|
Meltzer's Draft Day Musings |
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you to everyone who has emailed or messaged me at Hockeybuzz with questions about the draft.
While it's impossible to say whom the Flyers are targeting if they keep the 21st overall pick, I can tell you that the team absolutely will not draft by position despite numerous articles focusing on the defensemen in the draft. The Flyers are unlikely to get an NHL-ready player, and the organizational depth chart will inevitably change by the time anyone they draft would be ready.
What I can say is that this year's draft crop is above-average: deeper at forward than last year's group and perhaps not as deep in quality defensemen as last year but still better than usual. Goaltending has not been a particular strength of any recent draft, and that trend continues this year. The Flyers will take a goalie at some point in the draft, but I doubt it will be tonight in the first round.
From what I have heard, the Flyers have done their due diligence on possibilities of moving up to the top five in the draft, but the asking price -- at least one club picking near the top wanted Braydon Coburn -- was too high to be a realistic starting point for discussions.
****
Because I cover European hockey for NHL.com, I'm most frequently asked about the European prospects in any given draft. The 2009 group from Sweden is well above-average, but below-average from the other top European hockey nations.
The only non-Swedish Euro who is almost certain to go in the first round is defenseman Dmitri Kulikov (who is ranked on the North American list because he plays in the QMJHL). He's unlikely to be available unless the Flyers move up. Undersized Finnish forward Toni Rajala could go late in the first round because he's a pure offensive talent -- one of the best Finland has produced in awhile -- but he's a home run or strikeout type of prospect.
Among the Swedes, there's a chance the Flyers could go for one of the Skellefteå AIK defensemen in the draft (offensive-minded David Rundblad or the "safer" Tim Erixon), Djurgården two-way center Jacob Josefson (one of the safest picks in the draft but someone who is unlikely to be more than a good third liner in the NHL) and Frölunda wing prospect Carl Klingberg (a youngster with similar physical attributes to Mikael Renberg).
****
Several local beat writers noted in their columns today that tonight's draft marks just the third time the Flyers have had the 21st overall pick. Their previous picks were Mike Stothers in 1980 and Glen Seabrooke in 1985.
Stothers, who later became an assistant coach with the team, turned out to be a borderline NHL defenseman. He probably could have played more NHL games in a weaker organization, but was pretty much a meat-and-potatoes type who didn't stand out in any particular area.
Seabrooke's career ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury that never healed. He later sued the Flyers' team doctor -- Dr. John Gregg -- and collected a lot of money.
What was misleading about some of the articles was the implication that picking 21st makes it unlikely to find a future NHL mainstay. While the 21st pick itself may not have produced many stars in the last decade, plenty of quality players have been selected in that vicinity. One need only look at Simon Gagne (22nd overall in 1998) and Mike Richards (24th overall in 2003) for proof.
*****
Deposed goaltending coach Reggie Lemelin has taken a lot of heat in recent years on message-board circles.
I understand the source of the frustration: If head coaches and other assistant coaches are held accountable for the on-ice success (or lack thereof) of their charges, then why did Lemelin get a "free pass" for 14 years while the Flyers goaltenders rarely seemed to improve under his tutelage by any appreciable level on the ice?
The answer: The Flyers head coaches and goalies, almost to a man, liked working with Lemelin. He made himself available, he took his job seriously and he wasn't someone who got caught up in politics or power struggles.
His approach was really not markedly different from that of Bernie Parent, except that Bernie generally had a higher caliber of goalies (Pete Peeters, Pelle Lindbergh, Bob Froese, a young Ron Hextall) with whom to work. Both Parent and Lemelin tried to work within the goalies comfort zone and focus on the positive. If they noticed a technical flaw, they'd pass it along but they didn't believe in trying to change the style of a particular goaltender.
After this past season, Paul Holmgren made a choice to shake things up a little bit. A younger coach (most likely the 43-year-old Jeff Reese) could bring some fresh ideas to the post. But anyone who blames the Flyers goaltending carousel on Reggie Lemelin, should look elsewhere.
The problem has been that most of the goalies with whom the goaltending coach has had to work have not been of quite the same caliber as most of the ones who've won Stanley Cups in other NHL cities.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»