2017-18 Pertinent Philadelphia Flyers News

[FlyHigh]

Schenn is a great example of how confusing player evaluation can be. At the time they dealt him, I don't think anyone here would have thought he was a legit top-6 C. 2 years later, he's a top-6 C with pretty decent possession numbers IIRC (plus some decent ES scoring) on a Cup champion.

I do think that has a lot to do with his wingers (apparently Schwartz is a fancy stats darling and Tarasenko is Tarasenko), but just goes to show that context matters so much for these guys I suppose.

If you’re only effective based on the other players on your line, are you really worth 8 years?

On definitely not, agree it's a bad deal. It's just funny how these things work out. Still think that was a good trade for the Flyers (and helps that both of their picks out of it are tracking really well so far).

[JLHockeyKnight]

Schenn is a great example of how confusing player evaluation can be. At the time they dealt him, I don't think anyone here would have thought he was a legit top-6 C. 2 years later, he's a top-6 C with pretty decent possession numbers IIRC (plus some decent ES scoring) on a Cup champion.

I do think that has a lot to do with his wingers (apparently Schwartz is a fancy stats darling and Tarasenko is Tarasenko), but just goes to show that context matters so much for these guys I suppose.

If you’re only effective based on the other players on your line, are you really worth 8 years?

Hard no. It'll be interesting if he sustains his numbers, linemates helping or not, in the later years of this contract. This may be a tough contract to handle in the out years.

Forgoing the long term to focus on the immediate term? Why does this sound oddly familiar?

Mr. Holmgren, line one.

[CantSeeColors]

He’s going to be like 37 in the last year of that deal. No chance he’s scoring like this by then

[Rogers Pancreas]

Zamula has 7 points (3g + 4a) through 5 games, and is +9 on the season (5 games played). He is currently tied for first on the team for scoring, among all players.

He has been named the 1st star of the game once, the 2nd once and the 3rd once.

[Hovercraft]

I know it's early but our cap situation this off season is going to be hard to figure out. Uncertainty around Patrick/Lindblom health makes it confusing. Other than those 2, Myers, Hagg, Braun, Elliot, NAK and Pitlick are all RFA or UFA but we don't have much flexibility besides Braun's money and any potential cap increase.

[Rogers Pancreas]

This might be the year management moves on from Ghost, even though his contract is extremely cap-friendly.

It looks like coaching prefers Myers, and rightfully so. There's way more upside with Philippe, and we can only protect three come 2021 expansion draft.

[FlyHigh]

I assume that they'll have to bridge both of those guys right? If they could get Patrick on a 4x4 or something like that, would be fantastic, but I doubt he'd go for that and I suppose they won't want to if he doesn't come back this season.

AMac's buyout goes up by $700K next year which is also tricky, if they can somehow finagle their way to the summer of 2021, they have $2.5M in buyouts coming off the books, plus whoever Seattle claims and Niskanen/Laughton/Raffl all expire, but Hart and Sanheim will presumably be due for substantial raises.

I'd bet that one of JVR/Ghost eventually gets moved (assuming JVR will stay as PP specialist/3rd line scorer and Ghost can't break into the top-4), but feels like they can play out the string another year or two before they have to do that.

Weird to say about a Flyers team, but feels like they don't really have a "bad" contract right now. I'd say the Hayes one qualifies as "risky" and Voracek/JVR are both overpaid a bit by cap number, but nothing egregious. Obviously still early in the terms, but looks like the Provy/Konecny deals have potential to replace the Couturier one as the "steals" in the cap sheet, feels like every contending team needs a couple of those. I think that's TO's big problem, their guys got paid and then you look at the contracts for Boston's top guys and the difference is laughable. None of Bergeron/Marchand/Pastrnak are above $7M.

[Hovercraft]

We can't afford Patrick @4 mil right now really. Maybe they'll give Patrick and Lindblom cheap 2 year deals to figure out their health situations. Too risky to give 4 years @ 4 mil right now.

Amac's buyout goes up but at least Gudas money is gone then to balance it.

JVR and Ghost definitely seem like the most expendable pieces cap wise, but also don't want to give them away for nothing.

[FlyHigh]

Yeah, think you are probably right, but it'd be awesome to have Patrick locked up on a cheap deal and then for him to take a step forward a la Couturier. I wonder if they will trade Ghost at some point (especially if York develops well) and then JVR will be one of the guys exposed to Seattle (presumably along with Jake).

[jester]

We can't afford Patrick @4 mil right now really. Maybe they'll give Patrick and Lindblom cheap 2 year deals to figure out their health situations. Too risky to give 4 years @ 4 mil right now.

Amac's buyout goes up but at least Gudas money is gone then to balance it.

JVR and Ghost definitely seem like the most expendable pieces cap wise, but also don't want to give them away for nothing.

I mean, this was, to an extent, the concerns with Hayes signing last year given that Patrick has pretty good upside (if healthy) and this would have been a good candidate season for him to make major strides (year 3). I have to imagine both sides will be looking at a cheap 1-2 year deal at this point.

Lindblom ... I don't know what everyone does about that situation. Strikes me as unlikely he will be able to play in the NHL next year, even in the best possible outcome scenario.

I have to assume Ghost is traded for something this summer, which may suck as if he figures out his game we will be selling at the absolute depth of his value.

[Hovercraft]

Somehow we are only 1 point back of Pitt now. Would be great if we can somehow take home ice advantage for the first round, considering Hart's Home/Away splits.

[chaosof99]

The Penguins lost their 6th game in a row, 5-0 to the Sharks. The Hurricanes lost 4-3 in OT to the Habs. This means that the Flyers are now 1 point ahead of the Penguins and 6 points ahead of a non-playoff spot with no games in hand to be accounted for. They are only 3 points behind the Capitals for the lead in the division.

[Hovercraft]

3-0 fast start for the Flyers. Grant gets his first point on a short handed assist on Raffl's goal.

Edit: Goal for Grant too. 4-0

[DeadPhish]

This team is pretty damn good right now.

[Hovercraft]

Thompson seems pretty shit so far. Two bad penalties this game.

[Rogers Pancreas]

I know I'm slow, but I guess I never thought of the playoffs in this light:

The Flyers have an eight point lead on the Hurricanes, the "9th" seeded team in the East. It doesn't seem like a lot, even with 17 games remaining. However, in order for the Flyers to miss the playoffs, they would have to fall behind the Penguins (a possibility), the Islanders (also a possibility), the Blue Jackets (still a possibility), and either the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Rangers.

Basically, all Philadelphia has to do is not make like a neutron star (or the Buffalo Sabres), and they're in the playoffs.

[Hovercraft]

Yeah I think our playoff odds are over 90% now. This streak has been huge

[chaosof99]

Sportsclubstats has us at 96.2%, so does moneypuck, though these are before today's game.

Good win even though I was dumb and thought the game started at 1PM instead of noon, so I missed most of the 1st period. I did turn it on in time though to see my homeboy Raffl score a shorty, so that is nice. 3rd period was pretty bad but the team knows that and they are on a good streak and in contention of winning the division. I might have to actually get up and watch that Caps game on Wednesday.

P.S.: I thought the Mets were the measure of all late season collapses.

[Rogers Pancreas]

Raffl's been one of the most underrated acquisitions that I can recall. It's not that he's elite in any area. He's just a great depth player signed to a good contract.

You don't think much about him until you remember all the dregs that have passed through Philadelphia, and failed at doing exactly what he's been doing over the last six years.

[chaosof99]

On a podcast I recently heard Raffl being described as "a swiss army knife of a player", which is accurate in his utility, but weird since he is austrian

[jester]

I know I'm slow, but I guess I never thought of the playoffs in this light:

The Flyers have an eight point lead on the Hurricanes, the "9th" seeded team in the East. It doesn't seem like a lot, even with 17 games remaining. However, in order for the Flyers to miss the playoffs, they would have to fall behind the Penguins (a possibility), the Islanders (also a possibility), the Blue Jackets (still a possibility), and either the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Rangers.

Basically, all Philadelphia has to do is not make like a neutron star (or the Buffalo Sabres), and they're in the playoffs.

Yep, and even then ... they might be able to dip significantly and still get in. I think Columbus is dead in the water, and if you really look under the hood with the Islanders ... they haven't been a very good team outside of an insane run early in the season, and there's no reason to assume they will suddenly become a good team. Been a fun year, and nice to see them really gelling under the new coaching staff in the second half.

This could be a really tough team with a smart summer, a healthy Patrick, and, in the future, hopefully a healthy Lindblom (as said elsewhere, I think he's likely out next year even in the best case scenario).

[Hovercraft]

Sounds like the cap will go to at least $84 mil next year. Will definitely help sign all our RFAs, maybe even lock Patrick into a medium length bridge.

[jester]

Sounds like the cap will go to at least $84 mil next year. Will definitely help sign all our RFAs, maybe even lock Patrick into a medium length bridge.

It's cute that you think we're going to survive coranavirus.

[Hovercraft]

I live on an Island so I'm hoping for the best

[Hovercraft]

Zibanejad just scored 5 on the caps, but they got the OTL point so we are tied for division lead, but WSH have the ROW tiebreak by 1.

[chaosof99]

Zibanejad just scored 5 on the caps

Holy crap.

[chaosof99]

Oscar at the team photo today

[Rogers Pancreas]

Give him back his hair, you dick (cancer).

[Hovercraft]

Myers out 4 weeks with fractured bone in his knee from blocking a shot.

Ghost back in. Glad to have Ghost as the spare here but losing Myers really sucks.

[JLHockeyKnight]

Give him back his hair, you dick (cancer).

Admittedly, he could have worn a hat to cover it but instead he shows the chrome dome off and owns it. Proud of him for that.

Following my comment up with FUCK CANCER.

[Rogers Pancreas]

For every high this season (i.e. Konecny having a career year, Hart progressing, Sanheim progressing, Myers progressing, Couturier having another Selke-caliber season, playoffs?), there's been an equally devastating low (i.e. Lindblom being diagnosed with cancer after a very successful start to the season, Patrick suffering from chronic migraine syndrome, Morin tearing his ACL again, Zamula's back, Myers' knee, etc.) Why can't we just have nice things?

[Konecny HypeTrain Captain]

As legendary Flyers' GM Paul Holmgren once said "It is what it is, what can you do?"

[Rogers Pancreas]

Probably drink less. But I digress.

If the remainder of this season gets post-poned, things could get real interesting...

[Hovercraft]

NBA has suspended their season after a player tests positive for covid. NHL statement coming tonight or tomorrow but seems likely they'll do the same since they share facilities. NBA said " until further notice" for now.

[DeadPhish]

Was surprised they didnt call it last night. I'm sure they will today. Something like 11 teams share a building with an NBA team.

[Rogers Pancreas]

In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019‑20 season beginning with tonight’s games.

The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus – and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time

We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions – including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.

I think this improves the chances of NP coming back, no?

[Konecny HypeTrain Captain]

I'm convinced every pro sport will just cancel this season in Europe and the US, they will be suspended for so long eventually they will have to scrap it.

[JLHockeyKnight]

[Rogers Pancreas]

https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/flyers- ... -316259918

I'm not convinced this will matter one iota in the grand scheme of things.

[FlyHigh]

Kind of a random thought. Was bored and procrastinating by browsing BSH's top 25 under 25. I saw that they had Myers ranked No. 5 and the consensus seemed to be "will be a solid 2nd pairing D." I wonder if it's too easy to fall into the trap of overrating prospects that haven't hit the NHL and then underrating guys that are already solid NHL performers.

Myers is at 71 NHL games, just turned 22, and is already a solid 2nd pairing D. I don't think it's far-fetched to project him as a long-term partner for Provorov on the top pairing. He definitely needs to work on aggressiveness and etc......but that's not surprising after 71 games right? If Myers does develop into a top-pair guy, that's pretty huge considering they have 4 legit first line forwards, a ton of middle-6 guys, and then Hart. Really positions them well to compete in the post-pandemic wasteland.

[Hovercraft]

Natural rhd with his size and skill combo is very rare

[jester]

Kind of a random thought. Was bored and procrastinating by browsing BSH's top 25 under 25. I saw that they had Myers ranked No. 5 and the consensus seemed to be "will be a solid 2nd pairing D." I wonder if it's too easy to fall into the trap of overrating prospects that haven't hit the NHL and then underrating guys that are already solid NHL performers.

Myers is at 71 NHL games, just turned 22, and is already a solid 2nd pairing D. I don't think it's far-fetched to project him as a long-term partner for Provorov on the top pairing. He definitely needs to work on aggressiveness and etc......but that's not surprising after 71 games right? If Myers does develop into a top-pair guy, that's pretty huge considering they have 4 legit first line forwards, a ton of middle-6 guys, and then Hart. Really positions them well to compete in the post-pandemic wasteland.

Lets let him settle in a bit, but he certainly has a ton of potential. Of course, Ghosts last season and a half is not what you would have expected a few years back.

[jester]

We got actual hockey news!

[jester]

https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Bill-Me ... /45/105431

Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that left winger Oskar Lindblom is doing very well in his battle with Ewing Sarcoma and will shortly undergo his final round of chemotherapy treatments. There is no timetable at present or a return to playing hockey.

"He has to build up strength and stamina, make sure he's healthy. With the pandemic going on, he's got to be extra cautious because his [immune] system is shot. But I'm grateful there's a possibly he can play again. He's a young guy that's going to be a tremendous player if he can come back for us," Flahr said to beat writer Sam Carchidi.

Once Lindblom completes his treatments -- assuming all goes well medically -- he may be able to resume physical training.

Said Flahr, "He'll be checked out and he'll be able to start training and building back up again. It's amazing; he's a warrior, this kid. Don't think he's lost much weight at all. He's trying to work out as soon as treatments are over. It's been tough on him but he's a young guy, he wants to play as soon as possible. I have no idea what that means or what's realistic, but the treatments, according to our medical staff, have gone as well or better than we could have expected."

Sounds way more optimistic than we had any reason to be a few months back.

[Rogers Pancreas]

Nothing would make me happier than:

1. Patrick and Lindblom making a full recovery, and returning to the Philadelphia Flyers either this year or next
2. Giroux, Couturier and Voracek leading the kids to a Stanley Cup

[jester]

Based on all the noise this spring, I have to assume they feel like they've gotten Patrick on the right path to a recovery. So, hopefully there is no reason to think he won't be available next year. But I guess you never know. I suspect with Lindblom the best case would be sometime next year at the earliest. Getting physically back to professional athlete level will likely take a bit, and I am not sure how long it will take for his immune system to be fully functional again.

[Hovercraft]

24 team playoff is official now. Top 4 teams of each conference automatically in, then #5-12 in each conference play a best of 5 to get in for a 16 team playoff.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/ga ... -1.5585260

[jester]

So, interesting question: if Nolan Patrick is ready to go, do they put him out there?

[chaosof99]

I'm still kind of doubtful this is even going to happen, considering just how deeply the U.S. fucked up the response to the situation, but at least there is a plan so far. Personally I still think it would have been best to just scrap the season and hope you can start the next one on time, even if it is painful.

Two things of none, the Flyers are in fact in the top four by a 3 point margin ahead of the Penguins, which is fun. The top four teams apparently play a round robin series against each other to determine seeding, rather than having to play a five-game series against another team. The other thing is that in the west, all three california teams are below the cutoff line, while the NHL just barely managed to put Chicago in there.

[Hovercraft]

Betman said training camps wont start until July 1 so USA might be good enough to play in empty arenas then.

Wonder what every team's injury situation is? Patrick is certainly interesting but I wonder if any players started getting surgeries or anything assuming season was over. Especially on those 10-12th place teams.