Photo Credit: Monica Herndon/Philadelphia Inquirer
There was no denying that the Flyers are in need of a goal scorers, and Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher has been on record saying that he would love to add a top six player. However, he did say it’s not realistic to add this need through trade or free agency due to the flat-cap, but there is one way to do it, add this piece through the draft.
When a goal scorer comes to mind within the Flyers system it could have been Connor McClennon, drafted at the age of 18 he stands at 5’8 and weighs 163 pounds. He was a boom or bust type pick and he could changed the overall landscape of the farm system and team in the future if this pick panned out. One addition, yes the addition of McClennon, a natural goal scorer, a young man who knows and is not afraid to shoot the puck, one that doesn’t hesitate to get to the greasy areas to score a goal.
Unfortunately, McClennon was not signed yesterday by the 5:00 p.m. deadline, thus making him a free agent or he can head back to the WHL as an overager. I have learned that the Flyers did not think he progressed enough with his skating, although, of course he was never elite with this skating. This could be one reason, on a laundry list of reasons, why he was not signed to an Entry-Level-Contract (ELC). As a young 19-year-old, most players his age need to improve their skating. That’s why a lot of people don’t trust the Flyers front office. Yes, this isn’t a reason to lose sleepover, but this ineptitude of Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher has been going on for well over three years now.
The Flyers just gave an ELC to a player they think can become Robert Hägg 2.0, in Adam Ginning. Ginning is a player that had some rocky developmental years, and to be honest I was shocked they offered him an ELC to be a stay-at-home/physical defenseman. McClennon is the latest head scratcher from the Flyers front office here as of late, and it really makes them look disorganized without a paddle in the water.
There has been an organizational shift with remaining competitive and obviously making playoffs. Unfortunately, the Flyers goal is no longer to win the Stanley Cup, rather just appease everyone and make the playoffs. On the surface this doesn’t make sense as the overall goal is to win the Stanley Cup for some teams. However, the Flyers are no where near Stanley Cup contention, so the reality is they have no other choice but to just hope to make the playoffs.
Not only have they suffered two very disappointing seasons, they are also in a very tough division. One has to think which teams will the Flyers jump in the division to make the playoffs next season: the New York Islanders will be better, the New York Rangers will be there, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be there, the Washington Capitals will be there, and the Carolina Hurricanes will be there. It’s hard to envision the Flyers surpassing one of these said teams to make the playoffs. Let’s not forget the New Jersey Devils will be better as well, and they have a possibility of adding another young sniper in Juraj Slafkovský with the second overall pick in 2022.
The Flyers just endured one of the worst seasons historically, so it’s hard to envision them having a successful season next season. They have no other choice but to just want to compete and make the playoffs, it’s hard to envision them as Stanley Cup contenders. This is why some fans are calling for a full rebuild, as opposed to this “Aggressive Retool”, to which it could set the Flyers back another two or three years anyways. It’s also due to the disorganization of the Flyers front office, and McClennon is the latest to prove this disorganization within the Flyers office.
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Fletcher says they need goal scorers, but yet the Flyers let a 43 goal scorer walk to free agency, with not being near the contractual limit of 50. The Flyers currently have 32 players on contract for next season, but they will sign depth AHL’ers to fill voids in the farm system, with the hopes of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms remaining competitive.
Remember, Fletcher said to the media and fans alike at his season ending press conference that they need to get back to being the “2019-20 team.” Unfortunately, the Flyers have placed themselves in this position, so it started with the 2020-21 team. It’s easy to continue blaming the coaching staff, but after enduring two terrible seasons in a row, it’s time for the players to take some responsibility for the lack of success. This organization is about the hire their fifth coach in six seasons, that’s embarrassing in its own right.
“This season was a tough season and I have mentioned that before,” Fletcher said at the season ending presser. “There are certainly a lot of areas we need to improve upon as a team. You go back to that ‘19-20 season where we played really well and played the right way. Prior to the pause, we were one of the best teams in the league. The process was good and the results were good. We were clicking and clearly the last two seasons for various reasons, we just haven’t been able to get back to that level. Certainly, that is our goal.”
It just appears the orange and black have no direction, and the offseason hasn’t even begun yet. Buckle up Flyers fans, you might be in for a bumpy ride. How this will fare is anyone’s guess, but it’s understandable why some fans are at least concerned about the overall state of the franchise moving further.
Yes, this is a lack of direction. Get ready for another 5 year mess just in or out of the playoffs until chuck gets fired. I do think there is more going on here then the speed issue. I just get the feeling connor may want to go to a better place where he can maybe crack a lineup faster and a team who knows what is going on. Given the opportunity, I would test the waters also. To save face, the flyers push out the speed issue so they do not look bad. This would be even worse than the direction problem as now young players may not want to be here anymore. Either way, cf must go. I cannot wait until they draft a defenseman at 5 as they almost have to since they have very little higher end prospects there. It might be the right thing to do but this will enrage some fans. Get ready for jiricek.
I agree with the first part of the headline, but very much disagree with the proof. McClennon is a dime a dozen prospect. The Flyers drafted former NHL goalie Bill Ranford’s nephew Brendan Ranford in 2010, and he put up some eye-popping numbers in the WHL, including a 40 goal, 90+ point campaign, and he did it was the 2nd to last player drafted in 2010. The Flyers didn’t sign him, and he went on to carve out a really nice career in Dallas’ minor league system and Europe, culminating in an NHL call up for a game in 2014-15. This feels very similar. Great hands, knows where to go to score, but he just can’t get there against high level defenders.
Again, I agree that the Flyers are sailing a rudderless ship led by a GM who’s best playoff performance in his 15 year career was the Flyers in the bubble, winning 3 games in the 2nd round. He’s got to go, but this move isn’t why.