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The Phillies Should be Looking to add some Reassurance in Center Field?
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
With the off-season now well underway, the Philadelphia Phillies currently find themselves with some questions still to be answered. Earlier in the month, we discussed the need to sure up the bullpen.
So, in this article, we will address the need to upgrade center field.
With the team seemingly cutting ties with their longtime first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who is now an unrestricted free agent, this ensured that Bryce Harper (who did a tremendous job last season filling in for the injured Hoskins) would now be typed into that spot on the roster moving forward.
That move allowed Kyle Schwarber (who is now over the age of 30) to no longer have to patrol the outfield, which provides Kyle the opportunity to instead just focus on hitting Schwarbombs as the team’s everyday designated hitter (DH).
But as we saw last postseason, these moves presented a problem. And that problem is, who is going to be the team’s everyday center fielder in 2024?
Sure, the team seems set at the corner out fielding positions with Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh not due to become unrestricted free agents for at least the next couple of years, but who is going to patrol that big empty space in between these two?
Unreliable Options already in the system:
Christian Pache
Foreseeing this could be a potential problem as early as last year. The Phillies front office went out in 2023 and acquired the highly touted prospect Christian Pache from the then Oakland A’s, but although Christian proved to be adequate in the field, Pache was only able to hit for a .238 avg. and totaled just two home runs and 11 RBI’s last season. And if that wasn’t bad enough, in seven at-bats in the postseason, Pache saw his batting average fall to an embarrassing .143.
Johan Rojas
This 23-year-old prospect was called up by the Phillies this past season not for his bat but for his defensive abilities. But while his outs over expectation were through the roof, Rojas’ bat posed no offensive threat in the playoffs. Many times over, Johan was able to come up to bat with runners in scoring position, and he failed to bring them in. In fact, he was so bad this past postseason that he turned out to be more of a routine out than when the Phillies—still had the pitchers going up there trying to bunt during every one of their at-bats. Don’t believe me? Well, in 43 postseason attempts, Rojas managed to put the bat on the ball only four times. This bringing his batting average down to a very laughable .093%. And, while Rojas is still just 23 years old and has time to improve, the Phillies, who made it deep into the playoffs each of the last two seasons, cannot conceivably head into next season with someone in the lineup who could easily get out hit by one of the stadiums’ peanut vendors.
So, who’s left? Jack Cave? He is certainly not an everyday center fielder. Heck, at this point in his career, he is primarily just used as a glorified pinch hitter.
And you better not depend on any initial help coming from the teams’ farm system because the only outfield prospect showing any real upside besides Rojas is 19-year-old Justin Crawford, who was taken by the team in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. And he doesn’t even project to be ready for at least another two or three seasons.
With that being said, I feel if this team truly wishes to compete for a World Series Title next season, they have no other choice but to sign a center fielder in free agency this winter.
Now, of course, the most appealing option would be to sign the 25-year-old Korean hitting sensation Jung Hoo Lee, who is a five-time gold glove winner in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and their 2022 MVP, where he hit .349 that year, totaling 23 home runs, 85 runs, and 113 RBI’s. But to me, chasing after him is a waste of time because he is already rumored to want to head to the Padres, where Korean players Kim Ha-Seong and Ji-man Choi suited up last season.
And besides all that, the Phillies’ President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, has already come out and said (in not so many words) that the teams’ checkbook is not going to be as wide open as it has been in the past. Instead, the franchise will look to fill in empty roster spots with Type B or C free agents that other teams have perhaps overlooked.
So, while that news is somewhat disappointing, just where might the team be able to find someone with a bit of pop left in their bat to sign until the likes of Justin Crawford is ready to make his MLB debut?
My suggestion for the Phillies would be to sign 32-year-old Michael A. Taylor. Now, hear me out. Besides Lee, there is no one under the age of 30 worth a dam available this year in free agency. And, while I know signing a 32-year-old to patrol center field is not ideal, sadly, the Phillies may not have much of a choice thanks to them having seven players on their roster due to make over $20 million next season. Besides, I wouldn’t have even brought Michael up if I didn’t think he was worth talking about. If you’re not familiar with Michael A. Taylor. I assure you both Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are seeing that the three of them played together on the Washington Nationals for multiple seasons before they each went their separate ways. Now, while Taylor may NOT have gone on to have the kind of production to garner him a $300 million contract like his former teammates, he did manage to remain effective. For example, last season, while playing for the Minnesota Twins, Taylor was able to hit for an average of .220 and set a new career high in Home Runs with 21, not to mention the fact that in addition to all those home runs, he was able to score 48 runs and drive home 51 more (RBIs).
Now, as far as how much Taylor may cost the Phillies to sign. I don’t know; the market is the market. The only thing I do know is Michael is not considered to be a top-tier guy, so my best guess would be that he will probably look to sign a very similar contract to the one that he just finished playing out, which was a two-year deal worth $ 9 million. So, expect him to ask for roughly 4.5-5 million dollars a year.
If this is the case, I think the Phillies should definitely jump at the chance to add this veteran player. He already has chemistry with a few members of the team and could provide some much-needed stability at both the plate and center field until the likes of Rojas and/or Crawford prove consistent enough to be trusted with the daily duties in the major league.
Prospect Watch: Berkly Catton
(Photo courtesy Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs)
At this point in the season, you usually can start to see the elite prospects begin to separate themselves from the pack. And one player who has done just that this season is Berkly Catton of the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs.
Over the last couple of seasons, this versatile 17-year-old forward has showcased that he can excel at playing center and wing. While he currently stands at just 5’11 and roughly 163 pounds, he most certainly does not let the fact that he is not the NHL’s ideal size hinder his point production.
Case in point: in his draft minus one year, Catton was able to post an impressive 55 points for the Chiefs as a 16-year-old.
How does he do this, you may be asking? Well, to start, Berkly is blessed with the kind of breakaway speed that allows him to create separation from the opposition. But better still is the fact that once he enters the offensive zone, Catton has shown that he also possesses both the stick-handling ability and mental wherewithal to be able to slow the play down and analyze what will be his next, best course of action. This is important because Berkly is a dual threat. For example, If no one is open, you can expect this relentless young talent to take matters into his own hands by showcasing his tremendous puck protection skills as he proceeds to drive that piece of vulcanized rubber right to the front of the net by using any means necessary. Once there, Catton frequently manages to finish off the play with no less than two defenders on his back by effortlessly elevating the puck over the (out of position) overzealous goalie’s shoulder.
But like I said, Catton is no one trick pony. When it’s in the team’s best interest or all other measures seem to break down, Berkly will not hesitate to dish the puck off to awaiting teammate like Connor Roulette, who has managed to put more than his fair share of pucks in the back of the net over the years. Catton does so by showing extreme patience. Relaxed as if he is in a state of nirvana, Berkly calmly lets the play develop around him, waiting until the precise moment when his teammate is in an ideal scoring position before saucering a perfectly placed pass to their awaiting stick blade.
What’s exciting is Catton’s talents are proving to be ever-growing. Even before this season started, he was able to have scouts sit up and take notice when he was able to lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he led all participants in both goals scored with eight as well as total points with ten.
That pre-season success, mind you, has only managed to emulate to the regular season with the Chiefs, where Berkly has thrived, complying an unbelievable 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in only 27 games played. Now, folks, let me inform you that his 1.51 points per game average currently projects Catton to finish the season, scoring 48 goals and 55 assists for 103 points!
To date, the only knock on Berkly’s game would be his previous lack of defensive responsibility. But although his career WHL plus-minus average before the season started was a horrendous -43. Catton must have focused on the defensive side of the game this past off-season because he has been able to remain even this year when most of his teammates continue to struggle in that category, seeing that they play against some of the most dynamic scorers in the game today on a nightly basis.
That’s why, with all those previously mentioned skill sets in place and Catton still appearing to get better with each and every shift he takes, I could easily see this young man one day becoming a top-line center for whichever lottery team so chooses to draft him this summer.
Should the Overachieving Flyers be Buyers or Sellers Come the Trade Deadline?
Heading into tonight’s game against the Avalanche, Philadelphia was riding a three-game winning streak. In addition, this overachieving team has managed to vault itself into second place in the Metropolitan Division. But while their unexpected success up to this point has been a welcome change for their fans, the question now is, does management think that their club is going to be able to sustain this kind of production throughout the rest of the season and force them to ignore potential buyers calling in about their players?
Let’s analyze this, shall we? To their credit, I don’t think there is one of us out here who would have thought through 26 games into the season that this team would find themselves second in their division. But let’s be honest with ourselves: while Tortorella may have his team staying competitive, they are still rebuilding and have no real shot at contending for a Stanley Cup. Case in point, while the Flyers may be sitting pretty in the Metro, they are sixth in the Eastern Conference, with the Caps, Hurricanes, Lightning, and Islanders all only one point behind them right now. This means that if the Flyers were to be dealt even one loss, they could easily see themselves go from sixth to eighth or ninth in the standings.
So, the newly appointed general manager, Danny Briere, is going to have to ask himself is it worth passing up on a bunch of potential draft capital that could be gained by trading away a couple of expendable players at the deadline so his team could maybe make it back to a state of mediocrity just to get booted out of the first round of the playoffs by a team like the Bruins or Rangers who are both winning close to 75% of their games right now?
The correct answer should be NO! This team’s best chance of winning is still a couple of years away when Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov are suiting up for the Orange and Black.
That said, if teams come calling for any of the Flyers’ current roster players in the coming months, they should at least be willing to listen to what the potential buyers have to offer.
By now, you might be asking who these prospecting teams might want to acquire from the Flyers. And I would have to say the one with the most rumors surrounding him currently is Carter Hart. But I would be hard-pressed to believe that a trade of this magnitude would be able to come to fruition in the middle of the season. Instead, if such a trade were to happen, I would perceive it to occur later, on the draft floor this summer.
Rasmus Ristolainen
So, let’s instead discuss some players who the team is more likely to move leading up to the trade deadline. One player who may fit that bill and has begun to garner some interest in the past few days is the Flyers towering defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. And for good reason, it’s not often that a 6’4, 208-pound defender (who is under 30) and playing the best hockey of his career is made available for a playoff push. But if the rumor of the Toronto Maple Leafs wanting him is true, then I’m wondering why Briere hasn’t already jumped at the chance to rid himself of a player who is a career -176 and is signed for three more years at over five million dollars.
Remember that while Ristolainen’s play has been good as of late, it has been for only a short duration, seeing that he has been limited to just six games this season. He is only just returning from the Injury Reserve list. Surprisingly, though, in his absence, the team appeared to not even miss him, with others proving they were more than capable of stepping up. Thus making him seem pretty darn expendable, if you ask me.
Why would they want him, you ask? At this point, Toronto’s fanbase is just plain desperate to win, seeing that they last raised the cup nearly 60 years ago. Consequently, if the Leafs find themselves salivating over the possibility of landing a defender with his type of physicality and choose to come calling offering up a first or second-round pick for a player who has never finished as a plus player in his 11 seasons in the NHL. I say let’s do the dam deal so that the Flyers can keep garnering quality draft picks that will help add to this team’s depth in the future.
Sean Walker
Another Flyer that teams have been asking about the availability of is their 29-year-old veteran defenseman Sean Walker. This underrated player acquired from the Kings during the trade that sent Ivan Provorov packing has proved to be more than just the throw-in most chalked him up to be. Dressing for all 26 games that the Flyers have played thus far, Walker has scored 11 points and is a plus-seven on the season. However, Sean is in the last year of a contract paying him an A.A.V. of $2.6 million, and the team may be unable to resign him due to cap restraints. Thankfully, they may not need to bring him back anyway, given the emergence of blue liners like Egor Zamula, Louie Belpedio, Ronnie Attard, Emil Andre, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, and Oliver Bonk currently coming up in the team’s system.
That’s why selling high on Walker may not be such a bad idea, especially if it could garner the Flyers an additional first or second-round pick in the coming months. Besides, doing so may also be beneficial to the team, given the fact that it would give the Flyers an extended look at a few prospects on the back end who will be battling it out for a permanent roster spot next season.
Nick Seeler
The last and final player I think could bring back future value to this team at the trade deadline is one you may not have expected: Philadelphia’s 6’2 201 pound 30-year-old versatile defenseman Nick Seeler. Nick is a guy who has proved over the last couple of years that he is defensively responsible enough to have gained the trust of his head coach, John Tortorella. So much so that the Jack Adams Award winner allows him to move up and down the lineup as injuries occur.
Seeler, who can play both the right and left side, currently leads the Flyers with a +13 average. I believe this insanely tough customer would provide great depth, strength, and toughness to any team heading into the playoffs and should be considered a steal if attained, especially since he is only getting paid a mere $775,000 this season.
If dealt, I believe Seeler could bring back a mid-round pick in the upcoming draft that could allow their GM, Danny Briere, to bring in some talent this summer that other teams have managed to overlook.
These are but a few players that could bring back some much-needed draft capital to this rebuilding organization if dealt at the deadline. While squeaking into the playoffs this season may sound nice, the team would benefit more from obtaining additional draft picks to go along with the multiple first and second round picks they already possess in this impending draft.
After Re-signing Nola, the Phillies’ Focus Should Now Shift to Upgrading the Bullpen
Seattle Mariners v San Diego Padres / Sean M. Haffey/GettyImages
Although the Phillies appear to be interested in inking another star pitcher like the 25-year-old Japanese international sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto despite having just closed on a deal to bring back Aaron Nola to the tune of $172 million over the next seven years, I would advise against it.
Hear me out! The Phills tried to do that last off-season when they paid SP Taijuan Walker $72 Million to leave the Mets. Still, I think most of us would agree that while he did win 15 games this past season, his production still wasn’t enough to warrant the team being stuck paying him $18 million until the end of the 2026 season. Besides, I don’t know about you, but Ranger Suarez impressed me a lot this postseason. So much so that if I were manager Rob Thompson, I would already have him slotted in as my number three guy for next season.
I think a better idea would be to wait and revisit upgrading the starting rotation until later in the season, like Dealing Dave Dombrowski did last year when he acquired the impending All-Star free agent SP Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers at the trade deadline.
This way, Philadelphia could instead go out in the coming days and throw money at a much more glaring hole right now: the bullpen! While the team managed to get great production from guys like Seranthony Dominguez, Matt Strahm, and Jose Alvarado last year. Others failed to live up to their expectations.
A key example of this was their free agent acquisition of closer Craig Kimbrel last offseason. But I’ll give Dombrowski some credit here: even though he tried to cheap out on a closer Kimbrel (who now has 417 career saves) did seem like a good idea at the time when the team was able to sign the now 35-year-old free agent to a one-year deal for the significantly discounted price of just $10 million. But the team should have known better because, just like when they brought in veteran closers Jonathan Papelbon and Billy Wagner, who were at the tail end of their careers. Craig, too, turned out to be a shell of his former 50-saves-a-year self.
In fact, he even ended the regular season well below his career average of 29.7 saves a year when he finished the 22-23 campaign with just 23 for the Phills. Kimbrel also saw his E.R.A. jump from a career 2.40 to a 3.26 last season. And we won’t even mention the beach balls he was tossing up in the postseason that easily cost the team a couple of games- if not the series- versus the Diamondbacks.
So, it should go without saying that Kimbrel won’t be back next season, but what about the production (or lack thereof) that the team received from lefty reliever Gregory Soto, whom they acquired from the Tigers last January? He, too, was not as lights-out as the team had hoped he would be this past season. Greg averaged a 4.62 E.R.A. during the regular season but ended up getting rocked in the postseason, where his E.R.A. proved to elevate about as fast as the balls that the opposition was able to hit off of him, with his postseason E.R.A. reaching an embarrassing 6.00.
Who, then, should their options be in free agency, you ask? Well, to start, I wouldn’t mess around anymore. I would go out and acquire an elite-level closer who is young enough that management could feel comfortable signing him for approximately five years. The reason behind this being so they won’t have to revisit this problem on an annual basis. And to me, that player would be none other than 29-year-old Josh Hader from the San Diego Padres. Hader, who finished last year with an E.R.A. of just 1.28, collected 33 saves and 85 strikeouts, which proved him to be one of the best at his position last year.
But signing him will not come cheap, considering his current market value is estimated to be around $17.5 million a year. However, with the Phillies’ payroll reaching new heights and their production beginning to level off, their window to win now is starting to close. That’s why I feel it’s high time Dombrowski tried solidifying this position for the first time since maybe Brad Lidge last grabbed a rosin bag and was still lining them up and sitting them down.
I know many teams out there are currently vying for Hader’s services. Still, one thing that may be on Philadelphia’s side is that signing with the Phillies may serve as a homecoming of sorts for this Millersville, MD native who has bounced around the country a lot over the last few years.
If the Phillies can get Hader, they will no doubt be in an excellent position to make a run yet again, but if they wish to compete for a World Series title, then I suggest they sign another relief pitcher in addition to Hader; one that can truly bring the heat. And for that, I would recommend 27-year-old right-hand reliever Jordan Hicks. Hicks, who came up throwing absolute gas that registered 105 m.p.h. on the gun with the St. Louis Cardinals some five years ago, has managed to develop over the years into a more complete pitcher. For example, Hicks finished the season with the Blue Jays last year where he was able to showcase his newfound ability of not just going up there trying to blow the hitter away every pitch (like he did in the past) but instead mix in a slider every now and again to keep the opposition guessing.
If acquired, this still relatively young pitcher who averaged a 3.29 E.R.A. last season might just be the piece that allows this team to reach the summit. What’s surprising, though, is that it may not cost the Phillies as much as you may think because his current market value is just $3.5 million a year.
Although some may view this article as nothing more than a blueprint for what I feel could lead this team to future success, let’s face it: while the Phillies could still use an upgraded multi-positional player to fill in when the occasional injury occurs, overall, the team already has the bats needed to drive in the runs; they just need the arms that will be able to prevent runs from being scored on them late in a game.
Some 2023 NHL Draft Picks who are Proving to be Steals
(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
Now, with the 2023 NHL Draft only taking place four months ago on Jun 28th and 29th, this article may seem a little premature to some, given the fact that such a short amount of time has elapsed. But I assure you, after you read just what kind of production these prospects have been turning out this season, you, too, will be a believer.
To start, we could easily talk about a player like Matvei Michkov, who fell to the Flyers at seventh overall and is playing at almost a points-per-game pace in the KHL right now. Or perhaps Gabe Perreault, who is currently Boston College’s leading scorer despite them having multiple top ten picks on the roster like Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, and Ryan Leonard. This, of course, came after Gabe had to wait until the Rangers practically ran to the podium to take him 23rd overall this summer. However, teams are supposed to hit on their first and second-round picks. Where you can begin to decipher the good from the great general managers is the talent they are able to acquire in the mid to later rounds.
Yegor Sidorov
Like the Anaheim Ducks did when they selected Yegor Sidorov (an 18-year-old from Belarus) in the third round this summer, 85th overall. Yegor, or as he is more commonly referred to as Egor, is a 6’0 183 pound winger who can play both sides of the center. The Ducks found Egor playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Saskatoon Blades. Where last season this elusively creative player somehow managed to score 40 goals and 36 assists for 76 points in just 53 games. Now, why so many teams chose to pass on a player operating at a rate of 1.43 points per game in his draft year is beyond me, but I’m sure Anaheim was elated to add this offensive threat to their arsenal.
But as good as Egor was last season, I wouldn’t mention him in this article if he wasn’t producing at a higher rate this year. Now, at 19 years old, Sidorov finds himself back with the Blades for perhaps his third and final season because so far this year, in 23 games played, Egor has managed to score in bunches totaling 21 goals (thanks to his excellent one-timer) and nine assists for 30 points to date. An average that, if he can maintain, projects him to finish the season with 60 goals and 26 assists for 86 points.
A player with this type of creativity and goal-scoring ability won’t remain unsigned for long. Expect the Ducks to be waiting in the Blades locker room after their final game this season so they can ink this player to his first of many professional contracts.
Denver Barkey
The next player worth mentioning is the Flyers’ 95th overall pick from this past summer, Denver Barkey. This diminutive center, who stands at just 5’9, must have reminded general manager Danny Briere a lot of himself, seeing that he was able to generate nearly a point per game last season while playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). This plus player has an innate ability to put defenders in some sort of state of hypnosis, as they all just seem to forget about the man they are supposed to be covering and focus on him. This allows Denver to create space for his teammates so they can set themselves up to put home a perfect pass that he somehow manages to place right on the blade of their stick. While Barkey finished last season with 59 points in 61 games, he is currently on pace to blow those totals right out of the water, seeing that he is projected to score 37 goals and 57 assists for 94 points this season. All of this, mind you, comes with him also maintaining a +14 rating right now that projects to him finishing the season a +40!
Denver’s game will prove to translate well at any level simply because when he is on the ice, he makes everyone on the line with him better! He even proved this recently when he made multiple highlight reel passes to current Flyers players in their preseason games. So please don’t sleep on this player, as I’m predicting many more great things will come from him soon enough.
Luca Pinelli
Moving on now to a player who was taken still later in the draft and is currently paying the team that drafted him dividends, we find Luca Pinelli. Another undersized center that the Columbus Blue Jackets took in the fourth round this summer with the 114th overall pick. Like Barkey, Pinelli never seems to take a shift off. Leaving it all out on the ice, Luca has become known as a duel threat. He is a player who is equally as dangerous in the offensive zone as in his defensive zone. So much so that he was able to finish last year a +30, but while being defensively responsible is great and will undoubtedly help you get to the next level. You have to be capable of a bit of offense, too. And Luca is proving this season that he can do just that. In 22 games played thus far, Pinelli has been able to drive the play to the toll of 17 goals and eight assists for 25 points. A feat that, if he continues along this pace, will see him end the season with 53 goals and 25 assists for 78 points.
While his lack of size may hinder or delay Pinelli’s quest to the NHL, his ability to make plays and put the puck in the back of the net will not.
Hampton Slukynsky
As we all know, building a team is not all about scoring goals. You also need someone who can prevent them. So, it was with this thought in mind that the Los Angeles Kings decided to draft USA-born goaltender Hampton Slukynsky in the 4th round with the 118th overall pick. Hampton is a 6’1 190, pound netminder who plays with some flair. He plays so aggressively that you rarely see him inside the blue paint when the opposition is in on a rush. Hampton is always out-challenging the shooter.
Nevertheless, once his team is pinned down inside their zone, Slukynsky manages to deny opponents with his lightning-quick reflexes and stretch arm strong like elasticity. Using these traits to his advantage, Hampton recently won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships in 2022-2023 and is currently playing for the Fargo Force, where he is undefeated with a 9-0-0 record while more impressive yet maintaining a league-best 1.53 goals-against-average and stopping a league-leading .927% of the shots he has faced to this point. However, that’s not all. Slukynsky also leads the league with three shutouts to his credit.
Hampton has accomplished all this while equally splitting time in the net with his older goaltending partner, Anton Castro. So, you can just imagine what his numbers could be if he had the net all to himself. A chance (if he keeps up this kind of play) that he will have next season when he is due to play for the Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
Many teams and scouts over the years have slept on this guardian of the blue paint, but that’s ok. Because the Kings did not, now they can just sit back and watch their young netminder continue to develop. With any luck one day, they may just see Hampton turn pro and get a chance to don their classic black and silver jersey.
Aiden Fink
The last player we will discuss in this article is a former Prospect Watch guest that the Nashville Predators took in the seventh round 218 overall this past summer. Aiden, who now plays for the Penn State Nitty Lions, is having a fantastic freshman campaign, scoring nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in just 15 games played thus far. To put his production to this point into some perspective, that’s a seventh round prospect who is currently just one point off the pace of Macklin Celebrini, who most NHL scouts have listed as the first player due off the board this summer. I know Fink is a year or so older than Celebrini, but to even be considered in the same company as a player like Macklin proves Aiden is on the right track.
I don’t know about you, but I think Nashville may have just put other teams on notice with this one. Many people have been sleeping on players coming out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) for some time now. And honestly, I don’t know why, seeing that last season, all Aiden did was score 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points in just 54 regular season games played for the Brooks Bandits and then managed to continue to win both back-to-back AJHL Championships and back to back Centennial Cups.
Fink is for sure a player to continue watch grow playing in the NCAA, for he can do it all offensively, especially in big games. Yes, I do believe Barry Trots and the Preds got some good value out of this pick, and he should continue to excel once he reaches Music City.
While these are a few of many promising prospects to come out of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, I believe these are the ones that have offered their respective teams the most bang for their buck. (I.E., draft stock used on them) to this point. Who knows, in a few years, if their early production since being drafted continues to pay off, they just may find themselves earning a chance to turn pro by signing an entry-level contract.
Like Father Like Son? Two 2024 Draft Eligible Prospects who are hoping to step out from their Father’s Shadow
Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla (left) celebrates his second period goal with Andrew Cristall (middle) and Gabriel Szturc (right) in the team’s 6-3 win against Swift Current on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Prospera Place. (@Kelowna_Rockets/X)
Every year, come draft day, you’ll notice a couple of prospects being taken by a team with some familiar surnames who turn out to be the offspring of hockey royalty. Sadly, despite having the same blood coursing through their veins, most fail to ever live up to their fathers’ accolades.
This year may be a different story, though. In the 2024 NHL Draft, there will be two prospects with profound NHL lineage that will be worth keeping an eye on.
The first goes by the name Tij Iginla, who you may have guessed is the son of the former Calgary Flames Hall of Fame winger Jarome Iginla. Over the course of his 20 year NHL career, Jarome was able to tally 625 goals and 675 assists for a total of 1,300 regular season points. Additionally, it was Jarome’s gritty style of play (that saw him come to be respected by everybody who did not live in Edmonton) that helped him collect every offensive award over the years that the NHL could dream up. Whether it be the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, or the NHL Foundation Player Award, Jarome managed to collect them all. And that isn’t even mentioning the multiple Olympic Gold medals he won that are probably sitting on his mantle right now.
So it should go without saying that Tij will have some pretty big skates to fill once an NHL club selects him this summer. But, it is a task he seems up for, given that he has already won a Western Hockey League Championship with the Seattle Thunderbirds last year and is currently scoring at a rate of 1.15 points per game for the Kelowna Rockets this season. That’s right, through just 20 games played so far this year, Tij has totaled 15 goals and eight assists for 23 points. If that wasn’t impressive enough, I’ll have you know that if he continues on this pace, Tij is projected to finish this season with a very respectable 51 goals and 27 assists for 78 points!
Now, while you may see a lot of similarities to their games, make no mistake about it: Tij is his own man. And in saying that, I’m sure he is looking forward to being drafted to prove just that. Currently, most mock drafts have Tij going somewhere in the second round, but with his stock surging right now, the sky is the limit, so we will just have to wait and see where he ends up.
Next up is another player from a noble bloodline. And that is Aatos Koivu, the son of former NHL’er Saku Koivu. Like Jarome Iginla, Saku saw his career span much longer than most, playing in 18 NHL seasons and totaling over 1,100 games. During that time, Saku compiled 255 goals and 577 assists for 832 regular season points.
Since it’s been ten years since Saku last laced up the skates, his son, who is also a center, now finds himself of age to be drafted and is hoping for an NHL team to come calling, much like they did for his dad did back in the first round of the 1993 Entry Draft.
Only Aatos appears to be facing an uphill battle, seeing that he is currently being overlooked because of the immense amount of talent coming out of Finland this year. But, I assure you this is a gross oversight by the masses because Aatos has been gifted Saku’s handle and finishing ability. To prove this, all you have to do is look at the numbers he has been able to put up this season. While playing for the famed TPS’s U18 Team, Aatos did not appear challenged, scoring 15 points in 15 games. So, the franchise recently moved him up to their U20 Team, where in five games played, Aatos has improved upon his previous one-point-per-game average to the toll of him now netting five goals and three assists for eight points which brings his average to 1.6 points per game versus what was supposed to be more challenging competition.
If Aatos can continue with his recent success, I believe he will not only have his name called this summer by an NHL team but very well could be considered a steal of this draft class.
That’s why, with all this being said, I believe both Iginla and Koivu 2.0 will have all the means necessary to step out of their father’s shadow and embark on their own journey to greatness.
The Flyers Continue to Struggle on the PP, yet No Change is in Sight
Photo Credit NHL.com
This past off-season, the Philadelphia Flyers organization made many changes to their personnel. From the front office, we saw a new President of Hockey Ops be named in Keith Jones, a new General Manager in Danny Briere, and even a new Director of Player Development be named in Riley Armstrong. More importantly, though, came the actions taken behind the scenes once these three were in power. For far too long, the Flyers have given the clubs’ former head coaches and GMs the boot without any thought of replacing the lesser-known people behind the scenes who are actively working with their prospects on a daily basis.
That was until both Jones and Briere came to power. These two former players understood that it takes more than a king to build a castle. So, they set out to deconstruct this franchise down to the cornerstones that have been the foundation of this franchise for a long time. Yes, indeed, there were so many moves this off-season to personnel that it seemed like Grand Central Station around their practice facility in Voorhees, NJ. The team’s firings, promotions, and new hirings involved many aspects of the club, whether it be the Medical Staff, Pro Scouting department, or Player Development, all saw their fair share of changes this off-season.
And for good reason! Case in point, the firing of the underperforming former Flyer Kjell Samuelsson was long overdue. Kjell was gifted a job immediately after hanging up his skates for the last time some 23 years ago. He spent the last ten years running the teams’ player development program and the previous 13 years before that serving as a coach for the Phantoms. In my mind, Samuelsson was a major reason why the Flyers haven’t had an elite-level prospect come out of the organization’s farm system for some time. Think about it: the only successful prospects that have come out of the Flyers system have come directly from playing in the NCAA or CHL and made the jump to the Flyers immediately or shortly after their arrival. These players include Travis Konecny, Carter Hart, Joel Farabee, and Cam York. Meanwhile, high-level prospects like Morgan Frost, Isaac Ratcliffe, Kirill Ustimenko, German Rubtsov, Pascal Laberge, and Felix Sandstrom, who all had extended stays with the Phantoms, either developed at an extremely slow rate or not at all.
Some notable additions since the firing of others have been the likes of John LeClair and Patrick Sharp being named as special advisors to Hockey Operations and the former All-Star Dany Heatley being brought in as a pro scout.
But despite all these positive moves being made, it baffles me that the club has failed to address one of its biggest disappointments: its power play. Over the last few seasons, the Flyers power play unit has ranked amongst the league’s worst.
In the 2021-2022 season, the power play unit was run by NHL tough guy Ian Laperriere. He was an NHL veteran who played 1,083 NHL games throughout 16 seasons, where he only managed to amass just five power-play goals. Now, while Lappy is an amazing guy, and his determination and devotion to his team while playing (I.E., him sacrificing his body to block a shot with his face not once but twice in one season for the Flyers) will never be questioned, I think the decision to place a guy who made a career by being willing to drop the gloves to come to the aid of a teammate, to run the power play should be.
And here’s why! During the 2021-2022 season, when Ian was in charge of the 5 on 4. The Flyers finished the season ranked dead last on the man advantage. Scoring just 30 goals on the season while on the PP, the Flyers could only convert on their chances for a very laughable 12.6% of the time.
Seeing this problem, management demoted Lappy to being the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. A role in which he proved to excel at, seeing that he took the Phantoms farther than the Flyers got last season, with the Phantoms losing in the qualifying round of the playoffs.
But while, this decision by the Flyers proved to be wise and provided them an opportunity to bring in a much more qualified person for the job. Their decision on who that person might be, was not! Back in July 2022, the Flyers decided to replace Lappy with a less talented career knuckle dragger in Rocky Thompson, a player who, during his short 25-NHL game career, never scored a single goal or an assist. Let alone see any kind of power play time. Hell, I don’t even think Rocky amassed that much ice time, given that most instances he was just put out there long enough for the puck to drop and for him to ask the guy standing across from him if he wanted to go.
Now, I’m not saying either one of these guys is a horrible coach. I’m merely raising the question, why might management think it wise to put multiple people in charge of running the power play unit that spent their careers rearranging people’s faces instead of scoring goals?
I’m serious; before joining the Flyers bench staff, Rocky’s coaching resume was as follows. He spent two seasons heading up the San Jose Sharks power play unit, where they finished 29th overall in the 20-21 season and 22nd in the 21-22 season. Not to mention that Thompson was rumored to be let go from his duties in San Jose after nearly getting into a fight with the Sharks star forward Evander Kane in the locker room. I mean, I guess old habits die hard, right?
To further prove that Rocky Thompson might not be the right man for the job here in Philly. Let us look at last season when the Flyers finished dead last in power play percentage with him behind the bench, drawing the X’s and O’s on the whiteboard. Under Rock’s tutelage, the Flyers only converted on their chances 15.56% of the time. In total, the team scored just 35 goals last year on the man advantage while the league’s best Edmonton Oilers managed to net 89 goals and were converting 32.36% of their chances.
This year is no different. With Thompson still somehow managing to keep his job here in Philadelphia, the Flyers find themselves currently tied with the St. Louis Blues for the league’s worst power play yet again. Having only scored four goals so far this season on the man advantage, the Flyers success rate while on the PP this year is a shockingly low 7.69%. To put that into perspective, the league’s best team on the man advantage this year, the New Jersey Devils, are currently finding the back of the net 38.46% of the time on the man advantage—scoring an impressive 20 power-play goals so far this season. Mind you, this is with the Flyers now having Couturier and Atkinson back from injury, as well as having the talented youngsters’ Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster directly being inserted into the lineup.
This recurring nightmare could have been avoided if the Flyers chose to relieve Thompson of his duties at the end of last season and, in turn, continue to fall back on their perpetual nepotism and hire someone much more qualified for the job like former Flyers great Mark Recchi, for example.
Mark is a three-time Stanley Cup-winning Hall of Famer who played 10 of his 22 seasons in the NHL with the Flyers. And, over the course of his illustrious career, he was able to score 577 goals and 956 assists for a total of 1,533 points. What’s even more noteworthy about his accomplishments in terms of this article, though, is the fact that 200 of those goals came while playing on the power play! A feat that ranks him only four goals behind “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky, who finished his career scoring 204 power-play goals.
But Mark did not only score goals while on the power play. He also was able to tally up 369 assists while on the man advantage as well. This feat brought him to an unfathomable career total of 569 power-play points. Folks, that’s more than Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Brett Hull, or Gordie Howe.
I’m not just pulling a name out of a hat here. Since Recchi has retired, he has spent time being a senior advisor to the Dallas Stars, a developmental coach, and an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins (where he added two more Stanley Cups rings as a coach), the New Jersey Devils, and most recently the Columbus Blue Jackets where he still holds a job with today running their power play after being brought on in late September of this year.
Obviously, Mark Recchi was but an example for this article, and he would not be an option if the Flyers were to act now to correct this issue. But this at least shows that there was a much more qualified candidate out there to be had. It’s sad that because of the Flyers’ unwillingness to act, they missed out on a fantastic opportunity to gain someone already in the franchise’s circle of trust that could have helped out this team moving forward.
With that being said, at this point, I think something still needs to be done. Thompson has become totally ineffective. He has lost the respect of the locker room. And I can’t blame the players for that. Again, I’m not saying that he is necessarily a bad coach, just that Rocky has never even stepped foot on the ice during a power play opportunity, let alone scored a goal during one. So how do you expect these young players who don’t even remember watching him play to respect him? At least with someone like Recchi, they would have been able to appreciate what he is saying and be willing to go out and try it because the man’s hands are loaded down with six rings. Five of them saying Stanley Cup Champion, and one of them saying Hockey Hall of Fame Member.
Prospect Watch: Critiquing the Top-Rated Goalies of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft
Terry Wilson / OHL Images
If you have read any of my work before, you know that I have been a goalie for well over 30 years, and I also enjoy giving back to my community by volunteering to coach young netminders. In saying that, though, I feel there’s a legitimate reason why goalies often take a little longer to develop. That reason is that a goaltender tends to be a rare breed. This job requires a person to be slightly off or even a bit deranged. Think about it: would you be willing to offer to stand in front of someone shooting a large piece of vulcanized rubber toward your head at a rate of over 100 m.p.h.? Most of you probably very quickly said NO to that last question. But for the few of you odd ducks that thought that sounded like fun and can honestly say you have no problem dealing with the extreme stress and pressure of being the last line of defense that often gets blamed for their team losing a game, not to mention having to put your body through the most strain of any other position out on the ice then this may be the job for you!
And since I have the gray hair, bad knees, and horrible posture to prove it. For all intense purposes here, I’ll just go ahead and consider myself more qualified than most so-called sports journalists (who have probably not ever stepped foot on the ice) to critique the next crop of guardians of the blue paint coming out of the 2024 Entry Draft.
Eric Olsson
For some time now, Eric Olsson from Sweden has been one of the highest rated goalies in this upcoming draft. This is for good reason, seeing that besides being arguably one of the most complete goalies out of this draft, he also has the size teams in the NHL tend to covet. Standing at 6’4 and 183 pounds, this 18-year-old netminder has recently decided to leave his native county where he had so much success to instead get a head start on learning the North American game when he agreed to play for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) this season. So far, that learning curve is proving to be rather steep because, through five games played, Eric is averaging an atrocious 4.97 goals against average (G.A.A.) and a .862 Save Percentage (SV%).
One thing I like about his game is that it is evident that he has been properly trained. Like most top-level goalies coming out of Sweden, Olsson shows good mobility and positioning. Something he needs to work on, though, is his ability to play the puck. Although I like his willingness to come out and play the puck, It doesn’t make him exactly good at it. Olsson has looked tentative at best when coming out to play the puck, resulting in a few missed handles. Overall, if the draft were to take place today, most mock drafts would still have him going in the late 2nd round.
Carter George
The next goaltender on our list is my favorite of this draft class, and his name is Carter George. This 17-year-old goalie plays for the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and unlike most guys featured in this article, Carter can win games all by himself. Being able to play much larger than his 6’0 frame should be physically capable of has allowed Carter to become unbelievably patient between the pipes. I believe this trait has most scouts drooling because it is George’s innate ability to wait until the opposing player makes a move before he decides to counter it that sees him being labeled a bit of a shootout prodigy. And we all know if a goalie does well in shootouts, then their team will most likely be able to acquire quite a few more points over the course of the season. This sometimes means the difference between a club making the playoffs and one destined to start working on their golf game a little earlier.
George has played in 12 games this season, averaging 2.65 G.A.A. and a .915 SV%, earning himself one shutout and a record of 5-4-1. Regarding international play, Carter recently backstopped Team Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to a Gold Medal, where he posted similar numbers in five games played. As it stands now, scouts have George being drafted by a team in the third round.
Eemil Vinni
Subsequently, the next goalie projected to be taken in the 3rd round is Eemil Vinni of Finland. Eemil is a 17-year-old goalie that currently stands at 6’2 and 187 pounds. Vinni has received high praise primarily for his efforts while wearing his nation’s colors. Take, for instance, Eemils’ performance in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last season, where through four games played, he was able to maintain a 1.75 G.A.A. and a .927 SV%.
But those stat lines were some time ago now, for he has struggled playing in the Finland’s junior ranks this season. For example, in the Mestis this season, he has barely been a .500 goalie with a record of 5-4-1. But I guess that’s what kind of production you get when you allow an average of 3.67 G.A.A. and only manage a .868 SV%.
What I like about Vinni’s game, though, is his hands. He has a solid glove and blocker that he uses to react quickly by swallowing up all rebounds into his chest.
But with Eemil still far from being perfect, there are a few things I still feel he needs to work on. First, Eemil likes to keep the puck in play a little too much. Doing this does not allow your team the chance to change personnel and can result in costly turnovers or rebound attempts. Next up is his inability to control rebounds down low. Vinni seems not to be able to control shots on the ice. Instead, he wildly kicks the puck, more often than not right back out into the danger zones, and when he does go down to make a play, his stick comes up off the ice too frequently, resulting in the puck sometimes rolling right up his stick and over his shoulder into the goal. Although still young, he has got to work on controlling the lower half of his body because, as we all know, ice level is where most shots come from.
As it stands now, mock drafts have Eemil being selected late in the third round, but there are a few other goalies I would rather draft if I were a GM before I took a chance on this still-raw prospect.
Ryerson Leenders
Here is a guy I feel will see his stock rise as the season progresses. 17-year-old Ryerson Leenders stands at 6’1 and 179 pounds and plays for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL. Taking the league by storm with his lightning-quick glove hand, refined movements, and shutdown ice-level coverage has earned Leenders multiple goaltender of the week honors this season. Like George, I feel as though Ryerson could be the real deal. On any given night, Leenders has proven that he can will his team to victory by simply standing on his head. Through 12 games played this season, Leenders has recorded eight wins, two of which were shutouts. Currently, Ryerson holds a respectable 3.21 G.A.A. average and a .910 SV%. If he continues on this pace, there is no doubt in my mind that Leenders will see his name rise in the ranks and be taken much sooner than initially expected.
Jackson Parsons
Sticking in the OHL, we now shall talk about an 18-year-old goaltender named Jackson Parsons. Jackson plays for the Kitchener Rangers, and I believe this Canadian goalie will be better than his current 4th Rd. Draft ranking would have you believe. What sets this 6’1, 203-pound puck stopper apart from the rest is that he’s fast enough to get across the crease to stop shots that he shouldn’t. Another skill that Parsons speed has him excel at is recovering from a butterfly position. After a shot occurs that requires Jackson to drop down to the ice, he doesn’t just stay and flop around on the ice; he quickly returns to his feet and reengages the play.
So far this season, these traits have looked to pay off for Parsons and the Rangers, as they currently find themselves in first place in the Midwest Division and the entire Western Conference. In doing so, Parsons has paired a 2.71 G.A.A. with a .907 SV%, acquiring two shutouts along the way.
Although it’s still early, these are just a few quality goaltenders I believe will hear their names called this upcoming summer. In what order will they go, and which team will they be drafted by? Unfortunately, these are all questions that will have to be answered another day, but right now, all we can do is sit back and watch how these young netminders progress.
Checking in with the Flyers Centers, Down on the Farm
Since we are a couple of weeks into the season, I thought it would be wise to see how our teams’ prospects are doing down on the farm. Like most teams, the Flyers have prospects they drafted currently playing in almost every league all over the world, and in saying that, it can be awfully hard and time-consuming to keep up with them all.
So, to save you the trouble, I picked out a few players who seem to be doing pretty well for themselves right about now.
Centers
Unlike previous years, the Flyers have depth at every position, and so I don’t make this article any longer than it has to be; I thought we should break it down to positions. So the first we’ll talk about is the center position. When Danny Briere took the job of General Manager of the Flyers, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind that the center position was a position of extreme need. This probably didn’t exactly sit well with this former All-Star center, so to change that in just a few short months, Danny has added depth to the NHL lineup by signing veteran center Ryan Poehling. He also made sure that his coaches would have no problem filling holes in future lineups at the position when he traded for a center prospect and selected multiple dot dwellers from this past draft.
Massimo Rizzo
The first player you should know about is Massimo Rizzo, a 22-year-old center that the Flyers acquired the rights to from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for David Kase. But we all know it was more of a thank you for having to go through the hassle of buying out Tony DeAngelo since the league blocked a trade between the two teams because it had been less than a year since the Flyers made the deal for the underperforming defenseman. Anyway, Rizzo has turned out to be more than just some consolation prize. Rizzo plays for the University of Denver (where he won a National Championship with the Flyers’ Bobby Brink in the 21-22 season). In this, his third year with the team, Massimo has seemed to pick up right where he left off last season when he scored 46 points in 38 games during the 22-23 campaign. Rizzo is currently tied for second in points this season in all the NCAA, netting five goals and ten assists for 15 points in just seven games played. With Rizzo playing so well right now, I don’t know about you, but if I were Danny Briere, I think I would make signing a center who is currently producing at a rate of 2.14 points per game and has totaled 97 points and has maintained a +54 average through just two and a quarter season in the NCAA a priority.
Denver Barkey
Another way Danny seemed to add depth to this position was when he decided to take center Denver Barkey in the third round of this past summer’s draft. As you might have seen from his pre-season success with the Flyers, this 5’9 diminutive faceoff man’s game began to draw close comparisons to the man who drafted him. And why wouldn’t it? They are the same height, similar stature, and play a similar style. But nothing lasts forever, and even though Barkey showed the team sparks of what may be to come, he eventually left camp without a contract and returned to the London Knights of the OHL. Since his return, though Barkey has not let off the gas pedal. In 13 games played so far, Denver has scored eight goals and nine assists for 17 points. Folks, if you’re doing the math, that means he is scoring at a rate of 1.30 points per game right now, and if he continues at this pace, Denver is due to record 42 goals and 47 assists for 89 points. Let’s not forget that he is a plus player and is projected to finish the season as a +47. For all these reasons and more, the Flyers look like they just may have stolen one here in the form of Barkey. For getting a guy who can perform at this level at such a young age, you would think the Flyers would have had to utilize a 1st or an early 2nd round pick on him not a third. Time will tell just what his ceiling may be, but as of right now, it appears that Denver could find himself with an entry-level contract real soon.
Ryan MacPherson
The last guy we will discuss in this article is Ryan MacPherson, Philly’s 6th-round pick from 2023. Ryan is currently playing for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL and is operating at a 1.38-point-per-game pace. Through 14 games, he has scored seven goals and 12 assists for a total of 19 points. But Ryan can do more than score; he is defensively responsible, too. MacPherson is commonly the last forward out of the defensive zone because he frequently is the only one willing to help out deep in his defensive zone to create a breakout. While Ryan is currently a top-five scorer in his league, maintaining a 1.35 points per game right now, it usually is not as competitive as some others, so he might have to stay there longer until he can materialize into a player whose stats management just can’t deny.
For far too long, the Flyers have drafted a player they liked at the time and then turned around with the intention of making them learn a new position out of need. For example, take Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton being forced in the past to play wing. With these three above-mentioned players now in the system, there should be no need for the likes of Cutter Gauthier and or Alexis Gendron to feel obligated to learn to play center. Hopefully, now that the team has people in place (Briere at GM, and Jones at President of Hockey Ops) with some common sense and actual knowledge of how to play the game, we will see this trend come to an end and rather than wishing and hoping a guy can learn a new position they will just draft with that position of need in mind.
Prospect Watch: Daxon Rudolph
Photo Credit: Nathan Reiter/Daily Herald.
While the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League may be managing to pilfer themselves a couple more wins than usual this year, with the highly talented Ryder Ritchie leading the way, it should be known that they may have just landed themselves one of the next great defenders of our time. This player is so good that, statically, when his time in Prince Albert is all said and done, he may not only find himself having surpassed the likes of former Raiders blueliners Kaiden Guhle and Josh Morrissey but one day could see his number raised to the rafters of the Art Hauser Centre alongside Dave Mason’s number four, Mike Modano’s number nine, and Dan Hodgson’s number sixteen.
Who is this player, and why do I feel so confident in his future success, you might be asking? Well, his name is Daxon Rudolph, and he is a 15-year-old right-hand shot, offensive defenseman who was recently taken by the Raiders number one overall in the 2023 WHL Prospect Draft.
While some may question why a team would ever take a defenseman with the first overall pick, I assure you this one was no mistake, for Daxon is a human highlight reel. Whether he is launching water bottle rockets with one of his twisted wristers coming in from the point, feathering a pass through an opponent’s legs to an awaiting teammate’s stick blade, or simply annihilating an oblivious adversary who chose so foolishly to try to cross over his blueline with their head down, Rudolph can simply do it all. This was made evident by his efforts last season while playing for the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep Team of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), wherein the regular season, Daxon was able to finish with 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points in only 30 games played. But, although that 1.66 points per game average from a defender may have seemed impressive, Rudolph showed that he must have ice coursing through his veins because he somehow was able to elevate his game come playoff time, scoring five goals and seven assists for 12 points in only five games played; which mind you included Daxon scoring the overtime game-winner that bested the likes of Jarome Iginla’s son Joe and the rest of the RHA Kelowna to win them the CSSHL U15 Western Championship. But that’s not all. While you are still sitting there and trying to comprehend how a defender can average 2.40 points per game in the playoffs, let me also inform you that Rudolph was named an Alberta Cup All-Star and the CSSHL’s Top Defender last season.
That takes us to this year, where Daxon has been able to elevate his game once again, this time by dressing for Northern Alberta’s U18 Team. Through just five games played versus older and tougher competition this season, Rudolph has averaged 2.00 points per game, netting six goals and four assists for ten points.
With all this being said, while Daxon may not be due to be drafted by an NHL team until the 2026 Entry Draft, it should go without saying that you guys should keep a close on this young man, seeing that he will only get better from here.
Thanks to a “Series of Unfortunate Events,” the Flyers have Found a Lineup that Works
Though the Flyers have played only seven games thus far, management and the teams’ Head Coach, John Tortorella, have had to make some major decisions regarding this lineup.
To start. The first test was when the injury bug hit the Flyers blueline. This came in the way of Ramus Ristolainen and the newly acquired Marc Staal. The only difference between the two is while Staal’s veteran presence and insightful on-ice coaching tips to the team’s youth in between the whistles will be missed after he suffered an upper-body injury during last week’s game against the Oilers, sadly the same cannot be said for Ristolainen who currently holds a career -176 average. Rasmus, who recently suffered a setback after being thought to be nearing a return to the lineup, has been pleasantly replaced by some of the team’s top budding defensive prospects. That’s right, guys like Egor Zamula (who is a +5 right now) and rookie Emil Andre have made the most out of their increased roles with the Flyers, and it has resulted in the team being not only able to pull out some impressive wins but compete to the final minutes of a game against even the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights.
In fact, without Ristolainen in the lineup, the team has looked more defensively responsible than they have in years. Collectively working together as a solid unit now, the Flyers defense this season has been able to create far fewer turnovers, has taken fewer penalties, and is managing to drastically lower the shot attempts a night that Carter Hart has had to face. Furthermore, as a direct result of that, this season, Hart has been able to recently record a shutout against the Canucks and bring down his overall goals-against average to a very respectable 2.19 as well as increase his save percentage to .924. Need more proof? How about we check on how Ristolainens’ old defensive partner, Travis Sanheim, has been doing? Since being freed of the burden of having to double back to cover for Rasmus’s mistakes, Sanheim has been able to turn it up a notch offensively, netting eight points in seven games played this season and is currently a +2 on the year instead of the -5, he finished with last season while playing with Ristolainen.
But that’s not the only recent event contributing to this team’s success. Tortorella’s decision to bench Morgan Frost in lieu of hungrier, less experienced players like Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster has allowed the Flyers to be able to dress possibly the best group of shut-down dot dwellers (centers) of any team in the NHL this season. Combined, Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton, Noah Cates, and Ryan Poehling are a +8 this year. To top that off, we all were witnesses to them each playing a significant role in the Flyers being able to recently hold the likes of both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (who scored a combined 281 points last season), scoreless in their recent game against them on the 19th.
It just so happens that this writer suggested this very switcheroo with the centers weeks ago in an article I provided a link to below.
While the Frost faithful are still up in arms here in Philly about Morgan being left out in the cold by Tortorella, they fail to realize that his stats from last year were inflated. Yes, we all know he scored 19 goals and 46 points last season, but what his super fans won’t admit to is those point totals were mainly derived from his increased playing time due to Couturier being out for the season because of injury). But with Coots’ injuries now being hopefully a thing of the past, the question now becomes, would Frost be able to offer the same kind of point production playing on a lesser line? Probably not! Plus, despite Morgan finishing the season with 46 points, he still ended up being a -12 last season and is now a -27 for his career, which means, in theory, everything he did last season offensively was for not because when he was on the ice, he couldn’t prevent the other team from scoring more goals than his.
So, when you pair those “series of unfortunate events” with the Flyers’ decision to trade away Ivan Provorov, who ranked ninth in the league in turnovers last year, as well as buying out Tony DeAngelo this past off-season, who was a team worse -27 during the 22-23 campaign, you can start to see that this new regime of President of Hockey Ops. Keith Jones, General Manager Danny Briere, and Head Coach John Tortorella may just know what they’re doing when it comes to constructing a roster.
Torts has the Flyers off to a Good Start, but the True Test May be Right Around the Corner
Let’s face it: with how the Flyers have finished over the course of the last couple of seasons, I think it would be safe to say that most fans were cautiously optimistic at best about the start of this season, from deciding to draft the impressive Matvei Michkov (who is signed for three more years in the KHL) instead of taking a safer pick like Ryan Leonard or Zach Benson, to trading away Ivan Provorov, and settling for signing some underrated veterans in Marc Staal, Garnet Hathaway, and Ryan Poehling. To the team relying heavily on the return of the injured Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson, it was clear that the newly hired Flyers’ brass was not afraid to roll the dice and take risks when reconstructing this roster. But as proved evident by the Flyers’ first couple of games, these choices, combined with a few of the Flyers ready prospects Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster, and Egor Zamula, have somehow surprised even their biggest skeptic, yours truly!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. While I’ll admit I like the addition of a calming veteran presence such as Staal to a relatively youthful and inexperienced blue line, as well as the creation of what I believe to be one of the most formidable 4th lines in the entire NHL right now. I think for the time being, I will just save my overwhelming excitement for when I tune into the next Phillies postseason game, and here’s why.
While the Flyers were able to win two out of the first three games they played this season, they did so against less-than-formable opponents. Let’s start with game one versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Philadelphia was able to win the game 4-2, and the players that should have been expected to lead the way did, with Konecny scoring two goals and Atkinson netting one. All the while, players like Coots, Laughton, and Farabee were able to get in on the action as well. But while we should be happy, they won, let’s not get too excited. The Blue Jackets finished dead last in the Eastern Conference last season, not to mention that they finished the year tied for second to last in the entire league, with them only managing to obtain 59 points for the year. In comparison, while our team was terrible, the Flyers at least managed to pile up 75 points on the season.
Moving on, as we begin to analyze the Flyers’ second game of the year against the Ottawa Senators, you can see why I am a little apprehensive about signing up to help plan for the Flyers Stanley Cup parade route this year after just one game played. In this contest last Saturday, Philadelphia found themselves having to line up against a little better opponent in the form of the Ottawa Senators. A team that, while trending in the right direction, still managed to find themselves being eliminated from any hopes of the playoffs last year after finishing the season in the eleventh spot in the Eastern Conference with only 86 points to their credit. Despite all that, the Senators still came out on top this past weekend, besting the Flyers by a score of 5-2. And if that wasn’t bad enough to add insult to injury, long-time Flyer Claude Giroux and the rest of his cronies wearing the red and black were able to do so with their backup goaltender Anton Forsberg in net.
https://www.nhl.com/stories/150482-20231014-Ottawa-Senators-vs-Philadelphia-Flyers.html
Now, for their latest game against the Vancouver Canucks that took place just yesterday on the 17th. I have to admit; after watching this game, I have to give this team some credit because it has been a very long time since I have seen the Flyers play such an up-tempo game. That second period especially, because they were relentless in their efforts. With the offense recording shot after shot and the defense playing so well, I swear Carter Hart could have taken a mid-game nap and still wound up with a shutout. This was the case because the Flyers had players like the elusive Bobby Brink busy on the other end, creating chance after chance in and around the net like he was able to do so quite frequently when attending college at the University of Denver, where he led the nation back in the 2021-2022 season scoring 57 points in 41 games played. But even though they were able to dominate the Canucks 2-0 yesterday, I worry that even though the great John Tortorella seems to have his team whipped into shape so early into the season, the likelihood of them being able to maintain this level of play against any real competition without having any true superstar of their own on the roster right now is slim to none. Case in point, like the two previous teams we discussed in this article, Vancouver was not a playoff team last season. Like the Senators, they finished in the eleventh seed in their respective conference last season.
This is far off the pace of the likes of the teams the Flyers will be forced to face over the next few weeks. Yes, over the next 14 days, I believe we will begin to get a more accurate depiction of what kind of team we are dealing with here. Because during that time, the Flyers will have to line up against playoff-caliber teams like Connor McDavids’ Edmonton Oilers, the Dallas Stars, the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Las Vegas Golden Knights, the Minnesota Wild, and the Carolina Hurricanes.
In closing, will these next few weeks really prove to make or break the Flyers season? No, but it should allow us to view just how far this team has come from last year and how far they still have to go to be considered a real contender in this ultra-competitive league again. There’s no doubt that guys like Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov will be nice additions to this team’s offense whenever they arrive, but I believe there is still so much more the team can do while they are forced to wait. So, in saying that, don’t be surprised or discouraged when this team goes through all sorts of trials and tribulations again this season, including possibly having to do some more subtraction to obtain more future assets while they are still rebuilding. Help is on the way; it will just take time. The only difference from the previous times we have heard this type of propaganda from ownership is now that this team is under the direction of Keith Jones and Danny Briere. I finally believe this to be true.