PHILADELPHIA, Pa – The Philadelphia Flyers are just barely hanging onto the last playoff spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference with only 28 games left in the regular season. The Flyers issues are a plenty with very little reason for optimism. The offense is at a standstill and has dropped to 18th in the league, the defense is been shaky at best near the bottom of the league in goals against (27th), none of their goaltenders
Photo credit to Lewis Bleiman
have shown they can handle the job as a starting goaltender except in small stretches,
The power play has hit a wall but is 11th in the league but the penalty killing unit is 18th, but at least they are 8th in face-offs. The Flyers need to decide sooner rather than later what this season is worth to them or if the Flyers need to start thinking that next season is where the healing begins given all of the Flyers quality prospects that are closer to being NHL ready than even General Manager Ron Hextall cares to admit.
With the NHL trade deadline approaching on March 1st, the Flyers are looking more and more like sellers rather than buyers. That said today we look at some of the ways that the Flyers can fix their issues before and trade deadline and before that start of training camp.
Show some patience – The Flyers were never known for their patience, especially when it comes to kids. The Flyers don’t have the best history when it comes to that department. See James Van Reimsdyk, Justin Williams, Jeff Carter, Patrick Sharp as just some of the top examples of what not to do. Now we have the latest example in impatience in the forms of Shayne Gostisbehere and Travis Konecny. Someone needs to sit the Flyers brass down and remind Hextall of his success with the Los Angeles Kings and why he now has a Stanley Cup ring to show for it.
Start cleaning house before the deadline – It is time to start bringing the kids up, but before that can happen Hextall needs to start doing three things: Sit people, bench people, and start trading people. Even if the Flyers manage to make the playoffs they look like a team that won’t even begin to look like a team that will get swept out of the first round instead of giving a one or two seed a series worth making the playoffs for.
Head Coach Dave Hakstol needs to start benching people besides that kids who aren’t playing well no matter who they are. He can start on the blueline and work his way up the ladder to the offense. If he wants to have a future behind the Flyers bench past this season he needs to start getting tough on everyone not just some 18-year-old, he can boss around and get away with it. As with Hextall, he needs to start thinking ahead not just about who is currently on the team.
Before the Flyers can start bringing kids up they need to start moving people before they are on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Anyone not named Ivan Provorov needs to be moved or benched on the blueline. Just as important anyone making a good penny who isn’t contributing need to be moved, that goes for the offense and the goaltending as well.
Photo credit to Lewis Bleiman
The Flyers will only keep one of the two current goaltenders at best but could see both leave the nest. It is time for one of them to go and it is looking like Steve Mason every day. The Flyers have seven unrestricted free agents. The Flyers still have a major salary cap problem and have to continue the purge they started when Hextall got hired but are somehow still in a bind. Why Hextall signed Radko Gudas to a four-year contract last season is a mystery to me and anyone who follows the orange and black.
Call up the kids – The Flyers have several top defensive prospects that are NHL or darn near it. Well, it’s time to find out. Samuel Morin, Travis Sanheim, and Robert Hagg to the top candidates for a blueline job. Despite the fact that the Lehigh Valley Phantoms finally look like they will make the AHL playoffs, it’s about big squad not the little squad.
By the time the deadline comes at least one of the aforementioned players need to be patrolling the Flyers blueline. Is there really any reason why Brandon Manning or Nick Schultz can’t be moved to make room for at least of their prospects? That goes for the offense as well.
Despite needing help on the blueline the Flyers biggest need is scoring wingers especially on the left side of the ice, especially now that Konecny will be out of the lineup through deadline day. Former Hobey Baker finalist Greg Carey should have the first crack at making an impression. Scott Laughton needs a second chance to show what he can do before deciding to fish or cut bait with him.
Expose Jakub Vorecek to the expansion draft – Before I get contacted from anyone regarding this idea hear me out first. The Flyers can only lose one player to the draft that the new Vegas franchise will take part in. Yes, there is a risk but his cap hit is over 8 million per year. That would scare off Vegas into taking someone like Matt Read, Andrew McDonald or Gudas off their hands. The only thing is that players with no movement clauses cannot be part of the draft and from what I can tell Voracek doesn’t have one.
Even if Vorecek is taken that will free up the Flyers to extend Wayne Simmonds’ contract and still be in a position to add at least one more player that should help that team such as a goaltender like Ryan Miller or Ben Bishop.
Draft scoring wingers – As mentioned before they Flyers biggest need are scoring wingers and some really good names stand out to me. Keep the names Nikita Popugayev, Maxime Comtois, Lias Andersson Kristian Vesalainen, and Matthew Strome in the back of your minds. Popugayev and Comtois would be perfect fits for a team that needs big scoring wingers.
Photo credit to Lewis Bleiman
Sign goaltender Ryan Miller in the offseason – Anthony Stolarz is the goalie of the near future but Carter Hart looks like he will be the Flyers goaltender for the next 10 years. All your asking for is a goaltender to hold you over until someone in their system is ready. Miller is playing better than most of the top free agent goalies and will turn 37 this summer. Bishop wouldn’t be a bad signing but if it were my money and my team Miller is at the top of my list.
You must be logged in to post a comment.