Quick Hits: July 9, 2019
1) While Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher has said that he will continue to monitor both the free agent and trade markets for potential bargains that could upgrade the current roster -- he said that specifically in regard to a question about the vacancy for a third-line winger -- he also expressed a reluctance to tie himself into any multi-year deals. He noted that the Flyers' top three forward prospects (Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Isaac Ratcliffe) are all turning pro this season. Additionally, players such as German Rubtsov, Mikhail Vorobyev, Connor Bunnaman and David Kase returning for their second or third pro seasons.
"I think what you saw, the majority of the forwards signed [on July 1] were signed to multi-year, multi-million-dollar deals. Frankly, we didn’t want to get into those types of commitments right now. Over the next 24 months, we’ll have several young forwards knocking on the door of the NHL. I don’t think it’s a very smart thing to box these kids out and take on additional cap responsibilities when we’re going to have a lot of really good pieces that could mature and grow through the system," Fletcher said.
"I don’t foresee another move as we get closer to camp, but there are a lot of teams that are going to have significant challenges this summer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many teams over the cap or at the cap. That’s when you factor in future signings that they have to make here with their RFAs and to fill out their roster. There could be opportunity.... We have some cap space left. We feel it will be enough to cover our RFAs. Our hope is to get into camp, we have a new coaching staff and a lot of new players, and let things sort themselves out in camp. From there, we always make adjustments. For right now, we’ll just focus on our RFAs."
In other words, do not look for the Flyers to be the team that signs a remaining unrestricted free agent winger such as Ryan Dzingel or Micheal Ferland unless they linger on the market deep into the summer. They also appear to be high enough on the upsides of Frost (who may be moved to a wing), Farabee and Ratcliffe -- even if the players spend much or all of the 2019-20 season in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms -- that they are not presently among the more active pursuers of a trade with Vegas for 27-year-old Russian winger Nikita Gusev.
Fletcher cited recently acquired winger Tyler Pitlick as a potential veteran candidate for the third-line right winger role. Pitlick had some success for Dallas in 2017-18 when given an opportunity to move up in the lineup but struggled with injury (wrist surgery) this past season.
"He's played third line, he's played fourth. Tyler plays a north-south game, and he's a responsible player with a good work ethic and energy. He's got size and he's also a good skater. Certainly he's a candidate for that [third line] spot. We've got options as we move toward camp and we'll see how things play out and, again, then we can make adjustments," Fletcher said.
Fletcher also cited two of the NHL-AHL swingman veterans he signed on July 1 as players who will compete for NHL roster spots in camp; albeit more likely as the 12th or 13th forward.
"[Andy] Andreoff is a player that will make a very strong push to make our team this season. Kurtis Gabriel is a player that’s played games in the NHL the past few seasons. Again, we have a lot of options. That’s what training camp is for. It’s an opportunity for players to come in and show that they belong," he said.
The 28-year-old Andreoff is on a one-way contract ($750,000) for two seasons; a rather expensive contract for an AHL player but one that can be assigned to the AHL roster with no NHL salary cap penalty if he does not make the Flyers' NHL squad. The 26-year-old Gabriel is on a two-way deal ($700,000 at the NHL level) for one season.
2) At the conclusion of the Flyers' recent Development camp, Phantoms head coach Scott Gordon gave his first interview since he was not retained as Flyers head coach after a half-season interim stint and then accepting a return to Lehigh Valley. Gordon discussed some of the top incoming young talents as well as his own situation. The following transcript is courtesy of the Flyers:
Can you talk about what kind of adjustment Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost are going to have to make from college and juniors to AHL?
Mainly, I think pace and strength. You are going from playing against 16-18 year old’s as a junior player and same, well Farabee played college so maybe a little bit older, but, all the players it doesn’t matter if they play in the AHL or NHL they are going to be smarter and stronger. The things that I’ve found is when they do move up they have to figure out what they can and cannot do. What’s going to work and what’s not going to work for them.
How long did it take for you to decide to do the Phantoms thing again?
Not long.
So you were prepared that if it gets that way that’s what I’m going to do?
Yeah. I kind of went into it with the expectation that’s where I was going to end up.
Did they offer you a job as an assistant and you would rather be a head coach down there?
I didn’t have any interest in being an assistant with the Flyers.
Did they offer?
It wasn’t even a conversation because I made it pretty clear.
Did you get an offer from any other NHL teams or did any teams want to speak with you?
Yeah, there were a couple of situations, I didn’t get any (interview requests for) head jobs in the NHL.
You did a great job up here with the means that you were given, will that correlate back down to Lehigh? How do you leave that here and separate the two? Is that hard to do?
No. I think it makes me a better coach, to be honest with you.
Do you think it makes your message easier to them, you can say, "Hey, up there..." and they really know you were up there last year?
[Grins] Yeah, I’m sure they’re really going to want to hear that. [Grins again]. I know most of the kids that are down there with development camps, so I think everyone knows by the time we get them who we are.
Let’s start with Isaac and Morgan, they’ve never played on a team together for a full season. If it plays out that way in Lehigh, is that part of the excitement about doing this again that you got guys like that?
Yeah, and part of the thing that makes the job great down there is that we do have some great prospects. Real quick, seeing a few of the kids out there who got drafted this year and aren’t NHL ready right now, but you can see the talent there. It’s something that has been building over time and you look at when I first came here, we might have had 6 draft picks playing down in Lehigh. I don’t know if we will have a full team of players the Flyers drafted, but it will be really close.
3) Yesterday, Flyers Alumni Association president and Flyers director of community development Brad Marsh provided an update of which Alumni will be at which Community Caravan events this week. Marsh will be going all three days, along with Bob Kelly and Doug Crossman. Riley Cote will be at Wednesday and Thursday's events only, while Dave Schultz will participate on Thursday.
The Caravan is free and open to Flyers fans of all ages. Flyers giveaways for all in attendance. Steve Coates will be there Tue and Thu, and Gritty will be at all three events.