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Flyers, Enough is Enough, Chalk the Season up as a loss, and bring up the Kids Already!
After tonight’s loss to the New York Islanders (who were playing their backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov mind you), the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves ranked seventh in the Metropolitan Division. Winning just 21 games out of 52 played thus far. But sadly, the worst may still be to come. Unlike the last 10-15 games of their schedule, the team is no longer slated to play a bunch of fellow non-playoff-bound teams. Quite the opposite, actually. In the coming weeks, the Flyers will be forced to play the Edmonton Oilers, the red-hot Seattle Kraken, the New Jersey Devils, the New York Rangers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Carolina Hurricanes. These teams are all loaded with the kind of superstar talent that the Flyers roster currently lacks.
Now, I don’t know about you, but if this team is destined to replicate the kind of season they gave us last year, then why not just bring up the kids from Lehigh now and get them some more NHL experience?
Think about it. Do you really want to tune in as the Flyers continue to dress players like their 35-year-old defenseman Justin Braun, who has gone scoreless in the 34 games he’s played in so far this season? Or would you rather see a 23-year-old defenseman in Ronnie Attard who just came back from representing the Phantoms this year at the AHL All-Star Game? I rather see the teams future get the chance to gain more experience at the highest level. I mean at least Attard, who was Philadelphia’s 2019 3rd-round pick plays aggressively and chooses to stand people up at the blue line instead of just letting them skate past him.
Or how about replacing the failed waiver wire acquisition of Kieffer Bellows in the lineup who has only managed to score one goal in the 15 games played so far with the Flyers? I know I would much rather see the team’s 2020 1st round pick Tyson Foerster. Besides, the move would make sense because Bellows is a left wing who is currently being forced to play his offside, and Foerster is a natural right winger. Tyson also recently returned from representing the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star game. After accruing a team-leading 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points in 44 games played before the break. If called up, the 21-year-old would bring more size and skill, seeing that he stands at 6’2 and 194 pounds and has possessed an NHL caliber shot since he was 16 years old.
While we’re at it, teams have already begun to trade players before the March 3rd trade deadline, so why not follow suit and get rid of pending unrestricted free agent winger James van Riemsdyk and the overpaid defenseman Ivan Provorov sooner rather than later? Both moves would free up cap space and provide prospects like Elliot Desnoyers and the 2022 NCAA leading scorer/National Champion Bobby Brink a chance to prove themselves at the NHL level. Both have been equally impressive playing in Lehigh Valley this season and could provide the pop that this team needs offensively.
Regarding replacing Provorov, Cam York would be up to the task on the first line, and Egor Zamula could be called up from the Phantoms to fill the vacant roster spot, giving him a chance to develop into a more permanent fixture.
Then finally, to complete the roster moves, they should recall the undefeated goaltender Samuel Ersson and get Felix Sandstrom an Uber back to Allentown. Sam, who went 5-0-0 with a team-best 2.37 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage when called up to play for the Flyers in Carter Harts absence this season, left most fans stunned when they heard the news that management decided to send him back to the minors recently.
While these moves will by no way fix all the teams’ problems, they might be able to re-spark some deflated fans’ attention and allow these talented young prospects to develop their skills further at the highest level. This would enable the prospects mentioned above to gain valuable experience while simultaneously permitting the team to lose graciously in the pursuit of another game-changing prospect to pair with their top-five selection from last year’s draft Cutter Gauthier. Only then would Philadelphia be able to take a step forward in their quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The Flyers Should trade their Impending UFA James van Riemsdyk to this Metropolitan Team
Let’s face it with the All-Star Break now upon us; the Flyers once again find themselves nothing more than a five-hundred team. They are winning just enough games to be out of the running for the chance to draft a game-changer like Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli and not enough to make the playoffs.
So, what should they do? Well, the first of many things should be to trade away assets like winger James van Riemsdyk (JVR), an impending unrestricted free agent at the season’s end. Philadelphia would be wise to try and get something for him before he walks for nothing after just 31 more games. Now, while JVR may have never turned out to be the player the Flyers thought he would be when they selected him second overall back in 2007, he has proven to be productive over the years. For instance, he has scored 20 or more goals seven times in his career. He scored twenty-five or more goals four times in his career. Thirty or more twice and 35 or more once. On top of that, van Riemsdyk is a 33-year-old veteran with great size (6’3) and strength (208 pounds) that can offer great depth and experience to any playoff-contending team in need of his services.
In previous years, the Flyers have been rumored to have tried to move on from James, but his albatross of a contract hindered that. That’s why, now more than ever, it is imperative that they find a way to facilitate a deal because with van Riemsdyk in the last year of his five-year $35 million contract. His $7,000,000 cap hit should not be that hard of a sell to contending teams considering the Flyers can afford to retain 50% of his salary.
But it doesn’t make a trade imminent the Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher will still have to channel his best-used car salesman and peddle James to the right contending team. For JVR’s stats, this season (8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points) are a far cry from even his totals from last year when he led the Flyers in goals with 24.
The question then becomes, what playoff contender needs James the most? Now there are teams like Calgary, Dallas, and Washington who could use him, but the best fit in my mind would be the Carolina Hurricanes, and here’s why.
Despite losing players to free agency and normal roster turnover, over the years, the Hurricanes have found a way to remain a perennial playoff team, with this year being no different. Once again, Carolina currently finds themselves atop the Metropolitan Division, but lucky for the Flyers the Canes just found out some bad news. Fellow veteran left winger Max Pacioretty who was traded to Carolina by the Las Vegas Golden Knights, has just sustained the second tear of his right Achilles tendon. An injury that will likely put an end to his season, if not his career. Pacioretty, like van Riemsdyk, carries an expiring contract with a $7 million cap hit and was brought to Raleigh to try and add some much-needed veteran experience and guidance to a very youthful Hurricanes roster.
This gives the Flyers the perfect opportunity to unload the burden of JVR and his contract onto a very vulnerable Don Waddell, the Carolina Hurricanes General Manager. Who is probably still swallowing down a fist full of Tums or other antacids right now while contemplating what he will do after hearing the news of Pacioretty’s latest injury.
What’s that now? You don’t trust Fletcher to be able to get this type of deal done? Neither do I, so let’s break down what he should be asking for in return, shall we? The Hurricanes have been known to overpay for a rental at the deadline if they think that player can legitimately help their organization raise a Stanley Cup banner. Now, of course, the Flyers will be looking to acquire future assets, but in my mind, why ask for all draft picks? Even if you hit on one of them, that player could take up to three to five years to develop.
So, here are three enticing but obtainable assets that the Flyers might be able to pry away from the Hurricanes in a trade for van Riemsdyk.
The first is a 22-year-old German sharp shooting forward named Dominik Bokk. Bokk is a 6’2 181 pounder that was originally taken in the first round by the St. Louis Blues back in 2018. After being drafted, Bokk struggled to adjust to the North American-style game. Since then, Dominik has shown a resurgence in his development since taking his talents back to Germany to play in the DEL (Germany’s top professional league). This season Bokk is averaging over a point per game, with him already scoring 24 goals and 25 assists for 49 points in just 42 games played, which, if he can keep it up, projects him to reach totals of 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points. Scoring isn’t the only part of his game that should be appealing to the Flyers, though. Bokk can get back and play defense as well, this being made evident by him being projected to finish this season with a +30 average.
If I were Fletcher, a second prospect I would be eager to ask about would be a Finnish forward named Ville Koivunen, a player whose mindset is always set to attack. Ville was drafted by the Hurricanes back in 2021 with their second-round pick. Since then, Koivunen has returned to his native country to play in the Liiga (Finland’s top professional league) and has managed to put up ten goals and eight assists for 18 points this season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaF96csgv5E
Last but most certainly not least, I would try an obtain 21-year-old Swedish forward Noel Gunler. He is a 6’2 176, pound forward who possesses the kind of lightning-quick release you can only see and appreciate while watching it in super slow motion on the arena’s big screen after he’s already done celebrating the goal. Gunler was selected by the Canes back in the second round of the 2020 draft and can be found currently playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Where this season, he has been able to score eight goals and ten assists for 18 points. Where at the same time, he is projected to finish the season with 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points. The only thing is Noel still has yet to be taught the art of defense. There’s no question he can score on demand, but his -12 average this season shows that he allows his opponents to do so as well.
So, at the end of the day, the Flyers must regain future assets for JVR before his contract expires. Philadelphia does not wish to resign him, and letting him walk for nothing at the end of the season would be foolish. Therefore, with the Flyers looking as though they will not be making the playoffs again this year, they should take the opportunity to cash in on the Hurricanes’ misfortunes by gaining proven prospects that are projecting to be only a year or two away. Trading van Riemsdyk for one or more of these prospects listed above would also allow for some of the Flyers’ more NHL-ready prospects like Tyson Foerster, Elliot Desnoyers, and Bobby Brink to gain some much-needed experience playing at the highest level, which is a win-win any way you look at it.
Prospect Watch: Kai Uchacz
A player eligible for the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft that most scouts and fans alike have been sleeping on this season is 19-year-old center Kai Uchacz of the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL’s) Red Deer Rebels.
Now, listen, I get it. The WHL this season is chalked so full of talent you may have been too preoccupied with watching amazing players like Connor Bedard breaking records for the Regina Pats. Zach Benson, who has been freezing defenseman in place, up in Winnipeg while playing for the Ice. Andrew Cristall who has been busy making highlight reel plays every night for the Kelowna Rockets. Riley Heidt, who leaves Prince George Cougars fans roaring most nights after a big win. Or perhaps you’ve been tuning into Moosejaw Warrior games to catch a glimpse of the very enticing Brayden Yager. Nevertheless, whichever team or player you’ve seemed to have grown a devotion to this season, I assure you by the time you’re done reading this article about Uchacz, there’s a chance that you might have gained an admiration for him as well.
For example, you may be surprised to know that up to very recently, Kai led the entire league in goals this season. That is until Bedard returned from playing in the World Juniors to regain the lead. But even with Connor coming back, Uchacz has been able to keep pace with him trailing Bedard currently by just one goal (Bedard 39, Uchacz 38)! This feat is something that no other player in the league has even come close to achieving, and yes, that includes the other players listed above who will most likely all go in the first round of the draft this summer.
So, by now, hopefully, I have caught your attention enough so that you’re contemplating to yourself, who is this Kai Uchacz, and how is it that I haven’t heard of him if he can keep up with a generational talent such as Connor Bedard? As I stated earlier, he is 19 years old, which means he is a bit of a late bloomer. Last season for the Rebels, Kai put up just 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in his first year of draft eligibility. A decent season, but by no means one that should have gotten him drafted. So, what’s changed this year? If I had to take a guess, it would be that Kai has figured out how to utilize his size better. Uchacz now stands at 6’1 and 192 pounds giving him not only the size and physicality it takes to get into the dirty areas to win puck battles or jockey for position in front of the net, but his attributes make it easier for him to guard the puck when he skates through the oppositions’ defense on his way to the net as well. However, while his newfound size and strength have proved beneficial, it’s not all Uchacz has to hang his hat on. Kai also possesses a great hockey sense and an innate ability to play off the puck. What do I mean by this? Uchacz commonly finds ways to wander away from the masses and await a nice saucer pass from a teammate for an uncontested shot on goal. To go along with that, when a teammate is breaking into the offensive zone and is able to rip a nice shot on net, Kai always wands up instinctively in the exact position for the puck to rebound right onto the blade of his stick for an easy put-back.
Uchacz is currently scoring at a 1.40 points-per-game pace this season, totaling 38 goals and 25 assists for 63 points in just 45 games played. If he keeps up this pace, he is projected to finish the season with 57 goals and 38 assists for 95 points. What a difference a year makes, right? That’s why it would seem that being forced to take another year to continue to grow and refine his skills may not have been such a bad idea after all. While his age will see to it that he may not get the acclaim some others listed in this article will get from being selected in the first round this summer, his play this season should at least afford him the opportunity of an NHL team taking a chance on him during the latter part of day two down in Nashville.