With the trade deadline fast approaching I, like most of you Flyers fans, am constantly checking Bleacher Report and Twitter anxiously waiting for the Flyers’ news feed to show a colossal trade that will immediately propel this Flyers team to the next level: To be able to compete with the league’s best come playoff time. What if I were to tell you that the Flyers’ brass may not need to ‘sell the farm’ to acquire the last piece of the puzzle?
What the Flyers need to do most is just wait. Now that might sound crazy, but the team has proven that, as they stand now, they are as good as any team in the league! They knocked off the best team in the NHL (at the time)- the St. Louis Blues, shut out Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then went on to annihilate the Metro Divisions’ best- The Washington Capitals.
What are we waiting for, you may ask? NOLAN PATRICK. If you do not agree I ask you where else do you think, this close to the deadline, that Chuck Fletcher (the Flyers General Manger) is going to able to trade for an elite-level sniper/finisher that scores 40 goals a year that the Flyers so desperately need? Even if Fletcher were to find such a player and another NHL GM (that didn’t want his job anymore) that would agree to such a trade, how would Chuck be able to do so without giving away all the teams best prospects? The best option is Patrick. “Patty,” as the team calls him, has skated for three straight practices. A lot of people have written him off for this season; some may have even forgotten he was even still on the team (while he’s been out with a migraine disorder).
Not that Nolan Patrick meets that exact criteria, but he IS a former number #2 overall pick. A 21-year-old 6’2″ two-way center that weighs 200 pounds. He’s the go-to guy the Flyers need when tied after OT, and to be someone to end the game in a shootout; a guy who, when he is playing physical, is going to have an impressive night. He’s a Center that can skate with the best in the league and has not yet tapped into his full potential, and skill that he could use to be great in this league for a long time to come.
If Nolan continues this path, stays healthy, and eventually makes his way back into the lineup, that would give the Flyers immense depth down the center with Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Nolan Patrick, and Morgan Frost (who went 9 for 10 in faceoffs against the Caps). There may not be a scarier group of four in the NHL. Add to that Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton when needed. Intriguing…this team just got better quick.
If the Flyers can’t find that diamond-in-the-rough that they are looking for, they must bank on the side of Nolan Patrick’s sudden good bill of health with the hopes that he can return to the lineup soon; and if he can’t, the team must commit to consistency. Even without Patrick, Oskar Lindblom, and Carter Hart playing lately the team has pulled some huge wins- beating some of league’s best. At the same time, the Flyers have lost to one of the league’s worst: Like on February 6th losing to the New Jersey Devils. Not to mention- the Devils were without star players due to illnesses and injuries. THIS JUST CAN’T HAPPEN!!! The Metropolitan Division currently is a tight race to the finish. With a single win or loss, the Flyers could be tied for 3rd in the division (or be in 6th). Needless to say, every game matters right now. Head Coach Alain Vigneault stresses this! The team must play like they are capable of playing. The Flyers have been at their best this year when managing to play a total team defensive game, like they did against the Capitals keeping Alexander Ovechkin off the score sheet, and not allowing him to add to the 698 goals he currently has. If the Flyers can find a way to play more consistently, and if health prevails you could see this team go far into the playoffs.
