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Flyers have Addressed Many Issues This Off Season, but one they have yet to touch is the Left Wing Position.
With the additions this off-season of defenseman Marc Staal, right wing Garnet Hathaway, and center Ryan Poehling, Danny Briere, the Flyers’ newly appointed general manager, has certainly managed to bring in an established veteran presence who will be able to help guide this team’s youthful core. But there’s just one thing; management has yet to address their lack of depth at left wing. To date, the team currently only has three natural left-wingers signed. Only two are proven NHL talents, Joel Farabee and Nicolas Deslauriers. The other is prospect Elliott Desnoyers. Their unsigned left-wing talent is as follows prospect Cutter Gauthier, who refused to sign with the team when offered an entry-level deal earlier this off-season and recently turned down the invite to development camp. Another is Alex Bump, who is having a good camp but is still a year or two away, and lastly, Alex Cernik, the Flyers’ 2023 4th-round pick.
The right side is a different monster, though. The Flyers have tons of depth lining up on that side of the faceoff circle, with names like Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Garnet Hathaway, Wade Allison, and Cam Atkinson all being natural right-wingers who are already on the Flyers roster. On top of that, the team has multiple right-wingers in the waiting like this summer’s first-round pick Matvei Michkov, early-round draftees like ’20 1st round pick Tyson Foerster, ’21 2nd round pick Samu Tuomaala, ’19 2nd round pick Bobby Brink, ’22 3rd round pick Devin Kaplan, and late round gem Alexis Gendron who managed to score 55 goals this season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
To combat this lopsided depth chart, the Flyers invited the 23-year-old NCAA undrafted left-wing prospect Matt Brown to Development Camp. Brown, who stands at just 5’9, played in 39 games for the Boston Terriers this past season, scoring 16 goals and 31 assists for a total of 47 points. These totals equated to him scoring at a 1.20 points-per-game pace. To go along with that impressive stat, he also maintained a +15 average on the season. But unless he outshines the other Flyers previously drafted prospects that the franchise has coveted and scouted for months/years before selecting them, he will not be able to garner a contract by the end of this week.
So, who does that leave the team within which to fill those vacant roster spots created by James van Riemsdyk’s recent departure? Center Scott Laughton has been known to play left wing over the recent years but shouldn’t be counted on to stay there all season long as Sean Couturier should now be labeled as injury prone as he missed all of last season and only played in a combined 74 games throughout the last three seasons after sustaining numerous injuries that required him to have to endure two separate back surgeries.
For those of you who have never played the game, it might be easy to say the team should just force one of their young and upcoming right-wingers to slide over and play their off-wing. But I would disagree. That may work in the minor leagues where a promising prospect can react fast enough to get the best of a career AHL’er. But it won’t work in the NHL, where everyone is the world’s fastest, strongest, and most talented players. By doing this, the team is putting said prospect at a severe disadvantage. Let me give you some examples. Every time that off-wing tries to break out of the defensive zone, that prospect is forced to either receive the puck on their backhand or turn their backs entirely to the opposition’s defense to accept a pass on their forehand. This proves to be very dangerous as they then become an unsuspecting target when they turn around, and the opposing defense is there to try and administer a filling rattling open ice hit to regain the puck for their team. Ouch!!! To compare the severity of that kind of impact (think of a slot receiver in football when they stretch out to catch a ball over their head only to come back down and have a middle linebacker like Ray Lewis or Brain Urlacher coming at them in full stride while foaming at the mouth).
Those same drawbacks happen once they cross into the offensive zone, seeing that a player who is forced to play his off-wing will feel immediately handcuffed by any pass heading in their direction because they will always be on their backhand. And in that split second it takes to try to stop and bring it to their forehand for a better shot, sometimes is all the time a goaltender needs to dish out a little left-hand larceny.
So, with all the big-name unrestricted free agents now inked to new deals, how might Briere manage to bring in some much-needed help on the left side? Well, he could call his old Sabers teammate Chris Drury who is now the New York Rangers General Manager, and ask him what it might take to acquire their former number one overall pick Alexis Lafrenière. I mean, it is plausible. The Rangers have already gone out this off-season and signed veterans like Blake Wheeler, Tyler Pitlick, Riley Nash, Connor Mackey, and goaltender Jonathan Quick to fill vacancies in their lineup. But because of this recent shopping spree, Drury has left himself with very little cap space left to re-sign his own restricted free agents. So much so that he has been rumored to be listening to offers for Lafrenière even though he hopes to be able to keep him. But Drury also has restricted free agent (RFA) defenseman K’Andre Miller to sign, who has been an integral part of the Rangers’ defense over the last couple of seasons and is rightly due a substantial pay raise. This makes Alexis (the other RFA) possibly the odd man out, seeing that he has been rumored not to be willing to sign a team-friendly bridge deal.
And who could blame him? Alexis is a natural left winger with a ton of skill that is still just 21 years of age. He already has three NHL seasons of experience under his belt, but to date, he has yet to reach his full potential because he has been buried on the depth chart by other Ranger superstar left wings like Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin. But that doesn’t mean that Lafrenière has failed to produce. In the ’21-22 season, Alexis set a career-high in goals with 19, and this past season he set a career-high in points with 39.
These totals might not seem entirely up to par with what you would expect from a former number-one overall pick. Still, I believe if the Flyers could somehow acquire him from New York, his production might take off like Owen Tippett’s did when he was given a chance to finally play consistent top-six minutes upon arriving in Philadelphia.
The question now becomes, what exactly might Briere have to give his old teammate to obtain him? Might it take a 1st round pick? The Flyers have two of them next year. One of which previously belonged to the Florida Panthers, who, as we all know, made it to the Stanley Cup Finals this year, so if they are anything close to the team, they were last year; it will be like giving up an early second. My guess is that with the Rangers being short on funds and having to get cap compliant. They might be willing to settle for a lower-tier NHL roster player and someone like Samu Tuomaala or Bobby Brink, who also were taken early in their respective drafts and show a lot of promise.
Whether Briere chooses to orchestrate a sign-and-trade deal or settles for retaining his rights, given that he is due to get more cap space with the DeAngelo trade supposedly being finalized in the next few days, I think the cost would be worth it. For adding Alexis to the youth movement here on Broad Street that already includes Foerster, Gauthier, and now Michkov, the Flyers struggles are sure to become a thing of the past once they find themselves all playing on the same sheet of ice.
Evaluating Dealing Danny’s First Draft Haul as the Flyers GM
Leading up to this draft, the Flyers faithful had their hope in this franchise restored as Dealing Danny Briere had already managed to acquire an additional first-round selection for his team when he dealt defenseman Ivan Provorov away to Columbus in a three-team trade which also involved the LA Kings. A couple of days later, Danny was able to unload part of Kevin Hayes’s inflated contract in a trade that sent him packing to the St. Louis Blues.
So, even before he made his first pick as the Flyers’ new GM, he had already started changing the landscape here on Broad Street.
Now for the draft. On day one, Danny waited his turn as there proved not to be many trades in the opening round. So, with each passing selection, Briere’s mouth was watering. When it finally came time for the Flyers to head to the podium, one of their rumored favorites, right-hand shot defenseman David Reinbacher had already been taken fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens. But the forecasted favorite Ryan Leonard from the United States National Development Program was still on the board, as well, as the highly touted Russian offensive dynamo Matvei Michkov. Some projected this player to be the best player to come out of Russia since maybe Alexander Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin, which is a lot to live up to for sure.
Round 1 (Seventh overall) Matvei Michkov Wing KHL
Philly’s choice, as we all know now, was Michkov. But I am not as sold as much as some others on this prospect. As you can imagine with, Russia actively being at war with not only the Ukraine but themselves as well (as some of their soldiers recently went rogue and launched a full-on civil war to try and overthrow their President: Vladimir Putin). Getting any additional scouts into Russia to grade this supposed generational talent has been challenging. To further play into the mystery of Matvei Michkov was that he did not even attend this year’s NHL Combine. So, teams did not formally get to interview him or see him run through the paces physically as they did with so many other of this year’s top prospects.
But what left me really questioning whether the Flyers should not have just gone with someone else at seven is the mystery surrounding his 51-year-old father’s sudden death, which is still left unsolved. This came about allegedly after Matvei and his family decided that he should pursue his dream of playing in the NHL. At the same time, his dad Andrei was said to be trying any way possible to get his son’s current obligation of playing in the KHL for the next three years rescinded so that Matvei could play in North America A.S.A.P. Then, shortly after leaving the house one night with the promise of returning shortly, Matvei received a strange call that he could not make out what they were saying because the caller seemed out of range. Michkov wanted to tell his father about it, but his dad never came back home.
Come to find out, he was found later face down in a lake outside Sochi, the city of the team that Michkov is currently contractually shackled to.
https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/rumour-matvei-michkov-s-father-s-death-is-linked-to-his-son-s-nhl-career
So, you see, I’m not denying that Michkov is a very talented player, but I think I would have tended to side with the six other teams ahead of the Flyers that chose not to get involved with this Russian prospect.
Round 1 (22nd Overall) Oliver Bonk Def. London Knights OHL
With this newly acquired pick that the Flyers received from trading away defenseman Ivan Provorov it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that with the team selecting a forward with their first pick, their second first-round selection would be a defenseman. The blueliner that they chose was from Keith Jones’ longtime friend Dale Hunter’s team, the London Knights. His name is Oliver Bonk, and he is an 18-year right-hand shot defender who stands at 6’2 and weighs 172 pounds. While Bonk was able to post ten goals and 40 points in the OHL this season, his actual worth is his ability to shut down the opposition. Whether he is forcing them to the outside or causing them to create turnovers, you can rest assured that Oliver is of the mindset of defending at all costs first, then, and only then, if the opportunity presents itself, he’ll join the rush. A trait that I’m sure his dad, the former number three overall pick of the Ottawa Senators Radek Bonk, instilled in him from an early age.
Now is this the defenseman I would have taken at this point in the draft? NO! I would have taken the more aggressive and punishing Etienne Morin of the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, that later went to the Calgary Flames. But that doesn’t mean that I think Bonk was a bad choice. He has yet to show his full potential and should continue to develop new parts to his game over the next couple of seasons.
Round 2 (51st Overall) Carson Bjarnason G Brandon Wheat Kings WHL
This one was a surprise, for sure. The Flyers acquired this pick by trading a sixth-rounder this year and a 2024 second-round pick to the Blackhawks to select the 4th goalie taken this season. That netminder was Carson Bjarnason of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Carson is a 6’3 190, pound guardian of the blue paint that tends to keep tight angles on the puck and covers the bottom of the net very well. My only knock on him is that once he is down in the butterfly, he keeps his hands tight to his body and very low to try and add to the coverage of the bottom of the net. In the future, I would like to see Carson keep his hands a little higher, like I teach my younger goaltenders to do when dropping down to make a play. The reason for this is so that they don’t give up to much of the upper part of the net, which is a place where the more gifted players of the WHL, like Connor Bedard and company, were able to score on Bjarnason this season.
This is a big reason why his numbers suffered more than others. Carson, (who is a huge Carter Hart fan) played in 47 regular season games this year, where he posted a 3.08 goals against average (G.A.A.) with just a .900 save percentage (SV%). Out of those 47 games played, he only managed to win 21 of them, which equates to him only having a 44% win percentage.
Bjarnason shows a lot of promise, but I would have liked to see the team wait a bit to draft a goalie and get a guy like the Seattle Thunderbirds Scott Ratzlaff or the virtually unknown Calvin Vachon.
Round 3 (87th Overall) Egor Zavragin G Russian Jr’s
Unhappy with the current depth chart in net, Briere and President of Hockey Ops Keith Jones decided to go back-to-back goalies. Now, honestly, I don’t know much about Zavragin, seeing that he played in Russia and the scouting from outside the country was pretty limited this season. But here are his numbers while playing in the MHL (Russia’s version of Major Juniors). Egor posted a respectable 2.49 G.A.A. and a .920 SV%, in which he won 11 of the 21 games he played this season.
Round 3 (95 Overall) Denver Barkey Center London Knights OHL
Well, the Flyers’ second third-round pick screams Danny Briere, as you can see a lot of similarities in both center Denver Barkey and his game. Barkey is a diminutive center who currently stands well under 6’0. He persevered over his shortcomings by utilizing a motor that just won’t quit. Also, Barkey has a nice touch and fast release that has seen him net almost a point per game average this year, where he scored 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points in 61 games. It seems like Barkey will be heading back to London this upcoming season, where he appears almost destined to turn into one of the Knight’s top point producers.
Round 4 (103 Overall) Cole Knuble Center Fargo Force USHL
Well, here is a familiar name. Cole Knuble (yup, you guessed it) is the son of the former dominant Flyers power forward Mike Knuble, who spent parts of five seasons with the Flyers. Unlike his father, though, Cole is a center, a pretty good one, I might add. He plays just as gritty as his dad ever did. He even wears the same number as his dad did. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I would think Mike found the Fountain of Youth some wear and just changed his name to throw us all off. Cole played in 57 regular season games this season, where he netted 30 goals and 36 assists for 66 points. On top of that, Knuble maintained a +31 average on the year. Cole is set to attend and play for Notre Dame this fall and should thrive throughout the rigorous NCAA season.
Round 4 (120 Overall) Alex Ciernik Wing Swedish Jr Leagues.
Ok, stay with me here; with their second pick in the fourth round, Philadelphia selected winger Alex Ciernik. Cirenik is a German-born, Slovakian prospect that currently plays in Sweden. I know, right. Alex is another guy under 6’0 tall with quick feet who tends to be in the right place at the right time. He has a fast release and loves to bury rebounds. This season Ciernik played in multiple leagues in Sweden, showing more and more success as the year went on. And let’s not forget the fact that he was able to light the lamp twice in the World Junior Championships U20 Tournament in only five games played. Don’t expect Alex to join or be signed by the big club any time soon, but rather do keep an eye on his progression over the next year or two because it just may surprise you.
Round 5 (135 Overall) Carter Sotheran Def. Portland Winterhawks WHL
This one, to me, is a bit of a head-scratcher. I get they wanted to add to their defensive depth by taking another right-hand shot defender here, but why did they not take Cameron Allen off the Guelph Storm? He is a right-hand shot blueliner who went the next pick to the Washington Capitals. Probably mainly because Cameron was named the OHL’s Rookie of the Year the season before. Allen was considered a first-round pick this year before his team had a down year. But I honestly don’t think it was his fault. The Storm struggled to find good goaltending this season as they saw five netminders try to take over the pipes, all of which failed to secure the crease as their own.
Anyway, back to Sotheran, I guess. As I previously stated, Carter is a right-hand shot defender who stands at 6’3 and 203 pounds. He plays smaller than he is because he always is crouched into a shooting position. He only scored four goals this year but showed the ability to produce more. While I see not much to get overly excited about his game right now, he is a plus defender and can skate well enough to stay with the breakout when his team is leaving their own zone. This kid has the chance to be more than his round five draft selection would leave you to believe, but Carter will have to be willing to work hard to hone his skill set to the point he can turn professional.
Round 6 (172 Overall) Ryan MacPherson Center GOJHL
Entering the later rounds, the Flyers brass thought they would take a chance on a center from the GOJHL, a not so well known Ontario Junior Hockey League. The player they took a chance on was center Ryan MacPherson, a biological twin who played with his look-alike on the Leamington Flyers this year. Ryan scored 25 goals and 36 assists for 61 points in only 49 games played. I assume that his ability to play like Noah Cates drove the Flyers to his game as MacPherson won the Best Defensive Forward Award for his league this season. Ryan will play with his brother next year, but this time for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. Then he is set to join the University of New Hampshire Wildcats the season after that. MacPherson is a few years out, at least from possibly turning pro, but he plays the game the right way, which could lead to him surpassing others on the Flyers’ depth charts in the coming years.
Round 7 (199 Overall) Matteo Mann Def. Chicoutimi Saguenéens QMJHL
With his last pick in his first draft, Danny choice to get some size and toughness. He did so by selecting the 6’6 229, pound right-hand shot defenseman Matteo Mann from the Chicoutimi Saguenees of the QMJHL. With Mann being 6’6, he will need to work on skating because he currently looks like a basketball player who decided to lace up a pair of skates for the first time. As he is only 18, Mann is probably still getting used to his newfound size and lankiness. What stands out to me about his game is Mann’s ability to completely take his man out of the play if and when he can get his hands on them. Matteo utilizes his size to clear the porch by overpowering the opposition in front of his net. He also has shown the willingness to sacrifice his body by throwing it in front of an incoming puck to block it by any means necessary. Thus, proving that Matteo is willing to do anything to help his team win night in and night out. And with that mindset, he will be a fan favorite here sooner rather than later.
When you look at this list of newly drafted Flyers players, you can see that it is chalked full of guys who may not even have hit their ceiling yet. They all have room to grow and possess a great work ethic that should help them to achieve their goals. While all of these picks may not be my favorite, they are a bunch of guys who have the chance to be something more than their respected draft positions would usually allow. And who knows, with former Flyer greats like John LeClair and Patrick Sharp now overseeing Player Development, the sky is the limit.
Prospect Watch: Cullen Potter
With the 2023 NHL Draft commencing and teams already selecting many talented players, that I have tirelessly scouted, interviewed, and previously written about over the course of the last year. I am now forced to wish those prospects the best of luck and commence on a new journey to scour the globe for the next crop of up-and-coming talent.
That said, I thought I share with you a prospect that has recently caught my attention. And, no, he is not a member of the 2024 NHL Draft class; instead, he will be selected in the 2025 Entry Draft. His name is Cullen Potter, and he is a 5’9 152 pound, 16-year-old American-born prospect from the great state of Wisconsin.
What caught my attention about this prospect is that he is a bit of an anomaly. What do I mean by that? Well, Cullen has shown that he is, in fact, multi-talented. He excels at not only playing the center position but the defensive position as well.
This statement is substantiated by the fact that Potter posted 43 goals and 44 assists for 87 points this year in only 52 games played for the Dallas Stars Elite 16U Team. But to further validate my earlier claim of Cullen being a very versatile player, I would like to point out that his game is more than just his ability to average 1.67 points per game last year; he also proved to be defensively responsible as well by being able to maintain a very respectable +60 average on the season!
How does he do it, you may be asking? Let me break down Potters’ game for you. Cullen’s best attribute is his blistering speed. Defensively, he reminds me a little of Paul Coffey, given that Potter should always be considered a threat to be a one-man breakout option, as he was able to take it coast to coast many times this season while being virtually untouched by the opposition.
Offensively, Potter’s speed and work ethic reminds me of a former NHL player of similar stature who scored 20 goals or more in five consecutive seasons. That player was Sami Kapanen, who managed to stay in the league for a very respectable 12 seasons, despite his diminutive size, simply because he never took a shift off.
Therefore, it is my opinion that because Cullen already possesses these above-mentioned rare skills, he was recently selected to play for the U.S. National Development Team’s Under 17 Team next season.
Now, gifted with this amazing opportunity, look for Cullen to continue honing his skills over the next few seasons and possibly be a first-round draft pick in 2025.