Philadelphia Flyers

Player: Travis Sanheim

Drafted By: Philadelphia Flyers (17th overall)

Position: Defense

Final Central Scouting Ranking: No. 53 North American skater

Height/Weight: 6'3'', 181 lbs

DOB: March 29, 1996 (18 years old)

Most Recent Affiliation: WHL, Calgary Hitmen

Background

Travis Sanheim has shot up most people's draft lists over the past few months. At the start of last season, he was barely on anybody's radar, but recently, many scouts projected the Elkhorn, Manitoba, native as a solid first-round pick with a lot of potential.

During the regular season, Sanheim scored five goals and accumulated 29 points in 67 games for the Calgary Hitmen. He also had an impressive plus-25 plus/minus rating. 

Sanheim also led all Canadian defensemen with six assists in seven games at the World Juniors last year and showed why he is considered one of the top offensive defensemen in this year's draft.

Sanheim got better as the season went on and showed excellent poise when moving the puck for the Hitmen in a variety of situations.

Full Scouting Report

Sanheim stands 6’3” but is listed at only 181 pounds, so he obviously has some filling out to do and needs to grow into his body. Defensively, Sanheim plays more of a positional game than a physical one, although he did also improve in this area later in the season.

His stronger area is moving the puck. Sanheim impressed one scout, who was quoted in the draft preview issue of The Hockey News as saying the big blueliner, "shows a lot of poise handling the puck and isn't afraid to rush with it." 

In addition to his ability to rush the puck, Sanheim showed he could quarterback the power play and made consistent passes that helped his team transition from defense to offense and break out of their own end.

Sanheim really made a big impression at the World Juniors this year, where scouts felt he truly stood out as one of Canada's top performers.

According to Cory Wright of NewYorkIslanders.com, Trent Klatt of the New York Islanders player development added, "He's big, mobile and strong, has good movement with the puck and doesn't look out of place running a PP. He's a two-way defender, but waiting to see his offensive upside."

NHL Player Comparison

Sanheim reminds many experts of Dougie Hamilton of the Boston Bruins. He has size and offensive ability but still needs to physically grow into his body a bit. Like Hamilton, Sanheim is a good passer and can quarterback the power play.

NHL Timetable

Sanheim still needs to add bulk to his body. He also needs to work on the defensive side of his game. He seems like a player who needs a little more time to get comfortable in a situation, but once he does, he should be a very good NHL player. Expect him to reach the NHL in 2016-17.

Top-End Potential

At his top potential, Sanheim can quarterback a power play and score 40-45 points a season as a defenseman.

Assuming he matures physically and improves a bit defensively, he should be a top-four defenseman with the chance of being on the top pair if everything falls into place and he is paired with the right partner.

Eric Lindros has been eligible for enshrinement into the Hockey Hall of Fame since 2010 yet has not received a phone call from the selection committee. It's not a travesty on par with Jason Alexander never winning an Emmy for his portrayal of George Costanza on Seinfeld, but it's not far off, either.

The HHOF announced its 2014 inductees Monday and, once again, Lindros was not among them. Dominik Hasek, Peter Forsberg, Mike Modano and Rob Blake will gain entry as players, while Pat Burns is finally receiving his due in the builder category with referee Bill McCreary getting the nod as an official.

The four players are excellent, but Lindros has just as strong of a case as any of them.

There was hardly a peep about a fifth straight year of Lindros being snubbed. The gang over at Broad Street Hockey mustered four paragraphs about the story, correctly stating that the four players chosen are deserving, although Lindros is just as, if not more, deserving. The Star-Ledger buried Lindros' career numbers in the final paragraph of its story. Philly.com, like most outlets, was resigned to Lindros falling short in the days leading to the announcement.

Congrats to HHOF inductees. However, hard to ignore Lindros omission year after yr. He was NHL's best player for 3-4 yrs among 9 great ones.

— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) June 24, 2014

Eric Lindros was one the greatest players in the world in the 1990s, and that’s why he should be in the Hall of Fame.

— Risto Pakarinen (@puckarinen) June 22, 2014

The support for Lindros this year was tepid at best, although James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail made a pitch. It's confounding, as only Jaromir Jagr was more dominant during the prime of Lindros' career.

The obvious reason why Lindros won't be inducted this year is his career being cut short by injuries, thus making his totals less impressive than that of his contemporaries. Lindros finished his career with 865 points in 760 career games, which ranks 114th all-time. That's not wholly unimpressive, but it's not a number that demands induction into the Hall of Fame.

Unless you consider Forsberg's career regular-season numbers—885 points in 708 games—that are only slightly better and also undercut by a slew of injuries. Forsberg benefited from playing for nearly a decade on an excellent Colorado Avalanche team that won two Stanley Cups (with a foundation created by Lindros demanding a trade from Quebec to Philadelphia when he was drafted) and were perennial playoff participants. That allowed Forsberg to put up 171 points in 151 playoff games, the 18th-most playoff points in NHL history.

For eight seasons, before concussions ravaged his career, Lindros was a wrecking ball with hands. From 1993 to 2002, Lindros posted 657 points in 497 games; his 1.32 points per game were the second-most during that period, trailing only Jagr (1.46) and leading recent inductees Forsberg (1.24) and Joe Sakic (1.23). 

For his career, Lindros averaged 1.14 points per game, the 19th-best mark in league history.

Player	Period	Games played	Points per game
Jaromir Jagr	1993-2002	644	1.46
Jaromir Jagr	1992-2001	656	1.45
Jaromir Jagr	1994-2003	639	1.43
Jaromir Jagr	1991-2000	645	1.40
Sidney Crosby	2003-12	434	1.40
Sidney Crosby	2005-14	550	1.40
Eric Lindros	1990-99	431	1.39
Jaromir Jagr	1995-2004	668	1.38
Wayne Gretzky	1990-99	640	1.37
Eric Lindros	1991-2000	486	1.36
Eric Lindros	1992-2001	486	1.36

The only thing that prevented Lindros from a lengthy career were concussions, at least eight that were documented.

If you think concussions are a problem now, consider how rampant they were during Lindros' career.

Lindros suffered six concussions between March 1998 and May 2000, the final three of that stretch occurring over a three-month period. He sat the entire 2000-01 season, partly because of injuries, partly because of a contract dispute with the Flyers, before resuming his career with the New York Rangers and suffering at least two more concussions before his career ended at the age of 33 with the Dallas Stars.

The league was so indifferent about treating concussions during Lindros' career that when he suffered his eighth concussion in January 2004, a doctor made a diagnosis over the phone.

From a Jason Diamos New York Times story:

After last night's defeat, Glen Sather, the Rangers' president, general manager and coach, said that the team's medical staff had spoken to Dr. Karen Johnston, the concussion specialist based in Montreal, who has examined Lindros several times. Lindros was examined at the Garden last night by Dr. Andrew Feldman and Dr. Ron Preston.

''These things are hard to judge,'' Sather said. ''By Dr. Johnston's over-the-phone diagnosis after speaking to our doctors, they don't think it's that severe. But we'll have a better idea tomorrow.''

An "over-the-phone" diagnosis. Incredible.

It's not unprecedented for a player to gain enshrinement despite a career being cut short by injuries. Just look at Pavel Bure, who was inducted in 2012. 

Bure finished his career with 779 points in 702 games, a greater but less impressive total than what Lindros amassed. Bure's peak years were between 1992 and 2001 and were not as dominant as the eight-year stretch Lindros enjoyed in almost the exact same time frame; Bure averaged 1.17 points per game, while Lindros averaged 1.36 points per game.

Lindros, who finished in the top nine in Hart Trophy voting five times and won it once, was arguably the second-most dominant player in the NHL for any nine-year period between 1991 and 2002. But injuries prevented him from enjoying the twilight of his career, when he could have compiled statistics that would have been easier for the voters to acknowledge as Hall-worthy.

Nine-year period	Seasons	Points per game	Ranking	Leader
1990-1999	7	1.39	1st	—
1991-2000	8	1.36	2nd	Jaromir Jagr (1.40)
1992-2001	8	1.36	2nd	Jaromir Jagr (1.48)
1993-2002	8	1.32	2nd	Jaromir Jagr (1.46)
1994-2003	8	1.19	4th	Jaromir Jagr (1.43)

It's not as though Lindros is lacking in international bona fides, either. He represented Canada at three Olympics, posting eight goals and nine assists in 20 games. He had 11 goals and six assists in eight games at the 1993 World Championships and three goals and three assists in eight games during the 1996 World Cup.

In 53 career NHL playoff games, he had 24 goals and 57 points, numbers that were stifled just as much by time missed because of concussions as it was by playing on bad Flyers and Rangers teams. Lindros reached the Stanley Cup Final once, leading all scorers with 26 points during the 1997 postseason.

Perhaps if Lindros played today, where there is more concern shown for head injuries, his career could have been prolonged enough to allow him to reach 900 or 1,000 points, a far more psychologically satisfying number for voters. 

Instead, Lindros was casually swept under the rug for a fifth straight year despite being among the best of his era.

It's likely Lindros will gain entry in 2015, as Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov appear to be the only slam dunks, although there is no guarantee.

It's a shame Lindros has had to wait this long.

Three Letters

(If you'd like to ask a question for the weekly mailbag, you can reach me via email at dave111177@gmail.com, fire your query at me via Twitter at @DaveLozo or leave a question in the comments section for next week.)

@DaveLozo Will anyone top the David Clarkson signing for pure regret?

— Spencer Thome (@Sathome97) June 23, 2014

That's hard to say, because it all depends on where a player lands. Some teams are better fits for certain players. 

But if I have to hazard a guess as to who will be 2014's incarnation of David Clarkson, I'll say it's Jussi Jokinen.

With 21 goals and 57 points last season, Jokinen is the fourth-leading scorer among this crop of unrestricted free agents; he'll be No. 3 if the Avalanche re-sign Paul Stastny before July 1. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told the Tribune-Review that he doesn't expect Jokinen will be back in Pittsburgh, so teams will be throwing money at him for his services.

Clarkson benefited greatly from playing with Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise during his final year in New Jersey, much the same way Jokinen benefited from playing a lot with Evgeni Malkin. Wherever Jokinen lands, he won't have that caliber of center dishing him the puck, which means he's very likely to find the sledding much tougher.

Jokinen has always been a solid possession player but saw his numbers jump after arriving in Pittsburgh. It's possible they regress or fall off the table depending on where he signs.

Will he cause similar levels of regret that Clarkson has in Toronto? Doubtful, but relatively speaking, Jokinen could be this year's version of that awful signing.

@DaveLozo does Richards get a post-buyout deal similar to Lecavalier's?

— Rob (@goody705) June 23, 2014

Vinny Lecavalier received five years, $22.5 million from the Philadelphia Flyers last summer. If Brad Richards can get half that, he should consider it a coup.

Lecavalier was 33 years old and had 32 points in 39 games when the Tampa Bay Lightning bought him out last season; Richards is 34 years old and had 51 points in 82 games for the Rangers last season. The decline of Richards is much clearer now than Lecavalier's was a year ago.

The one thing Richards has going for him is the dearth of UFA centers on the market. As of now, he's tied with David Legwand for second among UFA centers in scoring with 51 points last season and will be No. 1 if Stastny stays in Colorado. The three UFA centers behind Richards in scoring are Olli Jokinen, Derek Roy and Mikhail Grabovski.

That's why we will very likely see many teams attempting to fill their needs at center via trade. Best guess, Richards is looking at a potential two-year deal from a new team, three years at most.

@DaveLozo What do you think Isles will do with the 5th pick?

— ISLES FANS UNITE (@islesfansunite) June 24, 2014

They will trade it to the Minnesota Wild for Cal Clutterbuck. Oh wait, they already did that with Nino Niederreiter.

With the fifth pick in this year's draft, GM Garth Snow will do everything in his power to turn it into an NHL player who can jump into the Islanders' lineup right away. Arthur Staple of Newsday reported just that a few days ago, and there's no reason not to believe Snow.

The problem is most experts don't consider this a very deep draft, so the No. 5 pick might not fetch all that much unless Snow packages another asset. It will be very interesting to see what Snow does, especially with the Florida Panthers shopping the No. 1 overall pick.

My prediction: The Islanders deal the pick for something. 

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveLozo.

All statistics via NHL.com or ExtraSkater.com.

I've been thinking it for a couple years, but I only really started putting it out there in the past few weeks. Regardless, I was right: Scott Hartnell has been traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. 

In exchange for Hartnell, who had a no-movement clause in his contract, the Flyers will receive R.J. Umberger and a 2015 fourth-round pick in the deal.

If you're assuming this is it for any major moves this offseason, then you would think this not a particularly great trade. 

Umberger may be a better skater and somewhat more reliable than Hartnell, but he cannot produce offensively and is roughly the same age as Hartnell. He isn't as extroverted as Hartnell but brings similar veteran leadership.

But he also doesn't really provide any salary cap relief—his hit is $4.6 million while Hartnell's is $4.75 million. Umberger's contract expires two years before Hartnell's but is still on the books for the next three seasons.

The fourth-round pick is fine to have as a very minor extra piece, but it's nothing to get excited about.

Some people will look at those raw terms of the deal and consider it a loss for the Flyers. In that sense, it might be. But we cannot assess these things in a vacuum.

It will take a long time for new general manager Ron Hextall to fix the financial mess that former GM Paul Holmgren left him in Philadelphia. At the very, very least, Hextall made things easier in the future.

What we also have to consider, however, is what this deal now means for the next week or so. Don't forget that the draft is on Friday, and the Flyers could move either up or back from No. 17. 

Also don't overlook the fact that Hartnell had a no-movement clause, as did Umberger. However, now that he waived it to come to Philadelphia, Umberger can be traded to any team at any time.

That is a huge plus for the Flyers, who are a team that should have a lot of moving pieces in the near future and needed to start somewhere.

So don't just look at this as one singular trade.

The Flyers started today with a 32-year-old forward who had a no-movement clause and was signed through 2019.

While the age and position stay the same, Hextall essentially got rid of the no-movement clause and shortened the contract to 2017.

That gives him the flexibility to package Umberger in a future deal, and the shorter contract makes him a little more moveable.

And future deals are coming.

Vincent Lecavalier could easily be the next domino to fall. Brayden Schenn's future is also very much in the air, and nobody would be surprised (or disappointed) if his brother Luke were traded away this offseason. Nicklas Grossmann could be available as well.

I also don't think prospects like Samuel Morin, Robert Hagg and Scott Laughton are totally untouchable either—Hextall wants to build through the draft, but those were not his draft picks.

At the very least, it was beyond time for Hartnell to pack up and head out of town. He will never come close to his breakout 2011-12 season when he scored 37 goals.

He is no longer a first-line winger, and he didn't really fit all that well alongside Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. 

He also just didn't really seem to fit coach Craig Berube's style. There was a sense that he was an (overpaid) man without a place on this new roster moving forward.

With his name recognition and locker-room standing, it wouldn't have really worked to demote him to the third or fourth line permanently, but there isn't that problem with Umberger.

Now, guys like Matt Read, Jason Akeson and Laughton have chances to move up in the lineup (or crack the lineup, in Laughton's case) and prove themselves.

It also gives someone like Wayne Simmonds the potential to step up and take on a more prominent leadership role—which he and Read both deserve.

If Umberger isn't traded, then he also brings the added benefit of being able to play both center and winger. This gives the Flyers some help if Vincent Lecavalier and/or Brayden Schenn is traded.

If one of, or both of them are moved, Umberger could start out at the wing and then move into center when someone inevitably gets injured.

Just looking at this trade at the surface, there's certainly a case to be made that it wasn't a good one. Many people will argue that Hextall should have gotten more for Hartnell, but the GM really had his hands tied here.

But when you look at it from the bigger picture, as the first deal which gives them flexibility for more moves in the future, then it really does make some sense.

This is just getting the ball rolling.