MELTZER'S MUSINGS: MARCH 2, 2016
1) After taking a complete off day on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers (29-22-11) return to practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ, in preparation to play the Edmonton Oilers (24-34-7) on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Practice starts at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Flyers got some help in the playoff chase on Tuesday as the Pittsburgh Penguins fell 3-2 in regulation to the Washington Capitals. As a result, the Flyers remain three points out of the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with both Philly and Pittsburgh having 20 games left to play -- including head-to-head clashes on March 19 in Philadelphia, April 3 in Pittsburgh and April 9 back in Philly again.
2) In hockey, it's always wise to avoid jumping to conclusions based on a small sample size of games. It's premature to say that Scott Laughton's long-term home at the NHL level will be as a winger rather at center. What is fair to say is that he seems to be thriving on the switch so far and enjoying the ability to use his speed up ice.
Thus far, Laughton has struggled defensively as a center at the pro level -- which is somewhat surprising in that he was touted in junior hockey as a player with shutdown center upside but unsurprising in that two-way play in the NHL is a much more demanding standard than junior hockey and most young players soon learn just how much stronger, quicker and quicker-thinking they have to become to handle the checking demands at the top level.
That is not to say that, over time, Laughton could not find up being a center and a fine two-way one at that. At least for right now, though, he seems more comfortable and productive on the wing. While they've also had a few games where they haven't accomplished much, the trio of Laughton and veteran Matt Read with Nick Cousins has been dynamic in some recent games.
Apart from his speed and a solid work ethic, Laughton's best asset at the NHL level so far has been his shot from the circles, especially near the right faceoff dot or from just outside the hash marks. He gets wicked movement on the shot and releases it quickly.
3) Speaking of taking small sample sizes of games with a grain of salt, for all the mountains of praise being heaped on Flyers rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, it is noticeable that Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has not been among those joining the chorus of those anointing "Ghost" as an instant superstar based on three months of games.
Whenever asked about Gostisbehere, Hextall is very measured in his words. I have noticed that he never using superlatives ("outstanding", "tremendous", "incredible" or even "very good' as opposed to "good" or "played well"). He frequently drops in qualifiers such as "so far" and "up to this point", and also being certain to focus on the big picture of Gostisbehere's development as an all-around player.
I do not believe I'm just imagining this. I think the GM is being cautious in his assessment of the player and that there are two reasons behind it.
First of all, Hextall has not changed his philosophy on player development, which is very much geared toward the long haul and not instant gratification. In the bigger picture, I don't think the Flyers want to raise expectations that the club, because Gostisbehere was recalled ahead of schedule and has done well, is going to change its development plan for the likes of Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim or Samuel Morin.
Specific to "Ghost," a couple weeks ago, Hextall pointed out correctly that Gostisbehere's training camp was so-so, his preseason was uneven (lots of points but also plenty of defensive issues) and his first few regular season games with the Phantoms were nothing special. Of course, Gostisbehere was also just coming back from missing nearly a calendar year with a torn ACL and was a young player trying to impress not just one but two new coaches -- Dave Hakstol with the Flyers and Scott Gordon with the Phantoms.
Gostisbehere started settling in and asserting himself in the latter few games of his early season stint in Lehigh Valley. Even so, if not for Mark Streit's gruesome injury and lengthy absence, the Flyers would not have recalled Gostisbehere when they did.
What Gostisbehere has done since his recall has been very impressive; I think the superlative is justified. No one could have expected he'd rack up a staggering 15-game point streak to shatter both the NHL's rookie defenseman record and the franchise rookie record for all positions. No one would have predicted he'd have scored so many game-winning goals, especially in overtime (although the new 3-on-3 format in the NHL is tailor made for him).
In the bigger sense, however, the Flyers already were fully aware of Gostisbehere's shooting, skating and passing talents as well as his offensive hockey sense. His development plan was and still is based around becoming a complete player and knowing when to gamble and when to play back.
Personally, I think Gostisbehere has been better than expected defensively. He hasn't been a liability in most games, although there are times where he gets caught on the wrong side of the puck (he's so quick, though, that he recovers more often than not) and times where his lack of size has worked against him. Even so, there is room for improvement so that he can become more and more of an all-situations player.
As the point streak was entering its final days, Hextall noted something along the lines of saying that he felt Gostisbehere is mentally tough enough to withstand it if and when he hits a wall as many rookies eventually do. I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist. The one area where Hextall has been quite generous in praising Gostisbehere is in his self-awareness, eagerness to learn and commitment to constant improvement.
Gostisbehere has always impressed, even as a just-drafted player at his first Flyers development camp, as an exceptionally mature young man. He also seems to be a team player through and through, always re-directing personal praise back to what his teammates have done. It's hard not to like his attitude and feel excited for his future as well as the present.
I would suspect the Flyers GM, coaches, development staff and right on up and down line of hockey operations are optimistic that Gostisbehere is the real deal and will continue to get better. That does not mean he's finished developing as an all-around player or that he's going to be immune to slumps.
I think the Flyers' GM wants to stay on an even keel, and that it's never the wrong way to go. By comparison, the day the Edmonton Oilers talked about Justin Schultz's
"Norris Trophy potential" after a brief time in the NHL was more or less the point where they ruined him; possibly for good. He is now a reclamation project for Pittsburgh.
The Flyers refuse to do that with Gostisbehere. They won't do it, either, with Provorov, Sanheim or Morin. They won't declare Konecny a franchise forward. All of those players will have to show it over a significant period of time.
Side note: Gostisbehere's record-setting month should have made him the NHL's Rookie of the Month for February but it was not surprising that the strong return of Connor McDavid from his collarbone injury was recognized above the defenseman. Through no fault of his own, McDavid is going to be virtually shoved down the public's throat in the same fashion Sidney Crosby was upon his NHL arrival. It's understandable because McDavid has "generational talent" promise and he was out of the spotlight by necessity for a few months while healing and rehabbing from his early November crash into the end boards. However, Gostisbehere did something rare and special this month and deserved the top honors above McDavid.
4) There will be much more about this in an upcoming blog, but there is little reason to doubt that the Flyers and Brayden Schenn will eventually come to terms on a long-term contract extension. Some negotiations are easier than others. Both sides have a bit of leverage here. The Flyers' leverage is that Schenn cannot become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2018. The Schenn camp's leverage is that if he goes to arbitration and plays on a one -year deal, the price tag on a multi-year extension that pre-empts his UFA eligibility could shoot way higher than it would if a long-term deal is not done this offseason.
The negotiation may not get gone quickly or painlessly but there's every reason to believe that a long-term deal will be accomplished, especially if Schenn closes this season out with a strong stretch drive and (hopefully) playoff.
5) I have no idea which goaltender will be starting Thursday night's game against Edmonton. Steve Mason has not played a single minute since removing himself due to leg cramping in the third period of the Feb. 20 game in Toronto. When the cramping subsided, he asked to go back in the game and was told no. It has been all Michal Neuvirth since then.
Neuvirth has had an excellent season and has made some big saves of late; none bigger than his miraculous stick save on Charlie Coyle (which may or may not have traveled airborne over the goal line for a few hundredths of a second) with 2.6 seconds left in the Flyers' 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 25. The Czech netminder has unquestionably been deserving of the playing time and the accolades he has gotten.
My opinion is that the Flyers are well situated in goal with either Mason or Neuvirth and, in tandem, the team can usually could on their goalies giving them a chance to win.
That said, no goalie is infallible.
The following is presented only to balance the scales, because sometimes it seems that one goaltender (Mason) rarely gets the benefit of a doubt and the other gets a seeming free pass because his won-loss record is better and he made such a big first impression with shutouts in each of his first two regular starts as a Flyer.
Neuvirth has let in one questionable goal per game in three of his last four starts: a puckhandling miscue in Carolina, a boxed rebound off his glove that squirted into the slot and became Minnesota's second goal last Thursday and then a leaky (if partially screened) third goal in Monday's game against Calgary less than minute after the Flames had cut the Flyers lead to 4-2 on a shot roofed over Neuvirth as he tried to deal with traffic around him.
In the month of January, Neuvirth had a .918 save percentage in five starts. In February, he's had a .908 save percentage in eight appearances (seven starts). Mason had a .929 save percentage in January in six starts. He had a .917 February save percentage in eight starts.
Numbers are just numbers. Neuvirth has passed the "eye test" pretty much all season and there has been a noticeable overall dropoff in his recent play. These are just normal fluctuations and the bad goals have been isolated ones -- although I would say that of the six "weakest" goals allowed this season, four have been allowed by Neuvirth. Mason has been the more prone to badly timed goals that were not outright soft but were also not outright unstoppable.
Neuvirth has enjoyed better goal support (2.61 goals of support per game) and Mason (2.33) has gotten this year, which is a piece of the discrepancy between their respective won-loss records. Last season, Mason received the same 2.33 goals of support he's gotten this year compared to the 2.75 goals with which Ray Emery had to work. That ranked Mason, through no fault of his own, 41st in goal support last year among the 51 goalies who played at least 1,000 minutes. This year, Neuvirth gets the 21st highest goal support among 47 goals to meet the 1,000-minute threshold. Mason gets the 36th highest goal support -- or, more accurately framed, the 12th fewest goals per game of support -- among the 47.
Goal support is not the only reason why Neuvirth has a better won-loss record than Mason this season, but it's not an insignificant reason, either. Neuvirth still has the higher season save percentage as well -- which most of the discrepancy coming on the PK -- but the difference really isn't a dramatic one apart from the earliest weeks of the season while Mason was dealing with a personal situation.
************
FLYERS ALUMNI IN WILLIS FOUNDATION BENEFIT FOR STROKE: MARCH 6
The Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Team will play its second annual benefit game against a team representing the Willis Towers Watson risk advisor, insurance brokerage and reinsurance brokerage company. All proceeds go to the benefit of the Willis Foundation charities.
The game will be held on March 6 at the Flyers Skate Zone in Pennsauken, NJ, with a 12:10 pm. opening faceoff. After the event, there will be a VIP meet-and-greet with the Flyers Alumni players, with food, soft drinks and beer served.
The event is free to attend for Willis employees, partners and clients. It is open to the public at a cost of $10 for admission to only the game and $50 including the meet-and-greet. For more information or to purchase admission contact organizer Joe Clark at (610)254-5664.
At this year's game, a donation check will be presented to the Philadelphia-based
Delaware Valley Stroke Council, which is dedicated to providing resources for support, treatment for stroke patients and their families as well as public education on reducing the risks of strokes and life after a stroke.
This cause has become near and dear to the heart of Flyers Hall of Fame left winger Brian Propp, who suffered a stroke last year despite seemingly being the picture of good health and an active lifestyle. "Propper" has made a tremendous recovery and is doing well now. He will be coaching in Sunday's game.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»