. However, those days are long gone. Let’s examine each years draft since the Phantoms became a reality and see what we mean.
The list of players are the ones who not only made the Flyers roster but contributed to at least one full seasons worth of games (82).
1996
Dainius Zubrus, Round 1 (15th overall)
1997
Todd Fedoruk, Round 7 (164th overall)
1998
Simon Gagne, Round 1 (22nd overall)
Antero Niittymaki, Round 6 (168th overall)
2000
Justin Williams, Round 1 (28th overall)
Roman Cechmanek, Round 6 (171st overall)
2001
Dennis Seidenburg, Round 6 (172nd overall)
2002
Joni Pitkanen, Round 1 (4th overall)
2003
Jeff Carter, Round 1 (11th overall)
Mike Richards, Round 1 (24th overall)
Folks, that’s it. Only five first round picks, and five picks taken after the first round in 13 drafts have contributed for more than at least one full seasons worth of games. What makes things look worse is, over that same time period, the Flyers had a total of 107 draft picks.
While everyone brags about how well the Flyers did in 2003 by getting Carter and Richards, that years the Flyers had 11 draft picks. To come away with only two players out of 11 is pretty bad, but consider that in 2004 the teams also had 11 picks and came away with nothing makes one wonder why they went to the draft.
Think about it, only 10 draft picks in 107 have made any kind of impact on the Flyers roster since 1996. In fact, since 1990, there were three drafts that the team did not even produce an NHL player: 1992, 1999, and 2004.
Current Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Sharp (2001, Round 2, 95th overall)) did play for the Flyers, but he only played in 66 games. Today he is a 30+ goal scorer and one of the better goal scorers in the league. Come to think of it, among those players listed, only Gagne, Niittymaki, Carter and Richards are still with the team. The means out of 107 draft picks, only four players have stuck with the Flyers.
That’s not bad, that’s pathetic.
Claude Giroux (the Flyers first round pick in 2006) set playoff scoring records in the Quebec Major Juniors last season, is currently the team’s top prospect. Sounds like someone who might have stuck with the Flyers out of training camp doesn’t it? But instead of making him a part of the Flyers roster, they sent him to the Phantoms. Go figure.
Andreas Nodl, a third round pick in 2006 (39th overall) as well, is currently up with the Flyers. So is this year’s first round pick, defenseman Luca Sbisa 19th overall). But had it not been for injuries, you can bet that neither of those players would be on the current Flyers roster.
Another Flyers draft pick in 2006 is defenseman Denis Bodrov (2nd round, 55th overall) is close to being NHL ready and should make the roster next season.
James Van Riemsdyk, the Flyers first round pick in 2007 (second overall) is still in college and could be a bust or a star. The Flyers passed on taking Kyle Turris who is currently playing with the Phoenix Coyotes, not to mention Sam Gagner (Oilers). For the Flyers sake, they better be right about JVR or he will be yet another first round pick out the door.
And now, Steve Downie, a former first round pick in 2005 (29th overall), is yet another in the long list of Flyers draft picks to have moved on. Do you see where I am going with this?
Two main issues come out of all of this. As the Flyers became one of the premier teams in terms of revenue, the need to draft players and develop them have become the exception rather than the norm.
For one, The Flyers have since preferred to either sign high priced free agents who have been groomed by other teams, or have traded for players like Eminger who were failed former first round picks by other teams. The theory being, that the Flyers have a way of turning a player around and will land that so-called diamond in the rough like Braydon Coburn. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the Braydon Coburn’s of the world have become far and few between.
Secondly, the Flyers have taken chances with other team’s failed first round draft picks in the hope that they can turn the player around. Not only have we seen the Steve Emingers’s come and go, we’ve seen the Pavel Brendl’s, Alexandre Daigle’s, Pat Faloon’s, and Ben Eager’s. All were former first round picks, all have not paned out under the “Flyer way” of doing things.
And the team wonders why they might be heading down another season of missing the playoffs?
As of this article, the Flyers had 13 points, tied with the Florida Panthers, and only three more points than the New York Islanders, the team with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, not to mention the NHL.
In the league standings, the Flyers are tied with
Grant it, the Flyers don’t need a another centerman, but since when do the Flyers ever pass up a centerman, especially with the kind of pedigree of a Tavares. Lord knows the Bob Clarke regime would never have passed him up. With the Flyers need for a stud defenseman, Hedman would most likely be the pick under Holmgren.
Even if the Flyers had a chance to draft either player, one has to wonder, would it really matter? What seems to be the problem with the Flyers developing players? Is it simply impatience on the part of the Flyers?
That is a huge part of it, you can be sure of it. The need to win the Cup has forced the Flyers to lose focus. Why develop someone when you can simply buy them? In simple terms, the Flyers are lazy, period, end of story. Once the salary cap kept rising, the need for the draft became les and less a priority. The proof is in the pudding, and right now it tastes rather bland.
As mentioned at the top, the Phantoms have had some say in why the Flyers treat the draft the way they do. Here is why.
In the AHL, building a hockey team is sort of like building a college hockey team. Recruitment is of the deal. Convincing players to play for you is large part of the gig. But ever since the Flyers took over ownership of their AHL affiliate, the need to recruit players is lessened. Still, it has become harder and harder for teams to fill an AHL roster, especially players can play overseas these days with more and more leagues cropping up. In some countries, players get to play tax free. Not a bad gig if you can get it.
While the Flyers have not benefited with their drafts, the Phantoms have. Every draft class since the Phantoms inception has benefited the Phantoms with Flyers draft picks. If you don’t think so, check out the Flyers draft history for yourself.
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00007439.html
While June is still a long ways away, the thought of either Tavares or Hedman in a Flyers uniform might not seem so far fetched. For the Flyers sake, if that happens, they better hope either of them pan out.
While the sports fans of
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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