1) On Friday's edition of the Flyers Daily podcast, host Jason Myretetus and I interviewed Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr for a prospect roundup of players in the Flyers' system.

Players discussed include Cam York, Morgan Frost, Egor Zamula, Wade Allison, Tanner Laczynski, Maksim Sushko, Ronnie Attard, Bobby Brink, Jay O'Brien, Noah Cates, Ivan Fedotov, Alexei Kolosov, Emil Andrae and more. Flahr also gave his assessment of the depth and drop-off points of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft class.

To listen: Click here.
- bmeltzer

Good listen, Bill. Thanks.

Summary: listen to it yourself

They like him. I think they like Ersson more (although he's missed most of the season due to a groin injury that recurred twice in his respective return games and knocked him out again).
- bmeltzer

Hopefully give Sandström another shot before he hits 27. Who knows maybe he plays pretty good and raises his trade value to umm bring in something else of need at the time...

I am just looking forward to what Chuckle phuck does. It will def be entertaining. Will def have a veteran flavor.

No rumors on who they may hire for a coach. I have not seen one at all really. Usual speculation with Tocchet. Otherwise no national peeps have said a word, unless I missed it. This is how irrelevant they have become.
- hello it's me 2050

First things first. You'd have to WANT to coach this team. I wouldn't take a job where management is a complete gong show.

They like him. I think they like Ersson more (although he's missed most of the season due to a groin injury that recurred twice in his respective return games and knocked him out again).
- bmeltzer

Do they view him as viable back up option for next year? Or will they go the vet route as usual.

This team handles player development about as well as an epileptic handles a hand grenade during a seizure.

Frost should be centering line 3 between JVR and Mayhew (to eventually be replaced by Allison) and playing on the top pp unit. He also should start getting a little time on the pk. This is the perfect, no pressure time, for the kid to get on the job training but apparently Cuckles and Yo-yo are too dense to grasp this simple and obvious fact!!

FFS, Brassard can show the world that he is healthy on L4.

The entire franchise needs a (frank)ing enema!

As opposed to what? Joel Quenneville keeping Yandle in the starting lineup all last season with 80.4 percent offensive zone starts (https://www.hockey-refere.../players/y/yandlke01.html) and more overall ice time than he's gotten here (17:15 vs. 14:51) then finally scratching him in the playoffs, when it wouldn't affect his streak?
- bmeltzer

What Florida did does not matter one iota. It is a disgrace to keep playing him.

The flyers have no credibility due to the fact yandle hasn’t been scratched one time.
- Just5

Amen

Do they view him as viable back up option for next year? Or will they go the vet route as usual.
- hello it's me 2050

Obviously a 34 year old vet who can be used on LTIR

As opposed to what? Joel Quenneville keeping Yandle in the starting lineup all last season with 80.4 percent offensive zone starts (https://www.hockey-refere.../players/y/yandlke01.html) and more overall ice time than he's gotten here (17:15 vs. 14:51) then finally scratching him in the playoffs, when it wouldn't affect his streak?
- bmeltzer

Yandle has obviously degraded even further this season. Clearly he is a player that should've retired after last season. The streak in my opinion lacks legitimacy. Part of the streak involves remaining a viable player whose play warrants a spot in the lineup.

Yandle has obviously degraded even further this season. Clearly he is a player that should've retired after last season. The streak in my opinion lacks legitimacy. Part of the streak involves remaining a viable player whose play warrants a spot in the lineup.
- MJL

Flyers have always had a different definition of best players play.

The fact that Yandle hasn't been waived and is keeping his iron man streak alive tells you about the team's priorities.

option A: keep giving minutes to a player that should've retired 2 years ago because we promised him we would keep his streak alive when we signed him.

or
option B: Use that ice time to develop a young player so that he might improve and be more valuable to the team in the long run.


Like I said, as long as the checks keep clearing, what incentive does Yeo or Fletcher have to change? In their minds keeping their word to a vet is more important than on ice results. It's all about relationships and the next over the hill guy they might sign. It says, sign with us, we won't actually care how you play, you will get your icetime. Accountability is for rookies.
- Flyers_01

Yandle clearly hasn't worked out. Would be silly to say otherwise. Also can't say I loved that he's played every game no matter what. I also understand that it's one thing for US to say that and quite another to be the coach who pulls the plug on the streak and ticks off the many in the locker room who love the guy. Quenneville didn't do it, either (at least not in the regular season, because the playoffs do not affect regular season records). He sheltered Yandle as much as humanly possible, held his breath when the Panthers didn't have puck, and lived with it. But he also had a better team by which to work around it.

Bigger picture: Yandle is only here for this season. I'm far more worried about Ryan Ellis getting and staying healthy than I am about whether the final game of this season will be the final game of Yandle's streak and NHL playing career.

There's plenty of incentive. Yeo's own future is at stake. So is his pride. He knows what happened in St. Louis. He knows what the record is here. That isn't easy. He's not a dumb guy and certainly not someone who cynically just shows up to cash a check. I will defend him to the hilt in that regard, even if there are decisions (in-game, personnel usage, etc) that I disagree with. Also, Chuck Fletcher doesn't have endless job security after the way the last two seasons have gone. He's under immense pressure, and rightfully should be.

Yandle has obviously degraded even further this season. Clearly he is a player that should've retired after last season. The streak in my opinion lacks legitimacy. Part of the streak involves remaining a viable player whose play warrants a spot in the lineup.
- MJL

Statistically I'd think his career would've benefited from some time off here and there over the years.

Yandle has obviously degraded even further this season. Clearly he is a player that should've retired after last season. The streak in my opinion lacks legitimacy. Part of the streak involves remaining a viable player whose play warrants a spot in the lineup.
- MJL

He really hasn't degraded further. He's pretty much the same as he was last season in Florida, just with a lesser team around him.

Bill Meltzer: Quick Hits: Brent Flahr on Prospects & Draft, Craig Button on Flyers, Frost
- bmeltzer

I’m not gonna defend how the Flyers as an organization and I have no doubt Frost will get better. My issue with the player himself is, he’s been put in a verity of positions and has yet to run away with a spot. Nothing has held back Farabee who entered the league roughly around the same time. So what’s Frost’s issue. Yes he’s not playing with talent at even strength now but he’s on the power play. In his first NHL games, he was put on the top line with Giroux. We also know Frost has had setbacks with injuries, which is apart of the game. I’ve heard for weeks now that Frost is heating up and I can’t deny from a flashy standpoint he’s looked great but I’ve seen next to no finish. At some point though, you do have to put some responsibility on the player for not professing.

Do they view him as viable back up option for next year? Or will they go the vet route as usual.
- hello it's me 2050

I don't know. Doesn't help that now he's out indefinitely with (lower-body) injury, too. No return timetable yet. If they want to assess if he could possibly be an NHL backup next year, it'd be nice if he could see a few more NHL games first.

I’m not gonna defend how the Flyers as an organization and I have no doubt Frost will get better. My issue with the player himself is, he’s been put in a verity of positions and has yet to run away with a spot. Nothing has held back Farabee who entered the league roughly around the same time. So what’s Frost’s issue. Yes he’s not playing with talent at even strength now but he’s on the power play. In his first NHL games, he was put on the top line with Giroux. We also know Frost has had setbacks with injuries, which is apart of the game. At some point though, you do have to put some responsibility on the player for not professing.
- SuperSchennBros

Yes, and when he was put with Giroux, he was putting up about a point every other game -- all at even strength, too. Then they moved Frost down.

What Florida did does not matter one iota. It is a disgrace to keep playing him.
- hello it's me 2050

No, it does matter. The Panthers, with the "gold standard of coaches" (who would still be there now if not for the fallout from the Chicago scandal), kept a clearly cooked Yandle in the lineup all of last regular season SOLELY to help him keep his streak going. Same as the Flyers did.

Interesting to hear Button compare Frost to Briere, that he needed time to adjust and his stock dropped so low that he survived waivers in '00 and got sent down.

Fast forward a year or so and he's suddenly a 30-goal scorer, 1st-line player once he picked up Roenick's ice time.

He really hasn't degraded further. He's pretty much the same as he was last season in Florida, just with a lesser team around him.
- bmeltzer

I've seen him get worse as the season has gone along. It's an indictment on the GM that he was signed in the first place.

As opposed to what? Joel Quenneville keeping Yandle in the starting lineup all last season with 80.4 percent offensive zone starts (https://www.hockey-refere.../players/y/yandlke01.html) and more overall ice time than he's gotten here (17:15 vs. 14:51) then finally scratching him in the playoffs, when it wouldn't affect his streak?
- bmeltzer

One teams stupidity shouldn’t be used as an excuse for the Flyers stupidity. Yandle should have come out of line up months ago. If it couldn’t be addressed via in house options then perhaps Fletch could have looked for outside alternatives. Just another head scratching decision for this fledgling organization.

Yes, and when he was put with Giroux, he was putting up about a point every other game -- all at even strength, too. Then they moved Frost down.
- bmeltzer

Ok, well now Giroux is being traded, so now what? Last I saw Frost was playing on a line with JVR and Gerry Mayhew and Mayhew isn’t really an NHL player who is creating his own luck.

No, it does matter. The Panthers, with the "gold standard of coaches" (who would still be there now if not for the fallout from the Chicago scandal), kept a clearly cooked Yandle in the lineup all of last regular season SOLELY to help him keep his streak going. Same as the Flyers did.
- bmeltzer

If he was clearly cooked….Why the hell did the Flyers bring him in?

He really hasn't degraded further. He's pretty much the same as he was last season in Florida, just with a lesser team around him.
- bmeltzer

I didn't watch him in Florida last season, but I find that hard to believe because Yandle was OK for the Flyers in October and then fell off a cliff and has been getting destroyed on defense ever since. A career AHLer like Seeler is doing much better with similar minutes.

17 goals for and 42 against at ES is unfathomable considering how much AV and Yeo have sheltered Yandle. Seeler's ratio is 15 GF - 18 GA. Maybe because Seeler doesn't skate away from contact like KY does.


https://imgur.com/a/XRETYjL#dyJ2tBp

If he was clearly cooked….Why the hell did the Flyers bring him in?
- landros 2

Not only bring him in, they also guaranteed him he would play every single game not matter how poorly he played.

If he was clearly cooked….Why the hell did the Flyers bring him in?
- landros 2

Just another brick in the incompetence wall of the current regime.