Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers went into the college ranks for a man to lead their rebuilding effort, naming University of North Dakota's Dave Hakstol their next head coach Monday.  

“Dave brings a wealth of head coaching experience and success to the Philadelphia Flyers organization,” general manager Ron Hextall said in a statement on the team's official website. “He’s a proven winner and we are pleased to have him become part of the Flyers family.”

Hakstol, 46, has spent the last 11 seasons building North Dakota into one of the nation's best hockey programs. He compiled a 289-143-43 overall record, including NCAA tournament berths in each season and seven Frozen Fours. The team never took home a national championship and made the finals only once, but Hakstol has been a bastion of consistency on the national level.

“I am extremely excited to be named the Philadelphia Flyers new head coach,” Hakstol said. “Through the process here with Ron [Hextall] and everybody in the Flyers organization I have gained even more of an understanding of the history and tradition of this organization and I’m very proud to become part of the Philadelphia Flyers today.”

Following the announcement, Hextall spoke about the decision, saying that Hakstol was the team's top target, via Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Hakstol's ability to reach young players was likely key in his hiring given Philadelphia's ongoing rebuild. The Flyers finished 33-31-18 in 2014-15, missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. They fired Craig Berube after a two-year run in April.

Kevin Allen of USA Today shared his analysis of the move:

Hakstol, 46, might be an ideal choice for the Flyers because he is coming from an environment where he had to be a teaching coach. The Flyers' future depends significantly on the coach's ability to inspire younger players such as Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn and Shayne Gostisbehere to take their games to a higher level.

As Allen noted, Hakstol's move to Philadelphia carries historical significance:

Hakstol's lack of NHL experience did not concern Hextall, who said, “Every box was checked except for NHL experience and to me that was the least important,” via Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports. 

Hextall elaborated on that thinking, saying, “It’s a big jump [from NCAA to NHL]. Dave and I talked about that. We’ve talked long and hard about that," via Broad Street Hockey.

Hakstol inherits a roster with a mix of talent, young and old, highlighted by stars Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux. His handling of the professional transition, especially with the Philadelphia spotlight shining down, will go a long way toward determining whether the Flyers can return to postseason contention in 2015-16.

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The Philadelphia Flyers are a franchise at a crossroads, and their first selection at the 2015 NHL draft could reveal the direction the team is heading in.

General manager Ron Hextall relieved Craig Berube of his coaching duties on Friday, and there is no timeline to put a new coach in place. Philadelphia has some skilled players on the roster and should use this opportunity to add some talent to the prospect pool.

The team could go in a number of directions, and here are players who should be considered for the No. 7 overall pick. 

Mikko Rantanen

Age: 18

Position:  Center/ Wing

Team: TPS, Finland

2014-15 Stats: Nine goals | 19 assists | 26 points

The Flyers should target Mikko Rantanen with their first pick in the 2015 NHL draft. He’s a speedy creative offensive forward with good size at 6’4” and 195 pounds who is statistically comparable to Aleksander Barkov Jr. when he entered the draft.

In addition to that, the Flyers have superstar forward Jakub Voracek on the roster, and he’d be a great player for Rantanen to learn from. He may not be ready to make the jump to the NHL immediately, but he should come to North America to start his professional hockey career.

Starting off in the AHL could do wonders for his development, and ending up in the NHL in 2015-16 could be a real possibility because of the Flyers’ need for impact forwards. There’s the chance that Rantanen will get even bigger than he currently is, and he could develop into a real monster if that were to happen.

Mathew Barzal

Age: 18

Position: Center

Team: Seattle Thunderbirds

2014-15 Stats: 12 goals | 45 assists | 57 points

There is no shortage of talented centers in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft, and Mathew Barzal is one pivot who is being overlooked by many. When you see Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner, it is easy to forget a player who missed time earlier this season.

Barzal is a good skater, a great playmaker and an elite passer. He has great vision and knows how to get the puck to where it needs to be.

Take a look at this clip to see the subtlety Barzal used to flip the puck right down the middle:

He will also shoot the puck, but goal scoring isn't a big part of his overall game. He was limited to 44 games in 2014-15, but he made an impact during the time he was healthy this season.

In terms of physique and NHL preparedness, Barzal is 6'0" and 181 pounds. It is fair to say that puts him in the average category for NHL centers, and in Philly he’d be bigger than Claude Giroux (5'11", 172 lbs) but smaller than Sean Couturier (6'3", 197 lbs).

He’d be a solid fit for Philly because he has offensive talent and a solid hockey mind and can play a gritty game if the situation calls for it. You need to have some grit and toughness to be a Flyer, and there’s reason to believe he will end up in orange and black if Hextall wants to go for a pivot with his Round 1 pick.

Ivan Provorov

Age: 18

Position: Defense

Team: Brandon Wheat Kings

2014-15 Stats: 15 goals | 46 assists | 61 points

Drafting defensemen early is sometimes a risky proposition, but Ivan Provorov should be a no-brainer for the Flyers if they want to take a talented defender with their first-round pick.

The Brandon Wheat Kings’ rearguard has average size at 6’0” and 201 pounds, but that plays to his advantage. Provorov is an offensive defender with great poise, and he is known for his puck-distributing skills.

This strength also allows him to catch teams off guard when he decides to wind up on the power play for a slapper. He is an ideal top-four defender with top-pairing potential, and he isn't getting all the accolades he deserves.

Stats via Elite Prospects unless otherwise noted.

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like a given that the Philadelphia Flyers were out of the playoff picture and would consequentially be sellers at the trade deadline on March 5.

But things have turned around dramatically for the Flyers as of late, with an incredible 8-1-4 run over their past 13 games putting them right back in the hunt.

While things look far better than they did, whether the Flyers have a legitimate chance at making the playoffs or not is still up in the air, depending on the narrative you look at.

On one hand, they are currently just four games out of a playoff spot. On the other hand, they still have one team, the Florida Panthers, ahead of them in ninth place in the conference.

Even worse, there is only one team they can realistically catch: the Boston Bruins, who are eighth in the conference with 67 points. (The Flyers have 63.)

The Washington Capitals sit in seventh place with 76 points, so the Flyers are essentially battling with three teams for one playoff spot and are currently in the worst spot of the three.

But the trade deadline is approaching quickly, and some major decisions will have to be made in the face of some difficult cap conundrums. 

Andrew MacDonald and Vincent Lecavalier would obviously be traded if possible. However, they are unlikely to go anywhere because of their awful contracts. But just for the sake of clarity, those two are not who's being discussed here.

There are also the obvious untouchables—Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds—who are not going to be in any deals in the upcoming weeks.

But so many other names have been thrown around, and it's hard to tell what will happen now that the Flyers have at least an outside chance of making the playoffs.

Braydon Coburn is one of the most interesting names. I have already made my case for why he should not go anywhere, regardless of where the Flyers are in the standings. That goes double now that he could be of major assistance in a playoff run.

Same goes for guys like Matt Read and Mark Streit, two other veterans who are probably more valuable to the Flyers than they are in a trade, considering their likely return would not be too high.

Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier are the two most interesting potential trade chips because they still have a lot of value as young, promising centers.

Even with the opportunity for a big return, the Flyers have to look at some of their past cases of trading young players too early and having it come back to bite them.

Each of them is really contributing now, and with a young corps of talented defensive prospects waiting in the wings, the Flyers would do well to solidify them in their core for the near future. This also applies to Scott Laughton, who looked impressive in his short time with Philly earlier in the season.

So should the Flyers buy or sell at the deadline? They should do neither. The Flyers are in a decent spot right now, especially with their recent streak.

The defense is still bad, but blowing things up and giving away young talent to acquire a top defenseman could hurt them in the next season or two. And giving away Coburn or Streit would not at all be worth the immediate blow to an already terrible corps.

With Samuel Morin, Robert Hagg, Shayne Gostisbehere and Travis Sanheim all part of the future, the Flyers need to just hold off and hope they already have an elite blueliner in the farm system.

Of course, MacDonald and Lecavalier should be traded for a bag of pucks, but unfortunately I'm not sure any GM would even give up that much.

Unless a team blows GM Ron Hextall away with an offer, the Flyers need to stand pat at the deadline and make minimal changes. It's the best option for staying in the playoff race now while preserving the future.

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Steve Mason underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured knee, and is closing in on a return to action, with a targeted return for Saturday's game.

Continue for updates.

Mason Set for Saturday Return, Will Be Backup vs. Toronto

Thursday, Feb. 26

Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Mason as he closes in on a return to the lineup after surgery, saying the goaltender will serve as the team's backup vs. Toronto with the aim of starting on Saturday.

Mason returned to practice on Feb. 25, the Flyers confirmed.

GM Hextall Confirms Mason Surgery

Thursday, Feb. 12

Sam Cardichi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Flyers general manager Ron Hextall confirmed that Mason underwent arthroscopic surgery. 

Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News added more from Hextall:

Mason Reportedly Out 2-3 Weeks After Surgery

Tuesday, Feb. 10 

The last two months have seen Mason miss 10 games while hoping rest would help him avoid surgery on his ailing right knee. After yet another tweak in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals, Mason will reportedly be going under the knife.    

Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly reported Monday that MRIs have revealed Mason needs a scope on his knee that will hopefully relieve his ongoing pain. A formal diagnosis of Mason's injury has not been given, but doctors hope to uncover the amount of damage during the procedure.

The Flyers revealed on Tuesday that Mason is expected to miss two to three weeks, according to Philly.com's Frank Seravalli.

Mason, 26, left after 31:17 of ice time Sunday when his knee buckled during a timeout. While there appeared to be no strained motion, he was noticeably in pain as he skated toward the bench and needed help making his way behind the boards to meet with trainers. Mason then attempted to stretch out the injury but was unable to continue.

Ray Emery took over in net for the final 28:43, stopping five of the six shots that went his way. Emery will be the Flyers' primary goaltender for the duration of Mason's absence. Flyers general manager Ron Hextall did not initially offer a firm timetable on Mason's absence but did say on Monday it would be "at least" a week, per Randy Miller of NJ.com:

Mason previously missed four games in December and six games in January due to pain in his knee. The Flyers, who are currently hanging on the very outskirts of playoff contention, may wind up completely eliminated by the time he returns. Emery is 9-9-1 on the season while allowing a full goal per game more than Mason.

While a promising young talent, Mason's career has been increasingly altered by injury. He's missed time in each of his two-plus seasons in Philadelphia due to various ailments.

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