Bill Meltzer: Wrap: Flyers Win Season Finale; Exit Day

The season that couldn't end fast enough is finally over!!

Disappointing season to say the least. Most would agree the mix of this roster needs to change. I want a more physical team. I want players who are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Didn't see enough of that this year.

Priority 1 is to make sure Hart is ready to go next season.
Priority 2 is to add a top pair d-man.
Priority 3 fix Myers if he is fixable. If not, move him in a deal.
Priority 4 is to shed salary. Ghost, JVR or Voracek need to go in the ED. I think JVR is the most tradable of that group. He is very consistent in terms of goals.

If they run back basically the same roster I will not be pleased. Of course if they go with Frost, Aliison, York and other youngsters I could understand that.

Good luck Chuck Fletcher. You get paid big money to make these decisions. Please make the right ones.

Let’s hope Fletch is shrewd, smart, creative and a little lucky in the offseason.
As far as players I would look to move in no particular order.
Jake- most likely wishful thinking unless they eat some salary. Sure he gets points but he also makes far to many bad plays and decisions.
NAK- to many penalties and he doesn’t bring enough otherwise to make up for it.

Patrick- I wouldn’t open shop him yet but in exit interviews I would remind him he was a number two pick. His season was not acceptable. He has to earn a spot on the team next year. With that being said if the deal is right I would include him in a trade package if needed to close out a deal.it would have to be for an already youngish proven player.

Sanheim/Myers- the flyers need a stabilizing presence on the blue line so to get that guy one of the two most likely need to go.
Cam York looks like he can step in.

Ghost- if he isn’t taken in the the expansion draft see above.

TK- he disappears for long stretches where I don’t even know he’s playing. If he can help get someone like Laine I would consider it.

Braun- I don’t necessarily see him as a problem he is limited and there should be an upgrade available.

Elliot- Free agent or retiring.

JVR- From most accounts a nice guy and good teammate but he isn’t part of the solution. The flyers need players with size and more physicality.

Asst coaches- goes without saying

From Carchidi's column this morning:

Vigneault has said he knows the reason behind the team’s collapse but wouldn’t reveal it until later this week.

Giroux said “We didn’t have a lot of chance to practice, and I think last year one of the reasons we were successful was the way we played was automatic,”

I am in no mood for lies and excuses to be honest. If I am Scott and AV even utters the word Covid or Practice later this week to explain this season, I fire him on the spot. Every team in this league had to deal with Covid and tough schedules. There is much more going on here than this, and I sincerely hope he is as honest about it as he can be.

Said this after the last 2 off seasons began so this will be the third; we need new leadership! I don’t even think the next captain is in this organization yet, so I’d go with no captain if necessary. Claude is a fine captain but a fresh voice , hell a voice that isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers in the room, might be what some players need. As for coaching; lose all the assistants. See if Toc will come in as our PP coach and whoever else we can get to run the D.

Whelp......that goodness that nonsense is over with.

Clearly not good enough. Not even close.

Honestly, I think the Flyers need to scrap the awards this year. I appreciate that Oskar Lindblom won one, but after that, I struggle to find a single player deserving of anything. The whole team underachieved, by a long shot.

Whelp......that goodness that nonsense is over with.

Clearly not good enough. Not even close.

Honestly, I think the Flyers need to scrap the awards this year. I appreciate that Oskar Lindblom won one, but after that, I struggle to find a single player deserving of anything. The whole team underachieved, by a long shot.
- Nh_kong

Provorov won the Ashby award, what a joke!! The Flyers should have had more respect for the intelligence of their fanbase and just admit "we sucked this year, no one deserves a defensive award"!

Disappointing season to say the least. Most would agree the mix of this roster needs to change. I want a more physical team. I want players who are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Didn't see enough of that this year.

Priority 1 is to make sure Hart is ready to go next season.
Priority 2 is to add a top pair d-man.
Priority 3 fix Myers if he is fixable. If not, move him in a deal.
Priority 4 is to shed salary. Ghost, JVR or Voracek need to go in the ED. I think JVR is the most tradable of that group. He is very consistent in terms of goals.

If they run back basically the same roster I will not be pleased. Of course if they go with Frost, Aliison, York and other youngsters I could understand that.

Good luck Chuck Fletcher. You get paid big money to make these decisions. Please make the right ones.
- mickel25

Maybe Ghost will be gone. Maybe JVR. We're going to eat a TON of salary to move Voracek. A ton. The Nolan Patrick experiment should be over.

I'd really like to see the Flyers make a play for a sniper and a top pairing D-Man. And then try to make a play for a tough, utility kind of 2nd/3rd pairing O-guy (Zack Kassian anyone?).
Of course, you're going to have to pay Carter Hart and find a new backup goalie.

I'm not sure how they're going to swing it. Chuck's got his work cut out for him.

I want Tocchet back in the Flyers’ organization, too. He embodied Flyers hockey from the very beginning of his career. We need to get back to a mindset of playing the game with an attitude and a hate-to-lose mentality. Guys need to stick up for one another, piss off their opponents, and play the game the right way. The most emotion I saw all season from a Flyer was Carter Hart breaking his stick over the crossbar. That’s pathetic. Bring in Tocchet in some capacity so he can help mentor what it means to be a Flyer!

From Carchidi's column this morning:
I am in no mood for lies and excuses to be honest. If I am Scott and AV even utters the word Covid or Practice later this week to explain this season, I fire him on the spot. Every team in this league had to deal with Covid and tough schedules. There is much more going on here than this, and I sincerely hope he is as honest about it as he can be.
- jd250

I think the lack of practice and condensed schedule did effect specific players. Hart I believe was the most affected by it. With that said I do not care. I do not want to hear it. This team did not show up for a full month. That is on them as a team.

I think the lack of practice and condensed schedule did effect specific players. Hart I believe was the most affected by it. With that said I do not care. I do not want to hear it. This team did not show up for a full month. That is on them as a team.
- mickel25

Yes, that was my point. I have no doubt that Covid and the schedule were factors, but they were factors for every team. The Flyers did not handle it well, because IMO their veteran leadership let them down, and I hope AV is honest about it.

We all know the reason this roster sucks is lack of talent. I really don’t expect AV to come out and say that publicly. I’m sure he and Chuck have had that conversation already.

We all know the reason this roster sucks is lack of talent. I really don’t expect AV to come out and say that publicly. I’m sure he and Chuck have had that conversation already.
- hereticpride

I don't know......on paper all these guys are pretty talented.

But put it all together, and it's a complete dumpster fire out on the ice.

Every team in this league had to deal with Covid and tough schedules.

This isn't an accurate statement. Did every team have a condensed schedule due to playing 56 games in a short amount of time? Absolutely! Did every team have players infected with COVID, have to shut down and reschedule games/play extremely shorthanded? No, they didn't. Some had it significantly worse (Vancouver) than other teams. Is it an appropriate excuse for the way the Flyers played down the stretch? Not so much.

I want Tocchet back in the Flyers’ organization, too. He embodied Flyers hockey from the very beginning of his career. We need to get back to a mindset of playing the game with an attitude and a hate-to-lose mentality. Guys need to stick up for one another, piss off their opponents, and play the game the right way. The most emotion I saw all season from a Flyer was Carter Hart breaking his stick over the crossbar. That’s pathetic. Bring in Tocchet in some capacity so he can help mentor what it means to be a Flyer!
- BroadSTmayhem

I heard on TSN radio that Tocchet could be the guy for Ron Francis to be the first coach of the Kraken

I don't know......on paper all these guys are pretty talented.

But put it all together, and it's a complete dumpster fire out on the ice.
- Nh_kong

The talent isn’t there. Go watch Tampa, Colorado, Washington, Vegas etc play and tell me this team is on par with those rosters. They just aren’t.

The talent isn’t there. Go watch Tampa, Colorado, Washington, Vegas etc play and tell me this team is on par with those rosters. They just aren’t.
- hereticpride

We wasted YEARS under Hextall.

Damn him.

The talent isn’t there. Go watch Tampa, Colorado, Washington, Vegas etc play and tell me this team is on par with those rosters. They just aren’t.
- hereticpride

Very true, the Flyers have to work so hard for their goals, where other teams like the ones you mention can be getting outplayed and yet a player like Stone, McKinnon, Kucherov or Ovechkin will trot down the ice and snipe one. It lifts their team and deflates a team like the Flyers who were working so hard to control the game. That is what talent can do, and the Flyers have to obtain a veteran sniper to augment the skilled players they have coming up like Farabee, Allison and Foerster.

Every team in this league had to deal with Covid and tough schedules.

This isn't an accurate statement. Did every team have a condensed schedule due to playing 56 games in a short amount of time? Absolutely! Did every team have players infected with COVID, have to shut down and reschedule games/play extremely shorthanded? No, they didn't. Some had it significantly worse (Vancouver) than other teams. Is it an appropriate excuse for the way the Flyers played down the stretch? Not so much.
- aantny88

Were the Flyers effected by Covid significantly more than other teams? In the Lake Tahoe game the Flyers for sure were impacted with 6 regular forwards out, but when else?

I heard on TSN radio that Tocchet could be the guy for Ron Francis to be the first coach of the Kraken
- 3flyerkids

Makes sense. They both played together in juniors and in the NHL together. And Toc always mentions Francis when he’s reminiscing.

Watching York yesterday.

Am I the only one that was reminded of kimmo. Especially on the PP.

The talent isn’t there. Go watch Tampa, Colorado, Washington, Vegas etc play and tell me this team is on par with those rosters. They just aren’t.
- hereticpride

I hate to say it but even the Leafs you could throw in there. Look at Tavares he is our Giroux veteran Captain putting up reasonable point production however he is not their top guy. They actually have a couple, I would be happy with just one legit top playmaking / sniper whatever. Something has to be done this off season.

We didn't "waste years" under Hexy. We had no draft picks and were up against the cap ceiling. Ed Snyder was still alive and there was no way to go full tank. Hexy did the best he could with a real crappy hand. NoPa hasn't panned out yet...but the kid is 22. Maybe there is still hope he puts it together this off season and is a solid middle 6 guy. Heck it has taken like 7 years for Laughts to find his role.

There is still a lot of good on this team that happened on Hexy's watch. If he doesn't move Schenn there is no Farabee. Still lots of good prospects coming along too. The mix of vets doesn't quite work, but that is on the current management to get right. JVR is earning his money right now. Hayes, not so much this year. This really falls on Fletcher, because without Hexy, there really would not have been many moves to make. We have some young and tradeable talent, it is only there because of Hexy and the moves he made to get more picks, not trading them away on rentals.

So many "Would've, Could've, Should've..........Didn't."