Former General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers Ron Hextall was smoking hot when it came to drafting. He was well known for being a magician on draft day. One position that Hextall shored up was the defensive side of the puck.
With drafting and signing undrafted free agents with the likes of Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, Wyatte Wylie, and Philippe Myers. The Flyers seemed primed for long-term success on the blueline. However, Hextall wasn’t finished as he made a bold pick and selected a young defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk who committed to the University of Wisconsin before being drafted. For his efforts, Kalynuk has really turned some heads at the NCAA level, so much so, he was given a Pro option. However, Kalynuk remained committed to the University of Wisconsin hockey team as he told me in February, “The NHL will be here in one, two, or three years. I’m in no rush. I enjoy being Captain.” Kalynuk is a young man from Manitoba, and he says hockey has been his blood since he was born thanks to his dad.
Today, the University of Wisconsin Men’s Hockey program announced Ty Emberson as the Captain next season, does this mean Kalynuk might sign with Philadelphia after all? Well, it appears that way, even though, Kalynuk refused to talk to media following the University of Wisconsin’s decision. Kalynuk really has established himself as a quality puck moving defenseman last season in 2019-20, as he has become much better in transition. Moreover, Kalynuk was able to exit the defensive zone cleanly, whether its by pushing the play up the ice, or looking for a quick pass to exit the defensive zone. For the season, he has recorded 6 goals, 22 assists in just 26 games, which is good enough for a .846% scoring rate.
The assist of this information goes to LeeAnne above. Kalynuk really showed his range by playing in any situation the coaching staff asked of him, and he has done so well with puck protection. His skating has appeared to be smoother than in prior years, as well, maybe he’s getting some tips from a familiar face Flyers fans have grown to love in his good friend Travis Sanheim. Maybe, just maybe Sanheim is trying to lure him to Philadelphia.
The young defenseman in Kalynuk decision is not an easy one during this pandemic, and that may be one of the reasons why he might be thinking of signing with Philly to forgo his Senior season. With the uncertainty of playing time in the NCAA, it would make sense for him to go down to certain route of the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
