QUICK HITS: APRIL 25, 2018
1) Exit interviews for Flyers players will begin at the Skate Zone in Voorhees at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and continue throughout the day into the early evening hours. The first players to report will be the goaltenders. The defensemen will go next. The forwards will go last, with the final five being Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek, Valtteri Filppula, Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux. Ron Hextall will address the media later in the week, as will Dave Hakstol.
2) On PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, my article on
What Went Right, What Went Wrong in 2017-18 is now online. As noted yesterday, most of items are macro-focus topics rather than breaking each component down into finer details. There will be opportunity to drill down deeper into those areas over the summer.
3) Congratulations go out to Wayne Simmonds for being named as a finalist for the Mark Messier Leadership Award. Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland, and Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler are the other two finalists. First presented in 2006-07, the Messier Award is presented "to a player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey."
Simmonds' list of community activities is one of the most extensive in the NHL. Most notably, it includes his Wayne's Warriors program (local military members from different units attend 20 games per season as private suite guests of Simmonds, and meet him after the game) and Wayne's Road Hockey Warriors (a kids' street hockey program in his native Scarborough, Ontario, in which Simmonds and other NHL players participate). Since 2014, Simmonds has served on the board of directors of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.
4) On Wednesday, Simmonds may or may not speak about the physical issues that hampered him during the 2017-18 season, or it may subsequently be addressed by Hextall. Simmonds had to take maintenance days even during the preseason but nevertheless came roaring out of the regular season gates with an opening night hat trick and nine points (six goals, three assists) in the first eight games of the season. Thereafter, his scoring pace slowed considerably.
It is believed, but not yet confirmed, that Simmonds played through a nagging groin issue at least for the early part of the season if not for longer. He also had to undergo four hours of dental surgery including multiple root canals and then, subsequently, extractions of dead teeth after catching an errant stick flush in the mouth as he sat on the bench between shifts during the Flyers vs Predators game of Oct. 19. On Feb. 18, Simmonds suffered an injury -- believed but not confirmed to be a hand injury in a fight with Anthony DeAngelo -- in a game against the New York Rangers. He missed seven games before returning on March 7.
There may have been other physical issues as well that came up during the season. Simmonds dislikes talking about injuries even generically, lest anyone think he's using it as an excuse. He'll note that everyone in hockey deals with injuries and add, "If I couldn't play, I wouldn't."
Without question, the very first question asked of Simmonds at his Exit Day media availability will be about his health this season. Although he still mustered 24 goals (including a team-high 11 power play goals) and 46 points, none among his offensive game, physical game, skating or board work were up to his normal standards on a regular basis. It certainly wasn't because he suddenly "got old" or lost his desire after eight games at age 29, or got amnesia and forgot how to finish plays around the net. The most plausible explanation is that nagging injuries recurred and/or new ones incurred to repeatedly set him back.
5) OHL Playoffs: Game 4 of the OHL Western Conference Final between the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Morgan Frost) and Kitchener Rangers (Connor Bunnaman) will be on Wednesday night in Kitchener. Game time is 7 p.m. EDT. The Greyhounds lead the series, two games to one. However, on Monday, the Rangers blanked the Greyhounds, 3-0. It marked the first time in either the regular season or playoffs that the Greyhounds have been shut out. In fact, the team never scored fewer than two goals in any regular season game this year but was twice held to one goal during its seven-game second round playoff series with the Owen Sound Attack.
6) OHL Playoffs: The Kingston Frontenacs stayed alive in their Eastern Conference Final series against the Hamilton Bulldogs (Matthew Strome) with a 5-2 home in Game 4 on Tuesday. Strome had an assist and four shots on goal in a losing cause. Hamilton still leads the series, three games to one, and can close it at home on Thursday in Game 5. The OHL website currently has a
feature article on Strome's playoff run and memories of watching older brothers Ryan and Dylan compete in the Ontario League Playoffs before they turned pro.
7) QMJHL Playoffs: The Acadie-Bathurst Titan grabbed a three games to zero lead in their President's Cup Semifinal series against the Victoriaville Tigres with a 2-1 road win on Tuesday. German Rubtsov (2 shots on goal, 2 PIM) did not figure in the scoring. Game 4 is Wednesday in Victoriaville. Game time is 7:00 p.m. EDT.
8) WHL Playoffs: The Everett Silvertips (Carter Hart) hold a two games to one lead over the Tri-City Americans in the WHL Western Conference Final. Game 4 will be hosted by Tri-City on Thursday. Game time will be 10:00 p.m. EDT.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»