Photo Credit: Flyers.nhl.com
Some of the emotions have finally started to settle and as we sit in the dead of summer and NHL teams have gone on vacation. It’s time to take a moment to reflect on whether emotions have taken victory over rationality over the past several months. It can begin with a revitalized view of the young players in the organization. With the World Junior Championships here and most of the hockey world focused on young talent, the Flyers have four players representing their countries on the national state. Tyson Forester and Elliot Desnoyers are representing team Canada, Brian Zanetti team Switzerland, and Emil Andrae representing team Sweden. Even though there are only 4 players participating, both Emil Andrae and Tyson Forester are primed to have big roles for their respective teams. This has already been on display with Emil Andrae racking up 4 goals and 4 assists as a top defenseman and Tyson Forester scoring goals in three straight games. With everything feeling so soured surrounding the Flyers NHL pro level performance, it’s important to remember that it is not a reflection of every individual in the organization and there is still plenty of promise to go around.
While some players will make a name for themselves early, it’s important to note that majority of NHL players enter with a much more modest beginning and that players who struggle to make their way into the league can have some of the longest staying power. Fans have already assumed that Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov are done developing, but it’s important to separate the player from the situation and that context is everything when analyzing player performances. It’s the same reason you must always take every tournament performance from a promising prospect with a grain of salt. Is that players success a reflection of the small sample size, a jump in development, or maybe it’s the quality of the players around him that alter his performance. Only a small percentage of players can change the environment and, typically, you can count them on one hand. In reality a team is a sum of its parts, including the staff.
On this week’s episode of Gettin Gritty Wit It, Yariv and Vasili welcome back, friend of the show, founder of High & Wide, Jim Iacovone. Jim brings his strong passionate opinions to show to talk about expectations of the upcoming NHL season. Check out this latest episodes as the three of us ramble on, on what can and will happen leading up to the start of the NHL season and beyond.
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