Bill Meltzer Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSS
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QUICK HITS: MAY 22, 2017
1) Win or lose, a shootout is a terrible way to decide medal games at international tournaments. At least in the medal games, teams should play sudden death until there is a genuine winner. Unfortunately, a skills competition was how the gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championships was awarded after 80 minutes of a hard-fought 1-1 hockey game between Canada and Swedes. Tre Kronor won the shootout (2-0) and, as such, got the gold medal.
Five Flyers players settled for silver medals as Canada was denied a three-peat: a crestfallen team captain Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Travis Konecny, Brayden Schenn (who received very sparing ice time throughout the medal round) and Sean Couturier (who was extensively used by head coach Jon Cooper in a shutdown role). General manager Ron Hextall also glumly accepted a silver medal during the postgame ceremony, as did Team Canada assistant coach Dave Hakstol.
In the bronze medal game, Russia built a 4-0 lead over Finland before the Finns, as they often do, gamely battled back and got the game to 4-3 with about 14:30 left in the third period. However, the Russians' superior firepower soon provided an insurance goal to secure a 5-3 win. Team Finland alternate captain Valtteri Filppula set up a Mikko Rantanen goal in the final half minute of the second period to start the comeback bid. Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov, playing his first men's level major international tournament, skated 18:15 of ice time and collected a bronze medal.
2) In watching most every game of both the Stanley Cup playoffs and IIHF World Championships, there have been reminders galore that no goaltender in the world is infallible, and they all periodically let in goals they had opportunities to save: the types of goals that Flyers fans who never watch hockey apart from their own team seem to believe only ever happen to Philadelphia goalies and happen serially rather than sporadically.
Every team remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs has had a few "whoops" goals go against them and been on the receiving end of an ugly loss or two along the way. For instance, Nashville's Pekka Rinne -- a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist -- let in a pair of short side goals on shots from the top of the circle in the Preds' game 4 overtime loss to Anaheim.
Likewise, in the World Championship gold medal game, Calvin Pickard was chosen as Canada's player of the game for making 41 saves in regulation and OT. However, the lone Sweden goal was scored on an undeflected shorthanded goal by Victor Hedman that was just a little backhanded shovel from inside the point that bounced like a ping pong ball, was mistimed by Pickard and then hippitty hopped through the five hole.
It's hockey. These things happen sometimes.
3) Now that the World Championships are finished, Hextall can get back to overseeing the Flyers' offseason plans for contracts, the NHL Expansion Draft and the scouting meetings before the NHL Draft. Things have been quiet on the surface since the end of the Flyers' season, but it is likely the wheels will be in more rapid motion very soon.
Speaking of wheels, the negotiations with impending unrestricted free agent Jordan Weal are likely to pick up steam now that the World Championships -- which also included a pro scouting component as per usual along with Hextall's added duties this year of assembling and overseeing the entire Canadian team -- are complete.
Likewise, it is also likely that the Flyers will get left wing prospect Oskar Lindblom signed to an entry-level contract in the near future. Thomas Berglund, the player's SHL coach with Brynäs IF Gävle, already publicly stated that Lindblom informed the team he is coming to North America next season. Lindblom has taken part in the Flyers' development camps in July 2015 and July 2016, and the team's 2015 fifth-round pick has always made it clear that he'd sign with the Flyers when he felt sufficiently prepared to make a run at the NHL.
4) Typically, when the Flyers intended to sign one of their draftees from the CHL -- where there is a two-year window to sign an 18-year-old draftee before losing his rights -- they do so long before the final weeks tick down to the June 15 expiration date. However, there is still a chance that the Flyers ink as-yet-unsigned 2015 fourth-round pick Samuel-Dove McFalls to an entry-level contract.
Dove-McFalls, a shutdown center for the QMJHL champion Saint John Sea Dogs, is currently playing in the Memorial Cup. The team lost its opening game, 3-2, to the tournament host Windsor Spitfires on Friday. The Sea Dogs play the Ontario Hockey League champion Erie Otters on Monday and the Western Hockey League champion Seattle Thunderbirds (coming off a 7-1 humiliation by Windsor).
If he eventually plays in the NHL after working his way up from the American Hockey League, Dove-McFalls projects as a two-way, bottom six forward (most likely a 10th to 12th forward). As such, he is not a make-or-break type of potential signing but could add some additional depth to the prospect pool. It is always beneficial to an NHL's salary cap, regardless of the position or role in question, when players can be groomed from within rather than having to look to fill the roles through trades or free agency.
Why was Dove-McFalls not signed sooner? Quite simply, last season was kind of a lost year for him due to a serious knee injury that cost him much of the 2015-16 season. The Flyers had to see how he recuperated and if he could bounce back strong this season. He has, so he's still a candidate to be signed once the Memorial Cup is over.
2/ "I feel pretty confident that someone else will take him. Good depth potential..the kid will do whatever he has to do I know that."
Dove-McFalls plays a hard-working type of game, and competes hard for the puck and space on the ice, home or away and regardless of the score. While he's not devoid of offensive skills, that won't be his role at the pro level regardless of where he winds up. He won't be a fast-track NHLer regardless of whether he is signed by the Flyers or lands with another organization but is a player with a chance to work his way up to finding a niche.
5) Flyers Hall of Fame left winger Brian Propp recently accepted an invitation from the Canadian embassy to be a "hockey diplomat" as a part of a cooperative project with Kazakhstan to promote Canada and to further build the game of hockey in Kazakhstan.
The main events took place over the weekend in the capital city of Astana. Propp was one of the guests of honor at a gathering on Saturday, highlighting the 45th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series. Ken Dryden and Phil Esposito were the keynote speakers.
Flyers HOFer Brian Propp was in Kazahkstan at invite of Canadian embassy to be "hockey diplomat" as part of special project & ceremony. pic.twitter.com/3PCMcnQjs9
On Sunday, at the home arena of KHL team Barys Astana, there was a ceremony for the grand opening of a Hockey Hall of Fame exhibition highlighting a brand new hockey museum at the facility. A crowd of about 8,000 fans came out for a “Canada & friends” vs “Kazakhstan & friend” match of celebrities and amateurs playing for a Canada 150 “Heritage Cup”, and post-game awards reception for 350 invitees. Propp also participated in an on-ice kids hockey clinic and a short practice session before the evening game.
The overriding purpose of the event was to raise money to launch a “learn-to-play” program for 150 underprivileged boys and girls in Kazakhstan.
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