Philadelphia Flyers: Buying or Selling at Trade Deadline?
The Philadelphia Flyers have struggled these past few weeks, which see them currently sitting ninth in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.
Have a 3-5-2 record in their last 10 games, the Philadelphia Flyers look like a mere image of what they were during their November-December winning run of 10 games. The team snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday, defeating the New York Islanders 3-2 in overtime. Prior to that, they were outscored 15-4 in losses to Boston, Washington, and New Jersey. They travel tonight to face the New York Rangers in a huge Eastern Conference showdown.
Goaltending continues to be an issue, as the Philadelphia Flyers are tied for second for the most goals allowed this season (154). They are at a -18 in goal differential, while both Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth have not been consistent in between the pipes. Mason, currently has a record of 15-15-6 and a G.A.A. of 2.92. Neuvirth, who struggled to stay healthy earlier in the season, is 6-4 with a 3.38 G.A.A.
Overall, both goalies seem to not be up to par especially after strong campaigns a season ago. Defensively, the Flyers need to be better, with Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere leading the bunch. Both youngsters are in the Flyers top-ten in points and ice time, but as a unit, the team needs to be better at holding onto the puck and not turning it over.
The big question for G.M. Ron Hextall is, whether or not the Flyers will be buying or selling before the February 28th Trade Deadline? My answer is to sell. Even if the Flyers turn it on following this weekend’s All-Star Break, the likelihood of them being a true threat in the playoffs is minimal. They do not score consistently, and they allow too many goals for a team that would have to shut down some of the Eastern Conference’s best.
Three big names that could see their way out of the door are defensemen Andrew MacDonald, Mark Streit, and forward Matt Read. MacDonald is being paid $5 million annually, through the 2020-21 season, but is not producing enough to earn top-pair money. Streit is in the final year of his contract, and still, possesses a hard shot and veteran experience. However, many believe he will walk away at the end of the season, sitting at an age of 39, and wouldn’t accept a substantial pay cut.
Read, has one more year on his contract, at a cap hit of $3.63 million. His days of being a top-six contributor look behind him, despite being a serviceable defensive forward. His numbers have gone down since 2013-14, going from 40 points that season, to 30 in 2014-15, to 26 a season ago.
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Others names that could be on the chopping block are forwards Dale Weise, Chris Vandevelde, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Weise has not lived up to expectations after being a free-agent signing last off-season. Vandevelde and Bellemare are UFA’s at the end of the season, so they could be thrown in to sweeten any deal.
If some players are sold by the beginning of March, Hextall could give some valuable second-half playing time to defensemen Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim. The strength of this team going forward has to be in the back-line, and the Flyers have a slew of talent waiting in the minor leagues. Offensively, the Flyers could look to bring in a talented goalscorer in the off-season to pair with the likes of Wayne Simmonds, Claude Giroux, and Jakub Voracek.
Despite, their amazing run earlier in the season, the Flyers are back down to reality. Even with an amazing run to end the season, they look more threatening for the future with the slew of minor-league talent waiting at their disposal.
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