In this week's edition of the Flyerdelphia Mailbag, we evaluate the hiring of Rick Pracey, the development of defensive prospects compared to Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek's primes and the possibility of sending Mark Streit or Braydon Coburn to the Winnipeg Jets.
How much of an impact do you think Rick Pracey will have? – T.J.
The Flyers hired Rick Pracey earlier this week as an amateur scout, which essentially bolsters the scouting staff. Pracey previously served as Colorado's Director of Scouting, and was questionably dismissed back in October.
Several of the players drafted by the Avalanche under Pracey's watch include Ryan O'Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie and Matt Duchene. They comprise the bulk of the Avs' youthful core, but three of them — MacKinnon, Duchene and Landeskog — were the result of the team floundering its way to top-three draft picks.
Pracey's come under scrutiny for a lack of evaluating European talent (aside from Landeskog, a Swede), which contrasts slightly with the Flyers' recent tendancies to sign players — notably Michael Raffl and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — out of European leagues. Of 12 players drafted by the team over the past two years, four hail from across the pond — Robert Hagg, Oskar Lindblom, Radel Fazleev and Jesper Pettersson.
Rick Pracey won't be in charge of scouting like he was in Colorado — that's Chris Pryor's responsibility — but his experience in talent evaluation will be quite an asset to the Orange and Black's scouting staff.
If the kids on defense will be ready in 3-4 years, is there any concern Giroux and Voracek will be out of their prime? – @Chef_Mikka_Dee
There's no questioning the promise that Samuel Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim bring to the team. The biggest question mark, though, is how Gostisbehere's torn ACL will affect his development — after all, he is the only one of those prospects to see regular-season action.
Giroux and Voracek are 26- and 25-years-old, respectively. If the presented 3-4 year timeline holds, they'll still be in their NHL primes, and wouldn't have hit age 30 yet.
Of course, 3-4 years seems like an eternity in the NHL, and there's all sorts of scenarios that could lead Giroux and Voracek out of their primes. Sure, the possibility is there, but I don't see Giroux or Voracek being "has-been" players by the time the Flyers' gaggle of defensive prospects is fully ready to go.
Would the Flyers entertain the notion of sending Mark Streit or Braydon Coburn to Winnipeg? – @isaiah520
Interesting possibility, no doubt. The Jets are poised to enjoy their best season since relocating from Atlanta, as their record currently sits at 16-10-6. With 38 points, they sit at fourth in the tough Central Division, yet they remain four points away from a playoff spot.
However, they've been dealt a tough blow with the loss of young blueliner Jacob Trouba until February with an upper-body injury. The Jets have one of the most advantageous salary cap situations in the league, with over $11.6 million in available cap space. They could theoretically afford Streit's $5.25 million hit and Coburn's $4.5 million hit with some room to spare.
Ultimately, I don't see the Flyers moving Streit to Winnipeg. His 19 points are fifth-most on the team (and the most for defensemen), while the "A" on his sweater represents the leadership and guidance he brings to the locker room. Coburn — the team's longest-tenured player — could be a different story, but I don't see him being moved anytime soon. If he's dealt, I don't see it happening until the trade deadline at the earliest, but next summer is more likely.
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Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61.
