Photo Credit: Our very own Katelynn Reiss
Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers entered into an offseason knowing that there were major changes in store for the team. After a debacle of the 2020-21 season and facing a difficult cap situation, the organization knew high priced fan favorites would have to be moved to address scoring and defensive depth. One of the top priorities for the team was to add a shoot first winger to play a top six forward. The Flyers pulled the trigger and traded Jakub Voracek for Cam Atkinson in a one for one deal.
The acquisition of Cam Atkinson highlighted some of the priorities that the Flyers had for their offseason to include leadership, faster starts, and a better overall special teams. Atkinson is a rare breed for the orange and black. He is a pure shooter that is not afraid to shoot from anywhere. For his efforts, Atkinson’s career high in goals came in the 2018-2019 season when he scored 41 goals to pair along with his 28 assists.
Atkinson is built just as advertised for this proud organization, shooting from everywhere and anywhere. He has literally done everything, and provides much needed energy to the lineup. Another key area that Atkinson is helped in is getting the Flyers off to faster starts, and I wrote on that yesterday. For his efforts, the penalty kill dots with an 80.0% success rate, as Atkinson took responsibility after game one for the lackluster penalty kill, a game in which the Flyers allowed two power play goals on four chances against the Vancouver Canucks. Accountability is a breath of fresh air for this organization, as it is very uncommon for players to openly take accountability in year’s past.
It’s crazy to believe that the Flyers were one of the last teams to score a short-handed goal last season and their special teams often struggled. Atkinson can fill gaps in both the power play (23.8% success rate), and penalty killing units. This will help take some of the pressure off of forwards such as Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier who are tasked with playing on both units, as well. Atkinson has been a prolific short-handed goal scorer in his career, amassing 17 goals in 10 years. Last season, he matched a career high with four short-handed tallies.
The former alternate Captain with the Blue Jackets in Atkinson has his line of Derick Brassard, and Joel Farabee rocking. This trio just seems to work well with one another, and they have accumulated 19 points combined in just seven games played (10g,9a). It’s safe to say that they are off to a great start.
When was the last time the Flyers had a prolific scorer like the video shows above, kicking the puck from skate to skate, and blistering a shot past the Goaltender? I would have to say Simon Gagne.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Team Store!
Overall, Atkinson gets what it takes to be a Flyer. He already established a personal connection with the fans of Philadelphia. Atkinson has been a hit thus far, and it’s just seven games into his tenure as a member of the Flyers organization. It appears that Philly and Atkinson are a match made in heaven.
