Photo by Darryl Webb | Courtesy of AP
“There is just too much talent there,” Vigneault said in regards to Oskar Lindblom and Nolan Patrick last week following practice, “Placing Patrick with Hayes is to get him going. They are very close. Putting him to wing might be a one and done thing, but it’s to get him going.”
Vigneault is a good coach he knows how to get certain players going if they are struggling offensive wise, but he also knows that it might take a bit of time for them to start producing. “They (Lindblom and Patrick) need patience.”
Nolan Patrick wanted to prove to his doubters that he could stay healthy, and play a full season. Patrick has a world of talent and people have seen flashes of this throughout his two years of playing for the Flyers (2017-18, 2018-19), as he has accumulated 62 points in 156 games played. Patrick may not be keeping up pace with James van Riemsdyk in terms of points (2g,3a in 13 games played), but he has played sound defensively. He needed to step up on the defensive side of the puck in the absence of Sean Couturier, and prove he could take a hit. Patrick did both admirably.
Both Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom have been through a lot this past year, so with that both will need time to get back to the level of play they were at before their unfortunate situations took place. Lindblom and Patrick are important to the Flyers overall success, and both are very talented hockey players. Let’s be patient with both players, they will be just fine.
Patrick may not be producing offensive wise to the rate that some may like, but we should be patient with him. He missed an entire season with a migraine disorder, and really didn’t play organized hockey since April of 2019 until the first game for the Flyers of the 2021 season against the Pittsburgh Penguins (A span of 652 days).
This young 22-year-old in Patrick has back checked well, and creates turnovers. He also is not shying away from using his body to his advantage. Patrick appears to be in the right spots to pick off pucks, and moves players into the boards thus forcing a turnover.
Lindblom appeared to be more like himself before he had Mild symptoms to the Coronavirus as Vigneault indicated yesterday. He was blocking shots (9), hitting (10), and board battling well. He was for checking well again and to me it showed signs he was confident again. It appeared that he was no longer timid or hesitant to get involved to make the play. That is a huge victory for Lindblom, as he was successful in the dirty areas before his unfortunate situation took place.
The young 24-year-old in Lindblom is a very talented hockey player. He gets to the dirty areas to score (32 career goals and 29 career assists), and his ability to extend plays cannot be understated. Lindblom isn’t a Swedish sensation for nothing.
Whatever the case maybe for Patrick and Lindblom. Both will produce at a high rate sooner rather than later, they are just too talented not to do such.
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How long are we supposed to wait? Also. Patrick leads the flyers in terms of the worse plus minus, so I’d not know what you are watching. His entire game stinks right now in all phases. And he is getting pounded physically. It’s embarrassing. In my opinion he needs to sit. Lindblom has been ever worse. Their stories are great, no doubt, but to say there is anything positive about either of their games this year is simply not true !!!!!
Funny he doesn’t preach same for Hart only benched TK