Zzeke

Saturday Flyers Photo Puzzler for December 5, 2020 Who are these 2 guys?

Ooops. Sorry. Good topic. Good work by you.

Today, Dec 5, Eklund posted - Just talked to a source who said the Flyers would move "any D-man NOT named Provorov and a pick" for Nylander and the Leafs haven't said no. This is simply not going away. more to come.... This is BS. As usual, Eklund's source is Eklund. Click bait. Fletcher, and all of us, would not give-up Sanheim or Myers for the Leafs' Nylander. Quality, top-4, young, mobile defencemen are much harder to get than quality forwards. Our Flyers have 3 solid ones that will be the core of our defence for many years. Even knowing that Zamula and York are coming in 2/3 seasons, doesn't change the 'keep Provorov/Sanheim/Myers'. It just means that our Flyers will have 5 or 6 quality mobile, 3-zone, defencemen. Awesome. Now, if some GM offers a super-star forward like a Connor McDavid for one of our quality defencemen, that is a re-think - - - hmm - - - yes.

Run, run, run, run - - - - Can't. This offensive line is awful. It’s why the screen game stinks, screens require precise timing. It’s why the run gets stuffed. It’s the main reason why quarterback Carson Wentz has been sacked 46 times, almost 25% more than the No. 2 turf-eater, Russell Wilson. It’s even a reason why Pederson is reluctant to move the pocket and roll Wentz out to the right - - - defenses expect that, Wentz said, and load up their left edge to squash it. It's a re-reconstituted offensive line because, vs Seattle, our Eagles used a 10th combination of linemen in 11 games, the most combinations in the NFL this season. It looks like they’ll use an 11th version in their 12th game Sunday vs GB, as Jack Driscoll saw practice time at right tackle this week. Why not run it? Because, when Pederson called the eight running plays for Miles Sanders and Boston Scott vs Seattle, they netted 22 yards. That’s 2.8 yards per carry. Sanders’ first four runs went for zero, 1, 8, and zero yards. Sanders is a great RB, but, he had no path to success. Neither does Pederson. Not with this offensive offensive line.

IMO, this team is set - - a very good team. Sure, if Fletcher has an opportunity to trade to enhance the team - do it (w/o killing the Cap or sacrificing quality draft picks or prospects). But, his comments recently say he is high on this team. I tend to agree. 1) Goal scoring may not be a big issue. Our Flyers last season were 7th in the 31-team NHL in 'goals scored' (They played 1 and 2 games less than the two teams ahead of them, and could easily have been 5th in the League). 2) The reminder from GM Fletcher - don't draw conclusions from the small sample size of the 13 games of the Bubble Playoffs. I think he is right. 3) The possibility, depending on circumstances, of one of these skill forwards making the team soon (as you said - next 2 seasons): Sandin, Frost, Allison - - most likely Sandin this season - - age 24, is a goal scorer with SHL pro experience. Other positives for optimism: 1) the addition of Lindblom and potentially Patrick 2) young rostered players have not yet peaked and will get better and better: Konecny, Farabee, NAK, Bunnaman (in his 4th line role), Sanheim, Myers, Provorov, Hart Actually, thinking about the end of the 2019-20 regular season success to climb to the top and how well the team was in sync, and also knowing that finally a top-rated prospect pool is/will be ready to emerge, the future seems bright for our Flyers. (I admit drooling over acquiring RW Laine, however foolish it may be.)

If I may enter this conversation - - why trade either Laughton or Patrick? Anyone like this 2020-21 23-player roster? Lindblom-Couturier-Voracek Farabee-Hayes-Konecny Giroux-Patrick-Sandin (G will settle P and S) Laughton-Bunnaman-Aube Kubel (ideal AV 4th line) #13-Raffl JVR out If Patrick not healthy, then Frost at 3C. Provorov - Gustafsson Sanheim - Myers (RH) (don't break them up) Hagg - Braun (RH) #7 - Friedman (RH) Ghost - traded Hart Elliott

A shot at our Flyers Protected List 7F/3D/1G: 1) Giroux F (NMC) 2) Hayes F (NMC) 3) Couturier F 4) Konecny F 5) Patrick F 6) Lindblom F 7) Aube-Kubel F 1) Provorov D 2) Sanheim D 3) Myers D 1) Carter G Exposed List: van Riemsdyk (Age 32, Cap Hit 7M) Voracek (Age 32, Cap Hit 8.25M) Bunnaman F Twarynski F Kase F Hagg D Morin D Friedman D Exempt: First and Second year Pro (at June 2021) Farabee F 2nd year Frost F 2nd year Ustimenko G 2nd year Sandstrom G 2nd year Ustimenko G 2nd year Don't have to consider protecting - Laughton, Raffl, Gustafsson because they will be pending UFAs and could be re-signed after the June Expansion Draft, if mutual. The disagreement may be regarding protecting Voracek or NAK. IMO, protect NAK for reasons of stage-of-career, age, and Cap Hit. IMO, high probability Seattle does not select the exposed Voracek. If they do - okay - it opens up a top-9 spot for a prospect such as Frost (C) or Allison (RW) - (assuming Sandin already on the team for 2020-21). Should our Flyers protect Voracek or NAK? Or JVR?? The Expansion Draft rules dictate that the Kracken must take one player from each of the 31 teams. Under this Flyers Protected List and Exposed List (above), who do we think Seattle will take? I think they take defenceman Hagg.

Thinking about our Flyers' Bobby Brink's chances for the NHL due to his size - - 5-foot-8, 159 pounds, wondered who in the NHL are diminutive and very successful. Did some research - Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames, 5-foot-9, 157 pounds Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins, 5-foot-9, 181 pounds Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-foot-8, 183 pounds Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-foot-8, 179 pounds Conor Sheary, Buffalo Sabres, 5-foot-8, 175 pounds Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild, 5-foot-8, 179 pounds Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks, 5-foot-7, 165 pounds It will be fun to watch Brink with Team USA on TV starting on Dec 25.

Cam York and Bobby Brink are scheduled to report for Team USA Camp in Plymouth, Mich., on this coming Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. Both are sure to make the team. The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships begin on December 25, and as posted on the other thread (incorrectly, should be here), many games will be on TV on the NHL Network channel. https://www.hockeyforums.net/topic/87191-flyers-2020-21-season/?page=18&tab=comments#comment-487419

Last night - Flyers' Bobby Brink with a niffty pass to set-up a PP goal: Bobby Brink RW SCOUTING REPORT A quick, shifty forward who is quite heady, he has a deadly shot and excellent hockey sense (he knows where to go to score goals). Despite a lack of size and strength, he goes to the tough areas of the ice willingly in order to score. While his heart is big, and he is both feisty and gritty, he will always have to prove himself against bigger opponents as he climbs the ladder. Long Range Potential: Diminutive but smart, sharpshooting winger with good upside. Our Flyers traded-up to draft Bobby 'Orr' Brink - - yes, that is his legal middle name given by his father who was a big Bobby Orr fan. Watch - - Bobby Brink shows off his hockey sense with a nice poke check on Jack St. Ivany, then goes the other way to hit a cutting Isaac Ratcliffe for a goal: https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/top-5-plays-from-development-camp--philadelphia-flyers/c-308198844

There is hope - - GARY BETTMAN COM, NHL The NHL shared multiple draft schedules with the NHLPA on Thursday, which included 56- and 52-game regular-seasons that could begin sometime in mid-January. The discussions went late into Thursday night, but an exact start date wasn't determined. It could be a few days before or after Jan. 15 with training camps opening about 10 to 14 days ahead of time. The seven teams that didn't qualify for the NHL Return to Play postseason may be allowed to have voluntary camps one week earlier, which could be around late December. This is an encouraging development despite some economic issues that still need to be figured out. The two sides are trying to maximize the amount of games that will be played because that means more revenue and it reduces the amount of debt that players would have to give back to owners in future seasons. Both sides also have to navigate a complicated landscape with rising COVID-19 numbers. SOURCE: TSN.ca Dec 4, 2020, 12:02 PM ET

Awesome! Good find OR. Thanks for sharing. Is Flyers jersey #4 available? (No - Barry Ashbee) This 2020-21 season is his second at Michigan. He will play the 2021-22 season with the AHL Phantoms and hopefully be ready for the NHL Flyers in the 2022-23 season at age 21. Cam York (D) SCOUTING REPORT An excellent skater with a very smooth stride, he is adept at joining the rush and putting up points. He also displays very good hockey sense, and he defends his position rather well. Lacks size and strength, so he needs to add more bulk and get physically stronger for the highest level. His quickness and hockey savvy make him a constant threat in transition. Long Range Potential: Swift-skating, talented defenseman with upside. At the present time, Fletcher/Flahr have the 19 yo York on the Prospect Defence Depth Chart here: Egor Zamula Cameron York Wyatte Wylie Linus Hogberg Emil Andrae Ronald Attard Mason Millman Adam Ginning John St. Ivany Valeri Vasilyev I guess this assumes Morin and Friedman are already considered NHL experienced. In a few seasons, our Flyers may have one of the best mobile 3-zone quality defence groups in the NHL. We may be looking at something like this: 2020-21 Season Provorov - Gustafsson Sanheim - Myers (RH) (don't break them up) Hagg - Braun (RH) #7 - Friedman (RH) Ghost - traded 2021-22 Season Provorov - Gustafsson (re-signed as a UFA) Sanheim - Myers (RH) Hagg - Zamula or Zamula - Friedman (RH) #7 - Hagg or Braun (Hagg may be taken by the Kraken in Expansion Draft) 2022-23 Season Provorov - Gustafsson Sanheim - Myers (RH) York - Zamula #7 - Hagg or Friedman (RH) Dynamic 6-man defence.

Hmm. Can our Flyers help? Article posted today on the Ottawa Senators Rebuilding: The organization, under Pierre Dorion’s leadership, has built an enviable crop of young prospects, signalling the dawn of a new era of hockey in Canada’s capital. If Tim Stuetzle and Jake Sanderson can team up with Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot, Alex Formenton, and Erik Brannstrom, among others, the Senators have the chance to be incredibly dangerous in just a few short years. Of course, prospects developing into bona fide NHLers typically isn’t enough to push a team over that final hurdle. The Tampa Bay Lightning are a perfect example of a franchise that developed a core internally, but still needed to supplement it with outside help to finally capture the Stanley Cup. Both keeping that developed core around and surrounding it with an adequate supporting cast takes money. If you look at recent Stanley Cup champions, the common denominator is that they haven’t been afraid to spend. That’s not to say that each season’s champion was always the highest spender, but it is to say that true budget teams aren’t often the last ones standing at the end of the year. When the time comes, Senators ownership is going to have to open the wallet and dish out the dollars. The promising news on that front is that [owner] Eugene Melnyk was previously quoted as planning to spend near the cap between 2021 and 2025. Whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted those plans remains to be seen. This article analysis implys that Ottawa needs a few NHL veterans to complement all these core young players. Can our Flyers help? Do we have any veterans to trade to Ottawa to complement/help their young core - - provide experienced veteran players to show their youngsters how to navigate the NHL waters?

Eklund today: On Johnny Gaudreau... I am really surprised we aren't hearing more Gaudreau rumors right now in other media outlets, because I am hearing quite a bit, with one source telling me "The Flames have to move him this year, preferably before the return to play." There are as many as six teams out there who have talked to Calgary...and yes Philly is one of them, however I am not getting any sense that the Flyers are the favorite in this...There are two teams that I keep hearing more and more....The Islanders and Canadiens....Both teams would need to clear space and or make some very tough calls...But both teams have a ton of interest... For our Flyers? No thank you. Pass. Why pass? 1) Johnny Hockey has 2 years remaining on his contract at 6.75 M Cap Hit per and would cost valuable assets in trade. 2) Our Flyers team is a very good team going into this coming season. No need to disrupt the projected forward group or cause Cap issues or give-up future assets of prospects or draft picks. 3) This team will score goals. Our Flyers last season were 7th in the 31-team NHL in 'goals scored' (They played 1 and 2 games less than the two teams ahead of them, and could easily have been 5th in the League). 4) The reminder from GM Fletcher - don't draw conclusions from the small sample size of the 13 games of the Bubble Playoffs. I think he is right. 5) Our Flyers are improved from last season: - The addition of Lindblom and potentially Patrick. - The possible addition of RW Sandin this season - - age 24, is a goal scorer with SHL pro experience. - Young rostered players have not yet peaked and will get better and better: Konecny, Farabee, NAK, Bunnaman (in his 4th line role), Sanheim, Myers, Provorov, Hart. Bring-on the season! (And, finally, consider the rumor source - Eklund.) Lindblom scores - - can you see the puck?

November 11, 2020 Nolan Patrick in Scrimmages Brandon, Manitoba, Ryan White finds himself fervently competing against a player 10 years younger than him. "That’s the first thing I see in Nolan [Patrick], he brings that — for a skilled guy, his tenacity on the puck, the way he wants it. He’s been in a couple of scuffles here in the scrimmages and it’s just based on his compete level, he just wants that puck more than other guys." "When he does get that puck, that’s the second part of him," White said. "There are a lot of great players out there, but there are not a lot of guys who can really turn it up to that next level. That’s what I see in him in some days, is he’s got that next level. There are pros and there are great players, and then there’s another level of guys who can do some things that you’re like, ‘OK, what’s going on here, how did he do that? Why did he do that?’ I think he’s got another level to his game there, just offensively with the puck, he attacks guys, he tends to put guys in bad positions to expose them, he’s always drawing extra guys to him to get his linemates the puck. "I think the best part about him is he competes. We’ve been playing these scrimmages, he’s hard in the circle, he wins his faceoffs, he wants the puck, he knows he needs to start with it; sometimes you can’t teach that stuff. There are a lot of great skilled players out there but they need to play with that tenacity and that drive to really get to that next level. That’s probably the biggest thing I notice in him. "I don’t think the guys really realize how lucky we’ve been to have him out there and pushing the pace. When you’ve got guys like that out there, it definitely makes the tempo better, makes guys try harder and they want to do good against him; you don’t want to get embarrassed by him, you want to measure up against him and see how they stand against a player like that."

Encouraging news - NOLAN PATRICKC, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Nolan Patrick has been skating without any issues. Patrick has also been sleeping better because his headaches have diminished. He was taking part in scrimmages in October and appears to be making good progress after missing the entire 2019-20 campaign because of a migraine disorder. Patrick still has to see how his head reacts to contact and bright lights as well as get over some other hurdles, but this is all encouraging news going into the 2020-21 season. SOURCE: Sam Carchidi on Twitter Dec 3, 2020, 3:55 PM ET

Good stuff OR. Thx. Do you have goaltending background? I think this is Sandstrom on the right and don't know who on the left? Samuel Ersson - And the 6' 8" Fedotov -

You got me stumped, OR. Had to research. How about that 32 yo Czech, Jakub Kovar, who is currently playing for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the KHL? Our Flyers drafted him in 2006. In 2013, Bill Meltzer wrote: He [Kovar] was a disappointment in Canadian Jnrs and Czech junior national team, went back home to Extraliga (which has been a mediocre league in recent years), and served an apprenticeship as a backup to Roman Turek. Eventually he became the starter and has become of the top goalies in that league. No teams in KHL, much less the Flyers or other NHL teams, have been beating Kovar's door to sign him. He's extended his contract with Ceske Budejovice a couple times. I assume that the Flyers removed him from their NHL 90-player maximum Reserve List. Do you know his Flyers status? Good stuff, OR.

MICHAEL RAFFLLW, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Michael Raffl played his first game with the Villacher SV of the ICE Hockey League in Austria on his birthday. Raffl celebrated his 32nd birthday on Tuesday. Of course his birthday would take place during the NHL season under normal circumstances, so for him to celebrate it in his native Austria is rare. Raffl was born in Villach, so the NHL's 2020-21 campaign being delayed has also allowed him to play for his hometown team for the first time since 2011. That all said, he's had a solid run with the Flyers and it wouldn't be surprising if he seeks to re-sign with Philadelphia once his two-year, $3.2 million contract expires after the 2020-21 campaign. He had eight goals and 20 points in 58 contests last season. SOURCE: NBC Sports Philadelphia Dec 3, 2020, 8:27 AM ET

OccamsRazor said: Ivan Fedotov who has a 1.74 gaa (3rd) and a 934% (4th). 8-3-1 Bingo! I've already learned that you know your Flyers stuff big time - - sharp - - including the complete organizational depth. How would you rank the Flyers goaltending depth? Carter Hart Brian Elliott Kirill Ustimenko Alex Lyon Felix Sandstrom Ivan Fedotov Samuel Ersson Matej Tomek Roddy Ross Assuming this is the last season for Brian Elliott, who do you think will be the Flyers #2 goalie for the 2021-22 season? Oh, the top prize? You get to preview the new Black Uniforms - -

While we are on the Flyers' jerseys subject, here is an interesting Jersey and logo. A top prize for the first poster who identifies this Flyers organization player who is in action now. Hint - - he is 6' 8". When he plays for our Flyers, he will be the tallest goaltender in NHL history (Ben Bishop is 6' 7").

Thinking about our Flyers' Tyson Foerster, saw this today - Two players in the [Team Canada Selection] camp tested positive on Nov. 23 and as a result, the entire camp has been put into quarantine until Dec. 7. SOURCE: Edmonton Journal Dec 2, 2020, 9:21 AM ET I'm realizing that this series of posts should be in the other thread - - 'Flyers 2020-21 Phantoms/Prospects info/update'. As a rookie, I don't know how to move it. Can someone steer me, or move them for me? Thx.

Do you mean the Mark Howe days of Cooperalls?

We see that OR and mojo are Carolina Hurricanes fans. Yesterday, 'Canes Country' published an article that included this paragaph on Carolina being placed in the potential new Eastern Division: This division also includes tough matchups in the form of the Bruins, Flyers and Capitals - a trio of teams that could very well capture the top three spots in the division. That’s not even taking into account an Islanders team that has found themselves set up for postseason success in each of Barry Trotz’s first two seasons behind their bench, even if Carolina has largely dominated their head-to-head matchups. Carolina has a good team, but it seems that Canes fans are worried about our Flyers and others. They would rather be in the potential new Central Division which includes the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators. It must be tough on OR and mojo if/when the Flyers and Canes are in the same division and play each other more often. Who to root for?

Wow!