Photo Credit: Conor Doherty
Earlier this offseason the Flyers signed a heavy hitter/fighter in Nic Deslauriers to a four year deal. He is slated to be a fourth liner for the orange and black in the Fall. In addition, the Flyers re-signed Zack MacEwen yesterday to a one-year deal, worth $950,000.
With MacEwen and Deslauriers signed for next season, the Flyers now have formed one of the toughest fourth lines in hockey. It is expected the fourth line will be (At least on paper) Deslauriers, Patrick Brown/Tanner Laczynski, MacEwen. MacEwen and Deslauriers combined for 25 fights last season, and both ranked near the top in this category for their efforts.
The Flyers did not add top-end talent, or high-end skill. They added more beef and toughness to the lineup in Nic Deslauriers, and of course re-signed MacEwen. To me this signals that the Flyers will be tougher to play against, but ‘If you can’t beat them, beat them.’
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If the Flyers aren’t going to win the game, at least they will win the fight. This rough and tough style resonates well with most Flyers fans, but most fans are tired of a mediocre hockey team or even worse. Most fans want a winning product on the ice, and one they can be proud of. To be honest, I don’t think many fans can honestly say they are proud of how this Flyers team has shaped up to be, but most will still support them. Hopefully, this team will be better than expected, with no expectations to even sniff the playoffs.
By verbiages used by Chuck Fletcher with the likes of “Aggressive Retool” or “We’d like to get more high-end skill” earlier this offseason it appeared the Flyers would make a big splash for a prominent Forward. Unfortunately, it turned out being anything but, however, the Flyers have appeared to bring back the “Broad Street Bullies” at least for this season. What will happen next is anyone’s guess, but let’s hope this is a competitive team this season.
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