With the new regime in Keith Jones and Danny Briere now in full tilt. They are hunting in on fixing the issues on the player developmental side, and that was quite evident with the two new hires in John LeClair and Patrick Sharp as senior advisors to the General Manager.
Both former Flyers obviously know what it takes to succeed at the NHL level. Sharp was counted out by many, and eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. Fortunately, for him as a player even on the win three Stanley Cups. LeClair, may not have won a Cup in Philadelphia, but he went on to become a 50 plus goal scorer at times. Could he have achieved those heights with the Montreal Canadiens?
The Flyers are infusing this team with former Flyers, as they are trying to become relevant again, “You want to rely on your own experiences a lot,” LeClair said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play in a lot of different situations, between international stuff, world juniors, different levels as far as being a fourth-liner, being scratched, to being on the first power play and a go-to guy in the lineup.”
LeClair continues, “That’s one of those things that I think helps me when talking to a guy. I’ve been on all sides of the game. I know what it’s like to get scratched, I know what it’s like when the coach benches you. Those are things that you can kind of help these guys through. Everybody has ups and downs. There are ruts that everybody goes through. You try to guide them and help them get through those the best they can. It seems like it’s gone a little bit away from the culture that we had, that excitement in the building (Former Flyers). Just that family feel that we had, back when the Flyers were one of the top teams in the NHL. And that’s what we want to get back in a big way.”
Player Development has been an issue with the flyers for the past few seasons at least, especially with grooming home grown defensemen. It just appears every single season the orange and black are trying to plug a whole via free agency or trade for a defenseman. This is an issue, and the hierarchy of the orange and black notice this, and obviously know it, “I believe that every winning team starts with a great culture, a great core group of players and a strong development system,” Sharp said.
Sharp continued, “My experience, not only with the Flyers, but most importantly with the Phantoms, is something that I’m looking to pass on to our guys now. That’s what I’m excited to work with here in Philadelphia, is helping some of our young prospects take that next step and be great Flyers down the road.”
LeClair thinks player development is going to be a big part of his job and a big focus of the organization moving forward, “Things aren’t good enough right now,” said LeClair.
Patrick Sharp expects his role to be in player development and developing prospects. He said he expects that to be be a key part of his job.These are with Lehigh Valley Phantoms prospects, as well as, NCAA, possibly even the Reading Royals. Sharp still lives on the East coast, so it is possible to see all these prospects.
“At age 20, I needed to learn a lot about living on my own away from the rink, I needed to learn a lot about being a professional, how to compete more consistently,” Sharp said. “Those are things that I did learn over parts of three seasons, including one full season during the NHL lockout in 2005 when the Phantoms ultimately won the Calder Cup championship.”
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The Flyers saw that Player Development was an issue, and they’re trying to rectify the situation. Bear in mind, Rome wasn’t built in a day. A little bit of time is required to see if these moves pay off in the end.
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