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Quick Hits: June 2, 2021
1) Per Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher, center Kevin Hayes underwent successful core muscle surgery last week. The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers. Expected post-op recovery time is five weeks. Thereafter, he can engage in typical offseason workouts.
2) The National Hockey League's 2021 Draft Lottery will air live tonight at 7 p.m. EDT on NBC Sports Network. Entering the lottery, the Flyers' have the following odds for their first-round selection spot.
13th overall (default): 91.3 percent
14th overall: 4.9 percent
2nd overall: 2.0 percent
1st overall: 1.8 percent
15th overall: greater than 0.0 percent, less than 1 percent (Dallas Stars and New York Rangers win the 1st and 2nd overall selections, in either order)
3) June 1 was the final day for National Hockey League teams to sign their 2019 Draft pick selections from CHL affiliated leagues or their 2017 draftees from European countries that have active transfer agreements with the NHL. In the Flyers' case, the team did not offer entry-level contracts to 2019 sixth-round picks Egor Serdyuk (Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL) or Roddy Ross (Seattle Thunderbirds/ Regina Pats, WHL). Both players are now free agents.
Serdyuk, a right winger from Novosibirsk, Russia, had a promising QMJHL rookie season in 2018-19, leading all rookies in the league in goals and posting 65 points in 63 games. He has not progressed much in the last two seasons, however, dealing with injuries and inconsistency offensively. A smallish forward who needed to improve his two-way game, add a little more explosiveness to his skating and continue to build on his offensive game, there was insufficient development in each area to make him an entry-level contract candidate. This season, he posted eight goals and 19 points in 26 regular season games and five points in 15 playoff games.
Ross, who was born in July 2000, was a late bloomer in the Western Hockey League who saw his stock rise with a strong latter-season run for Seattle in 2018-19. The 6-foot-3 netminder made modest developmental gains but largely stagnated in the time since the pandemic took hold. He had a rather rough run for Regina in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign.
4) Sad news to report: Donna Ashbee, the wife of the late Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Barry Ashbee, passed away suddenly this past weekend. She had been in seemingly good health. Donna and Barry were the parents of Danny and Heather.
This has been a very rough year for the extended Ashbee family. Earlier this season, Barry's brother, Dan Ashbee, passed away in Ontario. Dan was the last surviving brother, having been predeceased by Barry, Garnet and Lorne.
I got to know Donna a little bit through my role as content manager for the Flyers Alumni Association. She was a lovely person, who often expressed her gratitude to the Flyers Alumni and the Flyers organization itself for how they've kept alive Barry's memory and have generally had Danny Ashbee present the annual Barry Ashbee Trophy to the winner of the voting for each season's top defenseman on the Flyers.
The Flyers Alumni family is greatly saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Donna Ashbee. Our sincere condolences go out to Danny, Heather, and the entire Ashbee family.
5) Another big name has been added to the list of confirmed players for the Flyers Alumni vs. Flyers Warriors Showcase fundraising game at Ice Works in Aston, PA on June 27, 2021: Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Mark Howe, who is also a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, the Flyers Hall of Fame and had his No. 2 jersey retired by the Flyers.
Note: VIP tickets for the Showcase Game, which includes a postgame reception with the Flyers Alumni in attendance as well as a private viewing area during the game, are at least temporarily sold out. The Alumni are attempting to see if the number of VIP admissions can be increased because the demand is considerably higher than the now sold-out supply. The VIP tickets, if available, cost $100. General admission tickets are still available for $20.
Apart from the Philadelphia Flyers run to within two wins of the 2010 Stanley Cup being one of the most exhilarating - but ultimately heartbreaking - segments of franchise history, the playoffs were also a turning point in the career of Flyers' 2006 first-round draft choice Claude Giroux.
It was during the 2010 playoffs that Giroux, in his second pro season, started to blossom into a National Hockey League star. After posting 16 goals and 47 points during the regular season, the 22-year-old Giroux exploded for 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 23 playoff games.
The biggest performance of his young career came in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks. Giroux assisted on a second period Scott Hartnell power play goal that forged a 2-1 lead for Philly. After the visiting Blackhawks battled back to a take a 3-2 lead on an early third period tally by Patrick Kane, Giroux and company responded just 20 seconds later. The red-hot Ville Leino notched his sixth goal of the playoffs on a setup from Giroux to knot the game at 3-3.
At 5:59 of overtime, Giroux scored on a deflection against Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi to secure a 4-3 win for the Flyers and complete a three-point effort. The series deficit was now reduced to two games to one with a chance to draw even in Game Four.
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