Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: October Breakdown, Prospect Updates and More

the organization has upper body syndrome

10 games isn't a tiny sample size anymore.

Averaging 2 goals a game 28th in the League is absolutely pathetic. So not only is the blue line a dumpster fire, but they can't score goals either. Great combination.

The last 3 games, a clown show vs. the Devils, sandwiched by two losses to the Sabres is absurd. They went through the motions 3 straight games against garbage competition. Unacceptable.

Voracek better start putting up points, that's all that has to happen is another albatross contract.

That's a lot of injured prospects.

Flyers need this road trip to work for them. They need to find ways to score though. Edm isn't looking like the joke of a team they've been in the past and Calgary, despite their troubles, is a tough team to play against. Wins here won't come any easier than the others.

10 games isn't a tiny sample size anymore.

Averaging 2 goals a game 28th in the League is absolutely pathetic. So not only is the blue line a dumpster fire, but they can't score goals either. Great combination.

The last 3 games, a clown show vs. the Devils, sandwiched by two losses to the Sabres is absurd. They went through the motions 3 straight games against garbage competition. Unacceptable.

Voracek better start putting up points, that's all that has to happen is another albatross contract.
- PLindbergh31

It's unsettling that Jake hasn't scored yet, but I have faith that he'll turn it around. I don't see him as a perennial 80 pt guy, I think 65-70 is more realistic for him year in and year out. I agree though, aside from the games they won, and the season opener, they have looked just as bad, if not worse than last year lol

maybe the flyers cash in a potential lottery ticket with myers.

this team needs a major shakeup with personal.

Hope they can come away with 5-8 points on this trip. Need a confidence boost in the worst way.

10 games isn't a tiny sample size anymore.

Averaging 2 goals a game 28th in the League is absolutely pathetic. So not only is the blue line a dumpster fire, but they can't score goals either. Great combination.

The last 3 games, a clown show vs. the Devils, sandwiched by two losses to the Sabres is absurd. They went through the motions 3 straight games against garbage competition. Unacceptable.

Voracek better start putting up points, that's all that has to happen is another albatross contract.
- PLindbergh31

The 5 year plan isn't working for you?

Not alarmed with the over all record but it appears this team still goes flat night in and night out for short little stretches and to me that is probably more of a personel thing. I get Hextall's patience theme, not that I think he has much choice. I question the core group. Yes they sold the last core group down the river, but that's no an excuse not to own your mistakes and adress this current group.

maybe the flyers cash in a potential lottery ticket with myers.

this team needs a major shakeup with personal.
- rinaldo

I know you cant rush young Dmen but this team is way too slow

I know you cant rush young Dmen but this team is way too slow
- vejim

Really don't think its been the defensemen, when the opposition has you under siege in your defensive zone, its easy to blame the D men for not getting the puck out.
They need to establish a forecheck to ease the constant pressure.

Hope they can come away with 5-8 points on this trip. Need a confidence boost in the worst way.
- Pelle31Forever

while they are at it find some offensive consistency

I'm not even worried about the scoring. They're generating chances, but not converting them. It's an issue, but not a major one yet. It will be if the pucks don't start going in soon.

I'm still more concerned/disgusted/pissed off at how they played the past week. All the good they had done over the first seven games was pretty much laid useless. I don't expect miracles. I expect the team to compete.

They haven't done that in over a week. Any team can have a bad game. A team that is good, won't let it become a week of bad games. This one did. Is that an indictment of the core? I'll be honest, I've never had doubts about Giroux, Voracek, Couturier & Mason as a core. Well, that's no longer true for me.

Am I calling for massive trades? A complete rebuild? No. I still believe this can be a good core, but I'm no longer 100% sure.

10 games isn't a tiny sample size anymore.

...

Voracek better start putting up points, that's all that has to happen is another albatross contract.
- PLindbergh31

Hate to break it to you, but it is a relatively small sample.

Case in point, those Mase October numbers that Bill cited from last season... .878 to start, .928 to finish.

This isn't Vinny who was trending down for years at ES before he got here, or AMac who came with more (obvious) red flags than a Chinese embassy. Jake is a terrific hockey player with a long history of driving play, making guys around him better, and finding the net.

I'm not worried -- water finds its level.

Just as the team's early record was an unsustainable mirage, so is Jake's 0% shooting and getting outscored by RJ Umberger.

I miss Jeff Carter

Could be worse, could be raining
(looks outside)

oh well

Hey, all we need is 2 top pair dmen, a couple true snipers, and more speed, size and skill throughout the lineup.

Cup in 2020 or bust!!!

I miss Jeff Carter
- Winning

Watching this team, I miss Mark Howe, Eric Desjardins, Kimmo Timonen and Chris Pronger more.

Bill, there has been a lot of talk about the Flyers' defensive prospects. I know it is way too soon to make a judgment, but I am starting to wonder about how good these prospects actually are. Sam Morin was picked #11 in 2013. After the draft, he played 2 more years of junior and is now with the Phantoms where he has no points in 8 games. To be honest, when they drafted him, if you told me that by 2015, he still would have not played 1 NHL game and he is scoreless in 8 games in the AHL, I would have been disappointed. I know he is a defensive defenseman but I would expect some offensive production from him unless he is the second coming of Rod Langway. I guess I didn't realize how much of a project he was when they drafted him. How is he playing defensively for the Phantoms? What pairing is he on? Is he a force physically?

The other thing is I keep following Anthony DeAngelo who is playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. In Hextall's first draft in 2014, the Flyers picked Travis Sanheim ahead of him. Tampa picked DeAngelo who is averaging a point a game in the AHL after an outstanding final year in junior. Contrast DeAngelo's production with that of Sanheim who is averaging about a point a game but in junior; Morin who was drafted a year earlier; and even Gostisbehere drafted in 2012 who is a much more offensive defenseman than Morin. Bill, who is considered a better prospect right now - Sanheim or DeAngelo? How does DeAngelo compare to the other Flyers' defensive prospects right now including Provorov? While I applaud Hextall for trying to draft and develop defensemen from within and to keep and acquire draft picks, you still have to pick the right players. Again, I know it way too early to make judgments about these picks, but I am beginning to wonder about all of this. Here's the thing - while they have a lot of prospects on defense, they only have a few prospects on offense. So, if these young defensemen don't pan out, this team could spend another 5 years or more out of the playoffs. What are your thoughts on this?

I guess its easier to do when offense isn't expected from certain players.
Like when Couturier shuts down another center, but everyone wants 60 points from him, tough to do.
- puckhead17

Back-read a little from last night and saw this. Since I'm in the group named "everyone" here I just wanted to reiterate a point. I want a 2C who can score 60 in any given year. Considering Schenn and Simmonds are around 50 and still have upside that's pretty reasonable.

If that's Couturier, I'm fine with it. If not, then he might just be the best 3C in the league.

It's a shame the Flyers couldn't get Kase to come over and play Juniors in the CHL. I'd like to see how he'd be producing against kids his own age or at least with decent ice time in a better role.

Bill, there has been a lot of talk about the Flyers' defensive prospects. I know it is way too soon to make a judgment, but I am starting to wonder about how good these prospects actually are. Sam Morin was picked #11 in 2013. After the draft, he played 2 more years of junior and is now with the Phantoms where he has no points in 8 games. To be honest, when they drafted him, if you told me that by 2015, he still would have not played 1 NHL game and he is scoreless in 8 games in the AHL, I would have been disappointed. I know he is a defensive defenseman but I would expect some offensive production from him unless he is the second coming of Rod Langway. I guess I didn't realize how much of a project he was when they drafted him. How is he playing defensively for the Phantoms? What pairing is he on? Is he a force physically?

The other thing is I keep following Anthony DeAngelo who is playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. In Hextall's first draft in 2014, the Flyers picked Travis Sanheim ahead of him. Tampa picked DeAngelo who is averaging a point a game in the AHL after an outstanding final year in junior. Contrast DeAngelo's production with that of Sanheim who is averaging about a point a game but in junior; Morin who was drafted a year earlier; and even Gostisbehere drafted in 2012 who is a much more offensive defenseman than Morin. Bill, who is considered a better prospect right now - Sanheim or DeAngelo? How does DeAngelo compare to the other Flyers' defensive prospects right now including Provorov? While I applaud Hextall for trying to draft and develop defensemen from within and to keep and acquire draft picks, you still have to pick the right players. Again, I know it way too early to make judgments about these picks, but I am beginning to wonder about all of this. Here's the thing - while they have a lot of prospects on defense, they only have a few prospects on offense. So, if these young defensemen don't pan out, this team could spend another 5 years or more out of the playoffs. What are your thoughts on this?
- Bergey

Not Bill, but I'll weigh in. I never liked the Morin pick. He was always going to be a project. As Bill and others have said numerous times, he would likely take 4-5 years before he'd make an impact in the league. There was always a chance he'd be a bust. Holmgren wanted the second coming of Pronger and IMO reached for him.

But at this point he's the player we got and I think eventually he can be an asset as a strong defensive defenseman. Shutdown? Maybe, maybe not. But considering some of the offensive minded guys we now have, he should complement them.

Overall, it's a good mix of guys. But if they're still pursuing Zaitsev, maybe they're not as close as we all think either.

Sanheim is a better prospect to have than DeAngelo, especially when the Flyers already have a small, electric offensive dman in the system. Sanheim's combination of size, offensive skill and skating ability is extremely rare, which is why he's ranked 21st here and DeAngelo is 50th.

http://www.hockeysfuture....30-fall-edition/#/slide/1

Going by reports from people who watch all the games Morin has been very good defensively for the Phantoms, but it getting very limited offensive opportunities. MacDonald-Gostisbehere are getting most of prime OZ starts.

That's a good point. I was thinking the same thing when they drafted Provorov. Maybe the Flyers' defensive prospects aren't as good as advertised. I know Provorov was supposedly the highest player on their board, but if their defensive prospects were so good, they could have traded down and picked a forward.

Not saying a bust at all. That would be completely unfair. But, right now, at 11, I would have expected more. And, I'm glad to hear he's been real solid defensively. And, hopefully a physical force. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. But, he was the 11th pick and Max Domi was picked right behind him. He's 6'7" - how come they aren't letting him stand in front of the net on the power play?

Not saying a bust at all. That would be completely unfair. But, right now, at 11, I would have expected more. And, I'm glad to hear he's been real solid defensively. And, hopefully a physical force. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. But, he was the 11th pick and Max Domi was picked right behind him. He's 6'7" - how come they aren't letting him stand in front of the net on the power play?
- Bergey

Because he has a great slapshot? You'd have to ask the coach.

Btw, Provorov is ranked 12th.