Take a moment…breathe…let yourself be calm for a moment. You aren’t dreaming, it truly did happen Matvei Michkov is now a Philadelphia Flyer!!! Its been two days now but the shock won’t subside. (Hopefully it never does) It is astounding to me how quickly the air feels lighter in Philadelphia. In my last piece I tried to explain just how substantial a deep draft class is for a team in rebuild.
I wrote that piece, and even I can’t tell you how overwhelmingly different things feel now! With the Geopolitical climate we may not get to see the young phenom on ice for the next 2-3 years…and yet life is better? As a life long fan I’m struggling to think of the last time I felt such hope and pride about the future. (Maybe not since Danny Briere signed in Philly?) There’s a sense of “things are gonna work out!” about this team. Make no mistake, I am not dismissing the rest of our draft picks taken, (in fact i’m quite high on several of them) but taking Mitchkov at 7 seems like Christmas morning mixed with winning the lottery. It’s just this incredible feeling I could surely get used to.
Ok, so Philadelphia you’ve got your future star coming down the road in a few years. Last years 5th overall Team USA’s Cutter Gauthier will most likely be joining the team for the last few games of the season once his sophomore college season is over. Ronnie Attard will most likely be a regular NHL-er this season developing his game further. Egor Zamula will also join Attard fighting for a regular roster spot this season. Tyson Foerster finished the last season healthy following his previous shoulder injury, and looks to push for a spot this year with his snappy wrist shot. Bobby Brink and Elliot Desnoyers are both also poised to have a good chance at making the team especially if some more roster moves happen during the offseason.
All of this is to show, player development marches ever onward. Under the new regime, there’s a real sense that these kids will be able to go even further. In recent years, the Flyers have seen their development pool run stagnant. Several players picked never made it to the NHL, some are no longer with the team at all (Jay O’Brien). As players age and injuries ravage, (Coots, Hayes, Ellis, list goes on…) you need to have a youth infusion coming in behind them to fill out the team and create serious depth.
With any luck, the next 2-3 years we will see several of these players blossom into full time NHL players. Only time will tell, as a lot hinges on giving these kids proper time and NHL experience. Coach Torts has his eye test on the ice. The newly hired Patrick Sharp will handle player development as well bouncing between the Flyers and their affiliate teams. That guy knows a thing or two about winning, also helps to be a former Phantom/Flyer himself.
This is the most optimistic and hopeful i’ve felt about this team in a very long time. It’s refreshing to not be so negative, to feel like there’s finally a sense of direction. This League is tough, to win in the NHL you have to have several things go your way. It all starts by building your team the right way with a dedication winning. Here’s to the rebuild, and restoring the Flyers once more.
By: Anthony Spotts (@SpottsOnGoal)
photo credit: @NHLFlyers
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