The Impact of Matt Niskanen's Retirement on the Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers offseason went from what should have been a dull one to a being a potentially intriguing one in the drop of a hat. 

A veteran defenseman retiring wouldn’t be a big deal in the NHL, but this is 2020. Matt Niskanen decided to retire even though he still has one year left on his current contract at a $5.75 million cap hit. Sure, with Niskanen retiring,  it frees up that cap space, which almost every team will be looking for with a flat cap for the next few years. The Flyers have also re-signed veteran defenseman, Justin Braun. Braun was an unrestricted free agent, the Flyers would have let go, but with Niskanen retiring, the team didn’t want to lose another piece of the penalty kill. Braun signed a new two-year contract worth $3.6 million to go with a $1.8 million cap hit.  The team will miss the leadership and experience that Niskanen brought to the team. 

Niskanen’s retirement will have an impact in the long run that fans may think. The team was in a much better position for the expansion draft, but now that could change. If the team goes and acquires or signs a free agent to a longer-term deal, it may force them to have to make a tough decision as to which blueliners to protect come the expansion draft. The biggest question in all of this is who is Ivan Provorov’s partner this season? Can Provorov has the same success he did this season without Niskanen as his partner? 

Who is Ivan Provorov’s Defense Partner Next Season?

It is one of the longer-term questions that Niskanen’s retirement brings to the table. Do Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers go out and sign someone like Alex Pietrangelo, or maybe try to acquire someone like Matt Dumba? This blue line will be young next season, but there is experience there. I feel like if the Flyers do anything at all, it will be to acquire a top pairing, veteran defenseman. The team could do this via trade or free agency. The team should go after someone who is a decent defender, so Provorov doesn’t have to worry about defending all the time and can maybe pick up some points in the offensive zone.

Sure, the Flyers very well could stand pat and go with who they have on the current roster. The defensemen on the current roster are Provorov, Braun, Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim, and Phil Myers. They could bring up a guy like Mark Friedman, who could rotate in and out as the seventh defenseman, but I’d rather have Friedman getting some ice time with the AHL club than being the seventh for the Flyers. If everything stands pat, who moves up to play with Provorov? Sanheim played with him for a bit during the 2018-19 season, but that breaks up the Sanheim-Myers pairing. I don’t think Gostisbehere would even be an option to play top-pairing minutes at this point since he’s been so inconsistent and injury-prone the past few seasons. 

Can the Flyers still package Shayne Gostisbehere in a Deal?

Another impact of Niskanen’s retirement: can the Flyers afford to trade Gostisbehere or is he too valuable to the team? The Flyers have some defensive prospects in the system like Egor Zamula and Cam York, but those guys likely won’t see the NHL for another few years. With this being the case and Niskanen no longer a place holder, should the Flyers still see if there are any takers out there for Gostisbehere? My answer to this is yes because they still need a scorer, and it wouldn’t hurt to see what a package with Gostisbehere could bring the team in return.

Gostisbehere has had one good NHL season and that was his rookie one. Granted, the injuries have started to pile up in the last few years. It seems like even when he is healthy, he is a risk on the ice. And yes, I get that those fakes and moves he makes at the offensive blue line are something that most defensemen can’t do, but he is unreliable in the defensive zone. He takes chances with the puck, when he should just clear it or get it to a teammate to clear.  

WHAT IMPACT COULD THIS HAVE ON THE EXPANSION DRAFT?

If Niskanen decided to play out the season and not retire, the Flyers would have been in good shape going into the NHL Expansion Draft for the Seattle Kraken. The decision on which defensemen to protect would have been an easy one with Provorov, Sanheim, and Myers. If the Flyers have to sign or acquire a defenseman with some term to his contract, this will make it more difficult for the team. Yes, they could protect four defensemen, but then that would only leave four forwards to protect. 

Two of those forwards, Claude Giroux and Kevin Hayes, have no-movement clauses, which means the Flyers would have to protect them. That would leave two players to protect, and they would likely be Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny. If the Flyers had to go this way, then they risk losing Oskar Lindblom. Another option would be for the Flyers to make a deal with the Kraken to take James van Riemsdyk off its hands, but at what cost? It still may cost them either some draft picks or a young player that is NHL ready.

Niskanen’s retirement doesn’t just have short-term effects, but also provides some longer-term ones, but I’m sure Fletcher and the Flyers will figure it out, and if they don’t, the fans will have some younger players to look forward to seeing in the future.

Flying Forward: Building Momentum, Gaining Points

The Philadelphia Flyers look to continue to build momentum and gain some points in the standings this week. The Flyers are 3-1-1 since Scott Gordon was named the team's interim head coach on Dec. 17.

This week is no easy task as they will face the Carolina Hurricanes twice, the Nashville Predators in Nashville and the red-hot Calgary Flames.

Monday, Dec. 31 at Carolina Hurricanes- 6 p.m.

The first game of the week sees the Flyers in Carolina on New Year's Eve. The Hurricanes have struggled to put the puck in the back of the opposition's net this season. The Orange and Black have struggled to keep opponents off the board. It will be interesting to see which team can do what needs to be done to get the two points in the standings. 

The Flyers should be aware of when Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen are on the ice. Aho leads the Hurricanes in goals, assists, and points with Teravainen second on the team in assists and points. The Orange and Black need to get the first goal of the game since they are better when playing with the lead rather than trying to come from behind. Neither team is especially good when trailing after two periods and have combined for only one win while forcing overtime five times in 32 attempts. The Flyers should try to have the lead entering the final period if they want to get two points.

Tuesday, Jan. 1 at Nashville Predators- 8:30 p.m.

The Flyers managed to get a win over the Predators on Dec. 20, but the Predators are a different team at home versus on the road. The Preds have gotten a few important players back from injury recently in Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban. The Flyers have been known rise to the occasion when playing against the top teams in the NHL. 

The Predators' defensemen have no problem moving the puck and joining the play in the offensive zone so the Flyers will need to be aware of the trailing player in the rushes. The Flyers need to establish the forecheck early in the game to keep the Preds defending their own zone instead of attacking in the offensive zone. There needs to be plenty of traffic in front of the Predators net for deflections or tips because if Pekka Rinne is in net then he is stopping what pucks he can see. The Flyers need to limit their mistakes and play smart hockey especially since the Predators can gain speed in the neutral zone off the rush.

Thursday, Jan. 3 vs. Carolina Hurricanes-7 p.m.

The Flyers face-off against the Hurricanes for the second time in four days, but this time it'll be on home ice. The Canes will get their chances in the game since they average just over 37 shots for per game, but the problem has been finishing those chances this season. The Flyers have to be smart with the puck since the Hurricanes will take the puck away and force turnovers.

The Orange and Black should get plenty of pucks on the net since the goalies for the Hurricanes can be shaky at times. If there is an open look then don't overthink it or overpass, put the puck on the net especially on the power play, where the Flyers have been struggling. Amazingly, the Flyers have been an okay team at even strength, and that has been what is keeping them alive so far this season. The goaltending has been a lot better since the rookie Carter Hart has taken over the net. Hart has been solid making saves that the other five goalies couldn't make this season. The Flyers have gotten some secondary scoring of late and that will need to continue in this game.

Saturday, Jan. 5 vs. Calgary Flames- 1 p.m.

The Flames are one of the best teams in the NHL, and one of the hottest too. The Flyers lost an overtime game to them on Dec. 12, where the Flyers managed to blow a two-goal lead with 1:08 left in regulation. The Orange and Black are a different team with a new leader since that last game. The Flames have gotten some decent goaltending from David Rittich, while Mike Smith has given up some really soft goals.

A good way to keep the top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm off the board is to neutralize their speed and establish a good forecheck and cycle game early to keep the Flames in their own end. The Flyers may want to stay out of the penalty box since the Flames have a decent power play, and should they take a penalty don't give defenseman Mark Giordano any time or space to make a play. The Orange and Black hopefully have learned from their game on Dec. 12 that they need to keep attacking and play smart hockey with the lead or the Flames will burn them taking advantage of their chances and putting pucks in the net.

Flying Forward Weekly Prediction

The Flyers play two games at home this week and two games on the road. They will win both games over the Hurricanes and take all four points against them. The Predators will avenge their loss to the Flyers on Dec. 20 with a regulation win on home ice. The Flyers will keep it competitive against the Flames and then manage to lose in overtime. The Orange and Black will gain five of a possible eight points in a busy week. 

Flying Forward: Weekly Preview 3/11/18-3/17/18

The Philadelphia Flyers will look to move up the playoff standings this week, but it won't be easy.

On Monday night, they'll face the Vegas Golden Knights, who are first in the Pacific Division. The Blue Jackets come to town on Thursday night in a game that could loom big for both teams. The Flyers end their week with a visit to Carolina on St. Patrick's Day.

The Flyers need to get off to a fast start against the Golden Knights tonight. They should set the tone early and be prepared to play with some energy from the beginning of the game. Philadelphia will want to establish the forecheck and cycle game early to get sustained offensive zone pressure to get some pucks on net and scoring chances. Petr Mrazek needs to have a stellar game and make saves. The Flyers should keep an eye on Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlson since they are the two top point producers for Vegas.

Vegas should get plenty of shots on goal in this game and test the Flyers goalie early, who has been inconsistent the past few games. The Golden Knights need to get the first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game. Vegas should try to win the battle of special teams with some power play goals. The Golden Knights want to play a solid road game and keep an eye on the Flyers top line since they have been playing well since being put together.

The Orange and Black will host the Blue Jackets on Thursday night and expect this game to be a close one. The Flyers need to be discipline because they have a poor penalty kill. The team is going to need to limit their mistakes and watch out for the speed of the Blue Jackets. Philly will need to get a ton of traffic around the front of the net for screens and deflections. The goaltending for the Flyers will need to come up big since Columbus has been playing good hockey of late and averages 34 shots per game.

Columbus will also want to play with some discipline even with the Flyers power play struggling of late. The Blue Jackets should try to win the special teams battle since the teams are both decent at even strength hockey. Columbus needs to get off to a fast start and get a goal early or make a play that gets the team energized. The Blue Jackets will want to have the lead after two periods since they are a much better team when leading heading into the third period then when trailing. Columbus should know where Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek are on the ice at all times ice since they have decent career numbers against them.

The Flyers end the week with another divisional foe in the Carolina Hurricanes. Philly needs to get the first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game. The Orange and Black want to play a solid road game and not make it easy for the Canes to do whatever they want on the ice. The Flyers need to win the battle at even strength since the opposition has outscored the Hurricanes 142-118 at even strength play this year; The Flyers will need to keep an eye on Jeff Skinner and Justin Williams since those two have not been kind to the Flyers in their careers.

The Hurricanes will want to play a team defense game with the forwards helping out. Carolina needs to get a good game from the starting goaltender. The Canes need to get the first goal of the game and keep attacking and not sit back. The Hurricanes should avoid the penalty box at all costs since their penalty kill has been an area of concern this season. Carolina will need to be aware of then defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is on the ice since he has 10 points in 11 career games played against them.

Flying Forward: Weekly Preview 2/25/18-3/3/18

The Philadelphia Flyers look to continue extend their five game win streak this week as they take on some Eastern Conference opponents.

The Flyers start the week off with a rare Monday night game on the schedule. They will take on a disappointing Canadiens team in Montreal. On Thursday night, the Flyers return to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Philly will finish out the week on Saturday afternoon against the Lightning in Tampa Bay.

The Flyers will want to make sure that they establish the forecheck and cycle game early and often against the Canadiens. The Orange and Black will want to make sure that they take advantage of their power play opportunities since the Habs aren't exactly the best penalty killing team in the NHL. The Flyers will want to have a strong even strength game against Montreal since the team actually has a decent power play and can put some pucks in the net while on the man advantage. Philly should get some shots on goal since the rookie goalie will be starting tonight for the Habs.

The Canadiens have struggled mightily this year and have been one of the more disappointing teams in the League. They will want to get the first goal of the game and keep attacking because the Flyers have been finding ways to win games lately. The Habs should set the tone early whether it be physically or spending time in the offensive zone. Montreal wants to play discipline since they have a weak penalty kill, and the Flyers have good power play. The Canadiens need to play a consistent game and take advantage of being up a man on the ice since the Flyers have one of the worst penalty kills in the League.

On Thursday night, the Flyers take on Metropolitan Division foe, Carolina Hurricanes. The Orange and Black will need to play well at even strength, while still being discipline. Philly needs to take advantage of their power play opportunities since the Hurricanes seem to allow a lot of power play goals. The Flyers should use their speed to create chances and draw some penalties. The Orange and Black need to be aware of where Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho are on the ice since they are the leading point getters for the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes will want to be discipline and not give the Flyers too many chances on the power play. Carolina needs its goaltender to have a big game and not allow any soft goals. The Canes should try to get the first goal of the game and keep putting the pressure on the Flyers since they will turn the puck over. The Hurricanes need to win the special teams battle if they want to have a chance at winning the game. Carolina should be aware of the speed and creativity of forward Travis Konecny and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who has killed them in his brief career.

Philly ends their week with an afternoon game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The Flyers will need to find a way to stop the balanced attack of the Lightning by spending some time in their offensive zone. The Orange and Black are going to want to play a solid road game and keep the defensive gap pretty small. Philly wants to make sure that they get a ton of traffic in front of the net for deflections and to take the goalie's eyes away from the puck. The Orange and Black want to limit their mistakes and get some solid goaltending.

The Bolts need to play with discipline since their one weakness has been the penalty kill this year. Tampa Bay should get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game and have the momentum. The Lightning want to win the special teams battle since both teams play a solid even strength game. The Bolts goaltender will need to make some big saves throughout the game and make the easy saves too. Tampa Bay is going to need to find a way to stop the balanced attack of the Flyers by making them defend in their own zone.

3 Things: Carolina Hurricanes @ Philadelphia Flyers : 3/1/18

The Philadelphia Flyers will look to gain two valuable points tonight at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Here are three things to watch for in tonight's game:

1.) GOALTENDING- HURRICANES

The goaltending is going to need to come up big for the Hurricanes to even have a shot at winning the game. The goalie is going to have to make the big save and make the easy save. The defense will need to help the goalies out and clear the front of the net so he can see the shots that are coming towards him. Whether it be Cam Ward or Scott Darling in the crease for the Hurricanes, the goalie needs to make sure that they are in position to stop the puck and not give up too many rebound chances. The goalies need to bounce back really quick if a soft goal is given up or scored.

2.) SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE- FLYERS

Gostisbehere has been a Hurricane killer in his brief career especially in overtime. In 10 games in his career against the Hurricanes, Ghost has 10 points including four goals and six assists. Of his four career goals against the Hurricanes, three of them have been game-winning goals. Gostisbehere loves playing against the Hurricanes and the Canes need to be aware of when he is on the ice and where he is on the ice.

3.) TEUVO TERAVAINEN VS. TRAVIS KONECNY

Teravainen is tied for the team lead in points with Sebastian Aho for the Hurricanes. In 62 games played this year, he has 47 points including 15 goals and 32 assists. The Canes have sturggled to score this year at time, but Teravainen has been one of their more consistent players. Travis Konecny started the season off very slow, but has been on fire since he was put on the top line with Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier. In 61 games played, he has 34 points to go with 15 goals and 19 assists. He plays at even strength and on the second power play unit. In his last five games played, he has two goals, three assists and five total points.

Flying Forward: Weekly Preview 12/31/17-1/6/18

The Philadelphia Flyers will finally start to see some teams in their own conference and division. Philadelphia will have two chances to gain some ground on Metropolitan Division opponents this week.

The Orange and Black will take on divisional rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on Tuesday night on national television as the game will be aired on NBCSN at 7:00 p.m. The Islanders will then visit Philly on Thursday night in another big divisional game. The Flyers will end their week with a  visit form Brayden Schenn and the St. Louis Blues, who have been struggling lately.

The Flyers are going to need to find a way to stop Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel since they are the two top point producers on the Pens. Philadelphia needs to play with discipline because the Penguins have the third best power play in the NHL. The Orange and Black want to win the even strength battle since the penalty kill is a weak one. The Flyers need to have a better start to this game since the first period has been a problem for Philly all season. They have been outscored in the first period 33-25 so far. Philly will need to play with energy from the drop of the puck and established the tone of the game early.

The Penguins will want to take advantage of a weak Flyers penalty kill that is ranked 29th in the League. Pittsburgh also needs to get off to a better start since they have been outscored 41-29 in first periods of game. The Pens need to have the better of the even strength play. Pittsburgh needs to have the lead entering the final period of the game since they only have four wins when trailing after two periods, but don't have a loss when leading after two periods. The Pens want to get good goaltending since the Flyers can put the puck in the net, if they are at the top of their game. The Penguins are going to need to get shots on goal and traffic in front of the opposing goaltender.

The Isles will visit the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night for another big divisional game. The Flyers need to find a way to stop Josh Bailey, John Tavares, Anders Lee and company. One way to do that is to get a good forecheck established early, spend some time in the offensive zone, and get plenty of shots on net since the goaltending hasn't been great for New York this year. Philly needs to stay out of the penalty box since the Isles have a dangerous power play that can put the puck in the net. The Orange and Black want to get the first goal of the game, and build from there. The Flyers need to establish a forecheck and cycle game early and often.

New York needs to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a good power play in their own right. The Islanders need to get good goaltending in this game, which is something that has been lacking at times this year. The Isles should try to get an early goal, and make the Flyers play from behind. New York needs to have a better start to this game since they have struggled in first periods of games this year. The Islanders will want to be aware of when Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux on the ice since they have had some good chemistry this year, and can put up some points when on the ice together.

Brayden Schenn makes his return to Philly with this new team, the St. Louis Blues. The Flyers need to make sure that they keep the duo of Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko in-check when they are on the ice. The Orange and Black need to get off to a fast start and have some jump right from the drop of the puck. Philadelphia wants to avoid mistakes and turnovers in this game since the Blues have a decent transition game. The Flyers need to have a solid defensive effort and cash in on their chances when they have them.

The Blues need to get good goaltending in this game whether it should be Jake Allen or Carter Hutton. St. Louis wants to play a full 60 minute game, and not have lapses throughout the game. The Blues should try to get their power play going against the Flyers, who have one of the worst penalty kills in the NHL. St. Louis will need to keep an eye on Wayne Simmonds and Shayne Gostisbehere, who can lead the Flyers offense in different ways. Brayden Schenn should be playing in another gear since he plays against his former team. 

Flying Forward: Weekly Preview 10/22/17-10/28/17

The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to continue their winning ways both at home and on the road this week.

The Flyers will face the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night at home. They will then take on the stingy Senators in Ottawa before ending the week in Toronto to face the fast-paced Maple Leafs.

Philly will need to take advantage of the injuries that the Ducks have had early in this season. The Orange and Black need to keep an eye on the Andrew Cogliano, Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg since they have a combined 12 points. The Flyers need to get the first goal of the game since they have yet to lose this year when scoring first. Philly will need to be sure to get pucks on the net with traffic in front and to elevate the puck. The Flyers need to be careful when on the power play because the Ducks do have three shorthanded goals on the season.

The Ducks need to get the first goal of the game because they haven't lost a game yet this season when scoring first. Anaheim needs to get off to a decent start and attack the young Philly defense since there will be new pairings, and the top pairing will be young. They will have to get traffic in front of the net, and be in front for rebounds because the Philadelphia goalies will allow them. Anaheim needs to keep an eye on Wayne Simmonds, who leads the team in goals, and Shayne Gostisbehere, who leads the team in points. The Ducks also need to not go out of their way for the big hit because Philly has the speed to make them pay for that this year.

The Orange and Black need to not let the Senators bore them and make them lose focus on what is going on around them. The Sens tend to play a very boring style, but the Flyers can attack them with their speed and quick puck movement out of the zone. Philly will need to stop a balanced Ottawa attack by getting their cycle game going and spending some time in the offensive zone. The Flyers should try to get a ton of traffic and shots on goal because if keep putting pucks on net then will eventually get some good chances. The Orange and Black need to have a solid defensive road game while pushing the pace.

Ottawa needs to get the first goal of the game and feed off the home crowd. The Senators need to keep an neutralize the balanced attack of the Flyers by spending some time in the offensive zone. The Sens will need to establish the forecheck game early and attack the Philly defense. This would be a good game to try and get the home power play going for the Senators since the Flyers don't have a good road penalty kill.

Toronto ends its week with a visit from the Flyers to the ACC. The Leafs need to be aware of the Flyers speed, and stay out of the penalty box. They will need to take care of the rookies that are playing on the blue line, and the potential of new pairs since Andrew MacDonald is out 4-6 weeks with a lower body injury. The Maple Leafs need to get the first goal since the Flyers have yet to win a game when their opponent nets the first goal. The Leafs are going to need to keep an eye on the top line of the Flyers, and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who heading into this week lead the team with 11 points.

The Flyers will need to get off to a fast start and get the first goal of the game. Philly can neutralize the speed of the Maple Leafs by spending time in the offensive zone with a good cycle and forecheck game. The Orange and Black need to bring the balanced attack that they have all season long to wear down the Leafs. The Flyers need to take advantage when they are up a man because Toronto doesn't have the best home penalty kill percentage (76.5%). Philly will need to win the even strength play, which is an area where they have been much better at this season as opposed to last season.