THURSDAY QUICK HITS
* When the Flyers promoted Craig Berube from assistant coach to head coach early last season, one of the first changes he made was to stage frequent skating-intensive practices. Berube made no pretenses about the fact that he felt there too many Flyers players who were not properly conditioned; namely in the skating department. For the rest of the season, the coach frequently stressed conditioning and the need for players to stay in good skating shape.
Heading into the offseason, Berube threw down the gauntlet.
“We made it clear that everybody has to come into camp in shape,” the coach said. “It can’t be average, it can’t be just above average. It has to be exceptional. And they all know that. We need to get to another level defensively and that’s just everybody being accountable every moment they’re on the ice. A lot has to do with just pressure and skating and work."
“We have to change people. Because they’ve done it a certain way for a long while. You’ve got to change them, you’ve got to get on them more. But they’ve also got to want to make it happen.”
Ron Hextall stressed a similar theme at his introductory press conference as the Flyers' new general manager. Hextall noted that he felt if the team collectively elevated its conditioning level and skating, it would everyone a bit better.
The organization has followed that up over the summer. Players received formal letters about conditioning, laying out expectations for the fitness levels that will be expected on day one of training camp.
Although no one would ever say so on the record, the Flyers' decision to trade Scott Hartnell probably had something to do with the organization feeling that he was one of the players who was a little too set in his ways (both in terms of conditioning and in terms of the way he played on the ice not necessarily being conducive to the system Berube installed). He seemed unlikely to change and, thus, became someone the team opted to move out.
Most outside observers (including myself) immediately looked at the salary cap related aspects of trading Hartnell for R.J. Umberger -- in which there are some benefits, but nothing major enough to be the main impetus to do the deal. The more I thought about and read between the lines of what the organization has had to say, I think that cap considerations were actually secondary in this case.
Trading the immensely well-liked Hartnell after seven mostly productive seasons in Philadelphia sent an eye-opening message to the entire dressing room. If the Flyers were willing to trade their top-line left winger without a clear heir apparent for the role, the team is clearly very serious about holding players accountable to the approach it wants to take in terms of players' skating conditioning and adhering to Berube's on-ice system. Those who do not get on board with the regimens will not remain with the team.
Building off a related point, while Hartnell is arguably still a more impactful player than Umberger, there are two particular benefits to having Umberger instead of Hartnell on the roster. Berube and Hextall immediately noted his superior skating (which wasn't necessarily the case this past season while Umberger fought through a series of injuries that almost certainly reduced his effectiveness and contributed to him being a semi-healthy scratch a few times).
A bigger issue that I think is getting underrated: Umberger has been a good "systems" player for much of his career, and also has the versatility to play any forward position as needed. Hartnell is the more physical of the two (by far) and has been a somewhat better goal-scorer because of his hot streaks. However, Hartnell is also exclusively a left winger and is the far less disciplined player of the two. Apart from serially taking bad penalties and losing his balance and tumbling to the ice for no apparent reason, Hartnell also made a lot of questionable plays with and without the puck.
Hartnell had superior advanced stats to Umberger by a pretty wide margin. Although Hartnell is arguably a better forechecker than Umberger, the disparity of numbers was largely because Hartnell was usually on the ice with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek (and often with Kimmo Timonen's defense pair with Braydon Coburn completing the five skaters on the ice). As a collective unit, those guys are more likely to have possession of the puck for the majority of their shifts.
* Over on NJ.com, there is a
good article on defenseman Fredric Larsson. Chosen by the Flyers in the fourth round of the 2012 Draft, the player has had trouble putting weight on his frame due to food allergies that significantly limit what he can eat. He has also had a pair of knee injuries and a couple of concussions. Nevertheless, he has gamely kept plugging along. He plays with a lot of heart and determination.
"Fredde" is a real likable, approachable and enthusiastic guy. Talk to him about the Rocky movies and he lights up. Talk about the way games are officiated in Europe to discourage physical play (which was why he was such a heavily penalized player) and he had some interesting things to say about situations where heavy body checks that would be considered totally clean hits in North America turn into penalties because one guy crashed to the ice.
Because of his injury issues and the restrictive import player rules, Larsson has had a tough time finding a team to play on next season. He is not physically ready for pro hockey at even the ECHL level and would be an overager if he remained in the USHL. The ideal route would be for him to find a U.S. collegiate program, but it's now July.
Larsson has had a lot of rotten luck the last few years that have hampered his development as a prospect. He never really had the chance to become an entry-level contract candidate within the signing window the Flyers had to make a decision on him. Here's hoping he catches a break, regardless of whether a future with the Flyers will ever be in the cards.
* The Flyers annual Development Camp gets underway today at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. It runs through next Tuesday.
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