July 5, 2023 | 11:00am ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com

FLYERS COMMITTED TO THE RIGHT BUILD

Owen Tippett, forward

It has been a long time coming.

A long time coming since the Philadelphia Flyers looked themselves in the mirror and acknowledge major surgery was needed. A long time coming to a commitment to building a team the right way was long overdue. And ultimately, a long time coming a leadership was put into place willing to commit to all of the above.

When Keith Jones and Danny Briere were named President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, respectively, it came with no shortage of criticism. Two former Flyers’ players set to lead another new era of Flyers hockey seemed all too familiar for fans – in all the wrong ways. But with the blessing of (newly appointed) Comcast Spectacor Chairman and CEO Dan Hilferty, along with the commitment of Head Coach John Tortorella, the duo at the top of the Hockey Ops hierarchy has, to this point, shown this isn’t Groundhog Day.

We have already seen the creativeness – an aspect that was dearly lacking under former GM Chuck Fletcher, who also held the title of POHO – in the Ivan Provorov trade. Getting a third team involved, Briere was able to bring in a haul, which included three high draft picks and a former second-round pick in defenseman Helge Grans for Provorov. In an economical climate where the NHL continues to work with a flat salary cap, creativity is essential for swinging value deals.

The “problem children” – at least in the eyes of Tortorella – are being moved out. Kevin Hayes was dumped for a late round pick to the St. Louis Blues and Tony DeAngelo, while not official yet, is expected to be dealt back to the Carolina Hurricanes by the beginning of next week due to a CBA technicality.

The motive behind all these moves? Of course, compiling assets (specifically in the Provorov deal) is a large priority for any rebuilding team, but in the Flyers’ case, it’s almost equally about setting a good standard and building a culture with players who want to be a part of this moving forward. By all accounts, the aforementioned three did not see eye-to-eye with what Tortorella and the Flyers’ organizational direction was.

Culture aside, the desperate need for high-end talent has been echoed by the Flyers’ brass for 18 months; something that was first mentioned by Fletcher.

With the first selection at the helm, Briere “swung for the fences,” as one person said to me, drafting Matvei Michkov seventh-overall. As has been well documented, if not for the political climate and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Michkov’s talent would’ve landed him second to only Connor Bedard in this year’s NHL Draft. As one scout said to me, he’s a generational talent and “pass at him at your own peril.”

Briere and Company know the risks that come with this selection but felt, as he vocalized publicly, the talent was too good to pass up on. Michkov brings the potential of having the best player to don the Orange and Black since Eric Lindros more than 20 years ago. The Flyers are confident he wants to be a Flyer and will come over eventually; the question now is when.

In the meantime, the Flyers will look to their kids already established in North America to continue pushing through and prove whether they will be part of the rebuild and, eventually, solution.

For forwards like Wade Allison, Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost, the pressure is on to solidify themselves as staples of this team. They’re all expected to be Flyers this season based on their talent, but there is a sense of pressure on all three given the cupboard being continually re-stocked.

Allison has a major year ahead of him. Battling injuries throughout his career, Allison may be in a “do or die” year when it comes to being a long-term fixture of this team. With the club loaded with right wings throughout the organization, Allison would benefit from learning to play either wing to ensure his long-term spot on the club; much like Scott Hartnell did in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

In the case of defenseman Cam York and forward Owen Tippett, this year will be about building off last. York, despite ups and downs along with playing on his offside, was considered the Flyers’ best defenseman by some within the organization for stretches last year. With Provorov and DeAngelo both no longer here, I’d expect York to see prominent powerplay time and will likely be the team’s defacto #1. One would also assume York will be cemented on the left side this season, presumably alongside Rasmus Ristolainen, whom he had good chemistry with last season.

Tippett, who was the main piece in the Claude Giroux deal, was the biggest surprise last season and quickly became a favorite of Tortorella. With another year coming of the Flyers lacking high end offensive talent, I’d expect another year where Tippett gets a lot of opportunities.

Aside from the younger guys already established in the NHL, this year will be a major opportunity for those looking to push through from the AHL. Despite the Flyers signing some UFA veterans in Gartnet Hathaway, Ryan Poehling (although this signing is a bet on upside, I’m told) and Marc Staal, nothing will “block” any kids from cracking the lineup if they’re ready. If any kid is ready and earns a spot they will get one.

What these veterans (along with returning ones in Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier, Nic Deslauriers, Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen) will do is provide a good example and help bring the kids along while setting a good culture. Healthy, internal competition is also a good tactic to make sure nobody is getting a gifted opportunity.

There is the question of whether the Flyers did enough to overturn the roster and bring in assets to truly kick off a rebuild. Much like the Provorov deal, there was an expectation that Briere had one more trick up his sleeve to trade a major player for a haul of assets. While I do believe the Flyers could have greatly benefited from another deal like that, I do understand why the trigger wasn’t ultimately pulled.

Prices were set exceptionally high on Travis Konecny and Laughton. In the latter’s case, late first-round picks were turned down. I do believe there was significant interest in both guys, but with both playing such integral roles in setting a good culture and being in the good graces of Tortorella, it was a scenario where the intangibles and standard may have been more valued than what potential returns were.

Travis Sanheim was shopped endlessly but his contract proved to be unmovable. As we saw the last week and a half, moving money (even for good players) proved to be a herculean task in the NHL and Sanheim was no different. Had it not been for Torey Krug refusing to waive his NTC, Sanheim would be playing with Hayes in the mid-west next season, but this is where we are.

I had one person tell me he wondered if it’d be awkward for Sanheim to come back to the Flyers after all this, knowing the team did everything to try and get rid of him. But I’ve heard that, while Tortorella has had his gripes with the player, Briere is a big fan of Sanheim and never had an issue bringing him back. With a team expected to have as many young defensemen as the Flyers over the next several years, having experienced defenders like Sanheim and Ristolainen to play in the top four is valuable, too.

In the case of goaltender Carter Hart, things would’ve gotten a lot more interesting if not for the pending Hockey Canada investigation resolution. We know the Flyers were mulling over significant offers, but nothing got close to the finish line because teams were not willing to take the risk on a player who may not be available to them when the season starts. Once the Hockey Canada situation is finished and everyone knows where Hart stands, I believe trade talks will be revisited. For now, everything seems to be in a holding pattern.

The rebuild is still in its infancy stages but it has gotten off to the correct start in the Jones/Briere era. Time will tell if (or perhaps when) more prominent players get traded off of the roster, but there is no timetable set for this team’s return for contention. It will take as long as it needs to and will be largely dependent on the development of their younger players - all under the guidance of a new Player Development staff.

The Flyers’ new path is somewhat of unchartered waters for a team that has always looked for the quick and expensive fix. But with a new direction and a fresh set of eyes set to lead the team in a new direction, the Flyers will take all the time necessary in their commitment to get this right.

RFAs

With the NHL Draft and the early days of Free Agency behind us, the Flyers will shift his focus to RFAs Noah Cates, Morgan Frost and Cam York. The Flyers’ development camp is in full swing this week but once that wraps up, I’d expect the Flyers to dive into dealing with all three players in need of new contracts.

Speaking with those close to the situation, the Flyers still don’t have concrete ideas as to what any of these deals will look like. I speculated that maybe a collective cap hit of $10 million would be fair for all three, but one person mentioned to me that it may come in “a little lower” than that.

As TFP’s David Pagnotta reported two days, contract talks with Frost are “positive” and moving in the right direction.

I imagine all the deals will be in the “bridge” range, as the Flyers, given their rebuilding stage, are not able to commit long-term to any player. But if any of the three were to get a longer-term contract I’d expect it to be Cates.

Cates, 24, was a favorite of Tortorella and was shifted to the middle of the ice as one of the team’s top pivots; he finished the year with 13 goals and 38 points playing in all 82 games. Cates also proved to be one of the league’s best defensive forwards, all the more impressive given that he was developed as a left wing before the 2022-23 season.

Should the Flyers look to go long term, I could see the Nicolas Roy deal as a comparable – five years, $15 million. I would give cost certainty on a centre projected to be a staple in the middle six for the foreseeable future. Whether or not this is the case is to be determined but this could be a route that makes sense.

Goaltending Situation

The acquisition of goaltender Cal Peterson has crowded the crease for the Flyers, but they certainly will have no shortage of NHL capable bodies this season.

Hart, provided he is available to play, is still considered the starter by those within the organization. A battle between Sam Ersson, Peterson and Felix Sandstrom for the backup job will take place in Training Camp.

In the case of Hart, the 24-year-old’s name is out there but until the findings of the Hockey Canada investigation are revealed, teams are reluctant to trade for him, as I have previously reported.

Peterson, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Provorov deal, was thought to be nothing more than a salary dump at the time. While this is partially true, Peterson has repeatedly been described to me as a “safety valve” by some within the Flyers.