Preseason Preview: 2016/17 Philadelphia Flyers Part II
Defense:
Part II for our series takes a look at the Flyers unorthodox blue line, filled with a great mix of skilled puck moving d-men, gritty stay at home players and offensive minded playmakers that can fly up and down the ice. The Flyers have a defensive group in both the NHL and the farm system that may turn a lot of heads this season. It's no secret that over the years the Flyers defense has gone from bad to worse, but GM Ron Hextall has done his best to turn bad contracts and aging players into young, cap friendly guys that fit in todays style of NHL hockey. Gone are the days of gritty players like Chris Pronger and Nick Grossmann, the older, 10-year plus experienced guys in Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, the consistent risk of turnovers and flat footed skating with Matt Carle and Luke Schenn. What Ron Hexall has managed to do (with some credit going to Paul Holmgren for drafting some of these players) is turn this defense into a somewhat legitimate threat in the NHL. Mark Streit is someone who can play in a larger role on the ice, logging special teams minutes without the fear of going down hurt, and can also fall back and let the younger guys play more prestige minutes without fear of having lesser skilled guys on the ice to help the team. Streit is the kind of guy who provides a calm and collected style of leadership to the young d-men on the team that gives them someone to base their game off of going down the road. Streit, however is one of the biggest question marks for the Flyers going into this season. There were rumors of his departure towards last years trade deadline with teams in contention looking for a veteran guy on the blue line that can play a smaller role but have the same impact that a top pair would give. Streit isn't getting any younger, and his game isn't pulling a Jaromir Jagr and getting better with age. That raises the question to Flyers fans everywhere, how long before they try to get rid of him?
Flyers alternate captain, Mark Streit
Dishing Streit last season would have been an ideal situation for the Flyers in terms of prospects getting their shot at the show. The biggest problem the Flyers face with Mark Streit this year is that he could essentially be using the roster spot of top defensive prospect Ivan Provorov, who many thought could have played in the league LAST season. Provorov is one of the few defensive prospects the Flyers have that can't play in the AHL this year, meaning he either plays with the big club or he gets shipped back to Juniors. Many experts throughout the league think that a roster spot for Provorov is a no brainer, and with the old school days of defensive traps and big bone crushing blue liners gone, those experts may have a great point. Look at the arrival of Shayne Gostisbehere last season... As soon has his presence was felt for the Flyers, they suddenly because a run-and gun team that opponents had a hard time of containing. Provy has that same potential, at a younger age and can add a lot to an already speedy blue line. The only other option the Flyers realistically have is moving Brandon Manning down to the AHL to start the season, and keep both Streit and Provorov on the roster. Manning has plenty of experience at both the NHL and AHL level, and is still fighting for steady roster spot on the team even thought he has been with the Flyers organization for a few years now. Every team will always run the risk of seeing a player get injured before the start of the season, and that will allow players that may not get a chance to play with the team on a regular basis earn an opportunity until the injured player(s) are healthy. Figuring the Flyers go with the Provorov/Streit duo, here's a look at the potential defensive pairings to start the season:
Another glaring omission to this set of pairings is veteran d-man Nick Schultz. If you factor Brandon Manning, with a 2-way contract, is down with Lehigh Valley, the Flyers still need an option for a 7th man they can use throughout the season. There's no denying the success Andrew MacDonald had last year after his stint with the Phantoms, and with Michael Del Zotto missing the Playoff Push last year to injury, Mac stepped up and was arguably one of the best defensemen on the team leading into the series with Washington. Schultz has the ability to play on the PK, something every team likes to have, but his talent level just isn't up to what Mark Streit and Andy Mac is, and that's where I think it's smart moving him to the press box until he's needed. Radko Gudas is the only real stay-at-home guy the Flyers have now, and after a talking to by the GM last season, he turned his game into more of a 2-way role than anything else. By no means will Radko shy away from throwing his big body around and crash into a few of the opposing teams forwards, but he also adapted to the style of play Coach Dave Hakstol put in place and can move the puck up ice and get shots towards the net. Now that we've touched on 6 of the potential blue lines that will don the orange and black this season, let's focus and the two most important to the team...
Flyers defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere (Left) and Michael Del Zotto (Right)
Make no mistake that the two men pictured above are the key pieces to this Flyers defensive group. Essentially the same player, Michael Del Zotto and Shayne Gostisbehere are the heart and soul of the Flyers defense. Both are playmaking guys that can move the puck up the ice, produce offensively and can break up odd-man rushes with their speed and hockey IQ. Del Zotto's only issue is that over his career, he's proven to be streaky and inconsistent at times. It will be interesting to see how Gostisbehere plays this year after getting a full preseason under his belt with the team and starting the season with the big club. When Del Zotto went down last year, Ghost picked up the slack and essentially carried the team towards the Playoffs. There is no denying that Ghost's arrival in Philly turned the season around and made the Flyers a some-what threat to the best teams in the league. Having both of these players logging a ton of minutes, and helping offensively this season will be key to the Flyers success if they want to return to the post season
I'll go on record right now and say that for the first time in years, the Flyers defense won't be the weakest part of the team, actually I think it will be one of their strongest assets. I'll even go as far as saying that they may be top-10 in the NHL this season in terms of offensive production. With the speed, skill and size they have on the blue line, I think it will be the best group of defensemen we've had since the 2010 season
