Flyers 2020-21 season

[Zzeke]

NHL 23-player Rosters and 6-player Taxi Squad Lists are due today.

 

A good clarification on NHL Taxi Squads - 

 

Every team will likely lean on taxi squads this season.

 

NHL teams get to have four to six players on taxi squads after they clear waivers, essentially expanding the size of the team beyond the 23-man limit when teams submit their rosters to the league on Tuesday.

 

“We’re going into unchartered waters with the taxi squad that is in place to try to get us through the season,” Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “Taxi squads will give us 29 players tested every day, practicing and traveling with us that are eligible to play in games on short notice.”

 

Players on taxi squads can be put on the active roster as late as 5 p.m. ET on a a game day, giving clubs a better chance to having four lines, three defensive pairings and two goaltenders even if rosters take a hit because of COVID-19 protocols.

 

To keep healthy players in net to let the games go on, teams must have three goaltenders available among the 29 players on their active roster and taxi squads.

 

While taxi squads will benefit teams trying to navigate the season, general managers will wrestle with whether they should keep prospects to play sparingly in the NHL or if sending them to compete regularly in American Hockey League games is better for their development.

 

“You’d have to prioritize your thinking,” Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams said. “I’d say we’ll start with what we feel is what gives the Buffalo Sabres, the best opportunity to be successful and win hockey games, and we’ll work off of that.”

 

When NHL teams do want to call up prospects from the minor leagues, those based in the U.S. will be able to get them on the ice quicker than some of the Canadian counterparts.

 

“There will be a quarantine period of seven days to bring somebody up,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said.

 

Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary will have to wait even longer to have access to prospects they recall. Those teams have U.S-based minor league affiliates and anyone crossing the border for nonessential reasons must isolate for 14 days.

 

“That adds another six days to anyone coming to Canada to the clubs in western Canada,” Holland said. “When we assign players to the AHL, it’s much more difficult to get them back. And, that will factor into our decisions when we have to submit rosters on Tuesday.”

 

Taxi squads are like the NFL’s practice squads during the pandemic, giving teams a way to bolster depth at thin positions and to provide a layer of insurance if COVID-19 protocols rule players out.

 

In the postseason, though, “Black Aces,” are generally prospects just happy to be around the NHL club after their minor league seasons end.

 

In this pandemic-altered season, those same young players may grow tired of being relegated to practicing while their peers are gaining experience playing in the minors.

 

Detroit Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula fondly recalls his 74-game run with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins 15 years ago before moving up to play in the world’s top hockey league.

 

“I felt fortunate getting sent down, getting to play and play in a lot of situations in all the games,” the 36-year-old Finn said. “It depends how old you are. But for everybody, it’s good to play games and not just practice.”

 

The AHL season was in doubt until recently when it announced 28 teams plan to start their season in February, adding that three clubs opted out of playing in the pandemic.

 

Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice made it clear he would rather have prospects competing for the Manitoba Moose than simply skating, testing and traveling with the Jets.

 

“I don’t want young guys in general on the taxi squad not playing,” Maurice said.

 

This makes me think about our Flyers high quality prospect defenceman Zamula.

 

It may be best overall to have him play in the AHL with our Phantoms for his development. That would mean a veteran defenceman with NHL experience on the Taxi Squad such as:

 

Derrick Pouliot
Chris Bigras
Nate Prosser
Tyler Wotherspoon

Defensemen Nate Prosser continues to look for a spot on a NHL roster after he had previously spent the past eleven seasons with Minnesota and St. Louis. The 35-year-old veteran is likely to clear the waivers and be assigned to the AHL club where he was serving as the Captain.

 

Derrick Pouliot also has some pretty extensive NHL experience, appearing in 202 NHL games with three different teams. He last appeared in a NHL game in the 2019-2020 season with St Louis.

 

Chris Bigras, the 25-year-old from Canada, has played in two NHL seasons both with the Colorado Avalanche. He made his NHL debut in the 2015-2016 season, and has not appeared in a league game since the 2017-2018 season.

 

Tyler Wotherspoon is battling for a return to the NHL where last played a regular season game with the Calgary Flames in the 2016-2017 season.
 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Zzeke

[Zzeke]

Roundtable: Bold predictions for the 2020-21 NHL season

 

By Sean Leahy
NBC Sports
Jan 11, 2021, 11:00 AM EST

 

Sean Leahy, NHL writer: After signing a deal following his camp PTO, Mike Hoffman will lead the Blues in scoring.

 

James O’Brien, NHL writer: I chose Rick Tocchet to be the first coach fired, but he won’t get that pink slip during the regular season. That’s right: no in-season coaching firings for 2020-21. (But all bets are off during the 2020 offseason.)

 

Adam Gretz, NHL writer: The Winnipeg Jets trade Patrik Laine to the Philadelphia Flyers. 

 

Marisa Ingemi, NHL writer: Predicting the Sharks as a playoff team is probably the boldest take I have, but the wilder take in the back of my head has been about the Kings making a playoff push, but still falling short.

 

Jake Abrahams, Managing Editor, NHL content: Taylor Hall will pair perfectly with Jack Eichel and will sign a massive contract extension to stay with the Sabres.

 

Michael Finewax, Rotoworld Senior Hockey Writer/Editor: The Stanley Cup will finally return to Canada with the Toronto Maple Leafs claiming the crown.

 

[OccamsRazor]

Some good news...

 

 

 

 

 

[Podein25]

When did we acquire Derrick Pouliot?

[Zzeke]

34 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

Some good news...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good stuff OR, Thx.

[Podein25]

3 hours ago, Zzeke said:

Roundtable: Bold predictions for the 2020-21 NHL season

 

Adam Gretz, NHL writer: The Winnipeg Jets trade Patrik Laine to the Philadelphia Flyers. 

 

 

 

Imma gonna need my lawyer to send a cease and desist with this wet dream of yours!

[Zzeke]

4 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

When did we acquire Derrick Pouliot?

 

On Oct 10, 2020

 

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today they have signed defenseman Derrick Pouliot to a one-year, two-way contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $700K, according to President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Chuck Fletcher.

 

Below are notes on Pouliot and his career:

 

DERRICK POULIOT (POO-lee-awt)
POSITION: Defenseman
PREVIOUS TEAM: St. Louis (NHL), San Antonio (AHL)
DRAFTED: 2012 - 1st Round (8th overall) by Pittsburgh Penguins
AGE: 26 (1-16-1994)
BORN: Estevan, Saskatchewan
VITALS: 6'0", 196 lbs
SHOOTS: Left

* Pouliot spent most of the 2019-20 season in the American Hockey League with the San Antonio Rampage where he recorded 39 points (7g-32a) in 58 games, which ranked sixth among all AHL d-men.

* He skated in two games for the St. Louis Blues in 2019-20.

* Pouliot has appeared in 202 regular season games in the NHL with three teams and posted a career total of 48 points (8g-40a) in those 202 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-15 through 2016-17), Vancouver Canucks (2017-18 through 2018-19) and the Blues (2019-20).

* Pouliot also skated in two games with the Penguins during their run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Championship.

* He has also appeared in 172 games in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (2014-15 through 2016-17) and Rampage (2019-20), and has posted 109 points (27g-82a).

[OccamsRazor]

Just now, Zzeke said:

 

On Oct 10, 2020

 

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today they have signed defenseman Derrick Pouliot to a one-year, two-way contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $700K, according to President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Chuck Fletcher.

 

Below are notes on Pouliot and his career:

 

DERRICK POULIOT (POO-lee-awt)
POSITION: Defenseman
PREVIOUS TEAM: St. Louis (NHL), San Antonio (AHL)
DRAFTED: 2012 - 1st Round (8th overall) by Pittsburgh Penguins
AGE: 26 (1-16-1994)
BORN: Estevan, Saskatchewan
VITALS: 6'0", 196 lbs
SHOOTS: Left

* Pouliot spent most of the 2019-20 season in the American Hockey League with the San Antonio Rampage where he recorded 39 points (7g-32a) in 58 games, which ranked sixth among all AHL d-men.

* He skated in two games for the St. Louis Blues in 2019-20.

* Pouliot has appeared in 202 regular season games in the NHL with three teams and posted a career total of 48 points (8g-40a) in those 202 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-15 through 2016-17), Vancouver Canucks (2017-18 through 2018-19) and the Blues (2019-20).

* Pouliot also skated in two games with the Penguins during their run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Championship.

* He has also appeared in 172 games in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (2014-15 through 2016-17) and Rampage (2019-20), and has posted 109 points (27g-82a).

 

So a long winded way of saying Phamtoms depth defenseman.

 

Got it.

[intheslot]

The club's opening night roster consists of the following 23 players:

FORWARDS (13)
11   -   Travis Konecny
12   -   Michael Raffl
13   -   Kevin Hayes
14   -   Sean Couturier
19   -   Nolan Patrick
21   -   Scott Laughton
23   -   Oskar Lindblom
25   -   James van Riemsdyk
28   -   Claude Giroux
48   -   Morgan Frost
62   -   Nicolas Aube-Kubel 
86   -   Joel Farabee
93   -   Jakub Voracek

DEFENSEMEN (8)
5   -   Philippe Myers 
6   -   Travis Sanheim
8   -   Robert Hagg
9   -   Ivan Provorov
53   -   Shayne Gostisbehere
56   -   Erik Gustafsson 
59   - Mark Friedman
61   - Justin Braun

GOALTENDERS (2)
37 - Brian Elliott 
79 - Carter Hart        

Captain: Claude Giroux
Permanent Alternate Captain: Sean Couturier
Permanent HOME Alternate Captain: Ivan Provorov
Rotating ROAD Alternate Captain: Kevin Hayes
Rotating ROAD Alternate Captain: Jakub Voracek

The following six players have been assigned to the Taxi Squad:

TAXI SQUAD (6)
34 - Alex Lyon               G
10   - Andy Andreoff   C/LW
55   - Samuel Morin   LW
81   - Carsen Twarynski   LW
82   - Connor Bunnaman   C 
39   -   Nate Prosser       D

The following 14 players have been assigned to the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms:

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS (14)
Chris Bigras
Pascal Laberge
Mason Millman
Roddy Ross
Felix Sandstrom
Zayde Wisdom
Linus Sandin
Tyson Foerster
Derrick Pouliot
Egor Zamula
Wyatte Wylie
Matthew Strome
Tyler Wotherspoon
Max Willman

The following four players are on Injured, Non-Roster:

INJURED, NON-ROSTER (4)
57 - Wade Allison           RW
58 - Tanner Laczynski   LW    
67 - Kirill Ustimenko   G    
76 - Isaac Ratcliffe   LW

[Zzeke]

22 minutes ago, intheslot said:

The club's opening night roster consists of the following 23 players:

FORWARDS (13)
11   -   Travis Konecny
12   -   Michael Raffl
13   -   Kevin Hayes
14   -   Sean Couturier
19   -   Nolan Patrick
21   -   Scott Laughton
23   -   Oskar Lindblom
25   -   James van Riemsdyk
28   -   Claude Giroux
48   -   Morgan Frost
62   -   Nicolas Aube-Kubel 
86   -   Joel Farabee
93   -   Jakub Voracek

DEFENSEMEN (8)
5   -   Philippe Myers 
6   -   Travis Sanheim
8   -   Robert Hagg
9   -   Ivan Provorov
53   -   Shayne Gostisbehere
56   -   Erik Gustafsson 
59   - Mark Friedman
61   - Justin Braun

GOALTENDERS (2)
37 - Brian Elliott 
79 - Carter Hart        

Captain: Claude Giroux
Permanent Alternate Captain: Sean Couturier
Permanent HOME Alternate Captain: Ivan Provorov
Rotating ROAD Alternate Captain: Kevin Hayes
Rotating ROAD Alternate Captain: Jakub Voracek

The following six players have been assigned to the Taxi Squad:

TAXI SQUAD (6)
34 - Alex Lyon               G
10   - Andy Andreoff   C/LW
55   - Samuel Morin   LW
81   - Carsen Twarynski   LW
82   - Connor Bunnaman   C 
39   -   Nate Prosser       D

The following 14 players have been assigned to the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms:

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS (14)
Chris Bigras
Pascal Laberge
Mason Millman
Roddy Ross
Felix Sandstrom
Zayde Wisdom
Linus Sandin
Tyson Foerster
Derrick Pouliot
Egor Zamula
Wyatte Wylie
Matthew Strome
Tyler Wotherspoon
Max Willman

The following four players are on Injured, Non-Roster:

INJURED, NON-ROSTER (4)
57 - Wade Allison           RW
58 - Tanner Laczynski   LW    
67 - Kirill Ustimenko   G    
76 - Isaac Ratcliffe   LW

 

We have been waiting for this. Thx.

 

Great to see Provorov get the "A".

 

Good to see defenceman Friedman on the 23-man roster and protected from waivers (to get to the Practice Squad) where he would have been very vulnerable to be grabbed.

 

It makes sense now to have Zamula and Sandin go to the Phantoms where they can play regularly, rather than on the Taxi Squad.

 

This is a very, very, good team.

 

Bring-on the Penguins!

 

(Remember, tomorrow night's opener on TV is at 5:30 PM ET, not 7 PM ET)

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Zzeke

[Zzeke]

 

[Zzeke]

Meltzer - 

 

PROBABLE OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

 

23 Oskar Lindblom - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
28 Claude Giroux - 13 Kevin Hayes - 86 Joel Farabee
25 James van Riemsdyk - 19 Nolan Patrick - 93 Jakub Voracek
12 Michael Raffl- 21 Scott Laughton- 62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel

 

9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim - 5 Phil Myers
8 Robert Hägg - 56 Erik Gustafsson

 

79 Carter Hart
[37 Brian Elliott]

 

PP1: Provorov, Giroux, Hayes, Couturier, TK
PP2: Farabee, JVR, Patrick, Voracek, Gustafsson

 

Scratches: 48 Morgan Frost (healthy), 53 Shayne Gostisbehere (undisclosed), 59 Mark Friedman (healthy).

 

Bring-on the Penguins!

 

 

[mojo1917]

Pretty cool seeing Ivan joining the leadership group.

That guy sets a great example, is one of my favorite players.

 

I wonder what predicates the rotation on the road "A"s?

[Cheesesteak]

On 1/7/2021 at 5:49 PM, OccamsRazor said:

 

You forgot poop yourself and then need a fresh diaper...

 

and a fresh powdering 

[Cheesesteak]

On 1/8/2021 at 7:05 PM, CoachX said:

I guess...but so does that kid scooping up ice after the girls scrape the surface

 

trade him now.... his value will never be higher 

[Zzeke]

Flyers vs Pens back-to-back games this week.

 

A quote from the Pens defenceman Letang:

 

Familiarity will breed contempt, especially in the East Division, the only of the NHL’s four divisions that is restricted to a single time zone.

 

“It’s going to be fun,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “It’s going to create more rivalries and emotion will probably be higher because of what happened the night before. It can translate to the next game. And obviously, you play (only division opponents) so every game will be super important. It will raise a lot of intensity.”

 

The Taxi Squad is an extension of the NHL team's roster. 

 

The assumption here is that a player can be called from the Taxi Squad to the main roster if there is a vacancy in the 23-player roster. 

 

"Players can move freely between the taxi squad and the NHL roster, but call-ups must be made prior to 5 p.m. on game day."
 

Therefore, with our Flyers playing the Pens back-to-back, and with Malkin (and maybe Crosby) doing their crap, dirty play, perhaps Fletcher/AV will rotate 2 players temporarily for game 2 only:

 

- Morin from the Taxi Squad to the main roster

- Frost from the main roster to the Taxi Squad

 

- - and insert LW Morin, 6-7 230, in place of LW Raffl for game 2 vs the Pens only.

 

Malkin

 

 

 

[CoachX]

5 minutes ago, Zzeke said:

Flyers vs Pens back-to-back games this week.

 

A quote from the Pens defenceman Letang:

 

Familiarity will breed contempt, especially in the East Division, the only of the NHL’s four divisions that is restricted to a single time zone.

 

“It’s going to be fun,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “It’s going to create more rivalries and emotion will probably be higher because of what happened the night before. It can translate to the next game. And obviously, you play (only division opponents) so every game will be super important. It will raise a lot of intensity.”

 

The Taxi Squad is an extension of the NHL team's roster. 

 

The assumption here is that a player can be called from the Taxi Squad to the main roster if there is a vacancy in the 23-player roster. 

 

"Players can move freely between the taxi squad and the NHL roster, but call-ups must be made prior to 5 p.m. on game day."
 

Therefore, with our Flyers playing the Pens back-to-back, and with Malkin (and maybe Crosby) doing their crap, dirty play, perhaps Fletcher/AV will rotate 2 players temporarily for game 2 only:

 

- Morin from the Taxi Squad to the main roster

- Frost from the main roster to the Taxi Squad

 

- - and insert LW Morin, 6-7 230, in place of LW Raffl for game 2 vs the Pens only.

 

Malkin

 

 

 

Morin is still the only physical deterrent this team has. And he is always one stride away from his final knee injury (im seriously hoping for that to not happen). That worries me

[Zzeke]

Our Flyers are ready. This is a very, very, good team. Deep team. This team is a SC contender.

 

Here is an outsiders' view:

 

NBC analysts like the Flyers’ chances in rugged NHL East

 

If Flyers fans are feeling optimistic after a pretty successful turnaround a year ago, they are not alone. The national TV folks are positively bullish about what Chuck Fletcher and Alain Vigneault have cooking.

 

“What impressed me about Philly in February and March and fast-forward to August was their ability to play any style,” said NBC analyst AJ Mleczko. “Whatever [opponents] threw at them, they were able to adjust. Part of that is the way they’re made up, their depth. It has a lot to do with their grittiness. They’ve got a chip on their shoulders, and they’re proving people wrong.

 

“Once the top four teams make the playoffs, it’s anyone’s game at that point. The Eastern Division is going to be tough. But I think Philly is built [to make a run] this season.”

 

Coach AV:

 

General manager Chuck Fletcher said Vigneault’s hiring was a step in “returning the winning culture” to the Flyers. He did that last season. Now he wants to bring the franchise its first championship since 1975.

 

“We are not in this to win one series,” Vigneault said. “We are in this to win the Stanley Cup.”

 

I believe that we’re on the right track as far as moving forward to win a Stanley Cup. I do firmly believe we have the players. We have the pieces. We have the will. We have a lot of work left to do, but we are on the right track to get it done.”

 

[OccamsRazor]

 

I was wondering what would happen to the kids who were suppose to be in juniors.

 

So if they have to play in the AHL would this start their entry level contract???

 

Or would they slide due to special circumstances??

[OccamsRazor]

 

Happy birthday now go bring us a Stanley Cup!!!

[OccamsRazor]

3 hours ago, Zzeke said:

Our Flyers are ready.

 

Let's go Flyers!!!!!!!!

 

 

[mkscrewy]

not sure if this is allowed, but I made a little Etsy store for you Sanheim / Danzig fans out there. yes, my girlfriend made me wear the shirt for the pictures. printed in South Philly at Awesome Dudes Printing.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/941434167/flyers-travis-sanheim-samhain-t-shirt?ref=shop_home_active_1

 

 

[Zzeke]

Flyers Helmet Ad

 

Sam Carchidi this afternoon - 

 

Excerpt:

 

Flyers to advertise on helmets this season. Spoiler alert: It’s not Wawa.

 

Trying to gain a revenue stream during a pandemic-shortened season that may not have fans at any games, the Flyers are joining some other NHL teams and putting advertisements on their helmets.

 

No, it’s not Wawa, Tastykake, or any of those iconic cheesesteak places in South Philly.

 

Instead, the helmet partner will be Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), according to a league source. TCS is an international IT consulting firm, and it was attracted to the domestic and international element of the partnership, the source said.

 

They have offices in the United States, Canada, and many other countries, several of which are home to many Flyers, including Sweden and Austria.

 

The helmets, which will have TCS on them and no slogan, will debut Wednesday in the season opener against Pittsburgh at the Wells Fargo Center.

Edited January 13, 2021 by Zzeke

[LegionOfDoom]

5 hours ago, Zzeke said:

Flyers Helmet Ad

 

Sam Carchidi this afternoon - 

 

Excerpt:

 

Flyers to advertise on helmets this season. Spoiler alert: It’s not Wawa.

 

Trying to gain a revenue stream during a pandemic-shortened season that may not have fans at any games, the Flyers are joining some other NHL teams and putting advertisements on their helmets.

 

No, it’s not Wawa, Tastykake, or any of those iconic cheesesteak places in South Philly.

 

Instead, the helmet partner will be Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), according to a league source. TCS is an international IT consulting firm, and it was attracted to the domestic and international element of the partnership, the source said.

 

They have offices in the United States, Canada, and many other countries, several of which are home to many Flyers, including Sweden and Austria.

 

The helmets, which will have TCS on them and no slogan, will debut Wednesday in the season opener against Pittsburgh at the Wells Fargo Center.

 

TCS I believe have been involved in a lawsuit, due to corrupt practices.

I had a classmate that told me he and his father had to train contractors their job responsibility and certain SOP's for the remaining month they had their jobs. Failure to comply would result in their losing their final retainment privilege's and severance. They were in essence sharpening the knives of their executioner's.

 

The father I believe had worked for the company for over 40 years and the son was heading at over 17.

They lost their jobs at the end to inexperienced lower waged workers, so that the CEO could save 100's of thousands of dollars and in return would keep a percentage of the savings.

 

Typical moves of new CEO's going in shop and cleaning house.

The shady part is when they bring in H1 Visa'd temp employees from overseas to work in American employed companies to hire non citizen employees causing the US Citizen employee to loose their job and then become another casualty of the unemployed in the US having been gainfully employed and through no fault of their own loosing that status.

It got so bad that I believe the previous administration back in 2015 turned their attention to this problem. I believe the following administration put an end to this hiring loophole.

 

If not mistaken I believe the company is from India.

I also believe their is another global company that was involved in this practice.

 

 

Not a company I would endorse or speak highly of.

[LegionOfDoom]

This is what I'd like to see:

Forward line is probably already set.   

 

Giroux - Couturier - Voracek

         JVR - Hayes - Farabee

Lindblom- Patrick - Konecny

     Raffl - Laughton - NAK

 

Defensive pairing I want to see in the start of the year.

 

Provorov - Ghost#
Sanheim - Myers
Hagg -Gustafsson/ Braun

 

Hart
Elliott

 

 

Per Meltzer lines:

Jan 12, 2021
Lindblom-Couturier-TK
Giroux-Hayes-Farabee
JVR-Patrick-Voracek
Raffl-Laughton-NAK

 

13th: Frost

 

Not at practice: Gostisbehere
Bill Meltzer
@billmeltzer
Provorov-Braun#
Sanheim-Myers
Hägg-Gustafsson
Friedman - [Prosser took reps today]

 

 

Hart
Elliott

                                                                                                                                                                 *Forward Players I put in.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   #Defensemen swapped.

 

 

It looks like if Ghost had not been medically unable to play, they would of put Ghost on top line with Provy like I said should be tried out.

 

I am interested in seeing the current forward lines as it creates seasoned players with the newer youth/returning players with some security in line-mates that have been through some of the torrents of last year.

 

Let's Go Flyers  - mates