2017-18 Pertinent Philadelphia Flyers News

[FlyHigh]

Flyers Twitterverse has been melting down because Pronman had us at No.12 in his latest prospect rankings. The methodology is kind of interesting, a couple points to consider.

1) Pronman seems to put a huge premium on "elite" NHL prospects and how much they boost a pool. For example, Detroit moved from 24 to 7 largely based on drafting Zadina (who Pronman sees as elite). I think Chicago got a similar bump because of Boqvist. According to Pronman, Flyers/NYR have the deepest systems in the league (ranked 11 and 12), but are lacking that top-end talent. Seems justifiable to me as guys like Frost/Farabee/Myers probably all fall into the category of "very good" NHL prospects rather than "top 10 in the world" prospects.

That being said, it seems a little odd to me to have Detroit go up 17 spots based on one player. I've never seen Zadina play, but just because you're viewed as an elite talent in your draft year doesn't mean you're going to be a gamebreaking player. The top-7 in the 2014 draft were Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, Dal Colle, Virtanen, and Fleury. Not exactly a murderer's row.

It seems like you have 1-2 sure thing prospects per year and then everybody else is basically a "we hope he's really good but we don't know for sure" type player, not sure if owning a top-10 draft pick in and of itself justifies massive reshuffles in rankings.

2) I do have a lot of sympathy for the "goalies are voodoo" argument and I think Pronman basically discounts Hart, but it does seem a little shortsighted to me. Goalies are notoriously tough, but at the same time, you're talking about a position that has 10x the impact on a game of any skater. I'm not sure what the solution is, but my understanding is that Hart is the best/2nd best prospect in the world at the most important position in the game, seems like that would necessitate a bit more consideration.

In the end, it's just rankings and seeing the fanbase freak out about it has been worth it.

[Rogers Pancreas]

In the end, it's a lazy list that isn't worth the bandwidth.

[CantSeeColors]

Not sure how one guy can accurately rate that many players anyway. It was an interesting read, but ultimately "meh" in terms of caring where we fall compared to other teams. Definitely agree that a guy like Zadina shouldn't swing a team that much on his own - if you're not at like the Matthews level, you're not worth more than all the rest of Harts, Frosts, Farabees, Myerses, etc. combined.

Also thought it was pretty crazy to just remove Sanheim from the ranks when he clearly didn't establish himself (edit: in the coach's eyes) last year. While I think he should have and is a shoo in this year, I'd still consider him a prospect.

[jester]

Not sure how one guy can accurately rate that many players anyway. It was an interesting read, but ultimately "meh" in terms of caring where we fall compared to other teams. Definitely agree that a guy like Zadina shouldn't swing a team that much on his own - if you're not at like the Matthews level, you're not worth more than all the rest of Harts, Frosts, Farabees, Myerses, etc. combined.

Also thought it was pretty crazy to just remove Sanheim from the ranks when he clearly didn't establish himself (edit: in the coach's eyes) last year. While I think he should have and is a shoo in this year, I'd still consider him a prospect.

It's all subjective, of course. One should, however, have an objective definition of a "prospect."

[FlyHigh]

Apparently we have a new mascot, "Gritty", and apparently it's not a prank? Yikes.

[Kilgore Trout]

It’s every bit as terrible as I feared it would be.

[FlyHigh]

I can't tell if they know it's awful and they're deliberately steering into it for the publicity. That creature is the thing nightmares are made of.

[Rogers Pancreas]

Are we sure it isn't Voracek?

[jester]

I can't tell if they know it's awful and they're deliberately steering into it for the publicity. That creature is the thing nightmares are made of.

Yeah ... I've seen people defending that monstrosity with "folks, calm yourself, it's for kids!" I can all but guarantee my 3 year old son will be terrified of that thing. Kids get freaked out by the Phanatic, and that thing is 100x crazier to look at. I would also like to talk to whomever put that whole thing together and then thought, "You know what, this guy needs googly eyes!"

[Kilgore Trout]

The eyes are genuinely unsettling.

[Hovercraft]

I can't believe Gritty is real but he does seem hilarious.

Lehtera is apparently a suspect in a finnish cocaine trafficking case. So that's great.

[Kilgore Trout]

Maybe they can cut him for that.

[chaosof99]

Dean Lombardi on the case.

[CantSeeColors]

They don't need to cut him, they're just going to ship him up the NE Extension.

[Hovercraft]

Leier and Weise cleared waivers. We picked up Pickard (G) from TOR. I guess he'll backup Elliot with Neuvirth hurt.

[FlyHigh]

Lehtera apparently will be in the opening night lineup, buckle up.

[chaosof99]

Eric Wellwood is becoming a head coach in the OHL

[Konecny HypeTrain Captain]

Didn't somebody show him the forum name one time? Could've sworn I remember one of you fucks meeting him somewhere and telling him about it.

[JLHockeyKnight]

Didn't somebody show him the forum name one time? Could've sworn I remember one of you fucks meeting him somewhere and telling him about it.

Someone definitely did.

[DeadPhish]

We traded Weise and Folin to the Canadiens for Schlemko and Froese.

[chaosof99]

We've traded Stolarz to Edmonton for Cam Talbot. I think that is a bad trade overall. Edmonton has all the benefits, and with Hart I don't think Stolarz was ever going to be a starter here, I think he was our best option for backup next season, though I understand why the organization would be nervous to start the season with such an inexperienced tandem. Talbot is okay, but also needs a new contract next season. All of this amounts to us doing Edmonton a solid, giving them cap relief, for no additional value. They could have at least thrown in a 7th round pick or something, but maybe "future considerations" are implicit in those kinds of deals. Also basically means that Elliott will be traded soon-ish. Apparently Talbot is also best friends with Hart, or at least they're off-season training partners.

[jester]

Stolie hasn't proven he can stay healthy for any stretch. Tough to go into next year counting on him as a backup. Don't have a strong opinion on Talbot, but it gives the Flyers exclusive negotiating rights and a test drive this season.

[jester]

Added aspect: it seems Stolarz was pretty much assured of being an UFA this summer, and all things being equal I bet he would have looked to sign elsewhere.

[FlyHigh]

I don’t mind it, Talbot had a really good track record before getting run into the ground a couple years ago and then the Oilers have been a total crapshow, change of scenery could be good. And Hart is probably the most important prospect we’ve had since Lindros, anything that gets him more comfortable is worth it.

[JLHockeyKnight]

Added aspect: it seems Stolarz was pretty much assured of being an UFA this summer, and all things being equal I bet he would have looked to sign elsewhere.

With him becoming a UFA and Hart clearly being our future starter, I fully expected Stolarz to test the open market for a starting role. So I think this trade benefits him immensely since I wouldn't expect him to start many games here the rest of the year. While his injuries sucked, I do feel a sense of loyalty to our players to give them a chance to prove themselves elsewhere if we won't be using them to their fullest extent. I see it at work all the time; if a supervisor doesn't support an employee's career goals which are outside of the supervisor's group, and tries to restrict them from leaving, it's a really ugly breakup. If the supervisor accepts they'll eventually move on, plan accordingly to replace them, and support the employee in their career goals, I've seen plenty of times where that employee comes back around in their new role in a way that benefits the supervisor and their group. Puts in a good word for the supervisor, does something supportive of their group, etc.

If Talbot walks this off-season I think we can find a solid backup to sign for a reasonable price.

[Hovercraft]

I think it's a low risk move, hopefully Talbot will stay around as a backup/1B for Hart for a year or 2. Apparently they train together and are friends so that's positive. He should be more reliable than any other other non Hart goalie we've had this year.

Definitely rooting for Stolarz to succeed though, good opportunity for him.

[Rogers Pancreas]

The Flyers should have come away with a mid-round pick for doing the Oilers a favor they needed done expeditiously. But, I'll be pulling for Stolarsz all the same. He wasn't going to get a fair shot in Philadelphia, and he's been a good sport all along. He deserves a chance to prove himself.

[JLHockeyKnight]

I think it's a low risk move, hopefully Talbot will stay around as a backup/1B for Hart for a year or 2. Apparently they train together and are friends so that's positive. He should be more reliable than any other other non Hart goalie we've had this year.

Definitely rooting for Stolarz to succeed though, good opportunity for him.

I did get a kick reading on people complaining about this trade on Reddit and thinking to myself "this trade isn't a big deal, Talbot starts at most 4 games the rest of the year." Yeah, low risk.

[jester]

I think it's a low risk move, hopefully Talbot will stay around as a backup/1B for Hart for a year or 2. Apparently they train together and are friends so that's positive. He should be more reliable than any other other non Hart goalie we've had this year.

Definitely rooting for Stolarz to succeed though, good opportunity for him.

I did get a kick reading on people complaining about this trade on Reddit and thinking to myself "this trade isn't a big deal, Talbot starts at most 4 games the rest of the year." Yeah, low risk.

Well, hopefully he plays a few more games than that ... but definitely agree that people get way too animated about roster decisions around the margins.

[Rogers Pancreas]

I think it's a low risk move, hopefully Talbot will stay around as a backup/1B for Hart for a year or 2. Apparently they train together and are friends so that's positive. He should be more reliable than any other other non Hart goalie we've had this year.

Definitely rooting for Stolarz to succeed though, good opportunity for him.

I did get a kick reading on people complaining about this trade on Reddit and thinking to myself "this trade isn't a big deal, Talbot starts at most 4 games the rest of the year." Yeah, low risk.

Well, hopefully he plays a few more games than that ... but definitely agree that people get way too animated about roster decisions around the margins.

Yes and no.

The league affords every team x-amount of assets to construct a roster with. If you aren't actively trying to maximize the return on every asset that passes through the organization you're responsible for, you aren't actively competing for the Stanley Cup. You're just another bloke getting in the way.