Quick Hits: May 4, 2022
1) Flyers general manager and president of hockey operations Chuck Fletcher met with the local media on Tuesday for his season wrapup press conference. On PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, I summarized five main themes that Fletcher emphasized during the session:
Click here.
For video of the entire press conference, watch below:
2) A few hours after the press conference, Jason Myrtetus and I convened for a special edition of the Flyers' Daily. We each gave our takes on Fletcher's presser and our own views and concerns heading into the offseason (some of which were discussed at greater length on
Monday's edition of the podcast).
Neither Jason nor I believe that the Flyers' search for the next head coach will actually begin with today's Hockey Operations department meeting. At the very least, Fletcher and company already have a long list of candidates in mind, which will be whittled down to a short list before interviews and a hiring decision is made. Although Fletcher downplayed a need to make a hire imminently, it would be a surprise here if the process lasts for a prolonged period this offseason. However, it is absolutely vital to get the decision right.
Perhaps the most telling comment from Fletcher as relates to offseason planning, from my perspective, is his acknowledgement that the team's offseason priorities by the time of the NHL Entry Draft and the start of free agency will significantly hinge on how Ryan Ellis's rehab plan goes over the next six to eight weeks. The last thing the Flyers can afford is to go into a second straight season counting heavily on Ellis to play on the top pairing only for him to miss an extensive portion of the season due to the core muscle issues that ruined his 2021-22 season.
Personally, I'd love to be optimistic that Ellis's plan will go perfectly according to plan. Until the player is able to demonstrate that he can actually get -- and stay -- healthy, I remain concerned. If all goes well, the Flyers can focus on opening cap space to try to upgrade their top-six group at forward. If Ellis has a setback or progresses but at a slower-than-hoped, the Flyers priorities may have to change even if they can create cap space.
Another takeaway: Fletcher expressed a high degree of confidence that Ivan Fedotov will not only be able to be signed and brought over from Russia but that the 25-year-old goaltender will be able to make a quick adaptation to the smaller rink and push immediately for the No. 2 spot on the Flyers goaltending depth chart. That would mean veteran Martin Jones ($2 million AAV on his expiring contract) will move on this summer.
Felix Sandström, 25, is a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer. It will be up to the player to decide if he wants to continue on the Flyers' organization, pursue potential opportunities with other NHL clubs or return to play in Europe (he very nearly departed last summer for an opportunity in Finland's Liga, to the point where the club issued a press release to announce his signing a day or two before Sandström re-signed as a restricted free agent with the Flyers). If Sandström stays put, I could see something like a two-year contract, with year one being a two-way deal similar to 2021-22 ($750,000 at the NHL level, $100,000 in the AHL) and year two being a one-way contract that would pay him at the NHL rate regardless. Alternatively, it could be another one-year deal, except at the full NHL rate regardless.
To listen to Tuesday's post-press conference edition of Flyers Daily,
click here.
3) I had a great time last night as one of the guest bartenders along with Flyers Alumni and members of the local sports media at the Great American Pub in Wayne, PA. All proceeds raised from event tickets and bartender tips will go to Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Among the attendees last night was Martha Snider (Ed Snider's second wife), who came out to show her support for the foundation and to thank the volunteer bartenders and Flyers fans who came out. Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney was also among the attendees.
4) Zak Kindrachuk, along with Anthony San Filippo and Russ Joey of the "Snow the Goalie" podcast, has set up a Go Fund Me campaign for the public-at-large to assist longtime Flyers trainers Jim McCrossin and Sal Raffa in covering the medical expenses that insurance does not fully cover in the treatment of the incurable blood diseases that both are dealing with as well as the form of blood cancer (myelofibrosis) with which McCrossin is currently fighting.
Although presently incurable, there are Phase 2 medication trials ongoing for myelofibrosis that are showing promise for slowing or even potentially reversing the progression of the disease. These are experimental treatments at present.
Note: The GoFundMe campaign is strictly a medical cost relief fund; it is not designed to cover legal costs related to the lawsuit that McCrossin and Raffa have filed against Comcast-Spectacor and the Flyers Training Center.
Jim and Sal both still work for the Flyers and both are beloved figured by current and Alumni players alike as well as virtually everyone who works with or close to the hockey team. Both men are first-class professionals as well as tremendous human beings who are dedicated care-givers and go the extra mile to assist others. The purpose of the campaign is to help them and their families have one less thing to worry about in their time of need. To donate,
click here.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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