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Contenders continue to add pieces for their Playoff Push as the Flyers sit Idle.
The NHL Trade Deadline is Friday, March 3rd, 2023, at 3:00 pm. And yet again, it would appear as though the Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher seems content waiting around for the action to come to him rather than doing his due diligence by picking up the phone and trying to SELL his less-than-desirable impending unrestricted free agents to a contending team.
While Chuck has been sitting on his hands pondering if his team should be buyers or sellers these past few days. Multiple playoff hopefuls have been paying other seller dwellers a premium to make deal after deal to acquire players that they feel will help them make a run at the Stanley Cup. Leaving the Flyers with fewer and fewer teams that will be willing to still make a deal with them come Friday.
Other floundering teams haven’t seemed to have a problem with this kind of indecisiveness because they understand that the early bird gets the worm. The Chicago Blackhawks realized their dynasty, in which Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were a big part of bringing the franchise three Stanley Cups together, is ending. Thus, they have been busy making deals to get an early start on a full rebuild. The Blackhawks already have garnered themselves a 2nd rd. pick this year, a conditional 1st in 2025, and a 2nd & 4th round pick in 2026. This is coming even before Patrick Kane’s imminent move to the New York Rangers.
How about Nashville? After announcing that he would be retiring at the season’s end, Predators GM David Poile was able to restock the cupboards after receiving quite the haul from the Lightning in exchange for their gritty forward Tanner Jeannot. Poile talked Tampa Bay into giving up defensive prospect Cal Foote, a top ten protected 1st in 2025, 2024 2nd, and their 2023 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks for Tanner. As well, as a 2nd in ’24 from Winnipeg for Nino Niederreiter
The Blues, who seemed to fall from grace after last season’s success, obtained two first-round picks in 2023, a 2nd in 2024, a 3rd in ’23, and a 4th in 2024 for Vladimir Tarasenko (NYR) and Ryan O’Reilly (Tor.)
All these teams mentioned above will be better for years to come for what they have already been able to accomplish. Meanwhile, the Flyers only move thus far has been to ship out a failed prospect in Isaac Ratcliffe to the Nashville Predators for future considerations. Hardly compares, right?
As for the dwindling number of teams willing to make a trade when the Flyers finally see fit to do so, all I can say is that list has only diminished that much more over the course of my writing this article. The Carolina Hurricanes, who sit atop the Metro Division, just acquired Jesse Puljujarvi from the Edmonton Oilers. Toronto added defenseman Jake McCabe from Chicago and paid dearly for center Ryan O’Reilly from the Blues. As previously mentioned, the Lightning got their guy in Tanner Jeannot from the Predators. The Devils pulled off a heck of a trade for Timo Meier, previously of the Sharks. Colorado added defensive depth from Chicago in the form of Jack Johnson. The Golden Knights picked up Ivan Barbashev from the Blues. The Stars got Evgenii Dadonov from the Canadiens. The Jets picked up Nino Niederreiter from the Preds. Boston pulled off a couple of deals that saw them add Shane Bowers from the Avalanche and Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Caps. The Rangers have already seen Vladimir Tarasenko play for them, who they got in a deal with St. Louis, and the Islanders picked up captain Bo Horvat from the Canucks.
Meanwhile, back in Philadelphia, while all these trades were taking place, Uncle Chuck debated whether he should get rid of a guy like Nick Seeler, a 29-year-old third-pairing defenseman. To which I would want to ask him why this was even a question. Although, Nick has proven to be rather serviceable with his physical play and ability to lineup on both the right and the left side. If a team was interested in him, then by all means, move him for a future asset. The Flyers have defensemen who can easily take his spot in Ronnie Attard who made the AHL All-Star Team, and Egor Zamula, who has been chomping at the bit to receive an extended look at the NHL level. The Flyers have Ethan Sampson and Emil Andrae ready to take their place on the Phantoms’ blue line next year.
All I have to say is that this organization had better acquire some future assets by ridding themselves of expiring and/or bad contracts in the next few days. If they don’t, the Flyers fanbase will be ready to give up on the team for the year and tune into something more exciting, like Phillies Spring Training Games or the Sixers fighting to make the Playoffs.
Prospect Watch: Top Five Goalies in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft
As the NHL Entry Draft looms ever closer, I thought it would be wise to list my top five players from each position who will be available to be selected this June. In this particular article, I will name my top five guardians of the blue paint. Now, we all know goalies are a special breed and thus take a little longer to develop than most other positions. I mean, even the great Marc-Andre Fleury, who was taken #1 overall in 2003, was sent down to Jr’s his first year and played parts of three seasons in the AHL before becoming one of the most dominant goaltenders of all time. Because of this, you’ll find that over the years, most teams find their future franchise goaltender late in the draft. For instance, Hall of famer Dominik Hasek wasn’t selected until the 10th round back in 1983. Or how about Henrik Lundqvist, who the Rangers took in the 7th round in 2000.
So, I guess what I’m saying is after playing this position for over thirty years and spending a good deal of time giving back to the game by coaching the youth who are brave enough to strap on the pads. I would suggest teams forget about the current position trend or who “experts” say is the most NHL-ready and look at their overall game. Does this player excel at just a few things and still have glaring holes in other areas? How they prepare for a start. Do they arrive late and rush to get dressed to get out on the ice, or are they there hours before a game stretching or running through the opposition’s tendencies as they envision themselves making those stops? Or even something as easy as scouting how they can rebound after a bad outing. Will their confidence be shot, so they carry it over to the next game? Or can they shake it off and come out and be that solid backstop you need them to be?
That’s why, considering all these factors, I must warn you my list WILL defer from others out there. For instance, you will not see Michael Hrabal on this list seeing that I believe the league as a whole has developed an unhealthy fascination with goalies who have more size than skill. Hrabal, who currently plays for the United States Hockey League’s (USHL’s) Omaha Lancers, is predicted by most so-called experts to be the first goalie to be taken off the board in the upcoming draft, primarily because he stands 6’6 and weighs in at 209 pounds. These attributes may have some teams drooling, but not this writer. Hrabel is averaging well over three goals a game and maintaining a sub .900 save percentage (SV%), leading him to a record of just six wins, ten losses, and four overtime losses in the USHL. So, with that being said, let’s base this list on pure skill alone, shall we?
5th Jacob Fowler
In my option, the fifth-best goalie in this upcoming NHL draft is Jacob Fowler, a Florida native who is currently 18 years of age and stands at 6’2 and 201 pounds. If you haven’t heard of him before, you can find Jacob suiting up on a nightly basis for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, where he has repeatedly proven that he is both positionally sound and has one of the best glove hands in this draft. This season Fowler has played in 30 games where he has averaged a respectable 2.36 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .921 save percentage (SV%). This has earned him a record of 18-8-3 so far, with 5 of those wins coming by way of a shutout. For his efforts, Jacob will be attending Boston College next season to play for the Eagles. I believe Fowler will get drafted in the later rounds this summer but will develop relatively quickly in the fast-paced NCAA next season.
4th Adam Gajan
At number four, I have the 18-year-old Slovakian goaltender Adam Gajan. Measuring between 6’3- 6’4 and 176 pounds, Gajan is getting accustomed to the North American style game while playing for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Where in 6 games played, he holds a record of 5-1-0. Through those six games, Adam has managed to maintain a 2.48 GAA and a .906 SV%. Something that the University of Minnesota-Duluth will be happy to hear, seeing that he is committed to playing for them next season. Now, most people have Gajan ranked much higher on their list because of his recent success playing for his native country at this past World Juniors. I am more worried about his struggles back home when asked to move up to the Slovakia 2 league, his country’s third-tier pro league. The sign of most elite prospects coming from European nations is that they have been able to dominate the junior ranks to the point that their club has called them up to the pro level as early as, say, 16 or 17 years old. When Gajan was asked to do so on occasion throughout two different seasons, his goals-against-average sky rocketed into the double digits each time. Now, Adam is on this list for a reason why he may not yet be ready to play professionally; he has shown he can outshine players his own age like he did when playing in that game against Team Canada at the WJC. Adam’s willingness to never give up on a play and ability to react only after the shooter has decided to send the puck his way will easily move him into being named a team’s top goaltending prospect in just a few years.
3rd Calvin Vachon
This next goalie is possibly my favorite on this list. A hidden gem in my mind who is currently tucked away up in Faribault, Minnesota, playing for a little Preparatory High School named Shattuck St. Mary’s. A team who brought you such players as Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Zach Parise, and defenseman Jack Johnson. His name is Calvin Vachon, a classically trained goaltender with a fantastic pedigree of his own. Calvin is the grandson of Hall of Fame goaltender Rogie Vachon, who you may remember being a dominant force for the Los Angeles Kings back in the 70s. In fact, Calvin has been so good for such a long time that you might be able to get away with calling him a bit of a phenom seeing that he has been putting up jaw-dropping numbers since he was 13 years old. For example, back in 2018-2019, while playing for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings 13U AAA Team, Calvin posted an unfathomable goals-against-average of just 0.59, which he paired with a .902 save percentage through an incredible 57 games played. Now, some time has passed, and Calvin has to play much more challenging opponents, but still, he sees success. Calvin has six shutouts through 23 GP this year and is a perfect 18-0-0. While at the same time averaging 2.04 G.A.A. and a .927 SV%. Because of where he plays, a team that either reads this article or does their own due diligence, I believe, will be able to grab Vachon late in the draft and thus get a goalie who could develop over a couple of seasons into one of the next great American goaltenders.
2nd. Kenneth Trey Augustine
At number two, I have another American-born goaltender, Kenneth Trey Augustine. This Michigan native, who stands at 6’1 and 180 pounds, backstops the United States National Development Program (USNPDT), and man, what a job he has done for them with a combined record of 23-0-2 this year. What’s great for scouts and teams alike when they look at a player from this team is that you get to see what they look like against both NCAA and USHL teams seeing that their schedule has them playing a mixture of teams from both leagues. When you combine Trey’s stats from this season when playing in those different leagues, you’ll see that he has allowed just 2.12 goals a game and has been able to average a .936 SV%. To add to that remarkable season, Augustine was naturally selected to play for Team USA in the World Junior Championships a few months ago, where over six games, he averaged a 2.85 GAA and a .891 SV%, receiving a bronze medal for his efforts. If it wasn’t for Team Canada and that darn Connor Bedard, he may have been able to remain undefeated on the season, but instead, he had to settle for going 4-1-0 in the tournament. After being drafted this summer, Trey is already committed to playing for Michigan State University next season, where he will be able to continue to hone his game before getting his chance to one day play in the NHL.
1st. Scott Ratzlaff
I have Scott Ratzlaff of the Western Hockey Leagues Seattle Thunderbirds at number one. Scott, who is 17 years old, stands at 6’1, and weighs in at 172 pounds, has had to play probably one of the most demanding schedules of any goaltender on this list. Night in and night out over the last three seasons, he has had to face multiple players who will be drafted within the top fifteen players this summer. Guys like the consensus number one pick Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, Zach Benson of the Winnipeg Ice, Andrew Cristall of the Kelowna Rockets, Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars, and Brayden Yager of the Moose Jaw Warriors, to name a few. In doing so, he not only won most contests against those great talents but has managed to maintain a league-leading 2.03 goals-against-average and accrued a league-leading five shutouts. Such play has seen him be rewarded the honor of playing for his country this season in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he was able to go undefeated, finishing the tournament a perfect 4-0-0, with two of those wins coming by way of a shutout. His play allowed him to finish with a tournament-best 0.50 GAA and a .976 SV%. Scott has accomplished all these feats by being one of the quickest reaction goalies out of this draft.
On top of that, after he has made a save, it’s obvious his goalie coach has been able to drill into his head not to stay on the ice and flop around. But instead, he effortlessly returns to his feet without ever taking his eyes off the play. All of which should make a scout’s mouth water.
So, why this draft has been said to be chalked full of offensive talent I’m here to tell you that there is depth in the crease as well. There are netminders that teams will be able to select at the beginning, middle, and end of the draft who will all have the chance to develop into everyday NHL players.
One Impending UFA the Flyers should try and sign this summer.
With the Philadelphia Flyers in the middle of yet another disappointing season, I thought it would be wise to get an early start and suggest an obtainable Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) that the team’s General Manager, Chuck Fletcher, should look to sign this offseason. Now, for those who don’t know me, I’m not like most writers who would have you spend the next five minutes reading about how the Flyers should go out this offseason and sign a player like Boston’s UFA David Pastrnak or Detroit’s 26-year-old UFA Captain Dylan Larkin, who have reportedly been looking to sign deals that will pay them north of $9 million a season.
I live in reality. Even with players like James van Riemsdyk and his $ 7 million cap hit coming off the books this year, the Flyers will be cap-strapped next season. We can thank Uncle Chuck for this, with him handing out extravagant contracts to forwards like the often injured Sean Couturier, who carries a $7.75 million average annual value (A.A.V.) for the next seven years. Kevin Hayes, whose due to make another $7.1 million for the next three years. How about Fletcher’s folly of agreeing to pay a then-21-year-old Joel Farabee a sum of $5 million for the next six years instead of offering him a more reasonable bridge deal until he could prove his true worth? Let’s not forget about the defense, with Provorov due to make $6.75 million for the next three seasons. Chuck recently resigned Travis Sanheim to an eight-year $50 million deal that starts next season, making the team responsible for paying Travis $6.25 million for the majority of the next decade. Remember when Fletcher traded away our first-round pick to acquire a defenseman in Rasmus Ristolainen? A player who to date holds a career -170 average, and to top that, him thinking it was an excellent idea to re-sign him to a five-year deal that pays him over $ 5 million a season for the duration. Or better yet, when Fletcher acquired an injury-prone Ryan Ellis who only played in four games for Philadelphia before sustaining a career-ending injury. A player now considered to be nothing more than a $6.25 million dead cap hit for the next four seasons.
So, with all that money already tied up in questionable deals, it is imperative that IF the Flyers wish to go out this off-season and obtain a free agent that they feel will help them moving forward, they have no other choice but to get it right. One player I think could provide the offense they currently lack and should still be able to fit within their cap restraints is winger Michael Bunting of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Who? You may be asking. Michael is a former 4th-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes who now stands at 6’0 tall and 192 pounds. As with most late-round selections, he took a little longer to develop. But after showing some potential in the 2020-2021 season while playing for the Coyotes, he was quickly snatched up in free agency by Toronto, where Michael has continued to develop his game. This previously unknown 27-year-old talent has been playing on their top line with Auston Matthews and William Nylander for some time now. Last season while still being considered a rookie, Bunting led all first-year players in points with 63! To the sum of 23 goals and 40 assists while maintaining a +27 average. Beyond his own stats, Bunting was able to aid Auston Matthews in netting 60 goals which allowed him to be awarded the Maurice Richard Trophy (an award given to the player who amasses the most goals in the NHL that season).
To prove his success last season wasn’t a fluke, Bunting has come out this year and continued to produce, playing the only way he knows how. Hard. While he may not be as talented as his current linemates, he does outwork them. During his time in Toronto, Michael has been known to play with an edge, whether it be winning board battles, crashing the net for a rebound, or standing in front of it for a deflection. Bunting has shown he has no problem doing whatever is needed of him to help his team win the game. Michael does this despite knowing his efforts will be downplayed by his teammate’s league-wide popularity. That doesn’t faze him, though; actually, I think he prefers it because while other teams are setting up game plans to stop some of his more notable teammates, Michael has managed to score 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points this season. What’s possibly more impressive, though, is that he has been able to do all that while averaging a team-best +23 right now!
After reading all this, you may be saying that there’s no way Toronto would ever let a guy like that leave in free agency, but I don’t think they will have a choice. Bunting will be due a substantial raise from his current salary of just $950,000, and the Leafs are loaded with top-end talent, which, fortunately, the Flyers the Leafs have had to pay a substantial amount of money to retain. Toronto already has 49%, or $40.5 million, of their cap wrapped up into four forwards next season: Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. Then when you add to that the fact that the Leafs will need to re-sign their recently acquired St. Louis Blues center and captain Ryan O’Reilly next season (who they gave up multiple prospects and a slew of top draft selections for) along with their already 11 other roster players with expiring contracts this summer. It becomes evident that the Maple Leafs better hope their attempt at winning it all this season pays off.
With this newly acquired knowledge, Philadelphia should go into negotiations with Bunting’s agent this summer using Colorado’s 27-year-old winger Artturi Lehkonen’s contract as a reference, seeing that they both share the same goal and point totals right now. Lehkonen, who is the same age as Bunting, is signed to a five-year deal worth $22,500,000, so that would work out to Bunting making in the ballpark of $4.5 million a season. Securing Bunting into a similar arrangement would ensure that both Michael gets a much-needed raise and the Flyers don’t overpay for yet another player. Doing so would give Philadelphia a player whose hustle and work ethic make him a perfect fit for whatever line Tortorella puts him on. Then when the team’s top prospects like Cutter Gauthier and this year’s potential top ten pick join the big club in the coming years, Bunting will be there to ensure them a smooth and successful transition.
In my mind, this signing would be ideal. Sure, the team has other needs, some of which may even be more pressing than this one, but their current budget will not allow them to ink a top tier center or top pairing right-hand-shot defender in free agency this summer. Those needs are going to have to be fulfilled by either obtaining a proven prospect in a trade for their own impending free agents or through the draft itself.