Articles by Bill Meltzer (42)
The Philadelphia Flyers' marketing slogan for the 2015-16 season is "Play Boldly." If the off-season and pre-camp mantras espoused by new head coach Dave Hakstol and Ron Hextall are a reliable indicator of the messages that will be sent to the players throughout the season, expect a very heavy internal emphasis on Flyers players getting […]
The Philadelphia Flyers ticked two major items off their 2015 offseason agenda with the re-signings of Sean Couturier (six years, $25.98 million) and Jakub Voracek (eight years, $66 million) to contract extensions that kick in for the 2016-17 season. The deals pre-empt Voracek's unrestricted free agency (UFA) eligibility next summer as well as Couturier's […]
It was not all that long ago when an National Hockey League goaltender with a save percentage above 90 percent was considered to have an above-average season. In more recent years, that has crept up beyond 91 percent and 92 percent is now increasingly used as a benchmark by NHL teams. The evolution has […]
Over the course of the last few years, the Philadelphia Flyers' farm system has gone from virtually barren — the after-effects of being strip-mined of high-end draft picks in "win now" drives — to one of the main reasons for long-term optimism. In particular, the pool of defense prospects has received considerable attention and hype […]
Any time a recently hired NHL head coach steps into his new environment, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes preparation that goes on learn about the personnel on the team and ideas on how the pieces may fit together. For new Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol, the process is even more intensive than for most […]
Over the course of the Philadelphia Flyers' franchise history, most of the best defensemen the team has ever had have been players acquired from outside the organization: Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Mark Howe leads the list, followed by the likes of Eric Desjardins, Kimmo Timonen and for all-too-brief periods of time Bob "the Count" […]
View image | gettyimages.com In most every NHL Draft, there players available beyond the first round who have the potential to become NHL regulars and sometimes are even destined for stardom. Drafting such players takes a lot of luck as well as scouting acumen. However, generically speaking, the latter-round picks who tend to go […]
View image | gettyimages.com Entering the 2015 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers have a dearth of goaltending prospects in the system. The only two prospect-aged goaltenders to whom the Flyers hold NHL rights are 21-year-old Anthony Stolarz and Harvard University goaltender Merrick Madsen. Stolarz, the Flyers' second round pick in 2012, is coming off […]
While every fan (and general manager) hopes that the club lands a future star in the NHL Draft, the main goal is to establish – or replenish – depth in the organization. Perennial Stanley Cup contenders are built on deep rosters, not just on one or two stars. On the flip side, a series of […]
During the Flyers' series of press conferences at the end of the 2014-15 season, Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek opened a can of worms when he stated that he strongly felt the team missed Kimmo Timonen from a leadership standpoint in the dressing room and that it created a void that was not filled […]