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Why are Other Teams out Here Playing Chess While the Flyers are Left Playing Checkers?
Photo Credit: https://blendermarket.com/
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.
Top Five Defenders Available in the 2025 NHL Draft
Photo Credit: https://chl.ca/whl-americans
With the new year now upon us, I thought it was time to continue with this series of articles highlighting who I think are the best prospects available for each position.
Previously, I put out my evaluation of the best forwards available this spring, which you can read below if you’re interested.
But this article will focus on the top blueliners available. And my oh my, are there some good ones in this draft.
With perhaps the cream of the crop being:
Matthew Schaefer-LHS
This young man, who shoots from the left side and stands at 6’2 and 183 pounds, is so good that he is projected to be taken with one of the top three picks overall. And, in my mind, I believe the likelihood of that coming true is high, primarily due to the work I see him putting in on a nightly basis while playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.
Logging in massive minutes on the blue line for the Otters this year, Schaefer has shown he can be trusted to play against the opposition’s top lines. It doesn’t matter if it requires him to play five-on-five, quarterback the power play, or be out there when his team is down a man or two. Matthew has been able to perform his job with masterful precision.
Offering up a perfectly blended mix of reliable defense and opportune offense (thanks to his elite skating ability), Schaefer has managed to compile seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in only 17 games played for Erie this year. And reading that, I don’t care who you are; you have to admit that a defender who can score at a rate of 1.29 points per game while maintaining a +21 average is going to be very enticing this spring.
I think it should also be noted that Schaefer was still among Team Canada’s point leaders at the recent World Junior U20 Tournament despite only playing in two games because of that darn goalpost jumping out and getting him. And while I’m not the kind to play around with what-ifs situations, I can’t help but think that things might have gone a little different for Canada if he was in the lineup for all their games.
Jackson Smith-LHS
Another enticing name that I feel should be on this list is Jackson Smith. Jackson is a 6’3, 190-pound defender who can also skate like the wind. Smith plays for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, where this season, he has a total of two goals and 27 assists for 29 points in 36 games played.
Now, while Smith may not be as refined as Schaefer just yet, let me assure you that Smith’s potential is through the roof. Because as good as he is now, Jackson’s true worth is still yet to be determined. And what I mean by that is he is a student of the game. Smith is always trying to add new aspects to his game and refine others. In an effort to make sure he’s not going to be just another prospect who you hear about plateauing too early in random conversations 10 years from now when people see him driving a Zamboni at his hometown rink.
That’s why, because of his efforts both on and off the ice, Jackson continues to see his stock rise as the NHL draft looms closer and closer. Where even currently, most so-called draft experts have him going inside the Top 10.
Kashawn Aitcheson-LHS
Now, some of you may not agree, but I view Aitcheson as the third-best defender in this draft class. And that’s because night in and night out, this man has been asked and proved capable of shutting down top-tier talent like Michael Misa and Porter Martone.
What I love about this guy is that Kashawn is one of the most physical defensemen in this draft class. This old-school player has no problem entering into board battles, blocking shots, clearing the front of the net, and throwing hands when needed to protect a fellow teammate.
And, honestly, I think for every offensive-minded defenseman a team has, they need to get back in the habit of drafting a prospect that plays the way Kashawn does so that they can stay back and protect goals from happening while the other joins the rush. I thought that was taught in Hockey 101, but some GMs must have skipped class that day or something.
As far as where or when he will be drafted, it’s hard to say because Aitcheson is the type of player that a team can really fall in love with and, therefore, might reach a bit for if he is still on the board when they take the podium.
Logan Hensler- RHS
Now, although he won’t offer you a lot as far as the score sheet goes, Logan is a big, bodied defender who can log A LOT of minutes and moves the puck with ease. Standing at 6’2, 196 pounds, Logan oftentimes can be found using his size to assist him in protecting the puck from the opposition as he carries it up ice to set up his club with an offensive zone chance.
And while he may not be able to finish off a play like other defenders on this list, trust me, come draft day, Hensler will still have a lot of suitors fighting for his services.
Carter Amico-RHS
For my final pick to round out my Top Five Defenders in this draft class, I’m going to go off the board a bit and suggest a guy who I think is being slept on, and that’s the towering 6’5 205-pound prospect known as Carter Amico.
Now, as some of you may know, Carter was playing for the United States National Development Program this year before he suffered a season-ending leg injury. This injury couldn’t come at a worse time, as he was just starting to gain some recognition away from some of his more well-known USA defenders. But therein lies the chance for a team that was paying attention to cash in by selecting him this spring.
Carter is possibly the most physical of any defenders in this draft class. Game after game, Carter was able to wear down the opposition by inflicting as much pain as possible, which he did so by way of delivering the most bone-crushing hits imaginable. His body checks were so impactful that they left his opponents thinking twice before going back along the boards to retrieve a puck, which we all know is a trait that goes a long way, especially during a seven-game playoff series.
As far as when we will get to see him play again, Amico says he should be ready to go by the time next season commences and is committed to playing for Boston University of the NCAA next season, so we will get to see what he can do against full grown men in a league that most now think of as the second-best league in the world.
Again, these players are who I view as being the best defenders set to come out of the draft this year. I know there are some other choices I could have made, but I’ve done extensive research on this draft class and interviewed most of them as well. So remember, this is just my opinion. You can take it or leave it. Because, as we all know, with any prospect, only time will reveal whether I was right or wrong anyway. And that’s just the beauty of this game.
How the Flyers can Upgrade the Center Position without breaking the Bank or giving up the Farm
(All stats in this article were pulled before the start of the Redwings game on 12-8-2024)
It’s no secret that the Flyers need help down the middle of the ice. However, the team has made efforts to get better between the dots by selecting Jett Luchanko this past summer. Who, mind you, has looked good this season after returning to the Guelph Storm of the OHL, scoring 20 points in just 16 games played. It should also be noted that he recently made Team Canada’s 2025 World Junior Championship roster. But it is becoming rapidly apparent that the Flyers may no longer be able to endure while they wait for him or whatever other talented prospects they may draft this summer to arrive.
The reason being is their lack of production from their current crop of center icemen, starting with Sean Couturier, who, although he makes nearly eight million dollars a season, has only been able to record 15 points in 30 games played. Now, I’m sorry, a half-a-point-per-game average and a 0.20 goals-per-game average is utterly unacceptable given his salary and the fact that Sean gets to play on a line with guys like Konecny, Michkov, and Tippett every night.
Sadly, it only gets worse from there. Morgan Frost has scored only four goals and 12 points this season for an average of 0.14 goals per game and 0.44 points per game.
Scott Laughton has netted only seven goals and 14 points this year, which computes to him putting up 0.22 goals per game and 0.45 points per game.
Noah Cates has only totaled two goals and seven points this season for a whopping total of 0.07 goals per game and 0.25 points per game.
And Ryan Poehling has managed to push only one goal past the opposition’s netminder this year and has totaled only nine points in 28 games played, for an average of 0.03 goals-per-game and 0.32 points-per-game.
Still, this makes me wonder why they have seemed to double down with their existing crew, considering they have a guy like Anthony Richard, who, while only playing in seven games this season when the others previously mentioned have been injured, has managed to put up six points. Now, while he may not be a long-term answer, he brings energy and has been playing better than the scrubs they have been putting out there on a nightly basis.
And, why I get some fans may not get the sense of urgency that I am trying to convey here, being that the team currently sits in fourth in the Metropolitan Division, I would urge them to think of the mental and physical impact it is having on our young star Matvei Michkov. For as it stands now, he and Travis Konecny have had to do it all this season, and believe me, opposing teams know this. Making them marked men. As made evident by the beatings, Matvei has been forced to take on a nightly basis this season. The thought process behind this being if they take Michkov out of the equation, then their team has a good chance of winning.
Lucky for us, despite Matvei receiving this treatment and not having any real help or threat to score coming from the center position, he has still somehow managed to thrive, as he is currently leading all rookies this season in goals with 11 and points with 27. So, just think what he could do if he had some help down the middle. Then maybe, just maybe, Matvei wouldn’t have to try and do it all (I.E., attempting things like a Michigan goal from behind the net) that then leads to him receiving a scolding from his head coach, John Tortorella.
So, in order to keep Michkov healthy and get him out of this predicament, I would urge the Flyers management to make a move for a youthful centerman who could make an immediate impact without breaking the bank or them having to give up the farm.
And, while I get that the idea of this seems easier said than done, trust me, it most certainly is feasible. I just think that the Flyers have been looking in the wrong places for help. Players like Shane Pinto and Josh Norris aren’t worth the asking price that Ottawa would be requesting for them to agree to a trade. Former 2019 1st-round pick Peyton Krebs, who has speed and playmaking ability that plays for the Sabers, may seem enticing, but I believe Buffalo has all but ruined him. Then there is the often-rumored Trevor Zegras of Anaheim, whose showboating attitude and inconsistent play might just be the thing that sends John Tortorella to an early grave if management were to acquire him.
The way I see it, the only HOT take that I’ve seen that makes even the slightest bit of sense for the Flyers would be for them to try and acquire the 23-year-old center Marco Rossi from the Minnesota Wild. But while Marco and the Wild have not really seen eye to eye on everything (which sparked the current trade rumors surrounding him), I don’t see the Wild being dumb enough to part ways with a player who in his first full season in Minnesota last year scored 21 goals and 40 points. Not to mention the fact that Rossi is a restricted free agent who is currently playing on the Wild’s top line and is on pace this season to score 29 goals and 66 points; you find some common ground with those types of players who are that young and talented you don’t trade them.
Besides, even if Minnesota has exhausted all options with him and was willing to part with Rossi, you know old Billy Guerin, their GM, is going to be asking for a king’s ransom for Rossi’s services, considering he knows the Flyers have three first and three second-round picks in this summers draft.
So, to me, the better option would be for the Flyers to look a little deeper into some playoff-caliber team’s depth charts to find a player who is playing above expectations in the minors, but because of their NHL clubs’ success has yet to be brought up to the big show.
With that mindset, I could think of no team better to start with than last year’s Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. A team that, for some time now, has been known to prefer the help of wisely old veterans to that of able-bodied youth.
Ryan McAllister
And, if they do that, Danny Briere and the rest of the Flyers brass would find a young 22-year-old center by the name Ryan McAllister, who the Panthers signed a few years back as an undrafted free agent from the NCAA’s Western Michigan University, which don’t forget is Keith Jones’ the Flyers President of Hockey Operations beloved Alma Mater.
Now, if you are not familiar with Ryan or his game, he is a 5’10, 185-pound center who made his claim to fame back in the 2021-2022 season while playing for the Brooks Bandits of the then AJHL, where he won a slew of awards. When he was able to score 57 goals and 82 assists for 139 points in 60 regular season games played. Folks that means he was netting, on average, 2.31 points per game. A feat that he was able to duplicate come playoff time that year when he scored ten goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 13 games played for an average of 2.23 points per game.
And with him having that type of year, it obviously caught the attention of Western Michigan, where the very next season, in 2022-2023, Ryan was able to step right into the NCAA as a freshman and take it by storm, scoring 13 goals and 36 assists for 49 points in 39 games played for an average of 1.25 points-per-game.
Now, a few short years removed from his collegiate days, McAllister is prospering nicely to the tune of seven goals and eight assists for 15 points scored in 16 games played for the Panthers AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Who, if he continues at this pace, Ryan is projected to finish the season with 28 goals, and 33 assists, for 61 points.
But, as impressive as those stats may be, what I like most about McAllister is the fact that his presence on the ice usually results in everyone around him raising their game and point totals. Take, for instance, his former linemates from the Bandits, forward T.J. Hughes and defenseman Zach Bookman. Before the two became linemates, Hughes only managed to score 15 goals and 31 points the previous season. But when put on a line with McAllister every night his stats skyrocketed to 66 goals and 61 assists for a total of 127 regular season points. This kind of season, of course, led to Hughes receiving an excellent opportunity to play for the University of Michigan, where he has had moderate success at best and, sadly, to this point, has failed to get drafted or signed by an NHL team; which explains why he is still playing there three seasons later.
The same goes for Zach Bookman. The year Bookman played an entire season with Ryan for the Bandits, Zac looked as though he was on his way to fame and fortune, considering he managed to break the AJHL record for points scored by a defenseman when he posted (102). A record, mind you, that was previously held by none other than the great Cal Makar, who only managed to post a measly (75) points. But now that Zac is three years removed from playing with Ryan seeing that he choose to take his talents to Merrimack College, you can still find him playing there, totaling just six points in 16 games played this season.
If that’s not enough evidence, you can also look at a guy like Jason Polin, who (thanks to Ryan) is now a Colorado Avalanche prospect. Before McAllister joined him at Western Michigan, Jason finished the 21-22 campaign with a respectable 16 goals and 26 points, but the following year, when Ryan joined the team, Polin saw his numbers rise to new heights, netting 30 goals and 47 points. However, just like the others since then, Polin has not been able to recreate the kind of production he had previously while playing with McAllister. And to better prove my point, I think it should be noted that Polin has only managed to post just six points this season for Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Eagles.
Now, this, of course, was not meant to be a shot at any one of these players, for they have made it much farther playing this great game than I did. Instead, it was merely a way I could show how good McAllister really is. I could go on, but I believe you are beginning to get my point, which is that everywhere McAllister has played, his teams have seen not only success but also a massive surge in their offensive production. So, if the Flyers were to acquire Ryan McAllister from the Panthers for, say, a bottom-six guy like Bobby Brink or a defenseman with Stanley Cup Winning experience like Erik Johnson, who would hopefully assist Florida in their pursuit of a possible repeat this spring. Then, I would be willing to bet that Ryan could do the same here in Philadelphia.
Again, like the Flyers provided Owen Tippett, all McAllister may need is a chance to prove himself. The question is, are the Flyers smart enough to give him that chance?