Things that other NHL teams do that make sense, and that the Flyers should try (Part 1) 

Photo Credit: Selkirkcone.com

Let’s face it- the Flyers are in no better position now than they were in 2014 when they promoted Ron Hextall to the rank of general manager. During their time in Philadelphia, neither Hextall or Fletcher were/have been able to bring in that one player with elite-level talent via the draft or free agency that could change this franchise’s outlook. While both made some good moves during their time in the City of Brotherly Love, their mistakes have overshadowed their accomplishments. Hextall and Fletcher both battled to get their team out of cap purgatory only to put them right back in it with questionable signings of both other teams’ unrestricted free agents and their own that they seemed to overpay dearly for. They both have fired good coaches to replace them with worse. We all know that these comparisons could go on forever, but I think you get the point. With management making all the major moves (referred to above) over the years, the Flyers still currently find themselves in last place in the Metropolitan Division and are considered one of the worst teams in the entire league. Something has to change! As made evident by the team’s fanbase and their dwindling attendance at the Wells Fargo Center as of late, they are showing that they are beyond fed up with the same old song and dance year in and year out from this team. No matter who has been behind the bench or making personal decisions over the years, the franchise has still followed the same practices of their predecessors; showing a resistance to alter their ways over the past 55 years as the league continues to change around them. Therefore, let us help them by looking at few things (in this, the first of many articles to follow in a series) that takes a look at what other teams currently do around the league that just make sense and that the Flyers should maybe try. 

Gathering Youth

The Los Angeles Kings make it a point to, early after being drafted, gather all of their top prospects in one place so that they can both grow and play together. Having all of their up-and-coming stars right in their own back yard of Ontario, California (which is just over an hour away from LA) lets the Kings management and coaching staff be more involved and keep a closer eye on their prospects’ development instead of the alternate- drafting a player just to rely on some coach halfway across the world to build and shape their future for the next couple of years. Player development has been a problem for Philadelphia for years now. Countless draft picks made by the Flyers that seem to (at the time) be promising, later fizzle out once they reach the professional ranks. Yes, the Flyers’ minor league coaching staff needs to be addressed but it’s not the only problem here. The Kings have been rebuilding/retooling (whatever you want to call it) for some time now and it’s starting to pay off. LA currently finds themselves ranked second in the Pacific Division and it’s largely because of their youth movement, all of whom have spent extended periods of time playing together in Ontario with the team’s American Hockey League (AHL)-affiliate, the Regin. The prospects’ success is made that much easier once reaching the NHL because of familiarity, both with the team’s systems and other players on the roster. Think about it: Your best young players- all playing and winning together in one place. This is as opposed to being spread out throughout the world and dominating in leagues less challenging than the AHL with players that that they will likely never play with again.  Instead, when you follow the Kings’ logic and have them just rejoin former teammates once they to reach the NHL ranks, the chances for success have to go up. There’s no new system to learn, no coaching surprises or culture shocks. You can equate it to peewees playing together through midgets: They are able to build lasting chemistry together.

The Kings have already seen 2020 1^st-round pick Quinton Byfield, 2019 1^st-round pick Tobias Bjonfoot, and 2019’s 2^nd-round pick Arthur Kaliyev be called up from the Regin and never look back. But even with those players advancing on from Ontario, the Regin still find themselves ranked 2^nd in the Pacific Division totaling 70 points on the season thus far and averaging a 0.729% win percentage. That’s largely because of the amount of talent the team still possesses. Players like 2020 1^st-round pick defenseman Helge Grans, 2019’s 1^st-round pick Alex Turcotte, 2^nd-round pick Samuel Fagemo, 4^th-round pick Jordan Spence, 2018 1^st-round pick Rasmus Kupari, 2^nd-round pick Akil Thomas, 2017’s 1^st-round pick Gabriel Vilardi, and 2^{nd –}round pick Jaret Anderson-Dolan all currently play together for the Regin. 

Now let’s compare that to where the Phantoms are currently in the standings and where their top prospects are currently playing. Lehigh Valley is in last place in the Atlantic Division with just 46 points to their credit on the season leaving them with a depressing 0.451% win percentage. As far as who is playing for them, they have: 2020’s 1^st-round pick Tyson Foerster, 2019’s 1^st-round pick Cameron York, 2017’s-Morgan Frost, and 2016’s 1^st-round pick German Rubtsov. Do you see a trend? After being seen and drafted as top prospects at the time German Rubtsov, Morgan Frost, and Cam York all spent two seasons playing in either the Canadian Junior Leagues or in the NCAA before joining the franchise that drafted them. While this may be okay for later-round draft picks, it should not be for a team’s 1^st-round pick. The Flyers need to hire the kind of talented young coach that can develop their top prospects so that they don’t have to be so reliant on others to do so. German Rubtsov has been in the team’s system for 6 years- Morgan Frost for 5 years now- and what does each have to show for it? A couple of failed call-up opportunities due to other players’ injuries? Even then, they could not produce well enough to stay in the lineup. The team’s 2017 2^nd-round pick- a former 50-goal scorer in juniors, Isaac Ratcliffe, is only now starting to prosper a little in the NHL after spending parts of four seasons playing for the Phantoms. Still, Ratcliffe is currently playing on Philadelphia’s fourth line and that’s not necessarily because of his offensive production with him scoring just one goal in ten games played for the Flyers: It’s more so because his colossal frame of 6’6 and 201 pounds that helps him to win board and puck battles. But might it have been a different outcome for him, and the rest mentioned, if the organization signed and brought in some of their other prospects to play with them? 

The Flyers 2021 2^nd-round pick Samu Tuomaala was sent back to the Liiga (Finland’s top pro league) after just two games played in the AHL this year. Their 3^rd round pick from last year (goaltender Aleksei Kolosov) is playing in the KHL this year. Owen McLaughlin (the Flyers’ 2021 7^th-round pick) has been tearing up the USHL this season. Emil Andrae (Philadelphia’s 2020 2^nd-round pick) is playing in the minors in Sweden. Zayde Wisdom (the team’s 2020 4^th round pick) was sent back to the OHL after returning from injury after having had an impressive season for the Phantoms last year due to his league shutting down due to COVID. The Flyers’ 2020 5^th-round pick Elliot Desnoyers looked great in camp this fall, but even though he signed an entry-level contract and could have played for the Phantoms he was instead sent back to the QMJHL to play for the Halifax Mooseheads where- once again- he has looked unchallenged scoring 52 points in just 37 games played thus far (a 1.40 point-per-game average). Same goes for the Flyers’ 6^th-round pick from the same draft, Connor McClennon. After having a great camp, McClennon was not signed and instead forced to go back to play as an over age player in the WHL for the Winnipeg Ice where his 37 goals and 29 assists for 66 points has him currently ranked among the league’s leaders. But what are they gaining from dominating against younger players, besides inflated heads and boosted egos? 

Let’s continue on, shall we?  2019’s 2^nd-round pick Bobby Brink is leading the NCAA in points this season while playing for the University of Denver and is a clear cut favorite to win the Hobey Baker Award (an award given annually to the player that is viewed as the best player in colligate hockey for that season). Ronnie Attard, the Flyers’ 2019 3^rd round pick is a 22-year-old right-hand-shot defenseman who is still unsigned despite both the need for him in the Flyers’ system right now and his scoring at a near point-per-game pace this season. What about 2018’s 1^st round pick Jay O’Brien, who has also been (or has been close to) scoring a point-per-game pace over the last two seasons at Boston University. Why do the Flyers instead choose to both pay and waste a roster spot on a 35-year-old center named Cal O’Reilly, or keep re-signing the same old failed prospects like center Connor Bunnaman- the Flyers’ 2016 4^th round pick that has shown his ceiling is no more than being a NHL-call up guy. These re-signing’s are preventing other, more deserving, players like O’Brien and the Flyers’ 2015 7^th round pick goaltender Ivan Fedotov- who just won silver for Russia at the Olympics, from being able to come over and play in the Flyers system.     

Philadelphia had/has the talent in their system to both compete at the AHL level and provide legitimate call-up options this year for the Flyers when injuries occur but instead their best prospects are playing separately all over the world. Where does this leave the team, you ask? Well, general manager Chuck Fletcher’s most consistent call-up option this year has been a 27-year-old forward named Max Willman, who was a 2014 5^th round pick. Furthermore, since Chuck chose to send all his prospects back to where they came from, he was compelled to go out and claim players like 29-year-old Patrick Brown from the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 25-year-old Zack MacEwen from the Vancouver Canucks, and a 32-year-old defenseman named Kevin Connauton from the Florida Panthers just to fill his roster. 

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For these reasons and more listed above, the Flyers must come out of the stone age and learn to not only trust their youth, but put more emphasis on their development. Devoting more time, money, and resources into their youth will only see their investments propagate and thus recreate a winning atmosphere. The Los Angeles Kings have already laid out the blueprint, all the Flyers have to do to is recreate it.