The Flyers, specifically Chuck Fletcher, did exactly what we have been calling for.
He shook up the core.
Let’s look at the moves a bit more.
Acquired: Ryan Ellis
Ryan Ellis can provide so much stability for this team on the top D pair. It was such a massive hole after Matt Niskanen retired.
Snagging a 30 year old veteran that’s been in the league since 2011 with 562 games of experience is incredible.
He slides under the radar due to Nashville’s top names over the years: PK Subban, Roman Josi, Shea Weber, Mattias Ekholm.
Ellis helps on special teams where they desperately could use another smart mind. It’s sad when last season I’d rather watch 5 on 5 action than have a man-advantage. They tried Ivan Provorov at the top of the PP unit and maybe that was by default knowing there wasn’t many other options, but it’s time for serious change.
Let’s not forget he can muck it up on the penalty kill as well!
Is there a little injury concern? Yeah, a minor concern.
We found out from Ellis himself during a media presser that the reported shoulder surgery wasn’t even true. It was a knuckle injury which is clearly a huge difference. Every year these NHL players have 9,000 physical problems so I’m not overly dissecting it just yet.
I can’t stress how big this is for Ivan Provorov. Last season his partner was constantly changing whether he was next to Shayne Gostisbehere, Phil Myers, Justin Braun, or anybody else. He had to limit his own personal game for the benefit of the pairing (to the best of his ability that is.)
When Provorov played with Niskanen he could join the rush freely, take more risks, and have more of an open game because there was an understanding that his partner would be in the right spot to support his decisions.
You now have that again with Ellis who is signed for the next 6 seasons at $6.25M per year.
Don’t forget, Ellis rocked an A on his chest and has made legit pushes in the postseason. You can’t have too many players with those boxes checked off.
Shipped out: Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers.
Phil Myers is an awesome story as an undrafted player who worked himself into an NHL position. He’s 6’5 and can skate well for his size, but there is some rawness to his game. He turned the puck over a lot and to no fault of his own, playing with Travis Sanhiem who is also in a developmental stage probably did not help with issues.
I can truly see him sticking around and being an everyday defenseman whether that’s on a second or third pair. That should NEVER stop you from landing a leader and top pairing player like Ryan Ellis.
Nolan Patrick…. look it was never going to work here. He landed in Vegas on an extremely deep team with the Stanley Cup in mind. If he turns it around as a bottom 6 role for the franchise, good for him. I’m not rooting against him as he’s battled a lot with the migraine problems.
He didn’t perform here. It’s that simple.
Bottom 6 is something replaceable and not what a 2nd overall pick should be.
4 Goals in 52 games last season with a -30 rating. He needed a fresh start.
Acquired – Cap Relief
Shipped Out – Shayne Gostisbehere
I can’t believe the frustration I saw on Flyers twitter after this move, but I guess shame on me.
He cleared waivers last year and nobody wanted him. OF COURSE you would have to apply a 2nd and 7th rounder basically begging Arizona to take the contract.
This was step 1 of a multi-step process. You had to wait for Chuck to see the corresponding moves before there could be a full assessment.
(All cap relief is important with Travis Sanhiem and Carter Hart as RFAs)
Acquired – Rasmus Ristolainen
Analytics vs the Eye Test.
That’s basically what this move is.
Ristolainen had horrific numbers in Buffalo. So does everyone else and Taylor Hall is the perfect example of that. He was awful with the Sabres, posting a -21 rating. In the SAME SEASON he goes to Boston and rocks +15 rating while producing more.
“Ristolainen graded out so bad, the team was better with him off the ice compared to on the ice.”
There is a BIG difference between playing on the Sabres and solidifying a second-pair role with 200 foot players on your roster.
Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, Kevin Hayes, Cam Atkinson along with going up against opponent’s second line forwards more is a significant change.
I’m optimistic that he will turn it around in a new city. His nastiness and big body will be a real impact for this team.
Also, as mentioned above with Ellis, previously had an A on his sweater and most importantly… POWERPLAY HELP!
Shipped Out – 2021 First Round Pick, 2023 Second Round Pick, Robert Hagg
Hefty price? Yes.
Does my opinion change knowing 7 other teams offered a first round pick? Yes.
If Ristolainen works out and is a serviceable top 4 defenseman for your franchise for the next handful of seasons after an extension then it was a justifiable.
If he’s a waste and you sign him to a bad contract because he’s a UFA right now, you can smash Chuck Fletcher for the gamble that didn’t pan out.
If I’m Fletcher I’m waiting to see what Ristolainen provides before I sign the 26-year-old defenseman, but something tells me they don’t make the trade unless an extension has been somewhat discussed.
Draft and develop has been the motto for a while under Ron Hextall. He did a fantastic job, but at some point it’s go mode and they have been set up with York, Zamula, Frost, and some other prospects to give you an opportunity to gamble.
Acquired – Cam Atkinson
Shipped Out – Jakub Voracek
This leaves me speechless.
Home run.
Voracek’s contract was moved without any salary being retained and Cam Atkinson was the return?
I’ll admit Voracek probably received more hate than he deserved in this city, mostly because of his media/fan interaction in my opinion. On the ice, 604 points in 727 games is very solid. 427 assists ranks 5th all-time in Flyers franchise history.
Looking at the return though: Atkinson is so versatile, filled with energy, penalty killer, and can put the puck in the net.
He recorded 40 goals a couple years ago. I don’t expect that at his age now, but this organization has been missing a shoot-first type of forward. Pair him up with Giroux and let’s see what happens!
Atkinson is signed through 2024-25 at $5.875M per season. He will be age 35 at that time.
He’s a locker room presence and has solid connections throughout the roster already. Kevin Hayes was his teammate at Boston College. JVR and G reached out pretty quickly.
Trust me…. as a “locker room guy” in my prime, this move is going to make a difference!
Lastly, a third acquisition tied to an Alternate Captain role. By the way, under John Tortorella. Not an easy task.
Clearly this was a focus by management.
Moral of the Story
Let’s Go Flyers!!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Let’s Go Flyers!!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Let’s Go Flyers!!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼