As evident by the recent game played against the Tampa Bay Lighting. One of the best teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Tampa Bay Lighting look set for a long playoff run. The Flyers may be good enough to make the playoffs, but if they face a team like the Lighting in a seven game series it does not bode well for them. The Lighting were not only able to beat the Flyers on the score sheet, but they man handled them physically as well by laying Flyers out all over the ice, all night long. It appears as though long gone are the days of the Broad Street Bullies, and the great teams of the 90’s and early 2000’s (who had the Legion of Doom line and the grit to back them up). The NHL, as a whole, has turned soft: Moving on from a time of size and strength with multiple fights in a given night, penalty boxes housing more players in them than on the team’s bench, and guys with no skating talent at all holding down a roster spot solely to enforce law and order out on the ice. In turn, now you see many players well under 6’0″ that possess speed and finesse.
The Flyers are one of these teams that has succumbed to this new style of play by recently drafting multiple players under 6’0″ tall: Prospects such as Bobby Brink (5’8″ 159 pounds) and Cam York (5’11″ 175 pounds). This leaves AHL prospects like Morgan Frost (5’11″ 170 pounds- who had back to back seasons in juniors with over 100 Points) suddenly finding it hard to make the next jump to the NHL where everyone is bigger, stronger, and faster.
Now Chuck Fletcher is left to deal with the harsh reality of it all. The Flyers General Manager must take a good long look at his roster. Does he really expect to go into the playoffs and make a run with a roster that allows All-Star Winger Travis Konecny (5’10″) to be slashed, hit every time he comes close to the puck, and jerked around like a rag doll. For example, like what Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev did Saturday night after a play with no sign of anybody stepping in to protect the Flyers leading scorer? Or allow Steven Stamkos to skate by and trip the “face-of-the-franchise” (their Captain) Claude Giroux before a faceoff with no repercussions for his actions? The Lighting showed no respect for the Flyers! A team that, besides Robert Hagg and Travis Konecny, never even finish their checks.
Travis Konecny embodies what (most have seemed to have forgotten) it is to be a Flyer. Much like Wayne Simmonds did during his time here, Travis never takes a shift off- scoring hard-fought goals, setting up plays, playing with an edge to his game, chirping, being aggressive, and getting under peoples’ skin. Overall, it’s him just giving the team and their fans everything he’s got night in and night out. Though when it comes to playing against the likes of Washington Capitals Tom Wilson and Las Vegas Golden Knights own Ryan Reaves, (just to name a few) Konecny is no match for their size and strength. Konecny has shown that, like a junk-yard dog, he doesn’t have the words “quit” or “back down” in his vocabulary. Even so, he should not be asked to come flying in to grab the opposing team’s biggest guy off of one of his team’s star players.
Joel Farabee is another player who, at times this year, has stepped up and answered the bell when a teammate needed him; But how can the Flyers expect a 19-year-old kid to step up against the league’s heavy weights if he can’t even back them up in a bar fight legally when they’re all out to dinner?
The Flyers are in need of some grit: a guardian if you will. After trading away guys like Wayne Simmonds and Radko Gudas, the Flyers thought they may have just the guy to fill their spot and uphold the law on the ice in 6’7″ Samuel Morin. The defenseman pulverized anyone who dared to drop the gloves with him in the American Hockey League (AHL) and in juniors but, with Morin unable to stay healthy for any length of time, it may be worth taking a look around the league for his replacement.
Where to look might you ask? How about 6’1″ 213 pound Brendan Lemieux who currently plays wing for the New York Rangers? Brendan, son of four-time Stanley cup winner Claude Lemieux (who was revered for his relentlessness, toughness, and dirty style of play), is a force in his own right. At just 23-years-old, Brendan has already made a name for himself around the league as an enforcer. Brendan takes on bouts against Washington’s Tom Wilson and Radko Gudas, and Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk and Mark Borowiecki, all while managing to post numbers similar to Flyers’ own Michael Raffl. This gritty forward would bring just what the Flyers need to sure up and help protect their star players down the stretch. Additionally, with a restricted free-agent contract that expires at seasons end totaling just $925,000, he would fit in the team’s budget even if the Flyers did not give up an NHL player for him.
Now- some of you may be saying “relax, it’s only one loss,” but I think that loss highlights a bigger problem: One that shows the underlying issues related to just how far away the Flyers are from contending for the Stanley Cup. They’ve put in some obvious effort to play more cohesively, but they still have some hard work ahead of them to transform into a true team: one who goes all the way, stands up for each other and can police the opposing team when the officials won’t. The Flyers must step up, learn to complete their checks, and play a more physical brand of hockey; because in a seven game playoff series “Size and Strength” wears down “Speed and Finesse” every time!
I agree. I watched the game and the Flyers were taking the hits and cheap shots and not even daring to fight back. The Lightning physically abused the Flyers. If the Flyers want to make a run in the playoffs they are going to need a teammate that is willing to drop the gloves and make the other team answer for their indiscretions. Until then Konecny, G, Voracek and the likes will continue to get hammered on the ice day in and day out. The Flyers are playing good hockey, but the Lightning put the blueprint out on how to beat the Flyers.
Lance- Completely agree and I have been saying this for years. I was completely perplexed by Ron Hextall’s seemingly complete disdain for physically intimidating players. The fans don’t like it and some of the alumni I’ve spoken to over the years don’t get it. Even from a marketing standpoint, the Flyers have squandered their brand. If you listen to the current players for the last few years, they sometimes give hints that they know they are out gunned. I like Josh Anderson from CBJ but I understand he is hurt. Ross Johnston from NYI is a gun fighter. Tom Wilson said it best a couple years ago – “The Flyers try hard but they don’t scare anybody.”
Tyler Myers and or Canucks Hutton r shut down D.
Make a trade, they r available. Patrick, Gost, Sanheim just to name a few.
Hutton and T Myers r not rentals they r impact players and leaders Myers is like Hatcher or Pronger.
Lance, I have to agree with you completely. The Flyers lack a nasty man to keep the other team’s low IQ cheap shots from clubbing our munchkins. Sure, the pure goons who can’t skate, are gone. However, there must be a few bar guy types hiding in the weeds. A cro-magnon man who can skate and pound a chin or two, must be out there somewhere. We know that the further a team gets in the playoffs, the fewer penalties that get called and the rougher it gets. The Flyers need a very nasty dude. Send the Flyer scouts to Folsom prison with a skating instructor. All is not lost.
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the article. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it.
I agree completely and have been seeing/saying the same thing for the past couple of seasons! Not just the physical “policeman” but please get some shooters! The only “sniper” the Flyers have is Konecny and he prefers to pass the puck! I like Cam York but Fletcher, and crew, should have taken Caulfield instead! York is a 3rd pairing D-Man who can move the puck! Sounds like Shane Gostisbehere without the inaccurate shot! I like what Fletcher is doing, and LOVE AV, but he truly has to take a look at the “policeman” and “sniper” issues this off season! No disrespect to Chris Stewart but please Chuck no more of these options!
I was a big Caulfield guy before the draft, and still am. I think the Flyers will regret not drafting him for a long time to come especially since we will see him a bunch being that he’s with Montreal . He’s the pure goal scorer we need! Cam York is good, but I think we missed out on a guy that could post 35-40 goals a season when he reaches the NHL.
We are currently missing that type of physical player, who can fight with best of them! But they are hard to find, if you do not draft them, because NAK has that kind of physicality we need, so we do not have to play those tourist”s like Steward and Andreoff! So we should draft much more physical players in future, because NAK while tough, is thick but pretty short player, who can”t take on the toughest opponents! That is why we need to start drafting more physical players pretty early in draft, like Ronnie Attard, who a hope will become our version of Colton Parayko! Of course Tkachuk brothers are best in league, because we do not need tourists, who can not play, and instead bring skill with physicality, because NAK is great example, who can be physical and skilled the same time, and what a huge difference he has been positively to our line-up!
How hard it would be to draft next Wayne Simmonds? Detroit drafted player named Givani Smith, and we lack that kind of physical player in our prospect pool! I am not saying this because of skin color, but Smith would be similar physical player we need!
I agree with all of you. I was watching the game against Tampa and the words man handled were front and center. I was also thinking that they may get to the playoffs but will get bounced quickly by a physical team.
Absolutely 100 percent agree. We’ve gone from the Broad Street Bullies to the Philadelphia Ice Thots with blinding speed. They took away our grit and replace it with a muppet named Gritty and wonder why they struggle to fill seats. I guarantee you tens of thousands of Flyers fans agree while they stand by and watch it happen. SHAME.