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Back up Options for the Flyers in case; they can’t land Bedard or Fantilli
Photo Credit: @Kelowna_Rockets/Twitter
With the Philadelphia Flyers in the midst of their third consecutive losing season, it would appear as though the orange and black will be drafting once again from within the Draft Lottery. However, this may not be such a bad thing, considering this year’s draft class is stacked with high-end talent.
Now the real prizes of this draft are, of course, Connor Bedard of the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL), Regina Pats, and Adam Fantilli of the Michigan Wolverines of the NCAA. Both of these players will no doubt make a significant impact on their respected clubs the moment they step on the ice in their new teams’ sweaters, but what if the Flyers aren’t one of those lucky teams who get to call out one of these two players’ names come draft day?
Well, I’m here to tell you there are other prospects in this draft class who I think will develop into top-line talent as well, but for Philadelphia to make the most out of their pick, they will have to ensure they do more than just take a “good player.” They will need to find a new face of their franchise, someone who not only will be a real threat to score every time they touch the ice but who every fan in the tri-state area will be willing to go out and spend a couple of hundred dollars on a jersey with their name on it as well.
Brayden Yager
Now, that may be a tall order to ask of the Flyers GM (whoever that may be, come draft day), but it’s a task they should indeed try to ascertain. For example, one player who could grow to fit that need over time from this draft class is Brayden Yager of the WHL’s Moosejaw Warriors. Brayden has one of the most incredible shots in this draft class. He is what they call a finisher, a pure sniper whom every one of his teammates out on the ice looks to in key situations. Last season in the WHL, Brayden scored an impressive 34 goals and 25 assists for 59 points in 63 games played in his inaugural campaign, winning him the honor of being named the CHL’s Rookie of the Year, but somehow, he was still overshadowed by his teammate Jagger Firkus who the Seattle Kraken took in the 2nd round of last years draft. This year though, he and Firkus are being viewed as equals as Yager has managed to light the lamp 16 times and assisted on 18 others totaling 34 points in 28 games played thus far. Folks, that averages out to 1.21 points per game.
Calum Ritchie
My next suggestion comes from a position of need for the Flyers, which is down the middle of the ice. Calum Ritchie is a 6’2, 187-pound center who currently plays for the Ontario Hockey Leagues (OHL) Oshawa Generals. Simply put, Ritchie possesses all the intangibles it takes to be great. Sure, his clean shot and rapid release are nice, but what really makes him stand out from the crowd, in this writer’s opinion, is his on-ice vision which allows Calum to skate through the opposition while making a no-look pass to an awaiting teammate at the mouth of the goal with ease. So far this season, Ritchie has been able to score eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 24 games played. I got to tell you, if the Flyers were to end up with this kid, I would not be mad because not only could Calum be trusted to produce offensively, but he would also be sure to make everyone else who plays with him better as well.
Andrew Cristall
If I had to pick one impact player out of this draft that I think the Flyers would benefit most from drafting after Bedard and Fantilli were both off the board, it would have to be Andrew Cristall. This explosive winger who plays for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL has had me memorized all season long. Why, you may be asking? Well, Andrew plays the game with so much charisma that you just can’t wait to see what he does next. Whether he’s celebrating after scoring an impossible goal, passing the puck right to the tape of an awaiting teammates stick for an assist, or stick handling through the other team’s defense like a warm knife through butter, Cristall manages to appear as though he is performing these acts with little to no effort at all. This season Andrew has been able to score at a rate of 1.87 points per game, posting 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points in just 24 games played! With those numbers only being bested by Connor Bedard himself this season in the WHL.
While other draft experts in the coming weeks and months may begin to suggest other prospects that the Flyers should take, based on that player being viewed as the next best available talent according to where the team ends up selecting. Remember, these are my suggestions based on who I think would help to address the Flyers most immediate needs moving forward. Which of these players would you like to see playing on South Broad Street in the near future?
It’s Nice to see Kevin Hayes Finally Living up to his Contract
With the Flyers franchise currently in shambles and its general manager Chuck Fletcher appearing to suffer from delusional ideations when speaking to the media a few days ago about how he thought the team still had the chance to make the playoffs this year. It should come as no surprise when I tell you it’s been hard to find something positive to write about this team again this season.
Now, although a lot of their misfortunes have been brought on by their previously mentioned general manager, whose actions may, in fact, be the cause for his imminent demise, there has been one bright spot this season, and that is the play of center Kevin Hayes.
With Chuck desperate to make his first big acquisition upon being appointed to his current role with the team late in 2018, he thought it would be wise to bring in someone who could help integrate his new head coach (Alain Vigneault’s) systems. Ergo, the decision to make a trade with Winnipeg for the then 6’5, 220-pound impending free agent Kevin Hayes, who had played for Vigneault during their time with the New York Rangers.
Once acquired, in true Fletcher fashion, Chuck decided to pay Hayes, not for the player he was currently, but rather for the player he hoped he would be. What I mean by that is Fletcher had the bright idea to hand out an inflated seven-year $50 million contract, which carries a $7,142,857 cap hit until 2026 (with no movement clauses built-in), to a player who, to this day, has never even managed to score 50 points in a single season despite him playing the last decade in the NHL.
Since coming to Philly, Kevin has found himself on the injury list more often than not, managing to play in just 172 games over the course of the last three seasons. Where over that same time span Hayes only succeeded in scoring 41 points in the ‘19- ‘20 season and 31 points in each of the last two seasons, which, if you do the math, comes out to him scoring at a rate of only 0.59 points per game. When you have those kinds of stats coming from one of your highest-paid players, it isn’t exactly conducive to your team winning games. For comparison, the Avalanche’s Captain Gabriel Landeskog (who made only $7 million last season) scored darn near double Hayes’ regular season point totals from last year despite him suffering a knee injury that caused him to miss the last 23 games of the Av’s regular season and required surgery to repair. However, Landeskog was able to battle back from the injury earlier than expected to not only play in the postseason but to lead his team to a Stanley Cup victory scoring 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 20 games played.
This season thankfully has been a different story for Kevin, who the Flyers are stuck paying for the next three years. Hayes has managed to keep his name off of the Injury Report list (knock on wood) and be productive at the same time. However, I would contribute much of that newfound success to his now head coach John Tortorella, reinforcing that he expects a lot out of Hayes this season. To prove this, Torts even went to the extreme of sitting him the entire third period of a game the Flyers were losing against the San Jose Sharks earlier in the year simply because he was not happy with his play. Tortorella’s tough love must be working, though, because as of right now, Hayes is scoring at a point-per-game pace, which, if he continues on this path, would make this season easily the best of his career.
Now, we all know a lot can change over the course of a long NHL season, but with the way things have turned out for the Flyers over the past couple of years, Hayes scoring eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 24 games played so far this season should be viewed as nothing short of a Christmas miracle, and who knows it is also Flu season, so maybe we will get lucky, and his play will turn out to be contagious so he can pass it along to some of his teammates!
Prospect Watch: Luca Di Pasquo
Back again with another exciting prospect in mind to explain why his play this season for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) should not only have your attention as a fan of the game but that of prospecting NHL general managers as well.
That player is none other than the 6’0 201 pound undrafted 19-year-old goaltender Luca Di Pasquo. Now, I know what you’re thinking; here we go again, someone hyping up another overager still playing in juniors, right? Well, I would agree with you if I were talking about a 20-year-old forward who was racking up over 120 points in a league he has no business still playing in, but we’re talking about a goalie here. Netminders generally take longer to develop, and even the best don’t usually hit their full potential until they are 23 or 24 years old.
The Michigan State University Spartans of the NCAA clearly know this, seeing that they convinced the Livonia, Michigan native to commit to playing for them next season, and my oh my, what a player they got indeed! This season while strapping on the pads for the Vees, Luca finds himself holding onto an undefeated record of 16-0-0 that he pairs with a league-leading 1.67 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage.
So, besides his incredible stats this season, what makes Luca’s game worthy of the attention of NHL scouts and executives, you may be asking? Well, this old goaltender would say, above everything else, it would have to be his stick-handling ability. Where this trait has recently become a bit of a dying art form, with so few goaltenders in the NHL even feeling the need to attempt anything more than coming out and stopping the puck directly behind the net since the league implemented the trapezoid rule back in 2005. Di Pasquo still somehow has shown the confidence to showcase on a nightly basis his ability to channel some of the best puck-moving goalies from the days of old, like Martin Brodeur, Ron Hextall, and Marty Turco in order to eliminate his opponent’s ability to either dump and chase, or dump and change. Because if they do either of those things, Luca will be quick to jump out and send a long outlet pass to his high-hanging wingers along the boards to create a breakaway attempt which often results in one of the very talented Nadeau brothers on his team scoring a goal. A feat. that Di Pasquo is no stranger to himself, seeing that he was able to net a goal a few years back while playing AAA U16 Hockey for a team called Honeybaked out of Detroit, Michigan.
Now, will Luca go on to have the type of success next season that former Spartan goalie Ryan Miller had while playing for Michigan State? Time will only tell, but one thing is for sure, Di Pasquo is opening a lot of eyes right now in the BCHL, and if he continues playing the rest of this season the way he has started out, I guarantee the MSU student body will be packing themselves into the Munn Ice Arena on a nightly basis next year to catch a glimpse of him in-between the pipes wearing their historic green and white.
What do the Devils have that the Flyers Don’t?
With Philadelphia Flyers fans not having too much to be thankful for this holiday season, as far as their favorite team goes, some enthusiasts have become jealous, if not downright spiteful, about a particular surrounding area’s teams’ success this season. That team is the New Jersey Devils. A fellow Metropolitan Division club who happens to play their home games a mere 78 miles away from the Flyers at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Now, both of these teams finished last season among the worst in not only their division but the entire league resulting in them drafting from within the lottery. Here is where Philly fans will really begin to get spiteful. Despite, the Flyers finishing last season as the fourth worst team in the league, with them only being able to achieve 61 points (because of their bad luck and the NHL implementing the Draft Lottery back in 1995), the Devils who finished the season with 63 points and entered into the lottery seated as the fifth worst team in the league ended up winning the right to make the second selection overall forcing the Flyers back to drafting in the fifth position. This resulted in the Devils being able to select right-hand shot defenseman Simon Nemec, a player positionally that the Flyers so desperately needed (who has already turned pro and playing currently for New Jersey’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets) and Philadelphia having to settle for power forward Cutter Gauthier who while he looks to be an excellent player in his own right is currently playing in the NCAA for Boston College.
Since draft day, these two struggling teams have become polar opposites of each other. While the Devils currently find themselves in first place in the Metro, accruing 32 points in 20 games played. Thanks mainly to them just coming off a 13-game winning streak that came to a questionable end recently in a 2-1 loss to Toronto, where NJ had three goals disallowed or overturned. In Philadelphia, the Flyers are in the middle of an eight-game losing streak that finds them once again amongst the bottom dwellers of their division.
This raises the question, what do the Devils have that the Flyers Don’t?
Health
Well, the obvious reason would be health! The Devils may be playing right now without their significant free agent acquisition from this summer Ondrej Palat, but for the most part, the team as a whole is healthy. The same, however, cannot be said for the Flyers. Once again, this season, Philadelphia is among the league’s leaders in man-games lost to injury or health protocols. With such players as Scott Laughton, and Travis Konecny, recently joining the lengthy list of mangled Flyers players that already consisted of Cam Atkinson, Bobby Brink, Wade Allison, James van Riemsdyk, Sean Couturier, and Ryan Ellis. There’s no doubt in most fans’ minds here in south Philly that with over $32 million in players not currently suiting up for the Flyers, the losses will only continue to pile up.
Competent Management:
But health is not the only thing the Devils have over the Flyers right now. New Jersey has a competent/knowledgeable front office that includes a general manager (GM) in Tom Fitzgerald. Who was previously under the tutelage of Stanley Cup-winning GM Ray Shero (son of Fred, who coached the Broad Street Bullies to two Stanley Cup championships in the 70’s). To gain some guidance along the way, Fitzgerald just offered Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur a promotion from being an adviser to the team to being named their new Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. An opportunity that Brodeur was very graciously quick to set ink to paper. The Flyers, of course, have something similar in that regard, with their former player Danny Briere recently being gifted the made-up title of Special Assistant to the General Manager by the Flyers. Still, the two really don’t compare, do they? Brodeur has a REAL job with REAL responsibilities for the Devils, where his three-time Stanley Cup-winning experience has resulted in New Jersey making the right moves this off-season to turn his team around rather quickly. Where Briere, although being more than qualified for the job with him holding a master’s degree in business administration from the very prestigious Wharton School of Finance, is being groomed by someone in Chuck Fletcher whose failures in both Minnesota and in Philadelphia to date can be contributed to his choice to operate under total heterodoxy as far as business decisions go.
Solid Drafting and Development:
You tend to reap the rewards rather quickly when you have the luxury of having competent management like New Jersey does right now. Just take their draft haul from this past summer. The Devils took the previously mentioned Simon Nemec with the number two overall pick. They then selected this writer’s favorite defenseman from last year’s draft class, right-hander Seamus Casey with their 2nd round pick, who has been a points-per-game player this season for the University of Michigan Wolverines scoring 14 points in 14 games played so far. Then the Devils followed that up by taking the top-ranked goalie in the draft, Tyler Brennan, in the fourth round. But this is not the only draft they have seen success in. Of their current forward 12-man roster that suited up for them in their last game, the Devils drafted 10 of those players! Now it’s true New Jersey has been a less-than-stellar group since Brodeur retired. Still, their fanbase at least had the memories of them raising the cup in 1995, 2000, and 2003 to hang on to until ownership could find the right people to place in a management role with the wherewithal to draft key players like Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt (all of which who are 24 years or younger right now) to bring them back to the point of contention. Not to mention the fact that the Devils currently have prospects like Luke Hughes, Alexander Holtz, and Nico Daws in the system as well. What has Chuck done for the Flyers as far as the draft goes, you may be asking? Well, even though he has been in charge of the teams’ selection process for the last four draft classes, he has yet to have a player who he has taken, directly impact the Flyers lineup. That doesn’t say much about his picks and/or the Flyers’ development program, now does it?
Smart Choices in Free Agency/and the Trade Market
Now let’s look at the other off-season happenings from these two clubs over the past couple of seasons. Set out to make significant changes to the Devils roster for 2021 New Jersey, who had been wisely saving up their cap space for some time, managed to steal defenseman Dougie Hamilton in free agency from the Hurricanes, who is one of the league’s premiere defenders when they signed him to a seven-year $63 million contract. That same year, they went out and traded for defenseman Ryan Graves from the Colorado Avalanche. A player that used to be partnered up with Cale Makar and who led the league in plus-minus in the 2019-2020 season averaging a +40. Then this off-season, their gm, Tom Fitzgerald, was able to not only orchestrate but carry out the perfect plan. While other teams like the Flyers waited until the last minute to try and clear cap space for their shot to obtain one of the big fish of the off-season Johnny Gaudreau (who later signed with Columbus). The Devils took it upon themselves to bring in the two-time Stanley Cup winner Ondrej Palat. Then they went out and traded for goaltender Vintek Vanecek from the Capitals, veteran Erik Haula from the Bruins, and most recently, they just managed to pull off a trade for Penguins defenseman John Marino. None of these moves may have been of the flashy variety that would immediately boost jersey sales, but they are the underrated moves that other teams ’GMs are now wishing they had the hockey sense to make. Then there’s the Flyers, who, after missing out on a big-name target, had to settle for signing defenseman Tony DeAngelo who the team had to shell out $5 million a season to in order to cover up Chuck’s blunder of a trade for Ryan Ellis. A player who, after only suiting up in four games for the Flyers, Philadelphia now finds themselves stuck paying him $6.25 million a season until 2027 simply because Fletcher failed to do his homework before trading for such an injury-prone player.
So, while the Flyers have spent their time trying to rebuild by overpaying the same players that couldn’t get them over the hump before, IE: Couturier, Sanheim, Provorov, Ristolainen, and Braun. As well as following the ideology that failed prospects like Morgan Frost and Isaac Ratcliffe still deserve a second and third chance to prove themselves. The Devils have been able to make a bunch of intelligent draft selections, free agent signings, and trades over the past few years that have allowed them to construct a solid core group of talented youthful players that should bring them success for years to come. All I can say, Flyers fans, is let’s all tell Santa that the only thing we want for Christmas this year is a new general manager!
Prospect Watch: Daniel Hauser
The name I have for you today to keep an eye out for is Daniel Hauser. An 18-year-old who is currently the starting goaltender for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Winnipeg Ice. Now, if I know anything, I would say I know how to spot a good goaltender in the making, seeing that I’ve played the position myself for close to 35 years and have spent some time helping coach the next generation of the guardians of the blue paint as well. So, believe me when I tell you this. Over the past couple of seasons, I strongly believe that Hauser has been vastly overshadowed by some of his other teammate’s success, such as Connor McClennon, Matthew Savoie, Connor Geekie, Zach Benson, and Carson Lambos, to name a few, and therefore has not yet been given the credit he thus deserves.
That’s all about to change because while his teammates’ accolades over the last couple of seasons may have assured that they were selected in the NHL Draft. Daniel has been posting up some pretty impressive stats of his own. So much so that I would dare say without him in between the pipes the last couple of seasons, I don’t think the Ice would be considered the elite-level prospect factory they are today.
Disagree? Well, in this season alone, Daniel is currently leading the league in wins with a perfect 14-0-0 record. On top of that, Hauser’s play this season has him ranked within the top ten in both goals-against-average (GAA) and save percentage (SV%), with Daniel allowing an average of just 2.42 goals per game and him managing to stop .915% of the shots that have come his way.
Thinking his success this season is a fluke? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but Hauser was also an absolute workhorse for the Ice last season. Playing in an impressive 40 games, he maintained a record of 34-3-1 during the regular season, with eight of those wins coming by way of a shutout. To add to that incredible league-leading win total, he also finished the season atop all other netminders in goals-against-average by averaging just 2.00 GAA that year, which he paired with a .914SV%. This means that at just 5’11 and 17 years old last season Hauser was able to best the highly touted 6’6 19-year-old goaltender, Sebastian Cossa (who also played in the WHL last season) in every statistical category there is for goaltenders, and that’s saying a lot considering the Detroit Red Wings took Sebastian in the 1st round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
What is equally, if not more impressive, is that Daniel has been able to maintain these numbers over this season and last, even though he commonly has to go up against conference rival, and the consensus’s pick to be the number one overall selection this summer Connor Bedard. Who this season alone is averaging well over two points a game.
How does this youngster that doesn’t quite fit into the NHL’s stereotypical goalie mold of 6’3 and 225 pounds manage to win all these games? Well, it starts with Daniel always maintaining the proper position to ensure his angles to the shooter are sharp so that he gives the opposition as little of net to shoot at as possible. Also, Hauser excels at moving post to post, which is helpful considering when Daniel is in the butterfly, he is unable to cover the entire goal mouth like most larger goalies manage to do with ease. To counteract that, Hauser has learned the art of movement. He did so by learning to utilize the butterfly slide and or push to his advantage. Daniel does this so seamlessly that although to the untrained eye, it may appear as though it is effortless. I assure you that every other goalie (myself included) who has spent countless hours on the ice working on trying to master this technique would disagree.
So, in closing, while it is true Hauser does play for an excellent Winnipeg Ice team, perhaps after reading this article, you won’t be so quick to give his teammates playing in front of him ALL the credit. Hopefully, I’ve opened your eyes to why Daniel should at least be considered a contributing factor to his clubs’ accomplishments over the last few seasons. I mean, it’s no coincidence that during the combined 62 regular season games he’s played for the Ice over the last three seasons, Hauser and his team have only managed to be defeated just three times in regulation!
The Flyers’ Effort is there, but Sadly the Talent is not
After being dealt their fourth consecutive loss Tuesday by the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets, it is becoming increasingly more apparent to fans that this team is not destined to sustain themselves atop the Metropolitan Division as they did at the start of the season. Instead, their early success should merely be attributed to the Flyers’ new head coach John Tortorella demanding the most from his players out of camp, where he made sure that his new team would at least be able to skate with the opposition out of the gate. Since then, though, the Flyers lack of skill (thanks to injuries and poor choices made by management) has managed to catch up to them.
How could it not right? With over $29 million in players currently out on Short or Long-Term IR, I think most would agree it is almost impossible to replace that kind of production. Especially since most of them are players like Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk, Ryan Ellis, Bobby Brink, and Wade Allison, which are considered top six talents on a team like this. Don’t get me wrong, though; the team has tried, but having no star prospects in the system to call up doesn’t help the situation either. I mean, with Torts being stuck with replacements like Morgan Frost, Tanner Laczynski, Egor Zamula, Hayden Hodgson, Max Willman, Jackson Cates, Kieffer Bellows, and Olle Lycksell all only scoring a combined 8 points on the season. I don’t know how Philadelphia has managed to win as many games as they have to this point. In fact, with the current amount of injuries, it almost seems fitting that the Flyers should just now be referred to as the Philadelphia Phantoms.
That said, it doesn’t mean that the Tortorella effect is not currently working. Although this team has shown that they lack the type of pure talent that is needed to stay competitive throughout a rigorous 82-game NHL season, they have somehow managed to produce the effort required to keep them in a game or even pull out a hard-fought win against a much better opponent once in a while.
As it would appear is all Tortorella can ask from his rag-tag bunch of players right now, as evidenced by his recent quote.
“You can boo us. You can talk s*** about us. I will back those guys because they are trying. If it were an effort problem, then it would be a different story. So, those are things I have to coach; those are the things I have to be fair about when building this team. I’m very pleased with the effort. I don’t give a s*** what people think about out here” -John Tortorella.
So, the reality is that the current Flyers roster is what we thought they would be under the tutelage of John Tortorella. They are a team reminiscent of the good old days when the players wearing orange and black were at least respected. They may not win as many bouts as their fans may like them to this year, but at least the people who are paying their hard-earned money to come to the games can once again count on the fact that the Flyers will come to the rink every night and play with a ton of effort and a lot of heart. For on any given night, you know that Tortorella is going to squeeze every last ounce of effort out of his players which maybe, just maybe, will result in a win.
Steel’s Corner: Pittsburgh Steelers vs New Orleans Saints
Folks, I want to talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers vs New Orleans Saints. I know what you are thinking, here we go another salty article about the Steelers. Well, this is not going to be one of those so sit back and take it all in. Keep in mind that the opinions expressed in this article are my own and is just that, my 2 cents.
At 3-6 coming off the Bye-Week the Steelers laid out an impressive win against a team that perhaps plays with more reckless abandon than the Steelers when it comes to the yellow hankies littering the field for an unprecedented number of accepted penalties against the New Orleans Saints. This was by far the best outing for Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada, with over 200 yards on the ground, and only one that is right one accepted Illegal Formation penalty for the Steelers. Now I do not know about yinz, but that is impressive considering what the offensive output of this team has been throughout this season so far. So, for this to be the best so far for “Safari Hat Matt” is really saying something. Not to mention that Kenny Pickett did not turn the ball over.
Welcome back (on a snap count) TJ Watt to a much-maligned Defense, since going down at the beginning of the season with a torn peck. Also welcome to the team Mr. Damontae Kazee who in replacement of Minkah Fitzpatrick, out with an emergency appendectomy, managed to snag a timely interception of Saints QB Andy Dalton. Now I am going to say that the Defense overall played much better with TJ Watt on the field as Alex Highsmith was able to shed some double teams and get home to the QB for two sacks against the Saints. It was almost like they did not miss #39 Magic Minkah Fitzpatrick out there. New Orleans were held to being one-dimensional, with the Steelers Defensive line taking Alvin Kamara, the Saints leading rusher, out of the game all together forcing QB Andy Dalton to put it on his arm.
Gosh special teams played well, the offense did not turn the ball over, nor did they get penalized for the usual 5-6 Illegal Formation/Down Field/Shift calls that have beleaguered this team so far this season. Kenny Pickett had one of his best days as the starting QB for the Steelers in my opinion. He made smart plays and seemed a little more on the same page as everyone else. Not to mention that Najee Harris with 20 carries for 99 yards and Jaylen Warren 3 catches 40 yards and 9 carries for 37 yards each had phenomenal days. The O-Line was getting some blocks and doing enough to allow the running backs to get to the second level. This combined with TJ Watt lacing it up and the Defense spending 35% less time on the field, plus finally putting some pressure on the opposition’s QB made this game a good team win! Now if we could only have a Bye-Week and Pigeons every week then the Steelers could win a few more.
Oh, come on you knew this was coming…this is the part now when I tell you what scared me during this game. Oh and a few other points as well. But let’s get to the scary part and that was the hit that Running Back Najee Harris took at the end of the long run. Looking at the tape, it is clearly a helmet to helmet hit, the crown of the helmet was used and the defender left his feet. Harris was hit squarely in the chops during the play and even went to the Blue Tent for a few minutes. To me these are the things that need to be removed from the game. Running Backs are not allowed to use the crown of the helmet and it should be that way across the board. I feel that that play would have been a “targeting” call on the defender and it was not called. I am seeing this more and more across the NFL and it is not the correct technique for tackling. You always keep your head up, wrap your arms and drive to the ground, not leading with the crown of the helmet. These need to be called and need to be addressed as these could lead to major injuries not only to the Running Back but also to the Defender.
After watching the tape, you can clearly see times the Steelers offense being blown off the ball and or missing blocks or assignments and there are a lot of things that still need to be improved upon in the coming weeks. This was not a perfect win by any stretch of the word but a win is a win and those are what this is all about. This may not be the year for the Steelers, but at least we can hope for improved play over the next coming weeks, at least I hope so!!
A Look at what’s been going on Down on the Farm
As the leaves have begun to fall and the first quarter of the NHL season is nearing a close, I think it’s high time we look at what’s been going on down on the farm.
AHL
That means our first stop should be Lehigh Valley, where the teams’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Phantoms, currently finds themselves sitting in 7th place in the Atlantic Division with a .500 record of 5-5-1. Much like the Flyers, although making a valiant effort night in and night out, the Phantoms have commonly found themselves getting out skilled by much more talented players on the opposition. With that said, there have been a couple of bright spots along the way. Defenseman Cam York is one of them. After a less-than-impressive camp, Cam found himself relegated back to the minors. Since then, York has made the most of his increased ice time and power play opportunities. So much so that Cam, through 11 games played, has scored three goals and six assists for nine points. That is a 0.82 points-per-game pace for the still-developing Flyers’ blue-line prospect.
NCAA
Next, we will look at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, better known as the (NCAA). Where a particular Flyers first-round pick from this summer (Cutter Gauthier) has managed to get off to an excellent start playing for Boston College after missing the first few games. In fact, he currently is scoring at a 1.14 points-per-game pace netting five goals and three assists for eight points in just seven games played. Could it be a one-and-done season for Cutter? Man, I sure hope so. We all know the Flyers could use someone with his skill set right about now.
CHL
What do you say we now head up and over the border to see which Flyers’ prospect may be making a name for himself in the Canadian Junior Leagues this season, shall we? Ah, and do I have one for you. We all know Chuck hasn’t been the best GM, but one thing he has managed to do right during his tenure is find some diamonds in the rough late in drafts. His latest example of this is a player he just happened to stumble upon in the seventh round of this summer’s draft. When he took a chance on a 5’9 forward named Alexis Gendron from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagues-Blainville-Boisbriand Armada by selecting him 220nd overall. Now, what caught Chuck’s eye may have been his ability to score, seeing that last season Gendron scored 30 goals and 16 assists for 46 points, but what may have kept other teams gm’s away was Alexis’ lack of defense, as he finished last season with a -21 average. All I have to say to you is what a difference a year makes; this year Gendron, who already has fourteen goals and nine assists for 23 points in 18 games, is not only averaging a 1.28 points-per-game, but he presently finds himself a +3 as well. So, not only is Alexis’ defense getting better, but this 18-year-old is currently projected this season to reach 51 goals and 33 assists for 84 points! Not too shabby for a 7th-round pick, huh?
These are just a few of the Flyers’ prospects playing well down on the farm this season. Now, who knows what the rest of this season may hold for the lackluster Flyers, but at least we can say the future looks bright.
The SteelFlyers Podcast “So you are saying that there is a chance??”
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Episode Description
SteelFlyers All Sports Network Presents:
The SteelFlyers Podcast Season 2 Episode 14
So you are saying that there is a chance??
* Steelers
– Coming off the Bye week against the Saints
– Saints are banged up in the trenches and this could be a win for the Steelers after a long rest
– Kenny Pickett needs to play better
– OC needs to be better, O needs to be better
– Welcome Back TJ!!! So long Bos!
* Flyers
– After 13 games 7-4-2 not bad
– Cam Atkinson skating with team in CBJ
– New players playing well (Sedlak)
– Hart looks great and needs to play more
PSU
– Penn State gets a victory in windy Indy!
– Sean Clifford and offense explode for 45
– Defense holds Hoosiers to 17
– PSU going to a Bowl game but can they put in a bid for a playoff berth?
*Phantom Phacts
– 3-5-1 to start the season
– Injuries to the Flyers have influenced the roster for the Phantoms
– Cam York has looked good since coming back from injury!
– Up on the ThunderBirds at the end of the 1st right now!
Cannot thank you enough for listening and checking us out.
Check us out on Spreaker as well!! www.spreaker.com/show/the-steelflyers-podcast
Now you can find the SteelFlyers podcasts on Amazon and IHeart radio!
THANK YOU to The Overview Effect for providing the great music on this episode!
Please follow me on twitter at @Steelflyers52.
You can also follow me on Facebook as well as the web site at www.steeflyers.com.
Fletcher’s Follies that will Haunt the Flyers long after he is Gone.
Despite the team winning some games this season because of the one wise decision Chuck Fletcher has had to date in hiring John Tortorella as the team’s new head coach, most fans would agree that the current team’s General Manager has done an unsatisfactory job up to this point. Given that, this same group of fans would probably be right to assume that Chuck Fletcher is most likely on a very short leash, considering that the team has been grooming former Flyer Daniel Briere to be his successor for some time now. But what most people haven’t taken the time to comprehend yet is just how long Fletcher’s follies will continue to haunt the Flyers long after he is gone.
Here are some examples of what I’m talking about.
The Kevin Hayes Signing
These long-term effects started early in Fletcher’s tenure, with him trading for and eventually signing the then soon-to-be unrestricted free agent center Kevin Hayes formerly of the Winnipeg Jets. There’s no doubt that Tortorella has Hayes playing better right now and that the team needs all the depth at center they can get, given their current injuries, but Fletcher may have gone a little overboard here. Why Chuck signed Hayes (a player who, to this date, has never even been able to eclipse the 50-point plateau) to a seven-year deal worth $50 million is beyond me. Because of that gross overpayment, the Flyers are locked into paying Kevin an annual average value or A.A.V. of $7,142,857 for the next FOUR years. For comparison, that’s the exact salary the Winnipeg Jets are currently paying their NHL All-Star Kyle Connor, who had 47 goals and 46 assists for 93 points last season.
The Rasmus Ristolainen Trade
Ah, yes, how could we forget Chuck coughing up the Flyers’ 2021 first-round pick to acquire defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen from the Buffalo Sabers? I get the want to do so because the team needed to get more physical on the back end, but did he really need to give up the 14th overall selection that year to acquire a defenseman who, to date, is a -176 for his career? Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Chuck re-signed the 28-year-old blue liner to a FIVE-year deal worth $25.5 million this offseason. This is coming after a season where Ristolainen (who has played ten seasons in the NHL) put up the least amount of points since his rookie season, where he only played in 34 games. This particular head-scratcher has the Flyers stuck paying Ristolainen $5.1 million until the end of the 2026-2027 season. Don’t get me wrong, I love Risto’s physical play, but there’s a reason why he’s currently in Torts doghouse. I mean, come on, Chuck, you’re telling me that Rasmus deserves to get paid more than Tony DeAngelo, who has managed to come over this season, and in a concise amount of time, has managed to already solidify the hole left behind by Ryan Ellis on the top pairing?
Ryan Ellis
Speaking of Ryan Ellis, who could forget Chuck making that infamous three-team trade that sent defenseman Philippe Myers, and the often injured Nolan Patrick packing, only to get back an already injury-prone 30-year-old defenseman in Ryan Ellis? A player, mind you, who at the time had six years left of the eight-year $50 million deal he signed with the Nashville Predators. On top of that, Chuck went through all this only to have Ellis play in a whooping four games for the Flyers before receiving a possible career-ending injury. Who would have thought this would happen, right? Well, anybody, who would have taken the time to look at Ryan’s medical chart before agreeing to a trade for him, that’s who. Before Ellis even stepped one foot off the plane at Philadelphia International Airport, he was already considered damaged goods. My degree is not even in the medical field, but I could see that this guy only managed to play in all 82 games once in his ten-year career before being traded to Philly. Didn’t this deal seem too good to be true at some point, Chuck? Or did you really think that you suckered the Preds into giving up a top-pairing defenseman for a non-physical 6’6 defenseman (Myers) and a former second-overall pick with an extended history of concussions? Because of this trade, the Flyers cannot spend $6.25 million of their allotted cap space for the next HALF DECADE. You can’t blame Ellis, though; would you retire if someone was going to be paying you $6.25 million for doing nothing for the next FIVE years?
Giroux Trade
Then you had the failed exodus of the Flyers longest-tenured veteran Claude Giroux last season. With both parties agreeing it was time to part ways, one would think that with Giroux being the prize of last year’s trade deadline, Fletcher could have gotten back a monumental haul from a team in need, but no, that was not the case. Instead of Chuck being able to sway Claude (who held a full no-trade clause) to agree to be traded to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche or the Boston Bruins, who were both chomping at the bit to acquire his services for their postseason runs. Fletcher had to settle for a much less lucrative deal from the Florida Panthers, which contained an underachieving Owen Tippett, a conditional first-round pick in 2024, and a third-round selection in 2023. Now, I like Tippett and the eventual early-round choices, but this trade did not bring us back the kind of kickstart we needed to commence a rebuild. Such as acquiring a future first-pairing defensive prospect like Justin Barron for Giroux that Colorado was rumored to be offering up. Instead, this team is left with no real star player and no hope for the future.
Overpayment to Coots
Next up on the laundry list of Chuck’s awful decisions that will continue to haunt the team long after he has been given his pink slip is his unethical re-signing of the team’s 29-year-old center Sean Couturier. Chuck agreed to pay Sean a massive eight-year contract worth $62 million. First off, why Fletcher decided to give a ten-year veteran an eight-year deal that will see to it that the Flyers will be paying him an excessive amount of money until the end of the 2030 season when Coots will be the ripe old age of 37 is beyond me. But what may be worse still is that Chuck gave Sean (a player who has only been able to play in a combined 74 games over the last two seasons and no games yet this season) a full no-movement clause for six out of the eight years of this contract. Now, I get the Flyers currently have no face of the franchise, but that doesn’t mean Fletcher needed to pay that much for a defensive center who is already five years removed from his career high in points of just 76. Don’t think this signing was that bad? Let me remind you before Chuck made this decision to resign Couturier, who he called “A premier player who was deserving of a premier contract,” the Flyers were set to have a considerable amount of cap space opening up with Claude’s $8.275 million coming off the books after that season.
Underserving Contract Gifted to Sanheim
Now, we all know Chuck is a creature of habit. So once again, right before the start of this season, with some money now burning a hole in his pocket, Chuck thought, why not hurry up and overpay another player who had a contract that was not set to expire until the end of this season. That player was none other than 26-year-old Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim. I have no clue why he felt so compelled to do this because Sanheim (who is thought to be an offensive defenseman and was already set to be paid $4.675 million for this year) put up a messily 31 points last season. In Chuck’s mind, I guess that translated to him needing to give Travis $50 million over the next eight years, which, if you do the math that, works out to $6.25 million a season. A $1.575 million raise for a player who is scared to throw a body check and, this season, has only managed to amass 1 point in 11 games. Folks that means starting next year, Chuck has signed Sanheim until 2031, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he gave him a full no-movement clause until 2026 and then a 12-team no-trade clause until 2030. I’m sorry, but why is Chuck handing out no-movement clauses like crazy? I thought these clauses were supposed to be set aside and only used when inking the team’s elite talent. You know, the type of player in the past that a GM would be immediately fired for if he got rid of them. Man, I guess there goes any hope of signing a key free agent this off-season when impending free agent James van Riemsdyk’s $7 million cap hit comes off the books.
No draft pick made by Chuck has yet to make the NHL everyday roster.
All of Chuck’s decisions discussed up to this point in this article will leave irrefutable damage to this franchise for the foreseeable future as far as the cap is concerned, but let’s now analyze how his drafting has set the team up as far as young talent goes. Upon his arrival in early December of 2018, Fletcher looked set, being as though he had been gifted with such great young talent as Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, Carter Hart, Nolan Patrick, Morgan Frost, Isaac Ratcliffe, Joel Farabee, and Jay O’Brien all being taken by his predecessor Ron Hextall over the last few drafts. To date, about half of those players have turned out to be key contributors to the club. One of which is Jay O’Brien (who has been a points-per-game player in the NCAA for a number of years now). Chuck has still yet to sign him. Be that as it may, let’s look at how Fletcher’s draft hauls stack up to Hexy’s. Sure, some impressive players have been selected under Chuck’s watch with names like Cam York, Bobby Brink, Ronnie Attard, Tyson Foerster, Emil Andre, Zayde Wisdom, Elliot Desnoyers, Connor McClennon, Samu Tuomaala, Cutter Gauthier, Devin Kaplan, and Alex Bump. Still, the real question is, have any of them made a name for themselves playing in the NHL yet? The answer is NO! Through four draft classes, Chuck has not been able to hit on one player who has been able to step into the NHL everyday lineup, including his fifth overall pick from this summer, Cutter Gauthier. To me, folks, that is sad. The best Chuck has been able to do so far is Cam York, who has played in 33 NHL meaningless games after the team has already caulked the season up as a loss. Still, even he currently finds himself once again playing in the AHL after a less-than-impressive preseason outing.
I don’t know, guys; call me crazy if you must, but as good as Tortorella has this team playing right now, I don’t think we’ve seen the worst from the wheeling’s and dealings of Chuck Fletcher’s past. Chuck’s absent-minded decisions have left the team with little to no cap space for the next ten years. Then when you add to that his choice of slow-developing draft picks, you’ll see the Flyers forced (as they have been the past couple of seasons) to finalize their roster with other team’s waiver wire players for years to come. Get used to mediocrity, my friends.
Tortorella and his Bad News Bears have surprised many people thus far, but how can he Ensure their play will be Sustainable?
I think after their play in the last couple of seasons, and what was considered to be a less-than-impressive off-season haul by management; fans around the tri-state area had already concluded before the season even commenced the best thing that could happen to their Broad Street Bullies this year was to lose as many games as possible. This, of course, would better their chances at drafting prized prospect Connor Bedard this summer.
But then came the start of the season, where the Flyers surprised many people by winning four out of their first five games. Their early success could/should be attributed to their new bench boss’s military-like tactics throughout their camp of tearing them down only to build them back up the way he wants them. With their new head coach able to do so, it appeared that all of this team’s prior trials and tribulations might just be a thing of the past. In fact, with Tortorella being able to restore/instill in his band of misfit players that hard-nosed brand of hockey this city has come to know and expect from this team, they have collectively been able to bring back the fans to the Wells Fargo Center.
The only question now is, might their play/success be sustainable? With no true star in sight after Claude Giroux’s departure last season, the Flyers currently don’t have that one elite talent they can count on down the stretch to carry them through a rough patch. They don’t have their star goaltending prospect Ivan Fedotov whom they signed this off-season to fill in for an extended period of time in case Carter Hart gets a little banged up during the season. And once again, because of the number of long-term injuries already accrued this season, the team has looked as though they won’t even have the bodies needed to endure an 82-game season, let alone the talent.
So, what DO they have, you might be asking? Well, for the first time in a long time, this team has HEART! Torts has this team of (by league standards) no namers playing a full 60 minutes of hockey. They are finishing their checks, causing the other team to create more turnovers. They are also playing better defensively, which has attributed to Carter Hart regaining his confidence in the net. In doing so, this unyielding bunch of players that everyone had counted out has been able to compensate for their loss in production from players like Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, James van Riemsdyk, Ryan Ellis, Bobby Brink, and Patrick Brown being out to due to injury by having players like Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, and Kevin Hayes step up their production in their teammate’s absence.
But these are not the only players making a difference. The team has been getting production from some unlikely places as well. The fourth line, which is generally made up of fighters, and penalty killers, has been bringing it as of late for the Flyers. With players like center Lukas Sedlak’s wheels allowing him to drive the net, tough guys Wade Allison, Nicolas Deslauriers, and Zack MacEwen have been able to net a couple of dirty unexpected goals.
Like the good old days, Philadelphia has made their opposition earn a win this year. Doing so has meant that said teams commonly leave the arena with a couple of new bruises and possibly fewer teeth! Now, while the Flyers may no longer find themselves at the top of the Metropolitan Division like they were just a week ago, they have shown this season that they will demand respect!
To sustain this level of success and respect from the league, though, I believe Tortorella needs to ride his hot goaltender. To this point, I think the Flyers have been coddling Hart. Yes, I know he is only 24 years old, but he was both drafted and is currently being paid as though this team expects him to be “THE GUY.” So, why not let him try? Before this season, the Flyers always ensured that Hart had a cushion. Signing veteran goalies like Brian Elliott and Martin Jones, who have not only previously held starting gigs on other teams for several years but were successful in doing so as well, with Elliott formerly acquiring a William M. Jennings Trophy and Jones a Stanley Cup for their efforts. These past transgressions however, left Hart to date with a career-high of only 44 starts. Which equates to him starting in just 53% of the teams’ games played. This season, Philadelphia simply cannot do this because their backup option this year is Felix Sandstrom, who to date has only started in seven NHL games and has been able to win NONE of them! Therefore, to stay competitive this season, the Flyers cannot expect to throw something like 38 games to chance by allowing Sandstrom to play as a 1A option in net. I mean, given that his NHL career averages are a less than impressive 3.21 goals against and a mediocre .907 save percentage, most would agree that he doesn’t even belong in this league yet. Do I expect Hart to play 79 games this season as Grant Fuhr did back in the 95-96 season? NO. But I think his play this season thus far is worthy of him being allowed to play somewhere around 60-65 games like the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Predator’s Juuse Saros, or Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck are asked to do most seasons. Especially given the fact this season that the Flyers have 15 back-to-back games.
Take it from this old goaltender; pulling Hart out of the net every other night when he has been playing at the level, he has could mess up his groove and concentration. Besides, it’s not like he is a 35-year-old goalie who has had multiple knee injuries trying to stay around for one more chance at a cup. He is a young and able body who only has this season and next to prove his worth to this team before possibly being given the boot for the next goalie the franchise feels compelled to ruin. So why not let Hart at least try to be that franchise goalie management said he would be while Torts is here to make sure the defense in front of him will do their part?
The SteelFlyers Podcast “Going through a rough stretch with patience tested!”
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Episode Description
SteelFlyers All Sports Network Presents:
The SteelFlyers Podcast Season 2 Episode 13
Going through a rough stretch with patience tested!!
* Steelers
-Penalties are killing us on top of the crappy play calls
-Kenny Pickett
-Coaching, falling short of the Standard
* Flyers
– Better than expected start
– Injuries are hurting
– New players scoring
– Hart looked good
PSU
– #16 PSU gets crushed by Ohio State at home AGAIN
– Sean Clifford not so good this week
– Defense were?
– PSU needs to win at least one more to be Bowl eligible
*F1
– Red Bull wins constructors, maybe
– Predictions for next season
– F1 Catching on in US with 3 races
Cannot thank you enough for listening and checking us out.
Check us out on Spreaker as well!! www.spreaker.com/show/the-steelflyers-podcast
Now you can find the SteelFlyers podcasts on Amazon and IHeart radio!
THANK YOU to The Overview Effect for providing the great music on this episode!
Please follow me on twitter at @Steelflyers52.
You can also follow me on Facebook as well as the web site at www.steeflyers.com.