Photo Credit: Rebecca McCormick
Greetings to you all once again, are we ready to fly the astral planes, maybe even out in atmosphere and into the winds of stars! Good thing’s have finally found it’s way to the Flyers and I’m not talking about Connor Bedard; to the fan’s and those who follow along for something quick and accessible, we here at Flyers Nitty Gritty have got something to say. The dark cloud that has overshadowed the team’s progress in General Manager Chuck Fletcher and ownership in Dave Scott, the governor of Comcast Spectators respectively are finally getting what fans asked for. They’re moving on. That’s it! It’s that simple, they’re gone…viva la Revolution!!!!
Alright alright, I’ll be getting into the grittiness of the situation but currently organization has their very own Danny Briere take over currently as Interim General Manager replacing the aforementioned Chuck Fletcher. Who was good in his own right, but far too conservative to fans who followed him and lead them into hysteria.
As for Dave Scott, but I can tell you I was getting bad vibes from him. So with that being said, Dan Hilferty will takeover the position. I always thought Dave Scott was too business oriented, and he was making a mockery of the Flyers franchise.
Granted, our foreverly remembered and late owner Ed Snider was a business man who was doing his own business deals, but loved the game of hockey, Ed was a man of detail and encouragement. He would attend his team’s hockey games with his family with the utmost enthusiasm and would be the first to tell encouraging things to his players. Down below. In the locker room. Ed was simply one of the boys as we say, here in hockey. But if you did bad, no bueno. He would still be there in the locker room or somewhere close. Sure he’d say something to wake a player up but all in all, he just wanted effort. Speaking of effort and being with the team for three plus decades, the man known as Steve Coates who has been a hell of a comic relief in due part to the Flyers radio broadcast with Tim Saunders. Thank you Coatesy, for your efforts and being one of the voices my ears would listen to as I worked. Happy retirement sir. I’ll miss him on air honesty. No filter, almost. Also, congratulations to Saunders on your 25th season of radio PBP broadcasting for the Flyers.
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Now I don’t about you, but do you like to chance thing’s or do you like a good gamble? With the rumors abundant in Flyerland and even here in Canada have them saying to hell with it, let’s trade the orange and black’s best goaltender away in Carter Hart, would you do that Nitty Gritty family?? Trade the Flyers number one goalie who we took years to develop. Hell No!! Trade for what? The Montreal Canadiens top draft picks and Cole Caulfield respectively. Oh Danny Boy, Montreal is calling. Blasphemy, for one don’t agree with moving the young goaltender and I’ll probably get slack for this, I am one of the few fan’s who does not want the team to tank for Connor Bedard…does that surprise you? It shouldn’t, as I personally don’t think the Flyers are that type of team. Even though fan’s haven given up, the team actually hasn’t as they will never give up on the season. Ersson is a quality back up for Hart, so for me Felix Sandström should go, if we’re talking goaltenders.
As for me, let’s be brave and go all in and I would like to talk about a player who I think is gonna have a solid breakout season. He is being labeled as too small, and who despite the NHL’s ice being smaller and less wide is gonna have problems adjusting. It may take a moment or a season but that human being is Emil Andrae. He stands at 5’9 and weighs 190 pounds. The kid is a solid Swede, and he has been busy playing overseas where he racked up blocks, powerplay goals (yes, you read that correctly, goals on the powerplay), ice time, and assists.
There is one of stats that I’ll be dissecting, and I think is kind of important. Especially if you play defense and that is the time on ice statistic. This is an important one because it’s more centered around the defenseman and maybe the leaders in the group persè. A player like Ivan Provorov. He fits into the bill quite perfectly if you ask me, and I don’t know about you fan’s but I want the Flyers to play a game of Russian Roulette here and possibly move him before next season starts.
A player like Provy is a top draft pick yes, but in my opinion has been quiet this season. He has yet to make an impact this season and I believe maybe that has attributed to his lack of success. So, for me that makes a player like him labeled as expendable. Sorry! Not sorry!
Emil Andrae has that ability to take over and maybe earn Provorov’s position in due time or maybe even the thought of a promotion for Travis Sanheim. But I think in my opinion, having Emil, as a top pair dman is a pretty damn good option. At twenty year’s old, he is younger and I have this thought that he’ll be a Gostisbehere type. Moves the puck along the boards well and can see the ice well. Just the kind that Tortorella looks for, although in the back of my mind, I hope he takes over DeAngelo’s role as well on the team. For starters, DeAngelo has an expiring contract next season. And this team is finally getting the youth infusion they so deserve.
Andrae was selected in the second round in the twenty twenty draft. Fifty fourth overall by the way.
Another possible gamble is the possibility of moving centreman Kevin Hayes, to where I’m not sure but as I have a habit of calling things like I see them, as I play Texas Hold Em but throwing a big guy like Kevin Hayes in the pot might stir some heads and get the table warm, moving forward again.
This team is obviously getting younger by the day and as such we need to move in the right direction and tread carefully by picking the right players for the young corps of players that are already established and who want to make an immediate impact on this team. Noah Cates comes to mind! I want his brother up on the parent club as well but we shall see. Travis Konecny’s name has come up every now and again but it wouldn’t make sense trading a player that Tortorella has said himself that he respects. Especially his chippiness. His leadership is showing recently, and he was also having a career year in points for the fellow Flyer. Too bad he got injured, as he was doing well for us.
It is safe to say, that the Flyers have set and found the foundation for what one hopes they continue to work on, and that is getting the youth infusion they have been looking for. For once, they have the tools to make the game of hockey excitable at the Wells Fargo Center once again.
Thing’s have changed over the year’s but that doesn’t mean fans can’t still be fans, the rabid, die hard, crazy, hardworking, blue collar fan’s of the good ole Bullies of Broadstreet. In the end, people will always be there for them, cheering on the Orange and Black. For some, the Flyers have yet to make a “big splash” but I think the “splash” was getting rid of Chuck Fletcher and Dave Scott respectively. It’s like a burden has been lifted, but now comes the difficulty of being a GM of an NHL franchise for Danny Briere, he did well for the Maine Mariners in Portland Maine. And as I see it, he deserves the position of having this position for the Philadelphia Flyers. Known as Mr. Playoffs when he played here and being known as possibly being the most consistent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. One hundred and sixteen points out of a possible one hundred and twenty four for Mr. Briere. I am anxious to see what he can do.
And with having a good coach and commitment to the sport itself in the NHL in John Tortorella, the Philadelphia Flyers franchise will once again be back to glory. That concludes this week’s Monday Motivator, I wish you all a good week ahead and we hope you all are staying gritty out there in the beyond!
LET’S GO FLYERS
