The Flyers Filled Their Biggest Need This Offseason: Just Who Is Ryan Ellis?

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Wow what a blockbuster three team trade involving your Philadelphia Flyers. How’s everybody doing? What a trade, for so little with trading Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers for a steady Right-Handed Defenseman in Ryan Ellis, which turned out to be a three team trade as Patrick was flipped for Cody Glass from the Vegas Golden Knights.

“I’m surprised, shocked, and excited.” – Ryan Ellis via audio from Zack Hill

I wrote an article on the Flyers having ground work late for a trade back in May with the Nashville Predators and Arizona Coyotes, and yesterday it came to fruition:

“I’ve been speaking to David for a long time. We’ve had a long-time interest in Ryan Ellis. I spoke to David about potential defenseman trades last season, prior to when our season shut down basically due to the pause. We were looking for help on the blue line in the offseason. We were looking for help on the blue line during the season. Once we kind of took a big step back last year, I put that on pause just to get to the offseason. We’ve been speaking for several weeks now. I think this is a good fit for our team and we paid a price. We recognize that but it’s very difficult to get to defensemen like this. We’re happy with the cap number. We’re happy with the player and we think that he checks a lot of boxes.”

A steady Right-Handed Defenseman in Ellis, who stands at 5’10 and weighs 180 pounds will be a top pairing veteran Defenseman with Ivan Provorov. Finally, the Flyers have replaced the loss of Matt Niskanen.

Ellis is a very good defender, and he will stick up for his teammates. He has good offensive instincts and great mobility. Ellis can move the puck quickly out of danger, and owns a powerful point shot.

“Ryan is an excellent all-around defenseman. In our opinion, he is one of the best passers in the game on the blue line. He’s great in transition. He can play the power play. He’s got a heavy shot and he’s a very good penalty killer.  He’s been part of the leadership group in Nashville for a while. He’s a competitive, team-oriented type of player. We think he’s a really well-rounded hockey player, a quality person and somebody that we feel very fortunate that we were able to add to our group today.” – Chuck Fletcher said yesterday to the media

This 30-year-old Defenseman in Ellis is great with gap control. He suffocates his opponents, and has no problem transitioning from the defensive zone. Gone are the days the Flyers have trouble with getting out of their own end with him on the ice. Ellis is a great compliment to the young Ivan Provorov, as he can provide tutelage and mentor Provorov. Ellis was an assistant captain for a reason with the Predators, “We feel a guy like Ryan will also aid in the development of some of our young players that we have here too,” Fletcher said. “We want to win more games, and we want our young players to be put in the best position to succeed. Ryan, again, checks a lot of boxes for this organization, and we paid a price to get him.”

Ellis has never been a physical defender who bullies opponents off the puck, but he’s an exceptional mobile defenseman that can quickly cover opponents when his responsibilities shift. Ellis has acute vision of the ice, and sees the open man well which allows him to accelerate to cover ground. He’s good at back checking and being defensively responsible.

He was hurt last year, and nagging injuries have been a detriment to how good of a Defenseman he really is, but when healthy he’s a handful or a pest to deal with. He’s excellent with clearing the crease, and that’s an area that the Flyers need help in. Ellis provides experience for a young backend that the Flyers currently have (Average age 27.5 last season). Ellis registered five goals, and 13 assists in 35 games played, as he missed 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury.

The former Nashville product sustained multiple concussions in early 2020 before the season was halted due to the coronavirus. One of the concussions he sustained was due to an elbow by Corey Perry in the outdoor game. However, he bounced back and played well for the Predators.

Finally, the Flyers have a natural Right-Handed defenseman that replaces Matt Niskanen. “We like players to be slotted in the right position and give everybody a chance to be successful,” Fletcher said. “There’s no question our penalty kill struggled last year. We believe Ryan will help with our penalty kill. He is certainly a player that can shoot the puck, move the puck and help, again, with our transition game, our power play, and our overall offensive game. He brings a lot to the table.”

Fletcher also indicates that the Flyers are not done yet, “I think we’re certainly going to continue to look at every avenue to get better. We weren’t good enough last year.”