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2015 Draft Day 2: Trade to Clear Cap Space, Draft Pick Analysis |
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FLYERS MAKE CAP-SPACE CLEARING TRADE WITH ARIZONA
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2015 NHL Draft, the Flyers announced a trade with the Arizona Coyotes: the team sent defenseman Nicklas Grossmann, the contract of Chris Pronger in exchange for 25-year-old forward Sam Gagner and a conditional draft pick (fourth round in 2016 or third round in 2017 at the Coyotes' choice).
The primary reason for this trade is to clear cap space for Philadelphia and to help the Coyotes reach the salary cap floor. In the trade, the Flyers shed roughly $8.5 million in cap space while taking on $3.3 million of Gagner's contract, for a total of about $5.2 million of cap relief.
"Our cap is still not totally cleaned up, but we’re a lot closer now," said Hextall.
While Gagner would be a viable option for second-line duty, it is far from a certainty that the Flyers will keep him. The player, who has one year left on his contract, also could end up being bought out or traded again. Asked several times whether Gagner would be retained, Hextall was noncommittal.
"I have meetings on Monday with the [pro scouts], we’ll think about all our options all day tomorrow, meet with the [pro scouts] on Monday and Tuesday, and make decisions that we see moving forward," said Hextall.
"Make no mistake, we’re still up against it. This doesn’t get us out of the problems, but we’re closer, and we’ll see what we can do moving forward here. Like I said, we’ve got to regroup, sit down, look at the numbers and go over our options, and we’ll try and figure some things out."
Hextall also expressed regret in being compelled for cap reasons to trade Grossmann; a player maligned by a vocal segment of the fan base but staunchly defended by teammates and now-former coach Craig Berube as someone with much greater value to the team than puck-possession stats suggested.
"One thing I want to say publicly -- Nick Grossmann is a hard guy to trade. He’s a warrior, he plays hurt, he plays hard every night, and he did a great job for the Philadelphia Flyers over the last few years. First and foremost I’d like to thank Nick for what he did for our organization and wish him the best," said Hextall.
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FLYERS STOCK UP ON GOALTENDERS ON SECOND DAY OF NHL DRAFT
Heading into the 2015 Draft, Flyers scouting director Chris Pryor said that he was optimistic that the club had enough draft picks at their disposal throughout the draft to address the dearth of prospect-aged goaltenders in the development system. Sure enough, the Flyers used three of their seven picks on the second day of the Draft -- including a pair of third-round selections to take goaltenders. The other picks were focused on various combinations of speed, character and/or competitiveness.
Here are thumbnail sketches of the Flyers' second-day picks:
3rd round (70th overall): Felix Sandström, G, Brynäs J20 (SuperElit), 6-2, 191 lbs.
Born: January 12, 1997 in Gavle, Sweden (age 18).
Rankings: 3rd on Central Scouting European goaltender list, 48th overall by Craig Button, 48th overall McKeens, 98th overall THN.
Scouting report: Sandström, who appeared in two SHL games for Brynäs IF's senior team, was set back this past season by injuries and a bout with mononucleosis. He is mechanically sound, if a bit deep in his net, covers well down low but is a bit vulnerable up high, especially on the blocker side. A good natural athlete who is a plus skater. However, he needs to get quicker on getting up when he butterflies and get over faster on wraparounds. He did not have a particularly good Under-18 Worlds. The Hockey News felt he may be a bit too laid back, but others praise his composure. Felix's twin brother, Simon, is a defenseman in Brynäs' junior system.
3rd round (90th overall) – Matej Tomek, G, Topeka (NAHL), 6-2, 180 lbs
Born May 24, 1997 in Bratislava, Slovakia (age 18).
Rankings: Fifth on Central Scouting North American goaltender list, 61st overall by THN, 62nd overall by THN/Bob McKenzie, 90th overall by McKeen's, #1 goaltender by Red Line Report.
Scouting Report: As an incoming freshman to the University of North Dakota who was recruited by Dave Hakstol prior to his departure to accept the Flyers' head coaching job, this was a player who figured ahead of the Draft to be one of the goaltenders on Philadelphia's organizational radar screen. Dealt with a leg injury in October that sidelined him for a month, and came back strong. The Slovak had a very good season in the NAHL for Topeka, winning the league's award for top goaltender, but faded a bit late in the campaign. Quick feet and an economy of motion are his best assets at this age, according to Hakstol and scouts.
4th round (98th overall) – Samuel Dove-McFalls, LW, Saint John (QMJHL), 6-2, 207 lbs.
Born April 10, 1997 in Montreal, Quebec (age 18).
Rankings: 70th on Central Scouting North American list, 100th overall McKeens.
Scouting Report: A gritty and physical forward with good hockey sense. Formerly the captain of the Lac St. Louis Tigres and now an assistant captain for St. John. Played on his team's top penalty killing unit, but did not get power play time. Still managed 14 goals and 34 points in 66 games to go along with 73 penalty minutes. Dove-McFalls is not afraid to throw his weight around and strong along the boards. There were still some power forwards on the board -- such as Swedish forward Filip Ahl, who went 107th overall to Ottawa -- with more natural scoring upside but Dove-McFalls has a more defined role to play if he eventually makes it the NHL; that of a big, strong bottom six winger who creates room and has some penalty killing upside. Dove-McFalls played one season of junior hockey in Germany during the 2011-12 campaign, while his family resided in the country.
4th round (104th overall) – Mikhail Vorobyov, C, Tolpar Ufa (MHL), 6-2, 198 lbs.
Born January 5, 1997 in Ufa, Russia (age 18).
Rankings: 24th on Central Scouting European skater list, 70th McKeens.
Note: The Flyers originally held the 99th overall pick but traded down five spots with Los Angeles in exchange for also picking up an extra 6th round pick in 2016.
Scouting Report: A defensively aware forward who earned a spot on Russia's U18 World Championship roster and posted four points (one goal, three assists in five games) in addition to playing well away from the puck. A good playmaker in the Russian junior league. Big and physically strong but scouts believe his skating needs improvement. His KHL rights belong to Salvat Yulaev Ufa. As I noted in a previous blog, the "KHL Factor" has become a much lesser concern for NHL teams over the past year because of a downturn in the Russian economy -- which has affected the KHL and its affiliated feeder leagues -- as well as an impending transfer agreement between the NHL and Russian Hockey Federation.
5th round (128th overall) – David Kase, C/LW, KLH Chomutov (Czech Republic 2nd Div.), 5-10, 170 lbs.
Born January 28, 1997 in Kadan, Czech Republic (age 18).
Rankings: 11th on Central Scouting European list, 68th overall by THN, 69th overall by Craig Button, 73rd overall by McKeen's, 76th overall by ISS.
Scouting Report: Speedy little heart-and-soul player, who captained the Czech national U18 team. He dominated at the Czech Under-20 level against a low grade of competition so he was promoted full-time to the senior team at the men's minor league level. Clever with the puck and has good hands. Battles hard and is unafraid of getting hit to make a play but lack of size and strength work against him in puck battles and the defensive zone. He is versatile enough to play any forward position. In some ways, he is cut from a similar cloth to 24th overall pick Travis Konechny. David's brother, Ondrej, was selected 205th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2014. Their father, Robert, is a former pro minor-league player who served as head coach of Chomutov’s junior team in 2014-15.
6th round (158th overall) – Cooper Marody, RW, Sioux Falls (USHL), 6-0, 176 lbs.
Born Dec. 20, 1996 in Brighton, MI (age 18).
Rankings: 53rd on Central Scouting North American list, 83rd overall by ISS, post Top 120 honorable mention by McKeen's.
Scouting Report: Another speedster, Marody was a standout prep school player at St. Mary's Prep and went on to post 49 points in 38 games for Sioux Falls in 2014-15 after starting the season with Muskegon. He was named to the 2015 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Marody is committed to the University of Michigan, where he will play his freshman season in 2015-16. He is said to have a strong work ethic and has shown himself to be a difference maker at the USHL level. Need to add considerable strength to a currently scrawny frame.
7th round (188th overall) – Ivan Fedotov, G, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk (MHL), 6-6, 192 lbs.
Born November 28, 1996 in St. Petersburg, Russia (age 18).
Rankings: None
Scouting report: Appeared in one KHL game for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, having a rough time in a blowout loss. The trend in recent years has been toward bigger and bigger goalies and Fedotov stands a shade over 6-foot-6. This late-draft selection was a low-risk gamble that he could turn into something of value down the road. Fedotov has no international experience but performed well at the MHL level in the regular season before a rough playoffs.
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KONECNY WINS INAUGURAL MCGUIRE AWARD
Flyers first-round pick Travis Konecny was honored on Saturday by NHL Central Scouting with the first annual E.J. McGuire McGuire Award of Excellence.
Named in honor of the late Flyers assistant coach who went on head Central Scouting for seven years before his untimely death, the award will go to one draft-eligible prospect who best represents "commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism."
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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