deadhead
Registered User
- Feb 26, 2014
- 49,215
- 21,617
And frankly it annoys me that they keep signing no-chance-NHL veterans like Conner and Carey and the like to devour PP and top scoring minutes instead of seeing what a kid like Martel has -- to say nothing of our drafted prospects. They made it basically impossible for him to get those minutes and actually evaluate him long-term. . . Seems to me like they're setting it up for him to get his potential shot elsewhere in a few years.
After listening to Gordon talk about players a couple times, it's pretty obvious to me that these decisions are primarily Hextall's, game decisions may be Gordon, but both the decision to add certain players, and slotting players into certain roles is definitely Hextall.
And yes, they're definitely going to let Martel get his shot elsewhere, three years ago he'd have gotten the Weal opportunity, but now they're so overcrowded with prospects (as these polls demonstrate) that he has zero chance of breaking into the Flyer lineup.
And it's not just Martel, if Leier doesn't make the Flyers this year he'll be passed by a number of guys out of juniors (and a couple college kids).
I expect two or three players a year to be traded for late round picks (like Cousins this year) from now on - you can only stash a player so long in the AHL before it becomes unfair to the player, and takes PT from younger prospects. You can't ask a Leier or Martell to accept the role of a Carey or McDonald until after they've had a shot at winning a NHL job. If they fail, welcome them back as experienced AHL veterans and "coaches on the ice."