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Carter Hart Expected To Remain With Flyers For Rest Of Season

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With the impending return of goaltender Brian Elliott as well as the potential return of Michal Neuvirth and the presence of Anthony Stolarz, there are some who are worried that the Philadelphia Flyers might consider sending 20-year-old Carter Hart back to the AHL to make room for some of their veterans. Of course, Hart’s numbers would suggest that might be a mistake as he has won eight-straight games, which ties him for the NHL record for the most consecutive games won by a goalie under 21 years old (Jocelyn Thibault also had eight straight wins in 1995).

However, Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher confirmed reports today that Hart has been told that he’s staying in Philadelphia for the rest of the season.

“Yes most likely,” Fletcher said. “But he will be eligible for AHL playoffs if we don’t make it in Philly.”

Heralded as the CHL Goaltender of the Year two straight years, the belief was that Hart would need to play one full season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. However, with numerous injuries in net in Philadelphia and a change in leadership both in the front office and eventually behind the bench, Hart was recalled on Dec. 18 and has put up impressive numbers, including an 11-5-1 record, a 2.45 GAA and a .926 save percentage in 17 games. His current eight-game winning streak has vaulted the Flyers, long thought out of a playoff spot, back into the race as they are just six points out of a wildcard spot, although there are a number of teams in between them.

The team has already indicated they will consider keeping three goaltenders on the roster as Elliott is expected to return to game action next week. Regardless, the team has gotten solid play from both Hart and Stolarz recently and Philadelphia has made it clear, they don’t want to overwhelm the youngster by playing him too much, so adding a third goaltender shouldn’t have detrimental effects.

 

Jori Lehtera Placed On Waivers

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Thursday: Lehtera has cleared waivers and was immediately assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Wednesday: The house cleaning continues in Philadelphia, where the Flyers have once again placed a veteran forward on waivers. Today GM Chuck Fletcher announced that Jori Lehtera will be placed on waivers at noon.

It’s been a struggle for Lehtera since joining the Flyers to say the least. The 31-year old forward has recorded just 11 points in 89 games since being part of the package that sent Brayden Schenn to the St. Louis Blues, and never fit into the Philadelphia lineup in any real consistent role. Playing just a handful of minutes whenever he did get into the lineup this season, there was little reason to keep him on the roster other than a hope he would somehow crack open that potential he once showed.

As a 27-year old rookie in 2014-15, Lehtera recorded 44 points and earned himself an expensive contract extension. The decision to hand him a three-year, $14.1MM extension on the first day he was eligible for it almost immediately seemed like a mistake, as Lehtera struggled in his sophomore season and recorded just nine goals for the Blues. Things got even worse the following year when the extension actually kicked in, and he was included as a salary dump in the Schenn trade.

For the Flyers, who already waived and sent Dale Weise away from the team, this was an inevitable next step even as they try to climb back into the playoff race with a late push. Lehtera was by no means part of the plan going forward, and there is little reason to keep him on the roster at this point. Burying him would remove just a prorated $1.025MM off his full season cap hit, but would open up a roster spot for one of the Flyers prospects—though, roster limits will also open up after the trade deadline.

Moving forward, a return to the KHL or his native Finland may be in the cards for Lehtera, who found great success overseas before coming to the NHL in the first place. He certainly won’t be receiving anything near his $5MM salary from an NHL organization next season.

Philadelphia Flyers Looking To Add Depth

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The Philadelphia Flyers have become the most interesting team to watch over the last few days. Not because of anything spectacular captain Claude Giroux did at the All-Star game, but because of comments coming out of their front office. Just yesterday, Flyers chairman Dave Scott explained that the team will be aggressive in free agency this summer and today GM Chuck Fletcher spoke about their plans in the second half of this season. Most notably, Fletcher explained that he is “trying to make the team better at all costs” and is looking to “add better players and add depth.” Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer put it more simple terms, tweeting that Fletcher made it seem like “everyone is available in a trade except Claude Giroux” before adding that Carter Hart is probably on that hands-off list.

If there is one name to focus on in Philadelphia of course, it’s Wayne Simmonds. The veteran power forward has been on everyone’s mind the last few weeks as the trade deadline approaches, and once again was a key point in Pierre LeBrun’s latest for The Athletic (subscription required). LeBrun makes the case for Simmonds playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning down the stretch, but also notes that Western Conference contenders like the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets will surely check in before the deadline.

It is important to remember though that Fletcher was brought in to make changes to this group, after former GM Ron Hextall was criticized for being too patient. The team has a huge number of top prospects still developing, but hasn’t been able to find the goaltending or defense to really compete in the Metropolitan Division even while they pay Giroux and Jakub Voracek like some of the best forwards in the league. James van Riemsdyk was inked to a huge deal in the offseason but has dealt with injury and inconsistency upon his return to Philadelphia, and the crease has been a carousel of names from the start of the year.

Now that Hart is in place and looks like the goaltender of the present, not just the future, you can bet the Flyers aren’t interested in any sort of rebuild. The team wants to compete right away, and that makes them one of the toughest teams to read heading into the trade season. While they might move out some expiring pieces, don’t think they won’t add as well even with their eyes on next season. Players with a few years under contract could be of interest, especially given the team has only a handful of forwards under contract for next season.

With 14 games left before the deadline and nine of those at home, Fletcher might wait just a little while longer to make sure that there’s no chance of sneaking into the postseason this year. But even if that stretch doesn’t go well, don’t think it’s just going to be a tear down in Philadelphia.

Wayne Simmonds Will Be “Signed Or Moved” By Deadline

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Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, the words have now come directly from the GM of the Philadelphia Flyers. Chuck Fletcher told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the goal for pending free agent forward Wayne Simmonds “would be to either have him signed or moved by the trade deadline.” The team isn’t willing to let Simmonds walk for nothing in the offseason, which makes sense given the disappointing performance they’ve had in the standings this year.

Simmonds has been the center of trade talk since before the season even began, and recent news has put the chance of him being moved even more likely than any potential extension. The Flyers obviously love what he brings to the table, but he could also be one of the prime targets at the trade deadline and bring them back an even bigger package. Add in that the team already committed $7MM per season to James van Riemsdyk last offseason—who is supposed to bring some of the net-front goal scoring that Simmonds can also provide—and it’s hard to imagine a contract that would work between the two sides.

That’s not to say the team won’t try to get something done, but as a trade asset Simmonds is almost unmatched. He can provide a little bit of everything to a team, and comes with just a $3.975MM cap hit for the rest of this season. A physical force who can also keep up with skilled players is what basically every Stanley Cup contender likes to add come playoff time.

When we asked our community to predict his final destination this season the leading candidates were easily the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, two teams battling for position in the Atlantic Division. Though those two are obvious choices, there will surely be Western Conference teams taking a look in the next few weeks as well.

Arizona Coyotes Acquire Jordan Weal

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A day of minor trades continues with a somewhat more high-profile swap between the Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes. The third deal of the day sees forward Jordan Weal heading to Arizona in exchange for a 2019 sixth-round pick and ECHL defenseman Jacob Graves, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and later confirmed by the teams. Weal is an impending unrestricted free agent.

While it may seem strange that the Coyotes, just three points ahead of 30th-place Flyers in the league standings, are acquiring a rental player, one look at Arizona’s injury report will help to explain the move. The team has been without Christian Dvorak all season, lost Nick Schmaltz for the remainder of the year, have been missing Michael Grabner since early December, and today added Brad Richardson to the injured reserve. The team is sorely lacking in NHL-caliber forwards and found one in Weal for a relatively affordable price. Weal is likely to slide into a top-nine role for the Coyotes and could treat the opportunity as a tryout for a new contract, so as to avoid what might be a quiet off-season market for his services.

Weal, 26, is just two years removed from a season in which scored better than a point-per-game in the AHL for a half season and better than a half point-per-game with the Flyers for the other half. At 24, Weal hit the open market as a Group 6 UFA, but Philadelphia paid to keep him around with a two-year contract worth $1.75MM per year, despite having less than half a season of NHL experience. He has fallen short of expectations as a full-time player, recording 21 points in 69 games with the Flyers last season and just nine points through 28 games this year, serving as a frequent healthy scratch over both campaigns. Where Weal has excelled this season is at the face-off dot, with an impressive 59.7% mark. He has also been a strong possession player, holding a 54.8 Corsi For % that trailed only Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny among Flyers forwards. The scoring has simply been lacking from Weal, an issue that the struggling Flyers could not afford to let him work out. While Weal may seem like just another depth piece on a Coyotes team filled with similar players, GM John Chayka will likely take a look at him in a variety of situations to see whether or not he would be a long-term fit in Arizona. Don’t rule out the possibility that he could be traded again before the deadline – or waived – if he gets off to a poor start. Regardless, Weal certainly wasn’t going to be a fit moving forward in Philadelphia and new GM Chuck Fletcher will be happy to land a draft pick for a player he planned to let walk.

Poll: Where Will Wayne Simmonds End The Season?

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It seems as though the biggest name in the rumor mill of late is that of Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, who remains unsigned past this season and could be a huge help to basically any Stanley Cup contender. His unique mix of skills is a difficult thing to come by, and a reasonable cap hit of $3.975MM makes him able to fit into almost anyone’s budget.

That’s not to say that he is guaranteed to be traded. Under former GM Ron Hextall the Flyers had talked about an extension with Simmonds that would keep him in Philadelphia for several more years, but it’s unclear where new GM Chuck Fletcher stands on the matter, though he had previously tried to acquire the winger when in Minnesota. Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that Fletcher and agent Eustace King have spoken recently and that another conversation will take place this week.

If he doesn’t re-sign in Philadelphia and the Flyers decide to move him at the deadline, there won’t be any shortage of suitors for Simmonds. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked because of their apparent need for a physical net-front presence and it being Simmonds’ hometown, while Tampa Bay, Winnipeg and Calgary have also been suggested as good landing spots—though no link has been reported between any of them.

The Flyers have lost eight consecutive games and fallen all the way to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, a clear sign that they will be sellers at the deadline. Simmonds is easily their most attractive expiring contract, though obviously Fletcher could choose to place a bigger explosive in the room and change the entire look of the team.

Where do you think Simmonds will end the season? Does he re-sign with the Flyers and try to help them flip the script next season, or will he be bought by the highest bidder at the deadline for a deep playoff run? Cast your vote below and explain your reasoning in the comment section.

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Philadelphia Flyers Issue Update On Injured Players

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The Philadelphia Flyers, win-less in their last five games, have struggled with injuries at every position this season. With 39 games under their belt already, Philadelphia approaches the midway point of the season as the last-place team in the Metropolitan Division and currently 12 points out of a playoff spot. While new general manager Chuck Fletcher has a reputation for making big trades, the team seems unlikely to be anything but a seller unless their fortunes change dramatically in the second half. Any chance of that happening thus depends on the team getting back to full health and staying that way, allowing for some consistency on the roster to yield results. The Flyers today released an update on six players currently sidelined, paired with predictions of when they might return to action.

The most pressing injury update obviously belongs to starting goaltender Brian Elliott. Elliott, out since mid-November with a lower-body injury thought to be a groin injury, has played in just 14 games this season for the Flyers. With injuries hampering Michal Neuvirth, Alex Lyon, and Anthony Stolarz (also currently out) at times this season as well, Elliott is one of six different keepers to man the Philadelphia net this season, none of whom have had much success. Elliott remains the Flyers’ top option and best chance of winning games. The team relayed that they expect the veteran net minder to finally return to action in the next 10-14 days. They also added that Stolarz, who missed almost the entire 2017-18 season due to injury, is also on the mend and should be back from his own lower-body injury within days.

On the blue line, veteran Andrew MacDonald is also struggling with a lower-body injury, but should not miss much time. The Flyers announced that he will sit for the team’s next two games, but should resume skating on the other side of the weekend. More importantly, young counterpart Samuel Morin, who has yet to play this season due to off-season ACL surgery, is finally progressing toward a return. However, a serious knee injury takes time and, while Morin is back at practice with the team, they don’t expect him to be game-ready until later in February. Up front, young center Nolan Patrick is not expected to miss much time with a recently-suffered upper-body injury. Patrick has missed the team’s past three games, but is close to being cleared and is expected to play at some point next week. Finally, Corban Knight, out since late October following surgery to repair a broke collarbone, is ahead of schedule on his initial four month timeline. Knight will be re-evaluated later this month and is expected to return in February.

The question now is whether or not the improved health of the Flyers makes a difference. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently named Philadelphia as a team he expected to be active on the trade market, but acknowledged that it is still unclear whether they consider themselves buyers or sellers. Despite the poor on-ice performance, Fletcher still sees the potential in his new club and would like to improve the roster rather than dismantle it. However, if health alone isn’t enough to close the gap substantially by the NHL Trade Deadline, he may have no choice but to move out his expendable pieces. Elliott, an impending unrestricted free agent, could be a valued piece for teams with needs in net, especially if he can prove that he is back at full strength with some strong play. Neuvirth and Stolarz, who also have expiring contracts, are other potential goalie rentals, albeit less likely to move. The real value for the Flyers would come from moving several forwards, namely Wayne Simmonds, but also fellow UFA’s Michael Raffl and Jordan Weal. Whether or not it comes to that for Fletcher and the Flyers depends on the team’s play down the stretch and they hope that this upcoming return to health helps to make the difference.

Brian Elliott To Avoid Surgery, Return In A Few Weeks

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Though the Philadelphia Flyers are sitting in last place in the Metropolitan Division, they haven’t yet thrown in the towel. Several injured goaltenders are still working to try and get back to the team, and today GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Brian Elliott will not require surgery. Elliott should be back in three weeks, which makes him an interesting trade candidate at the deadline if the Flyers haven’t climbed back into the playoff picture.

Elliott, 33, is on the final year of his current contract and carries a $2.75MM cap hit. He could very well be heading for unrestricted free agency in the summer given the emergence of Carter Hart as the likely starting option next season, meaning he could be a short-term rental for a playoff team looking for some veteran depth. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that at one point Elliott was considered a premiere starter in the league, twice leading the league in save percentage as a member of the St. Louis Blues and even earning some Hart Trophy votes in 2011-12.

Now years removed from that performance, Elliott still wasn’t the biggest problem in Philadelphia before his injury. Posting a .911 save percentage in 14 appearances, he looked more than capable to carry at least a partial starter load or perform as the reliable backup. That’s something that playoff teams may be interested in, especially if they’ve dealt with injury concerns to their number one options already. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for instance, just went out and spent a draft pick to acquire Michael Hutchinson to give them some more experience at the position, knowing that they were a few injuries away from having Kasimir Kaskisuo suit up for a first round playoff game.

There is also the opportunity for Elliott to show that he can be a useful backup and mentor to Hart going forward, and perhaps sign an extension with the Flyers. It’s not clear how the goaltending situation will shake out exactly given the pending UFA status of both Elliott and Michal Neuvirth, meaning the stretch run could be a showcase for both of them to prove they can still help the team going forward.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Philadelphia Flyers

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As the holiday season quickly approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Philadelphia Flyers.  Click here for the other articles in this series. 

What are the Flyers most thankful for?

The Flyers should be thankful that the team has made the necessary front-office and coaching changes and can now move forward for the rest of the year. While the firing of general manager Ron Hextall came as a shock to many, the team has since hired GM Chuck Fletcher who has replaced Dave Hakstol and seems poised to stick with current coach Scott Gordon for the remainder of the season at the very least, which gives the team some current stability. The hope is that between Fletcher and Gordon, the team can attempt to refocus their energy on the ice and try to fix some of the issues that have plagued the team.

Fletcher is likely going to make several moves, whatever those are going to be. There are questions whether Fletcher will attempt to trade for a goaltender now that Carter Hart has debuted in Philadelphia, but the team may also be more inclined to focus more on their defensive struggles as the team just isn’t getting it done on the blueline. Regardless, change is coming and should be here within two months.

Who are the Flyers most thankful for?

While the Flyers had one of the best first lines in hockey a season ago with Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier, only Giroux seems to be keeping with an impressive pace this year. Giroux is the only player who averaging more than a point per game as he has 12 goals and 42 points, which is good for 16th in the NHL. While his goal totals aren’t as high as last season when he tallied 34 goals for the season, Giroux continues to work his magic and set up as many of his teammates as possible.

While he hasn’t seen as much time with both Voracek and Couturier, the team has opted to move Giroux back to the center position to focus on getting some of their wingers moving. The most recent attempts is pairing him up with Travis Konecny and James van Riemsdyk, but he has seen time with a number of players to get more involved in the team’s 18th-ranked offense.

What would the Flyers be even more thankful for?

An improved blueline. The team had high expectations with their defense, especially from their top two as Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov were expected to continue their ascent to develop among the top NHL D-men. Instead, both have struggled a bit, especially on offense. Gostisbehere has a team-low minus-15 rating and just 15 points on offense so far this season, quite down from his 65-point season. Provorov hasn’t performed much better with a minus-8 rating and has just 11 points after a 41-point campaign. Few others on the blueline have stepped up either. The team ranks third in the league in goals against as they have allowed an average of 3.62 goals per game.

What should be on the Flyers’ Holiday Wish List?

The team must figure out its goaltending situation as soon as possible. Hextall spent most of his time waiting for his multitude of goalies to return from injury, but neither the original intended starters, Brian Elliott or Michal Neuvirth, have been able to stay healthy for any significant amount of time. Elliott has fared adequately in 14 appearances this year as he boasts a 2.59 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Neuvirth has been a disaster. Anthony Stolarz showed some success recently, but when he went down, the Flyers had no choice but to bring up Hart, who has fared well in his first three starts. However, at 20 years old, few believe that he can keep up the pace at the NHL level. The team must decide whether to use some of their assets to acquire an interim goaltender.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Flyers Goaltending, Boychuk, Nieves

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When Chuck Fletcher took over general manager duties of the Philadelphia Flyers, he made it clear the one of the top priorities the team needed was some stability in net. Except suddenly things have changed. In the meantime, the team has gotten solid play from rookie Carter Hart which already brings into question whether the team intends to add a goalie to their depleted ranks.

The team’s starter, Brian Elliott, is undergoing medical tests and isn’t expected to be back any time soon. Anthony Stolarz is a few weeks away, while Michal Neuvirth is healthy, but extremely injury prone. However, with Hart performing well in three games so far, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that Fletcher now has more time to decide if Hart is the real deal and could find himself dealing from strength when the trade deadline comes around.

The scribe writes that Fletcher had a number of interesting goaltending options in front of him with rumors that Edmonton’s Cam Talbot, Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard (now injured) were available. However with Hart suddenly showing some early success (today’s loss notwithstanding) might allow Fletcher to re-think his plans. Of course, Hart may not be able to keep up his success for a long period of time and may still not be ready to be an NHL caliber goaltender, which could send Fletcher back to Plan A.

  • While it hasn’t been confirmed, Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk will likely miss Sunday’s game against Dallas. The veteran blueliner left the team after Thursday’s game against Vegas to return home to be with his wife for the birth of their third child and with a three-day Christmas break after Sunday’s game, the scribe writes it wouldn’t be surprising if he sat out Sunday’s game which could give Devon Toews a chance to make his NHL debut.
  • Newsday’s Colin Stephenson writes that while Boo Nieves, who returned to the Rangers’ lineup earlier this week after suffering his third registered concussion during the preseason tries not to worry about suffering another concussion and knows he can’t let that affect him when playing. “No, because that’s too much hesitation, and hesitation is what’s going to get you hurt,’’ he said. “So you have to just go into the game like you normally would, and you can’t worry about other things that are out of your control, like guys in your peripheral, and things like that. Things are going to happen, and you just have to be ready for them.’’

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