Hextall sure a Vegas loss is on near horizon

VOORHEES, N. J. » The Flyers are almost certainly going to gain a very good player next week at the NHL Draft, but general manager Ron Hextall is still working to help alleviate the loss of a good, older player prior to that.

Hextall has until 5 o’clock Saturday to submit his list of protected players for the league’s expansion draft, as the league (reluctantly?) welcomes the Vegas Golden Knights into an already watered NHL mix.

Sure, Vegas (in the NHL, the “Las” part is forbidden for some reason) is an exciting town, but in this case it comes with a caveat.

“We’re going to lose a good player,” Hextall reaffirmed in a press conference Friday.

While saying that, he also revealed he has chosen an option he had to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie from his veteran group, with some guys also exempt for contractual reasons. Hextall said he has not put together a final list as yet — you can rest assured that most of his top veteran forwards are going to be protected — but obviously has to expose either goalie Michael Neuvirth or Anthony Stolarz.

The dicotomy is interesting, since Neuvirth has a contract extension kicking in, along with a lengthy injury history, and Stolarz, the supposed goalie of the future even if the Flyers have not indicated to this point that they’re committed to that, is coming off a knee injury.

It’s fairly easy to see Hextall seems confident that neither goalie would be picked, though he wasn’t hinting which would be protected. VOORHEES, N.J. » Under cover of darkness, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall took out his toolset and shaved some fat off his club’s payroll, trading forward Nick Cousins to the Arizona Coyotes, the club confirmed late Friday night.

The Flyers received a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and college prospect Brendan Warren in return. The Flyers also included highly regarded Harvard goaltender Merrick Madsen into the deal. He had a terrific season but it was likely going to be difficult to sign him, considering minor leaguer Anthony Stolarz and junior goalies Felix Sandstrom and Carter Hart were all ahead of him.

Warren, 20, a native of

Even if one of them doesn’t have much of a chance to be heading to Vegas, it would be fair to speculate Hextall might have concluded that Stolarz will need more time in the minors to recover from the injury and further hone his game, while the thinking on Neuvirth is that the Flyers can never be sure whether or not he’s ever going to be healthy for an extended period of time.

Hextall has three rising junior stars — Carter Hart, Felix Sandstrom and Merrick Madsen — that in another two years or so could solidify all net issues for the organization. Carelton, Mich., is a grinding left winger for the University of Michigan. The 6-1, 185-pound winger scored eight goals and registered 27 points over 73 games for the Wolverines the past two seasons.

Warren was a thirdround pick of the Coyotes in 2015.

Cousins, 23, originally a third-round pick of the Flyers, took a step back last season, getting into only 60 games. Not really finding a regular role, he scored six goals and 16 points on the season. He made $840,000 last season and is a pending restricted free agent. It was unlikely that the Flyers were going to protect him for the upcoming expansion draft.

The Flyers are scheduled to have 11 choices in the draft, scheduled for next Friday and Saturday in Chicago. Hextall could not be immediately reached for comment.

Until then, Hextall may be shopping for a veteran goalie either via a trade at the draft or come the July 1 free agency horn. And then there’s another option...

Re-sign Steve Mason, anybody?

While Mason’s agent Anton Thun has been publicly extolling the virtues of his goalie client’s pending value on the open market, Hextall was asked if he was closed to the idea of bringing Mason back.

“Absolutely not,” Hextall said.

“We haven’t given him an offer, but we’ve talked,” he added. “Maybe a week ago? Ten days ago? Somewhere in that range. I thought we had a good conversation.”

There’s a stay-tuned kind of message if you’ve ever heard one from this guy.

As for the Flyers’ forward and defensive groups currently under contract ... let’s just say not everybody can be protected.

“It’s been a different offseason,” Hextall said. “It seems like everyone’s a little bit hesitant to do things (as in trades), and then bang, there’s one (Thursday).”

That would be a Tampa Bay team with salary cap and protection issues moving rising forward Jonathan Drouin to Montreal for Mikhail Sergachev, a puckmoving defender who’s not yet 19 who was the Canadiens’ ninth-overall pick in last year’s draft.

Other teams are seeking payroll and protection relief, too, which Hextall said has skewed preparations for the real draft and free agency season, as well. Not that it’s been much of a problem for him.

“It’s been different for sure,” Hextall said. “Again, we’re in a reasonable position. But we’re going to lose a good player, make no mistake. Whoever we lose, we’re going to lose a good player.”

But Hextall ascertained he would not have to make a deal to gain relief for the Flyers. That said, if another team came calling with an attractive offer — say for a goalie, power left wing or veteran defender — he said he’d listen.

“I’d say it’s 25-75 (chance of that happening) right now,” Hextall said.

“There’s only a certain amount of teams that can take guys on,” he added. “What are they going to give you? ... They’re looking for a steal. I think a lot of teams are approaching it like, ‘If I trade one guy, I’m going to lose another guy. Now I’m losing two guys.’

“Is the package you get for a trade worth taking two guys out of your lineup?”

Of course, the biggest offseason question surrounds the larger draft, one in which the Flyers are sitting pretty with the No. 2 pick, having moved there by the grace of the hockey gods via the draft lottery last month.

Hextall swears this is a deeper draft than most observers believe it is, though not as heavy with prospects ready to play now as the past two drafts.

Just two players are believed to be in the play-now category, those being runaway prospects Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier. Coy as he continues to be about the No. 2 pick and what he could do with it via trade, it still stands to reason Hextall would keep the pick and selected whichever of those two top centers the Devils don’t select with the No. 1 pick.

“They’re both two-way players. They both make plays,” Hextall said. “They can both score goals. They both compete hard. Hischier has a little bit more quickness and speed to his game. Patrick’s a little bit more looks for the right play and makes the play. Both should be top NHL players.”

*** NOTES » Supposedly zoned in on re-signing pending UFA Jordan Weal recently, Hextall may not be so close to that now. He said no additional progress had been made with Weal’s agent. “I don’t know what they’re doing,” Hextall said. “Apparently the agent said something, but we’ve had conversations, obviously. Last time I talked to him, it’s in the same spot.” ... Hextall still needs to give late-season Union College signee Mike Vecchione a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent.