Photo Credit: The Suffolk Times
There’s no doubt that the Flyers’ general manager Chuck Fletcher has found ways to move mountains in order to better his team this off season. By doing this, Chuck has managed to completely overhaul the team’s defense by shipping out duds and replacing them with defensive studs. He got rid of a cantankerous veteran with an albatross-like contract who was afraid to shoot the puck and instead brought back an NHL All Star-scoring winger to replace him who is signed for years to come at just a fraction of the cost of what the person he sent packing was getting paid. But that’s not all- once free agency commenced, Fletcher was able to bring in a 1A option in net when he signed Martin Jones who should serve as a considerable upgrade over his predecessor and thus be a much better tandem partner for the young Carter Hart this season. So, with so many new faces now on the team’s roster, Chuck’s work should be complete right? WELL… not so much!
There is still one position that, if the team truly wishes to compete for a shot at the Stanley Cup this upcoming season, they will have to address: Right wing. Sure, the Flyers have Travis Konecny and the newly acquired Cam Atkinson to fill out the top two lines in that position but after that the depth at right wing really drops off. As of right now the team’s 2016 2nd round pick Wade Allison looks to be the one to slot in on the team’s 3rd line and, although he was one of the only bright spots on the team in his short 14 game stint with the Flyers toward the end of last season, the question still remains: Should the team rely so heavily on this 23-year-old (who has just 4 NHL career goals) to be an integral part of the team’s offense next season? We all know that youth now plays a huge part in this game and have enjoyed watching the even younger Joel Farabee cultivate his game over the past two seasons to the point where, at just 21 years of age he was able to lead the team in goals with 20 last season, in just his sophomore year in the league. But should the team then assume that Allison will progress at the same rate? LET’S HOPE SO, but the answer should be no. Although I think Wade will ultimately “BE A FUCKING FLYER” next season (like the team’s head coach Alain Vigneault once so eloquently put it) management should be careful not to rush and expect too much too early from this still-young gritty forward.
And, while Allison may have youth and a lot of promise on his side to potentially prove his doubter’s wrong next season, the team’s 4th line right winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel is no better. In fact, he has seemed to have developed a bit of the Zac Rinaldo treatment from the referees last season, meaning that every time this aggressive forward seemed to jump the boards for his shift, the on-ice officials immediately had their eyes trained on him with the intent to call him for an infraction. Kubel, or N.A.K. as he is better known by the Flyers’ faithful, led the team last season in penalty minutes despite him playing but a fraction of the ice time that others played. While his aggressive play was much needed on a team that lacked grit, his recklessness in which he went about demonstrating it left a lot to be desired. It’s a thin line: While a clean check can be a great tool to wear down and regain control of the puck from the opposition, a dirty hit can prove to be costly; especially on the scoreboard as that player who committed the infraction is forced to watch from the penalty box as his team is then a man down. With that being said, Chuck’s retooled roster may not require a player like N.A.K. as much as it did last season, making him expendable. In today’s NHL the team’s 4th line players have to be able to produce offensively as well as playing a physically sound, defensive game and Aube-Kubel’s (3) goals through 50 games played last season just doesn’t seem to counterbalance his time spent in the box anymore.
While this writer likes both of these players a lot and expects big things from Allison in the near future, it might be worthwhile for Fletcher to try and find another bargain basement player in which he could still acquire from the leagues free agent list who could act as a reinsuring backstop for the team next season just in case either one of these above-mentioned players don’t quite live up to expectations.
One such player who could provide the Flyers with the kind of reassurance they need is the still-available 30-year-old unrestricted free agent right-winger Kyle Palmieri. If signed by Philadelphia, Palmieri could prove most useful seeing that he is now well versed in not one but two of the Flyers’ Metropolitan Division opponents’ systems. Kyle was a long time Devil but was traded to the Islanders by New Jersey at this past season’s trade deadline. Now, Kyle is still available for a reason- he only scored 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points last season (between his time spent with the two clubs), but he did manage to average 25-30 goals and 45 to 50 points in each of the last 5 seasons leading up to last year. If Palmieri is able to return to anything close to the kind of production, he had for all those years with the Devils, it would make for a great return on the Flyers’ investment. Not to mention the fact that it would then give the Flyers four very solid and productive lines up front.
The only question then would be what it would cost the Flyers financially to sign Palmieri? After all the wheeling and dealing Chuck has done in the past weeks, the Flyers have but a little over $8 million dollars with which to re-sign both restricted free agents Carter Hart and Travis Sanheim. Therefore, without moving someone else in a trade, that would mean that Palmieri would need to agree to sign a team-friendly or veteran-minimum type deal, similar to the one that RW Corey Perry just did when he agreed to a 2-year deal recently to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning that is set to pay him just $1 million a season.
Chuck Fletcher has performed miracles in a short amount of time in order to transform his roster with the hopes to return to the playoffs next season; but now being forced to return to a very competitive Metro Division the Flyers would still benefit from one more depth forward on their roster in order to improve upon their bottom six forward group. Youth and speed are great assets to have but inexperience can prove to be both unpredictable and detrimental to a team’s success if not nurtured correctly (case in point: Carter Hart). Wade Allison looks like he could develop into a very special player one day but should not be rushed into stardom. Signing Palmieri to a 1-year deal would be good for a number of different reasons: It would give Palmieri the opportunity to play with two very good players in James van Riemsdyk (who was tied for the team’s lead in points last year) and most likely Scott Laughton who led the team in plus/minus last season. Doing so would ensure Kyle the opportunity to have a remarkable comeback season which he then could use to raise his asking price the following year to the kind of money he received from the Devils on his previous deal when he was paid $4.5 million a season. It would also provide the Flyers with quite the upgradeable safety net in case Allison was to not pick up right where he left off during his rookie campaign. While this observation may seem like I’m nit-picking, it is how the best teams tend to examine their roster. At any time, someone can get hurt and be out for an extended amount of time and now the Flyers seemingly have depth to counteract that in all positions besides at right wing. This move is just one way Chuck Fletcher could ensure that all his hard work this off season wasn’t for naught.
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Are Flyers really better than last season? None of the trades Fletcher made brought in better players than he gave up. The offense is not improved, the goaltending is shaken if Carter Hart plays like he did last season and Hagg/Gostisbehere have been replaced by Ristolainan/York. Ellis is the one upgrade. He is 30 years old and may become a constraint on the Flyer’s cap space.
Lost in the shuffle was the fact that Fletcher gave up a First round draft pick that would have brought in a solid piece, even an outstanding future goaltender in the draft. Fletcher also gave up two 2nd round picks and a young Phillippe Myers who may have had some bad moments, but is still learning the game on the toughest position in hockey: Defense. Giving Gostisbehere and other assets away for no return was unbelievable and I’m sure Keith Allen must be turning over in his grave after that deal. I can see why the Flyers are falling in the latest power rankings and are now considered a poor 19th in the rankings.
@gregganton9512. Will you come back and eat crow if proven wrong?…. Highly unlikely.
Lost in your shuffle is the real possibility that Fletcher re-acquires those draft picks or better with future moves.
Come gregg! Think outside the box!
….Nah, wouldn’t want to think too positively now would we?
Don’t see a first rounder coming back. Those first round picks become the stars of the NHL in 2/3 years. Also same with 2nd rounders. Wade Allison and Carter Hart were 2nds by Hextall.
Just to clarify. The re-acquired picks don’t have to happen now, in a year or two+, is what I was implying.
You’re leaving out that this was a particularly weak draft year, so that 1st round could JUST as easily be a Patrick Stephan….just saying. Everybody posting seems to want to sound like an expert….with no GM job in the NHL…WAIT AND SEE…….
If the moron Gregg Anton doesn’t like the direction of the team you can rest assure that the Flyers are doing very well.