Sure, the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins might be Stanley Cup contenders next season. Good for them, they probably still won’t win the thing. But how long is that window going to stay open?
lololol (via @coreypronman’s farm system rankings) pic.twitter.com/N12raidznj
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) August 11, 2015
That’s via ESPN Insider Corey Pronman, who is the media authority on NHL prospects.
“There is no top-end prospect in the organization.”
“There isn’t really anyone close to Pittsburgh for the 30th spot. … It has more or less burned its system to the ground.”
The Flyers, meanwhile, have completely revamped their farm system in the last few years — and really, in the last one year alone since Ron Hextall has taken over as general manager. Consider that on Pronman’s previous ranking, the Flyers ranked 25th in the NHL. Now, they’re 10th. Here’s the report:
The Flyers system has had a massive turnaround over the past 24 months, due to great drafting and progression from significant prospects. Their group of young defensemen is elite by any measure, but I also think at forward and in net they are above-average in terms of prospects, primarily due to their past two draft classes. After years of being in the bottom tier of these rankings (I remember Grade B college free agents becoming top-five prospects in their system), the Flyers are building a proper foundation.
Great drafting. Elite. Those are words that describe the Flyers farm system today, and those are words that describe a team that’s well on its way to building a great NHL team. Keep it up, Hexy.
The rest of the division, for the record, ranks as follows: Islanders fifth, Blue Jackets eighth, Flyers tenth, Hurricanes 11th, Capitals 21st, Devils 26th, Rangers lol, Penguins lmao.
