Unusually insightful article by Frank Seravalli

[EDI-Flyer]

So I'm not one to praise the local Philly media but this article by Frank Seravalli is spot on in my view:

 

 

FOR A MAN who swore he'd stick to the long-term vision that got him hired, Ron Hextall last week showed the same shortsightedness that has kept the Flyers coming up empty since 1975. Under no circumstances should Steve Mason have been in net on Thursday night, let alone Saturday. Alas, the allure of a last-gasp, miracle run to the Stanley Cup playoffs got the best of Hextall.

 

Now, the Flyers are lucky Mason - one of just three pieces Hextall should be hellbent on building the future around - will miss only the next 2 weeks with a "lower-body" injury.

 

Goaltender Rob Zepp, who last month became the oldest rookie to win in his NHL debut since 1926, was recalled from Lehigh Valley. He likely will earn at least a start or two in tandem with Ray Emery as the Flyers embark tonight on a slate of six games in 9 days before the All-Star break begins on Jan. 22.

The Flyers entered last week with a 3.6 percent shot at a playoff berth. Even hoping against hope, they still felt the need to push Mason.

"We need to win right now and it's a coach's obligation to put the best lineup on the ice that he can, assuming that we're not putting anyone at risk," Hextall said yesterday. "We had reassurance from our medical staff that he was fine. Again, this injury is independent from any bump or bruise that he's had."

 

Regardless of the rhetoric, all of Mason's injuries are related. The result is a compounding effect from repetitive use and appearing in 23 out of a possible 27 games.

 

Let's review Mason's injury timeline:

* He missed four games (Dec. 20-27) after leaving practice on Dec. 19 with severe back spasms.

* He returned to practice Dec. 27 in Nashville. His first game back was Dec. 29 in Arizona, the first of seven consecutive games played, including the bulk of back-to-back games in Carolina and then New Jersey when Emery was pulled against the Devils.

* With 9:10 to play in the third period of Tuesday's shootout win over Ottawa, Mason took an extra long period of time (and flexed his leg) after making a routine save against Clarke MacArthur. He remained in net for the duration of regulation, overtime and the shootout.

* The following day, Mason took shots but left the ice before practice could officially begin. The Flyers knew Mason was not completely healthy because they had an amateur local goaltender ready and waiting to fill the net for practice.

* Mason went for an MRI on his "lower-body" injury that afternoon. Hextall declared later not that Mason was healthy, but that he would be available for Thursday's morning skate.

* Mason participated in Thursday's morning skate, as usual, and started against the Capitals. Late in the first period, he admitted he "tweaked" the same injury suffered on Tuesday.

* Mason practiced on Friday, as usual, and said afterword that "it's an important stretch and I want to be in net."

* He started on Saturday against Boston, his 23rd appearance in 27 possible games, and needed to leave the game before 13 minutes had elapsed after kicking his right leg out to make a routine save. It was the same leg he flexed awkwardly on Tuesday.

 

Somehow, Hextall said yesterday he had no second thoughts about Mason's workload and usage.

"This isn't related to anything else," Hextall said boldly. "It is independent up until this point."

 

Even if Mason's current injury is not directly connected to his back spasms, they could have caused him to overcompensate in other areas. For Hextall - a goaltender who fought through repetitive groin and back injuries himself - to claim ignorance to that is unfathomable.

 

Mason deserves credit for wanting to play through the pain. Paul Holmgren and Hextall already should have apologized for the defense they've asked him to play behind.

 

Coach Craig Berube is also due blame for not even considering giving Mason the night off on Thursday, as he said when asked. But Berube is coaching for his livelihood, not the future of the franchise.

 

That is when Hextall, the steward of these assets, needed to step in and put Mason on the shelf. What if Mason started on Saturday and tore his knee? What if he tore the groin muscle completely off the bone? As Brian Boucher noted on Comcast SportsNet, these injuries never really leave you as a goaltender.

With limited help, Mason has put together one of the most underrated seasons in the NHL. He is seventh in the league (.933) in even-strength save percentage - which removes the ugliness of the Flyers' 29th-ranked penalty kill - among goalies with 1,000 minutes played. If you take out Mason's brutal winless start, he'd be No. 2 with an even-strength save percentage of .941 in his last 23 appearances.

 

Mason is young, affordable and has proven to be more than simply serviceable. Along with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, he should be at the top of Hextall's priority list.

 

The Flyers' season was already over. They won two out of three last week and lost ground in the standings, now are closer to last place (eight points) than the playoffs (11). There was no need to risk the future for the present.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20150112_Flyers__misuse_of_Mason.html#yl81zfWaj4HZI6eE.99

 

 

[doom88]

Blowing things out of proportion. A leg and back injury, are probably distinct. If he got a clean bill of health, the Flyers did the right thing.

Here's the kicker, this is not the first time the medical staff ****ed up a diagnosis. I expect players to want to play, and coaches play healthy players, but that determination falls on doctors and trainers. Place the blame where it belongs.

[brelic]

Agreed, @doom88

 

I actually just read that article before coming here, and I was about to post about it as well. The way I read it, Seravalli's article is full of conjecture, almost speaking as if he somehow would know better than the medical staff. Dude had an MRI, was cleared to play, and played. 

[flyercanuck]

I agree. Clean slate, you play.

 

I'm  just not sold that the Flyers medical staff has any clue what they're doing.

[Quint]

I suspect a covert operation protecting special interest. Possibly a needle on the end of an umbrella therefore a miraculous recovery, only to be succumbed by additional injuries. A classic backfire or........

sh!& just happens.

[doom88]

A more believable conspiracy theory would be Hexy forced the medical staff to clear Mason, to get him lightly reinjured, to covertly tank the season away.

[brelic]

A more believable conspiracy theory would be Hexy forced the medical staff to clear Mason, to get him lightly reinjured, to covertly tank the season away.

 

But did Hextall have lunch with McCrossin?

[doom88]

But did Hextall have lunch with McCrossin?

If by lunch you mean knuckle sandwich, maybe.

[fanaticV3.0]

Agreed, @doom88

 

I actually just read that article before coming here, and I was about to post about it as well. The way I read it, Seravalli's article is full of conjecture, almost speaking as if he somehow would know better than the medical staff. Dude had an MRI, was cleared to play, and played. 

 

Yeah, that article is moronic. Reading way too much into, well nothing. He was cleared to play. End of story.

 

Plus, the whole "haven't learned anything" angle has no merit given Hextall hasn't traded away youth for overpriced veterans (yet, I have a bad feeling about this). You can't hold a guy accountable for something he hasn't done yet.

[LegionOfDoom]

23 games out of 27 is a lot of games, if those numbers are correct as the back to backs.

[King Knut]

This article is so pissy and critical it just isn't appropriate.

While I'll be the first to condemn the flyers medical staff (especially when it comes to goalies) and while the idea of playing Mason when we all knew he was hurt doesn't seem appropriAte, and even though the fact that not seeing something on an MRI doesn't mean a strain or a year isn't still imminent, I just think the attitude with which this was written is so annoyingly emblematic of the flyers press corp and philly sports writing in general and it makes me embarrassed.

More embarrassed than I am of a bad team.

Why every article this guys write doesn't lead back to the disasterous position himer's put this team in is beyond me.

Why this article didn't mention Emery 5 years ago being given cortisone shots that probably lead to his hip issue (steroids lead directly to bone density degeneration and hips are the most vulnerable to catastrophic injury as a result) are both beyond me.

I just don't know why he wrote it like a little brat and not like a grown professional calling out legitimate criticisms.

It belittles his point and makes it difficult to take seriously.

So I'm not one to praise the local Philly media but this article by Frank Seravalli is spot on in my view:

[brelic]

I just think the attitude with which this was written is so annoyingly emblematic of the flyers press corp and philly sports writing in general and it makes me embarrassed.

 

Bingo. It's unprofessional. 

 

And his article from the day before - "Flyers better without Grossmann?" I mean, I know writers often don't get to choose their headline, but c'mon. That's a terrible headline. Let's say you watch the game, and you see Grossmann get hurt. So you browse the paper in the morning to see if it's serious, and you're greeted with that headline, the writer already licking his chops at someone's injury. It's so detached from the human beings actually playing the game, it's unreadable.

[EDI-Flyer]

While I'll be the first to condemn the flyers medical staff (especially when it comes to goalies) and while the idea of playing Mason when we all knew he was hurt doesn't seem appropriAte, and even though the fact that not seeing something on an MRI doesn't mean a strain or a year isn't still imminent, I just think the attitude with which this was written is so annoyingly emblematic of the flyers press corp and philly sports writing in general and it makes me embarrassed.

 

Whilst I can see your point about the writing style the fact that Carchidi and Seravalli are a pair of sanctimonious hacks doesn't necessarily take away from the truth of it. For me this point sums it up:

 

 

 

The Flyers' season was already over. They won two out of three last week and lost ground in the standings, now are closer to last place (eight points) than the playoffs (11). There was no need to risk the future for the present.

 

The Flyer's medical staff has such an astonishingly poor history why would you not err on the side of caution? It was clear in the game against the Caps that Mase was less than 100%. To then put him out next game when the season is effectively over makes me really question the team's thinking. How many times have we seen Flyer's come back too early and exacerbate an injury? Way too many in my book.

 

I'm  just not sold that the Flyers medical staff has any clue what they're doing.

 

This ^^^^^^^

[Howie58]

Howdy:

 

I would tend to agree that Berube may feel more inclined to overplay his starter.  Tonight may be a reflection of his mistrust of Emery though I agree with Button on NHL Network that starting Zepp was intended to light a fire under butts.  Seravalli will not have many fans among Flyers' brass after this piece.

 

Howie

[ruxpin]

I have to figure Berube has to be in "anything to save my job" mode. It's not going to happen with the backup goalie (not going to happen with the starter, either, but go down with the best you've got).

The Philly writers are utterly and painfully ridiculous.

[brelic]

The Flyer's medical staff has such an astonishingly poor history why would you not err on the side of caution?

 

Have you noticed a shift this year? I certainly have. Maybe it started last year, but I didn't notice.

 

Now players are shut down - "Player X out for 2 weeks. Player Y out for 3 weeks. Player Z to miss 2 weekend games; will be re-evaluated."

 

They have timelines from the get-go now. That's not how it used to be with the Flyers - they were so wishy-washy, and never wanted to put timetables to anything.

Now by stating things up front, it sets expectations for all parties (team, player, media, fans). They have brought clarity to injuries (even if they still use vague terms for the actual injury).

[radoran]

Have you noticed a shift this year? I certainly have. Maybe it started last year, but I didn't notice.

 

Now players are shut down - "Player X out for 2 weeks. Player Y out for 3 weeks. Player Z to miss 2 weekend games; will be re-evaluated."

 

They have timelines from the get-go now. That's not how it used to be with the Flyers - they were so wishy-washy, and never wanted to put timetables to anything.

Now by stating things up front, it sets expectations for all parties (team, player, media, fans). They have brought clarity to injuries (even if they still use vague terms for the actual injury).

I remember it more as in "player X will be out 4-6 weeks" and then three weeks later we'd hear they were ahead of schedule, they'd be back in the lineup and then reinjure whatever it was in the first place...

[brelic]

I remember it more as in "player X will be out 4-6 weeks" and then three weeks later we'd hear they were ahead of schedule, they'd be back in the lineup and then reinjure whatever it was in the first place...

 

 

Yeah, maybe I'm not remembering correctly. They just seem much more definitive and proactive this year.

[Bakanekimiwa]

It's all starting to come together... Seravalli has basically decided that there's a conspiracy to keep Emery out of net. So much so, that they are willingly jeopardizing Mason's career by forcing him to play injured.

 

There's NO story here. This is simply a reporter pulling crap out of his a-hole and throwing it against the wall to see what sticks. For once, I wish the local beat guys would focus on facts and not all of this conjecture. 

[Samifan]

It's all starting to come together... Seravalli has basically decided that there's a conspiracy to keep Emery out of net. So much so, that they are willingly jeopardizing Mason's career by forcing him to play injured.

 

There's NO story here. This is simply a reporter pulling crap out of his a-hole and throwing it against the wall to see what sticks. For once, I wish the local beat guys would focus on facts and not all of this conjecture. 

 

I'm waiting for the article which claims Mason has had a back injury all along and did not disclose it to the Flyers until after he signed his new contract ala Michael Leighton.