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Boyd Gordon

Flyers Waive Boyd Gordon

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The Philadelphia Flyers have placed center Boyd Gordon on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).

Gordon is in his first season in Philadelphia after signing a one year, $950K contract on the first day of free agency.  However, he has struggled with the Flyers and has played in just 13 games this year due to an upper body injury that cost him 18 games while he also spent considerable time as a healthy scratch.  This season, he has just a single goal while averaging only 8:11 of ice time per night.

The 33 year old is in his 13th NHL campaign, having spent time previously with the Capitals, Coyotes (twice), and Oilers.  He has 161 career points under his belt (56-105-161).

While those offensive numbers don’t stand out, Gordon has carved out a niche for himself as a faceoff specialist.  He has a career 56.9% success rate at the dot and there are typically teams who are comfortable with carrying a high end faceoff player on their fourth line.

The Flyers needed to clear up some cap space in order to activate defenseman Mark Streit off LTIR.  GM Ron Hextall confirmed to CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio (Twitter link) that Streit has been activated and that removing Gordon off the roster (either by a waiver claim tomorrow or being sent to the minors) is the only roster move required to get back into compliance on the salary cap.

Metropolitan Notes: Flyers Goaltending, Gordon, Rask, Kreider, Murray

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While the Flyers were hoping that goaltending would be a strength for them this season, the exact opposite has been the case so far, notes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post.  Through ten games, Philadelphia has a team save percentage of .866, the second lowest in the NHL (Carolina is last at .864).  Not surprisingly, head coach Dave Hakstol has changed goalies in-game three times already.

Both Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are set to be unrestricted free agents following the season and so far, they aren’t performing well in their contract years.  Before the season started, GM Ron Hextall said that he didn’t anticipate signing either to an extension and right now that’s looking like a shrewd move.

For the time being at least, it’s likely that Hakstol will continue to platoon the two in the hopes that one will get on a roll.  If neither get going though, they could be a team who looks outside the organization for goaltending help before too long.

More notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Still with the Flyers, the team announced that center Boyd Gordon will be out for at least a week with an upper body injury. While the release doesn’t specifically note it, Gordon will be placed on injured reserve.  He has played in eight games so far this season, picking up a goal while averaging 8:30 per game on the fourth line.
  • While Carolina’s decision to sign center Victor Rask to a six year, $24MM extension in the offseason raised more than a few eyebrows, the early returns on the new contract have been quite promising, writes Luke DeCock of the News and Observer. Not only does he lead the team in scoring with ten points (4-6-10) in eight games, he has recorded a point in every game so far.  Coincidentally, the only other player in franchise history to pick up at least a point in each of the first eight games of the season is the person who signed Rask to that contract, GM Ron Francis.
  • The New York Rangers will welcome back left winger Chris Kreider to the lineup tonight, reports Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. He has missed the last four games due to neck spasms.  Prior to the injury, he was off to a strong start to the season with seven points (3-4-7) in five games.  He’s expected to play alongside Mika Zibanejad who he has skated with going back to training camp and Mats Zuccarello.  Oscar Lindberg is expected to be a healthy scratch to open up a spot for Kreider to return.
  • Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray is expected to return to the lineup tonight, notes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. It has been a rocky season for the 23 year old so far.  He has missed the last four games with an upper body issue and has also missed time with a lower body issue suffered while blocking a shot in the season opener.  As a result, he has only seen action in two games this season.  Murray logged nearly 23 minutes a game last year and will be a welcome addition for John Tortorella’s blueline moving forward.

2016-17 Season Preview: Philadelphia Flyers

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With just days remaining before the NHL gets back to playing meaningful games, Pro Hockey Rumors is starting to wrap up their Season Preview series. This evening we move on to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Last Season: 41 – 27 – 14, 96 points, fifth in the Metro. Lost to Washington in round one of the playoffs.

Cap Space: $40.834K (According to Cap Friendly)

Key Additions: RW Dale Weise (free agent – Chicago); C Boyd Gordon (free agent – Arizona); Roman Lyubimov (free agent – KHL)

Key Departures: C Sam Gagner (free agent – Columbus); C Ryan White (free agent – Arizona); D Evgeny Medvedev (free agent – KHL); C R.J. Umberger (buyout – unsigned)

[Related: Flyers Depth Chart]

Players to Watch: Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth. Philadelphia should be just fine up front with Claude Giroux (67 points), Jakub Voracek (55 points), Brayden Schenn (26 goals, 59 points) and Wayne Simmonds (32 goals, 60 points) leading the way offensively. The Flyers boast a tremendous crop of young blue liners led by Shayne Gostisbehere, who is set to be joined this season by 19-year-old Ivan Provorov. Not far behind is Robert Hagg and Samuel Morin. The key for the Flyers will be to once again get quality goaltending out of Mason and Neuvirth.

Last season when the Flyers surprised some by making the postseason, Mason and Neuvirth combined to stop 91.7% of shots against which was good enough to tie them with two other teams for fifth best in the NHL. The Flyers also allowed 2.56 goals-per-game, a rate bested by 11 clubs in the league. The goaltending was indeed good last season and it was a big reason why the Flyers made it to the playoffs.

The questions is: can they again be that good or better? Since joining Philadelphia, Mason, a former Calder Trophy winner, has stopped 92.2% of the shots he has faced. But that rate is inflated by a 92.8 save percentage in 2014-15. If we remove that season, Mason has a 91.9% save percentage with the Flyers, which is still a solid number.

The bigger question is Neuvirth, who prior to 2015-16 had never recorded a save percentage better than 91.4% in any season in which he appeared in more than 13 games. Over the last three seasons, Mason has started 161 games for the Flyers, which means in all probability Neuvirth will get close to 30 starts. The Flyers need Neuvirth to be at least league-average in those starts to give them a good chance to contend in the highly competitive Metro Division.

Key Storylines: Can the Flyers take the next step? They improved by 12 points over their 2014-15 season total and while it’s not likely they’ll experience another double-figure leap in points, the next step in their progression is passing some of the teams that finished above them . This past season the Flyers finished 8th in the conference, grabbing the second wild card spot and a guaranteed reservation with the regular season’s best team, the Washington Capitals, in the playoffs. Earning a higher playoff seed and a playoff series win would constitute a successful campaign.

It wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world if the Flyers took a marginal step back. They still have a ton of young talent getting closer to the NHL and with Mark Streit ($5.25MM AAV) and Michael Del Zotto ($3.875MM AAV) both set for free agency, the Flyers might have a little bit of money to spend next summer, assuming they rely on prospects to fill those openings. Then again, Gostisbehere is likely going to eat up much of that available cash on his next deal, presuming he has another productive campaign in 2016-17.

GM Ron Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol have the Flyers on the right track. Hextall has extricated the club from some, not all, but some of their onerous contractual obligations. At the same time the franchise has added a lot of young talent to the organization that will begin to bear fruit as soon as this season.

2016-17 Season Preview: Arizona Coyotes

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With training camps opening around the league and the new season less than three weeks away, we continue our series of team previews with a look at the Arizona Coyotes.

Last Season: 35 – 39 – 8 (78 points), fourth place in the Pacific Division. Missed the playoffs.

Salary Cap Space Remaining: $2.347MM (per Cap Friendly). The Coyotes will be able to free up to an additional $10.5MM by placing Dave Bolland and Chris Pronger on LTIR.

Key Newcomers: Alex Goligoski (D) – trade with Dallas; Jamie McGinn (LW) – free agent from Anaheim; Luke Schenn (D) – free agent from L.A. Kings; Radim Vrbata (RW) – free agent from Vancouver; Lawson Crouse (LW) – trade with Florida.

Key Departures: Antoine Vermette (C) – contract buyout – signed with Anaheim as free agent; Alex Tanguay (LW) – free agent; Boyd Gordon (C) – signed with Philadelphia as a free agent.

Players to Watch: Mike Smith and Goligoski. The Coyotes allowed the third most goals in the entire league which was a function of substandard goaltending and a mediocre defense corps. GM John Chayka addressed the defense, dealing a fifth-round pick to Dallas in exchange for the negotiating rights to Goligoski and subsequently signed the veteran puck-mover to a five-year contract.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the Coyotes #1 blue liner but Goligoski adds a reliable veteran to the mix who can play in all situations and will strengthen the team’s top-four. Last season he tallied 37 points for the Stars and has averaged 40 points for every 82 games he has played during his career. Goligoski was a horse on the back end in 2015-16, averaging nearly 24 minutes a game for the Central Division champs.

Meanwhile, the team is hopeful Smith will be healthy and provide steady play between the pipes for the Coyotes. The team finished 23rd overall in goalie save percentage with Smith appearing in just 32 games. On a promising note, Smith led all NHL goalies with 15 or more games played in 2015-16 in High Danger Save % (HDsV%) with a mark of 87.4% and has stopped at least 84% of those high quality chances in three of the last four seasons.

Smith was superlative in 2011-12 – the last season the Coyotes qualified for the playoffs – winning 38 games and finishing with a Sv% of 93.0%. He has the ability to single-handedly keep the Coyotes in games and if Goligoski can help clean up the defensive end, the Coyotes will be a contender.

Storylines: The John Chayka experiment and the development of the kids. Chayka is not only the league’s youngest GM but he’s also the first to come from a more analytically-oriented background. Fair or not, how the Coyotes perform with the roster he has assembled will have a major impact on how analytics and advanced stats are perceived in the league. If he can build a winner in Arizona with a limited payroll, it might encourage more clubs to actively embrace the role of analytics in the game.

By all accounts Chayka is a bright guy and most of his offseason moves were met with positive reactions from hockey pundits. His actual reliance on analytics in roster construction may be overstated but there is no question old school managers and coaches will be watching with interest.

Although improved goaltending and more contributions from the club’s blue liners will be important, perhaps the key to this upcoming season is the continued development of its young talent. Max Domi and Anthony Duclair are already well on their way to becoming stars in this league but the team does lack an established #1 center. Fortunately, they do have Dylan Strome, the third overall pick in the 2015 entry draft and one of the game’s top prospects. Strome has been among the most explosive scorers in junior hockey, totaling 240 points in 124 games with Erie of the OHL, averaging nearly two points per contest. No one expects the young pivot to immediately fill the void at #1 but if he can establish himself as a legitimate NHL regular it will take some of the pressure of the team’s returning centers. Assuming Duclair, Domi and the team’s other young players take the next step in their development and Strome proves to be ready for the NHL, Arizona has a realistic shot at playoff contention.

Flyers Notes: Del Zotto, Gordon, MacDonald

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While Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto will be ready to go once the season gets underway, he acknowledged to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post that the range of motion in his surgically repaired wrist won’t the same as it was before the operation:

“I’m as good as I’m going to be. It’s just how they do the surgery, how they tighten the ligament back up. It just has a protective barrier up so I’ll never have that, but I feel great. It’s not restricting me in any way and I’m good.”

Del Zotto underwent the procedure back in February and as a result, played in just 52 games with Philadelphia last season; he also missed their first round series against Washington.  His numbers were well down from his output from the previous year (32 points in 64 games) as he managed just four goals and nine assists in those 52 contests despite playing a career high 23:25 per game.

The 26 year old is entering the final season of his contract, one that carries a cap hit of $3.875MM and a salary of $4MM.  He will be an unrestricted free agent in July and will be counted on to provide some secondary offence from their back end behind returnees Shayne Gostisbehere and Mark Streit.

[Related: Flyers Depth Chart]

In other Flyers news:

  • Offseason acquisition Boyd Gordon left an informal skate yesterday after a collision near the boards, writes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He left the ice under his own power and received facial stitches.  He’s not expected to miss any time.  Gordon joined the Flyers on a one year, $950K deal this summer after spending last year with Arizona.
  • After a challenging 2015-16 campaign, defenseman Andrew MacDonald is mentally stronger heading into training camp, Carchidi penned in a separate column. The 30 year old got off to a slow start last season and despite having a $5MM cap hit, was waived and demoted to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley where he spent more than half the season.  He was brought back to the Flyers when Del Zotto went down last year and was a much steadier presence on their back end.  With several quality prospects such as Samuel Morin and Ivan Provorov expected to contend for a roster spot in training camp, MacDonald will be in a battle to secure a position despite having the most financial stability among any blueliner on the team with four years left on his current contract.

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