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Lance Green’s Annual Seven-Round Flyers Mock Draft
Photo Credit: Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images
So, by now, most of you have at least heard about how the Philadelphia Flyers, who were supposed to be drafting fourth overall, ended up getting the short end of the stick in the Lottery and instead will end up making the sixth overall selection.
Now, while to some this may not seem like that big of a deal, considering the Flyers are slotted to make three first-round picks this summer, in my mind, it could prove to be the “Coup de grace” that already put an end to any chance the Flyers had of returning to the playoffs next season after an already five-year hiatus. Seeing that this year’s draft class possesses in my mind four impact players that could bring immediate assistance to whatever franchise they get drafted to. Those being defenseman Matthew Schaefer, forwards Michael Misa, Porter Martone, and center James Hagens.
So, who will be left when the Flyers make their first selection, you might be asking? Well, that’s a good question. Let us dive right in.
First Round Sixth Overall- Jake O’Brien
So, with the Islanders moving up nine spots and Utah moving up ten, it really threw a wrench into the Flyers’ plans. Because, as we’ve heard the Flyers GM Danny Briere speak of on numerous occasions, he wants to bolster the center position. But the only thing is, with Michael Misa and James Hagens most likely being already off the board when the Flyers go to make their first selection, there are some major questions surrounding the next group of centers, both the Swedish-born Anton Frondell and Canada’s towering 6’5 Roger McQueen have dealt with significant injuries already in their careers. Frondell has had multiple knee injuries, and McQueen had to battle back from a spine injury that limited him to playing in just 17 games this year.
Now, don’t get me wrong, both I feel are exceptional players, but with the mess the Flyers had to deal with when they jumped at the chance to draft Nolan Patrick, who at the time was thought to be the consensus number one overall pick that year, but fell to them at number two overall, because before even getting to the NHL draft he was labeled as injury prone seeing that he missed a lot of time dealing with a shoulder injury, a hernia, and of course concessions; which we all know would prove to be his ultimate demise. If I were Danny and wanted to keep my job, I would pass on any prospect with an injury history.
The other popular option at sixth overall is Caleb Desnoyers, who plays with the Moncton Wild Cats of the QMJHL—a 6’2, 172-pound center who was able to net 94 points in 56 games played. And was able to maintain a +51 average. Now, I think he’ll be taken by Nashville one spot ahead of us, seeing that they too are rumored to be on the hunt for a center. But even if he isn’t, I don’t think he will be an automatic grab for the Flyers. Seeing that Philadelphia previously took his older brother, Elliot, back in 2020, whom they were very high on at the time, but just their luck, he has since found himself being nothing more than a health scratch for the Phantoms during their recent playoff run.
And, while I get that, they are different players, and Caleb could one day soon far surpass his brother in terms of production. I’m just not sold on drafting a player that high from a league that has consistently gotten less and less physical, I.E., handing out big suspensions for dirty hits and has banned fighting entirely.
The Flyers play in the Metro Division, a division that is chock-full of teams in close proximity to each other, which has, over the years, led to their teams and fan bases forming some of the league’s most heated rivalries.
So, if I’m Briere and insistent on taking a center and wanted to get the best available player truly, that would pair well with Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov, who led all rookies in goals this year with 26. I would draft one of the youngest players in this draft class, Jake O’Brien, who just so happens to be one of the best playmakers in this draft class as well. An elite passer who was able to notch an incredible 66 assists this season! But don’t worry; while he enjoys serving up goals to all his teammates, he can also dip and dive to finish off a play all by himself, which he proved he could do a very respectable 32 times this year, which if you do the math comes out to a total of 98 regular season tallies.
And, if the Flyers really want to do their homework on him, as far as this 6’2, 170-pound Canadian center’s “hockey bloodline” (or genetic makeup, if you will), it’s backed by both the Y chromosome with his dad (XY) Dan O’Brien who played Division One hockey in the NCAA, and the X Chromosome with his mom (XX) Amy Turek (who I think he really got his offensive skill set from) Who played in Canada’s National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL).
Yes, Jake may need another year or two playing in juniors, but I think it will be worth the wait. For, I see him having the best NHL career out of the bunch that will be available when the Flyers make their first selection.
There’s been a Trade: The Flyers move up and take Defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson.
With their need of Center being taken care of early, I would suggest the Flyers package up both of their remaining 1st round picks (the one they got from Colorado and Edmonton) in order to move back up to somewhere in the teens to select shutdown defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson from the Barrie Colts of the OHL.
Kashawn is a former guest of ours on Prospect Watch. And for good reason. Aitcheson is an 18-year-old left-hand shooting defenseman who stands at 6’1 and 198 pounds. He is an absolute beast in his end who proved time and time again this season that he is more than capable of keeping soon-to-be top-five picks Michael Misa and Porter Martone off of the score sheet.
However, Kashawn’s defensive and physical abilities are not all that the Flyers should be enthralled by. Because Aitcheson also managed to lead the Colts in goals with 26 and total points with 59.
With their first pick in the 2nd round, the Flyers Select: Center Ivan Ryabkin
With a multitude of picks in the second round, the player I think should be taken by the Flyers at the 36th overall spot is the Muskegon Lumberjacks center, Ivan Ryabkin.
Ivan is a Russian center who, at one time, was thought to be a top-five pick in this draft. But due to limited playing time in Russia this year, Ryabkin’s stats just did not live up to the hype surrounding him, which is why Ivan decided mid-season to take his talent to the States and prove his worth playing in North America on the smaller ice surface.
Once here playing in the USHL, this 6’0, 198-pound dot dweller was able to explode onto the scene offensively, scoring 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points in only 27 games played.
It should be noted that he obviously has spent time watching the great Alexander Ovechkin because, like Ovechkin, Ryabkin likes to find his way to open ice around the top side of the faceoff dot so that he can receive a pass and shoot a wicked one-timer for a goal.
This rugged center could prove to be a steal at this position, as I see him pairing very well with fellow Russian Matvei Michkov in the future.
With the 40th selection in this year’s draft, Philadelphia would like to select: Defenseman Carter Amico.
Carter is a right-hand shooting blueliner who stands at an impressive 6’5 and 234 pounds. He, like Kashawn, is a physical anomaly. Where multiple times a game, you can count on him to use that strength to totally wipe the opposition off the puck and out of the play entirely. Thus creating fast-break opportunities for his forwards to go the other way.
I swear, guys, I have never seen someone take a guy off their skates with such ease since Dustin Byfuglien.
Now, Carter sustained an injury to his knee this year that caused him to miss the rest of the season. That is the only reason I think he will still be available when the Flyers make their selection at this time. So, they best try to cash in on his misfortune and get a prospect that could help to solidify the Flyers struggling defensive core.
With their third 2nd Round Selection, the Flyers would like to take: Right-hand shooting Defenseman Henry Brzustewicz.
If Philadelphia’s scouting department happened to attend any of the London Knights games to watch their guys Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk, then I’m sure when they reported back, they couldn’t help themselves but to talk about a kid they saw named Henry Brzustewicz.
And that’s because his game is that tantalizing. Henry is one of the better puck-moving defensemen in this draft. And when he is not skating right through all five members of the opposition. Brzustewicz can be found making smooth outlet passes from behind the goal line out to the opposite blue line, right onto his awaiting winger’s stick blade, creating one-on-one breakaway chances between his forward and the opposing team’s goalie.
Now, I could go on and on about his game because, to be honest, there isn’t much he doesn’t do well. But to save time, just watch the video I provided below, and you’ll see what I mean.
With the 48th pick in this year’s draft, the Flyers would like to select: Forward Ryker Lee.
After spending back-to-back picks on defense, I think the Flyers should look to draft the USHL’s Rookie of the Year, Ryker Lee.
This season, while standing at 6’0″ and weighing 181 pounds, Ryker was able to net a remarkable 31 goals and 37 assists for 68 points in only 58 games played.
His strengths are that he is an unrelenting force on the forecheck and that he more than excels while on the man advantage.
Ryker would likely benefit from an additional year or two in Juniors or at the collegiate level, as he has just committed to attend and play for Michigan State University.
With Our Third-Round pick, Philadelphia would like to select: Goalie Petteri Rimpinen.
Passed over last summer despite being on at least this old goalie-turned-writer’s radar. 19-year-old Petteri Rimpinen came back this season with a vengeance. Where he not only managed to impress at the U20 World Junior Tournament for Finland, where his play allowed him and his countrymen to take home a Silver Medal, but also saw him leave with the honor of being named the tournament’s best goaltender.
Additionally, this season, Petteri managed not only to make it to the Liiga (Finland’s top Professional Hockey League), but he also took complete control of the crease, playing in 40 games and finishing with a very respectable 2.35 goals-against-average and a .912 save percentage.
Listen, the Flyers finished this season with the league’s worst save percentage, .879%, and were also bottom dwellers in terms of goals against average, which saw them let in 3.45 goals a game. So, despite the team already having a couple of prospects in the pipeline. They need to draft a netminder who is the closest to being NHL-ready as possible. And, for me, that is Rimpinen.
With the first pick in the Fifth Round, the Flyers would like to select: Goaltender Elijah Neuenschwander.
Now, it may seem a little ridiculous to select goaltenders back-to-back, but given that the Flyers have struggled to find the right guy in net since Ron Hextall retired, I think it’s justified.
And, while I got you reminiscing about the good all days when Hexy was patrolling the crease for us. You should know that Elijah, a 6’4 “, 192-pound Swiss-born guardian of the blue paint, is about as old-school as you can get in terms of his style of play. He is a stand-up goalie through and through. And whenever he does have to go down to the butterfly position, he makes sure to use his lightning-quick reflexes to regain his rightful stand-up position as quickly as possible.
With our second pick in the Fifth Round, the Philadelphia Flyers would like to select: Forward Jordan Gavin.
With the draft now entering its later stages, teams are now trying to unearth some prospects with surprisingly good value.
And, for me, this draft has no one who fits that mold better than Brandon Wheat Kings forward Jordan Gavin.
Jordan is a 5’11″, 179-pound Canadian-born player who, despite showcasing his incredible offensive abilities, scoring 23 goals and 45 assists for 68 points in 68 games played last season in the WHL. He went undrafted, in my mind, primarily due to his lack of effort in getting back and helping out in his own zone, as made evident by his -30 plus-minus rating that season.
But to his credit, this season Gavin managed to redeem himself by growing as a player and becoming more of a two-way forward, where this season he not only was able to post over 20 goals for the third season in a row but was able to become a plus player finishing with a +8 on the season.
With their Sixth Round Selection, the Philadelphia Flyers would like to select: Forward Aidan Park.
With the last pick, the Flyers will make in this draft, I would suggest that they select 6’1″, 187-pound Aidan Park, who played for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL this year.
Aidan was passed over in last year’s draft despite this high-motor center scoring 93 points in 56 games at the world-renowned Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep School.
So, to switch things up this season, Aidan decided to play in the USHL with the Gamblers, where he was able to net 33 goals, and 33 assists for 66 points in 55 games played. And, it is that work ethic that earned him the right to play at the University of Michigan in the next year or so.
So, there you have it. My recommendations for whom I think the Flyers should be focusing on drafting this summer. This mix of players addresses the need for scoring centers, solidifying the defense, and a pair of goaltenders who I think could lead this franchise back into true contention.
The only question now is whether Briere and his cohorts will take my advice. But in order to know that answer, we will just have to wait and see.
Does the Flyers Continued Struggles in Net Signify a Need to make a Drastic Change this Off Season?
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File & Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images
The long-standing issue with the Flyers has always been their goaltending. And this year was no different, with the trio of Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov finishing the season with the league’s worst save percentage.
However, I understand that if that one stat alone doesn’t convince you that they need immediate help. So, let me break down a few more for you.
Sam Ersson
Ersson, whom the team took with their fifth-round pick back in 2018, is now 25 years old. And, after a fairly decent season last year, this Swedish goaltender was given the majority of the workload, playing in 47 games this year. The only problem with that was he finished with just 22 wins, ranking him 28th overall in the league, which, if you do the math, means that he only won 0.468% of the games he played in. And, I’m no genius or anything, but I think a big reason for his lack of W’s is that Sam finished the year letting in an average of 3.14 goals a game. A stat that ranked him 44th best in the league in that category and 50th in the league in save percentage, seeing that he stopped only .883% of the shots he faced.
But wait, it gets worse.
Ivan Fedotov
After the long-awaited debut of the Flyers’ 2015 seventh-round pick, 6’7 goalie Ivan Fedotov coming late last year. We thought it could only go up from here after he finished that season with no wins in three games played and posted a 4.95 goals-against-average (G.A.A.) and a .811 save percentage (SV%).
But as it turns out, it could. Serving as the highest-paid guardian of the blue paint on the team’s roster, making $3.25 million a season, Ivan only managed to win six games this season. It’s a stat that saw him finish 64th best in the league in that category. And that means, with him playing in a total of 26 games this season, he only won an abysmally low 0.230% of his starts this year! And, just like Ersson, I think the cause of that stems from him finishing the season 45th in the league in goals against, with him letting in 3.15 goals a game and only stopping 88.0% of the shots he faced, which saw him finish outside the top 50 netminders in that category.
Aleksei Kolosov
Then that brings us to the 23-year-old netminder who the Flyers took in the third round of the 2021 draft.
Kolosov, who played in 17 games this season for the Flyers, finished the year with an unimpressive five wins, ranking 66th overall in the league in that category, which averages out to him winning just 0.294% of the games he played in this year. And with that many losses to his credit, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that he finished with a 3.59 G.A.A. and a .867 SV%.
This underachieving performance by these masked men has now led to Kolosov wanting to return to the KHL next season, which should be no sweat off the Flyers back.
However, the question then becomes whether the general manager Danny Briere, voicing aspirations of returning to the playoffs next season, can still be an achievable goal. And, if so, how do they go about improving this position for next season?
Well, for starters, I think they should place Ivan on waivers as soon as possible and, when no one picks him up, send him on a bus to Lehigh, just as they did this season with Cal Petersen. The move would save them a little in cap space and give them the opportunity to bring in someone else.
That’s right, I said to bring someone else because there is no way in hell I would be willing to throw their 19-year-old prospect, Carson Bjarnason, to the wolves, seeing that he hasn’t even played a single game in the American Hockey League (AHL) yet, let alone the NHL.
Option # 1: A Trade for Jet Greaves
But that, of course, will be easier said than done. With no clear-cut, immediate fixes available in free agency, if I were in Danny Briere’s shoes and had the draft capital he does, I would be calling Columbus about their 24-year-old undrafted goalie, Jet Greaves, and not take no for an answer.
Greaves, who loves to challenge the shooter and possesses an amazing glove hand, is signed through the 26-27 season for just $812,500. Jet took the NHL by storm this year, posting a 1.91 G.A.A. that he paired with a .938 SV% over 11 games played. Folks that means that he won 63% of the games he played in (two of which he was able to win by way of a shutout).
Now, I know what you’re thinking: why would the Blue Jackets ever trade a prospering kid like that? Well, might I remind you that Columbus, since its existence, has drafted from within the lottery more times than they would like to admit. And, let’s face it, Ohio isn’t exactly a preferred destination like sunny Tampa Bay or one of the Big Apple’s two franchises. So, if a player is any good, they usually end up leaving Columbus once they hit free agency.
Not to mention the fact that the Blue Jackets are stuck with their 5.4 million dollar man, Elvis Merzlikins, in net for the next two seasons, and, no, I would not try to acquire him in a deal even if the Blue Jackets retained two million dollars of his salary for the duration of his contract, Merzlikins’ numbers are no better then the guys we have now despite having, in my opinion, a much better defensive core in front of him.
So, if the Flyers are brave enough to offer them their own second-round pick back this summer in exchange for Jet, plus a conditional pick at a later date if he resigns with the Flyers, then Columbus might just be willing to make the deal.
Hey, it’s worth a shot, right?
Option # 2: Sign UFA Veteran goalie Matt Murray
Now, I know this might be an unpopular option, and believe me, I understand why, given the fact that since 2023, Murray has been labeled as injury-prone after sustaining a concussion that April, followed up by him having to miss the entire 23-24 season after having to undergo Bilateral Hip Surgery in October of that same year.
But let’s not forget that Matt is an unrestricted free agent who is only 31 years of age and is a two-type Stanley Cup champion.
And, as we all know, beggars can’t be choosers. So, if our only option is to sign a guy like Murray, then shouldn’t we be happy that he only made $875,000 this year? Oh yeah, and that he was able to lead the AHL in goals against average with a 1.72, and in save percentage with him stopping 93.4% of the shots he faced across the 21 games that he played.
So, despite all the drama that has occurred surrounding him since he chose to leave Pittsburgh for a big payday from Ottawa, the Flyers might still be wise to do their due diligence and call his agent to at least see what it would take to bring him in for a season.
And, to answer the question that is currently formulating in your mind, YES, unfortunately, the Flyers might be that despite.
Option #3: Take a chance on Unproven Youth and Sign UFA goalie Michael DiPietro.
Again, there are no good options here, but if I had to rely on free agency this summer to fill the void that will hopefully soon be made by Fedotov being placed on waivers and Kolosov deciding to pack his bags and head back home. Then I would suggest signing 25-year-old netminder Michael DiPietro.
Now, if you don’t know Michael, he is a former third-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks. Who, during his time there, was buried in the depth chart by players like Jacob Markstrom, Thatcher Demko, Spencer Martin, and Jaroslav Halak.
Seeing that Vancouver then traded him to Boston, where veterans Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo are now ahead of him in the teams’ depth chart.
However, lucky for us, now that he is 25 years old, he is currently an unrestricted free agent, and he can now choose his own destiny. Where hopefully, in a new city, he’ll be able to get more ice time at the NHL level to showcase all the hard work he has been doing this season. A notable example of that hard work is when he won the AHL’s Best Goalie Award (The Baz-Bastien Memorial Award) for posting a 2.05 GAA, which he paired with a .927 SV% and four shutouts over the course of 40 games played. Not to mention what he did in the playoffs this year, where Michael was able to surpass those numbers by allowing only 1.85 goals per game and stopping 92.8 percent of the shots he faced.
And, with him coming off a year in which he made just $775,000, my guess is whatever team that is fortunate enough to sign him is sure to get a bargain even if they offer him a significant raise.
Still, let’s be honest: even if the Flyers decide to pull the trigger on any of the options that I suggested above, the goaltender they choose will only be able to do so much, for it has been over a quarter of a century since Ron Hextall has retired and the Flyers began this goaltender carousel of sorts. Still somehow they hold onto the idea that as long as they have at least one guy like Mark Howe, Eric Desjardins, Kimmo Timonen, or Chris Pronger on the roster, who they hire as the other five defenders that year doesn’t really matter.
And I’m here to tell you nothing could be further from the truth. When you think of some of the best teams of all time, you know, the ones who were able to build dynasties; the majority were constructed from the net out. So, to ensure your goalie does well, you have to provide him with a stable core of defensemen, not just one guy.
To achieve this, after signing or trading for a goaltender, the Flyers must sign a player like UFA defenseman Dante Fabbro in the coming weeks and draft other blueliners, such as Kashawn Aitcheson and Carter Amico, to add more depth on the back end to assist players (in the not so distant future) who are already in the team’s system like Emil Andre and Oliver Bonk.
Only then will they be successful in their efforts to return to the postseason.
With Toc Now Back in Philly, here are a Couple of Moves the Flyers Need to Make
Well, like the move or not, it’s official. Former Flyers’ tough guy Rick Tocchet is back in the fold as the team’s new Head Coach.
Tocchet, whose playing career spanned 18 seasons, spent 11 of those with the Flyers. In those 621 games wearing the Orange and Black, Rick managed to score 232 goals and 276 assists, totaling 508 points. But what really made him beloved here in Philly and potentially what helped him to secure a job here now is the fact that he played with snarl and grit. Whenever Tocchet stepped out onto the ice, his opponents took notice, because they knew if they so much as looked at one of his players wrong, that crazed man with a mullet was going to be coming after them.
And to be honest, I think that snarl is what this team has been lacking for some time now. The Flyers lost their edge, and teams no longer fear them like they used to. From the time of the Bullies right up to Radko Gudas’s departure, opposing teams would catch the Philadelphia Flu and come up with ailments on their way to the City of Brotherly Love so that they didn’t have to dress to play them.
Over the last decade, this organization has been trying to produce a more skilled team with smaller, less physical players, and it just hasn’t worked out.
So, I say with a man like Rick Tocchet now going to be behind the bench, management should look to bring in players that play the game with the same type of snarl and grit that Rick and most of the Flyers alums did. The kind of grit that made them not only one of the most feared teams in the league, but one of the most winningest franchises in league history as well.
But, by now, you might be asking, what does, how Rick played the game have to do with how he coaches now? And, I would say Rick expects hustle, and for his players to do all the little things that got them here, like finishing their checks and standing up for their teammates when they need them the most.
And, for what it’s worth I think that his systems work well considering in the 23-24 season when most of his players were healthy for the majority of the year Rick saw his team (the Canucks) win 50 games, securing themselves first place in the Pacific Division totaling 109 points in 82 games played. A feat that allowed Tocchet to take home the coveted Jack Adams Award.
So, as much as I would have liked to see the Flyers NOT add another chapter to their ongoing fascination with nepotism, you can’t deny the fact his having played 18 years in the NHL, winning a cup with the Penguins in 92-93, and now having just coached his 16th season at the NHL level (nine as a Head Coach) that Rick is more than qualified to take on this Herculean task of returning the Flyers to contention.
The only question now is how management can try to ensure a smooth turnover of power and the speedy implementation of his new systems.
Well, I have a few ideas.
The Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is rapidly approaching, but now that they have their new coach at the helm, the Flyers should have discussions with him (if they haven’t already) concerning what kind of players he needs to run his system effectively.
And, if they don’t coincide with Briere’s strong desire to draft another center, then so be it. Because, in the Draft lottery, the Flyers got shafted and lost their fourth overall pick, and instead they had to settle for the sixth selection this summer. And at that point in the draft there just isn’t a clear-cut selection.
Faceoff specialists like Michael Misa and James Hagens will most likely already be off the board when it’s the Flyers’ turn to make their selection. So, that leaves us with Swedish-born Anton Frondell, who has had multiple knee injuries in his past. The towering 6’6 Canadian centerman Roger McQueen, who was limited to just 17 games played this year because of a spine injury.
Or prospect Caleb Desnoyers, whose older brother Elliott is already in the Flyers system. Now, while Caleb may look like a strong candidate for the team to pick, I think that there still may be some skepticism. Especially, with Elliott recently finding himself being made to sit up in the press box with me and watch as the team’s more recent prospects who were outplaying him got to take his spot in the lineup. The Flyers might fear that Caleb will do much of the same as Philadelphia was once so high on his older brother, and he has still yet to live up to those expectations.
So, in saying that, I would not be mad at all if Philadelphia instead decided to reach a bit and take a physical shutdown defenseman with their first pick, like a kid that goes by the name Kashawn Aitcheson.
As you can see in the videos provided, Kashawn is a former guest of ours on Prospect Watch. And, for good reason. Aitcheson is an 18-year-old left-hand shooting defenseman who stands at 6’1 and 198 pounds. He is an absolute beast in his own end who proved time and time again this season that he is more than capable of being asked by his coach to keep soon-to-be top five picks Michael Misa and Porter Martone off of the score sheet on a nightly basis.
However, Kashawn’s defensive and physical abilities are not all that the Flyers should be enthralled by. Because Aitcheson also managed to lead his team, the Barrie Colts, in goals with 26 and total points with 59.
But why stop there, right? The Flyers finished last season with the league’s worst save percentage, .879%, and were also bottom dwellers in goals against average, which saw them let in 3.45 goals a game. So, in an effort to further solidify and strengthen the back end, I think the Flyers management should also look to select a young man named Carter Amico in the second round.
Carter is a right-hand shooting blueliner who stands at an impressive 6’5 234 pounds. He, like Kashawn, is a physical force. And multiple times a game, you can count on him to use that strength to totally wipe the opposition off the puck and out of the play entirely. Thus creating fast break opportunities for his forwards to go the other way.
Free Agency Grab: Center Pius Suter
Then, shortly after the draft, free agency is set to take place starting on July 1st. Where, if they play their cards right, the Flyers could acquire a 28-year-old unrestricted free agent center from Switzerland named Pius Suter.
It should be noted that Suter played the last couple of years in Vancouver for Tocchet, where he excelled in Rick’s system, scoring 39 goals and 36 assists for 75 points. All while averaging a +19. Twenty-five of those goals, mind you, came just last season, largely when Pius was asked to step up and play 1st line minutes for around 18 games of the season after Vancouver’s star center Elias Pettersson went down with an injury.
Obviously, with Pius’ age the Flyers would not want to sign him to a long-term deal, still it would be nice not to have to rush a guy like Jett Luchanko who while showing promise down in Lehigh Valley, still lacks the maturity level to his game that would allow him to play at the lightning quick pace he’s capable of, but not be so reckless that he takes the dumb penalties like he did this year in Juniors and in the playoffs with the Phantoms that constantly had his team down by a man and on the penalty kill.
That’s why I would suggest signing Suter, who made just $1.6 million last season, to a short-term deal even if it means the Flyers have to give him a significant raise because Pius has previously proven to Philadelphia’s new bench boss that he can be depended on to produce offensively whether he is playing up or down the lineup.
This move would allow Luchanko, Grebenkin, and others in the system, not to mention those prospects who may not even be drafted yet, not to be rushed into playing before they are ready.
Trade for: Kiefer Sherwood
One player that I think came into Rick Tocchet’s locker room and absolutely fluoresced while playing in his system was 30-year-old Kiefer Sherwood.
Before joining the Canucks as a free agent last season Sherwood had to try to make a name for himself playing for several teams AHL affiliates before proving he belonged in the NHL as an everyday player for Nashville in the 23-24 season.
But no one besides maybe Tocchet knew what kind of battering ram he was about to be unleashing on the league this season. When he set a new league single-season record for hits with an astonishing 462, memory erasers, for reference, the previous record was 383. And the next closest person to him this season only amassed 306 hits. Folks, let me save you the trouble. That means Keifer managed to lay 156 more hits than any other player in the NHL this season.
And, with players on the Flyers roster like Garnet Hathaway turning 34 this season, and Nicolas Deslauriers turning 35. It might be time to trade one or both of these more expensive veterans away to be able to make room for someone like Kiefer, who is still hungry and willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win, for the reduced rate of $1.5 million a season.
Oh, yeah, I forgot the best part. Not only can Sherwood hit and fight, but he, like Tocchet, can also light the lamp. To the tune of 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points this season for the Canucks. Not too bad for an undrafted player, huh?
With the Flyers signing Rick Tocchet to one of the most lucrative deals of any coach currently in the NHL, they showed they meant business. But if they want to ensure that Toc will have success in this endeavor, they should bring in one or more of the names I listed above. Those who have played for him in the past would be able to help others on the team in learning the new systems, and the prospects I mentioned already play a similar style of game, so they would be able to integrate into the lineup upon their arrival seamlessly.
Some Quality UFA’s that Will Not Land the Flyers Right Back in Cap Purgatory
Photo Credit: https://floridahockeynow.com/
Well, after yet another season going by where the Flyers failed to make the playoffs (for the fifth straight season, mind you), there was finally some good news to come out of Voorhees, NJ, this past weekend in that the team’s General Manager Danny Briere came out and said that he thinks that it’s time to move on from the subtraction phase to the addition phase of the rebuild.
And I would say it’s about time! For after shipping out Erik Johnson, Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Wade Allison, Cutter Gauthier, Kevin Hayes, and Ivan Provorov, there just isn’t a lot of fat left that he could trim off the bone as far as the roster goes.
Lucky for us, Danny wasn’t done there. After having exit interviews with the players, it was time to evaluate the coaching staff. Or at least what was left after the much-needed firing of John Tortorella, who more than wore out his welcome with how he went about treating the younger players. And as it turns out, after the evaluations were complete, it was found that the Power Play Coach Rocky Thompson (who oddly enough was a career fighter and tough guy who never spent a second on the ice during a power play in his career) was given his pink slip after having completed multiple seasons with the Philadelphia finishing as or among the league’s worst power-play unit. And while Danny was cleaning house, he also sent Assistant Coach Darryl Williams and Skills Coach Angelo Ricci packing.
Although, as happy as I was to hear that news, it left me to wonder why Briere did not keep going and fire Goaltending Coach Kim Dillabaugh as well. Seeing that the Flyers’ netminders collectively finished last season with the league’s worst save percentage .879%, and a goals-against-average among the league’s worst, with them letting in 3.45 goals a game.
But I guess we can’t have everything, so let us focus on the task at hand. That being the additions that Danny was talking about. Now, while there is still the need for new coaching staff for the purposes of this article, let us focus on possible free-agent additions. With all the aforementioned transactions Dealing Danny has done since he assumed the role as the Flyers GM, the team finally has some cap space, especially since Cal Petersen’s $5,000,000 salary is now off the books, and the cap is supposed to rise next season to $95.5 million, $104 million for the 2026-2027 season, and then $113.5 million in 2027-2028.
However, this doesn’t mean that the team should go out this summer and spend frivolously and put themselves right back into the cap purgatory that they just worked so hard to crawl out of.
Let’s not forget the Flyers currently have some of the early fruits of Briere’s labor playing in the Playoffs right now up in Lehigh Valley with names like Alex Bump, Jett Luchanko, and Nikita Grebyonkin leading the team to victory last night against their rival the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
As nice as making a huge free agency signing like Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs would be, I’d stay away. For one, he’s coming off a contract for which he got paid nearly $11 million a season. For two, he played on a line with perhaps the league’s best goal scorer of the last ten years, who is not named Alex Ovechkin, in Auston Matthews, who has netted over 400 goals over the past nine seasons. So, I think it’s fair to say that Marner’s numbers may be inflated. Plus, if the idea is to get someone to help Michkov, Mitch would not be the guy because they both play right wing. The exact position, mind you, that Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Garnett Hathaway, Nikita Grebyonkin, and the newly signed Devin Kaplan play. And we already have to ask some of them to play their off-wing just to fill out the roster.
We need Centers and Defense! Because after Sean Couturier and Ryan Poehling have nothing. Jett Luchanko and Denver Barkey (C/LW) look promising, but at the end of the day, we don’t know if they are going to be NHL-ready next season or if they will still need more time to develop at the AHL level.
So, with that being said, let’s look at some reasonable unrestricted free agents that could help the Flyers next season.
Sam Bennett
Now, Sam, who is a 28-year-old pending UFA center that plays for the Florida Panthers, is certainly not on the level of a guy like Elias Pettersson, that plays for the Vancouver Canucks that is rumored to be on the move this offseason but acquiring him wouldn’t cost the team $11.6 million in salary over the next seven seasons either. Let’s not forget the Flyers now hold the fourth pick in this summer’s draft, meaning they could potentially draft centers James Hagens from Boston College, Anton Frondell from Sweden, Caleb Desnoyers from the Moncton Wildcats, or Roger McQueen from the Brandon Wheat Kings. Not to mention two other first-round picks and four selections in the second round. So, I would try to save the money to be able to pay them long-term and grab a guy with Stanley Cup-winning experience to assist you for a couple of seasons until Philly’s soon-to-be youthful core is ready.
The Florida Panthers have been putting everything into winning now, and it worked out for them last season and potentially again this season. However, with that being said, a considerable portion of their team is due to become either unrestricted free agents or restricted free agents this summer.
That list includes the hard-working Sam Bennett. Since joining the Panthers some five years ago, he has scored nearly 100 goals and 200 points. All while being able to sustain a +46 average during that time. It should be noted that this season was one of his best offensively, with him netting 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points.
Sam has all the same qualities that the beloved Scott Laughton had while playing here in Philly, but Bennett does them better. He is a hard-nosed player who is willing to do whatever it takes for his team to win. He forechecks, back-checks, lays huge body checks, and is willing to drop his gloves with anybody if he thinks they did anyone on his team an injustice.
Overall, I think Bennett’s style of play would make him an instant fan favorite, and with him coming off a contract that paid him under $4.5 million to play top-six minutes, signing him for a couple of seasons to do the same thing here in Philly would not be a bad thing at all.
Pius Suter
Keeping that same mindset, if Bennett and his team have another long playoff run, his price might go up, so another name Danny should be calling about is 28-year-old Swiss-born center Pius Suter from the Vancouver Canucks.
Pius is a monster around the net. He plays a lot tougher than his 5’11 and 179 pounds frame should allow, but I think that is because he plays with a lot of heart. Suter loves to pick passes off in the neutral zone and turn them into scoring chances. He does not mind getting into the dirty areas and taking a beating in order to be able to redirect a puck or knock home a nice juicy rebound.
This season was kind of a breakout year for Suter in that he went from scoring around 14-15 goals consistently every year to lighting the lamp 25 times this season. Therefore, since he has not done it for multiple seasons in a row yet, the Flyers might be able to offer Pius (who made just $1.6 million last season) an offer he can’t refuse. Because, despite the fact that he is rumored to want to stay with the Canucks, there has been minimal talk between the team and his agent thus far.
Dante Fabbro
Moving on to defense, there are going to be a couple of really intriguing names available in free agency, like Carolina’s Dmitry Orlov and Florida’s Aaron Ekblad, but they are all over or soon to be 30 years old and make nearly $8 million a season; which I don’t know about you, but they seem too old and too rich for my blood.
So, instead of them, I would like to see the Flyers pursue a guy like 26-year-old Dante Fabbro. A right-hand-shot defender who was initially drafted by Nashville in the first round back in 2016 but was claimed off waivers this season by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After being swiped off the waiver wire, Dante was able to come in and take over 1st pairing minutes from ex-Flyer Ivan Provorov to afford himself the chance to play with Zach Werenski. One team’s trash is another team’s treasure, I guess. Along with that, Fabbro was able to put up a career-high in goals with nine, points with 26, and plus-minus with him posting a +23 this season. Now, you may not think that the plus-minus stat is not that important, but I’m here to tell you that there’s a reason why our goaltenders averaged some of the worst numbers in the league this year. Drysdale a -32, Zamula a -14, Cam York a -8, Sanheim a -6.
Fabbro, a puck-moving defenseman who can really lay some big hits, is coming off a one-year deal that paid him just $2.5 million this season. If brought in by the Flyers this off-season, Dante could prove to be a brilliant signing since Rasmus Ristolainen just had surgery to repair his right triceps tendon and is due to be out for at least six months.
Now, although these players I suggested above are not the face of the franchise-type signings, we fans are all hoping for the Flyers to make. Keep in mind that free agency is rarely the place where you get those types of players, especially since guys are not even eligible to reach unrestricted status until they are 28 years old. By then, most true stars of the game had already been signed to long-term deals by their respective teams. Free agency is where you get role players who can come in and be a piece in what you’re already building.
The draft is where you get those game-changing players that you see on billboards all around town, and the Flyers have a lot of picks in this upcoming draft to make that dream a reality. So, let’s just wait and see if that comes true.
A Method to Try and Resolve the Flyers’ Long-Standing Problems in Net
Photo Credit: https://denverpioneers.com/
Well, it is official: the Philadelphia Flyers have missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, with this tying the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
But while there is a long list of things like the lack of scoring on the power play that needs to be addressed in the off-season, perhaps the longest-standing issue that management and coaching just can’t seem to right is, you guessed it, “GOALTENDING.”
This seemingly perpetual issue dates back to the end of the 1998-1999 season when Ron Hextall, Philadelphia’s long-standing guardian of the blue paint, retired. And, as crazy as that sounds, what might blow your mind more is the fact that over that now 26-year time span, the Flyers have started an astounding 34 different netminders!
Now, with you reading that inflated number, it’s easy to see that it most certainly is not for lack of trying.
Over the years, the team has tried bringing in countless established veterans, the best of whom was John Vanbiesbrouck, who had two great seasons with the Flyers. Still, after the completion of his second season in Philly, the Flyers thought it best to trade away this soon-to-be 37-year-old netminder.
Some years later, the team decided to take another route and take a chance on a young Russian goaltender who was at the time a virtual unknown to anyone over here in the States. That player turned out to be none other than future Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky. Who after just two seasons played with the team, management succeeded in pissing him off by making the impatient long-term signing of Ilya Bryzgalov, which resulted in Bobrovsky wanting out of the City of Brotherly Love. Once he left, Sergei only went on to win multiple Vezina Trophies and a Stanley Cup. After this season is complete (and Marc Andre Fleury retires), Bob will become the NHL’s active wins leader with 427 victories already under his belt.
Of course, we already alluded to when the team tried throwing massive amounts of money at the problem when they signed free agent Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year, $51 million contract in 2011, but that did not work out quite the way they had planned seeing that the Flyers then decided to turn around and buy out the remaining seven years of his contract in 2013, resulting in a 14-year buyout agreement, that requires the team to still have to pay him roughly $1.643 million per year until the year 2027.
Then, in 2013, the Flyers decided to try their hand at a little “reclamation project” when they traded for a 24-year-old goaltender in, Steve Mason. Mason was a goalie who seemed like the next big thing after winning such awards as the OHL Goaltender of the Year, an OHL Championship, a World Junior Championship, and eventually the NHL’s Calder Trophy (given to the player deemed the Rookie of the Year) just to name a few. But in Columbus, he never really developed into the player they thought he would, so the Flyers traded for him, hoping that he just needed a fresh start somewhere new.
But, after playing five outstanding seasons with the Flyers, where during that time Steve managed to win 104 games, maintain a 2.47 goals-against-average, a .918 save percentage, and post 14 shutouts, the team just let this still young 28-year-old sign with another team in free agency.
Then, of course, the Flyers thought Carter Hart was going to be our savior, but we won’t even go into his atrocious stat line or the debauchery that he has been implicated in.
So, to this point, it would appear they have tried just about every way they know how to resolve this outstanding issue, but to date, they have failed to solve the problem. And, with the current crop of netminders in town combining for a league’s worst .879 save percentage and allowing 3.42 goals a game, they don’t look destined to get any better any time soon.
So, what else is there to try? Well, for one thing, they should try like hell to get out of having to pay Ivan Fedotov another $3.275 million for next season after he has only managed to win 0.25% of the games he’s started over the last two seasons. Whether it be a trade, a buyout, whatever it takes, just do it.
Then I think they should try to bring in multiple undrafted free agent goalies to camp in an effort to hopefully find one that can hold down the fort until reinforcements arrive in the form of Carson Bjarnason, who the Flyers drafted with their 2023 second-round pick, or an actually good goaltender in Yegor Zavragin who the Flyers took with their third-round pick that same year.
And those netminders that they should be taking a look at and either signing to an entry-level contract now or wait and see if they will be willing to attend their camp this summer are.
Austin Elliott-London Knights
Austin is a 20-year-old netminder who has attended NHL camps in the past but has yet to be offered a professional contract. This season, Elliott started the year with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. Still, he was dealt (despite winning all three of his starts this season) to the London Knights, where he finished the regular season with a record of 32 wins and one loss while being able to maintain a 2.10 goals-against-average and a .924 save percentage.
Now, seeing that he somehow went undrafted and has not been offered a professional contract to this point, Austin recently decided to take his talents to the collegiate ranks next season, committing to play for UMass-Lowell.
But the good thing is I’m pretty sure he would negate heading there if it meant signing a pro deal.
Matt Davis-University of Denver
Next up is a 23-year-old shot blocker who is still in contention for a shot at winning his THIRD NCAA National Championship for the University of Denver, and that is goaltender Matt Davis.
Now, I’ll admit Denver has a ton of quality players, most of whom have already been drafted by one NHL team or another. Still, perhaps no player has been more impressive over the last few seasons than this undrafted free agent. For Davis, over the course of the previous four seasons out in the Mile High City, has been able to win over 70% of the 89 games that he has played in.
With this season being no different, seeing that Matt managed to accumulate a league-leading 29 wins this season while posting an impressive 2.07 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.
Davis is about as refined as you will find any goaltender who is not currently playing in the NHL because, as you can see in this video from the 2024 Men’s Frozen Four Tournament that I provided below, Matt looks as cool as the other side of the pillow when staring down current NHL Stars like the Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini, and the Canadiens’ Lane Hutson when they played for Boston University. As well as players like the Sharks’ Will Smith, the Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier, the Capitals’ Ryan Leonard, and the Rangers’ Gabe Perreault, who all suited up together against Davis for the Boston College Eagles in that same tournament.
If the Flyers signed either one of these goalies for next season, it would most certainly bring this fragile fan base a little reassurance. For far too long, this great city has been without a goalie that they can trust to stand on his head any given night and win them a game all by himself.
And, although the masses here in Philly understand that the team is going through a rebuild and the majority of them still trust in old #48 (Danny Briere) to lead the team in the right direction, they are going to need a little more than Matvei Michkov to keep them attending games. And the team is going to need someone (in net) who is a little more consistent and can keep them in games.
Prospect Watch: Undersized and Underappreciated
Photo Credit: fournie par Dany Germain/Foreurs de Val-d’Or
Cole Reschny, Victoria Royals (Photo Credit: Kevin Light Photo)
Jordan Gavin Contributed photo courtesy the Wheat Kings
For far too long, the NHL has sought out to find the largest/most physical players they could in order to beat their opponents into submission. You know, back when you would go to watch the fights, and on the rare occasion, a hockey game might break out.
But times have changed. So much, in fact, that now most teams are no longer looking to employ an abundance of those knuckle draggers of old because in today’s kindler/gentler NHL, they are sadly becoming all but obsolete.
The reason for this is that the league noticed they were falling behind in ratings compared to the big three (the NFL, the MLB, and the NBA), and they wanted to try something that would grow their fanbase. And, in order to do that, they felt they needed to increase goal scoring, so they shrunk down the size of the goaltender’s pads and no longer allowed defensemen to get away with all the clutching and man-handling that the refs previously would turn a blind eye to that vastly hindered teams’ star players point production for so long.
When these changes were implemented, certain innovative teams began shifting their focus as far as whom they wanted to employ, with those teams moving away from hiring the gargantuan slow but strong players of old to a more compact, elusive type of player who generally is more skilled and can thus offer them a lot more in terms of offense. The early beneficiaries of this change were guys like Theo Fleury (5’6), Martin St. Louis (5’8), and Brad Marchand (5’9) who broke into the game and had great success, which paved the way for players like the late great Johnny Gaurdreau who was (5’9), Tyler Johnson (5’9), Jonathan Marchessault (5’9) and Jared Spurgeon (5’9). Which you guessed led to more teams being willing to take a chance on the latest crop of diminutive stars like Alex DeBrincat (5’8), Cole Caufield (5’8), Adam Fox (5’11) and Logan Stankoven (5’8).
But, believe it or not, even after all the players’ success that I listed above, there are still some franchises out there that employ superannuated GMs who refuse to draft or sign these types of compact players.
That’s okay, though, because that just makes the teams that are with it and willing to take a chance on one of these young players that much more capable of making their teams better this off-season seeing that the 2025 NHL Draft Class is chalked full of diminutive talent.
With Guys Like:
Cameron Schmidt
Cam is a 5’7 157 pound draft eligible right winger who currently plays for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL). This season, he has managed to amass an impressive 40 goals and 38 assists for 78 points. Not too shabby, right?
With those kinds of statistics, you can see that Schmidt does not let his size (or lack thereof) limit him. In fact, he uses it to his advantage. With great speed, Cameron manages to stretch the ice to the point that the opposition is going to be forced to converge on him, where he will make a move and skate on by them like they are standing still. Or pass it off early so he can then go set up for the chance to unload one of the most accurate and powerful one-timers of anyone in this draft.
Cameron is only now starting to get the respect he deserves after he recently finished the regular season tied with the Everett Silvertips’ Carter Bear for most goals scored by any WHL first-year draft-eligible player with 40 lamp lighters.
He is projected to go late in the first round, but for those of you who still have your doubts about him, watch this video; before you do, though, remember it’s hard to hit what you can’t catch!
Benjamin Kindel
Another undersized prospect who plays in the WHL, who I think should be on this list, is Benjamin Kindel from the Calgary Hitmen. Ben is a high-scoring forward who only stands at 5’10 and weighs 176 pounds. He is renowned around the league for his intelligent two-way play.
To prove that statement, all you have to do is tune in for a game, and you’ll notice that his hard work and high hockey IQ are what allowed him to garner 35 goals and 64 assists for 99 regular season points. And, if that wasn’t impressive enough for a guy who has to look up to the masses, he finished second highest in plus-minus of any first-year draft-eligible player with a +39 on the year.
So, tell me why a player who was only outscored by one other draft-eligible prospect, Michael Misa, who finished with 134 points) is expected to go so late in the first round if it is not solely dependent on the fact that scouts are doubting his abilities at the next level because of his height?
Cole Reschny
Since we’re apparently taking an extended look at the WHL, I thought it wise to mention Victoria Royals forward Cole Reschny. Cole, who stands at 5’10 and 187 pounds, really opened a lot of people’s eyes this year at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup when we scored three goals and four assists for seven points in only five games played.
But what really convinced me that he could make it to the next level was Reschny’s competitive level. Whether he is forechecking, backchecking, playing on the power play, or the penalty kill, Cole simply never takes a shift off. Night after night, Reschny continues to outwork the competition, no matter how big or strong they are.
This kid has heart, and that’s why he was able to net 26 goals and 66 assists for 92 points in 62 games played. And he is currently scoring at a 2.40 points-per-game pace in the playoff posting four goals and eight assists for 12 points in only five games played.
Not to mention the fact that when you combine the regular season and the postseason, he has managed to maintain a +50 average on the season. I’m sorry, I don’t know why other forwards in this draft who only scored 50-60 points are still projected to be taken higher than him. And Cole somehow is still considered to have a late first-round or early second-round draft grade.
Adam Benak
Adam is a center from Czechia who only stands at 5’7 and 161 pounds. He came over this season to North America after dominating yet again at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where if you combine his totals from this year and last, he became the all-time point leader in Hlinka Gretzky Cup history when he finished with a total of 21 points; which to put that into perspective that means he scored over a two points-per-game in this tournament.
But getting back to what have you done for me lately. Benak wanted to prove that he could be more than just a kid with some international success, so he decided to join the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL) to prove he could produce while playing on the much smaller North American rinks.
Where this season, he was able to score 16 goals and 38 assists totaling 54 points in 54 games played. Not bad for someone who, besides just trying to score goals was tasked with having to figure out a new language as well.
Philippe Veilleux
Moving on now to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, we find an 18-year-old winger who only stands at 5’9 and 165 pounds playing for the Val-d’Or Foreurs. Now, I have to say, depending on where this young man actually ends up getting drafted, he just might be deemed the steal of the draft because while he still has some work to do defensively, he more than makes up for it with his work in the offensive zone.
Where this season, Veilleux has been able to light the lamp an astonishing 40 times during the regular season, and adding to that, he made sure to assist his teammates 47 other times this season, totaling 87 points on the year.
And, as far as the postseason goes, Philippe has shown no signs of letting up, as he has managed to put up three goals and three assists for six points in five games played.
Now, with him producing at that rate in the offensive zone, I would be more than willing to take a chance on him at the draft as long as I keep in mind that I am going to spend some time with him, teaching him how a professional is expected to play within his own zone.
Jordan Gavin
Finally, the last prospect I’ll leave you to ponder about is the 5’11 179 pound Jordan Gavin of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. To me, Gavin is a human highlight reel! He is a player who makes everyone who steps on the ice with him instantly better, as the game just seems to appear to slow down when the puck is on his stick.
Being that this is the case, it comes as a big surprise to me that Jordan’s stock has fallen with scouts ever since he was taken second overall by the Tri-City Americans in the WHL Prospects Draft.
Especially since he was able to score 68 points in 68 games last year and added another 57 points in 68 games played this year (this coming after he was traded mid-season, mind you). But my conundrum goes deeper than that still, considering Gavin managed to improve upon his plus-minus immensely this season and personified what it means to play a clean game, seeing he did not manage to obtain a single penalty minute for the second season in a row.
So, you see, lack of height should no longer really be considered an issue when teams are scouting players. For, these six players I just introduced to you are merely clones of the diminutive players that came before them and had success. These players have been told they are too small their whole lives and, because of that, have developed a pretty good “I’LL SHOW YOU” type of attitude that clearly works for them in their respective leagues. So, honestly, who are we to stand in their way? I don’t know about you, but I would rather see my favorite NHL team acquire one or more of these guys in the NHL draft this summer rather than spend the next ten years wishing they had!
It’s Time to Start seeing the Fruits of Briere’s Labor.
Photo Credit: https://www.phantomshockey.com/
With the recent firing of Head Coach John Tortorella, I think we can finally assume that the dismantling of this once-great franchise is finally over. And heck, it’s about time!
Since Danny Briere was officially named the successor to Chuck Fletcher on May 11th, 2023, the fans of this great franchise have been waiting patiently (well, as patiently as a Philadelphia sports fan can) for him to restore the honor and respect that this team worked so hard to earn over its illustrious history.
But now that he has torn down this roster to bare bones by trading away countless rudimental players that the previous administration brought in to try to implement what turned out to be an antiquated-ineffective system. It’s time to see what the fruits of Briere’s labor have brought us.
And, to do so, you don’t have to look too far. Of course, we all have seen what Michkov (Briere’s 7th overall pick in the 2023 Draft) can do, especially after he no longer is getting punished for every little mistake he makes by a crotchety old coach who has always preferred to play veterans over youth as Matvei has somehow still managed to surpass the incredible Simon Gange’s rookie point totals. So, the sky is the limit for this young Russian superstar.
Karsen Dorwart
But, besides him, who else is coming up the pike? Well, the next player that Briere has brought in that you will see play with the Flyers in the next game is a newly signed undrafted free agent named Karsen Dorwart. Karsen is a 22-year-old forward who stands at 6’1 and 194 pounds. The Flyers signed him after completing a season at Michigan State, where he finished with 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 35 games played not to mention the fact the finished the season a +20!
He is a good two-way center with great on-ice vision. Dorwart, I believe, can be quite deceptive in terms of him being a pass-first player who can somehow find the blade of his linemates’ stick without even appearing to look their way. But, at the same time, he is not one to play hot potato. Karsen also has a bit of elusiveness to his game where he can evade the opposition’s defensives long enough that they no longer deem him a threat, just to have him reappear wide open in the perfect location to receive a puck from his teammate and fire one past the goalie.
Now, do I necessarily agree with this signing? Ehhh, although multiple teams coveted Dorwart before he eventually chose to sign with the Flyers. I would have probably chosen to sign a more offensively minded dot dweller like Michigan’s undrafted free agent center TJ Hughes, who over the last three seasons has racked up 47 goals and 122 total points in 116 games played and has a much better faceoff percentage. But what do I know?
As far as where Karsen will play, in practice, he was seen running drills with Deslauriers and Hathaway on the fourth line. It’s a job I would much rather see Poehling doing so that Dorwart could replace him on the third line, where his talents could be better suited to assist the underperforming Owen Tippet and newly acquired Jakob Pelletier. But I guess we will have to wait and see how it plays out.
Nikita Grebyonkin
If we look a little deeper in the Flyers Prospect Pool, you can find the recently acquired 6’2 209, pound Russian winger Nikita Grebyonkin, who, since being acquired from the Leafs in the trade that sent Scott Laughton packing, is looking to pay early dividends.
But let me assure you, even though you may not have heard much about this young winger (who can play on either side of the boards), he is no overnight sensation. Grebyonkin won the KHL’s Alexsei Cherepanov Award in 22-23, which is given to the leagues (Best Rookie), a feat that even the great Matvei Michkov did not achieve before joining the Flyers. On top of that, Nikita played in the KHL All-Star game last season and was able to propel his team last season to a KHL Gagarin Cup (their version of the Stanley Cup) by scoring 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points over 67 games played during the regular season.
What can he bring to the Flyers? Well, if you have been watching any Phantoms games, you’ll have seen that Grebyonkin has been the toothless physical power forward the team has been lacking since they traded away the great Wayne Simmonds. Now, before you take that and run with it, NO, I don’t think he will achieve the kind of success Simmonds had with the Flyers (at least not anytime soon), but what I do believe Nikita will bring is intensity. Seeing that he is fearless, whether it’s dropping his gloves to defend a teammate, joyfully finishing each and every checking opportunity, or gracelessly taking a beating in front of the net, Grebyonkin is willing to do whatever it takes for his team to come out victorious, which is why he has had so much early success in Lehigh Valley playing for the Phantoms. Where he managed to score three goals, and two assists for five points in only seven games played. And I think it is worth noting that two of those goals came while the team was on the power play, which is something the Flyers so desperately need help doing.
Jett Luchanko
So, another possible candidate we could see up with the Flyers in the not-so-distant future is Danny’s 2024 1st round pick Jett Luchanko. In my mind, Jett was a bit of a reach, especially since when the Flyers were initially supposed to be picking at 12th overall before trading that pick to Minnesota, there were still players like the elite defender Zeev Buium, on the board, as well as Cole Eiserman who is greatest American born goal scorer that has ever played in the USA National Team Development Programs history. But I guess they fell in love with Jett, soooo… here we are.
As serious as I am about that last statement, let’s dive into what exactly we can expect from Jett. Well, hence the name Jett has excellent speed. He is able to use it to beat the opposition to loose pucks in order to make some pretty amazing passes out of the corners to the goal mouth, where his awaiting teammates are able to send them past the surprised goaltender.
This season, while playing for the Guelph Storm after appearing with the Flyers in a couple of games, Jett was able to post 21 goals and 35 assists for 56 points in 46 OHL games played.
What can you expect when he joins the Flyers? Well, I think you’ll find that Luchanko will most certainly push the pace of their offense. Few players can match Jett’s speed, and he only seems to increase it more when the puck is on his stick. Therefore, he will be able to create chance after chance. The only thing is, in this upcoming draft, Briere will have to find a couple more guys who are shooters who will be capable of rifling home the kind of setups that Jett will be able to dish out.
As far as other prospects that Danny has in the pipeline. You have:
Forward Denver Barkey and defenseman Oliver Bonk, who both are drafted and already signed by Danny, who play for the London Knights of the OHL, but while you should keep an eye on them as possibles to make the roster next season, don’t look for them any time soon seeing that they can’t seem to stop winning games as they appear well on their way to winning yet another OHL Championship.
Other notables should include:
-Unsigned Flyers draftees like Notre Dame’s Cole Knuble, who Briere took with his fourth-round pick in 2023.
-Western Michigan’s Alex Bump, who was drafted in the 5th round in 2022 (when Briere was considered a special assistant to the GM (whatever that means).
-And SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL’s Yegor Zavragin, who was taken in the third round of the 2023 draft by Briere.
But these players are still unsigned, so for now, we’ll leave them to continue simmering on the back burner until they are inked.
In closing, Briere has done a lot to try and make this team better, and although we have yet to see just what the fruits of his labor will do, in a short amount of time, I think he has been able to come in and bring the Flyers into the 21st century by placing a renewed focus on youth and speed. It is something the Flyers neglected to do for so long while other teams surpassed them in the standings just by getting younger and faster. Time will tell if his methods pan out, but for now, things seem promising. However, I believe Briere’s actual test will be whether he can acquire a few franchise-changing prospects in this next draft since he has decided to give up so much in order to garner draft capital this summer.
NCAA Free Agents NHL Teams Should be Looking to Sign
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With the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey regular season coming to a close, it’s time for struggling or rebuilding teams to try and land a potential NHL-ready prospect who previously went undrafted but has since proved his worth in college.
Now, some may say these types of players never pan out, and if they were any good, they would have been drafted years ago, but I would argue that some guys are just late bloomers. And, if they are excelling in the NCAA now, where most teams highly touted draft picks go to continue their development anyway, then why wouldn’t you think that these guys could turn pro?
So, with us keeping that in mind, let me give you one undrafted collegiate player in each position who I think could leave college today and turn pro, whether it be in the NHL or AHL.
Center- TJ Hughes- University of Michigan
TJ, who stands at 5’11 and 185 pounds, is now a junior at the Univ. of Michigan. But it was hard for me to believe that this player was not drafted before joining the Wolverines, considering before ever stepping on campus, Hughes had a season in which he and his teammates not only won the AJHL Championship but the Centennial Cup as well for the Brooks Bandits. Where during the regular season, TJ posted an astounding 66 goals and 61 assists, which resulted in 121 points in 60 games played. If you do the math, that averages out to be a 2.11 points-per-game average (P.P.G.). He continued with that success in the playoffs that same year, netting 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 11 games played, which still equates to him amassing over two points per game. Then, in the Centennial Cup, he led his team to victory over some stiff competition, scoring six goals and six assists for 12 points in only six games played.
I guess teams thought he was just another undersized center and that he wouldn’t be able to produce in an actual league, right? WRONG!
Throughout the last three seasons playing for the Wolverines, Hughes has been able to compile 47 goals and 75 assists for 122 points in 116 games played and has managed to maintain a faceoff win percentage of 58%.
For this reason, it was believed that this proven point producer would have signed a deal with an NHL club after last season, but he did not, nor did he after attending the Tampa Bay Lightning Developmental Camp last summer.
I don’t know what this guy has to do to prove himself any more than he already has, but I am sure whoever smartens up and signs this offensive dynamo will not regret it.
Wing-Quinn Hutson-Boston University
You may have heard of Quinn’s younger brothers, 21-year-old Lane Hutson, who was taken in the 2nd round of the 2022 Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, and 18-year-old Cole Hutson, who was selected by the Washington Capitals in the 2nd round of last years draft, but I’m here to tell you Ouinn is no slouch.
In fact, he currently holds the highest point-per-game (P.P.G.) average this season of anybody in the NCAA, with him netting 1.44 P.P.G.
I know what you’re thinking. “Man, his production probably just spiked this season because Cole arrived on campus this year to play with him.” And you would be wrong because, over the last three years, Quinn has managed to rifle in 53 goals and 57 assists for 110 points in 111 games played. And, while that’s most undoubtedly impressive, the fact that he has managed to play night in and night out against some of the best teams in the nation and still be a plus player every year is even more notable, seeing that he has been able to maintain a +49 for the entirety of his colligate career.
Now, I’ll give you the fact that Quinn (who is 23) may not have been gifted with the type of elite talents his younger brothers have, but I can’t deny the fact that he has a high hockey IQ and exerts himself on every shift. And a lot of times, that’s all a coach wants because you can teach a guy a lot of things on the ice, but you can’t teach them hustle and determination.
Defense-C.J. Foley-Dartmouth College
C.J. is a 21-year-old right-hand shooting defenseman who stands at 5’11 and 174 pounds. He is a puck-moving, offensive defenseman who, if I had to give you a comparison, I would say he is a poor man’s (or, in this case, team’s) Seamus Casey.
I say this because, like Casey, Foley is a phenomenal stick handler who has been known to break a few guys’ ankles when bringing the puck all the way up the ice.
This season, Foley has managed to amass 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 30 games played, as well as maintaining a +16 average on the season. But if teams want him, they better sign him quickly because he did attend the Florida Panthers developmental camp this past summer and impressed while he was there.
Goalie-Albin Boija-Maine
Last but not least, we look at a Swedish prospect who plays perhaps the most challenging position to gauge a player’s future worth, and that’s goaltending. Very few teams can honestly say that they have found their franchise goaltender and been able to keep him for the better part of a decade. It’s just facts. Goaltenders are like running backs or cornerbacks in the NFL. Once you find one, you better start looking for the next one! Because, a good one is rare, and teams tend to overplay them, which leads to injuries. Or if they can stay healthy, teams will just end up losing them in free agency to another desperate team that is willing to throw an insane amount of money their way.
So, my recommendation would be for any prospecting team in need of a netminder to take a good long look at Albin Boija, a 21-year-old goalie who plays for the Maine Black Bears. Because this season, this 6’1, 181-pound guardian of the blue paint has managed to post a minuscule 1.77 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage with four shutouts and 20 wins on the season to boot.
Some may have thought a goalie having this type of season to be a fluke, but this came after his freshman year, where in 18 games, he was able to post a 2.01 G.A.A. and a .919SV%. So, he’s only gaining more confidence and experience playing the North American-style game.
Guys, this kid is young, and he is good. Therefore, it would only benefit an NHL team to stake claim to him by signing him to an entry-level contract so that they can just sit back and watch him continue to progress.
So, there you have it: one NCAA undrafted free agent from every position who should have NHL executives actively filling their voicemail boxes as soon as the final game horn sounds on their seasons.
Flyers Fans It’s Time to “Embrace the Suck”
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
So, we all know Danny Briere inherited a muddled-up mess when he took on the full-time role as the Flyers General Manager back on May 11th, 2023. Ever since that time, Danny has been tasked with ridding the team of disenchanted players who failed to live up to their expectations. He did so with the hopes of acquiring as many future draft picks and or budding already-drafted prospects as he could to help rebuild this once-illustrious franchise.
So, acting with that in mind, Danny has managed to ship out guys via trade like Scott Laughton, Erik Johnson, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Cutter Gauthier, Sean Walker, Ivan Provorov, Kevin Hayes, and Wade Allison.
And the guys he couldn’t convince other teams to take off his hands, Briere has had to buy out. Those players were Cam Atkinson and Tony DeAngelo, which cost the team $4,025,000 in salary cap space this season.
Unfortunately, to make sure this mass exudes of players happened, Danny also had to take on some bad contracts along the way, like Cal Petersen and Ryan Johansen.
Furthermore, let’s not forget that Briere also had to retain a portion of some of his former players’ salaries to ensure that they no longer would have to play for the Flyers, as he did for Kevin Hayes, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Scott Laughton. These moves will cost the team over five million dollars in salary cap space next season.
So, needless to say it has not been easy.
However, while I believe the much-needed deconstruction of this franchise is now complete. I feel I must urge this prideful fan base to borrow the mantra of the United States Navy Seals and motivational speaker David Goggins and “Embrace the Suck”!
What I mean by that is if you really want the Orange and Black to attain a future star to play alongside Matvei Michkov, then you must be ok with them continuing to lose out the rest of the season in order to increase their chances of making their pick fall somewhere within the first five selections of this draft.
Sure, with all the wheeling and dealing that I mentioned Danny doing above, he has managed to obtain multiple draft picks this off-season. But let’s face it, most of those obtained picks are going to be coming from playoff-caliber teams, which means they are only going to garner the organization more Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost-type guys. You know, players who will likely make serviceable NHL options but not turn out to be the kind of impact players that will be able to change the fate of your franchise.
And, even if you package those picks up and try to move up in the draft, there’s not a GM in the league (at least one that wants to keep his job) that will be holding a top-five selection that will be crazy enough to give that up for a bunch of late 1st or 2nd round picks.
I mean, think about if we are talking about building a dynasty here, the Penguins had to suck for years in order to be able to draft Marc-André Fleury in ’03, Evgeni Malkin in ’04, and Sidney Crosby in ’05. The Blackhawks had to go through some ROUGH times to be able to select Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in back-to-back years in ’06 and ’07. And let us not forget the Tampa Lightning and the fact that they did not turn into the juggernaut that they were for so many years until they were able to acquire Steven Stamkos in ’08, Victor Hedman in ’09, Nikita Kucherov in 2011, and Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2012.
Now, in saying that, I would never wish the team that I love to tank the season purposely. Still, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if they continued to take turns giving their NHL players a night off so that promising prospects like Emil Andre and Olle Lycksell get some experience and playing time up with the big club.
For, if they do, it might just result in the Flyers being able to draft a defenseman like:
Matthew Schaefer –
Or Forwards like:
Michael Misa- Who has 58 goals and 66 assists for 124 points already on the season for the Saginaw Spirt of the OHL.
Porter Martone- Who has scored 30 goals and 59 assists for 89 points this year for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL.
James Hagans- Who has scored nine goals and 25 assists for 34 points in 34 games as a true freshman for Boston College this season
Anton Frondell- A Swedish forward who has scored 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 29 games played this year for the Djurgardens IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan League in Sweden.
If Philadelphia can secure one of these elite players who may be able to suit up for the Flyers as early as next season, mind you. Then, and only then, can this team even begin to be considered capable of moving into phase two of this process which is the actual reconstruction of this team. Because I don’t care how good he is, you can’t expect a 20-year-old kid in Michkov who hasn’t even mastered the English language yet, let alone the game of hockey, to carry this team on his own.
As for the multitude of other picks, Briere has managed to obtain during his short reign as the Flyers’ GM. It’s unlikely that he will decide to use all of them so let’s hope that he continues to draft smart so that he can help to rebuild the team’s depleted farm system.
Top Five Goaltenders Available in the 2025 NHL Draft
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So, previously, I have written articles on who I think are the Top five forwards and defensemen in this year’s draft class. But, with me being a lifelong goaltender, I have to say I am very excited to bring you the latest installment in this series of articles covering who I think is the Top Five Guardians of the Blue Paint.
Now, if you read any of my other articles, you know that a lot goes into these lists. I have researched and studied hours and hours of film on these netminders, where I looked at their strengths and weaknesses and judged them based on how well I think their games will translate at the pro level. Furthermore, with some of these players, I was even afforded the luxury of sitting down and interviewing them to get a better grip on what kind of person a team would be getting.
So, with that being said, let me not prolong this list any longer.
Joshua Ravensbergen – Prince George Cougars /WHL
By now, I think most draft experts would agree that Josh is the clear-cut favorite to be taken as the number one goalie this summer. And for good reason, because at just 18 years old, Ravensbergen is already 6’5 and 192 pounds. So, before he even steps foot on the ice for them, teams know that he will take up a good portion of the net. And, if his physical size does not cover all the holes, his willingness to come way out of his crease to challenge the shooter will.
Now, while I will admit his stats this season don’t exactly make you jump out of your seat with him averaging a 2.97 goals against average and a .902 save percentage, in 46 games played this year, you have to factor in that a lot of nights the Cougars are not the most defensively minded team. Often leaving him to fend for himself back there.
So, while it may be but a small sampling of his work, I think a more accurate depiction of his abilities when playing with a defense in front of him would be when he played for Team Canada in the Prospect Challenge game against the top prospects from the USA where he only let in one goal.
In saying all this, I would tend to agree with the masses that Joshua will be the first goaltender to be taken in this draft. He is relentless in his efforts to stop the puck simply because he never gives up on the play, even if it would appear he’s beaten.
Petteri Rimpinen- Kiekko-Espoo/Liiga
Having Rimpinen ranked second on my list may surprise some, considering Petteri was passed over in last year’s draft and will soon turn 19 years old. Still, if I’m being honest, I think he is the most NHL-ready of any goaltender available this year.
And that’s because, unlike most other available goalies in this draft class, Petteri is currently playing as a professional in his country’s highest-level league, the Liiga.
This season, while playing 36 games thus far for the Kiekko-Espoo, Rimpinen has managed to post a goals-against-average of 2.46 and a save percentage of .910%. And, if that wasn’t proof enough that “Mr. Showtime” can stand tall against the competition, Petteri, who is the definition of a big game goaltender, was able to take home the honors of being named the World Junior Championships U-20 Top Goaltender.
Where he played in seven games during that tournament and was able to post a 2.34 goals against average and a .933 save percentage that allowed his team to bring home the silver medal.
Now, if I were to describe his game, I would say that Petteri is able to succeed because of his precise movements and sharp angles, which allow him to always be in the correct position. And once in the proper position, Rimpinen covers the bottom of the net amazingly by making use of his telescopic legs and black hole upper half of his body, which somehow allows him to swallow all pucks coming at him in close, eliminating any chance of a rebound.
Elijah Neuenschwander- HC Fribourg-Gottéron U20
For my third pick in this year’s draft, I would suggest teams take a look at my favorite goaltender coming out of this draft, Elijah Neuenschwander.
If you aren’t familiar with his game, that’s not surprising, considering Elijah, who is 6’4 and 193 pounds, hails from the lesser-scouted country of Switzerland.
And it’s in the “Playground of Europe” that this old-school stand-up style netminder has managed to make it to the professional ranks in his native country, playing in the SL (Switzerland’s second highest pro level) for the EHC Chur, where he has gone 6-2-1 over nine games played.
This young netminder will obviously take a little more time to develop, given his need to transition to the North American style game, but boy, when he does, I think he will be something special.
Pyotr Andreyanov- Krasnaya Armiya Moskva / MHL
Andreyanov is rated by most to be the top-rated international goalie available in this year’s draft. And, why I can see why some would put him there with his elite-level glove hand, his astonishing save percentage that is currently hovering around .940%, and his sub-two goals against average.
I can’t help but wince when I notice other aspects of his game. For example, if a player shoots the puck on the ice at his stick or skates, Pyotr, nine times out of ten, will give up the most eye-popping rebound to the opposition’s awaiting power forward. Also, while I’m not one to necessarily care about the height of a goaltender, the fact that Pyotr, who only stands at 6’0 tall, shrinks himself down to see around traffic in front of his net is concerning. As I have noticed in games, even players at the MHL level have begun to take note of this and have started to sail shots right over his shoulders. So, just think what an NHL player will be able to do with that big of a target to shoot at.
However, I think all that could be cleaned up with a bit of help from a good goalie coach. Don’t get me wrong, I think the kid is really talented, but like most his age, he still needs some work.
The question is, would he be worth the trouble? Remember, we have still not seen Andreyanov play in any international tournaments, such as the World Juniors. Now, this, of course, is to no fault of his own with all that is still going on in his country. But it still leaves questions unanswered.
That’s why, if it were me and, I wanted to take a chance to try and land one of the next great Russian netminders. I would head up to London, Ontario, and start scouting…
Alexei Medvedev- London Knights/OHL
This 17-year-old Russian netminder, who stands at 6’3, is one of the youngest players in this draft. And, because he came to North America at an early age, he isn’t held hostage by a multi-year contract like most others who were classically trained and still play back in Mother Russia.
In this, his first season with the Knights, Alexei has seen his stock rise exponentially after delivering game after game of some of the most solid play the OHL has seen this season. And the more I watch Medvedev play, the more impressed I become because I simply can’t find any holes in his game. Alexei plays with the kind of confidence and patience that most would expect to see from a 20-year-old overeager in this league who should have turned pro already.
Now, again, this list is, of course, subjective. But you can trust it because it comes from a goaltender who has been playing this game for over thirty years now and has coached for at least ten of those. Remember, I watched a lot of tape on these guys and have interviewed quite a few of them as well. So, I can honestly say I think all of these guys will make excellent pros one day real soon.
Tough Decisions Lie Ahead for the Flyers’ GM
Photo Credit: Derik Hamilton, AP
I think we can all agree that the Four Nations Championships far exceeded most of our expectations. But, it’s time for the Flyers General Manager Danny Briere to get back to the business at hand.
As I’m sure you remember, right before the break, Danny decided to chalk this season up as a loss and went out and finally found a buyer for both Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee when he shipped the pair off to the Calgary Flames on January 31st. But now, with the NHL’s March 7th Trade Deadline looming ever closer, he will be faced with the much more complex decision of whether he should continue with the fire sale of players from his current roster in order to gain more draft pick compensation and or cap space. Or retain them and continue to settle for their ongoing state of mediocrity.
What makes this impending decision seem like Briere will choose the latter is the fact that the players that prospecting teams are calling Danny about are ones that he is not exactly enthused to move out.
Scott Laughton
Case in point: their long-standing veteran Scott Laughton. Now, Scott, who is rapidly approaching 31 years of age, was drafted by the Flyers in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has been a consummate professional over the years. He is well known and respected around the league for always giving 110% out there, applying himself both on the forecheck and the backcheck. To add to that, Laughton has never complained over the years, despite being asked by the Flyers to play up and down the lineup and being moved from center to the wing position on a whim.
However, as good a teammate as he is both on and off the ice, Scott lacks the offensive prowess his team so desperately needs, which makes him nothing more than a depth forward. And, while every team needs a couple of those kinds of reliable players to round out their rosters. The Flyers could stand to move on from this defensively responsible forward, especially if doing so gives them the chance to draft a more dynamic one, because let’s face it, they would still have exact clones of Laughton in the form of Sean Couturier, Ryan Poehling, and Noah Cates.
What’s his worth on the open market, you might be asking? Well, I assure you it’s certainly not what the Flyers are currently asking for him, seeing that most rumor sights have confirmed that any trade involving Scott would acquire opposing teams to give Philadelphia a first-round pick and possibly an already-drafted prospect.
And I don’t know about you, but I think that price seems a little steep, considering Laughton has only managed to post an average of 8 goals and 22 points a season over his 12-year NHL career.
However, what makes him desirable to the masses is the fact that Laughton is signed for a very reasonable $ 3,000,000 through the end of next season, which would be quite the bargain compared to the other rumored centers on the market like Yanni Gourde from Seattle who makes $5,166,667 a year, Brock Nelson of the Islanders who makes $6,000,000 a season, Dylan Cozens of the Sabers who makes $7.1 million a season, or Elias Pettersson of the Canucks who rakes in a whopping $ 11,600,000 a year.
With that being said, let’s take a look at which team may be the best suitor for his services and what the Flyers should be asking from them in return.
While the Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators have all at least kicked the tires on Laughton, I believe the team that has shown the most interest in his services would be:
The Toronto Maple Leafs
It has been rumored for weeks now that the Maple Leafs have been scouting Scotty, and it makes sense, seeing that he was born in nearby Oakville, Ontario, and would be a much-needed upgrade down the middle over guys like Pontus Holmberg and David Kampf who are currently taking draws for the Leafs on their bottom six.
Acquiring Laughton and slotting him in behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares would allow them to solidify three excellent lines.
But to do so, they are going to have to convince Briere to part with his beloved Laughton since he’s not really shopping Scott and is only willing to take calls for him. They better come correct, which means since the Leafs no longer have ownership of their first-round selection in this draft. I would suggest they offer up Florida’s second-round pick, which they currently possess, and throw a prospect’s name out there that Briere is going to be familiar with. And that’s Easton Cowan.
Cowan is a 19-year-old center/wing that the Leafs drafted in the 1st round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Easton, who has 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points for the London Knights of the OHL this season, is already signed to an entry-level deal and often plays on the same line as Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk. So, there’s no doubt Briere is familiar with Cowan and would be at least intrigued enough to spark serious conversation to the point both teams could hopefully agree to a deal.
Rasmus Ristolainen
The next player that Danny has been receiving calls about, and with whom he will have to make a decision on whether he wants to part ways or not, is his 30-year-old right-hand shooting defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. When Risto first came to the Flyers, fans were overcome with excitement because they thought he would bring with him some much-needed grit and physicality. Like the kind, they lost when Pronger retired and Radko Gudas was traded.
But the player they got, turned out to be much different than the one fans were forced to watch destroy their orange and black for so many seasons before trading for him. He played more reserved and less on the edge, and for at least the first three seasons he was here, Rasmus showed them why he is still a career -178 defenseman.
This year, however, has been different. While still lacking the testosterone that he once played with, Rasmus has been playing more defensively responsible, to the point where, for the first time in his career, he finds himself maintaining a plus average. (+4).
And, with that being said, Briere isn’t exactly eager to move the towering Finnish blueliner, who is signed through the next two seasons at a reasonable $5.1 million a season.
As far as potential suitors, I would say it would be between Edmonton and Winnipeg.
Edmonton is probably the one in more need, but with far less to offer, considering the Flyers sent the 32nd pick in this last draft to the Oilers for the rights to their 2025 or 2026 first-round pick. The conditions are that it will most likely be the 2025 pick since it is only Top 12 protected, and the Oilers don’t look like they are going to finish in the bottom half of the league this season.
So, in my opinion, if the Flyers want to make room next season for younger, more cap-friendly options already in their system, like defensemen Emil Andrae, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, or Oliver Bonk then I would say the better option to get more from the return would be to make a deal with…
The Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are currently leading the league in points with (81), and they still hold the rights to their first-round pick this summer. So they might be willing to give it up to obtain a solid defender with multiple years still on his contract seeing that this Manitoba providence has trouble selling themselves to free agents, barring the fact that it holds a record low temp of -54 degrees. And its “Snowy Period” has been known to last nearly seven months!
And with them now wisely locking up their now two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, for many years to come, they might be willing to part with more assets in order to make him happy.
So, what should the Flyers ask for the next time the Jets do come calling? Well, with Ristolainen now playing some of the best hockey of his life and not being just another rental player like others on the market, I would feel safe asking for the Jets 1st rounder this year.
If they are unwilling to do that, then seeing that they don’t have possession of their second-round pick because it now belongs to the New Jersey Devils, I would ask for one of their top-drafted prospects who are thriving right now.
Braden Yager
A bold move would be to ask for the 20-year-old center who stands at 6’0 tall and possesses an absolute cannon of a shot, who they acquired from the Penguins in exchange for the disgruntled Rutger McGroarty, but the probability of them agreeing to that trade considering they just traded for him themselves back in August is very low.
Colby Barlow
So, my ask if I were in charge would be for their 2023 first-round pick, forward Colby Barlow, who, despite only playing in 50 games last year in the OHL, he still managed to score 40 goals. Barlow is 6’1 and 194 pounds, and just like Yager, he too has an absolutely fantastic shot. He’s signed on a rookie deal until the end of the 26-27 season and would, no doubt in my mind, immediately improve the Flyers’ horrendous power play unit.
And, if this trade meant that the Flyers would need to take on a bad contract to even the books out, then they could take on 31-year-old Alex Iafallo, whose $4 million a year contract is due up at season’s end.
These are just two examples of trades that the Flyers could make if they wanted to continue to purge players in the pursuit of becoming a contender again. The question is, will Danny be daring enough to try it, or will he stand fast with the player he has now and see what he can do come draft day?
Why are Other Teams out Here Playing Chess While the Flyers are Left Playing Checkers?
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In the not-so-distant past, I can remember putting in for the NHL Trade Deadline Day off work so I could sit there and watch teams scramble at the last minute to try to make their teams better. But times have changed, and nowadays, clever teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, who just went out and acquired Stanley Cup Champion Mikko Rantanen and 2010’s number one overall pick Taylor Hall in a trade for what basically boiled down to them having to give up Martin Necas (a good/but not great young player), and a couple of picks.
This trade came more than a month (six weeks to be exact) ahead of the March 7th NHL Trade Deadline.
Now, I get it; the Flyers are not in the same situation as the Hurricanes. But come on, they have not won a Stanley Cup since 1975; that’s 50 years! And they have managed to accumulate only one playoff series win over the last decade.
So, when this team finally said they were committing to a rebuild when they brought in the brash but effective John Tortorella to be their new Head Coach and hired Dan Hilferty as the new CEO, Keith Jones as the new President of Hockey Operations, and Danny Briere as the new General Manager I was excited for the possibility of them finally going to move on from their long-standing history of mediocrity.
Especially since shortly after those previously stated individuals were all hired, you saw changes occur rapidly in the way of player development personnel, the athletic training staff, upgrades to the Phantoms coaching staff, and the exodus of players at the NHL level like the very overrated Ivan Provorov, and Kevin Hayes.
But it seems as though even after they were able to discard the so-called locker room cancers and the team was able to hold down a playoff position for more than 100 straight days last season, they are right back to their same old inconsistent ways of losing just enough games NOT to make the playoffs but win just enough NOT to draft within the lottery. Hearing that I think it should also be noted that the team finds itself in this predicament despite being able to add a player of Matvei Michkov’s caliber to their roster this offseason.
This is puzzling to me. To the point I think some questions need to be raised. Like, has John Tortorella’s antiquated/manic ways of coaching run their course here in Philly? Yes, I get that he was brought in to get the most out of the guys we had and that he has two Jack Adams Awards and a Stanley Cup win to his credit, but that Cup win was way back in 2004 when I was graduating from High School some 21 years ago. With that being said, might I remind you, we live in the here and now, and over the course of the last three seasons Torts has coached in Philly, he has managed to win only .495% of his games. That is the lowest win percentage of any of the five teams he has ever coached for.
Can’t you see that this team is just reverting to their old ways? And to prove that, all you have to do is look at the Flyers power play unit, which currently finds itself right back among the worst in the league. 28TH, to be exact, with them only being able to net a goal on the man advantage 16% of the time. And I have to say the penalty-killing unit isn’t doing much better, with them only managing to kill a penalty 77.4% of the time, ranking them 20th in the league.
Now, I’m not saying Danny Briere is doing a lousy job. But there’s a difference between moving a Mountain and a Molehill! While I respect the fact he has managed to set himself up with potentially three first-round picks and three-second rounds picks this year, those picks are beginning to look less impressive when you find out Philadelphia is scheduled to get the Avalanche’s 1st pick, which, if the season ended today the Flyers would find themselves picking 21st overall and the Oilers 1st round selection which as of today has them making that selection 30th overall.
I’m sure whoever they get in those spots will probably one day be a decent NHL player, but do we really need another Morgan Frost, who was drafted 27th overall, Scott Laughton, who was drafted 20th overall, Tyson Foerster who was drafted 23rd overall, or Joel Farabee who was taken 14th overall in his draft year? There simply won’t be franchise-changing players left to select this late in the draft, so if the team really wants to bust out of the constant state of mediocrity they continue to find themselves in, they will need to get creative!
To do that, they cannot continue to put up with this inconsistent play where they are able to beat a playoff team pretty decisively one night like they did the Devils on Monday the 27th, only to get completely embarrassed by them the very next game 5-0.
That means Danny Briere must stop trying to dangle the same old stinky bait out there and keep expecting a bigger fish (team) with more to offer to bite on it. Don’t get me wrong; I respect him for trying to get the most out of what he has to offer. But let’s face it, Danny has had names like Frost, Laughton, Farabee, and Ristolainen out there for years now and has been rumored to pass on deals if prospecting teams are not trying to offer up 1st round picks plus some.
Now, maybe this is just me, but if I tried that long to trade someone and was not getting the return offers I wanted, I would switch it up a bit. For example, if Briere is not getting the 1st round picks that he wants, then maybe it would be wise to settle for a second or third-round pick and instead, in addition to that, ask for one of the opposing team’s already drafted young players within the system.
Take, for instance, the Washington Capitals. They are currently in first place in not only the Metropolitan Division but the entire Eastern Conference. And with an aging superstar like Alexander Ovechkin, they know they may not get many more chances at winning another cup with him at the helm, so why not give them a call and ask what they need?
Because at this point, if I were the Flyers, I would be willing to offer up just about anybody not named Michkov if that meant I could garner another late first-round pick or even settle for another second or third-round pick that I could combine with the other multitude of top-round selections the Flyers already possess to make an offer to a team that is due to select inside the Top 5 overall that they will not be able to refuse. So, the Flyers could make sure to get a franchise-changing center like James Hagens or Michael Misa to pair with Michkov.
In addition to that, in that hypothetical trade with the Caps, because they settled for a second or third-round pick for some of their players, they can then ask for one of the Capitals’ top prospects, like Ryan Leonard or Andrew Cristall.
Now, I know what you’re thinking; it would take a lot to get the Caps to agree to something like this, and you’re right. But, it’s like that old idiom says: You have to be willing to give up something in order to get something in return. Even if that meant having to give up a staple of your team, like Sean Couturier or Owen Tippett, or if not them, then a restricted free agent like Tyson Foerster, who scored 20 goals last year, or 24-year-old defenseman Cam York, they should do it. Because if you are truly building for the future with a championship in mind, then you should be willing to do whatever you have to in order to acquire a possible franchise-changing talent.
And don’t try to tell me that Washington couldn’t afford to take them on because they have both Nicklas Backstrom, who makes $9.2 million a year, and T.J. Oshie, who makes $5.7 million a year, who are currently on Long Term Injured Reserve set to become unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Remember, this is just one example. There are plenty of playoff-contending teams the Flyers should be out there contacting. For clubs are no longer waiting for the deadline to make moves. Therefore, Briere should be acting now in order not to end up like his predecessor Chuck Flecther did for so many years, when, at the conclusion of the trade deadline, he was left sitting in his office wondering why his phone didn’t ring.