Flyers Weekly Mailbag: The start of a new era

The Flyers now have a ton of coaching experience behind the bench. Now there are simply no excuses for an inconsistent hockey team. The Flyers had trial runs with inexperienced coaches, to experienced coaches, and now the whole staff has a ton of head coaching experience with coaching approximately 2,500 NHL games.

Let's see how this plays out Flyers fans. This could turn out to be a good thing. Alain Vigneault, Mike Yeo, and Michel Therrien could right the ship, and hopefully, they can bring a parade down Broad Street in the near future. Without further delay, here are our answers to your questions.

For some odd reason, I didn't think Lappy would Coach the PK Unit when Fletcher hired the new Assistants. I know it seemed bleak for a little bit in that regard, but he finished with the 29th, 27th, 26th, 21st, and 20th worst PK's in the league, the past 5 seasons. Honestly, it was a no brainer in my eyes.

Of course, by now everyone knows Mike Yeo will coach the Defense and the PK Units, and Michel Therrien will coach the PP Unit. Lappy's new role will be pre-scouting, and he will not be present on the bench, rather the press box area. Lappy should do much better in his new role. He is a good communicator and really does well in player development. I think he will be very successful in this new role, and it contains less pressure for sure.

The Flyers now have a coaching staff that is very experienced with coaching approximately 2,500 combined games, but more importantly, they will hold their players accountable. The players will have nowhere to hide, and they better bring their best effort on a nightly basis.

Michel Therrien is a structure, Defensive minded coach that will head the PP Unit. Mike Yeo will be the Defense and PK coach, and he has a strong personality. However, Yeo knows when the going gets tough, but he can be a little laid back, as well.

The Flyers needed a no-nonsense coaching staff. They needed more of their players to take accountability, and this is the exact coaching staff to do it. Will this new regime succeed? Who knows, only time will tell. But, in my eyes, Fletcher wanted more structure from the top down, and he has accomplished that with this coaching staff.

I believe Fletcher will resign all 6 RFA's this off-season. I'm actually a bit surprised that Ivan Provorov hasn't re-upped yet, as my source told me he would resign before the World's began. The Flyers will resign Ryan Hartman, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, Justin Bailey, and Scott Laughton. In addition, Fletcher will also resign a notable Lehigh Valley Phantoms RFA in Nicolas-Aube Kubel. I really don't foresee one of these players mentioned involved in a trade....yet anyways.

If Fletcher adds a top 4 Defenseman at the draft, I would not doubt that a trade would involve Shayne Gostisbehere. I'm hoping Fletcher trades for Jacob Trouba's rights, as this would make perfect sense. Ghost would also stay in this case. In an AV system, Ghost should flourish. Vigneault likes his Defencemen to jump, and Ghost would be a big benefactor in this case. I believe Ghost will still be with the Flyers come the Fall, and let's not forget he has a favorable cap hit of $4.5 million.

Philippe Myers has definitely earned a spot as a regular for sure. If the Flyers add a top 4 Defenseman (I believe they will), I would think Robert Hagg becomes trade bait. The Flyers have been very patient with Samuel Morin, and he looked decent with little playing time he had this past season. Moreover, the orange and black could use his physicality, as well. It will be interesting for sure.

Flyers GM Fletcher touched on a variety of topics at the exit interviews to include, “I’m usually not a big fan of buyouts,” to, “We would like a Veteran Defenseman, more scoring Forwards, and a Goalie for Hart. We will be active to improve the team. Everyone is tradeable.”

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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Shayne Gostisbehere without question. His name has been floated around and floated around. I think with the way the season ended it sure didn't help his cause to slow down the rumors. However, I hope Ghost is here next season, as I see him having a very good rebound season.

My top three targets are Jacob Trouba, Matt Duchene (Assuming he doesn't resign), and Cam Talbot. Carter Hart needs a reliable backup mentor. Talbot can remain healthy and really provide stability on the backend.

The biggest need, in my opinion, is a top 4 Defenseman. Trouba would provide stability on the backend for sure. Another player of interest isKasperi Kapanen. Like the Lightning, the Maple Leafs will be against the cap for sure with trying to resign Mitchell Marner, thus making Kapanen expendable. The Maple Leafs cannot resign everyone, so Kapanen can be of interest for Fletcher.

Shayne Gostisbehere without question. His name has been floated around and floated around. I think with the way the season ended it sure didn't help his cause to slow down the rumors. However, I hope Ghost is here next season, as I see him having a very good rebound season.

Brock Nelson, Joe Pavelski, Kevin Hayes, and Matt Duchene head the list of possible 2C's that the Flyers may covet. I can see Duchene, Pavelski, and Nelson resign with their respective clubs, thus leaving this list to Hayes. Hayes has experience with playing with Alain Vigneault, so he would be my guess to fill the void of a 2C.

Tyler Johnson I have seen his name floated around, but he signed a seven-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and his contract does not expire until 2023-24. Johnson also has an NTC at the moment, then it goes to an MTC in the year 2021-22. Tampa will be against the cap, and they cannot resign everyone. Johnson might be a trade target for sure, and I wouldn't put it past Fletcher to try and make a move. Fletcher did say this at the exit interviews, "We will be active to improve the team. Everyone is tradeable.”

I think Fletcher does trade for the rights of Jacob Trouba. This would be a huge steal in my opinion. Trouba is a Defenseman that would fit what the orange and black are looking for in a top 4 Defenseman.

Cam Talbot leads my list of being the backup Goaltender to Carter Hart. Talbot would be an excellent, and familiar mentor for Hart. If the Flyers keep Hart happy, then next season should be a good one. Brian Elliott's injury history scares me a bit, so that's yet another reason for me to go with Talbot over Elliott.

Kasperi Kapanen could also be of value for the orange and black. Like the Lightning, the Maple Leafs will be against the cap for sure with trying to resign Mitchell Marner, thus making Kapanen expendable. The Maple Leafs cannot resign everyone, so Kapanen can be of interest for Fletcher.

I would love to sign a player like Joe Pavelski. He will be 35 next season, however, the guy knows how to score. Pavelski potted a big goal Wednesday night in the series-clinching game against the Colorado Avalanche, and he also potted 38 goals this past season. Simply put, he knows how to find twine.

Brock Nelson would also be a good addition to the lineup. He would provide much-needed size down the middle, and the guy can board battle. Look at what St. Louis is doing, that is one gritty team. Nelson is a gritty, hard-nosed Forward that can also find the back of the net.

Both of these players would be welcome additions as 2C's until the youth are ready to take over, that includes Nolan Patrick, as well. The future is coming, but the Flyers just need that 2C Veteran to get them over the hump for a few years.

Cam Talbot I think will backup Carter Hart next year. Talbot would be an excellent, and familiar mentor for Hart. If the Flyers keep Hart happy, then next season should be a good one.

I personally believe the Flyers will trade the 11th pick for a top 4 Defenseman. This draft is loaded with talent throughout the entire draft. Hopefully, the Flyers are able to still put forth a good draft, following a trade.

The Flyers wanted experience behind the bench and a voice. Well, they got just that. Fletcher wanted accountability within the locker room, well he got just that. There is nowhere for these players to hide anymore, and accountability will be a big word used this upcoming season. Fletcher wanted experience behind the bench, well he got just that. Let's see how this plays out before we draw conclusions, as we have never seen this before in Flyer land.

Wayne Simmonds stock might have taken a hit this past season, however, I still think there's a team that will overpay for his services. He's a valuable asset in the locker room, and Simmonds plays his heart out. I think a team will pay him roughly $5 million a season for about 4 years.

The Flyers will win a cup in 2022-23. Contrary to popular belief, I believe they are a little closer than some believe. Finally, from the sake of God, the orange and black have a quality Goaltender in Carter Hart. By the 2022-23 season, the Defense should be "A" ok, primed and ready to take the next step. Oh yea one last prediction, Hart will win the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23, as well.

The Flyers season may have been wasted, but one player that had a good year was James Van Riemsdyk. Things started off slow for him in his a reunion with the Flyers, as he faced in the early obstacle with his injury, but he put together a solid season. He potted 27 goals this past year, and JVR was brought in to do what....score goals. JVR became that threat on the PP again, much as he did with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I believe under Therrien's guidance on the PP, he could reach that 30-goal plateau again. There is stability with the coaching staff, so next season will be a big one for JVR.

If you would like to see your questions submitted in our weekly mailbag. Just submit your question on our Facebook page or on Twitter using #Flyersmail. Thanks to all the fans for another great mailbag, and Let’s go Flyers. Without your support, we wouldn’t be here today.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports