DON'T READ TOO MUCH INTO FOLIN SIGNING
There really is no more than meets the eye right now to the Flyers' signing of defenseman Christian Folin to a one-year contract. They wanted a seventh defenseman with some NHL experience, preferably a righthanded player. That's why Folin was signed. He's righthanded and rounds up the top seven for now.
In and of itself, Folin's signing does not portend a trade involving Radko Gudas, nor does it significantly affect whether Phil Myers makes the team out of camp.
Even before the Folin signing, Myers did not seem to have a strong chance of earning an opening-night roster spot with the Flyers. During the Flyers' recent development camp, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall hinted at Myers being a potential in-season recall more than an opening-night candidate and defensive development coach Kjell Samuelsson more directly opined that he didn't think Myers was quite ready to spend a full season in the NHL.
"If he had played a whole year, maybe he’d been close. He was hurt a lot. I think he needs more time in the minors," Samuelsson said.
"Phil was a big man in juniors. The physical part, he didn’t really have to dig in a lot to be physically dominant in juniors. He’s a big man there. When he started in the American League and come in there, there was a lot of players that surprised him because he wasn’t used to it. There was a lot of guys, maybe a forward coming up against him with maybe a 150 NHL games and a full blown pro, and he goes in a little weak. In that situation, he didn’t understand how he had to go in full. ‘I’m up against a guy that has the same strength as me.’
Myers missed most of the first half of last season due to a recurring groin issue. However, he enjoyed a relatively healthy second half of the season and then logging huge ice time in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Hextall noted that he saw some similarities between the performance of Myers in his rookie AHL season and that experienced by Travis Sanheim as a rookie at the AHL level in 2016-17 and then split between being an NHL rookie and AHL top-pairing player last season. The GM said that he feels Myers "isn't too far away" from being ready to challenge for an NHL spot but seemed to be leaning toward Myers as more of a mid-season option unless he dazzles in camp.
"Phil just got better and better as the year went on. You saw him at the start of the year and he was a good player. Then, as the year went along, you just see this rise. It’s what you want. You want your players to get better the entire year. To Phil’s credit, he did. The playoffs was as good as he played all year. Towards the end of the season, he was a horse for us. He was a very good player. I don’t want to say opened our eyes because we expected that from him, but he certainly put himself in a position this year for us to take a look at him at some point," Hextall said.
As for Gudas, while there is a chance he could get traded over the next year if Myers makes himself uncuttable and if Folin provides steady, meat-and-potatoes depth as a third-pairing option playing about 15 minutes per game, his top-six starting spot does appear to be in severe jeopardy ahead of camp. Gudas had a down season in 2017-18. However, his overall body of work with the Flyers has been decent. He's been a significantly better player than he showed last season. When healthy, he has generally been a better player than Folin over their respective NHL careers despite Gudas' propensity for getting suspended.
Over the long haul, as long as Myers is healthy and continues on the development path he's shown thus far, neither Radko Gudas nor Christian Folin are going to hold him back. The Flyers believe that Myers will eventually play at least a second-pairing role in the NHL but they also don't think that time will be early in the 2018-19 season.
Could things change in the preseason or during the season to where Folin becomes the Flyers' number six? Yes. Folin started 65 games for the LA Kings last season and a slight majority (51 games) for the Minnesota Wild the previous year. It is conceivable that Folin could wind up in the Flyers starting six for a majority of games during the season, whether due to injuries elsewhere or due to coach's decision by Dave Hakstol.
If Gudas does not have a bounce-back season and if Folin plays well, they could eventually switch places on the depth chart. I don't think Folin would start over a healthy Andrew MacDonald in Hakstol's lineup.
There could be some games in which Hakstol tries to balance out the left-right combos on the second and third pairs, and elects to start both Gudas and Folin on the same night. Some of Folin's starts might come at the expense of Robert Hägg. If he's been going through a cycle of struggling without the puck, Sanheim might also wind up sitting out a few games for Folin.
Mind you, it would be an understatement to say that ever scratching Sanheim in favor of Folin would be an unpopular lineup decision among most Flyers fans, whether they win or lose that given night. It's also not something I'd personally want to see happen, but it is possible and I suspect what Hakstol's most likely rationales would be even if I disagree with the decision.
I'm hoping that Sanheim consistently plays to a level on both sides of the puck that it would never enter the realm of coaching thought to sit him again. First and foremost, a breakout two-way year from Sanheim in 2018-19 would go a long way toward solidifying the Flyers' blueline beyond Ivan Provorov's top pairing. At the very least, Sanheim needs to seize the opportunity to take on a bigger role and to work through the bumps in the road.
Long-term, both Sanheim and Myers are key players for the Flyers. Folin is here to fill a foot soldier's depth role and perhaps to push Gudas if the Czech veteran does not bounce back to an appreciable degree. On a one-year, modest contract befitting of a number seven defenseman, Folin has plenty of motivation to show he deserves a bigger commitment (if not as a Flyer, then as a UFA again next season).
At the NHL level, Folin does better work without the puck than with it. He has never put up good puck-possession analytics and probably never will, so he's likely to be an oft-criticized player when he's in the lineup. He does need to get better with the puck, as does Hägg (who is a better shooter than Folin).
For a player who is not primarily relied on as a puck-mover, Folin's 34 charged giveaways last season in an average 15:39 of ice time was a bit high and extended a fair number of defensive shifts for his team. He makes a decent first pass under routine forechecking pressure and has some mobility but he's not a D-man who is going to turn things around when his team gets hemmed in deep. He'll have his share of failed clears and icings.
Folin is pretty good at staying on the right side of the puck. He also bring some physical presence (167 credited hits last regular season, 321 career hits in 183 games, and 15 hits in four playoff games last season) and blocks quite a few shots (106 blocks in the regular season in 2017-18, 237 career blocks while averaging 15:13 of ice time).
Critics will say that high numbers in these categories simply mean that his team doesn't have the puck enough. However, most NHL coaches still value having a role-playing defenseman or two who start out the majority of their shifts in the defensive zone and are there to supply some size, physicality and shot blocking. Ask those things of Folin, whether he's sixth or seventh on the depth chart, and he'll be OK.
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QUICK HITS: JULY 7, 2018
1) It will be interesting to see where Jordan Weal falls on the Flyers' depth chart heading into the preseason. Ron Hextall made sure to mention that Weal can play center (his primary pre-NHL position) as well as wing but it seems unlikely that Weal is regarded as a prime candidate for the available third-line center role. Weal can also play either wing.
Right now, Weal would seem to be competing for a bottom-six wing spot. Right wing is crowded, as Travis Konecny, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds all slot in above him on the depth chart. On the left wing, the arrival of James van Riemsdyk to supplement Claude Giroux solidifies the top two spots.
Is Weal likely to beat out Oskar Lindblom for left wing ice time in the top nine? Not if Lindblom builds on his rookie year. Is he ahead of Michael Raffl, who can also play either side, can kill penalties and is plugged in various spots around the lineup? Probably not. As of now, Jori Lehterä seems to be the Flyers' most likely fourth-line center option if Scott Laughton bumps up to the third line.
As such, is Weal battling Dale Weise and Taylor Leier to get into the lineup? Alternatively, is Weal a trade candidate? Those seem to be two most likely options. However, a strong camp from Weal or struggles/injuries elsewhere could move him back up in the mix.
2) As the NHL's free agency period reaches the one-week mark, veteran role-playing forward Mark Letestu remains unsigned. I suspect that he is among the veteran players on the market whom Hextall was referring to as "falling below the line" under which he felt that the team's in-house NHL options or potential call-ups are equal or possibly superior.
Letestu is one season removed from a career-best 16-goal, 35-point season and strong playoff run (13 points in 16 games) for Edmonton. In 2016-17, his $1.8 million salary was a bargain. However, he had a rough season for the Oilers this past season, both offensively and as a penalty killer. After a three-way trade with Nashville brought about a return to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the stretch drive and playoffs, Letestu's play did not pick up.
As a result, the 33-year-old is still on the open market. I don't think the Flyers will sign him and would, instead, rather give Scott Laughton a crack at moving up to the third-line center role. Nevertheless, the longer Letestu remains unsigned, the more likely he become a one-year bargain for a team looking for a versatile veteran role player.
3) Speaking of veteran role players, I believe that Matt Read deserves a spot with some NHL team next season although his time with the Flyers is now over. He still has something to offer as a penalty killer and as at least a fourth-line option. He's always in top physical condition and is a low-maintenance veteran. I thought that he did a good job last season when he returned to the NHL level with the Flyers down the stretch.
4) June 7 Flyers Alumni birthday: Andrei Kovalenko (1970).
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2018 Toyota Charity Classic
Online registration for the 2018 Toyota Flyers Charity Classic closes on July 10 at 10 p.m. EDT. For those who are interested in riding, running or walking along the participating 19 Flyers Alumni and then hanging out with the Alumni at the after-party (featuring live music from Chico's Vibe), below are the direct registration links to the Alumni-Related teams.
1) Flyers Alumni Team (Bernie Parent, Bob Clarke, Danny Briere, Bill Clement, Paul Holmgren, Ian Laperriere, Dave Schultz, Joe Watson, Bob Kelly, Terry Carkner, Doug Crossman, Riley Cote, Neil Little Ryan Parent and more):
click here.
2) Ides of Marsh (captained by Brad Marsh, team also includes famed former cycling pro Floyd Landis):
click here.
3) Bundy's Chariot of Flyers (captained by Chris Therien, team also includes Howard Eskin among others):
click here.
4) Team Guffaw (captained by Brian Propp):
click here.
Among the Alumni guys themselves, there is a bit of friendly competition to see which team can recruit the most fans to participate. Brad's team was the biggest team last year and also the biggest fundraiser, and he is once again in the lead. Regardless of which team you choose, proceeds go to the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.
If you cannot attend the event on July 15, you may prefer to simply donate what you can to the cause in the name of one of the participants. I am a member of Ides of Marsh, doing the family 5k run/walk. My donation page is
here.
Alternatively, you can donate in the name of
Brad Marsh,
the Flyers Alumni Team (all participating members of this team are pooled into a single donation account this year),
Chris Therien,
Brian Propp or any of the fundraising members of their respective teams.
Note: If you participate in the Charity Classic as a member of any team or as an individual, fundraising is strictly optional. However, in order to be listed as a team member on the team page, you have to set up a fundraising account even if you do not actively use it. For example, there are 100 team members on the Ides of Marsh and 40+ for the Flyers Alumni Team but only a few names show up on the team page.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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