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Meltzer's Musings: McLellan, Sleeper Candidates, Prospects, Alumni

April 21, 2015, 11:57 AM ET [447 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
IS MCLELLAN THE RIGHT FIT FOR THE FLYERS?

Even before Todd McLellan parted ways with the San Jose Sharks, there was speculation that he could be one of the front-runners in the Flyers' search for a new head coach. Now that McLellan is officially out in San Jose, he could be one of the front-runners after he coaches Team Canada at the 2015 IIIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic.

Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock -- if he decides not to stay put in Detroit -- will be the most highly sought (and most expensive) name on the market. However, it has been said that the Pittsburgh Penguins and/or the Toronto Maple Leafs would be in better position to lure Babcock. If that is the case, McLellan's name may move near the top of the list.

McLellan, who previously served as an assistant coach under Babcock and spent time coaching at various levels before his long tenure with the Sharks, gets high marks for adapting a system that most of his players enjoy. The identity he tries to create is that of a puck possession team in which skill players have the freedom to make plays with the puck. He is also considered a good tactical coach, and his teams keep opponents on their toes. McLellan's Sharks teams were known for being aggressive in firing pucks on net from all angles.

Not everyone is agreed that McLellan is a good fit for Philadelphia. This is partially because he had very talented teams in San Jose that habitually fell short in the playoffs and partially because some hockey people feel his more offensive-minded system and/or personality are not ideally suited to the current team.

McLellan is not one to raise his voice or jump all over players for isolated mistakes. However, one of his former players described him as a "good communicator." In San Jose, he gave Joe Thornton --- who recently called for a coaching change -- a lot of leeway and would probably do the same for Claude Giroux.

Consequently, some of McLellan's critics feel that he doesn't always push his tone-setting players hard enough, even using the dreaded word "soft" in description. Others have raised concerns that the current Flyers do not sufficient skill beyond the top line to play an attacking system, and the team needs a highly structured defense-first system (along the same lines as the one former head coach Craig Berube implemented) in order to minimize the issues with the current lack of high-end talent on the blueline.

In the short term, the already heavy burden on Steve Mason might grow even further in lieu of playing behind a defense-first system. This past season, the Flyers shaved 20 goals off their 5-on-5 goals against stats from 2013-14. Mason deserves a healthy dose of the credit but there was also system-based improvement in that aspect of the game as 2014-15 progressed.

In the long term, however, the Flyers are in the process of reshaping the blueline to gradually introduce mobile young defensemen with good first-pass skills and two-way upside. Eventually, if all goes according to plan, the Flyers could become exactly the type of dynamic puck-possession team that could excel in a system based on reading and reacting to plays at a high tempo.

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FOUR SLEEPER CANDIDATES FOR THE NEXT FLYERS HEAD COACH

In Friday's blog, we looked at a potential pool of interview candidates for the Flyers' head coaching vacancy, based on the assumption that these candidates were available: Babcock, McLellan, Dave Tippett, Claude Julien, Pete DeBoer, Guy Boucher, Dan Bylsma, Kevin Dineen, Luke Richardson, John Stevens, Paul MacLean and Jeff Blashill. Here are three sleeper candidates who are worth keeping an eye on as the Flyers undergo the process of creating a "long list" of candidates and then narrowing it down.

Davis Payne: Currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings, the 44-year-old former St. Louis Blues head coach is considered by some to be an impact NHL head coach in the making. He has paid his dues at many different levels of the game, and has 15 years of head coaching and assistant coaching experience. Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is said to be among Payne's supporters, and Flyers GM Ron Hextall is already familiar with him.

Benoit Groulx: The 47-year-old is best known for his long stint coaching Gatineau in the QMJHL -- where Claude Giroux was one of his players -- as well as the Canadian national U20 team. His pro-level coaching experience is minimal but he spent two seasons as the head coach of the AHL's Rochester Americans before returning to Gatineau.

Mike Stothers: The AHL's 2014-15 Coach of the Year winner for his work with the Manchester Monarchs, "Stuts" is already familiar to Hextall and the Flyers. The 53-year-old former defenseman spent many years in the organization as a player and assistant coach (often as the right-hand man to Bill Barber) but has now been out of the organization for 13 years. This has given Stothers the opportunity to collect head coaching experience at both the junior (OHL. WHL) and AHL levels.

Travis Green: The 44-year-old former head coach of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks and longtime NHL forward has been the head coach of the AHL's Utica Comets -- where former Flyers goaltender Robert Esche is the team president -- for the last two seasons. He is an intense and feisty sort of coach who has gotten good results with Utica this season. There are some who feel he's still a little too green (no pun intended) to make a serious push for an NHL head coaching job but he's climbing the ranks.

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FLYERS JUNIOR PROSPECT PLAYOFF UPDATES

* QMJHL: The Val'd-Or Foreurs have stormed back from a three games to zero series deficit (and a 3-0 scoreboard deficit in Game Four) to force a seventh and deciding game of their second-round series with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. On Monday night, Val-d'Or earned a 4-2 win in Game 6. Flyers 2014 second-round pick Nicolas Aube-Kubel did not record a point, and was minus-one with two shots and one credited hit. For the postseason to date, Aube-Kubel has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 12 games and is minus-three at even strength with 18 penalty minutes and 48 shots on goal.

* QMJHL: Flyers 2013 first-round pick Samuel Morin and the Rimouski Oceanic await their opponent in the QMJHL Semifinals. They will play Halifax if the Mooseheads win Game Seven on Monday against Moncton. Otherwise, the Oceanic will ply the winner of the deciding game of the Val-d'Or against Baie-Comeau series. In eight playoff games to date, Morin has four points (one goal, three assists) and is plus-nine with 18 penalty minutes.

* WHL: The Calgary Hitmen open their WHL Semifinal series against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday night. Flyers 2014 first-round pick Travis Sanheim has posted 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) through 12 playoff games for the Hitmen, with a plus-four rating and four penalty minutes. His teammate, Flyers 2014 sixth-round pick Radel Fazleev, has posted 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 12 games with a minus-four rating and four penalty minutes.

* WHL: The Kelowna Rockets open their WHL Semifinal series against the Portland Winterhawks on Friday night. Flyers 2013 third-round pick Tyrell Goulbourne has posted one assist, seven penalty minutes and an even plus-minus rating in seven games for the Rockets.

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FLYERS ALUMNI UPDATES FROM FlyersAlumni.org

* The Flyers Alumni will host a fantasy hockey camp from August 21-24 in Atlantic City, open to anyone age 21 and older. Instructors and Alumni participants will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Ian Laperriere, Todd Fedoruk, Andre "Moose" Dupont, Dave "the Hammer" Schultz, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.

The registration deadline is June 1. Participation costs $3,000 apiece but it is free to register a spot online. Over on the Flyers' Alumni website, there is more information on camp-related activities and on-ice schedules.

* The Flyers Alumni will hold a benefit game at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on April 25 at 1:00 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Willis Foundation, with funds being distributed in the Delaware Valley. There will be a limited number of tickets available to the public plus a small-group meet-and-greet event with the Alumni.
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