Photo Courtesy of Yong Kim, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Flyers are in an interesting position when analyzing what their defense core will consist of next season.
It’s assumed it will be a mix of the following defenseman: Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, Ronnie Attard, Egor Zamula and even a UFA signing or two.
Despite so many defenseman plausibly being on the roster next season there still seems to be a lack of certainty regarding the franchise’s defense moving forward.
Some of that may be attributed to trade rumors involving Ivan Provorov or Travis Sanheim as there’s no guarantee either will be back next season. In my personal opinion neither should be traded. Though with this season being so underwhelming it’s understandable that everything is being considered to make the Flyers better.
Along with this, it’s assumed that Ryan Ellis will be healthy and ready to enter the lineup for game 1 of next season. However the uncertainty surrounding Ellis’ health and the fact we are still unaware of what his injury may be is concerning.Â
There’s no guarantee Ellis will be back next season and even if he is it’s impossible to know how many games he’ll actually play in. Due to his past injury history, it’s likely he will not play a full 82 games as he’s only done so once before in his career.
Though this is not ideal for the Flyers and the structure of their defense, there are internal options currently proving they can slot in on the right side of the defense core.
That option would be rookie Cam York. Although York is naturally a left side defenseman and would likely prefer to play his natural side, the young defender has been placed on the right side of the ice for the last handful of games.Â
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York has adapted quite well to playing his off side, which in itself is impressive. As most defenseman will tell you they would much rather be slotted in on the side of the ice conducive to their handedness. For York to look comfortable making such an adjustment in his rookie season speaks to his hockey IQ, as well as, poise on the ice.
York has averaged 18:33 of ice time per game this season and has seen upwards of 20 plus minutes per game on 4 occasions within the 9 games he’s played as a right side defenseman. He’s also registered 3 assists and a goal for 4 points in 9 games as an RHD.
For the most part York has held his own defensively while exhibiting a quick and active stick in terms of separating attacking players from the puck. There have been some coverage blunders but this can be expected from a rookie who has switched to being a right side defender for the first time in his career.
Most importantly for the Flyers, Cam York’s ability to switch and play the right side on defense so seamlessly in only 9 games is a blessing in disguise. With the lack of clarity on Ryan Ellis’ injury it only gives the Flyers more flexibility on the right side of their defense. York’s performance in such a role also may act as an insurance policy of sorts. If he plays well the Flyers may think twice about trying to acquire another right handed defender.
Due to his adaptability it wouldn’t be shocking to see significant improvement as he gets more comfortable playing the off side. So it’s a possibility York could very well be an option on the right side of the defence going into next season. The remainder of this season should act as a tryout of sorts for him in that position. In order to prove he could handle such on ice responsibilities, if Ellis continues to miss significant time in the future.
Only time will tell how this situation will unfold heading into next season. The Flyers are hoping to get Ryan Ellis back into the lineup and seem to be indicating they expect him to return. If that were unable to happen as a result of his injury potentially being career threatening it wouldn’t automatically sink the team. Cam York is an in-house option that looks ready to step into that key role for the organization if need be.
York’s problem is that he is so tiny. He won’t grow any taller, but he could put in muscle if he tried; something that the physically weak Travis Sanheim shows no inclination to do. York’s ability to play the right side should not effect their decision to draft future Norris Trophy level defenseman Simon Nemec with their lottery pick in June’s NHL Draft. He is a true RHD who you build your defense around for the next 15 years.