Photo Credit: Jose Moreno/Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Flyers ended their 2020-21 season on May 10th with a 4-2 win over the Devils of North Jersey, but the season did not end on a high note. The Flyers missed the playoffs even though they came into the season with expectations of a deep playoff run and several players on their roster severely under performed. The fan base had turned on Chuck Fletcher, losing all faith and confidence in his ability to build a team that could bring home a Stanley Cup and fear that Head Coach Alain Vigneault was a bust had taking over like a summer wildfire.
For nearly 10 weeks twitter feeds were full of doom and gloom, predictions of the Flyers becoming basement dwellers just a notch above the struggling buffalo Sabers or the possibility of it being time to sell the farm to start a complete rebuild was a popular theme. I myself was guilty of allowing the dark cloud of last season overcast my expectations and found myself prepared for another awful season with no real hope in sight.
Then, just like that on Saturday July 17th the sun broke through the clouds in the form of a huge trade. Chuck Fletcher was able to acquire Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Phillippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick, Patrick was then moved by Nashville to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Cody Glass.
Chuck Fletcher had done it; he answered the question of who would be paired with Ivan Provorov on the top defensive line, and he did it by dealing two players who underperformed last season and would not be missed or deemed irreplaceable. More surprisingly he was able to keep the organizations 13th overall pick in the upcoming 2021 Entry Draft. A valuable bargaining chip that could become useful in future deals for talent acquisition.
Instantly the tides shifted, and hope has returned, as emotions settled, and the reality set in, fans were still in shock that Chuck had brought in talent that would immediately change the Flyers defense for the better. Ryan Ellis was a leader for the Predators and a top defender in the league and is no doubt the caliber of player the Philadelphia Flyers desperately needed on their roster.
Fletcher was not done; the submission of the expansion draft protection list was due on Saturday and names were released on Sunday. Once again twitter was buzzing with the question being asked, would the Flyers protect veteran forward James van Reimsdyk who carries a hefty contract and has at times been absent in performance or the 25-year-old Nic Aube-Kubel? NAK as he is known within the organization may not be your star caliber player, but he has shown upside and carries a much smaller cap hit than the veteran JVR and with that idea in mind the Flyers front office was not done adding depth to their roster, a need for relief from under the cap was recognized. It was believed that JVR would be protected but NAK could secure that last protection spot with the seeing that the Flyers could force Seattle’s hand in taking on one of their hefty contracts.
Sunday the protection lists were released and to no surprise the Philadelphia Flyers left notable forwards James van Reimsdyk and Jakub Voracek unprotected as well as defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere, Justin Braun, and Robert Hägg. This is where things got interesting, The Seattle Kraken head coach is the former Philadelphia Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol. Hakstol is obviously very familiar with JVR, Voracek, and Gostisbehere, potentially enticing the Kraken to select one of these veteran players and relieving some cap weight that they impose on the Flyers roster. There is also speculation that Chuck Fletcher could be working a trade with Seattle that involves the 13th overall draft pick and Jakub Voracek. During the summer it was made known that Voracek was being shopped around by the Flyers organization, but the relationship was not damaged. Jake’s time in Philly has come and gone and a change of scenery would be great for both player and organization. However, if no deal is made it should be comforting to Flyers fans that this was a mutual understanding of business being business.
At the time of writing this article all rosters have been frozen until July 21st when the expansion draft will take place and all Philadelphia Flyers fans can do is wait. What will the Seattle Kraken do? Who will they take? Could the Flyers get lucky and have the weight of a heavy contract lifted from their cap or will Chuck Fletcher have to go to work and make more magic happen? We will find out in just a few days but what we do know is that Chuck is not asleep at the wheel, and he does have the ability to make big moves happen.
The addition of top-tier defensive talent, the rumor mill while just rumors is encouraging that more talent is on its way, and the ability for Alain Vigneault to have a full camp with his team has all the signs pointing in a different direction then last season. It looks as though our Philadelphia Flyers will be Recharged, Refreshed, and Re-Engaged while firing on all cylinders come the start of the 2021-22 NHL season.
The Gunny
