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Ivan Provorov

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Philadelphia Flyers

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Philadelphia Flyers.

What are the Flyers most thankful for?

It’s been an up and down season for Philadelphia this year under head coach Alain Vigneault, yet the team remains right in the middle of the playoff race in the Metropolitan Division. Philadelphia is in fifth place in the division, but are just three points out of second place. The team currently boasts a 21-12-5 record and should be right in there.

The team is a mixture of veterans and quite a bit of young talent the team is trying to integrate into the team. In many ways, it’s been a success, but with young players also comes inconsistency. If the Flyers can find some consistency, the team should be a top candidate to make the playoffs this year.

Who are the Flyers most thankful for?

The team has seen quite a few players step up this year, but the team has seen forward Travis Konecny that that next step in his development. The 22-year-old forward has scored 24 goals for two straight years and he’s heading for a similar number, but the rest of his game has opened up as he is two assists shy of his career high already after just 35 games and is heading for a career year. Konecny leads the team in scoring with 34 points as he is on a point-a-game pace, which could lead him to an 80-point season, which is critical for a team that is seeing some of their veterans take a step back in their production.

What would the Flyers be even more thankful for?

The continued improvement of their young players.

The team is loaded with young players, who Vigneault has worked hard to mix in with the team’s core of veterans. Several of them have performed well. Second-year goaltender Carter Hart has seen some of his numbers get better this year. His GAA has improved from a 2.83 to a 2.43, while his save percentage has dropped from a .917 to a .910. Regardless, Hart is continuing to develop his game. Rookie Joel Farabee hasn’t made the impact many were hoping for with just three goals and 12 points in 29 games, but has seen to settled in as a regular in the lineup. The team has gotten flashes from Morgan Frost as well, who has two goals and seven points in 18 contests, although he was recently assigned to Lehigh Valley. Even on defense, the team is getting solid play from Ivan Provorov and many of the young blueliners.

If they can continue to improve on their games, it could set Philadelphia to have a strong second half going into the playoffs.

What should be on the Flyers’ Holiday Wish List?

The health of forward Oskar Lindblom. The 23-year-old was having a promising breakout season for the Flyers until he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and will not return this season. The team hopes that he can get the proper treatment as quickly as possible and return to full health, regardless whether he ever takes the ice for the team again. However, consider his young age and recent success, the team is hoping that Lindblom can make a full recovery and be back on the ice, perhaps as soon as next season. However, the team has rallied around their young forward and put him and his health in the forefront.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Philadelphia Flyers Re-Sign Ivan Provorov

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Deadlines bring action and with training camps set to open, yet another restricted free agent has agreed to terms on a new contract. The Philadelphia Flyers have re-signed defenseman Ivan Provorov to a long-term extension. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the full terms of the contract, which is six years and $40.5MM, a $6.75MM AAV. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic gives us the breakdown:

  • 2019-20: $6.75MM salary
  • 2020-21: $2.75MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2021-22: $4.125MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $2.75MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $5.5MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $6.625MM salary + $2MM signing bonus

After a drawn-out negotiation, the Flyers wind up with a very reasonable contract for Provorov. Among the top young defensemen in the NHL and certainly the No. 1 defenseman in Philadelphia, the 22-year-old Provorov nevertheless settles for a cap hit that ranks just 16th among fellow defenders, tied with veterans Mark Giordano and Ryan McDonagh. Figuring for cap inflation and the corresponding rise in salaries over the next six years as well, this should prove to be a bargain if Provorov continues to progress. He is already a proven workhorse when it comes to big minutes and has shown the ability to produce at a high level. For his new price tag, continued success in those areas could make his a steal.

Of course, there is still risk to the new pact for the Flyers. If Provorov does continue to improve, the team could risk losing him at the end of this contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent and, at 28 years old, it will be just in time for another long-term deal. Philly may have to pay up to keep the 2015 seventh overall pick with the team that drafted him. The flip side is that there is also a chance that Provorov has already reached the peak of his ability and, if so, this deal may not bring the value that the Flyers hope. Provorov still has several holes to his game, including struggles on the power play and matching up at even strength with tough competition. The team has to hope that he still has room to grow and learn over the course of the new deal to better reflect his new cap hit.

With both Provorov and Zach Werenski signed, the pressure is now on for Charlie McAvoy and the Boston Bruins to agree to a new deal, as he is the final big-name RFA defenseman available. McAvoy’s camp is likely ready to take the last best offer, after both comparable players signed team-friendly deals. McAvoy is a younger and more dynamic player than Provorov, but has more still to prove after struggling with injuries in his first two seasons. The young defenseman is a better fit for Werenski’s recent contract structure than the deal just signed by Provorov, but he and the Bruins now have to options to consider.

Morning Notes: Theodore, Flyers, Pettersson

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You can bet Shea Theodore didn’t have the summer he was expecting. After failing a random drug test at the World Championship because of an elevated hormone level, Theodore was informed that it was not because of a supplement but he in fact had testicular cancer and would need surgery right away. The Vegas Golden Knights defenseman opened up about the situation in an article for the Players’ Tribune today, explaining that though it was a frightful time in his life he has fully recovered.

Theodore said that Phil Kessel reached out this summer to give his support, given that the veteran forward dealt with the same diagnosis years ago. Theodore credits that drug test with potentially saving him from a battle that would have much more difficult, and implores everyone to get checked regularly and be open with your physician.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers are getting closer to a deal with Ivan Provorov, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The two sides are still working through the negotiation and both three and six year deals are on the table, but things have turned positive in recent days. It seems as though things aren’t so rosy for the other Flyers’ RFA, as McKenzie tweets that Travis Konecny is not close to a new deal. The pair are huge parts of the Philadelphia future and will hopefully join the team in training camp soon with freshly inked deals.
  • That’s exactly what is happening for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who is joining the team and expected to sign in the “next day or so” according to McKenzie. The deal will be a short-term contract, but would mean the team has their full complement of players in camp. The Penguins do appear to have too many NHL-caliber defensemen on the roster at the moment, meaning a trade or waivers is coming for at least one. Of course, that is contingent on the rest of the group staying healthy through camp, which is not a certainty anywhere around the NHL.

Latest On Ivan Provorov

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1:25pm: Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the two sides had been working on a six-year deal, but that things may have changed since Werenski’s signing. He adds that Provorov will not sign the same three-year, $15MM contract and noted in response to a reader that a six-year at $7MM per season “may get it done.”

9:35am: After Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Zach Werenski agreed to a three-year bridge deal in order to get a new deal signed before training camp started, heads turned to Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers to see who would be next. Both young defensemen are in similar situations to Werenski, looking for big raises after solid starts to their careers. For Provorov at least, it seems to have moved things along. His agent Todd Diamond spoke to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet today and reported that they and the Flyers were closer yesterday on a contract than they had been for weeks, and that things are starting to move in the right direction.

Provorov, 22, was taken just ahead of Werenski in the 2015 draft and has played all 246 games for the Flyers over the last three seasons. The former Brandon Wheat Kings superstar took almost no time at all to adjust to the speed of the NHL, recording 30 points and playing 22 minutes a night as a rookie. That ice time has only increased, to the point where Provorov was averaging more than 25 minutes a night in 2018-19, putting him sixth in the league in that category. Unfortunately his offense took a step backwards last season and the left-handed defenseman recorded just 26 points including just two on the powerplay. Granted, Shayne Gostisbehere is the lead dog when the Flyers have a man-advantage, but if Provorov is ever to become that Norris-caliber defenseman that some believed he could be, he’ll need to create more offense in one way or another.

Still, there’s no doubt that he is one of the most important players on the Flyers roster. Depending on term, he very well could become the highest-paid defenseman on the team, eclipsing Matt Niskanen’s $5.75MM cap hit. Whether he follows Werenski down the path of a bridge deal is unclear, but that would at least give the two sides more time to negotiate a long-term deal down the road.

If a bridge deal does come out for Provorov, it will be important to note his salary in the final season. That will determine the qualifying offer that follows the deal, which could—like Werenski—walk him right into unrestricted free agency. Provorov is currently scheduled to reach UFA status in the summer of 2023.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

RFA Profile: Ivan Provorov

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Heading into last season, Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov appeared to be well on his way to stardom and a second contract that would put him in that higher echelon for blueliners.  However, things didn’t go exactly as planned and all of a sudden, he remains unsigned with the start of training camp just days away and a lot of confusion over what his next deal could look like.  Let’s take a look at some of the possibilities.

In 2017-18, Provorov picked up 17 goals and 41 points.  Despite logging an extra minute per night on average, his output dropped to just seven goals and 26 points last year.  Generally, players with that type of output aren’t candidates for big money, long-term contracts but a player with a stat line like his sophomore season are options for one.

Accordingly, potential contract values are all over the board.  Understandably, Provorov’s camp will be pointing to his 2017-18 numbers as a sign of things to come and that his dip was just a blip on the radar and not a sign of things to come.  On the flip side, management will be trying to use last season as the basis for comparison.  They’ve also indicated that they’d like to see other RFAs sign (players like Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy come to mind) before committing to a deal.  While everyone waits each other out, here are some of the possible comparables in play.

Statistics

2018-19: 82 GP, 7-19-26, -16, 32 PIMS, 145 shots, 25:07 ATOI
Career: 246 GP, 30-67-97, -6, 86 PIMS, 509 shots, 23:45 ATOI

Comparables

Rasmus Ristolainen (Buffalo) – Like Provorov, Ristolainen has been viewed as a top defender for the Sabres but one that has some warts as well.  His rookie season was only a partial one like Provorov though so on a long-term deal, Provorov should be expecting more than this.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 9-32-41, -21, 33 PIMS, 202 shots, 25:17 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 194 GP, 19-46-65, -68, 65 PIMS, 375 shots, 22:19 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $32.4MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 7.40%
Current Equivalent: Six years, $36.816MM ($6.03MM AAV)

Dougie Hamilton (Carolina) – Hamilton was a little more consistent offensively than Provorov but the top years offensively were similar.  On the flip side, Provorov has handled a much tougher workload through the first three seasons of his career so he should be shooting a little higher than this equivalent as well.

Platform Year Stats: 72 GP, 10-32-42, -3, 41 PIMS, 188 shots, 21:20 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 178 GP, 22-61-83, +23, 95 PIMS, 385 shots, 19:32 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $34.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 8.05%
Current Equivalent: Six years, $39.365MM ($6.56MM AAV)

Aaron Ekblad (Florida) – This is the contract that Provorov’s side is almost assuredly bringing up.  This set the market for post-ELC defenders though it’s worth noting it was only signed after his second season (and his third year didn’t go so well).  Provorov is the better offensive threat of the two as well.

Platform Year Stats: 68 GP, 10-11-21, -23, 58 PIMS, 225 shots, 21:28 ATOI (last year of ELC)
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 227 GP, 37-59-96, +7, 131 PIMS, 577 shots, 21:40 ATOI

Contract: Eight years, $60MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 10.27%
Current Equivalent: Eight years, $66.96MM ($8.37MM AAV)

In terms of a recent bridge contract to compare, there aren’t really any good options out there.  Most quality post-ELC players have signed deals of six years or longer.  Those that have had bridge deals (such as Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey, or even teammate Travis Sanheim) are all in the roughly 4% range which equates to roughly $3.25MM to $3.5MM.  That’s not going to get it done either.  Let’s look in between those two terms then.

Colton Parayko (St. Louis) – This isn’t a perfect one considering Parayko’s entry-level pact was only two years but there isn’t a large list to draw from.  He had a bit more of an offensive impact that Provorov but as is the case with everyone else on this list, Provorov was logging heavier minutes.

Platform Year Stats: 81 GP, 4-31-35, +7, 32 PIMS, 188 shots, 21:12 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 160 GP, 13-55-68, +35, 61 PIMS, 353 shots, 20:18 ATOI

Contract: Five years, $27.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 7.33%
Current Equivalent: Five years, $29.87MM ($5.97MM AAV)

Projected Contract

Earlier this summer, I thought Provorov was heading for a bridge deal simply because of the large variation between his last two seasons.  However, I’m not as confident in that idea now just because of the largely uncharted waters they would be entering.  Provorov’s camp is going to want Ekblad money but GM Chuck Fletcher isn’t going to give that out.  Going with a Parayko-type deal could happen but that would only buy out one year of UFA eligibility.  It’s hard to see Fletcher wanting that either.  As a result, a six or seven-year contract could be where this ultimately winds up.  He should slot in a little higher than Hamilton which would put an AAV around $6.75MM on a six-year pact and a little higher than that on a seven-year one because of the extra UFA year.  Fortunately for Fletcher and the Flyers, they have ample cap space to get a contract done, no matter how long or how much it will cost.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Evening Notes: Luukkonen, Josi, MacEachern

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As many expected, the Buffalo Sabres would be without their top goaltending prospect, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, at the Prospects Challenge and now Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton revealed that the prospect, who underwent hip surgery in April, will miss training camp as well, according to Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. However, Luukkonen could be ready to play games as soon as the beginning of the season.

The 20-year-old goaltender was impressive in his one year North America, posting a .920 save percentage in 53 games with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL and now is ready to join the Rochester Americans of the AHL. However, he was given a six-month recover time after the hip surgery, but Sexton said he was “on track” and continues to work with Sabres goaltending coach Seamus Kotyk to get ready for the regular season.

“He’s doing very well,” Sexton said. “He’s right on track, which is great. … No pain, no soreness. A little bit of fatigue but you would expect that. He’s on track. He’ll be around here in Buffalo for a while because he’s obviously not ready to play, but we’re really encouraged by the progress he’s made and we have every expectation, barring a setback, he’ll be ready to play when the schedule starts.”

  • The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) writes that the reason why the Nashville Predators haven’t locked up defenseman Roman Josi to a contract extension yet is due to the restricted free agent market in which a group of top players are holding out for big-time paydays. While Nashville doesn’t have any restricted free agents at the moment, the team is in a holding pattern as the team awaits the outcome of the signings. Among the restricted free agents, there are a number of unsigned defensemen, including Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov and Columbus’ Zach Werenski. While Josi, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, is a much more established player, it’s likely that he and his agent are waiting to see how those three players fare before agreeing to any contract. Josi has expressed a desire to remain in Nashville.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that with Pat Maroon signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the St. Louis Blues must find a replacement for their veteran leader in the bottom-six. The scribe believes that player to be Mackenzie MacEachern, who has the size (6-foot-3) and will to hit players and was the forgotten man during the team’s playoff run, scratched for the final 10 games of the regular season and he never saw the playoffs. The 25-year-old played 29 games for St. Louis last year, scoring three goals, five points and 49 hits and could establish himself as a solid replacement for Maroon and might be even better than Maroon was in the regular season. Other possibilities might include Sammy Blais and prospect Klim Kostin.

RFA Profile: Anthony DeAngelo

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If asked to rank the remaining unsigned restricted free agent defensemen by offensive efficiency, most would easily be able to tab Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy as the top two. However, few would name Anthony DeAngelo third ahead of the likes of Ivan Provorov and Marcus Pettersson. In fact, last season DeAngelo finished just behind Werenski and McAvoy in points per game, with 0.49 compared to their 0.54 and 0.52 respectively. He also did so with three minutes less of ice time on average. DeAngelo has quietly developed into a potent offensive contributor on the blue line and working out an extension will be no small task for the cap-strapped New York Rangers. Here is a closer look at his situation.

DeAngelo, 23, is already on his third NHL team, a fact that may contribute to his perceived lesser value compared to his RFA peers. The 19th overall pick in 2014 by the Tampa Bay Lightning, he never played a game for the Bolts and was surprisingly dealt to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2016 second-round pick following a productive first pro season in the AHL. The ‘Yotes did not hesitate to bring DeAngelo up, and he recorded a respectable 14 points in 39 NHL games in 2016-17. Yet, he was moved again that off-season in the deal that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta from New York to Arizona. DeAngelo’s first season with the Rangers was nothing special; he again split the season between the NHL and AHL and failed to scorer a goal in 32 games with New York. Through three pro seasons, DeAngelo was beginning to look like a bust as a first-round pick.

However, the team handed DeAngelo a regular role last season and he ran with it. The talented puck-mover registered 30 points in 61 games to lead all Blueshirt defensemen in scoring despite missing more than 20 games. DeAngelo also led the entire team with a +6 rating and was second in even strength time on ice. There is no hiding the fact that DeAngelo was one of the best players for New York last season. Despite their considerable additions this off-season, especially on the blue line in Jacob Trouba and prospect Adam Fox, the Rangers will still need to sign DeAngelo to a deal that accurately reflects that value, even if they don’t necessarily have the cap flexibility to do so. After that showing last season, DeAngelo is no longer a mystery or an enigma and if the Rangers won’t pay him, another team will.

Statistics

2018-19: 61 GP, 4-26-30, +6 rating, 77 PIMS, 111 shots, 19:20 ATOI
Career: 132 GP, 9-43-52, -25 rating, 125 PIMS, 239 shots, 18:00 ATOI

Comparables

Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets

Platform Year Stats: 73 GP, 6-20-26, -16 rating, 25 PIMS, 132 shots, 21:10 ATOI
Career Stats: 101 GP, 7-33-40, -17, 47 PIMS, 186 shots, 21:30 ATOI

Contract: Two years, $6MM
Year Signed: 2019

There’s isn’t a much better comparable than a player who played on the same team. Last season, Pionk was given more ice time and played in more games than DeAngelo for the Rangers and still was outscored and outplayed. When it came to trading away a young defender in the Trouba deal, it was Pionk that New York was willing to part with and not DeAngelo. With similar platform and career stats, especially on a per-game scoring basis, DeAngelo can point to Pionk as a comparable but also prove his slight edge as well as argue that his younger age and greater experience help his case. Pionk’s deal is the floor for a DeAngelo extension.

Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 9-26-35, -4 rating, 22 PIMS, 121 shots, 19:34 ATOI
Career Stats: 131 GP, 11-34-45, -10 rating, 42 PIMS, 193 shots, 18:04 ATOI

Contract: Two years, $6.5MM
Year Signed: 2019

DeAngelo took a big step forward this season, but Sanheim took a leap. A fellow 2014 first-round pick facing criticism, Sanheim finally showed he was a starting-caliber NHL defenseman with a nine-goal, 35-point campaign. However, those numbers did come in a full 82-game season. Sanheim’s career numbers also trail DeAngelo’s in almost the exact same games played and total ice time. Both young defensemen are part of busy blue lines with a fair amount of talent but have carved out a role for themselves. DeAngelo maintains a slight edge based just on per-game production, but these two players are very similar.

Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils

Platform Year Stats: 78 GP, 4-26-30, -17 rating, 18 PIMS, 108 shots, 19:16 ATOI
Career Stats: 159 GP, 9-65-74, -16, 26 PIMS, 196 shots, 17:38 ATOI

Contract: Three years, $11.2MM
Year Signed: 2019

Like Werenski and McAvoy, few would think to associate DeAngelo with Butcher, the prize college free agent of a few years ago. In reality, DeAngelo and Butcher had the same stat line last season, with the Devils standout playing in 17 more games. In his career, Butcher does have the slightly superior per-game scoring numbers, but it is hard to look at their platform seasons and DeAngelo’s more balanced game at a younger age and not feel they are at least close to equal.

Projected Contract

There are several fair comparisons to DeAngelo, all of whom have signed extensions within the last few months. It paints a pretty clear picture of what a defenseman of DeAngelo’s age, experience, and production should be seeking: a short-term deal worth $3-4MM.

The Rangers are tight against the salary cap and have several long-term contracts on the blue line already, as well as a handful of prospect defenders who could push for a role sooner rather than later. For that reason, the team will likely push for a shorter, more affordable bridge deal, taking the risk that DeAngelo could continue to improve and boost his price tag, but landing a contract that they can accommodate more easily in the short term. If DeAngelo is slightly better than Sanheim, who makes $3.25MM on a two-year deal, and slightly worse than Butcher, who makes $3.73MM on a three-year deal, a two-year deal with a $3.5MM AAV is likely just right for the young Rangers defensemen.

Now, even at a very fair two years and $7MM, a DeAngelo resolution is still too much for the Rangers to carry at current time, with RFA forward Brendan Lemieux still to sign as well. The team has a number of young players they can freely demote as well as multiple veterans that are candidates to be buried in the AHL, but nevertheless the team may still need to make a space-saving trade before the season begins.

Chuck Fletcher “Not Concerned” About Lingering RFA Negotiations

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The Philadelphia Flyers are like a dozen other teams around the NHL, waiting to have some clarity on whether their top restricted free agents will be suiting up when training camp opens in a few weeks. The Flyers have two top players still without contracts in Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny, but GM Chuck Fletcher isn’t ready to panic just because they aren’t signed yet. Speaking with Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday, Fletcher explained the Flyers are in the same situation as all of the other teams but isn’t stressing out:

We’ll keep working at it. They’re good young players and we expect to have them signed and ready to go as soon as we can. … Right now, the landscape league-wide is murky, and I think things will start to clear up in the next few weeks. At this point, I’m not concerned. This has been the trend the last few years.

Fletcher is right, restricted free agents have started to wait longer and longer to sign their deals, though this crop is even bigger than normal. Last summer saw Noah Hanifin, Ondrej Kase, Josh Morrissey, Darnell Nurse, Sam Reinhart and Shea Theodore all sign in either late-August or September, and among high profile players only William Nylander’s negotiation leaked into the season. That group doesn’t exactly stand up to names like Mitch Marner, Brayden Point and Mikko Rantanen, but it’s not just complementary or depth players either.

Things will certainly start to clear up for some of the restricted free agents in the near future, but there’s certainly no guarantee that both Konecny and Provorov will be signed by camp. Carchidi suggests that Provorov could get a deal worth around $7MM per season while Konecny is expected to get somewhere between $4-4.5MM per season. Obviously both of those cap numbers are contingent on the term of the contracts.

Philadelphia Flyers Might Have To Move A Defenseman

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The Philadelphia Flyers still are trying to sign several restricted free agents, including Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov, but with the two sides being far apart so far in negotiations, there is quite a bit of concern when it comes to Provorov. While it’s likely that the two sides will eventually come to an agreement, especially since Provorov’s camp is waiting for Boston’s Charlie McAvoy and Columbus’ Zach Werenski to sign first to provide some new comparables, the team could find themselves with too much depth on defense.

The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor (subscription required) writes that if Provorov signs, the team will have eight NHL-caliber defensemen on their roster and unless the team is willing to roll with just 13 forwards next season, the Flyers will have to make a move to get to seven. Some forwards are obviously going no where. The team has two top-four defenseman already in Shayne Gosthisbehere and Provorov, while the team traded for Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun to add veteran leadership to their defense. The team is also really high on youngsters Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers, which leaves the team just two potential candidates to move.

The most obvious choice would be to send down Samuel Morin. He has potential, but has struggled to make an impact with Philadelphia so far. The problem is that the Flyers would be required to put him on waivers this season and risk losing the 24-year-old for nothing if another team puts a claim on him. While he only has eight games of NHL experience on his resume, there are some teams that would be quite interested in a 6-foot-6 defenseman who might be ready to become an NHL regular.

The only other option for the Flyers would be Robert Hagg, who already has two years of NHL experience and put up 20 points last season. While the team likes him, the team acquired a very similar player in Braun, who is more experienced and better defensively. Many have already wondered if the acquisition of Braun was meant as a sign that the team intends to move on from Hagg. However, Hagg is also no longer waiver-exempt and would almost assuredly would get claimed if Philadelphia put him on waivers, suggesting the team’s only option would be to trade him.

Regardless, no matter what, if the team doesn’t end up in a holdout situation with Provorov, which could be what the Flyers are waiting to find out before making a decision, the team must make a move at some point.

RFA Defense Market Slowing Down Contract Talks For Ivan Provorov

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With Scott Laughton now re-signed, the Flyers can turn their focus towards re-signing their two key restricted free agents coming off of their entry-level deals in defenseman Ivan Provorov and winger Travis Konecny.  When asked by NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman to characterize the discussions for Provorov, GM Chuck Fletcher suggested that it could take a little while for a deal to get done:

“I wouldn’t know how to characterize it; certainly amicable. Everything’s cordial and amicable, but I think until the market settles out a bit it may be difficult to move forward on Provorov.”

There are several other notable blueliners looking for new deals this summer including Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets), and Jacob Trouba (Rangers) and those are likely some of the players that Fletcher is hoping to see sign new deals before proceeding with Provorov.  Of that group, only Trouba’s is likely to be dealt with in the near future as his arbitration hearing is set for July 25th so a deal will be finalized one way or the other by the end of the month.

Provorov’s case is a bit of a tricky one.  The 22-year-old had a breakout 2017-18 season that saw him collect 17 goals and 24 assists and it looked as if he was quickly establishing himself as an upcoming star.  However, despite an uptick in ice time to over 25 minutes a night, his production took a sizable step back as he dipped to a career-low 26 points.

As a result, it’s far from a guarantee that a long-term deal is worked out.  If Provorov and his camp believe that this was just a one-year dip, they’d be wise to push for a short-term bridge deal.  Meanwhile, Fletcher and the Flyers would certainly love to get Provorov locked up long-term.  Regardless of what happens with the rest of the RFA defence market, this is a case that could take a while to reach an agreement on.

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