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Prospect Watch: John Mustard
Photo Credit: Chris Zoeller
With player’s seasons now coming to a close all around the world and the NHL Draft looming ever closer, one prospect’s body of work this season that I think deserves a bit of last-minute recognition is John Mustard’s.
John, who was taken 109th overall out of New Jersey in the 2022 USHL Draft by the Waterloo Black Hawks, was projected at the start of this season as being just another kid who was lucky enough to be selected. But in very little time, he quickly began to change his critics’ minds when he started to shoot up the league’s point standings. Yes, with each passing game, teams and scouts alike began to stand up and pay attention as this 17-year-old rookie proved that he was someone they would have to plan for.
Mustard’s game is one that consists of a lethal shot and incredible on-ice instincts. And, like any good predatory animal does when they are stalking their prey, John can either hurt the opposition by harmlessly floating around the ice until their defense deems him not to be a threat and foolishly takes their eyes off him. Only to find that when they regain sight of him, it is usually too late, as he is already celebrating a goal with his teammates under the glow of that red rotating light. But if John’s elusiveness does not fool them, he has been known to use aggression. When he becomes impatient, or time is simply running out Mustard has been known to rush his opponent and take back what he feels is rightfully his. Once he reclaims his prize (the puck), John is then off to the races and uses his speed and ferocious stick-handling skills to make his way up the ice unscathed, to a position of his choice where he then releases his fatal blast into the back of the net.
This is something that Mustard was able to do an impressive 29 times this year and assisting others to do much of the same for another 27 times for a total of 56 points. And it’s because of these efforts that he was able to go from a seemingly unknown and unranked prospect to one who has been able to climb his way to the top of some teams’ draft boards in just a few short months.
However, potentially being drafted in the second round this summer isn’t the only opportunity that John’s extraordinary play this season has been able to provide him, for it has also afforded him a scholarship offer to play for the Providence Friars of the NCAA, starting in the 2025-2026 season.
With all that being said, it would appear as though John has all the intangibles to develop into a top-six forward in the NHL one day. So, with him doing his part, all we can do is impatiently wait to see if our team is the one lucky enough to end up stepping up to the podium to call his name.
With Each Embarrassing Loss, the Flyers Inch Closer to a Lottery Pick
Photo Credit: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/
Last night, the Philadelphia Flyers were handed their eighth straight loss. And to add insult to injury, it was to the tune of 9-3 by the Atlantic Division’s last-place team, the Montreal Canadiens. But this latest defeat should not be considered a fluke, as their last six losses have come against non-playoff-bound teams who will be picking from the lottery.
Now, while most of us probably predicted the season to go this way before the first puck of the 2023-2024 season was ever dropped (seeing that the club is in the middle of a rebuild). I don’t think that anybody would have foreseen that this team of underdogs who showed they could hold their own against some of the best in the league by maintaining third place in the Metro. Division, for over 110 calendar days, would have battled so hard for much of the season just to allow themselves to run out of gas with the finish line in sight.
With time running out, their collapse could not have come at a worse time, as it has seen them go from a guaranteed playoff spot to not even being in the running for a wildcard position in a matter of just two weeks. And with only three games now remaining, the Flyers’ hopes of making the postseason are all but gone, as most teams that have recently moved ahead of them all have a game in hand.
So, with that being said, I’ll allow the team’s head coach, John Tortorella, to figure out why this happened in the off-season and instead focus on what this means for the club moving forward.
Now, I am just as confused and frustrated as I’m sure most of you reading this article are with this team. And I know the words “moving forward” are probably considered a bit of a laughable statement at this point, considering that this team’s last Stanley Cup champs are now in their mid to late 70s, seeing that the franchise last raised the cup NEARLY 50 years ago. But, since Danny Briere was promoted to general manager a little over a year ago, I, for one still feel the team is moving in the right direction. He was dealt a crappy hand filled with bad contracts and no cap space but has since managed to shed salary by dropping dead weight like Kevin Hayes and Ivan Provorov. In doing that, he has managed to garner multiple high-end draft picks for his troubles. I.E., the 1st rounder he used back in 2023 on Oliver Bonk and the one he gained for Sean Walker this year. So, while I know at the present time being a fan of this club seems grim, I assure you the future will be bright.
For instance, I don’t know about you, but I love how Briere took a chance on drafting Matvei Michkov, whose 19 goals and 41 points this season in the KHL blew away a player like the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov’s former stats who, in his draft plus one season only posted 11 goals and 27 points. Now, I’m not trying to say that Michkov will ever develop to be the annual 40+ NHL goal scorer that Kaprizov is, but at least there’s a chance that he could.
With Briere now at the helm, I believe the team hitting a wall this season will not be a recurring issue. Unlike the Flyers’ previous administration, he knows that you do not waste a first-round pick on defensive-minded players like Coots and Laughton because you can find those types of players later in the draft or in free agency (like he did when he brought in Ryan Poehling, and Garnett Hathaway earlier this season).
That’s why I think that if we are ever to see this team raise the Stanley Cup again, “Dealing Danny” needs to continue to take chances by offering up multiple draft picks from his stockpile in an effort to move up in this summer draft to select a game-changing face of the franchise type player who could assist the Flyers in their efforts to get back to contention as early as next season.
As we all know, the team has multiple first and possibly second-round picks in both this year and subsequent drafts. These additional picks came by way of trading away players like Giroux, Provorov, Sean Walker, and Cutter Gauthier. As well as compensation for losing out on former 1st round pick Jay O’Brien. So, while the Flyers are currently projected to select 12th overall and twenty-something overall this year, which might allow them to obtain a good to great NHL player, if they were to package these draft picks or a mixture of others that they have at their disposal, they could attain someone elite. Someone whose face you could be proud to see hanging off the side of the building next year before walking into the Wells Fargo Center opening night to purchase their jersey.
Now, while I know these types of players are few and far between, this draft class could prove to produce multiple. The first, of course, would be the sensational Macklin Celebrini, but the chances of the Flyers convincing the Sharks, who look destined to get the first overall pick, to give up the opportunity to draft him is slim to none. And while Cayden Lindstrom’s size is impressive, the fact that his point production only increased from 42 last year to 46 points this season doesn’t exactly make me want to rush out and give up that kind of draft capital in order to select him.
Cole Eiserman
So, who’s left? Well, if I had my pick, it would be between two players, the first of which is the US National Development Teams’ Cole Eiserman. Cole is indisputably one of the best snipers of this draft class. And it should be noted that he is also one of the youngest, seeing that if he were born just two weeks later, we would be talking about Eiserman being drafted this time next year. Some scouts have Cole dropping out of the top three players selected this summer because he stands just a smidge under 6’0. But I would advise prospecting teams not to worry about that, seeing that he is already over 200 pounds and shows no problem standing his ground in front of the opposition’s net.
But perhaps the thing I like about Eiserman the most is his ability to create a shot off the pass. Young and talented players like him typically try to do it all on their own because a lot of the time, growing up, they had to in order to win their team’s games, seeing that they were by far the best players on their team. But as most learn, in order to play in the NHL, where everyone was that player growing up, you have to learn to play off the puck.
With these traits, it should come as no surprise when I tell you that Cole’s 118 career goals with Team USA have seen him pass some current NHL greats like Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane, and Auston Matthews on the USNDP’s all-time lists.
So, with there now being no question that he can score, I guess the only unanswered one left is just who he will be doing it for at the next level.
Berkly Catton
The other guy I would suggest being worth moving up at the draft for would-be the Spokane Chiefs’ elusive center, Berkly Catton. Berkly is an 18-year-old center/wing who stands at 5’11 and weighs in at 170 pounds. He already has a complete game that includes the ability to score goals off the rush. As well as possessing the ability to change speed and direction often to keep the defense guessing. But lets not forget that he shows a willingness to drive the puck to the center of the ice. He does so by being one of the best stick handlers in this draft class. In fact, his dangles are so good that they allowed him to lead Canada to a gold medal (where he served as their captain) at the U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he led all players in that tournament, scoring eight goals and two assists for a total of ten points in only five games played. But that was before this season even started. Once joining back up with the Chiefs this season, Berkly was able to more than double both his goal and point totals from last season scoring 54 goals and 62 assists for 116 points on the year. Now, if you do the math, that means he was averaging an unheard-of 1.71 points per game (P.P.G.). Folks, that’s better than Leon Draisaitl’s 1.64 P.P.G. average, which he was able to produce in his draft year while playing for the Prince Albert Raiders!
And when you draft a player who scores at this rate in junior hockey, I see no need for you to send him back to junior’s next season. I mean, what does he have left to prove? And who there is going to challenge this player to get better? Berkly is an absolute game-changer and would instantly, upon drafting him, make any NHL club better next season.
Remember, the Flyers haven’t had a player of this caliber since maybe Eric Lindros. And the game has changed from its barbaric roots, as much as that hurts me to say. The NHL now is played more wide open without all the holding, tripping, and slashing that went on in the past. This allows the league’s most talented players the opportunity to put on a show each and every night. So, now drafting speed and scoring ability is a must. And these two players would offer Philadelphia all that and so much more. All they need to do now is decide which one they want to pursue.
As the Playoffs Draw Near, the Flyers would Appear to have Hit a Wall
You have to admit that for much of this season, the rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers managed to exceed expectations so much so that they found themselves seated in third place in the Metropolitan Division for over 100 days straight!
But recently, something has changed. After making it through possibly the most brutal stretch of their season where, the club was able to pick up some huge points against playoff-bound teams like the Boston Bruins, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Florida Panthers, and the New York Rangers, it seemed as though the Flyers all but solidified themselves the opportunity of a postseason run because they would only have to face one playoff caliber team in their final nine games.
However, since gaining those much-needed points against those aforementioned playoff contenders. The Flyers have somehow managed to hit a wall. And what I mean by that is that they have lost seven straight games since then, with most of these losses being dealt to them by teams who are among the worst in the league that have already been eliminated from playoff contention for some time now.
What may be the cause of this, you may be asking? Well, for most of the season, the Flyers have had to be dependent on guys like Travis Konecny and the team’s promising youth that consists of Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, and Tyson Foerster to carry much of the load offensively. All of these players have shown significant improvement this season and have or are on pace to set new career highs in both goals and total points. Despite their efforts, though, these players are not and should not be considered elite. Therefore, they are unable to turn it up a notch at this time of year and take their play to another level.
Let me explain. Because of the Flyers’ prior administration decisions to try and acquire or hold onto who they thought to be elite. I.E., the misuse of funds in which they overpaid the often injured Sean Couturier to the tune of $7.75 million a season until 2030 and trading for players like Cam Atkinson, who has been nonexistent this year but is still somehow allowed to cash checks that pay him $5.8 million a season, and Ryan Ellis who the Flyers are stuck paying for until 2027 despite them only managing to get four games out of him for their troubles.
New management and head coach, John Tortorella, have been forced to try and squeeze the most they could out of the players they have on their roster. So, I don’t want to hear that Torts has lost the locker room because it should go without saying that when you’re stuck trying to get Ferrari-type performance out of a bunch of Honda Civics, you can expect to have it all blow up in your face. For example, when you compare the Flyers’ leading goal scorer this year, Travis Konecny, who has scored 31 goals on the year (which ties his career best), with the league-leading goal scorer Auston Matthews, who currently has 64 goals on the year, you’ll see that there is a 33 goal difference meaning Travis would have to play two seasons in order to reach Auston’s goal totals from this year. And if we look at our point leader, who just so happens to be Travis as well, you’ll see that his 65 points scored this season is a little off the pace of the NHL’s leader in that category as the Lightnings Nikita Kucherov has already totaled 136 points on the season (a 71 point difference).
Now, this is in no way meant to be a knock on Konecny or anybody else currently on their roster but used as an eye-opening realization that without a superstar talent on the roster to lead them down the stretch, Philadelphia will be forced year in and year out to check playoff updates on their phone in between holes at their favorite golf course.
This is why, to combat this issue, the team’s general manager, Danny Briere, has been working tirelessly to continue to gain future assets in order to build for the future like he did when he traded away both defenseman Ivan Provorov and Sean Walker for first-round picks and so much more.
So don’t be surprised if you hear some shocking names appear on the old trade block sooner rather than later as the Flyers off-season draws ever closer, especially since rumors would already have it that Dealing Danny has been in discussions of late with Montreal about the possibility of moving Travis Konecny for quite the package which would include the Flyers adding another first-round pick this year. Again, these are all rumors at this point, but with Briere at the helm, you can be sure to expect further changes to come.
Prospect Watch: Pavel Moysevich
Photo Credit: https://hockey.by & Павел Мойсевич (vk.com/ska)
If you look around the NHL right now, it would appear as though just about every single successful team has a former KHL netminder guarding their crease. The Florida Panthers have Sergei Bobrovsky, the Tampa Bay Lightning have Andrei Vasilevskiy, the New York Rangers have Igor Shesterkin, the New York Islanders have Ilya Sorokin, the Toronto Maple Leafs have Ilya Samsonov, and the Carolina Hurricanes have Pyotr Kochetkov.
This has led to many teams scrabbling to try and replicate these teams’ success by drafting or signing one of these KHL-trained goalies of their own. Some examples of this would be up-and-comers like Nashville’s Yaroslav Askarov, Columbus’ Daniil Tarasov, and Philadelphia’s Ivan Fedotov.
Fear not, though; this newfound goaltender factory shows no signs of slowing down any time soon as I have found possibly the next guardian of the blue paint to come off this well-oiled assembly line.
His name is Pavel Moysevich, and he is a 6’5, 176-pound 19-year-old who hails from Belarus. He is eligible for this year’s draft but is currently being overlooked by most because he is not your typical 17-18-year-old prospect.
But in my mind, this should not be viewed as a problem because, as we all know, goaltenders, above any other position out on the ice, typically take the longest to develop.
Besides, the reason for scouts grossly overlooking this talented young netminder anyway is to no fault of his own. It had to do more with the fact that his team, the SKA St. Petersburg’s “Red Army Team,” had a plethora of goalies on their roster this season, which included veteran netminder Nikita Serebryakov who took up the majority of the starts, as well as the promising 21-year-old Artemi Pleshkov, and the Blue Jackets 19-year-old prospect Sergei Ivanov.
So, after reading this, it should become a little clearer to you why a talented young netminder who played in just thirteen games in the KHL this year was able to go seemingly unnoticed by some. But I’m telling you, he shouldn’t have! Because during his limited time in net he was able to post a 1.25 goals against average (G.A.A.) and a .942 save percentage (SV%) during the regular season.
And in the postseason, Moysevich may have only seen ice time in one game this year for the Red Army, but he was able to post a very impressive 1.21 G.A.A. and a .941 SV% when called upon.
Unfortunately, Pavel had the same luck in international competition this year as well when he was forced to sit and watch as the Flyers’ 22-year-old prospect Alexei Kolosov was awarded more playing time for Belarus than him.
And that’s why I think he should be considered a steal for teams in the later rounds of this summer’s draft. As it stands now, only he and Serebryakov are under contract with SKA for next season. So, Pavel should get a lot more time between the pipes next year. And if that proves to be the case, then you can rest assured that this highly trained towering netminder will make it a point to make the teams who passed on him regret their decisions.
Moysevich is projected to go by some in the seventh round of this year’s draft for all the reasons listed above. With that being said, he should be considered a project that’s worth the wait, as he is contractually obligated to St. Petersburg until the end of the 26/27 season. During which time, he will surely continue to develop his game.
Flyers Playoff Hopes in Peril after Losing Two Straight Must-Win Games
After coming out unscathed from a grueling seven-game stretch, where they faced off against some of the top teams in the league, it seemed as though they would get a bit of a reprieve as the vast majority of their remaining games were to be against some of the leagues bottom-dwelling teams who had no hope of making the playoffs.
But much to the Flyers’ dismay, the team, for some reason, has been unable to come to the rink these past two games with the same tenacious attitude that allowed them to battle back in games against teams that, on paper, they had no business being on the same ice with. Instead, Philadelphia has been playing down to their opponent, underestimating them to the point that by the time they get down by two or three goals, they have looked as though they would be happy just to concede defeat and forgo even coming out for the third period.
Because of their lackadaisical approach to the last few games, the Flyers now find themselves removed from the comfort of their third-place standing in the Metropolitan Division by the likes of the Washington Capitals (who have two more games in hand) and are now being forced to fight for a Wildcard position.
Now, we all know that this kind of effort is not at all what their head coach, John Tortorella, comes to expect from his team, and changes will indeed be on the way. One area where you can expect to see those changes will be in net. Especially after Sam Ersson gave up five goals to the Blackhawks who have long been since eliminated from any hope of playoff contention. And are points-wise considered the second-worst team in the league, with only 49 points tallied on the season.
Not all is bad, though, as Flyers fans will now surely get the chance to see the long-awaited Ivan Fedotov in net. After seeing his KHL team booted from the playoffs, Fedotov quickly saw his contract terminated so that he could join the Flyers, who he should have been playing with all season if you go by IIHF rulings. But if you don’t know that story, I’m sure you will hear it told time and time again in future game broadcasts. The Flyers selected Ivan in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and at 27, he finally seems destined to get his first opportunity to start a game in the NHL tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.
But this is no ordinary rookie; this 6’7 goaltender has been playing professional hockey in Russia for parts of seven seasons! He even won the league championship (the Gagarin Cup) back in 21-22, along with awards for being viewed as the League’s Best Goalie.
So, with any hope, Ivan will be able to light a fire under the 19,537 Flyers faithful that will be attending the Wells Fargo Center for the game tomorrow night to the point that they “will” this team to victory.
Kolosov & Fedotov are both on their way over, But What can the Flyers Truly Expect of them?
With both the Flyers’ 2021 third-round pick goalie Alexei Kolosov’s team the, Dinamo Minsk, and their 2015 seventh-round pick goalie Ivan Fedotov’s CSKA Red Army Team being recently booted out of the KHL playoffs. We, the fans of the Philadelphia Flyers, received some inspiring and unexpected news recently when it broke that the team was working on getting both Alexei and Ivan over stateside to get some experience playing some North American-style hockey.
But as exciting as that news is, what can we expect from these two netminders this season? It’s no secret that Russian netminders are all the craze right now. It seems that if you want to be considered a true Stanley Cup contender, you must have one in between the pipes. Take, for instance, the Florida Panthers, who have Sergei Bobrovsky (who the Flyers should have never gotten rid of); the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have Andrei Vasilevskiy; the New York Rangers with Igor Shesterkin; the Colorado Avalanche with Alexander Georgiyev, to Carolina with Pyotr Kochetkov. So, it’s no surprise that struggling teams have tried to mimic those powerhouses by drafting Russian netminders of their own, like the Islanders who have Ilya Sorokin, and the Predators who drafted the young superstar in the making Yaroslav Askarov. That’s why, only recently, the Flyers put aside their antiquated ideas on what works in the net and decided to draft some of their own.
So, because of the war and everything else going on with Russia over the past couple of years. I know getting tape and information on these two has been challenging, to say the least, so let me let you know what to expect.
Ivan Fedotov
First, let’s start with the long-awaited 6’7 212 pound Ivan Fedotov. Getting this player stateside has been a chore. From being forced into military service upon signing with the Flyers to his KHL team, then failing to abide by IIHF rulings and sanctions, Russia was not willing to let this guy go, and for good reason.
This now 27-year-old netminder became a breakout star in the 2021-2022 season after being voted an All-Star and later being named the KHL’s Best Goalie that same year after posting a 2.00 goals-against-average (G.A.A.) in the regular season. He also carried his country to a Silver Medal at the Olympics that year and came back to the KHL after the Olympic break and was able to win 16 out of 22 games where he averaged an incredible 1.85 G.A.A. and a .937 save percentage to win his team the leagues championship the Gagarin Cup.
Returning to competition this season after having to take a year off to play soldier, Ivan was in net for 44 games for the Red Army, posting a 2.37 G.A.A. and a .914 SV% and earning four shutouts along the way. But he was a below .500 goalie with a record of 21-22-1 and won just one of five games played in the KHL playoffs this year. Now, talk about competition. Those regular season numbers were good enough to rank him 9th in wins, 21st in the league in G.A.A., and 35th in SV%.
Fedotov is holding a press conference with Danny Briere today at 11 am and is expected to join the Flyers to aid Sam Ersson as the team is gearing up for a playoff push.
Alexei Kolosov
Next up is the much younger 22-year-old Alexei Kolosov. Alexei is signed by the Flyers through the 25-26 season and stands at a more common 6’0 185 pounds. Now, while he plays in the KHL, Kolosov is actually from Belarus. And while Fedotov’s game may focus on using his size to take up as much net as possible. Alexei depends on being a bit more agile, where he uses his silky smooth skating abilities to get from one side of the net to the other with lightning-quick speed.
While playing for the Minsk this year, he saw 47 games of action during the regular season, where he was able to win 22 of them while averaging a 2.39 G.A.A. and a .907 SV%. He posted four shutouts during the season and was also able to see some post-season hockey, where he was able to win just two of six games, posting a very respectable 2.21 G.A.A. and .925 SV%. Alexei ranked seventh in the KHL in wins this season, 22nd in G.A.A., and 43rd in SV%.
Briere has gone on record saying that he thinks that Kolosov will join the Phantoms when he arrives, but they are trying to work through a bit of work visa troubles with him right now. So, they don’t exactly know when to expect his arrival just yet.
Now, for a bit of reality, while most say that the KHL is one of the best leagues in the world, I don’t know if its players would even be on the same level as those in the NCAA right now. Case in point. Some of the KHL’s top scores this year were Reid Boucher and former Flyer Jordan Weal. Both of them were career call-up guys who spent most of their time in the States, bouncing from the AHL to the NHL and back down to the AHL.
And as far as netminders go, one of the best goalies in the KHL this year has been Canada’s 28-year-old Zachary Fucale. Who after being drafted in the second round of the 2013 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens, he has spent most of his North American career going from the ECHL to the AHL. In fact, this goalie who had so much hype around him before being drafted to date has only managed to play in just four NHL games.
So, I say that to say this: while I and all of you hope that these two KHL goaltending stars of the Flyers system will be able to transition flawlessly to the North American game, don’t be surprised if it takes a little bit for them to get accustomed to both the speed of the game played on a much smaller rink than they are used to, and the level of talent in which they will now be forced to have to face.
The Flyers Resiliency is helping them to Weather the Storm
It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers have had to endure a lot this season. Some might even have said they were cursed when they lost their number one goaltender, Carter Hart, and had their most promising NHL-ready prospect, Cutter Gauthier, ask for a trade in the same year. But that didn’t stop them. However, with the team having successfully bypassed that hurdle, fate has managed to throw them yet another challenge by way of having to suit up a revolving door of defenders, thanks to the club having to ship out impending free agent Sean Walker at the deadline (for fear of losing him later for nothing) and having blue liners Rasmus Ristolainen, Jamie Drysdale, and Nick Seeler all out on the mend.
With all that being said, you would think that this rebuilding club that is now full of call-ups would have faltered over the last two weeks with them being forced to play all of the NHL’s top teams night in and night out.
But Tortorella’s questionable tactics (like healthy scratching their captain Sean Couturier) somehow managed to work out as this rag-tag bunch of misfits (who ESPN correspondents went on record saying that they didn’t even expect them to win a single game over the course of this grueling stretch) have managed to defy all odds by pulling out wins against Florida on March 7th, and Toronto on March 19th. Not to mention going out and earning a point against Carolina on March 21st and, most recently, winning a bout against Boston yesterday.
With this latest showing of resiliency, the Flyers have proven to their doubters (myself included) that no matter what type of siege is to come from their opposition, they have no intentions of ever surrendering the stronghold that they have built around that third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division.
So even though they may not be out of the woods just yet, with the likes of the Panthers coming to town tonight and them having to go up to the Big Apple on Tuesday to face the Rangers, I think it would be wise for fans to go ahead and put in for those overtime hours in an effort to start to save up for some playoff hockey tickets. Because once these next two games are over, Philadelphia will only have to face off against one team of playoff caliber during their remaining nine regular season games.
POSTSEASON HOCKEY HERE WE COME!
A Look into the Possible Future of the Flyers
Photo Credit: https://chl.ca/ohl-otters
With the Flyers having played under the new regime of Keith Jones and Danny Briere for the better part of an entire season now, I believe that most fans would agree that this franchise has already taken a step in the right direction.
But between the team’s injury list beginning to pile up, having to depend on two rookie goaltenders to backstop them and the upcoming schedule looking quite daunting. The likelihood of Philadelphia being able to hold onto third place in the Metropolitan Division is looking less and less likely.
Fear not, though, for the management’s blueprint for this rebuild of a return to Stanley Cup contention was never set to be unveiled this season anyway. Instead, the powers at be don’t see this reconstruction coming to completion for another two seasons when their star prospect, whom they drafted seventh overall in 2023, Matvei Michkov’s KHL contract, is set to expire and can join the team.
However, very few men have been known to change a franchise by themselves, so he will undoubtedly need some help along the way. That is where the Flyers’ multiple first-round picks this summer and next will come into play.
2024
Zayne Parekh
So, let us take a look at who they might be. The 2024 NHL Draft is stocked full of quality defensemen, with a lot being of the right-hand-shot variety, and as we all know, this is something all teams covet. Therefore, depending on just how far they may drop in the standings over the next two weeks, I believe Philadelphia should use their 1st round pick on one of these elusive right-hand-shot defensemen. And if I had to pick just one, it would be Zayne Parekh of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.
Zayne would offer the Flyers the type of offensive from the blue line we haven’t seen from the orange and black since the likes of the great Mark Howe. Parekh skates like he came out of the womb with blades already on his feet. He can change direction on a dime and circles around the offensive zone while on a power play like a wild animal who is stalking his prey. Zayne’s natural skating ability also allows him to maneuver around the opposition like they are standing still because I have never seen this young man slow down when the puck is on his stick.
This season, Parekh has managed to obliterate any and all prior records made by OHL defensemen that came before him. So much so that to date, he has scored 31 goals on the season and has compiled 59 assists which adds up to an incredible 90 points on the season.
But unlike other defensemen in this draft who are addicted to making that big red light go off behind the goalies’ net, Zayne is also defensively responsible. Because on the rare occasion when he travels down to the opposite side of the ice and his team does not score, he makes it a point to get back so as not to leave his goalie high and dry. In doing so, Zayne has been able to maintain a +34 this season.
Drafting Zayne would allow the Flyers to have Jamie Drysdale or Parekh on the ice for every second the Flyers are on the man advantage. I don’t know about you, but I think even I could score 20 goals a season for the Flyers if I were receiving the passes these two young men are capable of dishing out on a nightly basis.
Dean Letourneau
After drafting Zayne this summer, the Flyer’s work in the first round will not be over, as they will finally have the chance to utilize the final piece that they got in the deal that sent their former captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers. That is the Panthers first-round pick in this summer’s draft.
Now, this one will likely be quite late in the first, seeing that Florida has been one of the best teams in the league this entire season. So, I think here is where Danny should try to cash in on a player they are calling the next Tage Thompson. And that player is the 6’7 209 pound center known as Dean Letourneau, who plays for the Saint Andrews College Saints in Canada’s Prep Hockey Conference. Dean is a unique physical specimen whose brute strength allows him to dominate games whenever he wants to.
To pair with his unmatched physicality, this possible future Broad Street Bullie has a fantastic release that has allowed him to score 61 goals and 66 assists for 127 points in just 56 games played this year. Folks, that means Letourneau has averaged an incredible 2.26 points-per-game pace this season. And, for his efforts, Dean has managed to catch the attention of the illustrious Boston College, whom he has committed to play for in the
25-26 season.
The Flyers currently have nothing but cookie-cutter, defensively responsible clones down the middle of the ice who don’t add much in the way of offense. Couturier, Laughton, Poehling, and Cates have only combined for 33 goals this season, with Coots leading the pack with 11. This is even less impressive, considering Philadelphia is paying them a combined $14,775,000 this season.
I get the team wanting defensively responsible players. Still, if they genuinely want to compete, they will need to add a scoring threat down the middle, and if in the market for one, why not take a chance on a kid with these types of stats who, at just 18 years of age already towers over the Flyers most physically dominant center of all time Eric Lindros who only stood at 6’4 when playing?
2025
Malcolm Spence
With the news of one of the Flyers’ most beloved players of all time, Wayne Simmonds, recently announcing his retirement and deciding to come back to Philly and sign a one-day contract so he could retire a Flyer. I can think of no one better for the Flyers to potentially draft with their 2025 1st round pick than a player whose game seems to emulate Wayne’s, so much so that he even wears the number 17.
Malcolm, who is only 17 years old, is already 6’2 and 192 pounds. He plays for the Erie Otters of the OHL, where he has been making a bit of a name for himself in this just his draft minus one year.
Spence does so by being absolutely tenacious along the boards in both forechecking situations and backchecking scenarios. Sound familiar? Winning these board battles allows him and his team plenty of scoring chances. He then takes advantage of them by setting up shop in the danger zones close to the net where he does not allow the opposition’s abuse to bother him, seeing that he commonly rips home nasty wrist shots and one-timers from that location.
Malcolm can also skate really well, and although his stride may seem a little unorthodox right now due to him sprouting up from 5’9 to 6’2 pretty quickly, it is effective. Spence often can be found using his uncapped speed in breakaway situations after picking the pocket of an opposing player in the neutral zone.
So overall, Spence may not yet have the willingness to drop the gloves like Simmonds, but he does have the same drive, determination, and never-quit attitude that made Wayne so popular here in this blue-collar city. This is why I think the Flyers should be keeping a close eye on this young man throughout next season leading up to the draft that summer.
The final pick we will talk about that could change the outlook for the Flyers’ future is the one that the team just acquired at the deadline from the Colorado Avalanche for pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman Sean Walker. This pick came with top-ten protection, but I highly doubt that the Av’s will be out of playoff contention then, considering even if they lost everyone else to free agency, they would still have Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Davon Toews, and Gabriel Landeskog all under contract. So, with that being said, I think it is safe to say that the Flyers will be walking to the stage in 2025 to make a selection courtesy of Colorado.
Lynden Lakovic
And the player that I think they should select with that pick should be Lynden Lakovic of the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL. Lakovic is already 6’4 and 183 pounds at just 17 years of age, and it is his immense frame that has allowed him to continually take the puck to the outside and skate by his opponents virtually unscathed on his way to the net.
Once there, this heads-up skater quickly decides his next plan of attack. Does he use his quick release to launch a goal of his own, or does he pass it on to one of his many talented teammates like Jagger Firkus, Atlee Calvert, Brayden Yager, or Matthew Savoie to set them up?
Either way he chooses both usually results in a goal. That’s why I think come next season when some of these talented players find themselves receiving the call from their respective NHL clubs to become a professional hockey player then you will really get the chance to see why I think Lynden is capable of so much more than the 18 goals, and 21 assists for 39 points he scored this year with minimal ice time.
I feel so strongly about this that I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Lakovic managed to double his point production from this season this time next year.
Drafting a player like Lakovic would add more speed and scoring ability to an already youthful core.
Now, these are definitely not the only players who will help this team improve over the next couple of years. But think about it with guys like Zayne Parekh eventually replacing Mark Staal and Erik Johnson on defense. Not to mention guys like Dean Letourneau, Malcolm Spence, and Lynden Lakovic taking the spots in the lineup previously held by underperforming guys like Morgan Frost, Cam Atkinson, etc., and the future of the Flyers will surely see them return to the perennial playoff team they once were.
The Flyers and the Rough Road Ahead
Photo Credit: Len Redkoles Getty Images
Last night we Flyers fans were made to swallow a harsh dose of reality when the orange and black were dealt a crushing 6-2 loss by way of the Atlantic Division’s third place team the Toronto Maple Leaf’s.
But sadly, this may be just the start of what’s to come. Over the course of the next two weeks Philadelphia will have to try and endure the wrath of the Atlantic Division’s second place team the Boston Bruins on Saturday (who currently have accumulated 93 points on the year). Then they face the Maple Leaf’s again on the following Tuesday, the Metro Division’s 2nd place team the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday the 21st. The Bruins again on Saturday the 23rd. The NHL’s best overall team the Florida Panthers (who have compiled 94 points so far this season) on Sunday the 24th. Just to finish the carnage on Tuesday March 26th up in New York when the Flyers have to face off against the Metro’s 1st place team the New York Rangers.
So, if you think about it the Flyers could conceivably go from a playoff lock to a team fighting for a wild card spot in the matter of a couple weeks. Now if this statement is proved true it will likely be reaffirmed by the New York Islanders, who are currently only four points behind the Flyers in the standings and have now had time to get implemented to their new head coach Patrick Roy’s system. And as if the Islanders needed anymore help, New York in fact has two games in hand on Philly being that have they only played 65 games to the Flyers 67.
And since we’re being honest, I wouldn’t count out the New Jersey Devils just yet either. Because while they may be eight points back from the Flyers, they did seem to go out and solve their goaltending problem at the deadline when they acquired both Kaapo Kahkonen from the Sharks and Jake Allen from the Canadiens.
When we’re factoring in all what maybe stacking up against them in recent months, what certainly doesn’t help the Flyers in the short term is that defenseman Nick Seeler, Jamie Drysdale, and Rasmus Ristolainen all find themselves currently on the Injury List. Not to mention the team having their hands tied and forced to trade the impending free agent defenseman Sean Walker to the Avalanche for a coveted first round pick.
All of this of course complied with the fact that the team lost Carter Hart to legal troubles earlier this season and Philly’s newly appointed general manager Danny Briere failing to go out and secure his team a veteran netminder who could help this club down the stretch. And I think the Flyers as a whole have thrown both of their rookie goaltenders in Samuel Ersson, and Felix Sandstrom to the wolves. Where night after night they will be forced to have to face guys like Auston Matthews (who is on pace to score 70 goals this year), David Pastrnak (who is already at almost 100 points this season), and Sam Reinhart who is nearing the fifty-goal plateau for the Panthers.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to believe that if these two young netminders are going to be getting lit up for 3 or 4 goals a night (like they did last night against the Leafs) then they surely won’t be able to hold up during the onslaught of what’s still to come over the next two weeks.
So, in my mind the team has two choices they can either rally around their promising young goalie tandem and give them the support they need. Or they can start to scout higher rated draft prospects because the likelihood of them reaching the playoffs if they continue to play like they did last night, will only result in disappointment.
Late Bloomer Anthony Romani Could Prove to be the Steal of the 2024 NHL Draft
Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
18-year-old forward Anthony Romani of the Ontario Hockey Leagues North Bay Battalion has proved to be a bit of a late bloomer, but it was to no fault of his own. Romani was technically draft-eligible last season, but due to him being forced down on his team’s depth chart, which had a wealth of older talent on the roster, Anthony was provided with limited ice time to prove his worth and, therefore, only scored 23 goals and 20 assists for 43 points in 66 games played.
This year, however, has been a different story. In this, his third season with the Battalion Romani has finally been given the green light to showcase his talents to the masses.
And oh, the talents this young player has. Romani’s play has proven that he will not allow himself to be labeled as a one trick pony in the way most are categorized as either a goal scorer or a playmaker. This is because Anthony can do both equally well.
Romani is a heads-up player who allows himself to make precision cross-ice passes without even breaking his stride. And, when no breakout pass is there, the videos provided in this article will show that he is more than capable of keeping the puck himself and skating through all five of the opposition’s players in order to land in the high-scoring areas to create chances all on his own.
But trust me, Anthony is capable of producing more than just his nightly highlight reel bottle rockets goals. He can also quarterback a power play. When on the man advance, Romani can be found circling the puck around the zone from up by the blue line, where he has shown time and time again that he is more than capable of unloading long-range heat-seeking missiles to the back of the net.
ROMANI STRIKES AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/p07NN2j4zo
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) January 28, 2024
To prove this player is not only a dual threat but an impact player, all you need to do is glance at the OHL’s stats leaderboard. where you’ll find that Romani’s 47 goals and 48 assists, which total 95 points, have him currently atop a lot of NHL clubs prospects that have already drafted and signed. Such as players like the Flyers’ Denver Barkey and the Krakens’ Carson Rehkopf.
But what really sets this talented young player apart from others his age is the fact that to go along with his gifted offensive abilities, Anthony has been working hard to improve upon his defensive game as well as his current +31 average would allude to.
If Romani (who is expected to be selected in the third round this year) can keep up this pace, he will finish the regular season with 54 goals and 55 assists for 109 points. And if that doesn’t get some NHL scouts’ attention, I don’t know what will.
So many teams nowadays are reluctant to draft players who could be considered late bloomers. But why? If an undrafted prospect who is playing in the same league and is the same age as the player you just stood on stage giving a jersey to last summer and is now outperforming your star athlete, then why not give them a chance? They may be a year older than the other players you take an opportunity on this off-season, but they could prove to be ready to play for your big club that much sooner.
Breaking Down All the Latest Flyers Trade Rumors
Photo Credit: NHL.com
The NHL Trade Deadline of Friday, March 8th, is just days away, and the Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere has yet to make a move. Now, the reason for Briere’s hesitation or state of quandary is that although the team is supposed to be in a state of rebuilding, they have somehow still found a way to clutch onto that third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division, which gives them a good shot at making the playoffs this season. But another crucial factor that will have to be considered when making their decision is the injuries to Nick Seeler, Travis Konecny, Jamie Drysdale, and Rasmus Ristolainen.
So, with all that being said, now Danny must weigh his options. Should he try to add pieces to help his youth get some much-needed playoff experience, knowing that they won’t be considered a REAL contender for at least a couple more years when some other star prospects come over? Should Briere hold his position and not make any moves to see how far his current roster will take them? Or should he move players with expiring contracts to acquire more draft capital in an effort to continue to build for the future?
Depending on how you look at it, all of these options make sense, so let me now try and break down all the latest Flyers rumors for you so you can see just what decisions Briere and his crew are being forced to make in the next couple of days.
Perhaps the most talked about rumor right now is what the team is going to do with pending unrestricted free agent defensemen Sean Walker and Nick Seeler. Well, currently, the Flyers have been in talks with both players and their agents on what it would take to re-sign them. But, with both players playing some of the best hockey of their careers right now, both Seeler and Walker are trying to get paid. In fact, it has been confirmed by multiple sources that both players are looking for 4-5 year deals that will pay them upwards of four to five million dollars a season. This is a bit concerning to the team, considering Seeler is already 30 years old, and Walker is right behind him at 29 years of age. Signing these versatile defenders would undoubtedly help to solidify the blue line moving forward. Still, it would block the way for promising defensive prospects like Egor Zamula, Ronnie Attard, Emil Andrae, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, Ethan Samson, and Oliver Bonk, all of whom are currently developing in the team’s system. Is re-signing these career bottom six defenders a must, or should management look to move them for future assets?
Now, while both Walker and Seeler have garnered plenty of interest from other teams with Seeler’s latest injury and the likelihood of his future contract coming a bit cheaper, the focus has shifted to Walker being the one to move at the deadline. With that being said, two of the teams that are showing the most interest in him right now are the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is rumored that Philly wants to recoup a 1st round pick for Walker’s services, but with other more prominent named defenders like Noah Hanifin and Ivan Provorov still on the market as well. I think the best option for them would be to try and trade Walker to the Oilers, who have let it be known that their 1st round pick is available, but there is a caveat. In order for Edmonton to agree to trade their 1st, they are asking a team to help them gain a little cap flexibility by agreeing to take on a player in return. That player’s name, who keeps coming up, is 30-year-old right-hand-shot defenseman Cody Ceci. Cody is 6’3 and 210 pounds. He was initially drafted by the Ottawa Senators with the 15th overall pick back in 2012 and is currently signed until the end of next season with a cap hit of $3.25 million. Is it worth it? Well, let me give you his stats, and you can decide. This season, Cody has played in 60 games and has scored just two goals and 16 assists for a total of 18 points. He is, however, a plus player at a +9 this year and has finished as a plus player for each of the last four seasons since being traded away from Ottawa. Cody is an average defender who has managed to play over 20 minutes a game for his career. Overall, Ceci will not help offensively, nor will he hurt you defensively. So, the question is, do you think Briere should take that deal in order to acquire yet another coveted 1st round pick? If he did so, that would give the Flyers three this off-season.
Where does the team stand on trading Scott Laughton? Well, the quick and easy answer to that question is that they don’t want to. Management and coaching staff see this 11-year Flyers veteran as a leader in the dressing room, and although they are still listening to offers for him, they would have to be absolutely blown away by one in order for them to agree to send him packing.
So, what is Scott Laughton’s current fate? A few weeks ago, teams were really hot and heavy on trying to acquire a center. But with the Jets trading for Sean Monahan and the Canucks going out and getting Elias Lindholm, things have seemed to calm down a bit on the Center front. But it doesn’t mean there are no other options for the Flyers to trade their 29-year-old former 2012 1st-round pick to. The only question is whether they would be willing to trade Scott to a team within their division. Rumors are that the one team that is still really wanting to make a trade for Laughton right now is the New York Rangers. The Rangers’ top two lines are solid, but both centers, Barclay Goodrow and Jonny Brodzinski have left a lot to be desired for the Rangers bottom six this season. Adding a shutdown dot-dweller like Laughton would make a lot of sense for New York, considering what he could potentially bring to their third line of Jimmy Vesey and the promising 22-year-old Will Cuylle, not to mention the fact that then they could move the scrappy Barclay Goodrow down to center the fourth line where the towering 6’7 rookies Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe would then be by his side. And I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to go against that line every other night in a seven-game playoff series.
Lastly, rumors are that the Flyers have recently expressed at least some interest in obtaining an affordable NHL-capable backup for Sam Errson. The Flyers were obviously put into a bad spot with the sudden departure of Carter Hart this season. And they have been less than impressed with the likes of their 29-year-old veteran netminder Cal Petersen, who, in his last outing with the Flyers, gave up an unheard-of seven goals against their inner state rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins back on Feb. 25th. So, it came as no surprise when the team recently decided to waive Cal and bring up their 27-year-old net minder Felix Sandstrom.
Sandstrom, who had only 25 NHL games of experience to that point, stood out recently in a game on the 2nd against the Senators, where he managed to gain the team another win after giving up only two goals when facing 24 shots. But the question is, should the Flyers trust this not-so-young netminder who has, to this point, been nothing more than a career minor leaguer to be Errson’s backup for the rest of the season? Even with his latest victory in the NHL, Felix has only managed to win 4 out of his 26 NHL games played, and folks, that means he’s only averaging a win 15% of the time he’s been asked to jump in the net.
Therefore, I would suggest the Flyers brass try and find a veteran netminder like the LA Kings did a couple of days ago when they signed 34-year-old Aaron Dell to a league-minimum deal for the rest of the season. Now, to borrow a line from the late great Toby Keith, Aaron and others like him might not be as good as they once were, but with the team giving them one last hurray, they could be as good once as they ever were. And I don’t know about you, but given the fact that the Flyers are already being forced to be heavily reliant on a rookie in Ersson, I would feel more comfortable providing him with a veteran with a few hundred more games of NHL experience to back him up and offer advice rather than potentially heading into the playoffs with two inexperienced rookies in the net.
So, with the time left to make a move literally dwindling as you read this. Danny Briere must do something. He simply cannot wait until the last minute to make a move like his predecessor Chuck Fletcher did and end up with a few broken sticks and a couple of chewed-up mouthpieces coming back his way in return for our players. If he wishes to make a run this season (which I would not advise him to do), then he needs to be willing to pull the trigger and add a piece that could make a difference, like the Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, who the Flyers have been recently linked to.
Or if that ask proves to be too much for a young game-changer like Zegras, who is coming back from injury, mind you, then Danny needs to sell everything he can to the highest bidder and gather as many future draft assets as he can.
I like you will be watching impatiently to see what this team does as the deadline looms ever closer. But for once, I can honestly say that I have more reassurance than in previous years that this club’s new executives will actually do what’s best for the team in the coming days.
Comparing Sam Ersson’s Rookie Campaign to Other Flyers Legends
Let’s face it: at the start of this season, no one would have thought that the Philadelphia Flyers would be in a situation where they would lose Carter Hart to legal issues and be forced to depend on their 24-year-old rookie goalie, Samuel Ersson, as their starter.
But to our surprise, it has not been as bad as we had essentially thought. And here’s why. Before coming to North America to play for the Flyers organization, Sam had already spent parts of three seasons playing professional hockey for the Brynas IF in the SHL back home in Sweden.
This, of course, paired with a full season playing in the American Hockey League for the Phantoms last year (that included some post-season hockey), made his transition to the NHL this season seem almost flawless.
So let us compare his impressive rookie campaign thus far with a few other Flyers legends of the blue paint.
Sam Ersson
Ersson was drafted by the Flyers in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft with the 143rd overall pick. Last season, he was called up from the Phantoms for a total of 12 games, and he was able to win six of those for a .500 win percentage. He did this while posting a 3.07 goals-against-average (G.A.A.) and a .899 save percentage (SV%).
But in this his first full year of competition in the NHL, Ersson has been able to play in 33 games thus far, where he has managed to compile 17 wins, three of which came by way of a shutout. So if you do the math, that means that Sam has won .515% of his game this year and has managed to maintain a 2.55 G.A.A and a .901 SV%.
With those stats in mind, compared to the rest of the league’s rookie netminders, Ersson has played the most games and recorded the most wins. The only first-year netminder that even comes close is Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov, who has played in 31 games and won 16 of his starts. The two are tied in shutouts with three and share very similar numbers in both goals-against-average and save percentage. If these two keep it up, they should find themselves in contention for the league’s Calder Trophy but will likely lose out to either Connor Bedard or Marco Rossi.
Sergei Bobrovsky
Now, Philadelphia may not have drafted Bob, but they did sign him as a 22-year-old free agent after his deal in Russia was complete. Sergei came to the Flyers in the 2010-2011 season, where he played an incredible 54 games as a rookie and was able to win 28 of them. That equates to him winning .518 percent of his starts that first year with the orange and black. In that rookie campaign with the Flyers, Bobrovsky was able to post a solid 2.59 G.A.A and a .915 SV%.
Sergei, who is still playing at age 35, now has 389 career wins and two Vezina Trophies to his credit, which will go down as one of the Flyer’s biggest blunders. Mostly, because Bob only got to play with the team for two seasons before being shipped out to Columbus for a 2nd round pick and two 4th round picks. The reason for this decision came because Bobrovsky became frustrated with the fact that Philadelphia signed goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year $51 million deal. It was a mistake that the team is literally still paying for, seeing they agreed to buy out Bryzgalov and were made to pay him $1,642,857 for 14 years. A payment that the Flyers will still be made to shell out until the 26-27 season.
Ron Hextall
Who could forget the hot-tempered rookie goalie named Ron Hextall, who, in his first year of competition with the Flyers in the 1986-1987 season, was able to come in and take the team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they ended up losing to Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers.
Ron was taken by the Flyers back in the 6th round of the 1982 entry draft with the 119th overall pick. He made his debut with the team at just 22 years of age and played in an impressive 66 regular season games that season in which he was able to record 37 wins. If you’re keeping track at home, that means Ron averaged a W .560% of the time he skated onto the ice. To his credit, Hextall was able to post a 3.01 G.A.A., which he paired with a .902 SV%.
As previously stated, he took the Flyers to the playoffs that year, where he won 15 of 26 games played. Two of which were by way of shutouts. For his efforts that season, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as well as the Vezina Trophy.
Ron went on to play a 13-year NHL career, where he totaled 296 career wins. Although he was never able to reach the level of success again that he achieved in that first year with the Flyers, he will always be remembered as the guy who took one of the best teams ever assembled (the Oilers) that included Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Esa Tikkanen, Andy Moog, and Grant Fuhr to seven games in 1987.
Pelle Lindbergh
The last great Flyers netminder whose numbers we will throw up here as a comparison is a fellow Swedish netminder who went by the name Pelle Lindbergh. Now Pelle was a bit of a pioneer, seeing that he was the first European-born goaltender to be drafted to the NHL. He, of course, was taken by Philadelphia, who selected him 35th overall way back in the second round of the 1979 NHL Draft. Of course, at the time, this was viewed as quite a risk, but with the type of accolades this young goalie brought to the table, the Flyers saw it as a risk they were willing to take. And my, did it ever pay off. The 1981-1982 season is when Pelle made his NHL debut, but it was only for a couple of games. It wasn’t until the following year, during the 82-83 campaign, that the team really got to see what they were getting with him. Through a span of 40 games played that year, Pelle, who only stood at 5’9, was able to rack up 23 wins (a .575 win percentage, mind you). He did so while accumulating three shutouts and maintaining a 2.99 G.A.A. and a .890SV%.
Lindbergh later went on to win the Vezina for Flyers during the 1984-1985 season, where he was able to total 40 wins. But Pelle was tragically taken from us after playing in parts of just five seasons because he was involved in an automobile accident back on November 10th, 1985, that left him brain-dead.
Lindbergh had all the intangibles to finish as one of the best Flyers’ goalies of all time. I don’t even want to think how many championships this team could have won with him in net. It’s just a shame that this talented young player’s life was cut so short.
Now, I’m not trying to put any pressure on the kid because if he wants to make it to the realm of these greats, he certainly still has a ways to go to fill their skates. It is still early, and although Ersson looks excellent, a lot of pressure has been put on him to be the main man between the pipes. So if the Flyers don’t want Sam to end up being labeled as just another promising prospect in net that fizzled out, I suggest they stop playing around and go out in the coming days and get him a quality backup that can assure he can rest when given a much needed night off as well as push him to be better. Not one that lets in seven goals against a team below them in the standings.
P.S. I know the team just waived Cal Petersen, but Felix Sandstrom is not the answer, either!