Prospect Info: Round 1, Pick 13: Jett Luchanko, C, Guelph (OHL) - 7/6 Upd: Signed 3yr ELC

[renberg]

What you'd be looking for is a young center with top 6 talent who's blocked by two centers ahead of him and his team doesn't want to pay market rates for his next contract.

If they were a legitimate SC contender you'd look at veterans in the 26-30 range that a team wants to move to free up a spot and cap room.
But Flyers should be looking at the 20-23 age group, with upside ahead of them.
That won't come cheap, but that's why you accumulate assets.

Such as?

 

[BernieParent]

Such as?

 

[Ghosts Beer]

Nope.

Former GM Ron Hextall 'stunned' losing Flyers fired him

Ron Hextall, a former Flyers goalie, was fired on Monday after four-plus seasons on the job.

www.nbcsports.com

Allow me to quote from the article, written four days after Hextall's firing:

"The Flyers are 10-12-2 and in last place in the Eastern Conference under coach Dave Hakstol headed into Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh. Flyers President Paul Holmgren said he fired Hextall because it had ''become clear that we no longer share the same philosophical approach concerning the direction of the team.’'

 

[Fire Tortorella]

The other option is a Brayden Schenn type trade where the team and player disagree on whether the player is a center or a winger.

But one way or another I think our best shot at acquiring a high end 2C or better is getting someone with warts and hoping they get them out of their game or at least enough so their net impact is positive.

 

[deadhead]

Such as?

Tage Thompson. Forsberg. Newhook, Zacha, Bennett, etc.
It's been done, there's some luck involved, but mostly patience.
Might wait until next summer when Flyers free up a bunch of cap room.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

I could see Peyton Krebs as a guy you roll the dice on.

He's 23, hasn't done much yet, is stuck behind Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens.

Probably won't cost too much.

He's a pure assist guy. Probably never going to score many goals. And it's possible his skating is holding him back. But I'm sure he's someone they have their scouts following.

 

[blackjackmulligan]

I could see Peyton Krebs as a guy you roll the dice on.

He's 23, hasn't done much yet, is stuck behind Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens.

Probably won't cost too much.

He's a pure assist guy. Probably never going to score many goals. And it's possible his skating is holding him back. But I'm sure he's someone they have their scouts following.

Possibility he gets waived. Don't see where he fits in the top 12 for Buffalo at the moment.

Just don't see this coaching staff getting once touted prospect on track offensively.

 

[blackjackmulligan]

What you'd be looking for is a young center with top 6 talent who's blocked by two centers ahead of him and his team doesn't want to pay market rates for his next contract.

If they were a legitimate SC contender you'd look at veterans in the 26-30 range that a team wants to move to free up a spot and cap room.
But Flyers should be looking at the 20-23 age group, with upside ahead of them.
That won't come cheap, but that's why you accumulate assets.

No faith in the Flyers pro scouts finding said player. If they are even available.

Savoie was moved did the Flyers even inquire? Would have had to move Laughton so that was a no go.

Shane Wright? Is he available?

 

[renberg]

I just don't see these guys being available.
If the Leafs and Marner can't get to an agreement and the Flyers can get him to sign long term and play center, maybe there's a chance with him. Probably cost Tippett, Ristolainen (To create a cap balance) and a couple of DCs but that type of deal could be a possibility. How much does Necas want to play center? Take a swing on him. I just don't see clubs being willing to give up a young center who has ability. They're too rare to find. Need to draft them.

 

[deadhead]

It's almost impossible to trade up to the top ten, but #12-16 are generally in play, Flyers could package a late 1st and early 2nd (in the 33-40 range from Anaheim and CBJ) to move up if they target a center next summer. Flyers 2nd and late 1st could get you in the #17-22 range.

So Flyers could take those 6 picks and compress them into say 4 picks next draft, and/or use a prospect or two in a package and end up with 2 picks in the 12 to 20 range, a late 1st and early 2nd.

There will be options, it's a matter of patience.
Briere will have the cap room next summer to take a contract on to sweeten a deal.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Why do these discussions always have to turn weird?

The 2018-19 Flyers were a rollercoaster team to start the year. Hextall was fired on 11/26/18. At that point, they were 10th in CF% and 8th in NST's xGF% at 5v5. They also sported the 2nd worst PDO in the NHL at All Situations.

From an overhead view, the only major difference between the 23-24 Flyers and the Hextall siloed 18-19 season start is an excellent PK vs a terrible one. Both solid at 5v5, both horrendous on the PP. One is a little better, but they weren't materially different animals.

 

[blackjackmulligan]

It's almost impossible to trade up to the top ten, but #12-16 are generally in play, Flyers could package a late 1st and early 2nd (in the 33-40 range from Anaheim and CBJ) to move up if they target a center next summer. Flyers 2nd and late 1st could get you in the #17-22 range.

So Flyers could take those 6 picks and compress them into say 4 picks next draft, and/or use a prospect or two in a package and end up with 2 picks in the 12 to 20 range, a late 1st and early 2nd.

There will be options, it's a matter of patience.
Briere will have the cap room next summer to take a contract on to sweeten a deal.

Or they could have done that this year and get the dman and Jett.

You are not finding a top line center in that range. Well at least the Flyers will not find one.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Both Fletcher and Hextall sucked. Two bad GM’s in a row will always set a team back. It remains to be seen how Briere will do and the last two drafts and the 2025 draft will largely determine Briere’s tenure

 

[blackjackmulligan]

It's almost impossible to trade up to the top ten, but #12-16 are generally in play, Flyers could package a late 1st and early 2nd (in the 33-40 range from Anaheim and CBJ) to move up if they target a center next summer. Flyers 2nd and late 1st could get you in the #17-22 range.

So Flyers could take those 6 picks and compress them into say 4 picks next draft, and/or use a prospect or two in a package and end up with 2 picks in the 12 to 20 range, a late 1st and early 2nd.

There will be options, it's a matter of patience.
Briere will have the cap room next summer to take a contract on to sweeten a deal.

All that cap room will be wasted on a "big" name free agent. We both know it. It will be "go" time so to speak.

 

[deadhead]

Why do these discussions always have to turn weird?

The 2018-19 Flyers were a rollercoaster team to start the year. Hextall was fired on 11/26/18. At that point, they were 10th in CF% and 8th in NST's xGF% at 5v5. They also sported the 2nd worst PDO in the NHL at All Situations.

From an overhead view, the only major difference between the 23-24 Flyers and the Hextall siloed 18-19 season start is an excellent PK vs a terrible one. Both solid at 5v5, both horrendous on the PP. One is a little better, but they weren't materially different animals.

There was one other difference, Hextall was in his 5th season of "rebuilding,"

G (31), Couts (26), Voracek (29), JVR (29), Simmons (30), Raffl (30), Weise (30), Varone (28), Weal (26)
TK (21), Lindblom (22), Laughton (24), Patrick (20),

Gudas (28), Amac (32)
Ghost (25), Provorov (22), Sanheim (22), Hagg (23)

Hart (20), Elliott (33)

top prospects, Farabee (18), Frost (19), NAK (22), Myers (22),
[Cates, Ersson and Fedotov were long shots].

So it was basically a team that was kind of in limbo, neither good enough to win now nor with a deep pool of young assets. The next year with some veteran additions and better goal tending, made the playoffs, but then aged out quickly.

 

[FLYguy3911]

The funner analysis is seeing how much those Wild teams improved the further removed Fletcher was from his tenure.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

Possibility he gets waived. Don't see where he fits in the top 12 for Buffalo at the moment.

Just don't see this coaching staff getting once touted prospect on track offensively.

Owen Tippett worked out.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

Why do these discussions always have to turn weird?

The 2018-19 Flyers were a rollercoaster team to start the year. Hextall was fired on 11/26/18. At that point, they were 10th in CF% and 8th in NST's xGF% at 5v5. They also sported the 2nd worst PDO in the NHL at All Situations.

From an overhead view, the only major difference between the 23-24 Flyers and the Hextall siloed 18-19 season start is an excellent PK vs a terrible one. Both solid at 5v5, both horrendous on the PP. One is a little better, but they weren't materially different animals.

The 2020-21 Flyers 5 on 5 were 10th in CF%, 30th out of 31 in PDO at .978, and by far dead last in save percentage at .895 (next worse was SJ at .904)

Have you ever given Chuck a break for that season?

One where their failed 2nd overall pick from the Hextall era scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 52 games at age 22?

 

[Magua]

The funner analysis is seeing how much those Wild teams improved the further removed Fletcher was from his tenure.

You forgot about Fletcher and Flahr spending 3 months in Novokuznetsk scouting a certain 5th rounder.

 

[Flyerfan4life]

Why do these discussions always have to turn weird?

The 2018-19 Flyers were a rollercoaster team to start the year. Hextall was fired on 11/26/18. At that point, they were 10th in CF% and 8th in NST's xGF% at 5v5. They also sported the 2nd worst PDO in the NHL at All Situations.

From an overhead view, the only major difference between the 23-24 Flyers and the Hextall siloed 18-19 season start is an excellent PK vs a terrible one. Both solid at 5v5, both horrendous on the PP. One is a little better, but they weren't materially different animals.

wait.. you mean nothing has changed...

thats weird..

 

[scumpup]

but we never risked anything... how did we not get better????????????

 

[deadhead]

The 2020-21 Flyers 5 on 5 were 10th in CF%, 30th out of 31 in PDO at .978, and by far dead last in save percentage at .895 (next worse was SJ at .904)

Have you ever given Chuck a break for that season?

One where their failed 2nd overall pick from the Hextall era scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 52 games at age 22?

That team might have made the playoffs with good goal tending, but the handwriting was on the wall.
16th in xGF%, 20th HDCF%. -18 on STs, 20th in xGA/60 on the PK, 32nd in Sv%.

JVR (31), G (33), Voracek (31), Couts (28), Hayes (28), Laughton (26), Raffl (32)
Farabee (20), TK (23), Lindblom (24), NAK (24), Patrick (22), Bunnaman (22), Allison (23)

Ghost (27), Gustafsson (28), Braun (33)
Provorov (24), Sanheim (24), Myers (24), Hagg (25), Morin (25)

Elliott (30)
Hart (22)

Keeping Ghost and Voracek would have made little difference going forward.
Any sane FO looking at that roster and that season would have started a rebuild.

 

[blackjackmulligan]

That team might have made the playoffs with good goal tending, but the handwriting was on the wall.
16th in xGF%, 20th HDCF%. -18 on STs, 20th in xGA/60 on the PK, 32nd in Sv%.

JVR (31), G (33), Voracek (31), Couts (28), Hayes (28), Laughton (26), Raffl (32)
Farabee (20), TK (23), Lindblom (24), NAK (24), Patrick (22), Bunnaman (22), Allison (23)

Ghost (27), Gustafsson (28), Braun (33)
Provorov (24), Sanheim (24), Myers (24), Hagg (25), Morin (25)

Elliott (30)
Hart (22)

Keeping Ghost and Voracek would have made little difference going forward.
Any sane FO looking at that roster and that season would have started a rebuild.

Yet they didn't and here we are x amount of years later still waiting to rebuild.

 

[Curufinwe]

Recent Flyer GM records

Hextall: 5/7/2014 to 11/26/2018
165-128-58 (.553, 19th)

Fletcher: 12/3/2018 to 3/10/2023
141-145-43 (.494, 21st)

Briere: 3/11/2023 to ????
45-41-13 (.520, 23rd)

 

[Flyerfan4life]

rebuild complete..