Jori Lehtera – McKeen's Hockey

Claude-Busting – Philadelphia Flyers 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:45:42 +0000

REVIEW/STATE OF PLAY - Things were looking bleak as December began. The Flyers were in 28^th place in the NHL with an 8-11-7 record. They had finished out of the playoffs three times in the last five years and bowed out in the first round twice. From that point everything fell into place and they posted an impressive 34-15-7 over the last 56 games to finish third in the Metropolitan and clinch a playoff berth.

GIROUX AND COUTURIER DOMINATE - The surge was fuelled by a brilliant season from a top line anchored by Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier, tethered together for 80 percent of their ice time at 5v5. The first third of the season was spent with Jakub Voracek and the last half spent with 21-year-old Travis Konecny. Giroux topped 100 points to finish second in league scoring, and fourth in Hart Trophy voting, while Couturier finished second in Selke voting and shattered career highs with 31 goals and 76 points.

Konecny flourished beside Grioux and Couturier scoring 20 goals in 43 games (43-20-14) from January 1^st. Konecny benefitted from a high shooting percentage of 13.6% but progress made heading into his third NHL season is cause for optimism, particularly if he remains on the top line.

Jakub Voracek scored a career high of 85 points. A force throughout the season, he was consistent regardless of center, seeing time with Couturier at first, Filppula briefly and rookie Nolan Patrick for the last 33 games. Voracek scored at almost a point a game while together (33-12-18-30) while 19-year-old Nolan Patrick a respectable 19 points (33-9-10-19) while displaying consistency. The played the last 22 games with 21-year-old rookie Oskar Lindbolm flanking them.

The veterans returning to their superstar status after two sub seasons was a big story line, the most exciting aspect of the 2017-18 season was the number of youthful players that are developing into the next generation of stars. Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny represent potentially high-end additions to the offence.

Shayne Gostisbehere

BRIGHT YOUNG STARS ON DEFENSE - Two very bright young stars on the blueline helped power the surge in offense, contributing significantly from the back end. The Flyers received 50 goals from the blueline which is the most since 1992-93, 30 from 25-year-old Shayne Gostisbehere and 21-year-old Ivan Provorov combined. Gostisbehere received Norris trophy votes (10^th) while scoring 65 points - the most by a Flyers blueliner since 93-94. Provorov tied for the lead league in defense goal scoring with 17, and in even strength goals 15^th. He placed 10^th in the league in time on ice, killing penalties and playing the power play at a tender young age.

As a team they saw a leap in goals scored from 212 (18^th) to 237 (12^th) and are transitioning with high end young talent in the line-up and resurgent veterans. They still boast a strong prospect system that should include more promotions in the future. None more anticipated than Carter Hart in goal. He will join the AHL this season after being named best goaltender in the Western Hockey League for the third straight season, and second in three years as the best goaltender in the CHL. He is the future, but unlikely it is this season.

The Flyers have been stockpiling the goaltending cupboard for some time and a source of concern over recent seasons. This season is no exception with veterans Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth holding down the cage. Elliott is the presumed number one, but Neuvirth can mount a challenge. Both are free agents at the end of the season and should be motivated but the problem is neither are particularly healthy, and both went through injuries last season. Should a call be made, 6’6” prospect Anthony Stolarz is likely most ready out of Lehigh in the AHL, or Alex Lyon who appeared in 11 games with the big club last year.

SPECIAL TEAMS CONCERNS - Special teams need further improvements. Given their firepower one would assume their power play would be better than 15^th (20.7%). Their penalty kill is dreadful finishing 29^th in the league (75.8%) and they lose Valteri Filppula - who was key penalty killer for them. Finishing 22^nd in save percentage underscores their challenge in net.

To help the power play they signed free agent James Van Reimsdyk bringing a 30-goal scorer with one of the best net front presences in the NHL. He joins fellow teammate Wayne Simmonds, in the last year of a contract, in providing elite skills in that unique specialty and making goaltender miserable. Former first round pick Simmonds may find himself a trade chip with apparent replacement Van Reimsdyk signed for five years at a $7 million AAV. If playoffs are in reach they may use him as their own rental. He endured an injury filled campaign, but has been a model of health, only missing 14 games in the previous ten seasons and it is too early to suggest his style of play is catching up to him.

In the off-season they added 27-year-old defenseman Christian Folin giving them a right shot option on defense. Andrew MacDonald and Radko Gudas will be the other regular. Serviceable if not spectactular. The youth movement was further by rookies 22-year-old Travis Sanheim and 23-year-old Robert Hagg. Sanheim saw 49 games worth of actions. Folin’s addition buys them some more development time.

OVERVIEW - The Flyers seem to have the best of both worlds, high end prospects already in the NHL, a pipeline brimming with more, and a veteran core that performed at their peak. Can all the elements come together in the next few seasons for a serious run while making a generational shift? Questions in goal and whether the veterans can repeat last season heroics will determine whether they are a playoff team but they looked unbeatable down the stretch and were tied for 5^th in the league from December on.

2017 NHL Draft Team Grades: Central Division – St. Louis Blues

Ryan Wagman — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 21:17:43 +0000

Shortly after 1:00pm CST, on Saturday, June 24, 2017, the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins selected William Reilly, a defenseman from RPI as the 217^th player selected, bringing the 2017 Entry Draft to an end. With a few days of hindsight between me and the bowels of the United Center, the urge to spew out hot takes flushed away, it is time to analyze the strategies and selections employed by the league’s 31 teams.

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: A general view of the floor prior to the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft on June 23, 2017, at the United Center, in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire)

The analysis will focus on the first five rounds, as it is clear to most long-time observers that the final two rounds are often taken up with long-shots, favours to regional scouts, or a myriad of reasons. I will, of course, call out some astute late picks, but will not judge a team for the names called in the final hour. The apocryphal story of Pekka Rinne, drafted as an eighth round after-thought in 2004 based mostly on his play in game warm-ups. Few other scouts would have seen him at all, and he has had a very good career, which is not yet over. For the most part, though, those picks have little statistical likelihood of having NHL careers and teams should not be judged there.

Finally, all grades are incomplete. Actual winners and losers in this draft class will not be known until 2023 at the earliest, after those who will have “made it” will have played out their entry-level contracts. What I am looking at here is whether, knowing what we know now, the drafting team got good value.

Each draft class will be graded using the 20-80 scale that we use in our player specific scouting reports throughout the site. In this context, a 50 is essentially an average grade in light of the picks the team had on draft day. A 20 would mean the draft is an untimigated disaster while an 80 would be the best draft class of all time. As those things can only be truly seen in retrospect, most classes will trend towards 50 at this point, so pay attention to those we see as outliers.

RD	#	CS	MCK	PLAYER	P	AGE	HT/WT	TEAM
1	20	22-N	15	Robert THOMAS	C	18	6-0/190	London (OHL)
1	31	1-E	21	Klim KOSTIN	C	18	6-3/195	Dynamo Bsh Balashikha (Rus 2)
1	31	1-E	21	Klim KOSTIN	C	18	6-3/195	Dynamo Moscow (KHL)
1	31	1-E	21	Klim KOSTIN	C	18	6-3/195	HC MVD (MHL)
4	113	21-E	73	Alexei TOROPCHENKO	RW	18	6-3/190	HC MVD (MHL)
4	113	21-E	73	Alexei TOROPCHENKO	RW	18	6-3/190	Dynamo Bsh Balashikha (Rus 2)
5	130	136-N		David NOEL	D	18	6-1/175	Chi-VdO (QMJHL)
6	175	154-N		Trenton BOURQUE	D	19	6-2/200	Owen Sound (OHL)
7	206	NR		Anton ANDERSSON	D	17	6-3/215	Lulea (Swe Jr)
7	206	NR		Anton ANDERSSON	D	17	6-3/215	Lulea (Swe Jr 18)

RD	#	PLAYER	P	TEAM	GP (W)	G (L)	A (T)	PTS (GA)	PIM (Sv%)
1	20	Robert THOMAS	C	London (OHL)	66	16	50	66	26
1	31	Klim KOSTIN	C	Dynamo Bsh Balashikha (Rus 2)	9	1	0	1	4
1	31			Dynamo Moscow (KHL)	8	0	0	0	27
1	31			HC MVD (MHL)	1	0	1	1	2
4	113	Alexei TOROPCHENKO	RW	HC MVD (MHL)	45	19	12	31	50
4	113			Dynamo Bsh Balashikha (Rus 2)	1	0	0	0	0
5	130	David NOEL	D	Chi-VdO (QMJHL)	65	11	21	32	29
6	175	Trenton BOURQUE	D	Owen Sound (OHL)	67	0	11	11	36
7	206	Anton ANDERSSON	D	Lulea (Swe Jr)	13	2	1	3	2
7	206			Lulea (Swe Jr 18)	4	2	2	4	12

St. Louis Blues - Grade 55

Even though they only had six total picks and did not take a player in the second or third rounds, the Blues had a great draft. A lot of people were confused when they protected slugger Ryan Reaves in the Expansion Draft over scoring winger David Perron, but that was a matter of 13 dimension chess, as the Blues swung the two biggest day one trades (not counting Chicago’s pre-draft deals). First, they dealt their second first rounder to Philadelphia, along with Jori Lehtera, for Brayden Schenn, who should be more than an adequate replacement for the departed Perron. Schenn is under contract for three more years at a reasonable cap hit. I liked that trade. But then, in the weirdest move of the day, they managed to flip Reaves to Pittsburgh, along with their second round pick, for a decent AHLer in Oskar Sundqvist, and the last pick of the first round. And that is how the Blues entered the day with Ryan Reaves instead of David Perron and ended it with two high end forward prospects and Brayden Schenn.

With their two first rounders, they selected London Knights playmaker Robert Thomas and big Russian enigma (in this case, the modifier is earned) Klim Kostin. We had ranked Thomas 15^th on the draft class and Kostin 21^st. Kostin has already stated that he will be leaving Russia this summer and prefers playing in the AHL to the CHL. Thomas is not ready for the pro game yet, but adds well above average skating chops to his playmaking abilities. If the injuries that hampered him this year are in the past, Kostin combines high end skill with a big frame and a power game. I also have good things to say about day two selections Alexey Toropchenko, a big Russian winger with a lot of tools who needs to put them all together and sixth rounder Trenton Bourque, a raw blueliner who makes up for a lack of offensive sense with good decision making in his own zone.

Best value: Klim Kostin, C, Dynamo Moscow (1/31): After destroying worlds at the pre-season Ivan Hlinka tournament, Kostin’s regular season was a big flame-out. Many had him in the lottery pick conversation early on and some still had him in the top 10 as draft day neared.

Biggest head-scratcher: David Noel, D, Val-d’Or (5/130): Not really bad value at this stage of the draft. He looks better on paper than he does on ice.

Top Ten European Players Coming to the NHL

Peter Harling — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 19:49:01 +0000

Each year a few players cross the pond to play in the NHL. Some have an impact such as Carl Soderberg and Jakub Silfverberg and are fantasy relevant; others like Roman Cervenka are not.

It can be tempting in the later rounds of a draft to take a gamble on such a player as the risk/reward is well worth it. Not to mention will look like a genius if he pans out.

In order to help you identify some of the better options and get a ranking here is my top ten list for the 2014 NHL season.

1. Jori Lehtera, Centre - St. Louis

Lehtera was drafted in 2008 but since has been playing in the KHL. There are several attractive factors regarding Lehtera. He scored 44 points in 48 games last season. He has signed a lucrative two year one way contract. In the 2011-2012 season he played on a line with Vladimir Tarasenko and they could be reunited in St. Louis. With the departure of Vladimir Sobotka there is an open roster spot and Coach Ken Hitchcock is bullish on him meaning he should see plenty of opportunity. No risk he does not make the team, only question is will he be a top six, or bottom six player.

Projection: 40 points

2. Leo Komarov, LW/RW – Toronto

Komarov returns to the NHL after a one year hiatus in the KHL. He is an underrated offensive player as he produced 34 points in 52 games last season. Komarov was an impact player in his year with the Leafs and has tremendous value in fantasy leagues that score hits and PIMs categories as well. Considering Toronto committed almost $3 million per season for the four years is a good indication they see him as much more that a fourth line agitator.

Projection: 25 points

3. Petri Kontiola, Centre – Toronto

Another returning player to the NHL as Kontiola played 12 games for Chicago in 2007-2008 and produced five assists. His competition at centre will be Nazem Kadri and Peter Holland for a scoring role, tough but he has the skills to be taken seriously.

Projection: 30 points

4. Simon Hjalmarsson, RW Columbus

Originally drafted by St. Louis, Hjalmarsson signed with Columbus after scoring over a point per game in the SHL last season. He will compete with Corey Tropp, Nick Foligno, and Matt Calvert for a top nine position. He has scoring potential, but at 5’11” and 161 pounds he is not a lock to make the team and needs to produce plenty of offense.

Projection: 25 points

5. Iiro Pakarinen, RW – Edmonton

The Oilers are stacked on the right wing, but Pakarinen is young and has the size and combativeness the Oilers like. He had an impressive season in Finland and scored three goals in 10 World Championship games to earn his ELC with the Oilers. He may not have an impact this year, but would be well worth a pick in a keeper league.

Projection: 15 points

6. Michael Keranen, C/RW – Minnesota

Keranen tied for the Liiga scoring lead and is loaded with offensive ability. His skating is NHL calibre but needs to bulk up his6' 1" 176 pound frame. If he does not impress early, he won’t make the team so keep an eye on him and be ready to cut bait and replace him with a waiver pick. He is a boom or bust player.

Projection: 15 points

7. Peter Mueller, RW – St. Louis

Mueller has already played 297 career NHL games and 160 career points. He had memorable seasons scoring 54 points in 81 games with Phoenix in 07/08, and 20 points in 15 games with Colorado in 09/10. His most recent NHL season was with Florida in 12/13 where he only scored 17 points in 43 games. He has a well know concussion history that raises a huge red flag but he has good size and skill. Still only 26 years old he could have a major comeback, if he can stay healthy and crack a roster spot on the stacked Blues. The Blues are looking for scoring punch and this reclamation project could pay dividends for them and your fantasy team.

Projection: 15 points

8. Tomas Nosek, LW – Detroit

Nosek signed as an undrafted free agent recently and the 22 year old Czech had a breakout season with Pardubice scoring 44 points in 52 games. While still developing, his 6’2” and 180 pound frame project well into the NHL. He is a versatile player who is responsible defensively and also possesses good playmaking abilities. Keep an eye on his training camp and preseason progress to determine if he has immediate value, or long term keeper value. He is a great sleeper pick.

Projection: 15 points

9. Jiri Sekac, C/LW – Montreal

His true fantasy value projects in keeper leagues. Sekac is only 22 and signed as a free agent with the Habs out of the KHL where he scored 28 points in 47 games. His size and skill project well in the NHL but he will likely see some development time in the AHL before carving out a NHL spot.

Projection: 5 points (in a limited number of games)

10. Joakim Lindstrom, LW – St. Louis

Lindstrom is the third Blues player to make this list, that’s one strike against him. He is already 30 and is on his third attempt to crack an NHL roster with a career record of 33 points in 97 games. That’s strike two. But he is coming off a career year in SHL where he scored 63 points in 55 games. If he does not make a big offensive impact his fantasy value evaporates as it would be his third and probably final strike. He is a long shot.

Projection: 15 points

Honorable mention:

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT), David Pasternak (BOS) and William Nylander (TOR) all drafted in 2014 out of Europe and all have a chance to crack their NHL rosters this season. At the very least, they will have an audition and all have tremendous keeper value.