Ron Hextall

Expansion Primer: Philadelphia Flyers

May 27, 2017 at 6:40 pm CDT | by Seth Lawrence 1 Comment

Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off a disappointing season of Metropolitan struggles. Thankfully, with the #2 pick in the upcoming draft, they will receive an infusion a top level talent in Nico Hischier or Nolan Patrick. There aren’t a ton of success stories from this last season for the Flyers, in which Wayne Simmonds led the way up front. Many players took a noticeable step back and the younger forwards failed to produce at an impactful clip.

The Flyers are in desperate need of embracing a full youth movement. The longer they cling to players like Andrew MacDonald, the worse off their rebuild will be. This is not a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future and with the expansion draft forcing tough decisions, now is the time to embrace that organizational mentality.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards
Claude Giroux (NMC), Valtteri Filppula (NMC), Jakub Voracek, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Matt Read, Dale Weise, Michael Raffl, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Nick Cousins, Scott Laughton, Greg Carey, Colin McDonald, Taylor Leier

Defense
Andrew MacDonald, Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning, Shayne Gostisbehere, T.J. Brennan, Will O’Neill, Jesper Pettersson

Goaltender
Michal Neuvirth, Anthony Stolarz

Notable Exemptions

Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, Samuel Morin, Carter Hart

Key Decisions

The Flyers have to protect two players – both of whom are probably not deserving of the no movement clause they have been granted. Giroux had his second straight offensively disappointing season. At $8.275 MM a season until 2022, the Flyers have created a really difficult situation for themselves. And although previous GM Paul Holmgren was somehow able to unload Mike Richards prior to his momentous fall from grace, Giroux is already known to be an albatross. He’s still producing, with 14 goals and 58 points in his last outing, but he is struggling to be a difference maker against tough competition. Filppula only played 20 games this past season for Philadelphia, so any criticism might be premature. But the well-rounded center has only broken 20 goals twice in his career, most recently 4 seasons ago. He seems rather redundant on a team with lots of mediocre offensive talents.

Voracek might also be slightly overpaid for what he brings to the team ($8.25 MM), as his possession metrics have trended consistently downward over the course of four seasons. That said, he was Philadelphia’s leading scorer in 2016-17 and has a secure roster spot. He’s only two years removed from an All-Star appearance, but is he dominant enough to carry an offense if another key member struggles again? Simmonds is an obvious keeper for the physical edge he brings along with his consistent production. The net-front presence and leadership skills make him a prime candidate for captain if Giroux were somehow jettisoned in the near future. Both Schenn and Couturier are promising key pieces to the future of the squad, and had solid outings last season.

From here, the decision at forward gets difficult. Weal had solid underlying metrics and showed flexibility in his game. Does GM Ron Hextall believe there is there more to his game, and if so, is he worth signing as a UFA before the expansion draft, burning a protection slot? Probably not. Some believe Cousins is worth protecting, as he is still young at 23 years old, and shown potential at the AHL level. With the other players vying for the position, however, the organization would have to be incredibly high on his ability to piece it all together next season.

The three serious remaining choices – Laughton, Raffl, and Bellemare – a group which likely contains the player to be claimed by Vegas, poses a question which will be entirely decided by organizational philosophy. Laughton is the player who has the highest upside but also the greatest potential for bust. Mike Raffl is a consistent producer whose ability would guarantee a certain amount of offense on a forward corps that can really struggles over long stretches. Bellemare is your classic heart-and-soul player – his latest perfomance in the World Championships put that on display for all onlookers. In the end, based on the praise afforded him by the coaching staff and other players, as well as his assistant captainship, Bellemare could easily find himself as the final protected player. Whether that is the correct long-term decision will be a topic of great scrutiny.

On defense, there are very few players signed. Gudas and Gostisbehere will absolutely be protected, so the third choice is the only one up for debate. Many believe that MacDonald is considered the veteran savvy anchor, but his possession stats have been poor, while his turnover frequency has been disturbing. He plays over 20 minutes a night, but hasn’t performed as consistently as a top-pairing player should. Manning still has room to improve, is four years younger, and posts a positive Corsi influence (51.3%) on a corps that truly floundered all season. Neither is going to be a game breaker for Vegas, but it would seem odd that Philadelphia wouldn’t roll the dice and expose MacDonald in hopes that his $5 MM contract for three more seasons could be removed from the books.

The goaltending decision will be an interesting one for outside watchers. With Steve Mason gone, Neuvirth is obviously their tender going forward, correct? Well, perhaps not. Neuvirth’s stats (.901 SV%) really don’t justify his protection, and especially considering the forward situation, he would almost certainly not be claimed. Stolarz is the goaltender of the immediate future for the team and will see quite a bit of duty this year. The 6’6″ former London Knight is going to be relied upon to take a step forward, and his progression in Lehigh Valley has been quite promising. Exposing him could backfire in a way that leaving Neuvirth open for taking could not. If the team is serious about a youth movement, his value as an asset needs to be shielded.

After quite a few tough determinations, and trying to be realistic about the organization’s valuation of certain players, what follows is the final projection for Philadelphia.

Projected Protection List

Scheme: 7F / 3D / 1G

Forwards
Claude Giroux (NMC)
Valtteri Filppula (NMC)
Sean Couturier
Wayne Simmonds
Brayden Schenn
Jakub Voracek
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Defensemen
Shayne Gostisbehere
Radko Gudas
Brandon Manning

Goaltender
Anthony Stolarz

Offseason Keys: Philadelphia Flyers

May 26, 2017 at 5:43 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Philadelphia Flyers.

After making the playoffs in 2015-16, expectations were high in Philadelphia this season. However, they wound up taking a step backwards as inconsistency plagued them throughout the year and they came up a little short of making the postseason. They did receive a nice consolation prize in the form of the second overall pick through the draft lottery, starting the offseason on a high note. Here’s what’s in store for Ron Hextall and the Flyers this summer.

New Deal For Gostisbehere

Shayne Gostisbehere burst onto the scene in 2015-16 after a recall a month into the year as he quickly became one of the top offensive threats from the back end in the entire NHL. Expectations were high heading into his first full NHL season but he struggled to repeat his freshman performance while even being scratched periodically.

Gostisbehere’s entry level contract expires in July and he is Philadelphia’s most prominent restricted free agent. Although he had a down season, he still put up 39 points which ranked him in the top-25 league-wide. He’s viewed as a key cog for the Flyers and accordingly, he has a case for a big contract.

Had the 24 year old taken a step forward or two this season, it would have been easy to anticipate Hextall being more than comfortable signing him long-term. However, given Gostisbehere’s drop in production and role, the GM may be inclined to look for a short-term bridge deal. From a cap standpoint, the Flyers have plenty of space to work with this offseason (something that hasn’t been said for quite a while) so they certainly have the flexibility to go either way with their young defenseman.

Find A Starting Goalie

This one is a familiar key for Philly fans. Despite bringing in some prominent netminders over the years, they’ve struggled to find a consistent number one goalie. The tandem of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth didn’t get the job done this season and while Neuvirth signed a two year, $5MM extension at the deadline, he’s not really being viewed as the long-term solution. Mason is set to become an unrestricted free agent and indicated after the season he wasn’t likely to re-sign if the platoon situation was in place again next season.

Anthony Stolarz is coming off a bit of a down season himself at the AHL level but is still viewed as a prospect with some NHL upside. As things stand, he’s in line to make a push for a spot with the Flyers (assuming he makes it through expansion) but the pending RFA also has another year of waiver exemption remaining which increases the likelihood that he will start with AHL Lehigh Valley next year.

There are going to be quite a few goalies available between free agency and the trade market, several of which could come in and take over the starting role. While there aren’t any long-term solutions available, there are some players who could hold down the fort for a year or two which, given the quality prospects Philadelphia has in the system between the pipes, might just be exactly what they need.

Reshape The Back End

One way or the other, the defense is going to likely look a lot different next season. Mark Streit was dealt away at the deadline while other pending UFAs in Michael Del Zotto and Nick Schultz aren’t expected to return.

The Flyers have several young prospects that are nearly ready to make the jump to the NHL, including Samuel Morin, Robert Hagg, and Travis Sanheim. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Hextall opt to leave a spot or two open heading into training camp for their youngsters to try to step up and seize a spot.

That said, given the payroll room they have to work with, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see them be active in free agency to try to add a quality veteran. An alternative option may be to utilize the pre-expansion trade market as they really only have two blueliners that are must-protect players in Gostisbehere and Radko Gudas. Hextall could opt to make a trade before Vegas makes their selection and add to their blueline that way. Philadelphia has plenty of options to change up their defense corps for next season and it certainly will be interesting to see which route they wind up taking.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Should Flyers Consider Moving No. 2 Pick?

May 6, 2017 at 3:59 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 9 Comments

One week ago, Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager Ron Hextall said he would listen to trade offers for his recently won No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, which created some discussion on whether a team should consider doing that. The Flyers are hardly at the bottom of the pack as they leapfrogged most of the struggling teams to go from the 13^th overall pick to the second pick. The belief is they could trade the pick, which would likely net them a young Nolan Patrick or a Nico Hischier, and bring in a huge package that could net them success immediately. (Even possible rumors of Colorado packing Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog have been suggested as a possibility.)

CSN Philly’s writers Tom Dougherty, Jordan Hall and Greg Paone discussed the pros and cons of whether Hextall should even be receptive to moving the pick. Dougherty writes that the team can’t even consider the move. It was the biggest jump in NHL lottery history and shouldn’t be taken for granted. He believes the teams should hold onto either Patrick or Hischier and continue building from there.

Hall is quick to point out that Hextall’s strategy has been to build a franchise from within, so why would the Flyers GM change suddenly. Even if this isn’t the strongest draft, the No. 2 pick should get them one top-notch playmaker and that will only make Hextall’s plan more successful. Paone believes that the team should look at it differently, although he is quick to point out that he doesn’t see the Flyers making a trade, but he points out that the draft, in any sport, has too many busts for a team to not consider making a trade. Trading that pick for a young, already established NHL player would make more sense in many ways.

The Flyers have a nice team already with core players Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux, Branden Schenn and Wayne Simmons all about to hit their prime and plenty of youth not far behind. So which is better, adding another piece of youth or packaging that piece for a king’s ransom?

NHL Draft Lottery Results

April 29, 2017 at 7:22 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 16 Comments

The lottery balls were picked, the cards were flipped, and the New Jersey Devils will be selecting first in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. New Jersey was the winner of this year’s NHL Draft Lottery, jumping up four spots to take over the top pick. Against all odds, just an 8.5% chance at #1, they will now have their pick of all the top available prospects come Friday, June 23rd. The Philadelphia Flyers will pick second and the Dallas Stars will pick third, as the balls fell their way as well. Philadelphia leaped forward eleven slots and Dallas up five slots.

With three teams “winning” the lottery, it’s a tough pill to swallow for the Colorado Avalanche. One of the worst teams in recent memory, the 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche finished the season with just 48 points, 21 less than the Vancouver Canucks at 29th. Yet, the Avs may miss out entirely on selecting a franchise player in a draft without a consensus star atop the charts. It’s also an unfortunate start for the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. Given the same odds at the third-worst team in the league, Vegas will instead select sixth and will be hard-pressed to find a player ready to jump immediately to the NHL, even though they’ll likely be hungry for help.

For Metropolitan Division foes New Jersey and Philadelphia, the question now becomes: who goes #1? Unlike the past two years – Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews – there is no consensus top prospect in 2017. Heading into 2016-17, Canadian forward Nolan Patrick, of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, was considered the favorite to go first overall. However, after a season filled with injuries, that status is far from a sure thing. The last player to be taken #1 following a final junior season spent mostly on the sidelines was Gord Kluzak by the Boston Bruins in 1982, and Kluzak played only four full NHL seasons before his injuries caught up with him. Patrick did score 46 points in 33 games this season, and racked up 102 points in just 72 games last season, but as they say, “the most important ability is availability”. Flying up draft boards over the last year has been Swiss center Nico Hischier of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, and with questions lingering about Patrick, Hischier may wind up as 2017’s top pick. While Hischier doesn’t quite have the size and strength of Patrick, he has all the offensive ability. The swift scorer recorded 86 points in 57 games this season for Halifax and put on a show for Switzerland at the World Juniors.

It’s a difficult choice for the Devils, but one that GM Ray Shero and the New Jersey front office are happy to make. And GM Ron Hextall and the Flyers should be content with the runner-up.

Anthony Stolarz And The Expansion Draft

April 28, 2017 at 6:19 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers may not be desperate for a goalie, but they’re not in the best of shape either. Heading into the off-season, the Flyers will likely say goodbye to impending free agent starter Steve Mason, but re-signed Michal Neuvirth to a two-year, $5MM extension earlier this season. Behind Neuvirth, Philly has Anthony Stolarz, a 2012 second-round pick who looked great in seven appearances in his rookie season. The Flyers also have promising prospects Carter Hart and Felix Sandstrom in the system, but it seems unlikely that either is ready for NHL action just yet.

So it’ll be Neuvirth and Stolarz next season? That’s not too bad. However, this is the 2017 off-season approaching and nothing is that simple. Both Neuvirth and Stolarz are eligible for the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft and both should be attractive to GM George McPhee and the Vegas Golden Knights. Stolarz is young and under team control as a restricted free agent and could be valuable to Vegas as either an investment or a potential trade chip. Neuvirth is relatively cheap at $2.5MM per year through 2018-19 and was drafted by McPhee when he was with the Washington Capitals. He would immediately provide some veteran presence to a goalie group that is expected to skew very young.

The question then becomes: if Vegas has interest in both, who should Philadelphia protect? At first, the obvious answer seemed to be Stolarz. Not only is he much younger than Neuvirth, but he simply outplayed him when given the chance in 2016-17. Stolarz has just as good a chance to be the goalie of the future in Philly as any of the other Flyers’ keeper prospects. However, there was a wrinkle added to than plan recently when Stolarz was injured in an AHL game, suffering a serious knee injury that required surgery. Now, Stolarz is expected to be sidelined all summer and likely not ready for game action into next season. What that means for the Flyers is, if they stay the course and protect Stolarz, an expansion selection of Neuvirth leaves the Flyers with no goalies to start the 2017-18 campaign.

Is that threat enough for them to potentially lose a top-end young goalie? It might be. The Flyers already have about $60MM committed to just 16 players for their cap payroll next season, and while many of their reinforcements will come from the minor leagues, you can expect GM Ron Hextall to be on the lookout for some veteran assistance as well. That very well may include a goalie, even if they do retain Neuvirth and Stolarz. However, the Flyers may not have the cap flexibility to deal with a potential loss of Neuvirth on top of a Stolarz injury. Such a predicament may force Philly to look at top-end free agents like Ben Bishop or Ryan Miller or may cause them to have to add two mid-level options like Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier, or Darcy Kuemper or even a return to Mason. Either of those strategies would severely limit the team’s ability to add anyone else in free agency.

So that’s the situation: will the Flyers’ protect the future (Stolarz) at the possible expense of the present? Or will they play it safe (Neuvirth) and almost surely lose a talented young goalie? McPhee and the Knights would love to have Stolarz, but they may have their eye on Neuvirth as well. Either way, it’s your move Hextall.

Flyers Notes: Del Zotto, Schultz, Hextall, Mason

April 8, 2017 at 4:47 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Philadelphia’s defense is setting up to look a lot different next season as youngsters like Samuel Morin and Travis Sanheim, among others, make a push for a full-time roster spot. Accordingly, their pending unrestricted free agents, Michael Del Zotto, aren’t likely to return next season.

Del Zotto confirmed to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer that there haven’t been any talks about a potential contract extension. The blueliner acknowledged he has been frustrated this season after seeing his role change considerably; his average ice time is down nearly four minutes a night from last year while he has also spent time as a healthy scratch.

As for Schultz, he acknowledged to CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio that there’s a good chance he won’t play next season. He doesn’t like the idea of moving his family to sign a one year deal while it’s unlikely that the Flyers will look to bring him back, even in the current depth role he finds himself in.

Combined, the duo accounted for a little over $6MM on Philadelphia’s salary cap this season and if they are replaced with players on entry level deals, GM Ron Hextall should have some flexibility heading into the offseason.

Flyers To Extend Bellemare

March 1, 2017 at 11:39 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

From trade candidate to future piece, deadline day has been flipped around on Philadelphia Flyers’ center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Sportsnet’s Elliote Friedman reports that the two sides are closing in on a two-year, $2.9MM extension. It’s a nice pay bump for the hard-working forward; he’s currently making just over $700K in the final season of a two-year deal, but will make $1.45MM in each of the next two campaigns.

Bellemare’s extension actually comes in a down year for the big Frenchman, at least in points, as he has just three goals and three assists in 62 games. However, he has been handed more responsibility this season, with a career-high in average ice time, and has played a more reliable game with less turnovers and more sound two-way play.

If it still seems like an expensive deal to you, that may be by design. The Flyers were already facing a tough challenge of choosing which seven forwards to protect in the upcoming Expansion Draft, and Bellemare probably does not make that list – extension or not – but his new contract may dissuade the Vegas Golden Knights from scooping him up in June.

Metro Division Snapshots: Rangers, Flyers, Helgeson

February 25, 2017 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 1 Comment

While many believe the New York Rangers need to upgrade their blue line before they can be safely be considered Stanley Cup contenders, head coach Alain Vigneault is content with the team’s current roster, writes Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News.

“For me, right now I like my team,” Vigneault said Friday. “I like the way the guys prepare and their work ethic and how they compete. Jeff (Gorton) and I communicate every day on our team and obviously our needs, etc. But I’m focused on the group that I have now and on the next game that’s coming up, and I’m preparing them. He knows my opinion on our group and if there are areas we can improve. He knows that, he’s known that for quite some time. I’m really focused on this group and what we need to do.

“I’m happy with what we have here. I think we’ve got a good team, a good, young group that’s hungry, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

It’s common for coaches, and in particular Vigneault, to direct much of his focus on the players available to him at the moment and on how to get them playing their best hockey as a group. It’s understandable for the coach to take this public stance, even if the club is actively looking to add ahead of the deadline, as he wouldn’t want to weaken his GM’s position by advertising that the team isn’t comfortable with the roster as is. But the Rangers have been in “go for it” mode for the last several seasons and there is still much doubt whether the team as currently constructed is good enough to go all the way. If Rangers GM Jeff Gorton finds a deal that makes sense, one that improves the team without sacrificing NHL talent and/or mortgaging the club’s future, expect him to pull the trigger.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

With the Philadelphia Flyers falling further away from a playoff spot (the team is currently five points behind the Islanders for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card slot with two teams to pass) GM Ron Hextall has made it clear his team will not be a buyer at the trade deadline, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Instead, Hextall has indicated he will wait to see where the team resides in the standings after this weekend’s slate of games before determining just how much he is willing to sell off. The team will undoubtedly listen to fair offers for any of their five pending UFA’s, a group that includes Michael Del Zotto, Mark Streit, Nick Schultz, Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth. But should the Flyers fall further out of the race, would Hextall consider dealing away players with term left on their deals? “Not to make us a worse team,” he said. “If we make something happen [with trades] and if we can bring someone up and we take a lateral move, yeah, that’s kind of where you want to get to. That’s why you don’t want to bring up 20-year-olds that aren’t ready to play.” It’s a reasonable tact to take given where the organization is in terms of their rebuild/retool. With plenty of quality young talent yet to come, it makes sense to remain patient and avoid making any impulsive trades, whether to fortify the current roster or to add additional young assets.
Seth Helgeson, whom the New Jersey Devils placed on waivers yesterday, has cleared but will remain with the team for the time being, tweets Andrew Gross of NorthJersey.com. In a subsequent tweet, Gross relays that Devils head coach John Hynes indicated the decision to keep the defenseman on the big league roster was made to maintain “roster flexibility.” Helgeson has appeared in nine contests this season for New Jersey, registering his first NHL goal.

Flyers Place Travis Konecny On IR

February 10, 2017 at 9:50 am CDT | by Brett Barrett Leave a Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers will be without rookie center Travis Konecny for the next 4-6 weeks.

Konecny suffered an lower-body injury earlier this week, and has now been placed on injured reserve. GM Ron Hextall announced the move via the team’s Twitter account. In a corresponding transaction, the Flyers have recalled Lehigh Valley’s top scorer, Jordan Weal.

A first round pick in 2015, Konecny has had a solid rookie season in the Flyers’ bottom six, scoring 22 points in 51 games. That total ties him with fellow rookie Ivan Provorov and sophomore Shayne Gostisbehere for fifth on the Flyers. In his OHL career with the Ottawa 67’s and Sarnia Sting, Konecny had 239 points in 183 games.

Weal was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings last January along with a third round pick in exchange for Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn. Weal has 47 points in 43 games in Lehigh Valley this season. The former third round pick was held pointless in 14 NHL games last season split between Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Travis Konecny To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

February 7, 2017 at 5:20 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After suffering a lower-body injury last night against the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers rookie Travis Konecny will be out 4-6 weeks. At minimum, that would mean missing the next eleven Flyers games, a team that is in a dogfight for the final wildcard spot. Konecny left the game before the third period last night, and was ruled out by GM Ron Hextall earlier today.

Konecny was a member of this year’s famed teenage class, making an impact at the NHL level at the tender age of 19 years old. Along with fellow rookie Ivan Provorov, Konecny had been making a huge impact for the Flyers and showed a glimpse at what the future holds for the team. His 22 points in 51 games put him 14th in all rookie scoring and fifth on his team. It’s a big loss despite his young age, as he played almost 15 minutes a night for the club.

If he takes the whole six weeks, Konecny would return with just ten games remaining in the Flyers season. For a team that looks like it will be in a struggle for the playoffs right down to the wire, having a winger of Konecny’s skill down the stretch is imperative. It’s not clear who will be moving up in the lineup to fill his spot, as he has been skating on one of the team’s top two lines.

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