Flyers Mailbag: Concern for the youth movement

It was clear after last season that the Flyers were not going to be big players in free agency. They were going to leave spots open for young players within the system to fill and stayed true to their word there.

Of the four main rookies this season — Nolan Patrick, Travis Sanheim, Robert Hagg and Taylor Leier — only one has a really strong case for linear progress from the beginning of the season until now.

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Robert Hagg has been solid with little slipping in his game even when his plate was full of responsibilities. Otherwise, it’s been a mixed bag and that has been concerning for some. That’s where we start with the latest edition of the mailbag.

As always, participate through Twitter using the #FlyersMailbag hashtag.

@IM_A_Carp: #FlyersMailbag what is your take from both a fan and writer's perspective on the youth movement? Do you think Sanheim could do with more time at Lehigh Valley and take Konecny with him? Think Nolan Patrick has been rushed?

From the writer’s perspective, new is typically exciting and it’s been exciting to write about new players because there’s interest there. From the fan’s perspective, can’t have it both ways. There is always a strong desire for new, young players and then if there’s a hint of them being a work in progress instead of immediately excelling, there’s an accusation that they shouldn’t be there.

In the case of Travis Sanheim, the Flyers purposefully left two spots open. It was a three-man race between he, Samuel Morin and Robert Hagg. It was evident early in camp that Hagg pretty much had a lock on one of the spots so it was between Morin and Sanheim for the other. I think it was the case of the Flyers wanting a puck-mover and being confident that Sanheim can learn on the fly. Has he looked great every night? No. But you can see offensive tendencies in his game that will connect eventually and make up for any defensive shortcomings. In the case of Patrick, it was either the NHL or WHL and the Flyers thought he would progress better around guys older than him as opposed to dominating a league where he was among the oldest players in his year.

@JoshGuignard: #FlyersMailbag In your opinion should & would the Flyers loan Nolan Patrick to Team Canada for the WJC?

It would probably be a man-amongst-boys scenario if he went back there for a couple weeks and perhaps it would give him more confidence. On the surface, he seems like a strong-willed player who doesn’t need that kind of crutch even though things may not be going the way he planned just yet. So the long answer to a short question is no, I don’t think they should. And I definitely don’t think they would.

@ vinnieg_73: Do you think Nolan Patrick is getting enough ice time to make an impact on the game? #FlyersMailbag

If you look at Patrick’s game log, the decrease in his minutes came on this last road trip, with a bit of an improvement in the win over the Vancouver Canucks. In the game before the Flyers left, he was a minus-2. That was also true in the first game of the trip. There will be times in which a player doesn’t have a coach’s trust and it appears as though Patrick is in one of those times right now. It doesn’t mean he’s marred for the season. I don’t think there’s reason to worry just yet.

@aveoluv: #FlyersMailbag Will it really take an injury to Ghost and/or Provi before Sanheim gets on the PP? Also, who makes the PP personnel selections? Knoblaugh or Hakstol? Thanks, I'll hang up and listen.

Sure looks that way. Shayne Gostisbehere won’t be giving up his spot on the first power-play unit any time soon and it’s tough to take Ivan Provorov off the second unit because he’s very smart with the puck. One solution would be to have two defensemen on the second unit, but that isn’t common in the NHL anymore.

As for the second part, Dave Hakstol has the final say, but new assistant Kris Knoblauch gets a pretty heavy influence to do what he wants with the man advantage.

@aaronstank: With the PK consistently in the bottom third of the league the past 3 years and this year as well, what's the deal? Coaching (Lappy?) or do they simply not have players capable of defending a man down? #FlyersMailbag

I’ve heard head coaches say that penalty kill is about effort more than system. I don’t think the problem has been the effort, though. Ian Laperriere coaches the Flyers penalty kill and might be the best poster child for effort and determination in the franchise’s history, but the system seems to be lacking.

They haven’t employed only one system over the years. They’ve been aggressive. They’ve been passive. They’ve tried to balance the risk and reward. Nothing seems to have produced consistent results for any length of time. As for the most recent struggles, missing Radko Gudas and Andrew MacDonald at the same time hurt them. Taking Taylor Leier out of the equation was self-inflicted, though. He went from being a top-pair penalty killer to out of the equation all together. I don’t get that decision at all.

@vonar_town: Who has been the most impressive and who has been the biggest disappointment so far this season #FlyersMailbag

That depends on expectations and frankly I did not have very high expectations for Brian Elliott. Boy, was I wrong. His first six games were certainly not up to par — a .876 save percentage during that time — but since then he’s been very good. In the 16 games since giving up half a dozen goals to the Anaheim Ducks he has a very serviceable .923 save percentage.

As for most disappointing, I’d have to go with Jordan Weal. He finished last season with 14 points in 14 games and it looked like consistent offense from him might be sustainable (although a shooting percentage of 16.3 isn’t). So far he hasn’t made the most of his opportunity. He’s looked better in the last three games, but the season as a whole he’s been underwhelming.

@petescottoline: If the Flyers are out of contention come March, who do you realistically think they’ll move? And what would you want them to get in return? #FlyersMailbag

Not to be “that guy,” but the NHL’s trade deadline this season is Feb. 26, so a little sooner than usual. If they’re out of it at that point, their biggest chip is Wayne Simmonds. The problem is they’d basically need another Wayne Simmonds in return, a scoring winger who will go to the net. Teams always need to build for the future, but many of the forward prospects the Flyers have will take some time.

There’s always the chance of a team wanting a goalie, but that would depend on a couple things for the Flyers regardless of whether Elliott or Michal Neuvirth was the guy moved. A. Alex Lyon would have to bounce back. His numbers in the AHL aren’t great right now. B. If they don’t get a goalie in return, that puts either Carter Hart or Felix Sandstrom one rung on the ladder closer to the NHL. Are they ready to do that? I don’t think so just yet even though Hart has been otherworldly in junior.

@FlyGoalScoredBy: Who would give the best gift during a Flyers pink elephant gift exchange? #FlyersMailbag

I like it. Finish with a fun one.

If there’s no spending limit, Claude Giroux could certainly afford to make anyone’s holiday season merry and bright. But those kinds of exchanges are usually of the gag-gift variety and Michael Raffl has the sense of humor to answer the bell there.

Dave Isaac; @davegisaac; 856-486-2479; disaac@gannett.com

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