Hextall on Timonen, MDZ, cap, analytics & trades.

Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall joined TSN 1050 on Thursday afternoon.

On Kimmo Timonen’s health:

“He’s doing fine. He actually got released from the hospital yesterday and health-wise, he’s fine. He was fortunate. He had a cramp in his calf that he thought was just a slightly pulled muscle and one thing led to another and he ended up in the hospital. Thankfully he’s doing okay. I actually talked to him today. He’s a little down, but I think he understands in the big picture that things worked out all right for him.”

On Michael Del Zotto, what’s held him back, and how he can make a new start in Philly:

“I think he’s got a lot of attributes that a lot of people look for. We were certainly one of those teams that we’ve kind of looked at him from the start there. A little surprised he was out there on the market, and quite honestly surprised that someone didn’t step up sooner.

“I talked to him yesterday, he seems to understand that last year wasn’t a good year for him and he needs to bounce back. But he’s played some good hockey in this game and I think sometimes we all forget how young the kid is and for Michael everything came pretty easy for him and he’s living in New York City and he’s playing in the NHL and he’s making money. I think somehow from the outside he probably did like the rest of us did or would in his situation and got a little bit distracted. I think this summer has been a shocking experience for him. We look forward to big things from him. He’s got a lot of ability, he’s a great skater, and I think he’s going to be a real good fit for us.”

What did you take out of Los Angeles as far as salary cap lessons and what’s your philosophy on that?

“Well, you really have to plan and look long-term. When we moved Scott Hartnell to Columbus, part of it was there were some hockey reasons for it but there were also cap reasons in two or three years. We’ve got some of our younger guys up, some of our core players that we’re probably going to have to create space, so you really have to look ahead and plan the best you can. Unfortunately, you can’t plan with exact numbers. So it’s not an exact science, but you do have to think ahead and look who you have up and what year they’re up and make sure you have the proper space to get them signed.

“My history in L.A., sometimes it’s better to sign guys when they’re younger and get a little bit of a better deal than doing a two or three-year bridge and then signing them long term.

“It’s different with every situation and every situation is an individual case and you’ve got to look at it like that. You’ve got to really be careful, because the other thing is offer sheets. You don’t want to have a real good young player and you’re up against the cap and all of the sudden you’re having to worry about an offer sheet... I think the biggest difference from now and 10 or 12 years ago before the cap is planning ahead and making sure you have the appropriate space.”

On the growth of analytics in hockey and his thoughts with the Flyers:

“I think the NHL teams have been in analytics a lot longer than people think. I think with the hiring in Toronto the other day that sort of brought everything to the forefront and got people talking about it, but it’s been around in hockey. Maybe not every organization, but certain organizations, for quite a few years now. It is evolving and hockey’s not a perfect sport for analytics. It’s not a static game. I think baseball is probably the perfect sport. But I think in hockey we’re moving along and there’s all kinds of ways to use it, whether it’s individual player evaluation or team concepts and things. I am interested in it. We do use it. But I think you still have to watch the game and have a feel for the game as well.”

The Flyers are a team known for their emotion and that would have to be a bigger part of the equation, right?

“Well, I think emotion is part of the game but you hope that the analytical stuff shows up because you’re playing with more emotion maybe you’re doing things better. Emotion can also bring a lot of penalties and stuff like that, so... there’s a fine line there. I think it’s really about playing with emotion, but playing smart. If you’re doing that, it should show up in a positive way analytically.”

Paul Holmgren made a lot of trades. Are you of that same mind? There used to be a lot of moves in the NHL, but not so much anymore.

“I think it seems like the trades are down, yes. I would agree with that. I think part of that is the cap and money. I think the further we’ve got into the salary cap, the more teams that are close to the cap. So hockey deals are harder to make now than they were certainly before the cap, where you were essentially trading a player for a player and you looked at the money, but you didn’t have a cap to manage and look at. Yeah, it’s changed. You’re looking for a fit now and you’ve got the no-movement clauses, partial no-movement, partial no-trades and no-movement clauses which cloud it even further, so it is tough to make deals. I think you’ve got to still believe in drafting and developing and building your team that way. Then adding support pieces through free agency and trades. Trades, sometimes you got too many centers and you need a defenseman. So maybe you’ll flop a center or defense, or vice versa. But with all the hurdles we’ve got to get through here, it’s not easy to make a trade anymore.”

The draft, trade deadline day, free agent frenzy. That seems to be pretty much it for trades. That seems to close the door on GMs to change their teams, especially if you feel the need to do so.

“Well, I think you can tweaks. But I don’t believe you can build a team through trades and/or free agency. I do think you’ve got to build from within and hopefully create your core from within and then add the pieces. All of the sudden you need a second line left winger to put yourselves over the top. Okay, you try to add that through free agency or trade one of the assets you have. Again, in the cap era, building through the system is even more important. To try to go out and say we’re going to build our team through free agency – it’s impossible with the cap.”