Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
On the eve of the NHL trade deadline the Flyers were shutout by the Utah Mammoth 3-0. Both Travis Konecny and Nick Seeler were not in the line-up due to injury. Both Konecny and Seeler are guys who play with a lot of heart and determination, but you can not put all the blame on their absence. The Flyers were just plain flat. They looked uninspired. It was reminiscent of the loss against the Senators the night before the Olympic break.
Coming off of a three game winning streak and with every point being crucial in the division race it was surprising to see the team look so disjointed and ineffective. The Flyers can run real hot and really cold, it can flip in an instant. Tonight was certainly not their night. One bright spot, as so often is the case, was the play of goaltender Dan Vladar.
Goaltending
On many nights if Dan Vladar is in the Flyers net all you gotta do is score three goals and he’ll do the rest. He has been a real standout all season long. The Flyers were two points out of 1st place in the division over the holidays before Vladar missed a chunk of time due to injury.
Even with the Flyers struggling tonight he allowed just two goals. The third Utah tally was an empty-netter. He had a solid performance and managed to keep his team somewhat in the game.
That being said, a two goal Utah lead seemed insurmountable. The Flyers managed just 16 shots on goal total. They had some really nice chances. The set ups were there. Some of them were beautifully executed, but the finish failed to materialize. The power-play struggled, it was just not their night.
One of the highlights was Vladar racing Utah’s Nick Schmaltz to a puck that was dumped into the Flyers zone. Vladar barely beat Schmaltz to the puck and when he got there he couldn’t control it. The Flyers goalie was sprawling out by the blueline with the puck still in play. It was a rare moment of excitement in an otherwise uneventful hockey game.
Trade Deadline
With the NHL trade deadline hitting Friday afternoon at 3PM lots of rumors and speculations are flying around. One thing you do not hear a whole lot of people focusing on is the Flyers goaltending situation. Vladar’s been great but the Flyers are in desperate need of a solid partner to round things out. Everyone knows that the team has big time needs at center and of course the conversation is often about acquiring draft picks. But the Flyers are not going to draft their way out of the goaltending situation.
Goalies take longer to develop. Vladar is 28 years old and that is considered early in a netminder’s prime.
Hard Truth: Last season before Vladar came to Philly the Flyers had the worst goals against average in the entire league. Dead last. It’s amazing they did as well as they did when you look at their goaltending stats.
This current season Samuel Ersson is 53rd in GAA, 58th in SV%, and ranked 90th out of 90 qualifying goaltenders in GSAx. The Flyers are not likely to take things to the “next level” without tending to their crease.
Many were surprised to see Rasmus Ristolainen in the line-up tonight when there is so much talk surrounding possibility of him being moved before Friday’s deadline. There seems to be much interest from teams around the league. With Risto being healthy and making a fine showing in the Olympics people are saying his value is never going to be higher than it is right now. His contract extension with the Flyers runs through the 2026-27 season.
Ristolainen would seem to be a ideal defensive weapon for a team like the Flyers. With the Flyers roster sporting some smaller players Ristolainen’s huge stature and physical play is a big asset. He moves the puck well and is not afraid to throw it at the net. His downside is he has been prone to injury.
Hard Truth: People are well aware of his upsides but seem anxious to move him while he is healthy and a high value trade. Fact of the matter is, it’s no secret that his ability to stay healthy may be an issue. That’s going to be considered when offers are being made.
If the consensus is that the Flyers were taking a risk to suit him up the night before the deadline prospective buyers are seeing that risk as well. A healthy Ristolainen would be an asset to any team, but the risk that makes him seem expendable is the same risk that is going to bring down what the organization may get in return.
Extra Credit: This shutout loss to Utah was hard to watch when tensions are already riding high. Perhaps that is what we were seeing in the team’s performance tonight as well. Players always say they don’t dwell on it, but how could you not?
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