For the month of June, Last Word On Sports will be covering each team in our 30 in 30 series. Once a day, we take a look at an NHL team’s past season, what their off-season looks like, and what they could hope to achieve before the start of their 2015-16 season. Everybody wants to get better and improve upon last season’s success or downfall and NHL’s 30 in 30 gives you that analysis and preview you need to get you by during another long and grueling summer season. 30 days in June, 30 teams to cover. Starting on June 1st we start from the bottom and make our way to the very top.
NHL’s 30 in 30: Philadelphia Flyers
Finishing 24th overall, the Philadelphia Flyers posted a record of 33-31-18 to end up with just 84 points. Their home record (23-11-7) was one of the better home records in the league, earning the Flyers more points than quite a few teams that made the post-season. Their away record (10-20-11) was what did them in and dropped the Flyers. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres dropped more games in regulation than Philadelphia. A lack of scoring depth outside of the usual suspects and some weaknesses on defense eventually were too much to cover up.
The 2014-15 Regular Season
It was the second year in the last three seasons that the Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs, however things are not as dire as they may seem. In 2013-14, team possession numbers were at 50%, which was good enough to make it into the dance. The season prior, their numbers were at 48%. This year, they were at 49%, which indicates that they’ll never be a team fighting for a number one overall pick but they’ll be scraping their way through a season to capture a wild card position.
Coming off a career-high 81-point season, Jakub Voracek continues to to be one of the premiere players in the league. His consistency at growing his game and evolving as a dynamic player has been a real treat to watch, and his possession numbers and physical edge provide the Flyers with the scoring they need on their top line. Linemate Claude Giroux cooled off after a blazing start to the season, but you won’t find anyone complaining about a 73-point season. Wayne Simmonds also continued his trend of being a 20+ goal scorer in the National Hockey League. Scoring 28, 29 and 28 in the last three seasons (minus the lock-out where he scored 15 in 48 games, putting him on pace for 27 goals in a full 82 game season), Simmonds managed to remain a physical specimen while lowering his penalty minutes from 106 to 66, proving you can still play with a physical edge in this era.
Brayden Schenn still shows signs of becoming more than a second-line scorer and took great strides this season. Putting up 88 points in the last two seasons shows some great promise, while Sean Couturier was faced with difficult assignments, taking on the top lines of opposing teams. The one problem that remains a constant is the presence of Vincent Lecavalier, who averaged a career-low 12:39 per game.
There are very few defensemen that can take charge of an entire defensive core while in their 30’s, but Mark Streit can claim to be one of them. His 52 points in 81 games placed the Swiss defenseman in third on team scoring and was his highest point total since the 2008-09 season. Nick Schultz, who earned a two-year contract extension, played an average of 19:03 but his possession numbers weren’t something to gloat about. The new contract creates quite a logjam at the defense position, but only time will tell if the gamble of Schultz’s extension pays off.
Steve Mason had another stellar season behind the Flyers, seemingly having turned around his career with the new team. After posting an average of .903 with the Columbus Blue Jackets over five seasons, the Oakville, Ontario native has established himself as a starting goaltender in the national hockey league, improving his save percentage over the last three seasons with performances of .948, .917 and .928 in three seasons with the Flyers. While Philly’s defense remains cream cheese for the time being, the stability of Mason between the pipes has helped mask the mediocrity on the blue line.
Prior to the trade deadline, the Flyers made two trades to free up some cap space and room on the blue-line. Veteran Kimmo Timonen was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks for 2015 2nd-round pick and a conditional 2016 4th-round pick (pick was upgraded to a 2nd-round pick due to Chicago making the finals and Timmonen playing in 50% of the games). On deadline day, Braydon Coburn was sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Radko Gudas, as well as 1st and 3rd-round picks in 2015.
The Off-Season and Free Agents
Heading into the off-season, the Philadelphia Flyers have a total of five free agents to decide on. Of the five free agents, just one of them is restricted to the team; Defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Forwards Ryan White and Chris VandeVelde, defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo, and goaltender Ray Emery are the upcoming unrestricted free agents.
Taking into account the Schultz extension an the one-year contract given to Yevgeny Medvedev, the Flyers have one massive logjam at the defense position. Currently, there are eight defensemen on contract and nine if you include Chris Pronger‘s contract, which ends in two seasons. It may come time to start moving out some veterans to make way for the talented youth who are on the rise. Andrew MacDonald makes $5 million per season until 2020, so he’s unlikely to be moved. Streit, who makes $5.25 million for two more years, can attract a number of teams if he is placed on the trading block, while Nicklas Grossman is on the final year of his deal, making his contract movable if need-be.
With so much youth on the rise with names like Samuel Morin, Travis Sanheim and Shayne Gotisbehere, it’ll come down to who general manager Ron Hextall can move in the off-season. The team is a pinch over the salary cap, so moves indeed need to happen in order to make some room and possibly re-sign restricted free agent Del Zotto, who has turned things around in Philly. A prime candidate of the buy-out option is Lecavalier, who just doesn’t seem to have what it takes to compete in the NHL any longer. R.J. Umberger makes a pretty penny at $4.6 million for two more seasons, but at age 33 he could garner some interest if a team is desperate for a complimentary player or as cap to hit the salary floor.
In upgrading their offense, Hextall may look for some help on the wing and could target a player like Matt Beleskey of the Anaheim Ducks or Michael Frolik of the Winnipeg Jets. Carl Soderberg, who could be leaving Boston according to Elliotte Friedman, is definitely an upgrade at the center position. Or, if they choose to go the cheaper route, giving prospect Scott Laughton a shake at the main roster could be a viable option. Again, it’ll take some maneuvering around the cap and dishing out a contract or two, but with a few tweaks to the line-up via free agency, the Flyers could turn things around and push for a playoff spot next season.
The Draft Table
Hextall and his scouting staff have been very busy at the NHL draft combine, and for good reason. Not only do they draft 7th overall and later on in the first round at the 30th pick, but they also happen to have a total of ten selections at this year’s draft, including seven picks in the top 100. Overall, the Flyers will select 7th, 30th, 60th, 70th, 91st, 98th, 99th, 128th, 158th and 188th.
At the 7th overall selection, there is much debate to be had. Strong candidates at almost every position could make a case for themselves to be a 7th overall selection. Centers Pavel Zacha and Matthew Barzal could both be available, despite Zacha being ranked 6th on Bob McKenzie’s list. There’s also help on the wing with Mikko Rantanen and Timo Meier all ranked within the top-10. Even on defense, Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski are both gathering lots of attention at the combine. A dark horse name that keeps popping up is left winger Lawson Crouse, who appears in and out of the top-10 on several different lists. In the Flyers case, the best option in our estimation is either Werenski or Provorov. Barzal doesn’t seem to be much of an option, as the Flyers were one of only five teams to not interview him. If both Provorov and Zacha are gone, watch out for Crouse.
With a surplus of picks in the top 100, Hextall has a few options. Keep drafting and raking in the prospects in a deep draft, or combine a package of two to three picks and move up in the draft to select a more promising prospect. If we’re looking at some of the names that have been interviewed by the Flyers, we get a feel for the type of player that Hextall and company are searching for. Aside from Crouse and Zacha, the Flyers have talked with goaltending prospect Matej Tomek and prized USHL center Kyle Connor. While Connor is an option if the Flyers are looking to move a few spots back, Tomek is projected to go between the second and third rounds after Mackenzie Blackwood and Ilya Samsonov, and could very well land in the Flyers palms. Daniel Vladar also seems to interest the Flyers.
For the 30th selection, five names come to mind: Right wingers Denis Guryanov, Brock Boeser and Daniel Sprong, and right-handed defenseman Jeremy Roy and Brandon Carlo. While Roy and Carlo should be gone by then, one could eventually slip. As for Guryanov, he has the possibility of dropping due to the (ridiculous) Russian factor. Boeser and Sprong hover around the late 1st-round, so the Flyers could have many options at the end of the first round.
If the Flyers draft two forwards with their first two selections, it’s time to consider a defenseman with a right-handed shot. At this point, Rasmus Andersson and Gustav Bouramman are both possibilities, while Matthew Spencer‘s physical edge and howitzer of a slap-shot could entice Hextall and his scouts. If the interest in Tomek is real, they’ll hope he’s still around by the time their 70th pick is up, or take their chances and wait to use one of their three picks in the 90s.
Dave Hakstol – The New Bench Boss
With Mike Babcock still in play, the announcement of Dave Hakstol as the new head coach and 19th in the franchise’s history came seemingly out of left field. Hakstol, 46, had spent eleven seasons as head coach of North Dakota in the NCAA. Hextall was a firm believer in his coaching ways, offering him a 5-year deal worth $10 million, despite having never coached a game at the NHL level.
But don’t let that fool you. His credentials in North Dakota seem convincing enough. In the eleven seasons he coached with North Dakota, no team won more games than Hakstol’s team. He made the Frozen Four seven times, which is more times than established universities such as Boston College and Michigan State qualified for the NCAA tournament. It also never mattered what core of players he coached, or their talent level, as Hakstol brought out the best in his players. One year, Hakstol brought a team with nine seniors to the Frozen Four. The following season, he returned to that spot with 13 freshmen.
Hakstol’s record with North Dakota finished at a whopping 289-143-43, good for a .654 winning percentage. Two Regular Season Conference Titles, four Conference Postseason Tournament Championships and ten trips to the NCAA tournament in eleven years. Success is synonymous with the name Dave Hakstol. Only time will tell if the tools he brings to the NHL level will be what the Flyers need to improve their game.
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