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Quick Hits: May 5, 2022
1) The Flyers have selected Scott Laughton as their nominee for the 2021-22 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which goes to the National Hockey League player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” All 32 teams nominate one player and then a selection committee of NHL executives, led by commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly, will select the winner.
The criteria considered:
* Clear and measurable positive impact on the community
* Investment of time and resources
* Commitment to a particular cause or community
* Commitment to the League’s community initiatives
* Creativity of programming
* Use of influence; engagement of others
In the Flyers' official submission of Laughton as their nominee, the organization said that the player epitomizes all of the qualities the NHL is looking for in a Clancy honoree:
He has gone above and beyond to foster inclusivity in the sport during his career. As both the Flyers’ Hockey is for Everyone ambassador and a You Can Play ambassador, Laughton supports the mission through in-kind support and monetary donations. This past season, Laughton hosted individuals from the LGBTQ+ community at 12 Flyers home games, including a gay, female hockey player who had recently come out to her team. This young player was also mourning the passing of someone who had been instrumental in her hockey career, her grandfather. Not only did Laughton host this player at a game, but he also had his teammates sign a hockey stick to present to her. Ensuring that everyone feels included and welcomed is what Laughton is all about.
2) The old-fashioned eye-test suggested that, from the time Owen Tippett arrived on the Flyers until the end of the season, the 23-year-old right winger was a difference maker in terms of the Flyers generating scoring chances. Noah Cates also seemed to make a positive impact. Above all, in the eight games and 44-plus minutes they were a 5-on-5 line together, the trio of Cates, Morgan Frost and Tippett certainly seemed to generate both quantity and quality of puck possession.
First, for reference, here were the most commonly used Flyers combinations in 2021-22 by time played together. The top 15 are listed. Cates-Frost-Tippett were 20th in ice time together because of the late season arrivals of Tippett and Cates to the NHL club.
Additionally, I wanted to see (initially specific to Tippett) how much of a difference his individual presence made. Natural Stat Trick doesn't let you combine 5-on-5 with power play unless you do it on all-situations basis. That does pull down the shares for players who regularly kill penalties, which Tippett does not do. I was more interested in expected goals for impact at 5-on-5 plus power play than all-situations shares (5-on-5 + PP + PK). However, since Cates does kill penalties and was not a significant part of the PP (although he did have a PPG), I found it interesting that he still ranked top 8 among the forwards on the team if you use the all-situations criteria.
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers all-situations expected goals share leaders in 2021-22. If Tippett-Frost stay together next season and start turning more of all those chances into goals/assists, their late-season chemistry, the Flyers may be on to something. pic.twitter.com/oqNiNCSZE2
Just based on the eye test alone, I wanted to see more of a Cates-Frost-Tippett line over a larger sample size come training camp and into next season. It's a very small sample size above, but I think it was enough to want it tried over a longer time period.
Lastly, specific to Frost, I want to see the player get more power play time. He only ranked 11th among Flyers forwards in average PP time per game with a minimum 10 games played. The Flyers were primarily concerned with Frost overhauling some of his in-game habits (moving his feet, protecting the puck, being first on pucks, winning 50-50 battles) first and then trying to add his offensive skill back into it. That was something Mike Yeo noted multiple times.
I personally believe that process -- for which Yeo, on the final day of the season, praised the significant progress that Frost had made -- could still have been undertaken at 5-on-5 with Frost getting more PP time. The Flyers PP had the second-worst season in franchise history, so what would it have hurt to extend him a bit? That finally did happen late in the season and the puck did seem to move better, especially when both Tippett and Frost were on PP2 together.
I'm not expecting an exponential jump in actual goal/assist production. But I do want to see more of 49-48-74 together, more 48 and 74 together on the power play and I truly believe the Flyers could be onto something in terms of boosting the middle of the lineup and generating competition for PP time.
This is going to be vital because the Flyers have limited cap dollars to spend on upper lineup upgrades at forward, although they'll try to do so. They may have to try to compete via top 9 depth, and both Frost and Tippett as first-time RFAs who still have to prove they can produce at the NHL level should be easily affordable re-signs this offseasons.
Tomorrow, I plan to discuss cap-related issues.
3) Happy 50th birthday wishes go out to Legion of Doom right winger Mikael Renberg; born May 5, 1972 in Piteå, Sweden.
4) Yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary of the Flyers' five-overtime 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals; ended, of course, by Keith Primeau's top-shelf goal at 12:01 of the fifth overtime.
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