Like every team in the NHL, the Flyers could use some scoring. After all, they scored only 210 goals this year. Only the Arizona Coyotes (206) scored less Four other teams scored under 220 goals, including the Seattle Kraken (213). That’s right…the expansion team that actually played like one scored more goals than the Flyers did, though not by much.
So, when you are the worst scoring team in the Eastern Conference, you’d think you want to sign or retain players who can score, right? So when the Flyers announced that they did not come to terms with 20 year old right winger Connor McClennon, it came as kind of a shock and something of a head scratcher.
McClennon was a sixth round pick in 2020. He’s a little on the small side at 5’8″ and 160 pounds. But the kid can flat out skate.
He was the Flyers top scoring prospect this year, scoring 43 goals and registering 38 assists for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. So you know this isn’t a fluke, he scored 42 goals and 70 assists for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds in his last year in juniors.
So, if he is the top scoring forward, why would the Flyers not try to sign him?
Can also confirm that the Flyers won't be offering Connor McClennon an ELC, so they'll be relinquishing his rights.
— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) June 1, 2022
My understanding is the Flyers feel like parts of his game (specifically his skating) haven't come around enough given his small size. We'll see if they're right.
In the 2020 draft, the Flyers selected four wingers, including three from the right side. Tyson Foerster and Zayde Wisdom were picked higher up in that draft and appear to have a higher upside than McClennon does. Bobby Brink, another right winger, is one the Flyers may look at in training camp to see if he is ready for promotion to AHL. At the AHL level, Wade Allison and Tanner Laczynski might be ready to break into the bigs. So, it could just be that McClennon could be blocked.
But again, we all know that some prospects never pan out. Dainius Zubrus was touted as a top level prospect. He never became a major scoring threat, but he played 19 years. Colin Forbes helped guide the Philadelphia Phantoms to a Calder Cup, but scored almost as many goals in two seasons for the Phantoms (28) as he did in his nine year NHL career (33).
You can never tell with a prospect. Maybe the Flyers are spooked by his size. But if you look at the bench, Cam Atkinson is the same size and Ryan Ellis is at 5’10” Free agent hopeful Johnny Gaudreau is 5’9″.
Maybe there is something else going on that we have not been made aware of. Hopefully this is not something we can look back on and hang our heads in disbelief.