Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Weekly Mailbag: Will we see a shocking trade before the deadline?

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What a week it was. Welcome backkkkk, “Your very own Philadelphia Flyers,” as the great Lou Nolan states. The orange and black have now extended their winning streak to six games on the backs of some great Goaltending by Carter Hart and Anthony Stolarz.

Does this season have the feeling of the past few years where the Flyers struggled through the first half of the season, and went on a tear late to make (2017-18) and nearly miss the Playoffs (2016-17)? We shall see how the rest of the season plays out, but for now, things are looking bright in Flyerland. Without further delay, here are our answers to your questions.

I think Wayne Simmonds, Radko Gudas, and Michael Raffl get traded by the trade deadline. We cannot rule out a possibility of Simmonds resigning, but I believe the market will be hot for Simmonds. Too hot to pass up in my opinion.

Raffl is a versatile player that can play both Center and Wing, who can also play the PK. These versatile players are high commodities near the deadline for those contending teams that need help with their special teams. Raffl would be a rental for a contender, as he is a free agent at year’s end.

Elliott may become a trade chip at the deadline for Fletcher for teams like the Calgary Flames, who may be looking for a Goaltender with playoff experience. Plus, Elliott is familiar with their system. Moreover, Elliott may still have a year or two left in the tank. He will not command much money to resign at year’s end, thus making him even more ideal to be traded. Let’s see how this plays out in the coming weeks.

Defencemen are always attractive this time of year, leading up to the trade deadline. Fletcher has stated he will approach this deadline beyond the scope of this season. With that in mind next year there is a log jam at the Defensive position with the likes of Samuel Morin, Philippe Myers, and Mark Friedman all vying for NHL spots.

Morin is expected to return in February, to which he will have a conditioning stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. When he returns to the big club, the Flyers will have to make a decision on who stays and who goes in terms of Defense. It’s just much easier to trade a player that will be targeted by contenders, so the Flyers could get some valuable assets in return, but free up a spot in the same token for Morin.

Next Year the Flyers will look a little different…A facelift is in the works. Here’s how I think thing shape up…

G, Coots, Konecny

JVR, Patrick, Panarin

Lindblom, Frost, Voracek

Laughton, Vorobyev, NAK

I think Dale Weise gets bought out, as opposed to Andrew MacDonald. Weise has created himself quite the situation. I think Simmonds will be traded at the trade deadline, along with Raffl, as well. Moreover, I believe to start the season off. the Flyers will save the wear and tear on Giroux by sliding Morgan Frost in as a 3C.

Defense:

Provorov, Sanheim

xxxx, Ghost

Morin/Hagg, Myers

(Extra) Morin/Hagg

Goalies:

Hart

? (Backup)

Who will be Carter Hart’s mentor? I cannot answer that right now, but there are some quality Goaltenders that the Flyers could scoop up via free agency. What the orange and black have to do the rest of this season is give Anthony Stolarz a shot to be Hart’s backup the rest of the season. The Flyers have to find out what they have in Stolarz, as he’s a free agent at year’s end. They have to figure out if he can be Hart’s backup next season before he possibly walks to another team.

Here are some Goaltending options via free agency:

Semyon Varlamov

Sergei Bobrovsky

Jimmy Howard

Anders Nilsson

Cam Talbot

Robin Lehner

OZ thank you for your support. Without you this site doesn’t exist.

Christian Folin has been a really solid signing by Hextall. At times he has struggled, however, at times he’s been really good, as well. Due to the logjam at the Defensive position with Philippe Myers, and maybe Mark Friedman possibly making the jump to the big club. I just don’t foresee the Flyers resigning him. Here’s how the Defense could look next season:

Provorov, Sanheim

xxxx (FA/Trade), Ghost

Morin/Hagg, Myers

I think MacDonald will be waived and sent to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. I could possibly see Morin or Hagg being the seventh Defenseman. Fletcher has indicated he would like to add a top 4 Dman, whether if it’s by the deadline or possibly in the off-season. In my opinion, Myers should not be thrown into a top 4 role right away. Let the young man ease his way into the NHL, and earn that top 4 pairing.

Craig thanks for your support. Without you this site doesn’t exist.

Scott Gordon has done a phenomenal job, and I love the guy. He’s an easy guy to root for and gives in-depth answers when you ask him a question. Gordon is passionate about the game, and I think he will find another head coaching position elsewhere. However, a Coach like Coach Q may not come around again. It’s a tough choice, but I will take Coach Q in the end. Coaches like this only come around once in a lifetime. Quenneville is a proven Stanley Cup winning coach. If I’m the Flyers I pay the man and move on.

Lindblom has been on a tear as of late tallying 5 points in his last six games played (3g, 2a). This is the type of production I expected out of him before the season began. He really has benefitted from not being stuck on the fourth line. I expect him to continue his surge in the coming weeks, as well.

Daniel thanks for your support. We wouldn’t be here without your support.

I think Fletcher deep down inside knows that this may be a lost season, regardless of the fact they remain red-hot. When Fletcher mentioned last Monday that he’s approaching this trade deadline beyond the scope of this season. Honestly, that means in my eyes he knows it’s unlikely they make the Playoffs.

Fletcher, in my opinion, knows who he wants to move at the trade deadline, Simmonds included. I think Fletcher wants to give some of the kids a shot to see what they got, and this starts by getting rid of players that are blocking them from doing such. Moreover, moving players that are not part of the future. Now let’s hope Fletcher works some magic, and this includes the Goaltending conundrum the Flyers will be faced with when Elliott returns in 2 weeks.

Tim thanks for your support. We wouldn’t be here without your support today.

Scott Gordon has done a phenomenal job, and I love the guy. He’s an easy guy to root for and gives in-depth answers when you ask him a question. Gordon is passionate about the game, and I think he will find another head coaching position elsewhere. However, a Coach like Coach Q may not come around again. It’s a tough choice, but I will take Coach Q in the end. Coaches like this only come around once in a lifetime. Quenneville is a proven Stanley Cup winning coach. If I’m the Flyers I pay the man, and move on.

 

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It’s tough, it’s tough. Gordon has done a phenomenal job given the circumstances. For that, I appreciate him that much more, but this is a business with a three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach waiting in the Wings. Q would be hard to pass up.

Misti thanks so much for your support. Without you, we don’t exist today.

https://twitter.com/NAARobertWilson/status/1090687227842232326?s=19

The Flyers will have approximately $30 million in cap space, but keep in mind they have to resign Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov, Scott Laughton, and possibly Anthony Stolarz. Here’s what the team could look like next season:

G, Coots, Konecny

JVR, Patrick, Panarin

Lindblom, Frost, Voracek

Laughton, Vorobyev, NAK

Defense:

Provorov, Sanheim

xxxx (FA/Trade), Ghost

Morin/Hagg, Myers

Goalies:

Hart (Starter)

Stolie/ FA acquisition

Rob thanks a lot for your support. Without your support we don’t exist today.

I do not believe the Flyers will obtain Artemi Panarin at the trade deadline. However, I could see the orange and black being all in on his services in the off-season. The Flyers will be major players for players like Panarin or Mark Stone.

Realistically, I could see the Columbus Blue Jackets keeping Panarin past the deadline. If we look at the standings the Blue Jackets currently hold the 8th seed of the Eastern Conference with 59 points. However, they currently sit 4 points out of first place, and 1 point out of second place. The Blue Jackets may be all in on making a run, thus trading players like Panarin or Sergei Bobrovsky become more difficult to do. Do you build for the future although you’re in playoff contention, or possibly sacrifice playoff contention while building towards the future with these two huge pending UFA’s? It’s a tough call for the General Manager. I’m going with my gut here and saying that Panarin won’t be moved by the deadline.

Nathanael thanks for your support. Without you, this site doesn’t exist.

I like Stolarz, and I would like nothing more than for him to backup Hart the rest of this season. We have to figure out what we have in Stolarz, as he’s a UFA at the end of the season. He could backup Hart next year if this tandem succeeds the rest of the season. This would give Fletcher flexibility to devote attention elsewhere in the lineup.

It’s hard to say if Stolarz will even be a part of this team in 2020-21, when the expansion draft is supposed to take place. Let’s see what happens the rest of the year, and in the off-season. I am a Stolarz supporter, and I also believe in the Hart/Stolarz tandem moving forward.

Mr. Nice Guy your support is great. Without you this site doesn’t exist today.

I think Hart will not play in many back to backs. I could see Hart playing in a ballpark of 7-9 contests during this brutal stretch run. The Flyers do not want to risk their future with overplaying him. Fortunately, the Flyers have a good stable tandem with Hart/Stolarz right now.

The question remains – what to do with Brian Elliott when he returns? I could see the Flyers loaning him to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for a conditioning stint, thus giving Fletcher more time to possibly make a move The other possibility is just running with three goalies for the time being. Of course, the hope would be moving Elliott to a playoff contender , as goalies become high commodities at the trade deadline. Elliott may become a trade chip at the deadline for Fletcher for teams like the Calgary Flames, who may be looking for a Goaltender with playoff experience. Plus, Elliott is familiar with their system. Moreover, Elliott may still have a year or two left in the tank. He will not command much money to resign at year’s end, thus making him even more ideal to be traded. Let’s see how this plays out in the coming weeks.

Cliff thanks for your support. Without you, this site doesn’t exist.

If you would like to see your questions submitted in our weekly mailbag. Just submit your question on our Facebook page or on Twitter using #Flyersmail. Thanks to all the fans for another great mailbag, and Let’s go Flyers. Without your support, we wouldn’t be here today.

 

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

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