Will the real Flyers please stand up? Hockey can’t come soon enough, as the dog days are Summer are here. It’s hot outside but Flyers fans look to cool off next month at the Flyers Skate Zone when Rookie Camp and Training Camp begins. Without further delay, here are our answers to your questions.
The Flyers would be in a pickle if Ivan Provorov decided to holdout. Both sides are still not near a deal at the moment. Provorov would not be easy to replace this coming season. We’re talking about a young player that averaged 25:07 ATOI last season. The next closest defenseman on the Flyers current roster to the ATOI of Provorov is Matt Niskanen. Niskanen averaged 21:56 in ATOI last season, followed by Justin Braun with 20:18 ATOI, and lastly Travis Sanheim with 19:34 ATOI.
Although I firmly believe Provorov will re-sign with the Flyers right before training camp begins, I would not be shocked at all if Provorov decides to holdout. Moreover, Chuck Fletcher may be hesitant to pull the trigger on a trade involving a defenseman (Robert Hagg), until the Provorov situation is rectified. If Provorov held out, the D pairings could look like this:
Sanheim, Niskanen
Ghost, Braun
Morin, Myers
Hagg
Fletcher is done wheeling and dealing for now. With the Provorov situation still unsettled, the Flyers can ill-afford to trade a defenseman, just in case Provorov does in fact hold out. Also, it would take a lot more than that to get “Johnny Hockey” here.
The defensive pairs may look like this (assuming Provorov re-signs):
Provorov, Niskanen
Ghost, Braun
Sanheim, Myers
Morin
I could see Ghost being paired with Myers, as a vet in Ghost could aide the young Myers. However, Sanheim is a very good defenseman. I wouldn’t be shocked by any means to see Sanheim being paired with Braun, and Ghost being paired with Myers to start the season. There will be a lot of interesting battles going on throughout training camp this year.
Morin would be the 7th defencemen in case of injury or whatnot, as he is no longer waiver exempt. That is if the Flyers don’t carry eight defensemen. If Provy holds out the pairings could look like:
Sanheim, Niskanen
Ghost, Braun
Morin, Myers
Hagg
David W (@djw2112)– When the hell are TK and Ivan the Terrible signing Ks? (Ivan is not terrible … just an ill-fated attempt at humor given the situation.) #FlyersMail
Although, I firmly believe Provorov will re-sign with the Flyers right before training camp begins. I would not be shocked at all if Provorov decides to holdout. The two sides are currently not near a deal, as Zach Werenski (the comparable to Provorov) has not re-signed with Columbus. Who will budge first is the question we have to ask ourselves at the moment.
Konecny and the Flyers continue to talk to one another. They are much closer to a deal than Provorov is with the Flyers. I expect Konecny to re-sign by the latest the end of the month of August, right before training camp begins on September 13th.
Carsen Twarynski had a heck of a training camp last Fall. He was eventually sent down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms as he wasn’t completely NHL ready. Twarynski is more of an energy type player. However, he potted some big goals (10 on the season) for the Phantoms. It became apparent that Twarynski knows how to put the biscuit in the basket. Unfortunately, Twarynski didn’t do it consistently enough last season to warrant a possible roster spot this Fall with the Flyers. Twarynski scored in bunches, and then he would be unheard of from time to time. He needs at least one more season with the Phantoms to prove to the top brass that he’s NHL ready. Honestly, if Twarynski puts forth a good training camp in 2020, then he could realistically make the big club for the 2020-21 season.
Cam York- At Developmental Cam York said to me, “I’ve heard about the comparisons with Gritty (Laughing). He is a beau, he is beautiful.“
Samuel Ersson- Ersson is a pretty comical guy. He appeared to be very relaxed at Developmental Camp, “I like to have fun though,” Ersson said, “I love Swedish Rap- Yung Lean, Mwuana (Laughing)…love it.” For a second there, Ersson was reciting some songs, but I was laughing and just having a good time, that I couldn’t make out the words he was saying.
Wayne Simmonds- At training camp in 2017 Simmonds said to me, “If I don’t get to take my afternoon nap, it might put me in a bad mood.”
Dale Weise- After day one of training camp in 2017, Weise came into the locker room hollering, “Woooooooooooooo, feel the burn, Let’s gooooo, wooooo.”
Nolan Patrick- Patrick would sing Lionel Richie’s hit song “All Night Long,” from January on, after some wins last season.
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: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
