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Philadelphia Flyers Name Ian Laperriere As AHL Head Coach

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The Philadelphia Flyers have not wasted any time with finding a replacement for their AHL head coach vacancy. While many other teams continue to interview coaches for roles without any formal hires, the Flyers have made the first major coaching decision of the off-season. After parting ways with Scott Gordon less than three weeks ago, the team has announced that Ian Laperriere has been named the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Of course, this means the Flyers now have another position to fill. Laperriere has served as an assistant coach for the NHL club since 2013-14, working under Craig Berube, Dave Hakstol, and Alain Vigneault, as well as briefly under Gordon, the man he is now replacing. Before that, he was the director of player development for the organization, which ties into his new role overseeing the Flyers’ pro prospects. The move thus comes as no surprise, as Philadelphia decides to stay internal with a trusted name, but also allowing Vigneault to bring in a new face for his staff.

Laperriere, 47, transitioned directly from his playing career into his professional career with the Flyers, hanging up his skates in 2012 after playing his final three years in Philadelphia. However, complications from a concussion suffered during the 2010 postseason actually kept him from competing in those final two seasons. Instead, he stayed on in a support role to the organization and was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his efforts. In total, Laperriere played over 1,000 games in the NHL as a fearsome enforcer and two-way forward. His experience both on and off the ice has him set up well to coach the Flyers’ AHL prospects, currently a deep and talented group.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Samuel Ersson

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The Philadelphia Flyers have added some more goaltending depth to the organization, signing Samuel Ersson to a three-year, entry-level contract. The young netminder is coming off a strong year with Brynas in the SHL. Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr released a short statement:

We’re excited to get Samuel under contract with the Flyers. He’s steadily progressed since his draft year and has had success in junior, the SHL and at the International level. We look forward to watching his continued development as he makes the transition to North America.

Ersson, 21, was the team’s fifth-round pick in 2018, 143rd overall. At that point, he had played just a single game at the SHL level but had dominated at the junior level in Sweden and put up strong performances internationally. The next season he would take his game to the Allsvenskan (second tier) and post a .933 save percentage in 36 appearances, winning Goaltender of the Year and MVP. After an up-and-down transition to the SHL in 2019-20, Ersson was back with a vengeance this season, posting a .911 in 46 regular season appearances and then a .949 in the relegation round.

There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to the 6’2″ netminder, even if Philadelphia already has their young star netminder in Carter Hart. Ersson’s development path has been downright perfect to this point and the next step is proving his talent on North American ice. He’ll likely get that chance next season, but even if there is a hiccup at first, he has proven he’ll continue to work in order to raise his performance.

Buffalo Sabres Win 2021 NHL Draft Lottery

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For the final time for the foreseeable future, all non-playoff teams were eligible to win the first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery. Beginning in 2022, a team can only move up a maximum of ten spots, meaning the teams who finish No. 12 through No. 16 in the final league standings cannot move high enough to take over the top pick. The stage was set for a climactic send-off for the old format.

Well, the lottery balls decided not to take a crazy bounce in their last opportunity to move a team from the middle of the first round all the way to the top. Instead, the draft order stayed virtually the same. The Buffalo Sabres, who held the worst record in the NHL this season and thus the top odds in the lottery, retained the No. 1 pick. The expansion Seattle Kraken, awarded the same odds as the third-worst record in the league, moved up one spot, switching places with the Anaheim Ducks. New this year, there were only two lottery draws as opposed to the former three. Here is the official first-round draft order for the top 15 picks:

  1. Buffalo Sabres
  2. Seattle Kraken
  3. Anaheim Ducks
  4. New Jersey Devils
  5. Columbus Blue Jackets
  6. Detroit Red Wings
  7. San Jose Sharks
  8. Los Angeles Kings
  9. Vancouver Canucks
  10. Ottawa Senators
  11. Chicago Blackhawks
  12. Calgary Flames
  13. Philadelphia Flyers
  14. Dallas Stars
  15. New York Rangers

(As a reminder, the Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick this years as discipline for scouting violations)

This will be the second time in four years that the Buffalo Sabres will pick first overall after selecting Rasmus Dahlin at the top spot in 2018. It also means that two teams, the Sabres and New Jersey Devils, will have owned the first pick in four of the past five drafts. The two clubs are happy that the NHL’s new rule limiting teams to two lottery wins in a five-year span kicks in next year with a clean slate. Incredibly, the Sabres lottery win also further advances the mythology of Taylor Hall. Although Hall is now with the Boston Bruins, this is the fifth time in Hall’s career that his most recent team eligible for the draft lottery has won. A No. 1 overall pick himself, Hall has brought luck to the Edmonton Oilers, Devils, and now Sabres.

Perhaps bigger news than Buffalo at No. 1 is Seattle at No. 2, a major opportunity for the Kraken to draft a player who is ready to join the team in their inaugural season. The Vegas Golden Knights, with the same odds in the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery, fell to No. 6 overall and drafted Cody Glass, who has still yet to establish himself as a regular in the Vegas lineup. With the second pick, Seattle will have better odds of adding an instant difference-maker.

The 2021 NHL Draft is unique compared to recent years in that there is no consensus top prospect. In fact, it is difficult to remember a draft class in recent memory that is so undecided at the top. One major factor has been the lack of complete scouting due to canceled and shortened seasons and limited live viewings. However, even with complete information, there is still seemingly no prospect that stands heads above the rest. University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power and forward Matthew Beniers are largely considered the top players at each position and the two most likely candidates for the top pick, with Power having a slight lead according to draft pundits. However, current teammate Kent Johnson and Wolverines commit Luke Hughes, a forward and defenseman respectively, are also in the mix. Canadian junior standouts Mason McTavish, Dylan Guenther, and Brandt Clarke and European pros William Eklund and Simon Edvinsson may also be in play.

Kevin Hayes Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery

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The offseason is here for many teams and with it will come surgeries and lengthy injury recoveries. In the case of Kevin Hayes of the Philadelphia Flyers, that means core muscle surgery. Hayes went under the knife last week and is facing a recovery timeline of five weeks.

That obviously leaves him with plenty of time to get ready for next season, but it also doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be at full strength when things kick off in October. Core muscle surgeries are notorious for having long-lasting effects on performance, meaning the start of the season could be tough for the 29-year-old.

This injury could also explain some of the struggles that Hayes went through this season, scoring just 12 goals in 55 games for the Flyers and now really looking like the same player they had a year prior. He still ended up with 31 points but saw his role on the penalty kill decreased, resulting in zero short-handed goals for just the second time in his career. His nine even-strength goals were also easily the lowest total of his career, and certainly not what the team expected for more than $7.1MM per season.

Hayes still has five seasons left on that seven-year, $50MM contract he signed in 2019, meaning he’ll have to rebound if the Flyers are going anywhere in 2021-22. For those that believe a shakeup is in order, the veteran center is not a likely candidate to be moved, if only because of his no-movement clause. That clause will change to a 12-team no-trade after the 2021-22 season.

Philadelphia’s David Kase Signs In Czech Republic

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Flyers winger David Kase has decided to not bother going through restricted free agency this offseason.  Instead, Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga announced that they’ve signed the 24-year-old to a two-year contract.

Kase was a fifth-round pick of Philadelphia back in 2015 (128th overall) and signed his entry-level deal in 2018.  He has made NHL appearances in each of the last two seasons (a total of seven games, one of which was in 2020-21) but has spent the bulk of that time in the minors.  This season, he had nine points in 19 games with AHL Lehigh Valley while picking up 25 more in 27 contests with Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic before the season started in North America.

Philadelphia can retain Kase’s rights by tendering him a qualifying offer this summer, one they already know he won’t be signing as a result of this deal.  Doing so would enable them to retain his NHL rights through this contract in case they want to bring him back over in 2023.  However, given his limited impact in North America, it’s also possible that they just cut ties with him entirely.

Philadelphia Flyers Part Ways With Scott Gordon

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There is another interesting coaching candidate hitting the market. The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they will be parting ways with Scott Gordon, head coach of their AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. With Gordon leaving, assistant coach Kerry Huffman has also decided to step down from his role. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher released a statement on the decision:

I would like to thank Scott and Kerry for their service to the organization. Both Scott and Kerry have dedicated their time and effort in developing Flyers prospects and bringing success to Lehigh Valley over the last several years. In speaking with each of them, we felt this was best for the future direction of the organization.

The departure of Gordon from the Flyers organization is a surprising one and may suggest that he has an opportunity somewhere else around the league. The 58-year-old coach is very well respected in the NHL and has led the Phantoms since 2015. In 2018-19 he served as interim head coach for the Flyers, and previously was the head coach of the New York Islanders. He also was head coach of the U.S. World Championship squad three times and assisted at both the Olympics and World Cup in the past.

That’s a long impressive resume for Gordon, whose name has been discussed in regards to vacancies around the league before. With several NHL teams rebuilding their whole staff this offseason, expect his name to be brought up once again.

Kevin Hayes To Undergo Core Muscle Surgery

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Flyers center Kevin Hayes is set to undergo core muscle surgery sometime next week, GM Chuck Fletcher told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News (Twitter link).  The veteran had indicated last week when the season ended that he would need to go under the knife but the specifics weren’t indicated at that time.  Hayes had a somewhat quiet season offensively with a dozen goals and 19 assists in 55 games, yielding a point per game average that was just below his first season with the team (which was down from the year before that) but still managed to finish seventh in team scoring.  There’s no word on how long the recovery time from the procedure will be.

Fletcher: Entire Coaching Staff Will Return Next Season

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With the Flyers going from finishing second in the Metropolitan Division a year ago (and then finishing first in the seeding games) to missing the playoffs this year, some wondered if head coach Alain Vigneault’s job may be in jeopardy.  GM Chuck Fletcher put an end to that speculation, telling Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that the veteran bench boss and his staff will be back behind the bench for Philadelphia next season.  One element that Vigneault and his coaches will have to clean up is their defense as they went from being in the top ten in goals allowed a year ago to dead last this season as no team allowed more goals than the Flyers which, coupled with a mid-tier attack, made for a tough year on the ice.

Latest On Flyers’ Nolan Patrick

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When Nolan Patrick was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017, a lot was expected of the former WHL phenom. Patrick got off to a solid, if unspectacular start to his pro career, logging 61 points in 145 games through his first two seasons. However, Patrick missed the entire 2019-20 season due to migraines suffered as a result of multiple concussions. Patrick returned to action this season and was fortunately able to play in 52 of the Flyers’ 56 games, but his production fell off immensely to just nine points and he posted a team-worst -30 rating. Entering another off-season in which he will be a restricted free agent, there is some uncertainty about Patrick’s future.

Unsurprisingly, Patrick is looking to make a change. Before that can happen on the ice, it will come with his representation. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Patrick has switched agencies. His third agent in three years is now Rich Evans of Point West, who will be tasked with trying to earn Patrick a raise on his current underwhelming deal. The top pick initially signed an entry-level deal worth up to $3.575MM in bonuses, but after missing last season he was forced to settle for a one-year, $874K pact as an RFA last summer. Even though his performance this season was far below expectations, Patrick hopes that his ability to stay on the ice will lead to some sort of bump in pay.

Perhaps more of a surprise is that Seravalli also reports that Patrick and his new agent will also re-evaluate his fit in Philadelphia. Seravalli believes that Patrick’s camp may be looking for a fresh start elsewhere. His stock has fallen so far since the Flyers’ used their highest pick since James van Riemsdyk a decade earlier that Patrick may be looking to escape that negative spotlight for a team who would appreciate his arrival.

Of course, the Flyers have only ever stated that they continue to support Patrick and can still see his immense future potential. Seravalli believes that the team would like to see how Patrick fares next season with a fully healthy off-season and a fresh start at training camp. However, if contract negotiations go south or Patrick asks for a trade, the Flyers may have no choice but to move on. The NHL Expansion Draft could also play a role, as Patrick needs to be protected from the Seattle Kraken, but in Philadelphia’s deep forward corps that involves exposing another valuable player. If Patrick isn’t part of their future, the Flyers could go in another direction at the draft. There is still a lot to be determined this summer about the next steps for Patrick and his team, a storyline that could be intriguing in a unique and fast-paced off-season.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Cam York, Felix Sandstrom

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May 7: York has been elevated from the taxi squad to the active roster as expected. He will wear No. 45 and make his NHL debut this evening.

May 6: The Philadelphia Flyers may not have much to play for over the last few days, but don’t tell Cam York that. The 20-year-old defenseman has been recalled to the taxi squad and is expected to make his NHL debut on Friday against the Washington Capitals. The team recalled goaltender Felix Sandstrom to the taxi squad as well, meaning another NHL debut could be in the works.

York was the 14th overall pick in 2019 and is coming off an outstanding season with the University of Michigan, where he tallied 20 points in 24 games. There was no slowing him down in the AHL, where he immediately found success with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring five points in six games and earning the call-up. There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to York, who will quarterback the second powerplay unit on Friday as well.

An offensive threat every time he touches the puck, York will still need some time before he becomes a top option for the Flyers. Still, he’ll get a chance to dip his toe into the NHL waters here with an eye on cracking the roster out of 2021-22 training camp. With Shayne Gostisbehere suspended for his hit the other night, there is lots of opportunity for York to show what he can do over the last few games.

Sandstrom meanwhile is an interesting prospect in his own right, selected 70th overall in 2015. The Swedish goaltender played in the SHL through the 2018-19 season and spent last year in the ECHL acclimating to the North American game. This year, in nine appearances for Lehigh Valley, he has an .897 save percentage and 3.45 goals-against average. Now 24, Sandstrom is a restricted free agent this summer.

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