PHILADELPHIA, Pa – The late owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, Ed Snider, use to brag that the Flyers would “Reload” rather than “Rebuild”. That was in a pre-salary cap era when Snider use to try and win championships on a yearly basis. Patience was an option, never a virtue. Those days are gone, um kind of. When former General Manager Ron Hextall was fired, Chairman & CEO Dave Scott bragged about how he couldn’t wait until the NHL trade deadline. At the time the Flyers felt that they could be buyers at the deadline rather than sellers.
If I could address Mr. Scott and the rest of the Flyers Upper Management which includes the two previous Flyers GM’s Paul Holmgren and Bob Clarke, I’d simply tell them this: For once in your life learn some patience and rebuild. There are some very good prospects already in your system, but your team has aged and your core players are hurting the current roster as much as they are helping. It’s time to blow up the core, not the entire team. It’s time for the new core to take over. That means don’t trade away what Hextall already tried to build.
If the rumors are true, Holmgren wanted to start doing exactly that. He wanted the timetable sped up and wanted Hextall to start trading away prospects for a bunch of 30 something players well past their primes. Newly hired GM Check Fletcher is a mixed breed to both philosophies. For the sake of the franchise becoming irrelevant with each passing loss and empty seats, you can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Goalie Carter Hart (#79) of the Philadelphia Flyers Right Wing Alexander Radulov (#47) of the Dallas Stars Defenseman Travis Sanheim (#6) of the Philadelphia Flyers
The bad news is the Flyers have the league’s worst point total (38) after 45 games
played, they are 15 points out of a playoff spot, the league’s worst goal differential (-37), and both special team units are in the bottom five. The goaltending position has become a collective joke after using seven starting goaltenders so far this season.
The good news is your strength is down the middle of the ice. The Flyers lead the league in face-off percentage (56.5) but most of the centers are the core of the team and they are the best assets in a trade. The Flyers best prospects are centers (Morgan Frost, German Rubtsov, and Mikhail Vorobyov) so trading a core player might not hurt the team as it would have in years past. Plus the Flyers are in the best position to win the Jack Hughes sweepstakes, which would add another center into the fold.
This year’s draft looks to be very top heavy for forwards. There is a very good chance you might see only as many as two defenseman go in the top 10 this year. The Flyers biggest need is an anchor on defense with scoring wingers a close second, preferably on right wing. The Flyers have drafted well at left wing and with the potential departure of Wayne Simmonds, right wingers could and should be a higher priority than left wing and center.
Center Travis Konecny (#11) of the Philadelphia Flyers is separated by the referees from Defenseman Noah Hanifin (#55) of the Calgary Flames
Again if I were advising Fletcher, I would make the following prospects untouchable: Frost, Isaac Ratcliffe, Carter Hart, Joel Farabee, and the Flyers first round pick in this year’s draft.
The Flyers do have a ton of pieces from which to trade from the current roster without screwing up their future. Fletcher has to start moving some of the dead weight off the current roster with the recent trade of Joran Weal. Andrew MacDonald and Jori Lehtera are a combined $9 million plus of cap space just as two examples. Once of them has a regular seat in the press box (MacDonald) and the other is in trouble with the law on drug charges. Michael Raffl is another UFA who needs to follow Weal out the door in addition. Like MacDonald, Dale Weise and Radko Gudas both have another year left on their contracts.
In addition to the dead weight, the Flyers have two players with cap hits over $8.2. Claude Giroux has a No-Movement Clause but Jakub Voracek does not have a no-trade clause. Simmonds has a modified NTC which is limited to 12 teams. Added to the fact that he reportedly wants a six year deal and is due for a huge raise when he becomes a UFA at the end of the season. Simmonds seems likely to be moved before the trade deadline, but in my world Voracek would be the next guy out the door if for no other reason but to use his money and assets in a trade to land an anchor on the Flyers blueline.
If the Flyers do not get Jack Hughes at the draft and land out of the top three picks despite having the NHL’s worst record, the Flyers could land Dylan Cozens who can play center or wing but will most likely be a center in the NHL. Kappo Kakko (RW) just came of a very good showing at the World Junior Championships. Vasily Podkolzin is also an RW and would bring a ton of speed and skill with him and would complement Frost in a huge way.
Philadelphia Flyers teammates Radko Gudas (#3), Andrew MacDonald (#47) and Nolan Patrick (#19) move Left Wing Tyler Bertuzzi (#59) of the Detroit Red Wings away from in front or their net.
The Flyers could add the best defenseman in the draft by taking Sweden’s Philip Broberg. The Flyers already drafted is countryman Adam Ginning, who is a physical stay-at-home d-man in last year’s draft.
Some other prospects to keep your eye on is Raphael Lavoie, Trevor Zegras, Mathew Boldy, and Arthur Kaliyev. If the Flyers decide to go defense Philip Broberg and Bowen Byram are slated to go high in the draft. If the Flyers decide to draft Broberg, keep in mind the Flyers drafted countryman Adam Ginning last season in the second round and would be the perfect fit ying to Broberg’s yang.
If the Flyers do land Hughes he could end up playing one day with some of his Team USA teammates already in the Flyers system in Farabee, Noah Cates, Jay O’Brien. Hughes would step right into the NHL next season but the other three players will be staying in college at least through next season but could consider their plans if they had a chance to play with Hughes next season in South Philly. The bottom line in all this is that the Flyers have to deal with the truth. This season is a lost season. Let reality sink in and let the fun begun by giving their fanbase something to look forward took.
The Flyers have four major needs before next season begins: First, the Flyers need two goalies, a starting goalie and a solid veteran backup who can split time with Hart who is not past his prime and doesn’t have a history of injuries. The second is getting a mainstay on the blueline to take the heat off their younger players who are currently in positions they were not ready for. That’s going to take either a major trade or signing a free agent. The Flyers can’t go into next season without one. Period. The third is a Head Coach like Joel Quenneville. Keep interim HC Scott Gordon on the staff but let Quenneville bring in the rest of his assistants.
Left Wing Oskar Lindblom (#23) of the Philadelphia Flyers checked by Right Wing Ryan Callahan (#24) of the Tampa Bay Lightning
It is time. You know it. Flyers brass should know it. If they don’t someone needs to have a serious hart-to-hart chat with them. The growing list of empty seats wanted change but not to go back to the way things were before Hextall took over. I personally don’t have a lot of optimism about the Future unless its Carter Hart shaped sprinkled with a lot of Red White and Blue, Team USA players on top.
Brian Jennings covers the Philadelphia Flyers for prohockeynews.com and can be found on twitter at @Flyersfan22.
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