Philadelphia Flyers: Hextall Will Give Chance to Young Defensemen
Ron Hextall went on Breakfast on Broad to talk about the upcoming training camp and giving a clarified explanation of what he expects out of the highly touted defensive prospects. Tim Panaccio wrote a piece for CSNPhilly.com going more in-depth on the interview, saying that not only does a prospect have to prove he can play at a high level for the full NHL season, but also the Flyers need cap and roster space.
Hextall said this on evaluating if a prospect is ready to take a spot on the NHL roster:
“If they come in, they are gonna have to prove to us as a staff that they make us a better team for 82 games,” Hextall said. “That is part of evaluations. Certain kids play real well for a month. They got that extra jump in the NHL and then all of a sudden fall off.“If we keep a young kid and make a mistake, keep him for two months and he really falls off, then it’s almost like, ‘What do you do?’ We have to figure it out. Is it black or white? No, it’s not. It’s probably the hardest part of our job is figuring out whether a kid can maintain the high level to help us be a better team for 82 games.”
This should come as good news to Flyers fans, as many believed Hextall would stick to his “patience” and would not give a prospect a chance even if he seemed more than ready.
“People have the impression I am going to send kids down no matter what,” the Flyers’ general manager said on Thursday. “That is not the case. But I do err on the side of [caution]. If we’re not sure, I tend to err on not putting a guy in where we think it’s too early.”
The most NHL-ready prospect, or at least it seems that way, for the Flyers is Ivan Provorov. The 18-year-old from the Brandon Wheat Kings is touted as way beyond his years in terms of maturity and defensive skill. He will be a prospect to watch all throughout training camp, as he could make the team or be sent down on the final day- who knows with Hextall at the helm. Hopefully we get some confirmation either way of what the deal will be.
Sep 22, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (71) and Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) battle during game at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Other prospects in line to make a jump to the NHL are Travis Sanheim, Samuel Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Robert Hagg. Morin, Hagg, and Gostisbehere will play on the Phantoms this season, and thus will be available for a call-up at any point after the season begins. Sanheim, however, is in the same boat as Provorov and has the only option of staying in the NHL or staying in the Juniors- no in-between or AHL time.
So, when will we know if someone is going to make the team? Well, the first sign will be if the Flyers make a move that will clear cap space and a defensive roster spot for a prospect to take up. If this happens, then it’s more likely than not that the Flyers are planning to have one of them on the NHL roster for the season.
After that, it just comes down to who is performing at a very high level in training camp and in pre-season. Thankfully, that part is only a couple more weeks away.
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