Bill Meltzer: Musings: Expansion Draft, Phantoms Update

Carter Hart, who is an impending UFA.

Hopefully a typo?

Carter Hart, who is an impending UFA.

Hopefully a typo?
- bsw31usa

Yes; RFA. Fixed it.

Obviously a big coincidence, but the Flyers sure do have young players get hurt often. I mean all players miss some time with an injury, but long stretches, surgery and even seasons happen more than I see from others.

Top of my head of players missing significant time to begin career or early development:

Patrick
Laberge
Morin
Frost
Rubtsov
Allison
Ghost
Foerster (This is 2 dangerous looking injuries now?)

I'm sure there are others recently, but doesn't help it happens to a lot of higher end picks.

Obviously a big consequence, but the Flyers sure do have young players get hurt often. I mean all players miss some time with an injury, but long stretches, surgery and even seasons happen more than I see from others.

Top of my head of players missing significant time to begin career or early development:

Patrick
Laberge
Morin
Frost
Rubtsov
Allison
Ghost
Foerster (This is 2 dangerous looking injuries now?)

I'm sure there are others recently, but doesn't help it happens to a lot of higher end picks.
- Glak18

Frost missing an entire developmental season really was awful. He could have played a ton of NHL games this year. He's still an unknown at the NHL level.

I agree with your assessment Bill, I think the Flyers must expose their veterans and leave little choice for Ron Francis to select either Ghost or JVR; the Flyers need to clear cap space. I agree with not adding sweeteners, there is really no need. I know the Flyers had a disappointing season, but they cannot come across as desperate and make stupid moves. And finally I agree with you that Jake is a good playmaker and has trade value; if you are going to use your sweeteners it should be in a trade for Jake. I still believe the Flyers' top off season goal has to be to shake up the veteran core while getting faster, tougher and better defensively.

Are the NHL playoffs being held up because Calgary and Vancouver teams who had zero chance to make the playoffs a month ago can make up meaningless games? Has a playoff schedule been released yet? WTF is going on.

Obviously a big consequence, but the Flyers sure do have young players get hurt often. I mean all players miss some time with an injury, but long stretches, surgery and even seasons happen more than I see from others.

Top of my head of players missing significant time to begin career or early development:

Patrick
Laberge
Morin
Frost
Rubtsov
Allison
Ghost
Foerster (This is 2 dangerous looking injuries now?)

I'm sure there are others recently, but doesn't help it happens to a lot of higher end picks.
- Glak18

Other teams' prospects get hurt all the time too... you're just not paying as much attention to when it happens to them.

Nice analysis of the Expansion Draft Bill. Surprisingly it matched mine exactly so I tend to agree.

I agree with your assessment Bill, I think the Flyers must expose their veterans and leave little choice for Ron Francis to select either Ghost or JVR; the Flyers need to clear cap space. I agree with not adding sweeteners, there is really no need. I know the Flyers had a disappointing season, but they cannot come across as desperate and make stupid moves. And finally I agree with you that Jake is a good playmaker and has trade value; if you are going to use your sweeteners it should be in a trade for Jake. I still believe the Flyers' top off season goal has to be to shake up the veteran core while getting faster, tougher and better defensively.
- jd250

I know Sam Bennett has been rumored to be moved for years out of Calgary, I just wish the Flyers had someone with a better eye for gauging what the team needs and finding those players. I doubt he would be producing the same like he is with Florida, but his passion, sticking up for teammates and work ethic maybe could of inspired this team a bit.

The organization needs a shake up, but I think first priority is shaking up and getting good hockey people in the ranks to get this team setup correctly to win. No more by the number guys that just play it safe to keep a job. People who know what they want and actually execute it.

Other teams' prospects get hurt all the time too... you're just not paying as much attention to when it happens to them.
- Tomahawk

This is perplexing to me. I thought it was only the Flyers who got the injuries, bad calls, bad trades and bad draft picks.

Other teams' prospects get hurt all the time too... you're just not paying as much attention to when it happens to them.
- Tomahawk

Heh? Your response sounded like your assuming that my post meant the Flyers are the only team in the universe that has a young player injured.

Thanks Bill for all the info regarding the ED. I agree with almost everything Bill said. The one spot I don't agree with is that I would be willing to add a sweetner to get Francis to take one of the bigger contracts (JVR, Jake, Ghost). That begs the question of how valuable of a sweetner would I be wiling to part with. Honestly, I don't know. I certainly wouldn't pay "whatever it takes", but I would definitely be willing to work with Francis. In order for this team to materially improve in the short term (next season or the season after that) Fletcher will need cap space. This is an opportunity to move a big contract without having to take back a bad or unwanted player/contract in return. Trying to make a hockey trade with another team involving one of these contracts that actually benefits the Flyers will be extremely difficult IMO. So I view this ED as a bit of a golden opportunity to gain much need cap space to improve this roster. The way I see it, you either "lose" this deal by adding a sweetner for Seattle, or you "lose" in a subsequent trade with another club to get them to take one of the bigger contracts.
There is no upside to losing an inexpensive player like Braun, Hagg, NAK, or Sandstrom. Yes, it could hurt to lose Jake, JVR, or Ghost but at least that sting would be at least partially offset by the cap space gained.

Patrick is a bust

Patrick is a bust
- Fopa21

you're still posting here?

It would really suck if Seattle takes Braun, NAK or Hagg. So it's probably going to happen.

Heh? Your response sounded like your assuming that my post meant the Flyers are the only team in the universe that has a young player injured.
- Glak18

You did seem to imply that serious stuff seems to happen more often to the Flyers than others.

Just look at some of the kids from the 2020 entry draft:

- Marco Rossi almost died from Covid complications and missed the entire year,
- Lucas Raymond missed a couple of months with an arm injury,
- Tim Steutzle had surgery and missed a couple of months,
- Jamie Drysdale got concussed recently and hasn't been the same since,
- Jack Quinn just had hernia surgery and is out until next season.

And that's only in the top-10 picks. Imagine if we looked beyond that.

So... about 20 minutes ago Charlie O'Connor posted his Flyers grades in his column on The Athletic. As he says, there are no A's after this season and F is for Flyers.

And for all you Giroux haters out there.. he graded the Captain's performance a B+.

So... about 20 minutes ago Charlie O'Connor posted his Flyers grades in his column on The Athletic. As he says, there are no A's after this season and F is for Flyers.

And for all you Giroux haters out there.. he graded the Captain's performance a B+.
- Doc_Sarcasm

Charlie O’connor is the be all end all when it comes to grading the captain? I missed that

you're still posting here?
- Ftown19125

Is he not?

you're still posting here?
- Ftown19125

Before you say something about “potential”, he’s still young, missed a whole season please use your eyes not what if’s could be etc etc. he skates like a hunchback, no speed, can’t finish, never hits the net, never hits anyone & basically every time he was on the ice gave up a goal. Justin braun who everyone loves to rip had 1 less point than a guy who saw regular pp time.

he skates like a hunchback,
- Fopa21

That's actually true

Charlie O’connor is the be all end all when it comes to grading the captain? I missed that
- Fopa21

in his defense, he is somewhat smarter than you.

in his defense, he is somewhat smarter than you.
- Doc_Sarcasm

Haha what logic do you have to prove that?

So... about 20 minutes ago Charlie O'Connor posted his Flyers grades in his column on The Athletic. As he says, there are no A's after this season and F is for Flyers.

And for all you Giroux haters out there.. he graded the Captain's performance a B+.
-Doc_Sarcasm

This makes sense. I wouldn't of handed out any A's either. I thought G, Couts and Farabee deserved Bs, a lot of C's and D's, and I gave Myers, Hayes and Patrick an F!