www.todaysslapshot.com Flyers draft preview

[StevenToddIves]

Flyers fans, thought you would be interested!

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/nhl-prospects-2/nhl-draft-2015-philadelphia-flyers-preview/

We would love to hear your thoughts on an exciting draft!

Click to read more...

 

[SchennSational1022*]

Hard to argue that Cousins is a better prospect than Hagg, and no way is Laughton a better prospect than Morin.

Otherwise this was a good, thought out article. Not like some of the other outsider, short sided ******** we see on this board. Good job..

 

[orangecrush8]

Flyers fans, thought you would be interested!

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/nhl-prospects-2/nhl-draft-2015-philadelphia-flyers-preview/

We would love to hear your thoughts on an exciting draft!

I think you're going to get some push back on a few issues

1. Laughton isn't a better prospect than Morin and Ghost.
2. The Hartnell/Umberger trade wasn't made for immediate return or benefit
3. Not calling Couturier an impact player
4. Questioning Giroux's leadership. Pretty sure that was brought up by our crappy beat writers. His leadership capabilities is one of the least things I'm concerned about. And between Simmonds, Voracek and Streit, leadership isn't an issue on this team.

You did give Mason credit, I'll give you that.

 

[CodyTheHuman]

You spelled Timonen right the first time, but wrong every time after that.

Aaron Pulashaj is American, not Russian. He was just playing in the KHL.

More famously, they passed on a far more talented Nikita Zadorov with the eleventh-overall pick in 2012, instead taking a similarly-sized, left-shooting defenseman in Morin, universally ranked far lower by scouts.

That has yet to be determined.

a move which we could not have disagreed with more and we feel was the top factor in Philadelphia’s one-year plummet from playoff-contender to draft lottery.

You feel like Hartnell was the one thing keeping the Flyers from being in the playoffs? Not the loss of our number 1 defenseman, Timonen?

 

[Patrick Division]

Flyers fans, thought you would be interested!

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/nhl-prospects-2/nhl-draft-2015-philadelphia-flyers-preview/

We would love to hear your thoughts on an exciting draft!

Is it down already????

 

[bb12]

I think I could make the argument that cousins in a higher prospect then hagg. We have 3 other d in front of him and he didn't really open eyes in the ahl. As he is a top prospect, what cousins did in the ahl warrants his status. It also doesn't help that we don't need centers like we do d so his value kinda gets shadowed

 

[FLYguy3911]

1. Laughton isn't a better prospect than Morin and Ghost.

It's amazing the difference a year makes. A lot argued the exact opposite just a few months ago.

 

[Stizzle]

- Calling the Hartnell trade "an ill-advised move" is pretty arguable. Many people think it has a lot of merit for the long-run. But let's not get into that here.

- Laughton over Ghost and Morin? Most here would disagree. I'd argue Cousins at 5 is also incorrect.

- Couturier isn't an impact player? That's news to me.

More famously, they passed on a far more talented Nikita Zadorov with the eleventh-overall pick in 2012, instead taking a similarly-sized, left-shooting defenseman in Morin, universally ranked far lower by scouts.

First off, that was 2013, not 2012. Saying Zadorov is far more talented than Morin is pretty controversial. Morin may be more of a project. But less talented? That is debatable.
Edit: Also, let me add this. Who cares what the consensus rankings say? That doesn't mean anything. If the Flyers would have listened to the consensus we would have never drafted Gagne, Forsberg, Giroux, Williams, etc. More recently, we wouldn't have drafted Sanheim either. The Flyers track record of 1st round drafting is tough to argue against.

 

[Larry44]

The article was an ill-informed waste of time. Click bait and nothing more. Writer should stick to comics. Hire a a freelancer who knows something about the Flyers to do the Flyer articles, this was as bad as Jasvina's HF ones.

 

[StevenToddIves]

The article was an ill-informed waste of time. Click bait and nothing more. Writer should stick to comics. Hire a a freelancer who knows something about the Flyers to do the Flyer articles, this was as bad as Jasvina's HF ones.

I'm feeling the love here.

Thanks all of you for reading, though. I enjoy the debates and disagreements with true hockey fans. It's difficult to have an opinion when there is always someone out there with an opposing one, but many of yours were extremely thought provoking.

I think we can all agree this is a pivotal draft for the future of the Flyers, something I worked hard to convey in my column. I will be there in Florida covering it, I can only hope the fans there are nearly as knowledgable as the ones I encountered in Philadelphia last June.

 

[Jack Straw]

Good read, particularly the stuff regarding the upcoming draft.

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

Well written article, commendable effort. However, a lot of your opinions are ill-informed.

Laughton is pretty clearly a inferior prospect to Morin, and arguably Gostisbehere as well.

Also, to claim Zadorov is clearly a more talented prospect than Morin is one that's founded on little besides the fact that some had him ranked higher. He's further in his development, there's little debating that, but i'd like to hear your reasoning for stating that his talent level is clearly higher.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Well written article, commendable effort. However, a lot of your opinions are ill-informed.

Laughton is pretty clearly a inferior prospect to Morin, and arguably Gostisbehere as well.

Also, to claim Zadorov is clearly a more talented prospect than Morin is one that's founded on little besides the fact that some had him ranked higher. He's further in his development, there's little debating that, but i'd like to hear your reasoning for stating that his talent level is clearly higher.

I am not down on Morin, I think he has the upside to be a rock-solid & physical, second-pairing defensive defenseman -- something that extremely valuable to an NHL franchise, especially considering Morin's size.

I am just very high on Zadorov -- he's meaner, a better skater with a superior shot and outlet pass while offering similar size. I do not mean to slag a surefire future NHL-er like Morin, my point was that if Zadorov's name was Nick Smith and Morin's name was Samovich Morinov, there would be no question that the Flyers would have drafted Zadorov with the #11 pick in the 2013 draft. I also had Josh Morrissey (who went #13 to Winnipeg) ranked far higher, so maybe I'm wrong and the Flyers just saw something incredible in Morin.

I do think that Laughton will be a valuable second/third liner at the NHL level with grit and some scoring pop, so there's that.

 

[CodyTheHuman]

I am not down on Morin, I think he has the upside to be a rock-solid & physical, second-pairing defensive defenseman -- something that extremely valuable to an NHL franchise, especially considering Morin's size.

I am just very high on Zadorov -- he's meaner, a better skater with a superior shot and outlet pass while offering similar size. I do not mean to slag a surefire future NHL-er like Morin, my point was that if Zadorov's name was Nick Smith and Morin's name was Samovich Morinov, there would be no question that the Flyers would have drafted Zadorov with the #11 pick in the 2013 draft. I also had Josh Morrissey (who went #13 to Winnipeg) ranked far higher, so maybe I'm wrong and the Flyers just saw something incredible in Morin.

I do think that Laughton will be a valuable second/third liner at the NHL level with grit and some scoring pop, so there's that.

The Flyers had Morin ranked 6th (if I'm remembering correctly) on their draft board. They were picking him regardless.

 

[Laveuglette]

Couturier won't be 24 next year, he's 22.

 

[BernieParent]

I am not down on Morin, I think he has the upside to be a rock-solid & physical, second-pairing defensive defenseman -- something that extremely valuable to an NHL franchise, especially considering Morin's size.

I am just very high on Zadorov -- he's meaner, a better skater with a superior shot and outlet pass while offering similar size. I do not mean to slag a surefire future NHL-er like Morin, my point was that if Zadorov's name was Nick Smith and Morin's name was Samovich Morinov, there would be no question that the Flyers would have drafted Zadorov with the #11 pick in the 2013 draft. I also had Josh Morrissey (who went #13 to Winnipeg) ranked far higher, so maybe I'm wrong and the Flyers just saw something incredible in Morin.

I do think that Laughton will be a valuable second/third liner at the NHL level with grit and some scoring pop, so there's that.

Thanks for the article. I enjoyed the read. And it's commendable that you have thick enough skin to come back and read the comments.

 

[Curufinwe]

I am not down on Morin, I think he has the upside to be a rock-solid & physical, second-pairing defensive defenseman -- something that extremely valuable to an NHL franchise, especially considering Morin's size.

I am just very high on Zadorov -- he's meaner, a better skater with a superior shot and outlet pass while offering similar size.

Zadorov is not a better skater than Morin.

 

[Tankadelphia]

I think a much better shot is also pushing it. Morin was clocked at 104 mph and shattered the glass with a slapshot

 

[Curufinwe]

"Meaner" is also a big stretch.

 

[FLYguy3911]

"A little smoother than Zadorov" -Ray Ferraro

I like Zadorov more than most, and if there is any defensemen picked after Morin that makes the Flyers look like fools it will most likely be him, but one thing that often gets overlooked in prospects is what's going on from the neck up. Zadorov doesn't exactly get rave reviews in that regard, both on and off the ice, and that is probably the quality a development staff has the least control over.

"Every year, I think I raised my level of play. That's what the Flyers like me. Every year, I improve. It has all the time been so in the Peewee, Bantam, Midget, Junior ... " -Sam Morin

This kid still has time on his side. I think people are so fixed on what is happening NOW and don't factor in progression or the unpredictability of the development process.

 

[BillyShoe1721]

A few things:

It's Timonen, not Timmonen. It's also Nicklas Grossmann. Giroux's leadership is far from a problem. I wouldn't call Gudas a "very good young shutdown RD". Palushaj is American.

I'm curious, did you really think Christian Dvorak was a better pick at the time, or are you just saying that in retrospect because he had a great season this year? In their draft years, Dvorak had 14 points in 33 games, and Aube-Kubel had 53 points in 65 games. Aube-Kubel was also ranked 31 spots higher in the final CSS rankings. I doubt it.

 

[Rebels57]

I am not down on Morin, I think he has the upside to be a rock-solid & physical, second-pairing defensive defenseman -- something that extremely valuable to an NHL franchise, especially considering Morin's size.

I am just very high on Zadorov -- he's meaner, a better skater with a superior shot and outlet pass while offering similar size. I do not mean to slag a surefire future NHL-er like Morin, my point was that if Zadorov's name was Nick Smith and Morin's name was Samovich Morinov, there would be no question that the Flyers would have drafted Zadorov with the #11 pick in the 2013 draft. I also had Josh Morrissey (who went #13 to Winnipeg) ranked far higher, so maybe I'm wrong and the Flyers just saw something incredible in Morin.

I do think that Laughton will be a valuable second/third liner at the NHL level with grit and some scoring pop, so there's that.

Almost none of that is true. There is no "meaner" prospect than Morin.

Skating wise, I haven't seen Zadorov enough but Morin skates excellent for a big man.

Morin has a 100+ slapshot

 

[Jack Straw]

I am not down on Morin, I think he has the upside to be a rock-solid & physical, second-pairing defensive defenseman -- something that extremely valuable to an NHL franchise, especially considering Morin's size.

I am just very high on Zadorov -- he's meaner, a better skater with a superior shot and outlet pass while offering similar size. I do not mean to slag a surefire future NHL-er like Morin, my point was that if Zadorov's name was Nick Smith and Morin's name was Samovich Morinov, there would be no question that the Flyers would have drafted Zadorov with the #11 pick in the 2013 draft. I also had Josh Morrissey (who went #13 to Winnipeg) ranked far higher, so maybe I'm wrong and the Flyers just saw something incredible in Morin.

I do think that Laughton will be a valuable second/third liner at the NHL level with grit and some scoring pop, so there's that.

The Flyers weren't the only team that had Morin that high, Montreal reportedly tried to trade up with the Flyers to take him:

http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2013/8/21/4645708/samuel-morin-flyers-draft-canadiens

... the Montreal Canadiens tried trading up to take the No. 11 pick. They wanted Morin, and they knew that the Flyers also had interest. We don't know the details of the trade offer, however, so it's impossible to judge Paul Holmgren's decision not to accept the offer or negotiate further.

 

[Hockeypete49]

- Calling the Hartnell trade "an ill-advised move" is pretty arguable. Many people think it has a lot of merit for the long-run. But let's not get into that here.

- Laughton over Ghost and Morin? Most here would disagree. I'd argue Cousins at 5 is also incorrect.

- Couturier isn't an impact player? That's news to me.



First off, that was 2013, not 2012. Saying Zadorov is far more talented than Morin is pretty controversial. Morin may be more of a project. But less talented? That is debatable.
Edit: Also, let me add this. Who cares what the consensus rankings say? That doesn't mean anything. If the Flyers would have listened to the consensus we would have never drafted Gagne, Forsberg, Giroux, Williams, etc. More recently, we wouldn't have drafted Sanheim either. The Flyers track record of 1st round drafting is tough to argue against.

Morin will be better than Z. mark it down. I have faith in the way the Flyers have recently selected kids in the 1st round.

 

[BernieParent]

On the leadership issue, I think it would be fairer to say that while Giroux wears the C, the Flyers suffered from the added dimension of leadership from Timonen and Hartnell. Timonen's absence in the room was specifically mentioned by Voracek, IIRC.