Another man down, next man up became the theme of the Flyers season in 2019-20. They just couldn’t catch a break with an injury riddled season. At times Michael Raffl, Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick, Scott Laughton, Justin Braun, Shayne Gostisbehere, Travis Konecny, Philippe Myers, Nate Thompson, JVR, and Samuel Morin were all hurt at some point throughout the course of the season. This young Flyers team was very reminiscent of the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
For two players in Connor Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski they made the most of their call-ups at different times. Bunnaman was once a sharp shooter for the Kitchener Rangers. He tallied his first NHL goal from a carom off Mark Friedman on January 14, 2020, against the Boston Bruins in a 6-5 shootout victory.
The former sharp shooter for the Kitchener Rangers in Bunnaman became an effective fourth line Center during his last call-up, and for his efforts he tallied one goal, and one assist in 21 games played for the Flyers. He really energized the fourth line, and gave Head Coach Alain Vigneault valuable minutes, as he earned more of his coaches trust.
Twarynski played solid hockey in his short stints with the orange and black, and really gave depth as a a bottom nine Forward. He registered one goal, dished out 40 hits, had 6 takeaways to pair with 0 giveaways, and 8 blocks with the Flyers this season, after making the team outright in the Fall. Not too shabby, while Twarynski provided energy to different lines that was in desperate need of such.
For Bunnaman and Twarynski’s strong efforts, there is no surprise that both players would be black aces for this upcoming playoff run, and it appears that they both are:
“I think it’s kind of cool,” Twarynski says, “It’s going to be a different atmosphere, but it’s going to be good (Twarynski said on the bubble life at the hub city). “I’ve been here over a month to a month and a half. I got the call to come down, so I’ve probably been here closer to a month and a half. It’s obviously different here, but it’s nice seeing them (The guys),” Twarynski further stated.
“It feels really good to see all the guys,” Bunnaman says, “It’s going to be different, and hard with no fans. I will be playing Fortnite and NHL 20,” Bunnaman further stated on the bubble life that they will live in the hub city. Who knew Connor was a gamer right, but he also says, “I feel safe every time I come to the rink. I’ve been here for 3 days. Back home I had ice, but not as much as I wanted. I came to Philly, and it’s been good.”
Whatever the case may be for these two young prospects, it appears that they are both black aces for the upcoming playoff run. Twarynski provides a physical edge to his game, and Bunnaman definitely could be an effective fourth line Center if his number is called.
