phillytalk-blog

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Examining the Flyers Expansion Draft Strategy

Next season, the NHL will expand to 31 teams with the addition of the Las Vegas Golden Nights.  Shortly after the 2016-17 season, NHL teams will have to determine which players they will expose and protect in the Las Vegas expansion draft.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the expansion draft rules (a full, detailed analysis of the rules can be found at CapFriendly):

Vegas has to select one player from every current NHL team

Players with 2 or fewer years of professional experience are automatically exempt from selection

Teams can protect players two different ways, based on position:

7 forwards, 3 defenseman, 1 goalie            OR

8 skaters (forwards or defenseman), 1 goalie

All players with no-movement clauses (NMC) are required to be protected, and count against the list of protected players

Teams must expose players at each position, as follows:

2 forwards who are under contract for the 2017-18 and have accrued at least 40 games played in 2016-17 or 70 games played in 2015-16 and 2016-17

1 defenseman who is under contract for the 2017-18 and has accrued at least 40 games played in 2016-17 or 70 games played in 2015-16 and 2016-17

1 goalie who is under contract for the 2017-18 season or is a restricted free agent after the 2016-17 season

Here is a list of current Flyers players who are eligible to be protected/exposed in the expansion draft, as of 2/5/17, thanks to CapFriendly:

The Flyers should have a relatively straightforward plan for their expansion draft strategy.  It helps that the only player on the roster with a NMC is Claude Giroux, and the Flyers would protect him regardless.  I also think the Flyers should and definitely will opt for the 7F/3D/1G position protection route, as opposed to the 8S/1G option.

Here’s who I would protect, if I were Ron Hextall and the Flyers:

Forwards: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Wayne Simmonds, Nick Cousins, Scott Laughton

Defenseman: Shayne Gostisbehere, Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning

Goalie: Anthony Stolarz

This would leave enough eligible exposed players at Forward (Matt Read and Dale Weise) and Defense (Andrew MacDonald), but not at goalie - I’ll get to that later.

When choosing the forwards to protect, the first 5 (Giroux, Voracek, Schenn, Couturier, Simmonds) were easy.  All 5 players would almost undoubtedly be picked by Las Vegas if given the opportunity.

With regard to the final two forward protections, I felt there were 4 players who had legitimate cases to be protected: Michael Raffl, Jordan Weal, Nick Cousins, and Scott Laughton.

Michael Raffl has proven to be a solid contributor and a good fit alongside Giroux on the top line.  Although Raffl certainly isn’t a top-line caliber player or point producer, he’s physical and skilled enough to be a good compliment to Giroux (and usually Voracek) on the top line.  He’s also under contract through 2019 for a fairly reasonable cap hit ($2.35 million).  Raffl, however, is already 28 years old, and we pretty much know his ceiling in the NHL (10-15 goals, 30-35 points).  He’s a guy that the Flyers will miss if Vegas takes him, but can be easily replaceable by a younger, cheaper player.  As a result, the Flyers probably shouldn’t protect Raffl.

Jordan Weal has sort-of been a mystery player to Flyers fans since being traded here.  He was acquired last season in the Lecavalier/Schenn trade with the Kings, and has played exclusively in the AHL this season with Lehigh Valley.  He was 3rd in the AHL in points (20G/49A-69P) and was the Calder Cup MVP in 2014-15 with the Manchester Monarchs.  This season, he’s 2nd in the AHL in scoring (15/32-47).  Ideally, the Flyers would have a spot for him on the roster this year to see what he can do in the NHL, but it doesn’t look like he’ll get that chance.  It seems like Weal might be destined to be a fringe NHLer - one who is probably too good to be in the AHL but can’t quite crack an NHL lineup on a consistent basis.  He probably will be exposed in the draft, and the Flyers might lose him.

Nick Cousins has been with the Flyers all season, and looks like he’s probably here to stay.  He’s settled in nicely on the third line, but can easily be moved up and down the lineup if needed.  Since he’s still only 23 years old, I’d like to see the Flyers protect him.  He’s a restricted free agent after the year, but shouldn’t cost much to re-sign - maybe a shade over $1 million per year.  He’s a depth forward, with the potential to be a 35 point producer, and will be relatively cheap to keep around for a few years.

Scott Laughton burst onto the scene after the Flyers selected him in the 1st round in 2012 and almost kept him on the roster immediately.  He was eventually sent back to his Junior team, but the Flyers had very high hopes he could be a future star.  The last 3 seasons, he’s gone back and forth between the Flyers and Phantoms with marginal success.  The Flyers are probably trying to play it safe with Laughton by giving him a full year in the AHL this season.  He’s transformed his defensive game with the Phantoms, and is even playing on their penalty kill.  He’s been decent offensively (10/11-21) but he still has the potential to be a 2nd or 3rd line center in the NHL.  I believe he’ll finally get his chance to be that player next season with the Flyers.  It’s also sometimes hard to forget that the guy is still only 23 years old.  As a result, I think the Flyers should protect Laughton.  He’s got too much talent and potential to risk losing him for nothing in the draft.

Selecting the defenseman to protect will probably be Ron Hextall’s easiest task.  Thankfully, Ivan Provorov and the other young defensive studs in the Flyers system (Sanheim, Morin, etc.) are exempt from the draft since they haven’t been professionals long enough.

As badly as he’s played this year, and even though he’s been a healthy scratch recently, the Flyers need to protect Shayne Gostisbehere.  He’s the runner up rookie of the year and most believe, myself included, he will get through his sophomore slump.  You’d be remiss to think Vegas wouldn’t pounce on an opportunity to snag Ghost for nothing.

Radko Gudas, despite his occasional bone-headed penalties, is a solid defenseman and he’s going to be a veteran presence on this defense for a few years.  He’s under contract for a manageable cap hit, and he’s actually one of only two Flyers defenseman who’s even contract through 2020 (the other being Andrew MacDonald).  As a result, Gudas will be protected.

Brandon Manning has proved over the past year or so that he’s a capable NHL defenseman.  He’s not going to wow you with dazzling moves, but he does the little things on defense that often go unnoticed.  He’s under contract for less than $1 million through next season - a reasonable number for a 3rd pair defenseman.

Manning will probably be the 3rd and final defenseman to be protected because the Flyers other options are, well, underwhelming, to say the least.  Andrew Macdonald, despite being a “top 3-4 defenseman” according to coach Dave Hakstol, has a ridiculous $5.5 cap hit through 2020.  He’s also met the exposure requirement, so he can be the Flyers defensive exposure.  Streit, Del Zotto, and Schultz are all unrestricted free agents and the Flyers will probably let them all walk in free agency.  T.J. Brennan has had a tremendous AHL career, but he’s just not worth protecting at this stage of his career.  Robert Hagg is the only other defenseman who might get considered, but I just can’t see Hextall protecting him over Manning.

In relation to the goalie situation...I believe Anthony Stolarz needs to be protected in the expansion draft.  It’s clear by now that Steve Mason and/or Michal Neuvirth are not the long-term solution in net, and Stolarz has proven in the AHL that he can be the Flyers goaltender of the future.  It’s time to see what the Flyers can do with a home-grown goalie like Stolarz.  Oh, and the Flyers also have two other top goalie prospects (Carter Hart and Felix Sandstrom) waiting in the wings if Stolarz falters.

However, this strategy puts the Flyers in a sticky situation at the goaltender position.  But hey, it wouldn’t be Philadelphia without a question mark in goal!  Since Mason and Neuvirth are both unrestricted free agents after this season, protecting Stolarz doesn’t leave the Flyers with any goalie to expose in the draft.  As a result, Hextall will need to either sign Mason, Neuvirth, or another goalie to a short term deal or trade for a goalie who is eligible to be exposed on the draft.

Ideally, the Flyers will sign either Mason or Neuvirth (preferably Mason) to a 1-year deal worth $4-5 million.  This would expose them to the draft, and if they’re not selected, they would be the Flyers starter for one year while Stolarz gets a full year of backup duty in the NHL in 2017-18.  Stolarz would truly get the feel of being in the NHL for a year, without the pressure of being the starter.  He can learn under Mason before becoming, hopefully, the full-time starter in 2018-19.  Mason would get one more chance to prove he is a capable starter in the NHL, with the hopes he can secure a long-term contract with another team in 2018.

As of now, I think Hextall’s protection decisions will be relatively straightforward.  Obviously, all these protections could change if he makes some moves at the deadline, but for now he shouldn’t be too worried about forwards and defenseman.  He will, however, have to do something at the goalie position at the deadline or after the season.  It’s surely an interesting dilemma that will play itself out by the expansion draft.

[phillytalk-blog]

Sam Hinkie Steps Down

Sam Hinkie was hired as the Philadelphia 76ers General Manager in the summer of 2013 and almost immediately traded away All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday on draft day.  From that day forward, 76ers fans knew it was going to be a rough couple of years.  Little did we know how difficult these last three seasons would actually become.

With just a week left in the regular season, Sam Hinkie has resigned by way of a meticulously detailed 13 page letter.

From an outsiders perspective, Hinkie’s tenure probably seems quite disastrous.  In his first season, the Sixers tied an NBA record for most consecutive losses.  Through (almost) 3 seasons, the Sixers have a total of 47 wins.  6 NBA teams have more wins this season alone.

Did we really expect much better though?  Hinkie and the Sixers were tanking.  We knew that.  Everyone knew that.  To tank efficiently, you need to be the worst team in the league, and the 76ers have been the worst - easily.  It really should not be all that surprising how bad the Sixers have been.

The real question; are the Sixers in a better position going forward than they were when Hinkie took over?  I think we are.

Sure, we could have held on to Jrue Holiday, Thad Young, Evan Turner, and other good, but not great, players.  We could have hoped, however unlikely, that they would attract a star player in free agency.  Realistically, the Sixers weren’t going to win an NBA championship with that team.  They could win 40-50 games a year and get eliminated within the first two rounds of the playoffs.  If that’s what would have satisfied you, fine.  Hinkie wanted to win an NBA championship, no matter how long it might take.  This franchise could win, or at least be very successful, in the next 5 years.  I think it has taken longer than Hinkie expected, but that doesn’t matter anymore because he is no longer here to see it through.

Hinkie made some tremendous deals for the franchise in his relatively short tenure with the team.  He signed Robert Covington to one of the best value deals in the NBA.  He traded Elfrid Payton on 2014 draft day and reacquired the Sixers first round pick given away in the Andrew Bynum trade, in addition to Dario Saric, one of the best basketball players not in the NBA.  The best trade during his tenure, Hinkie stole Nik Stauskas, a future first round pick, and the right to swap first rounders in the 2016 and 2017 draft from the Kings in exchange for taking on the contracts of two veterans (Carl Landy and Jason Thompson).

Of course, Hinkie wasn’t perfect.  He didn’t have enough veteran presence on the team, which I think he probably realizes and now regrets.  Hinkie isn’t a people person.  Agents hate him, because he doesn’t see players as people - he sees them as assets.  His presence in the media was almost non-existent.  That’s probably the biggest reason Jerry Colangelo was brought in.  I have no doubt that Hinkie has learned from all this, but it was probably a little too late. 

Despite Hinkie’s problems, I still think the pros outweigh the cons.  He’s done more good than bad for the franchise in his 3 years as GM, as evidenced by the plethora of trade heists he’s pulled off.  The effects of the majority of Hinkie’s trades will not be realized until next year, or the year after that, because he was always thinking ahead - years ahead.  If the Sixers are a contending team in say, 2, 3, or 4 years, who will be credited for the success?  Probably not Hinkie, although he’ll deserve almost all the credit.  He knew, for the most part, what he was doing.  He even outlined that in the resignation letter he sent to Sixers ownership.

One can speculate the reasons why Hinkie suddenly stepped down.  Colangelo wanted to bring in his son to work with Hinkie.  Hinkie wanted all the power to see his vision through to the end, his way.  It doesn’t matter.  He’s gone now, for better or for worse.

One thing is for sure though; Sam Hinkie is a brilliant, relatively young mind with a vision set exclusively on the future.  Whichever team he goes to next, whether as a GM, assistant GM, or just an advisor, will be getting a valuable asset.  The Sixers know that, which is why he was never fired.  They wanted him to be a piece of this process, just not in charge of the process.  Only time will tell if Hinkie’s process will be seen as a success, even though he won’t get credit for it.

[phillytalk-blog]

Totally biased: Flyers can make a run

Around this time of year, I try not to get ahead of myself too much.  The race to the playoffs can be exhilarating, but also very deflating.  It’s imperative to keep expectations at bay, otherwise you’re likely to be extremely disappointed.

However, I’m going to get ahead of myself.  The Flyers have not clinched a playoff birth yet, but it’s looking pretty darn good.  They’re a point ahead of the Bruins for the 2nd Wildcard spot and have a game in hand.  They’re only 2 points back of the Islanders and 4 back of the Rangers.  The Flyers can lock up a spot if they manage to get 7 total points in the remaining 5 games - a very probable reality, considering how they’ve played the last month.

Two months ago, the Flyers were left for dead.  Instead of wondering who they would play in the first round of the playoffs, fans were wondering if they had a shot at the first pick in the upcoming draft and Auston Matthews.  Today, the Flyers look like a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.  I can guarantee the Presidents Trophy winning Capitals do not want to see the Flyers in the first round, and that scenario is looking more and more likely.

This team can make a run.  Obviously, as a Flyers fan, I’m biased.  But I truly believe this team, if they make it into the playoffs, can do some serious damage in the Eastern Conference.  Now, I’m not going to make any ridiculous claims that they’ll win the Stanley Cup, but they can knock out some very good teams in the playoffs and gain some much needed playoff experience.

I’ll start with the Capitals, the Flyers likely first round opponent.  The Flyers match up very well against the Capitals, and I really wouldn’t mind facing them in a potential first round match up.  In 4 games this season, they are 2-2 against Washington - a lot better than most teams have fared against the mighty Caps.  The Flyers really seem to get in the Capitals heads whenever they play and it’s almost always a physical game - which plays to the Flyers favor.  I think it would be a hard fought, 7 game series and could realistically go either way.  Maybe newly signed Ray Emery can get into Holtby’s head from the stands.

Another dangerous team in the East are the defending Eastern Conference champs, the Lightning.  However, their chances took a huge blow as Steven Stamkos will miss the next 1-3 due to blood clots.  I would be very surprised if they make it back to the Eastern Conference finals, even if they call up controversial, yet talented, Jonathan Drouin.

The Panthers went on a rampage in the middle of the season, but have cooled off recently, although they could still be the #1 seed in the Atlantic Division.  The Panthers, despite having 44 year old Jaromir Jagr, are very young and inexperienced.  I would be surprised if they make a legitimate run in the playoffs...this year.

The Penguins have been the only team hotter than the Flyers over the past month, which is somewhat of a surprise since they’re doing it without star Evgeni Malkin.  I’m not sure if they can sustain this level of play without Malkin, but until they slow down, they have to be considered a real threat in the East.  Another Flyers/Penguins playoff match-up would be absolutely epic.

The Rangers are a very good team once again this season, but have slowed down of late.  I think the addition of Eric Staal will help them a lot more in the playoffs than he’s helped in the regular season since being acquired.  Like the Pens, the Rangers could do some damage in the East.  However, keep in mind that with the relatively new playoff format, the 2nd seed plays the 3rd seed in each division.  As of now, it’s looking like the Pens and Rangers could match up in the first round.  This works to the Flyers favor, obviously, because only one of those teams can make it to the second round.

The remaining possible playoff teams are either injured, inexperienced, or simply not good enough.  The Islanders lost Travis Hamonic to injury and goalie Jaroslav Halak might not make it back this season.  The Bruins and Red Wings, fighting for the last spot in the Atlantic, simply aren’t good enough to make a run.

That leaves the Flyers, once an afterthought, now at the forefront of the Eastern Conference race to the cup.  If they play Washington in the first round and manage to upset them, this Flyers team has a chance to make it far in the playoffs.  Due to playoff seeding and opposing teams injuries, and with a little luck, the Flyers could make some noise in the 2016 NHL playoffs.  Hold on for a wild ride.

Of course, one step at a time.  Let’s clinch a playoff spot first.

[phillytalk-blog]

Mason makes 51 saves, Flyers lose in SO

Steve Mason deserved better. So much better.

The Philadelphia Flyers came into Columbus riding high a day after handling the Islanders with ease.  However, the Flyers did not play a well against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.  They were out-worked and out-shot 53-33.

Claude Giroux, one Flyer who did have a good game, scored in the first period to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.  Ryan White added an “insurance” goal and capitalized in front of the net on the powerplay in the third period.

Despite being outplayed, it looked like the Flyers were going to escape with a victory thanks to a marvelous effort by goaltender Steve Mason.  He made numerous huge saves throughout the game, keeping the Flyers ahead the whole time.

With 2:33 left in the game, Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray went to the box for a slashing minor and it looked like the Flyers could cruise the rest of the way on a man advantage to get their 2nd consecutive win.  The Blue Jackets decided to pull the goalie to get to even strength skaters, and it paid off.

With 1:04 left, Boone Jenner, one bright spot on an otherwise disappointing Jackets season, scored to pull within 1 goal.  Replay appeared to show Jenner batting the puck in on a high stick, but the refs did not overturn the call.  Flyers color commentator Bill Clement was livid after the call was not reversed - he felt Jenners stick was at least 6-8 inches above the crossbar.

After the Flyers powerplay ended and with Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky still pulled, Cam Atkinson scored with 8 seconds left to tie the game at 2 and send the game to overtime.

Both teams had a few decent opportunities in the 3v3 OT, but the Jackets eventually won in a shootout, leaving the Flyers stunned and dejected.

The Flyers were lucky to be ahead the whole game, but these are the types of games they need to win if they want to make it to the playoffs.  Great goaltenders can steal games for you, and when they give you the opportunity to do so like Mason did tonight, you have to take advantage of it.  Instead, the Flyers let it slip away.

Fortunately for the Flyers, the Red Wings lost to the Lightning 6-2.  As a result, the Flyers are now technically in a playoff spot, tied with the Red Wings in points with a game in hand.

If the Flyers miss the playoffs by a point, this game will hurt even more than it does now.  Hopefully that’s not the case, and we never have to think about this game ever again.

Steve Mason was stellar and is proving to Flyers fans he is a legitimate #1 goalie.  He deserved so much better than a shootout loss - he could have had the game of his career.  Instead, his teammates in front of him let him down.

They will try to rebound from this heartbreaking loss on Thursday in Denver against the Avalanche.

[phillytalk-blog]

Neuvirth hurt; Flyers suddenly in trouble

It’s been a rough weekend for the Philadelphia Flyers.

After beating the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks last Wednesday at the United Center, the Flyers were in a playoff position, one point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings.  Today, they’re 3 points out of a wildcard spot, and learned they will be without their best goalie for the rest of the regular season.

Michal Neuvirth reportedly injured his knee in warm-ups yesterday, leaving the Flyers in big trouble heading into the final 3 weeks of the regular season.

Anthony Stolarz was recalled from the Phantoms to replace Neuvirth, and will probably be forced to make a few starts due to the nature of the Flyers schedule the rest of the way.

However, Steve Mason will be relied upon heavily and will have an opportunity to shine and become the Flyers solidified #1 goaltender again.  Mason hasn’t been bad this season, and actually played very well in the loss to Pittsburgh.  But Neuvirth has been better for most of the season, with a .925 save percentage and 2.28 GAA, compared to Mason’s .915% and 2.62 GAA.

Once again, the Flyers are on the outside looking in.  They got pummeled by the Penguins on Saturday, one of their worst games of the season.  Their best chance at making the playoffs will be catching the Red Wings, but Detroit has won their past two games after losing to the Flyers last Tuesday.  The Red Wings now sit 3 points ahead of the Flyers, although the Flyers still have two games in hand.  The two teams will meet in Detroit on April 6th.

The Flyers have 3 more sets of back-to-backs remaining, including games on Monday and Tuesday against the Islanders and Blue Jackets, respectively.  I can’t imagine coach Dave Hakstol riding Mason the rest of the way, unless he plays out of his mind.  Look for Stolarz to make his first NHL start on Tuesday in Columbus.

Michal Neuvirth has arguably been the Flyers MVP this season.  If the Flyers want to make the playoffs, Steve Mason will have to play like their new MVP.  We’ll find out in a few weeks time.

[phillytalk-blog]

1. Point. Out. Detroit recap, Chicago preview

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but the surging Philadelphia Flyers are 1 point out of an Eastern Conference wildcard playoff spot with 14 games remaining in the regular season.

Tuesday night, the Flyers came out guns-blazing against the team they are chasing for a wildcard spot, the Detroit Red Wings.  The Wings had been struggling lately, having lost to the bottom-feeding Maple Leafs on Sunday.  As a result, one would expect the Wings to come out strong against the Flyers.  That certainly did not happen.  Maybe it was the luck of the Irish (the Flyers wore Green St. Paddy’s uni’s in warm-ups, which actually looked surprisingly good), but the Flyers somehow out-shot the Wings 23-3 in the first period.  It was one of the best first periods of the season for the Flyers, who have been a whole lot better in the first period during their most recent surge.

Sizzling-hot Michael Raffl opened up scoring with a filthy dangle around Wings goalie Petr Mrazek, and Wayne Simmonds added another goal off a juicy rebound a few minutes later.

The Wings came back stronger in the 2nd period and speedy Greek rookie Andreas Athanasiou (Greece Lightning) scored another impressive goal 2 minutes into the period.  Michael Raffl would answer 5 minutes later with a backhanded rebound top shelf for his second of the game.  Pavel Datsyuk scored for the Wings later in the period to cut the Flyers lead to 3-2.  With a little over a minute left in the 2nd period, rookie sensation Shayne “Ghost” Gostisbehere tried to pass to Ryan White in close, but the puck deflected off the skate of Detroit defenceman Danny DeKeyser and into the back of the net for Ghosts 16th goal of the season.

Leading 4-2 after 2, the Flyers were a bit sluggish in the third period, but managed to hold on for a 4-3 victory after a late Detroit goal.  The win moved the Flyers to 78 points on the season, 1 point behind the Red Wings, with two games in hand.

The Flyers have little time to relish the big victory - they’re on their way to the windy city to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on NBCSN’s Wednesday Rivalrly Night.  This is my first trip to the United Center, and I couldn’t be more excited to experience one of the best hockey environments in the NHL.

The Hawks have struggled lately, having lost their last 3 games, including a 5-0 thrashing against rival LA Kings on Monday in Chicago.  As a result, I fully expect Chicago to come out strong Wednesday night.  This won’t be an easy one for the Flyers by any means.

Notes:

Jake Voracek returned to practice, but isn’t able to play yet.  He should be ready to go by this weekend or early next week.

Michael Raffl has 4 goals and 7 points in the last 5 games, all of which the Flyers have come away with a point.

Wayne Simmonds scored his team leading 25th goal, and is now 4 goals shy of his career high 29 goals.

Brayden Schenn assisted Simmonds goal, giving him 47 points on the season, tying his career high from last season.  He is an RFA and will get paid handsomely.

[phillytalk-blog]

Grading the Eagles Offseason Moves

Praise be to the chosen one, Mr. Howie Roseman!

The Eagles kicked off the off-season with a few huge trades and a bunch of solid free agent signings.  The man in charge, newly (re)hired Howie Roseman, is responsible for these tremendous moves.  Rest in piss, ex-coach and GM Chip Kelly.  We certainly do not miss you.

Here are my thoughts and grades of the Eagles major off-season moves so far.

Trade #1:

Eagles get: Miami Dolphins 1st round pick (8th overall)

Dolphins get: Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso, Eagles 1st round pick (13th overall)

When I first heard that this trade could go down, I was ecstatic.  I could not believe that anyone was willing to take Maxwell and his massive $63 million contract.  Everyone in the league knew the Eagles vastly overpaid for the cornerback who was a decent player on a fantastic Seattle defense in years prior.  As more of a #1 corner on the Eagles, he was torn to shreds by opposing receivers.  I was a little disappointed we had to part with Kiko, since he is a very good LB when healthy and is on a team-friendly contract, but the trade was still worth it.  I also (foolishly) bought an Alonso shirsy when we traded for him, which made me slightly bitter about moving him to Miami.  Moving up 5 spots in the draft could prove to be huge for the birds.  More on that later.

Trade #1 grade: A

Trade #2:

Eagles get: Tennessee Titans 4th round pick

Titans get: Demarco Murray, Eagles 4th round pick

I bought a Demarco Murray jersey last year immediately after the Eagles signed him.  This trade now confirms this was one of the worst sports memorabilia purchases I ever made.

My initial reaction to the trade came with a slight disappointment.  Not only because my jersey is now worthless, but I truly thought Murray would come back in 2016 with a renewed energy with Chip Kelly out of the picture.  Running a more traditional offense under Doug Pederson, I thought Murray would have a bounce back season since he could start most of his runs out of the “i” formation as opposed to the shotgun.  However, after some thought, I realized this was an offer the Eagles couldn’t refuse.  According to sources, Murray and his agents even did all the leg work, looking for potential trading partners and eventually settling on Tennessee.  The Eagles probably could have gotten a little more value than a 4th round pick swap from another desperate team later in the off-season when all the RBs come off the board, but getting anything for Murray at this point is valuable.

This leaves the birds with Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, and Kenjon Barner in the backfield.  Some are speculating the Eagles are trying to move Matthews as well, which would indicate they will draft a RB or sign another one.  They will not go into next season with just Sproles and Barner.

Trade #2 grade: B+

Free Agent signings:

Sam Bradford, QB - 2 years, $35 million ($22 million guaranteed)

Bradford returns to the Eagles on a hefty deal, but it’s favorable for the birds since its a short term, “prove-it”, bridge deal.  Bradford will either emerge this year as the franchise QB he was drafted #1 overall for, or remain an underachieving QB who can’t stay healthy enough to get into a groove with his team.  I’m okay with the deal because I’m very interested to see what Bradford can do under a Doug Pederson, a true quarterbacks head coach.  The hope is, for the Eagles, that we’re talking about a huge extension for Bradford in 2 years, but only time will tell.

Bradford grade - B+

Chase Daniel, QB: 3 years, $21 million ($12 million guaranteed, up to $36 million with incentives)

$21 million (and up to $36 million) is a lot of money for a backup quarterback. It was no secret that coach Pederson loves Daniel from his time in Kansas City, and Pederson wanted him in Philly.  No one could have expected Daniel to get this kind of money as a backup.  Many are saying Daniel will have every opportunity to snatch the starters gig from Bradford, which would explain Daniels’ high price tag.  I’m not sold on Daniel at all, considering he’s never been a starter in his 6 NFL seasons.  Trust in Doug, I guess.

Daniel Grade: C

Brandon Brooks, G:  5 years, $40 million

The Eagles needed some help up front, especially at Guard.  Brandon Books, a former 3rd round pick out of Miami, has been a starter for a very good Texans offensive line the past two seasons.  $40 million is a hefty price tag for a relative unknown lineman, but it’s the price you have to pay for a good O-line.  Brooks will provide some stability up front for years to come.

Brooks grade: B+

Rodney McLeod, S: 5 years, $37 million

McLeod has been a very good safety for an underrated Rams defense since going undrafted out of UVA.  He’s never missed a game in his 4 year career, and had 82 tackles and 1 interception last year.  Oh, and Eagles fans, the man knows how to hit.  If you liked Brian Dawkins, I think you’ll become a fan of McLeod.  Proof below:

McLeod grade: A-

Leodis McKelvin, CB: 2 years, $6 million

McKelvin will bring a veteran presence to the Eagles’ increasingly youthful defense.  He’s been a solid cornerback (when healthy) for the Bills the past 8 years after drafting him 11th overall in 2008.  This is more of a depth signing - don’t expect McKelvin to be matching up against opposing #1 receivers.

McKelvin grade - B

Ron Brooks, CB: 3 years, $6 million

Brooks played for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in Buffalo in 2014, which was the best year of his 4 year career.  Brooks won’t be a star corner, but playing under Schwartz again could provide a boost from his lackluster season in 2015.

Brooks grade: B+

Nigel Bradham, LB: 2 year contract

Bradham is another product of the Jim Schwartz effect.  He’s a tough linebacker who, again, had his best statistical season in 2014 under Schwartz, with 104 tackles.  If he can get back to those numbers with the Eagles, this will prove to be another excellent low-risk, high-reward signing by Howie Roseman, something the Eagles had not been accustomed to under Chip Kelly’s direction.

Bradham grade: A

Overall Eagles/Howie Roseman off-season grade (as of 5/9/16): A-

As is apparent, the Eagles have been busy so far this off-season.  I certainly don’t think they’re close to being done, either. As mentioned earlier, RB Ryan Mathews could be on the move.  Will they bring in another free agent running back, or draft much heralded Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliot with their newly acquired 8th overall pick?  We might not have had the opportunity to draft him at #13, which is where the Miami trade could pay huge dividends. We’ll know soon enough. The draft is less than 2 months away.

[phillytalk-blog]

Flyers Playoff Push

At some point during the second period, I thought to myself, “Wow, Shayne Gostisbehere has been pretty quiet since his point streak ended”. In fact, he only had one point (an assist vs. Calgary) since his point steak ended in Carolina on February 23rd.  Well, that certainly changed quickly.

Ghost-bear had 2 goals and the Flyers dominated the Lightning for a 4-2 win to pull within 2 points of a playoff spot for the first time since January 17th.

Let us not forget, at the beginning of the season, the Flyers were projected by all “experts” to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.  Their defense is too old and overpaid, they said.  They didn’t have enough depth at forward, they said.  Their goaltending is unproven, they said.

Now, I’m not going to get ahead of myself.  I realize the Flyers, despite being just 2 points behind the Red Wings and 3 points behind the Penguins for the 2 wildcard spots, are still long shots to make the playoffs.  Pittsburgh is too star-heavy to miss the playoffs.  The Red Wings are retooling and have a new head coach, but haven’t missed the playoffs since 1990.  However, this Flyers team has garnered a lot of respect from the fan base over the past few months with the way they have fought back into this position.

Obviously, Ghost has ignited this team - there is no denying it.  He is a legitimate star as an offensive defenseman and will get serious consideration for the Calder Trophy.  However, there are certainly other reasons for the Flyers recent push.  Brayden Schenn has been Schennsational.  Schenn, an RFA at the end of the season, is having the best year of his young career, and will surpass his career high for goals and points in a season - and he’s going to get paid for it.  Although he hasn’t looked as sharp since his return from injury, Sean Couturier has been rock solid all season.  Wayne Simmonds has been a lot more consistent than in previous years and is putting together another stellar season.  Even Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has netted some goals lately and is vital to the penalty kill.  Of course, these last 5 games have been without star forward Jakub Voracek, who should be back sometime next week.

Defensively, the Flyers have been solid since MDZ went down February 13th against New Jersey.  Radko Gudas had a stellar offensive night in the rout against the Blue Jackets on Saturday, but he also hasn’t been taking as many of the egregious penalties and misconducts that hurt the Flyers earlier in the year. Nick Schultz and Mark Streit are showing their age, but are still solid defensively.  Even Andrew MacDonald, he of the $30 million contract, is logging significant ice time and playing well alongside Ghost.  Neuvirth and Mason have also been very good in net lately, although I still don’t think Coach Hakstol knows who he would start in game 1 of a playoff series.

All that being said, the Flyers probably will come up short of a playoff birth.  I hope I’m wrong, but I’m being realistic.  They have certainly exceed most expectations already this year, but they do lack the depth to be a contender.  Next year, that should be a different story, but I’m certainly not giving up on this year yet.  The next few weeks are going to be a hell of a lot of fun.