Part three of our four part 2017-18 Flyers report card series (you can find part one here and part two here). Today we have the players who were just average, and there are a lot of them as the Flyers are simply an average team. Grades were based on play this year and the average is what is published, we only ranked players who played over 10 games. At the end of each post, you will see how each member voted per player discussed in the article.
Throughout the week you will see analysis and thoughts from these fine people: Jason, Craig, Jake, John, Joe, Brad, Steve, Mike, Maddie, Emily, Kyle, Kelly, Kurt, Bill, and me.
Without further ado, the Flyers who earned a C this season.
Jordan Weal: C
Brad- Weal didn’t live up to expectations this season (well, mine anyway) but I still think he had a fine season. One of the few depth forwards on this team that can actually score.
Joe- At this point, there are no questions to what kind of player Jordan Weal is. He isn’t going to ‘grow’ anymore, he is what he is. A bottom six forward who is good enough to put up 20 points. But hey, that’s okay! You still need those players to win a Stanley Cup.
John- Showed little of the offensive finishing ability he did at the tail end of the 2016-17 season. Still did a solid overall job.
Jake- Below expectations for me. I didn’t think he could keep up his scoring and play-driving pace from last season, but I at least would have liked him to be a solid 3rd line scorer. He just wasn’t able to find that groove this season.
Craig- Came back down to Earth this season. Turns out to be Just A Guy.
Jason- I was very sure that Weal was going to “bust out” this season after looking damn fine in his 20+ games in 16/17. Unfortunately it never happened. It didn’t necessarily LOOK bad and perhaps he didn’t get all the puck luck he deserved. 18/19 will be a big year for Weal to show if his 16/17 season was a flash in the pan or not.
Steph- He did exactly what I said I would be happy with, 20 points and showed he was an NHL player.
Steve- Weal had big expectations coming into this season, and ended up as a semi-regular bottom of the lineup scratch.
Mike- Weal was a pleasant surprise a year ago, but that momentum did not carry over to this season. He managed just nine more points in 46 more games that a year ago and some of that lies in player usage, Weal was largely replaceable in ‘17-18.
Maddie- Weal didn’t really live up to expectations this season, but I still see him as someone who was doing all the little things right, but he just couldn’t buy a goal. And maybe this was bad luck, or him pressing, or something else. We wanted more, but he wasn’t bad.
Kyle- Weal was a disappointment for me this season. I wasn’t expecting him to be a top 6 forward, but his underlying metrics and general stats didn’t impress me at all this season.
Kelly- Jordan Weal had an okay year. I wanted more from him after what we saw at the end of last season, though.
Emily- I think he was fine, mostly average. Not really his fault when he kept getting scratched. Underlying numbers still looked good, but I wanted to see him score way more this season.
Kurt- Weal didn’t have the true breakout season we were hoping for, after his impressive short stint at the end of last season gave us some hope that he could be a real contributor. Still, there were things to like about his season, and I’d have liked to have seen Hak give him a bit longer of a leash than he had. Even if he’s just a bottom-6 winger going forward, I think he showed that he has some ability in that role.
Bill- A disappointing season for Weal, who scored only 8 goals in 69 (nice) games after recording 8 goals in 23 games last season. Weal was a “let’s see what we’ve got in him” type of player and maybe with a more defined, consistent role he could still be that solid bottom-six depth scorer he appeared to be in his late-season tryout in 2017. But still, he needed to have a better season than he did, even though he may have been a victim of ineffective line mates and a shooting percentage that was cut by more than half.
Matt Read: C+
Maddie- He can’t really score anymore at the NHL level, but Read was good and solid upon his return to the Flyers, and honestly probably should have been here all season.
Mike- The veteran had just one goal in 19 games, but came up after being buried in the AHL all season and almost immediately made a mark on the Flyers’ penalty kill…for the better.
Steve- Read spent most of the years being the sage old mentor to the Phantoms before coming back to the NHL to play his patented “just fine” game.
Brad- I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the penalty kill magically got better once Read was called up. He did his job.
Joe- This was Matt Read’s final season as a Flyer, which is sort of sad. It was a fun ride, ‘Meat’ who had a fun rookie season, and was part of the turnaround team after Homer ditched Richards and Carter. He spent most of the time in the AHL, but he was good ol Matt Read during his NHL time. He quietly went out, did his job, and skated back to the bench.
John- Read should have been a Flyers all year, although he was pretty bad in the playoffs.
Jake- It’s hard to judge him given his small sample at the NHL level this year. I’m not sure why he couldn’t take a spot from one of the Glue Men this season. When he played, he was pretty much what I expected.
Jason- Is this too high? He was the victim of his contract and the number of bodies on the roster. Despite the contract, Read proved to be an extremely good penalty killer and boost to whatever line he was asked to play on.
Steph- Meeeeeeat. I would’ve preferred have Read with the big club all season than, say, Dale Weise or Jori Lehtera. This is one veteran that actually provided value and I hope he signs another NHL contract after this season. Just not with the Flyers. Unfortunately there is no room even if he is more talented than a handful of players on this roster.
Bill- Reader was sent to the AHL out of camp and his agent was told if another team was interested in a trade, they would attempt to accommodate the 31-year-old winger. Read got called up for the final 15 games of the regular season and steadied the penalty kill a bit, but recording only one goal and one assist through 25 regular season and playoff games shows that, yes, the scoring really had dried up. Read had a solid career with the Flyers, but it has come to an end as the organization looks toward the future.
Kurt- Whether he should’ve been there or not (he shouldn’t have), tough to give a vet a particularly good grade when he spends 3/4 of his season in the AHL. Read played the role of a solid fourth-line winger during his time in Philadelphia, though. Solid enough that when he was with the team the coaches decided that he was good enough to be a top penalty killer and last-minute defensive specialist. Sometimes this team confuses me.
Emily- We didn’t see much of him, but when we had him back, it felt so right. Missed you, Meat.
Kelly- Matt Read didn’t get very much time with the team for…reasons, but he did well when he was up, particularly in the playoffs, where his PK efforts did not go unnoticed.
Kyle- Read spent most of the year in the minors, but when called upon he fit in perfectly to this lineup in the bottom six. Part of me is still sad to see him go, thanks for everything, Meat.
Michael Raffl: C+
Kelly- Raffl only had 22 points this season, which isn’t going to get it done for me. And I know it isn’t his fault, but his time on the top line brought that line down and I’m dinging him for it.
Kyle- Frustrating season from Raffl. Seemed to always be leaving you wanting more from him and his metrics took a dip as well. Hoping for a bounce back season.
Emily- His underlying numbers were still fine, but his time on the top line was forced and uncomfortable. I have long been a defender of the Raff, and I refuse to hear a bad word about him.
Maddie- I honestly don’t have that much to say here. Raffl’s very good at doing all of the little things right, and this season he did what he does and played his role as utility player very well. 22 points is still pretty good, but you wonder what he could have done with some more time with higher scoring linemates. But, on the other side, he was a Honey Bee and we love the Honey Bees here.
Kurt- The good: 13 goals in 76 games is fine for what Raffl is supposed to be (a third-line winger). The not-as-good: his possession numbers, which have been routinely fantastic throughout his time in Philadelphia, were kinda just OK this year. His most common line mate on the season was Filppula, though, so there’s reason to believe that drop off was influenced by factors out of his control. That said, this felt like a quieter-than-usual season for Raffl, and it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back in a contract year next year.
Mike- Raffl continues to be a valuable forward piece with ability to play up and down the lineup. You’d like to see more production, but he’s being paid like a fring third/fourth liner so there isn’t much more to expect really. Plus, his value extends past the box score in many cases.
Bill- The Swiss Army Knife showed his versatility once again in 2017-18, playing in a variety of roles throughout the year. Raffl averaged over a minute of PK time and began the year with Laughton and Leier on the famed Honey Bee line and ended the year alongside Giroux and Couturier. He’s a great role player best suited for a bottom-six role. His 13 goals were good enough for sixth-most among the forward group. If the Flyers had a complete lineup, Raffl would be one of the most effective fourth liners in hockey.
Steve- Not a ton of points for Raffl, but he did have his usual hot streaks between his bouts of effective puck movement.
Steph- Raffl is the type of role player that you actually want on your team. He is a player who can score but it’s not the only tool in his toolbox, is fast, strong defensively, and hard to knock off the puck. He’ll never be a superstar but he’s a guy you will always want on your team. And apparently he became a father during the season and no one knew about it.
Brad- His fancy stats weren’t as strong as they were in previous years but I’d still say he was a good middle-sixer this season. I do believe he is the only Flyer to have played on all four lines this season.
Joe- Michael Raffl might be one of the most dependable players on the Flyers. He can be placed anywhere in the line-up, and he’ll fit right in. He can play wing, he can play center. First line or fourth, Raffl will slot in wherever he is needed. This year Raffl spent time on the first line, and in the bottom six. He didn’t produce much on the score sheet, but he showed he is a valuable asset to the Flyers team.
John- Raffl basically met expectations. Good solid Swiss Army Knife guy for the middle six.
Jake- I’m a Raffl fan. Similar to Read in the sense that a 20 goal season was kinda the worst thing to happen to him, because he’s just not that kind of player. For what he does, I think a B- is fair.
Jason- He was “just fine”? There is nothing flashy to Raffl’s game and that’s just fine! He was forced at times to play on the top two lines, though I’m off the belief that he really shouldn’t be.
Taylor Leier: C-
Brad- Leier had an interesting season and I’m still not entirely sure what I think about it. His underlying numbers are pretty good, but how much of that had to do with the Honey Bees line? Laughton and Raffl were both strong from a play driving standpoint this year.
Steve- Props for making the team out of camp unexpectedly, but Leier didn’t really do much while he was up here. He’s got a ton of speed, and can be an effective 3rd/4th liner, but that’s the ceiling.
Joe- Taylor Leier didn’t really do anything noteworthy this season. He was alright when in the lineup, but didn’t do much to change the course of the game. Simply put, Taylor Leier is: a guy.
Mike- He’s a good skater, and that showed this season but that was pretty much it for me.
John- Started off really well with the, ugh, Honeybees. But Hakstol was right to remove him from the PK. Didn’t really do a whole lot after November.
Maddie- What looked like it might be a season with some promise with the Honey Bees turned out to be more of a slow fizzling out. I’m still not quite convinced that we’ve seen everything from Leier yet, but some ugly defensive mistakes and inability to close on chances generated don’t exactly paint a super pretty picture.
Jake- He was pretty much as expected. Maybe should have played more than he did. I’ve always been a fan of his game and I think he could be a solid 12th or 13th forward.
Kyle- Leier was the definition of “fine” when he played. Wasn’t anything spectacular, but got the job done and was apart of that fantastic honey bees line. Just didn’t score enough.
Craig- Really hard season to grade. 5 points in 39 games is terrible and he had average possession numbers, but usage by the coach certainly didn’t help his potential.
Kelly- Taylor Leier played 39 games?? God, he is a very, very unremarkable player. He’s a fine bottom-sixer, I suppose.
Jason- Leier got off to a fun start playing with Laughton and Raffl on the “Honey Bees” line, but Dave Hakstol hates fun so that line didn’t last. Leier was then in/out of the lineup because he didn’t produce with guys like Jori Lehtera and Dale Weise.
Emily- A lot of people were lukewarm on Leier from the start, and I think I was too, but he had a good season with us and showed he could sit at the big boys table.
Kurt- On the one hand, I didn’t see so much from Leier in his NHL time this year that I think his not being in the lineup was some sort of sacrilege. On the other hand, yes, he obviously should have been playing over the likes of Lehtera and Weise, so I do feel for him. All in all, though, a disappointing season for Leier given the fact that hopes for him were reasonably high after a good training camp and first month or so. He’ll most likely have to compete for a roster spot again next fall.
Steph- I loved that he made the team out of camp and the Honey Bees gave me life. I think he has great chemistry with Laughton, but that only lasted a short while. As far as the future for Leier, I think we’re looking at a speedy bottom six guy but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him used as the thirteenth forward.
Bill- Leier appeared to start the season hot on the much-celebrated Honey Bee line, but fell out of favor and ended up playing fewer than 40 games, and only 9 in 2018, none after March 4th. It seemed like he was a better option to play 10 minutes a night than Jori Lehtera or Dale Weise, but it also seemed like he was the only player held responsible for a failing penalty kill.
Wayne Simmonds: C+
Bill- Points for his heart and courage, playing through numerous injuries, but Simmonds was nowhere close to himself. Yes, 24 goals is a decent number, but 18 goals through the final 67 regular season games, and none in the playoffs, didn’t cut it for Simmer. He wasn’t the same in puck battles or in the corners, and ultimately lost his spot on the top power play.
Steve- Poor Wayne Train. He ended the season with just about every injury you can imagine. The guy still managed to score 20+ goals despite needing to be immediately placed in a full-body cast.
Kurt- In his midterm review, I said that Wayne Simmonds was having himself the season that got Brayden Schenn traded last summer. Since then, we’ve learned that he managed to injure basically every body part imaginable at some point between last summer and the end of the season. While I respect Simmonds’ toughness for playing in what had to be immense amounts of pain, and while a hobbled Simmonds *may* still have been a better option for the Flyers than some of their replacements, we can only judge by what happened on the ice, and Simmonds’ play was below where the Flyers need it to be. Obviously, the team knows how much he fought through in terms of injury, but you still wonder how his performance this season will impact any decisions they make about him this summer.
Brad- I think we we’re a bit too hard on Wayne this season, myself included. Injury news aside, he still scored 24 goals – tied for third most on the team – and continued to provide value above his $3.975M cap hit.
Emily- Man, what a disappointing season. Obviously now we know that Wayne was basically playing with a broken everything all season, and I feel for him, but it was not fun to watch him this year.
Joe- Wayne Simmonds played with approximately 47 injuries this season. Okay maybe not that many, but you get the idea. Wayne was still able to put up a 24 goals, 46 point campaign, which after looking at his list of injuries is remarkable.
Kelly- Tough year for Wayne. He was hurt, I know, but even last year I was ready to move on. The man seems to be a shell of his former self.
John- Had 24 goals despite an injury list that rivals a guy in a massive car wreck. Should have had surgery early, come back 100%.
Kyle- Wayne gets a C but honestly there’s not much else he could have done considering his injuries. Feel like we need to bake him cookies or something.
Jake- He scored 24 goals and played through a ridiculous amount of injuries this season. While that’s commendable, playing at about half strength and hurting your team in the process due to your lack of 5-on-5 production (worse than Weal this year in that regard) doesn’t really deserve a good grade. Big part of me wonders how much more effective he would have been if he just would have missed the first 6-8 weeks of the year.
Maddie- This was a hard one. It’s tough to look at a 24 goal/46 point season and say that it was still pretty meh. But it was. You get it, what with the host of injuries that plagued him for the whole season.
Craig- 5-on-5 numbers were still underwhelming and he lost his role on the top power play unit, but scored 24 goals this year with, essentially, no working body parts. Kind of amazing.
Mike- Simmonds played through a myriad of injuries (both serious and nagging) and still put up 24 goals. I’ll give him a slight pass because of that.
Jason- This grade is more me being angry that he decided to play through numerous injuries that obviously hindered his effectiveness throughout the entire 2017-18 season. I love you Wayne, but can we stop with the “tough hockey guy” routine and just get healthy before putting yourself out there on the ice.
Steph- This was the grade I was the most conflicted about, but at the end of the day, I am not here for the warrior mentality. Get healthy and do your job. It is not helping anyone to delay surgery just to get in a few dozen games. Simmonds was invisible for large portions of this year and should have known when it was time to take a seat and take care of himself.
Andrew MacDonald: C-
Kurt- Andrew MacDonald had a very Andrew MacDonald season, wherein he was given a lot of responsibility, played a lot with rookies, didn’t really fare all that well in those situations, and still was in the lineup pretty much every night. He wasn’t the worst of the Flyers’ problems, but all in all we got out of him what we thought we would, which is to say not that much.
Joe- Andrew MacDonald, uh, he didn’t look that bad for parts of the season. Sure we had his moments where you just look at him playing, tilt your head like a confused dog and mutter ‘why’. But through parts of the season, most notably, when he spent time with Travis Sanheim, ‘AMac’ didn’t look bad. In fact, he looked like an NHL defenseman.
Bill- AMac scored at a much better clip than he has in his previous seasons in orange and black, and watching Radio Gudas and Brandon Manning nightly made a lot of people realize that, paired with a competent partner, it can get a lot worse than MacDonald.
Brad- It was another poor season from MacDonald, but he did play pretty well in a third pair role towards the end. He shouldn’t average 20 minutes a game next season.
Jason- Good ol’ AMac wavered between average and laughably bad all season. This could probably be said about every one of his NHL seasons.
Steve- AMac gonna AMac. It is what it is with the old active stick until his eternal contract runs out. He did have some effective stretches with Travis Sanheim.
Craig- Didn’t have as many MacDonald moments as usual and looked like a passable passenger paired with Sanheim.
Mike- Not shocking, but MacDonald was bad both from the eye test and the deep dive into his metrics. But you probably already knew that.
Jake- Hakstol plays him too much and that’s not his fault, so that’s why this grade isn’t worse. He plays way more than he should and it shows in his game. Decent playoff showing bumps is grade out of the D range, but it doesn’t take an intelligent person to realize the Flyers will be a much better team once he no longer plays here at all, let alone in a top four role.
Maddie- I feel like a good portion of the talk around MacDonald this season has been the nervous “I think he’s been fine?” vagueness. But he has been. He’s still made some mistakes, done his fair amount of starfishing and breaking down, but he’s been better than usual. Maybe the bump down to the second pair helped. He’s been good with Sanheim. And on the whole he’s been fine.
Steph- For what he is, this was not his most terrible season. There were many games in a row where I didn’t want to steal his passport so he couldn’t travel with the team anymore. And, as many others have mentioned, maybe the rookie hazing ritual will finally stop since it seems Sanheim has solved the AMac conundrum. Or just waive him, that works too.
John- MacDonald was solid as a fifth D. Yeah he still starfishes too often, But he’s adequate as a third pair D.
Kyle- How much longer until this contract ends?
Emily- Okay, I might be crazy, but he was fine? He was not as bad as he’s been in the past? I don’t know, guys.
Kelly- AMac wasn’t the worst defenseman on the team this season, so that’s an improvement. To be honest, he wasn’t terrible at all. Steady at times, even.
Radko Gudas: C-
Steph- I don’t care about how often he shoots the puck (it’s all the time), he got suspended and he killed Sean Couturier. This was the worst season of his Flyers career.
Jason- Gudas just didn’t seem like the same player this season, but perhaps that may have been the “Manning Effect” or not playing with the same edge pre-suspensions.
Craig- Possession numbers are still there, but a suspension and play down the stretch really put a damper on his season.
Jake- Most probably think he deserves a much worse grade, but I put a large chunk of the blame on his D partner for most of the year, Brandon Manning. Gudas was not good himself, do not get me wrong, but he looked like a top four guy next to Sanheim, so I think he deserves at least some credit there. We’ll see if he’s even here next year, but if he is, I would expect a better season from Radko.
John- Gudas was probably the season’s most disappointing player to me. After the suspension, he was stuck in his own head.
Joe- Ugh. Radko’s season was just frustrating. For a player who, for all last season, Flyers fans were preaching was ‘actually good’, he did everything in his power to show the fans why they were wrong. He was just bad.
Brad- I have a feeling that if Sanheim was in the NHL all season Gudas wouldn’t be getting the grades that he’s been getting. That pair was legitimately good, whereas he and Manning were, well, not.
Steve- It was a tough year for Radko. He struggled a lot, and a key factor in the Flyers’ Game 6 collapse against the Penguins.
Mike- Take out Game 6 and Gudas was a perfectly fine defenseman throughout the season. He’s definitely upgradeable, though.
Maddie- Dude was also a mess. But somehow I can’t grade him as harshly because he also seemed to be getting some bad luck? I’m giving him a short leash going forward, but I’d like to see what he can do with a better partner in actual third pairing minutes.
Kyle- Radko was Badko for a lot of the second half of the season, plus he hurt Coots, he’s lucky he’s not getting a lower grade.
Kelly- It’s recency bias to be sure, but Radko Gudas wasn’t as good as he has been this season. After the suspension, he just wasn’t very good. And when he was bad, like in the playoffs, he was really bad and hurt the team a lot. Hoping for a big bounce-back next year.
Emily- Oh, Radko, my reckless father. This was not your year.
Kurt- Gudas slid a bit this year. Undoubtedly. After two straight surprisingly good seasons with the Flyers, this was an uninspiring performance from him, particularly in the second half of the season. His defensive coverage got worse, and he wasn’t good enough elsewhere to make up for it. While I think that throwing him overboard because of one bad half-season and an admittedly terrible series against the Penguins may be slightly ill-advised, if we’re just talking about this season, Gudas wasn’t anything more than a third-pair guy on the whole, and given the reinforcements the team has coming, he needs to be better than that if he wants to keep his spot in the lineup (on the team?).
Bill- Ugh. I love Radko, but his play dropped as the season went along. Clearly, the 10-game suspension weighed on him, but that has nothing to do with awful turnovers and a complete lack of spacial awareness in the defensive zone. Honestly, the grade is probably a little generous but I can’t help but wonder if it was Brandon Manning’s fault. Oh no wait, Manning is excellent. It was all Gudas. Make that an F for Radko.
Robert Hagg: C+
Steve- Was a top 10 defenseman in hits. What more can you ask for?
Kelly- Hagg was fine, I guess. Like most players I take issue with on this team, most of the issue I take comes down to usage. He’d be a fine 5-6, but wasn’t often used that way here.
Mike- Hagg wasn’t flashy by any means, but did a nice job in his rookie year. It’s not his fault he played too much sometimes and played with bad teammates, too.
Maddie- Hagg was fine this season. Not great by the numbers, but he still did some scoring and looked more or less settled in an NHL setting, and seemed worthy of the trust the coaches gave him. I’ll want to see more from him next season, but this was a perfectly respectable rookie season.
Emily- I have some questions about his usage, but overall, I felt pretty good about his season.
Bill- I liked what I saw out of Hagg, although I question how much higher his ceiling may be. His 238 hits topped Radko Gudas by almost 70, and he showed that there may be a little more puck skill than his scoring numbers let on, although he needs to try to skate or pass the puck out of the D-zone, as his tendency to clear it off the glass isn’t going to get it done as his career progresses.
Jake- Hagg was ok. People may not agree with me here, but I feel like I’m actually cutting him a little slack here as I feel he was yet another victim of Dave Hakstol playing someone above their ability level. When you really break down the numbers, Hagg struggled for most of the year. He could be a decent third pair guy but he really shouldn’t be relied upon more than that, so hopefully that’s where he settles in next season.
John- Met expectations. He looked better in camp than he did in season, but was solid overall. Skill set leaves you wanting more.
Joe- Robert Hagg led the NHL in hits for most of the season. Drink. Anywho, Hagg was able to show he can keep up in the NHL this year. And for a guy who many fans thought would be a bust two years ago, this is great news. Robert Hagg has a place on this team for the future, granted he will be best suited for a bottom pairing role. But hey, as we saw this season you need good bottom pairing defenseman to win.
Jason- This will probably be one of the more decisive grades given out, but I’ll admit he was “just okay”. There was nothing incredible about his game that stood out, but he wasn’t a detriment out there either. I’d like to see him paired with someone other than Andrew MacDonald.
Steph- I loved the Hagg-Ghost pairing earlier in the season, but it turns out I may just love Ghost. Hagg did well, especially for a rookie defensemen, and I think people are judging him way too harshly for not being a flashy offensive defenseman. That’s never been his game, he is a quick and reliable defensive guy who you can trust to jump up in the rush if the situation calls for it. I thought he had outsmarted us all and figured out the Hakstol formula, but his handful of scratches at the end of the year say otherwise. I’m looking forward to seeing him build upon this year.
Kyle- Hagg by the metrics and even basic stats didn’t have the best of years, but he’s a rookie, and showed flashes of being a shut down defenseman in the future. If he can develop his two-way game just a bit more he’s going to be a solid 4th-6th defenseman for years to come.
Kurt- Rookie defenseman makes team, is immediately given meaningful minutes in heavy defensive role, gets good goal-based numbers but has iffy underlying metrics to back them up, then those goal-numbers get worse while his performance (in my opinion) gets better, and all of this ends with him sitting out for most of the final month of the season. Robert Hagg’s season simultaneously makes complete sense and no sense at all. I think he showed this year that he can be at least a solid third-pairing defenseman in the NHL, but I’m unsure if he has the consistency on the puck to be more than that. We’ll see next year.
Brad-I’m still really worried he’s the next MacDonald/Grossmann but it was just his rookie season so of course I’m not writing him off. I’m just worried.
Michal Neuvirth: C
Mike- Neuvirth was the Flyers’ best option in goal when healthy, but that’s a huge “if” with him and he only reinforced that his injury history makes his results a moot point since he just can’t stay healthy.
Jason- Weird enough, Neuvy was actually pretty decent when he was healthy. That leads us to: the dude is never healthy and it’s quite annoying. Some guys are just injury prone and its frustrating when teams give out multi-year contracts counting on these players to contribute in a meaningful way.
Jake- I have a hard time giving Neuvy anything more than an average grade when he can’t seem to go more than eight consecutive periods without an injury. When he’s healthy and on his game, he’s damn good, but you just can’t depend on him.
Joe- Neuvy had a rebound season this year, which well, that isn’t saying much due to the fact that he was the worst goalie in 2016-17, statistically speaking. Injury problems plagued Neuvirth again, which is unfortunately the theme of his career. Recently Neuvirth has stated that he is hiring a new trainer to hopefully stop the constant injuries.
Steve- Another year, another bout of inconsistent performances and injuries for Neuvirth. Here’s hoping that new trainer can work miracles.
Maddie- A .915 save percentage in 22 games feels fine, plus he did steal them a playoff game, which isn’t nothing. It just sucks that the dude can’t stay healthy.
Brad- If he could’ve stayed healthier his grade would be higher. He only played in 25 games this season, including the playoffs, which was his lowest amount since the 2014 season.
Kyle- When he’s on, he’s incredible. When he’s not, he’s shield your eyes awful. Sadly we got more of the latter this year along with the typical Neuvirth injury plagued season.
Kelly- When Neuvirth is good, he’s usually very good. It’s just pretty rare. Because he’s always hurt. And when he isn’t hurt, he usually isn’t all that good.
Steph- Neuvirth is a good goalie, last year aside. Neuvirth is also a constant injury risk. I don’t think the Flyers should walk away from him, because when he is able to play, he’s the best goalie on the team. The problem is in the “when he is able to play” part.
Kurt- I try not to significantly hold injuries against a player when evaluating his performance, but Michal Neuvirth’s penchant for injuries is so pronounced that it’s fair to ask whether the Flyers can even afford to keep him on their roster given the high likelihood that they’re going to have to replace him any time he steps on the ice. It’s a shame, because his play this year was actually pretty solid on the whole when he was in (let’s forget about the last Pittsburgh game for a moment), but his inability to stay on the ice meaningfully hampered this team.
John- Inconsistent play, always hurt. Can’t rely on the dude.
Craig- Average numbers, but lack of durability dropped him half a grade.
Emily- He would be a fine backup goalie if he didn’t break a bone every time someone glanced in his general direction.
Bill- Be healthy.
BSH Individual grades
| Player | Jake | John | Joe | Brad | Steve | Kyle | Kelly | Mike | Maddie | Steph | Jason | Craig | Emily | Kurt | Bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Weal | C- | C- | C+ | C | C- | D | B- | C | B- | B | C | C | C | C | C |
| Matt Read | C- | B | C- | C- | C- | B- | C | B | B- | C | B | C | B | C- | C+ |
| Michael Raffl | B- | B+ | C+ | C | B- | C | C+ | B | B | C+ | B- | C | B- | C+ | B- |
| Taylor Leier | C | D+ | D+ | C | C- | C- | C- | C- | C | C | C- | C- | C+ | C- | C- |
| Wayne Simmonds | B- | C+ | B- | B | B- | C | C | B | B- | C- | C+ | C+ | C- | C | C+ |
| Andrew MacDonald | C- | C | C+ | D+ | C | D | C+ | D+ | B- | C+ | C- | C- | C | C- | C |
| Radko Gudas | C- | D+ | C- | D | C- | C- | C+ | B- | C- | F | C- | C | C- | C+ | C- |
| Robert Hagg | C+ | C+ | C+ | C- | B- | C+ | B- | B- | B- | C+ | C+ | C+ | B- | C+ | B- |
| Michal Neuvirth | C+ | C- | C+ | C | C+ | C | C | B | C+ | C | B- | C- | D | C | F |
