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Carter Hart

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.’’

Philadelphia Flyers Looking For Goaltending Help

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Despite seeing top prospect Carter Hart have a successful NHL debut on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers appear to still be searching for an answer in net. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that new GM Chuck Fletcher “sounds like he’s shopping for a goalie.” That shopping of course will have to officially wait until after the trade freeze is lifted later this month, but Fletcher is still able to have discussions with teams.

It’s not hard to understand why trading for a goaltender would be Fletcher’s first big move as GM. The Flyers have seen goalie after goalie fail miserably in their net over the last few years (or perhaps decades) and are dealing with several injuries to their group right now. Brian Elliott is still awaiting the results of some recent medical testing, while Anthony Stolarz is on the shelf again for a few weeks. Hart was impressive in his first start, but it’s hard to imagine that throwing him to the wolves as the Flyers’ full-time starter this early in his career is good for his development. More likely the team would rather keep Hart at the AHL level for this season and hand the reins to him somewhere down the road.

The Flyers are just one point ahead of the last place New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference standings, and are looking at a very interesting goaltending situation at the end of the year. Elliott and Michal Neuvirth are both pending unrestricted free agents, while Stolarz is scheduled to become a restricted free agent once again. Acquiring a netminder with a little term could help ease Hart into the role and provide some experienced help for him without having to re-sign any of their injury-prone options. Still, who they would be targeting is unclear.

It’s been reported several times already that Fletcher was looking to get a trade done of some sort before the freeze took effect, but nothing was submitted before it began this week. There’s bound to be goaltenders available, though the most notable ones—Jake Allen and Jonathan Quick come to mind—are inconsistent or expensive in both cap hit and pieces needed to acquire them. The Detroit Red Wings for instance are allegedly looking for a first-round pick for Jimmy Howard, something that doesn’t make much sense for a struggling Philadelphia team.

We won’t know where the Flyers are leaning in net until after the freeze lifts on December 28th, but for now Hart is scheduled to start another game tonight. If he can put up another impressive performance against Detroit, perhaps the team will reconsider their shopping efforts altogether.

Carter Hart Recalled By Philadelphia Flyers

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With the Philadelphia Flyers still looking for an answer in net, they’ve turned to the future. Carter Hart, one of the top goaltending prospects in the world, has been recalled by the team, while Anthony Stolarz has been placed on injured reserve. Stolarz will be out two to four weeks with a lower-body injury.

Hart is likely to receive his first NHL start on Tuesday night, and he’ll do it with a familiar face behind the bench. Scott Gordon, who has been coaching Hart at the minor league level, will serve as interim coach after the firing of Dave Hakstol on Monday. It will be interesting to see if Gordon installs Hart as the full-time starter right away, given the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the Philadelphia goaltenders. Michal Neuvirth, the only other healthy netminder, was away from the team for the birth of his child though could be back in time for Tuesday’s game. Brian Elliott joins Stolarz on injured reserve while he recovers, meaning it could be Hart’s job to steal over the next few weeks.

The 20-year old goaltender is one of the most hyped prospects in recent history, coming to the professional ranks with an impeccable junior career. A three-time WHL Goaltender of the Year, two-time CHL Goaltender of the Year and recent WHL Most Valuable Player, he also helped Canada to a pair of World Junior Championship medals. The second-round pick got off to a shaky start in the minor leagues but has recently found his game, and now carries a .901 save percentage through 17 appearances.

Still, this is an incredibly short path to the NHL for Hart and he will carry an immense amount of pressure. The Flyers are in the midst of a disastrous season that has now cost both the head coach and general manager their jobs, and very well could spell the end of some core on-ice talent’s run with the team. Not so for Hart, who will be looked at as one of the key future pieces and an appealing perk for any incoming coach.

Chuck Fletcher Hoping To Make Trades Early And Often With Flyers

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The overwhelming opinion on the firing of former Phialdelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall was that he was too patient with the roster and too unwilling to make big moves. His replacement, Chuck Fletcher, has a history of being a deal-maker from his time with the Minnesota Wild and is clearly focused on quick and sweeping change as he takes over in Philly. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports in the latest “Insider Trading” segment that Fletcher has already spoken with at least half of the teams in the NHL about a trade. LeBrun adds that Fletcher has not one, not two, but three different areas of the depth chart that he would like to add to and is hoping to make at least one move prior to the holiday roster freeze beginning next week.

The obvious weakness of the Flyers this season, and for some time, is in net. Injuries and poor play from the team’s goaltenders has made it difficult to consistently win games and an established, long-term starter is needed until promising young prospect Carter Hart is ready to take over down the road. Of course, this was understood as the priority for whoever Philadelphia hired as GM and comes as no surprise as one of Fletcher’s three goals. However, LeBrun states that Fletcher would ideally like to add a veteran defenseman to an otherwise very young unit, as well as a top-nine forward. Even if he has had discussions with 15+ teams, adding three starting-caliber players, especially this early in the season, is a tall order. Yet, Fletcher seems up to the task and hopes to have checked off one of those boxes prior to next Wednesday, December 19th, when the holiday freeze begins.

These hypothetical additions are obviously being made in hopes of reaching the postseason this year. It thus makes sense that Fletcher would like to initiate trade talks and get these deals done as soon as possible, as the Flyers currently sit second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference overall more than a third of the way through the regular season. However, should Philadelphia still be outside the playoff picture come the Trade Deadline, Fletcher is also unlikely to hesitate when it comes to offloading his impending free agents. Wayne Simmonds would be his most valuable trade chip, while Michael Raffl and Jordan Weal could also draw interest. Should he acquire a starting goaltender in the meantime, Brian Elliott could also become an intriguing trade option. Fletcher could even add a veteran defenseman and/or top-nine forward on expiring contracts only to flip them later on. There are infinite possibilities as to what Fletcher could do to change the team and how those moves will work out, but the one thing that is for sure is that changes are coming in Philadelphia.

Brian Elliott Out Two Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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When the Philadelphia Flyers recalled Alex Lyon from the AHL this morning, it was an indication that every was not alright with starter Brian Elliott. Elliott left the Flyers’ game against the New Jersey Devils last night after appearing to overextend himself going post-to-post in the third period. Elliott was then absent from practice today. While the exact ailment remains unclear, the team announced after practice that he suffered a lower-body injury and will be out approximately two weeks.

Neither Elliott nor the Flyers are strangers to injury. Elliott, 33, has missed more than 50 games due to injury in his NHL career, including 29 games last season alone. In his second year in Philadelphia, injuries have been a reoccurring issue for Elliott, particularly of the lower-body variety. Between Elliott missing time and Anthony Stolarz missing the whole 2017-18 season, Philadelphia was forced to lean on backup Michal Neuvirth, the rookie Lyon, and trade acquisition Petr Mrazek. A season later, only the names and roles have changed. This year it has been Neuvirth limited to just one game due to injury, Lyon hampered with injuries early on, and now another absence from Elliott, while preseason waiver pickup Calvin Pickard has had to stand in as the backup and now starter. With Stolarz and promising rookie Carter Hart also available, the Flyers continue to be saved by their depth these past two seasons, but would enjoy a stretch of health from their starter and primary backup at some point this season.

Through 14 appearances this season, Elliot is 6-7-0 with a .911 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average and he has improved as the season has worn on. His numbers are solid, but look incredible compared to the paltry performance of Pickard thus far. Pickard will have to step up over the next two weeks or more if the Flyers are to survive this stretch, or else Lyon will have to have another miraculous run like last season. Flyers beat writer Bill Meltzer also reports that Neuvirth skated yesterday and may potentially be able to return while Elliott remains sidelined. Whoever is able to take the reins in net in Philadelphia could be one of the team’s heroes this season. With a .500 record thus far, two weeks of poor goalie play could sink the team as they approach the one-third mark of the season.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18

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It’s the last day of September and the start of the regular season is mere days away. Final cuts are looming and the decisions are going to get much tougher. While the drama really lies with the waiver wire over the next few days, keep track here of all the players otherwise sent down right here:

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

F Justin Bailey (to Rochester, AHL)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via CapFriendly)

F Patrick Brown (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Greg McKegg (to Charlotte, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (per CapFriendly)

G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Zac Dalpe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Dan DeSalvo (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Nathan Gerbe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Miles Koules (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Mark Letestu (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan MacInnis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Justin Wade (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)

F Erik Condra (to Texas, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter update)

F Jussi Jokinen (released from PTO, via MLive’s Ansar Khan)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Harri Sateri (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)

D Jakub Jerabek (awaiting assignment)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

G Charlie Lindgren (to Montreal, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter update)

D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Carter Hart (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

D Erik Cerna (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update; Dhiren Mahiban)

D Andreas Borgman (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Emerson Clark (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colin Greening (to Toronto, AHL)
F Carl Grundstrom (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
F Mason Marchment (to Toronto, AHL)
F Trevor Moore (to Toronto, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Toronto, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (from Toronto, AHL to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Mac Hollowell (from Toronto, AHL to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via The Athletic’s Chris Kuk)

F Riley Barber (to Hershey, AHL)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)

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