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Or Felix Sandström
- bmeltzer

I'll go with Sandstrom in 2021

Here are some general thoughts:

I'm guessing that new PP coach Kris Knoblauch may change the configuration, which would likely have diminished Schenn's value overall given his 5 on 5 play.

In the short term, I'm not crazy about the trade in that I thought by adding Lindblom and Patrick, along with Schenn, the team could have rolled 3 or 4 lines that all had some level of offensive game. I think that they'll be better but no where near where they need to be to truly compete yet.

I don't like the Frost pick. Maybe I'm in the minority, and it seems like there is something with Tolvanen, but I think he'll be the steal of the draft for Nashville. I spoke to a respected Finnish hockey writer at the World Juniors who raved about him. But Frost to me is a reach - targeting a specific player that you "have to have" and maybe over-extending.

That having been said - Hextall gets the benefit of the doubt because he has certainly done well "reaching", most notably with Sanheim.

I really like the strategy on Day 2 overall. Swing for the fences.
- TheGreat28

Frost isn't a reach. He was just a player for whom there wasn't much pundit consensus. Those who liked him really liked him, others were lukewarm. Hextall, however, said the Flyers scouts were unanimously on board with him in that range.

Or Felix Sandström
- bmeltzer

A few questions on Sandstrom.....When do you expect him to come over? He hasn't actually signed yet correct? How long do they hold his rights if so? Any concerns he may not want to come over if Lyon and Hart are both in the mix for legitimate playing time.

A few questions on Sandstrom.....When do you expect him to come over? He hasn't actually signed yet correct? How long do they hold his rights if so? Any concerns he may not want to come over if Lyon and Hart are both in the mix for legitimate playing time.
- FlyerAdam30

Flyers hols his rights two more seasons. I expect he will sign here after next season

Flyers hols his rights two more seasons. I expect he will sign here after next season
- bmeltzer

Cool, thanks

Frost isn't a reach. He was just a player for whom there wasn't much pundit consensus. Those who liked him really liked him, others were lukewarm. Hextall, however, said the Flyers scouts were unanimously on board with him in that range.
- bmeltzer

Thanks Bill. I still don't like the pick though.

I'm curious - what are your thoughts on Tolvanen? first as a player, and 2nd, on why he slipped.

Ratcliffe is probably the most intriguing pick to me. I'm not sure that I see the Rick Nash comparison some scouts have labeled him with. I do see a lot of Simmonds in his game however. And he can snipe a bit on top of that too. He could be a real force if things go according to plan.
- hereticpride

I would agree with that since skating is the issue. When Nash is playing well, granted that's not close to all the time, and skating well he actually reminds me a bit of Lindros.

The Flyers definitely need a player like Ratcliffe. Size and a willingness to shoot the puck. Hopefully, he develops.

Thanks for the recap, Billy. Preciate it

I would agree with that since skating is the issue. When Nash is playing well, granted that's not close to all the time, and skating well he actually reminds me a bit of Lindros.

The Flyers definitely need a player like Ratcliffe. Size and a willingness to shoot the puck. Hopefully, he develops.
- fls13

Don't know where you are getting your info, but one of things that scouts love about Ratcliffe is how well he skates for a big man, it's exceptional. He needs to fill out, which will take some time and his puckhandling skills could use some work, but it's a great pick at 35. It's rare to see a guy his size that skates this well

Don't know where you are getting your info, but one of things that scouts love about Ratcliffe is how well he skates for a big man, it's exceptional. He needs to fill out, which will take some time and his puckhandling skills could use some work, but it's a great pick at 35. It's rare to see a guy his size that skates this well
- BiggE

I am hoping to see Strome be the "Lindblom" of this draft. When watching his interview he really seemed like a "kid". And maybe growing up a bit will cause him to get his skating and conditioning in order, and maybe the Flyers find another late round gem.

Don't know where you are getting your info, but one of things that scouts love about Ratcliffe is how well he skates for a big man, it's exceptional. He needs to fill out, which will take some time and his puckhandling skills could use some work, but it's a great pick at 35. It's rare to see a guy his size that skates this well
- BiggE

Once he gets moving. That's the issue by most accounts i've seen.

I am hoping to see Strome be the "Lindblom" of this draft. When watching his interview he really seemed like a "kid". And maybe growing up a bit will cause him to get his skating and conditioning in order, and maybe the Flyers find another late round gem.
- MBFlyerfan

Yeah I think the kid is very much a project pick. He's got a lot of work ahead of him imo.

I keep laughing when I think about that Pens trade. The guy banging Subban's head into the ice needs to be protected? Ok.

As no professional with very limited viewing (youtube videos, haha). I still think they should have taken Entwistle and after he was available late: Popugaev. I think Entwistle's season was hindered by his Mono bout. He really stood out in the top prospects game and the u18. I suggest you guys watch the 2017 top prospects game. The full game is available on Youtube. Patrick (19 red), Frost (61 White), Ratcliffe (91 Red), and Strome (18 White) all played in it. Hopefully the game was not a sign of what to expect.
Patrick had two turnovers that directly turned into Hishier goals (Hishier was on the other team), he fumbled the puck a few times and killed his own rush one time. Patrick did have a calmness about him like a top level player would have and he played tuff on Hishier. Oh and he did have two assists. Not bad for what I thought was a bad game overall for a top pick.
Frost - I was high on him after watching his 16-17 highlight video. This game does the opposite. You could see his smarts. He managed to do little things to get the puck moving in the right direction even when it looked like he was in trouble. With that said, he looked small, not the best skater, didn't appear to be much of a threat (compared to other players who were drafted much later), he didn't show the speed that won him the fastest skater in the skills comp. and he appeared to stand around at times in the D zone even on dangerous scoring plays (that was the most concerning to me, I don't think everyone has to be a great two way player but at least participate). While petty on my part, I also didn't like his reaction and interview after being drafted. I hope I'm completely wrong.
To be continued.

Hindsight is always 20/20 but I don't see any valid criticism of the moves they made this weekend. Excellent work by hextall and thr front office! 👍🏻

Tanner showing us some love

Continued from prior post:

Ratcliffe - He played a decent game and had a goal. Overall he appeared to skate well for a big guy. He could have done better getting back on D a couple times but it's tuff to keep up with Hishier and Yamamoto. While he skated well, both Rasmussen and Popugaev each appeared to be even better skaters as big men. Based on this game alone Popugaev (also a big sniping winger) seemed like a better option. (I know he has other issues but I still wouldn't be surprised to see the player the Devils drafted late to be the better NHL player).

Strome - I thought he played pretty well. He was smart in regards to his skating. You could tell he gave himself some more space (didn't chase the puck as much because he knew his skating limitations) to prevent getting beat due to his skating. He seemed to be a smart player overall, good with his stick, physical, defensively aware, skilled and opportunistic, although the opportunities didn't really come in this game. Hopefully he can work on the skating, it doesn't seem likely due to his brothers' success on working on the same issue. If he can improve in that area, we may really have a steal here. Also, he seems like a good kid, loved his interview even though he was nervous, the opposite of Frost during the interview. Seems like a great teammate based on other videos I viewed.

So, EK is saying Flyers are tied to Avs (still?), not saying it will happen, but would be an interesting move to make after trading Schenn.

Tanner showing us some love
- arichardson22

It's kind of hard to argue against the prospect pool at this point. Defense is stacked. Goaltending depth is strong. And they really did well with the forward position in this draft. Hextall has been very patient in building this thing and it's showing.

This team is going to leave PLind with his richard flapping in the wind sooner than he thinks.

Tanner showing us some love
- arichardson22

my boy

I doubt it. So many things need to happen for that.

1) Giroux needs to bounce back.

2) Voracek needs to step up and earn that 8 mill contract.

3) Going to need some wingers to step up and contribute. Top 4 wingers right now are gonna be Voracek, Simmonds, Fillpula and Weal/Konecny. This is assuming Giroux and Nolan are your Centers. Giroux could also be moved to the wing and Fillupula takes Center. Given Giroux is a top Faceoff guy, doesnt seem like a good idea from a defensive stand point perhaps it is.

4) D needs to be a lot stronger. Given the fact that our most Veteran guy is AMac, the D scares me a bit. Assuming Hexy doesnt sign anyone, we are looking at a D core of AMac, Gudas, Ghost(Who struggled last season), Provorov(2nd year Dman), 2 rookies and Manning. That doesnt put a lot of confidence in me.

5) Goalie situation is less than ideal. Neuvirth had played well for us but has had trouble staying healthy. Stolarz has been solid in the few NHL games he has played. I would honestly prefer to keep Mason over Neuvirth.

I really feel like the Flyers are on the outside looking in but come FA day perhaps Hextall improves the team via FA or trade. Still to early, the team could be quite different come training camp.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

You may want to consider our Swedish LW friend coming over as someone who will jump up on the winger list.

Not saying that we are going to Crush it next year but I love the look of this team over last year already. While younger I think they are better.

I also think Hexy is handeling the goalie issue just fine. He doesn't need the answer. Just someone to hold down the fort until the kids are ready. With all goalies out there and only a few spots open I think we will fetch a good deal

Frost isn't a reach. He was just a player for whom there wasn't much pundit consensus. Those who liked him really liked him, others were lukewarm. Hextall, however, said the Flyers scouts were unanimously on board with him in that range.
- bmeltzer

and i'd trust the experts and i'm happy with the deal initially

I keep laughing when I think about that Pens trade. The guy banging Subban's head into the ice needs to be protected? Ok.
- hereticpride

And then they reached on a guy who was more like a 5th-6th rounder in the 2nd round with tons of good names still. I've seen Rouyn-Noranda a ton for Myers. Zach Lauzon really is quite average, with nothing standout. I mean they couldn't trade back? After trading for Reaves yet. What a (frank)ing dumb decision, but I guess their fans can't complain too hard.

and i'd trust the experts and i'm happy with the deal initially
- 2Real

Experts had Nico ahead of Nolan. (frank) the experts.