Grading the Top Offseason Moves for the Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have had an active start to the offseason and are starting to trend in the right direction.

It is fair to say that the team wasn't looked at seriously under former general manager Paul Holmgren in terms of contracts handed out (Ilya Bryzgalov) and shipped out (Jeff Carter and Mike Richards), but Ron Hextall has been all business since being installed as GM.

He started the offseason by hiring Dave Hakstol as Craig Berube's replacement to coach the team. He then made some savvy trades and got solid value at the draft. 

The Flyers are coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs, but they have the makings of a team that could contend for a wild-card spot in 2015-16 if everything breaks their way.

While they haven't improved as drastically as some of their neighbors in the Metropolitan Division, fans should be optimistic for the upcoming season. With that in mind, here are some grades for their top moves so far this offseason.

Grade: B+

The Philadelphia Flyers axed bench boss Berube at the end of the season, hiring Hakstol from the University of North Dakota to replace him.

The veteran NCAA coach comes with a solid track record, and former Philadelphia Daily News reporter Frank Seravalli wrote a great story on what he built in North Dakota and can bring to the City of Brotherly Love.

The hiring of Hakstol makes a ton of sense because a team like the Flyers is about to have a number of young players who are coming through the system.

Vincent Lecavalier notwithstanding, the Flyers' roster respected Berube, and the transition to Hakstol could be interesting as the season gets underway.

In the long run, having a young coach like Hakstol could make a significant impact for the Flyers as they attempt to build a contender.

The Flyers' young players are the future, and if Hakstol teaches them well, then they will lead the way.

Philadelphia has solid players in place, and a coach like Hakstol can make sure that developing players such as Travis Sanheim, Samuel Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny and Robert Hagg get the opportunities that they need and deserve as they transition from prospects to NHL regulars.

Grade: A+

The Philadelphia Flyers used their first pick at No. 7 overall to take 6'0", 200-pound defender Ivan Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The talented Russian finished fourth in WHL scoring by a defender with 61 points last season and was considered to be one of the better all-around blueliners in the draft. NHL Central Scouting ranked him second among all North American rearguards.

With the No. 7 overall pick, the Flyers could have taken a number of forwards such as Mikko Rantanen, Timo Meier and Lawson Crouse, and either pick would have been accepted.

Philadelphia stuck to its guns and took the best player available, and Provorov projects to be a top-four defender who will make his impact known for a very long time.

Grade: A

The Flyers had another first-round pick at their disposal but opted to trade the No. 28 overall pick and a second-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in order to move up four spots.

At No. 24 overall, the Flyers selected Travis Konecny, a 5'10" forward with tons of offensive skills.

Konecny finished the season as NHL Central Scouting's No. 14-ranked North American skater, and he was an absolute steal at No. 24 overall. He finished the season with 68 points in 60 games for the Ottawa 67's and was a standout as the MVP of the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

You can never have enough young forward with talent, and grabbing a player with a similar game to that of captain Claude Giroux could greatly benefit the Flyers in a few years.

Grade: B-

The Flyers inked Michal Neuvirth to a two-year deal that will count for $1.625 million against the salary cap, and he becomes Steve Mason's backup.

The addition of Neuvirth effectively ends Ray Emery's career with the Philadelphia Flyers, which is something that is looked at as an addition by subtraction.

Neuvirth is a decent goalie who has shown some true potential throughout his career to date. He has a career record of 66-63-17, 2.73 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. By no means are these amazing numbers, but his .921 save percentage in 29 games on a bad Buffalo Sabres team should speak volumes for how good he can be when the situation arises.

Grade: A+

The Flyers addressed their need for another forward who can make an impact when they dealt defender Nicklas Grossmann and the contract of Chris Pronger to Arizona in exchange for Sam Gagner.

Gagner can play center and wing, and could explode offensively this season for the Flyers. He is coming off a season in which he tallied 15 goals, 26 assists and 41 points in 81 games for a very bad Arizona Coyotes squad.

The Flyers were able to rid themselves of Hall of Famer Pronger's contract and make room on the blue line by dealing Grossman for a forward with a career points-per-game average of 0.61.

Gagner only counts for $3.2 million against Philly's cap, he has been a quality offensive player and could have an opportunity to play with Jakub Voracek or Claude Giroux.

Grade: B+

So far this offseason, the Flyers have done a good job of adding quality young players, freeing up cap space and addressing some key needs.

While Philadelphia certainly has some more work to do before becoming an elite contender, it is fair to say the Flyers have taken the necessary steps toward building a team that can be a force in the coming seasons.

The addition of Gagner is also a move that Hextall should receive some praise for because he has the skills to be a difference-maker in the top six.

Overall, the Flyers are an impact player or two away, but solid blue-line depth in the farm system is going to be a huge factor in the next two or three years. That depth will either benefit the Flyers on the ice or they will turn it into assets that are flipped for the right players.

Stats via Hockey-Reference.com and financial information via General Fanager unless otherwise noted.