Photo Courtesy of Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Everyone knows the Flyers are going to miss the playoffs. The team blows leads night in and night out. The roster is old and too dependent on Cam Atkinson and Kevin Hayes. Both are good players and play in every situation, but the team as a whole just can’t get it done. To sum it up, they aren’t giving their fans a reason to watch. The fans should keep tuning in anyway, here’s why.
So far, the Flyers have had Felix Sandstrom, Linus Sandin, Hayden Hodgson, Isaac Ratcliffe, and Max Willman all make their NHL debuts. Tonight, Noah Cates will join that group. Cates has been signed to his entry-level deal and has reported directly to the Flyers. Of this group, it’s not yet clear who has a legitimate chance to stick around in the league. Some more prospects that are more known and have more talent than those previously mentioned are on their way as well. Ronnie Attard has also signed his entry-level deal, though the club has not announced it yet. Wade Allison confirmed that on his Instagram when Attard shared a post of him signing the ELC. The belief is that he will also report directly to the Flyers and make his NHL debut very soon. Bobby Brink, the Flyers’ second-round draft choice in 2019, will also be signed to his entry-level deal. Brink has generated excitement among Flyers fans as he led the NCAA in scoring as a Junior at Division I University of Denver. Brink racked up 56 points in 39 games. He tallied 14 goals and 42 assists. On an 82-game pace, that would be 29 goals and 88 assists. Obviously, the NHL is a MUCH different league than NCAA, but having a prospect put together this strong of a season is exciting. He should be able to play in about 10-15 NHL games before having a chance to crack the Opening Night roster for next season.
After those three, Allison is finding the back of the net consistently at Lehigh Valley. The Flyers’ main concern with Allison is his injury history. Allison has had a brutal start to his pro career and playing games has to be the priority. If Allison doesn’t see the NHL until next year, it’s hard to fault the Flyers. Everyone is dying to get a look at him and they still have a call-up left, so it might happen. It just seems unlikely now that they would recall him, using their final one, and not get a chance to see one of their younger defensemen like Wyatt Wylie or Yegor Zamula. Allison will ultimately have a chance to make the team out of camp next season, assuming he has a healthy summer and can finish out the Phantoms’ season on the ice and not in the press box.
Looking at the goaltending side of the Flyers’ prospects, Ivan Fedotov, a 25-year-old from Russia has been lighting up the KHL. Fedotov was Russia’s top goalie in the Olympics and helped earn Russia a silver medal. In the KHL playoffs, Fedotov is currently 8-0-0 with a .942 SV% and a 1.64 GAA. The KHL is no joke either. Fedotov is playing against the best players in Russia and absolutely dominating them. He could end up coming in to back up Carter Hart next season.
Owen Tippett, the centerpiece of the Giroux trade, has played really well so far since the trade. He hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet much as he only has an assist in five games but the numbers will come.
Joel Farabee, a winger, has become the Flyers’ top-line center for the time being. It is definitely an outside-the-box idea, but at this point with Farabee playing well lately, why not try it? If he can actually end up sticking at center in the future, the Flyers have an elite young center who creates a lot of offense. Farabee has also come into a leadership role in the locker room. I would not be surprised if he had an “A” on his sweater next season.
Another young center, Morgan Frost, has started to play well. Frost has had a wild adventure of a season. Frost started the season in the AHL after a disappointing camp and has been up and down for the entire season. Now, he is here for the rest of the season. Knowing that he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder anymore, he is starting to produce. The assist on Travis Sanheim’s goal in Nashville on Sunday was the result of a skilled player that was playing with confidence.
Carter Hart is still young but he is playing much better this season than he was last. Hart has bounced back in a big way this season, raising his SV% to .909 and keeping his GAA at 3.04. Last season, Hart’s SV% was .877 and he had a GAA of 3.67. The defense has definitely not helped him again this season but he looks as if he can overcome that for the most part now. Bringing in Fedotov would be good for Hart because he has had a veteran backup for almost his entire NHL career. It was Brian Elliott for a long time, now it’s Martin Jones. Bringing in a rookie would give Hart the confidence to step up and realize he’s on his own. He doesn’t have much more to learn and anything he does have to learn, he can figure out on his own.
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