Could Robert Hagg and Samuel Morin Be on the Trading Block?
With just under 30 days remaining until the Flyers return to the ice for their season opener in the Czech Republic, we are fairly certain who the 20 players will be suiting up for the orange and black will be.
With just the last forward spot up for grabs, the rest of the roster is fairly solidified. With that, Chuck Fletcher could decide to move guys in an area the Flyers are deep: on defense.
All those top defensive prospects that former general manager Ron Hextall stockpiled during his tenure are no longer prospects and are looking to compete for a roster spot. The problem is that there is too many of them. With the acquisition of Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun, the window closed on the Flyers’ younger defenseman claiming a roster spot. The question for Chuck Fletcher is does he want to move the players that are leftover or keep them as an extra defenseman in the press box or the AHL?
Robert Hagg
Hagg, a second-round pick in 2014, played all 82 games last year and had his best season offensively as a pro with 20 points. While we saw his offensive game grow, Hagg was a mess in his own zone. Among all Flyers, Hagg had the fourth-highest unblocked shots against. For a player labeled as a defensive defenseman, Hagg just didn’t get the job done in his own zone.
With Niskanen and Braun and likely Philippe Myers in the mix and Ivan Provorov’s eventual contract extension looming, Hagg really doesn’t have a spot on the team anymore barring an injury.
Could Chuck Fletcher just choose to stash him as an extra defenseman in the box? Sure. But for a guy who played 82 games last year, it would be smart for Fletcher to see if a team is interested in a young, third-pairing player.
Samuel Morin
It’s been an extremely unlucky few years for the former first-round pick. Morin, who was drafted in 2013, began the Flyers’ stockpiling of defensive prospects but has seen just eight games of NHL action. After battling with multiple injuries including an ACL tear in early 2018, the future is looking dim for 24-year-old Morin.
There’s no doubt Morin has the size (6-foot-7, 202 lbs) to physically compete in the NHL but his durability has but a damper on him cracking the Flyers with so many talented prospects already making their presence felt at the big-league level.
There’s a good chance that at least one of Morin or Hagg is gone which will leave Fletcher to choose between the more durable Hagg or the unknown potential in Morin.
Other Possibilities
Flyers fans saw the rumors of Shayne Gostisbehere possibly being on the trading block this summer but nothing ever came out of it.
It’s extremely unlikely and quite frankly would be a bad decision to ship off the team’s best offensive defenseman and a key cog on the powerplay unit who is on a very team-friendly deal. Yes, he struggled mightily on defense last year but with the new additions to the blueline, a reduced defensive role should lead to a bounce-back season from Gostisbehere.
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