Breakout Candidates for the Upcoming Flyers Season

Photo Courtesy of, Eric Hartline- USA TODAY Sports

With the NHL season nearly upon us and training camp only a few weeks away I wanted to delve into some potential breakout players the Philadelphia Flyers may have on their roster in the upcoming 2021-2022 season. There’s no guarantee these players will have great seasons or even play the majority of the 82 games for the club however, these can be considered as educated guesses regarding players who have not yet made big impacts in the NHL having a season where they do notably contribute to the team in a positive manner. 

Potential Breakout Candidates:

Wade Allison:

In terms of players who can make a positive impact on the Flyers next season Wade Allison is definitely a player who comes to mind. One could argue that in the limited games the young winger saw last season with the Flyers he was already very noticeable on the ice. Allison has yet to play anywhere close to a full NHL season so it would be hard to predict if his successes last year can be attributed to a hot streak but if the performance on the ice was indicative of what is to come with Allison there is no doubt he can be a very effective player for the Flyers. A player like Allison is one that can be extremely useful because he specifically fits a role and is the type of player the Flyers have been lacking for several seasons. He’s willing to go to the front of the net, battle for pucks and work for his scoring chances in the contested areas of the ice in front of and behind the net. This is in order to ensure he is either in position to receive a pass, shoot the puck, to corral a rebound or to make a pass to a teammate from behind the net opening up the oppositions defence and goaltender to a high danger scoring opportunity. These were all things that were present in Allison’s short stint with the Flyers last season, not to mention his toughness, speed and wicked wrister. Due to the fact the Flyers are in need of a player who is as tenacious as Allison and brings the skillset he does, I believe the winger has a great chance to have a breakout season in 2021-2022. As long as Alliison can avoid injury he should be playing in his fair share of NHL games this season. A strong training camp should also secure him a spot on the roster after the solid play he showed at the end of last season. The winger notched 4 goals and 3 assists last season in 14 games. When projecting those point totals over an 82 game season Allison was on pace to score roughly 22 goals and put up 17 assists which would equate to a total of 39 points. Obviously these are just projections and they may be a tad generous despite this though if put on the third line with players like James van Riemsdyk, Morgan Frost, or Oskar Lindblom it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he does indeed put up numbers similar to the projections above throughout the upcoming season. Ultimately, I believe a season of anywhere between 15 to 20 goals for Allison and 10 to 20 assists would be a success in regards to his first full season in the NHL. Based on what the player exhibited in a short stint last season, his energy, tenacity on the forecheck and battling for pucks along the boards is something the Flyers could certainly use and need more of. 

Morgan Frost:

The Flyers seem to be gearing up to give promising prospect Morgan Frost every opportunity to seize the 3rd line center position in training camp this September. Frost will certainly have as much of a chance as anyone else on the training camp roster to solidify himself in this position but with a prospect like Frost being put into such a critical role to the Flyers success for next season there is no telling how the player will handle the pressures of third line center and if he will be a good fit within said roster spot. Nonetheless, the young forward potentially being slotted in as the 3rd line center affords him the ice time and matchups to have a breakout season especially with the talent he possesses and the level of talent he will likely be playing with. An important aspect to note about Frost and his ability to have a big first full season in the NHL is the fact that the player has not participated in actual games in quite a while. The 2019-2020 season being stopped due to covid played a factor in this however, Frost is also coming off of a dislocated left shoulder injury he suffered on January 19th, 2021 that caused him to miss the entirety of the 2020-2021 season. As a result, the player has not played any meaningful hockey games in essentially two years and throwing him into a role that is conducive to the Flyers attaining their goals of being a top team in the NHL may not be a recipe for success. Regardless of this, Frost has had a ton of time to rehab his injury, has had a full off-season to train and a full training camp ahead of him to ready him for this position and have a breakout season. Not to mention the great skills the young center boasts. Frost is a player who relies on his speed, great passing, hockey sense, and his deking ability to be contributing factor to a team. There is no doubt that the player has a ton of skill which was made abundantly clear after he posted back to back seasons of 112 and 109 points while playing in his final two OHL seasons in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. Additionally, Frost had a respectable first pro season in 2019-2020 registering 29 points in 41 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and 7 points in 20 games with the Flyers. It is definitely evident that Morgan Frost is a player who has copious amounts of skill and talent as he has demonstrated through his play in the OHL, at the World Junior Hockey Championship, and at the AHL level. For the Flyers sake it would be ideal if Frost’s previous successes and his talent translates into him having a very impactful (full) first season in the NHL. In respect to point totals that can be expected out of Frost, if he is a lineup regular at the third line center position this season posting anywhere from 30-45 points would be a breakout season for him. If the center can have a year where he does put up those kinds of point totals the depth such scoring at the center position would give the Flyers in regards to matchups on the ice would be a valuable asset for the team throughout the upcoming season.

Cam York:

When looking at the Flyers current prospect pool there is no surprises that defenseman Cam York is the most promising of the bunch and the closest to being ready to play in the NHL in relation to the 2021-2022 season ahead. Unfortunately, the signing of Keith Yandle likely means the talented defenseman will be starting this upcoming season in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms unless he has a spectacular training camp in September. Even though York will probably be starting the season in the AHL the potential for a breakout NHL season is still there for the defenseman. One thing that can usually be counted on to occur to any team playing an 82 game NHL season is injuries and to think that the Flyers will have zero injuries on defense this season would be a very naive outlook. Considering this, York will get into some NHL games this season due to the reasoning stated above. What remains to be seen is if it will be enough games to have a significant impact on the Flyers and the defense corps, as well as, have a productive first stint in the league. It is apparent though that York is a prospect who is close to being NHL ready at this point in his career. His play at the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship captaining team USA to a gold medal proved the defenseman is fully capable of playing very tough minutes and can matchup against other teams top players and be successful. York also notched an impressive 6 points in 7 games for team USA in the tournament showcasing the defenseman’s offensive upside and ability to quarterback a very effective powerplay. In addition, the young defenseman had great success playing for the University of Michigan in the Big-10 this past season. He finished with 20 points in 24 games (4 goals and 16 assists) which led the Big Ten in scoring by a defenseman. Such a performance earned York the following accolades of being named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and to the First Team All-Big Ten (all-star team). After the conclusion of the Big Ten season York managed to get himself into 8 Phantoms games where he scored 5 points, and 3 NHL games with the Flyers in which he did not record a point. Essentially, York is a defenseman who looked very calm, poised and collected in his limited number of games played at the pro level with both the Phantoms and the Flyers. The fact a player so young did not look out of place in his three games with the NHL club at the end of the 2020-2021 season is a wonderful sign as usually players being put into these situations at such a young age can feel overwhelmed and overmatched at times. Clearly, this was only a three game sample size so not much can be taken away in relation to how York may perform and pan out at the NHL level but, getting into some NHL games and acquiring that experience will only have positive repercussions on York’s further development. This happens to be the case because it allows the young player to understand the speed of the NHL game and what he needs to improve on in his own play to ensure he is ready to be an NHL defenseman in the very near future. If York does indeed get the amount of playing time necessary to have a real impact on the Flyers this upcoming season I do believe he will perform well and have a great first season as a pro player in the NHL. When watching the defenseman in action his level of patience with the puck, his ability to not force plays when they aren’t present and make the safe play are all elements of his game that will undoubtedly translate to the NHL and allow him to achieve success right from the get go. Along with this, York’s smooth skating, first pass accuracy, his ability to create easy zone exits, and quarterback a powerplay are all very enticing parts to the young defenseman’s game that can allow him to put up points at the NHL level and create scoring opportunities for the teammates surrounding him. Consequently, the key factor in determining whether or not York will have a breakout rookie season in the NHL is if he is afforded the playing time to do so. 

Though it is presumptuous in nature it can be assumed that the Flyers do have players on entry level contracts within their prospect pool that have the capabilities to make an impact at the NHL level in the 2021-2022 season ahead. The players mentioned above are the likeliest options within the organization that will have the opportunities to do so but there is no concrete assurance that any of them will be able to positively contribute to the Flyers. I do believe that based on the information available about Wade Allison, Morgan Frost and Cam York and their past performances that if any of the Flyers prospects are to have breakout seasons these would be the most plausible candidates. Despite this, there are some honorable mentions that could also make an impact on the team and have success at the NHL level which include Tanner Laczynski, Tyson Foerster and Egor Zamula. The level of uncertainty encompassing the playing time these prospects may receive at the NHL level though is why it is unlikely the three can be considered in the breakout candidate conversation regarding this upcoming season. What must be noted is that most competitive organizations in the NHL receive significant contributions from players on entry level contracts and this is something that is exceedingly valuable to a team. One can assume that for the Flyers to compete with said clubs they will also need to see some production from their young players on entry level deals and if any players are going to impact the team positively and breakout this season, Allison, Frost and York all have the best chances to do so.