In this week’s “Flyers Prospects Mailbag” we touch on all sorts of good stuff. We look ahead to the upcoming draft, touch on the goalie situation, and discuss some prospects dealing with injuries this season.
Let’s rock and roll!
This certainly qualifies as a prospect question, my friend. The funny thing about this draft is there are so many ways the prospects might fall after the first two picks. This rings even truer once we reach the middle part of the opening round. There are two names to keep an eye out for if they start to fall down the draft board. I get the feeling that a lot of organizations will be high enough to take Trevor Zegras between the fifth and 10th overall pick, however, you never know what the different organizations are thinking. The same can be said for Alex Turcotte, though he might go closer to where Philadelphia will be selecting. If either of these centers are still on the board, the Flyers must take one. Some more realistic names to keep an eye out for are defensemen Cam York and Thomas Harley, and forwards Raphael Lavoie, Peyton Krebs, Alex Newhook, and Ryan Suzuki.
This is a tough question because both netminders come with a great deal of potential and promise. For now, I have to go with Felix Sandstrom over Samuel Ersson. Playing in the SHL, Sandstrom is facing a higher level of talent and is two years older than Ersson. He is further along in his development and will be given the opportunity to prove himself in North America before Ersson. Expect Sandstrom to primarily share the net with Kirill Ustimenko in Lehigh Valley next season. Once Carter Hart is in a place where he no longer needs a veteran backup, expect Sandstrom to contend for that job.
German Rubtsov unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury after playing just 14 games with the Phantoms this season. The sample size was incredibly small but Rubtsov looked good. Hopefully, he can pick up where he left off next season.
Pascal Laberge just can’t seem to stay healthy enough for anyone to get a real grasp on what kind of player he can be for the Flyers. I believe that Philadelphia is taking a very “let’s see what we have approach” with Laberge. Expectations most likely are not incredibly high and there is no rush to force him into a role he’s not ready for.
Wade Allison would love to hit the reset button 2018-19 season for sure. It was an underwhelming year at a time people were expected to see a major progression in his development. Of course, this was mostly due to health issues. Although I think Allison is ready to sign his ELC, I have this gut feeling that he’s going to return to Western Michigan next year. Personally, I hope he decides to go pro. I think he’s done all the growing he can in college.
Thank you so much to all of the people who provided questions for Flyers Prospects Mailbag! If you missed out this week, keep an eye on Twitter for my next request for your prospect questions.
Mandatory Credit: Photo courtesy of Rena Laverty
