Irrelevant IMO when you're talking about his contract. 30 points during a season both in which Read was clearly hurt and the team wasn't very good is still a notable accomplishment. However, Read can't justify his salary with 30 point seasons and being a good 2 way player.

He needs to score 20+ goals and eclipse 40 points to justify what we pay him.
- mochoson

Interesting. The overall comments about Raffl today, and over the past few months, have been exceedingly positive. Some earlier said he could potentially earn a 4+ million dollar contract with another year of his current production. And yet you are questioning whether Matt Read's production justifies his contract @ 3.65m per, despite multiple years of strong play at both ends of the ice. Last year was clearly a down year, but hopefully an aberration.

The reality is that Raffl is what Bill said in the main article...a very good role player. He is playing 1st line LW mainly because the team is entirely devoid of other options. Jake, Simmonds and Schenn are not comfortable on that side of the ice. Gagner doesn't appear to be either.

Considering his salary and acquisition cost, he was a tremendous pickup. But I'm not sure that he is really a 1st line winger on this team. He's simply the best available option.

I would disagree that Schenn really doesn't do much on the #1 PP unit. His work along the boards, on puck retrievals, both on dump ins and 50/50 pucks off of face offs was a big help to the #1 unit. He's very strong in that area, and it won't result in points for him statistically, but it most certainly does for the main point producers on the #1 unit. He's not real strong in shooting from the high slot, but that doesn't change that he contributed in a lot of unsung ways on the PP.
- MJL

Imo, Raffl is better in all of those areas

High ankle sprains are a very frustrating injury, indeed. They often take a cool 4-6 months to completely heal. It's the type of injury that nags at you if you try to play through it. It definitely explains why Read was so "off" most of the year.

When you try to play through an injury like a high ankle sprain though, unfortunately, you're really only prolonging your recovery time. The more time you spend playing on it, the longer it'll take to heal. The hockey player in me commends Read for playing through that and whatever other injuries he may had.

The Exercise Science degree on my wall says the opposite. If the decision were up to me, I would have liked Read to be shut down so as to prevent any further injury.
- mochoson

No doubt, they should have shut him down for a month at least. But I guess they felt that since he couldn't do any more damage they felt he could play through it. I disagree with that assessment because many times you end up injuring other parts of your body trying to compensate.

I commend him for gutting through it, but we also cant understate what a healthy Matt Read could have done for this team last year. Not only from his own production, but also from the production of Couturier, and the penalty kill.

Matt Read is an important player on this team, way more important than people want to admit.

There's a lot to like about Raffl's game.

Great speed, decent size and easily one of thee best forecheckers in the orange + black in my opinion. He forces a lot of turnovers with his speed and tenacity. Good to see him convert a much better clip last season.

Irrelevant IMO when you're talking about his contract. 30 points during a season both in which Read was clearly hurt and the team wasn't very good is still a notable accomplishment. However, Read can't justify his salary with 30 point seasons and being a good 2 way player.

He needs to score 20+ goals and eclipse 40 points to justify what we pay him.
- mochoson

Market value for a 20 goal, 40+ point UFA who's also good defensively is about $4.5m. Significantly more than the $3.625m cap hit of Matt Read.

http://www.generalfanager.com/players/2006
http://www.generalfanager.com/players/258
http://www.generalfanager.com/players/611

While I agree that points carry more weight when it comes to negotiating a contract, Read's all around game is not irrelevant when talking about his contract, and his worth to the Flyers. Read is one of the most important forwards on the team.
- MJL

When I say irrelevant, there is likely a better word I should be using. I'm merely saying Read scoring 25-30 points a year and killing penalties isn't enough to justify his near $4 million in salary.

I can rattle off a litany of players right now on other teams and possibly even a few free agents remaining on the market that can do what Read did last season for a fraction of the cost. That's all I'm saying. To justify his salary, Read needs to produce more like a top 6 forward offensively. I have no doubts he'll have better numbers this season.

When I say irrelevant, there is likely a better word I should be using. I'm merely saying Read scoring 25-30 points a year and killing penalties isn't enough to justify his near $4 million in salary.

I can rattle off a litany of players right now on other teams and possibly even a few free agents remaining on the market that can do what Read did last season for a fraction of the cost. That's all I'm saying. To justify his salary, Read needs to produce more like a top 6 forward offensively. I have no doubts he'll have better numbers this season.
- mochoson

list them

When I say irrelevant, there is likely a better word I should be using. I'm merely saying Read scoring 25-30 points a year and killing penalties isn't enough to justify his near $4 million in salary.

I can rattle off a litany of players right now on other teams and possibly even a few free agents remaining on the market that can do what Read did last season for a fraction of the cost. That's all I'm saying. To justify his salary, Read needs to produce more like a top 6 forward offensively. I have no doubts he'll have better numbers this season.
- mochoson

I think read will bounce back. I think hakstol will love guys like read and raffl that make quick reads, skate north south, and jump on loose pucks. Gagner and schenn im not so sure about.

Thanks Bill. Great write up as usual. Could you discuss the 2016 picks that the Flyers currently possess? I know that might be looking a little bit into the future, but it would make for an interesting discussion. In addition, what are the immediate needs of the team, and what should we be looking for?
Appreciate it.

Market value for a 20 goal, 40+ point UFA who's also good defensively is about $4.5m. Significantly more than the $3.625m cap hit of Matt Read.

http://www.generalfanager.com/players/2006
http://www.generalfanager.com/players/258
http://www.generalfanager.com/players/611
- Feanor

1. I don't call 875k "significant"
2. I would take all 3 of these players individually over Read 24/7/365
3. Matt Read scored 30 points last year. Even if you consider 875k significant, I can rattle off 15 guys that could do what Read did last year for a fraction of the cap hit.

I actually think Read bounces back in a big way this year and eclipses 50 points, making him an absolute bargain on his current deal.

When I say irrelevant, there is likely a better word I should be using. I'm merely saying Read scoring 25-30 points a year and killing penalties isn't enough to justify his near $4 million in salary.

I can rattle off a litany of players right now on other teams and possibly even a few free agents remaining on the market that can do what Read did last season for a fraction of the cost. That's all I'm saying. To justify his salary, Read needs to produce more like a top 6 forward offensively. I have no doubts he'll have better numbers this season.
- mochoson

Read has never scored under 30 points. He's only scored under 40 once

I think read will bounce back. I think hakstol will love guys like read and raffl that make quick reads, skate north south, and jump on loose pucks. Gagner and schenn im not so sure about.
- Just5

Yeah I think Read bounces back this season.

1. I don't call 875k "significant"
2. I would take all 3 of these players individually over Read 24/7/365
3. Matt Read scored 30 points last year. Even if you consider 875k significant, I can rattle off 15 guys that could do what Read did last year for a fraction of the cap hit.

I actually think Read bounces back in a big way this year and eclipses 50 points, making him an absolute bargain on his current deal.
- mochoson

Why? What do they do/bring that Read doesnt?

Read has never scored under 30 points. He's only scored under 40 once
- PhillySportsGuy

Raffl-g-Jake
Read-couturier-Simmonds
Umberger-schenn-gagner
vdv-bellemare-white

Wtf no nhl 16 on PS3??

list them
- Streit2ThePoint

Filter teams by PK unit, start at the top. Read averaged 2:00 SH/TOI and over 17:00 TOI per game.

Vancouver alone had 3 guys that outscored him with the same amount of SH/TOI, less total TOI, and less salary. Brad Richardson had 21 points in 45 games and easily would have outscored Read as well in a full season.

Daniel Winnik, Kyle Brodziak...there's literally a ton of comparables. But, again, I fully expect Read to bounce out of this 30 point/PK'er realm and back up into the top-6 discussion.

Imo, Raffl is better in all of those areas
- PhillySportsGuy

Raffl hasn't got enough time on the PP, in that spot, to have a large enough sample size to know that, imo.

When I say irrelevant, there is likely a better word I should be using. I'm merely saying Read scoring 25-30 points a year and killing penalties isn't enough to justify his near $4 million in salary.

I can rattle off a litany of players right now on other teams and possibly even a few free agents remaining on the market that can do what Read did last season for a fraction of the cost. That's all I'm saying. To justify his salary, Read needs to produce more like a top 6 forward offensively. I have no doubts he'll have better numbers this season.
- mochoson

Are those players going to be playing with a high ankle sprain also? Let's look at Read's production when he's healthy. Good luck finding a litany of players who can produce like Read has when he's been healthy, playing in the same situations and matchups that Read does.

Read has never scored under 30 points. He's only scored under 40 once
- PhillySportsGuy

Which means what exactly in 3 full NHL seasons? Chris Higgins has played 10 and only scored less than 30 points once in 09-10 when he was injured and traded. He makes 2.5 million a season currently with Vancouver.

I'd like to re-iterate the only general arguement I'm making here is Matt Read needs to be scoring 40-45/50 points to justify the money we pay him. That, and I think he'll do that no problem this year.

However, if he has a season closer resembling 14-15, we can very easily find a replacement player to do the same things for a fraction of the cost. We probably even have a capable player in the organization. For example, Taylor Leir.

Filter teams by PK unit, start at the top. Read averaged 2:00 SH/TOI and over 17:00 TOI per game.

Vancouver alone had 3 guys that outscored him with the same amount of SH/TOI, less total TOI, and less salary. Brad Richardson had 21 points in 45 games and easily would have outscored Read as well in a full season.

Daniel Winnik, Kyle Brodziak...there's literally a ton of comparables. But, again, I fully expect Read to bounce out of this 30 point/PK'er realm and back up into the top-6 discussion.
- mochoson

Let's look at Read's ES point totals in past seasons, when he was healthy, and see who he is comparable to.

Corey Pronman ranks the Flyers 10th on his team prospect rankings. Some teams ahead of them like Buffalo and Edmonton are top heavy. Flyers strength is their depth. Could be top 5 starting next season depending on who graduates this year. Pronman has also never been a huge fan of Morin.

Here's what he said about the team:

The Flyers system has had a massive turnaround over the past 24 months, due to great drafting and progression from significant prospects. Their group of young defensemen is elite by any measure, but I also think at forward and in net they are above-average in terms of prospects, primarily due to their past two draft classes. After years of being in the bottom tier of these rankings (I remember Grade B college free agents becoming top-five prospects in their system), the Flyers are building a proper foundation.

Which means what exactly in 3 full NHL seasons? Chris Higgins has played 10 and only scored less than 30 points once in 09-10 when he was injured and traded. He makes 2.5 million a season currently with Vancouver.

I'd like to re-iterate the only general arguement I'm making here is Matt Read needs to be scoring 40-45/50 points to justify the money we pay him. That, and I think he'll do that no problem this year.

However, if he has a season closer resembling 14-15, we can very easily find a replacement player to do the same things for a fraction of the cost. We probably even have a capable player in the organization. For example, Taylor Leir.
- mochoson

Your argument is fine. Read is a proven 40 pt player. Getting 30 pts in a year where he was playing hurt only solidifies that

1. I don't call 875k "significant"
2. I would take all 3 of these players individually over Read 24/7/365
3. Matt Read scored 30 points last year. Even if you consider 875k significant, I can rattle off 15 guys that could do what Read did last year for a fraction of the cap hit.

I actually think Read bounces back in a big way this year and eclipses 50 points, making him an absolute bargain on his current deal.
- mochoson

Read is a better player than all 3 of those players. Hands down.

Wtf no nhl 16 on PS3??
- Just5

They are making a NHL legacy edition for PS3 and Xbox 360, but moving the yearly games to the new consoles

Which means what exactly in 3 full NHL seasons? Chris Higgins has played 10 and only scored less than 30 points once in 09-10 when he was injured and traded. He makes 2.5 million a season currently with Vancouver.

I'd like to re-iterate the only general arguement I'm making here is Matt Read needs to be scoring 40-45/50 points to justify the money we pay him. That, and I think he'll do that no problem this year.

However, if he has a season closer resembling 14-15, we can very easily find a replacement player to do the same things for a fraction of the cost. We probably even have a capable player in the organization. For example, Taylor Leir.
- mochoson

If what you say about Leir is true, he'll be on the Flyers roster opening night.