Photo Credit: The Flyers
Everyone knows by now how tough it has been for the Flyers for the past few seasons. No Sean Couturier at times, no Ryan Ellis, and other injuries at times. However, the orange and black were competitive on most nights. Travis Sanheim had a pretty good season last season. The good thing is he knows he can be better and he wants to further his game into a more reliable defenseman, “I want to be a guy that can step up, and kind of grab a hold of those opportunities,” Sanheim said of earning extra minutes at training camp.
The 28-year-old, 6’3 181 pound, Travis Sanheim was the Flyers most steadiest defenseman this past season, as he was thrusted into a top pairing role. Paired alongside Cam York for the majority of the season, the two played well together for the most part, as Sanheim was very consistent. Sanheim is more consistent, and that has been one flaw to his ever growing game, “We’re gonna miss each other. We love that group in there, we didn’t want this to end. Each day we came to the rink we loved it, we enjoyed it,” Sanheim said back at camp.
Sanheim continued, “I came in ready to prove a point and show what kind of player I was. The first quarter of the season was probably the best hockey I’ve played.”
Sanheim has finally evolved into a number one defenseman, paired alongside Cam York. For his efforts, Sanheim has started the season out strong. He may not be putting points up on the board, but he’s playing very well defensively. Sanheim there’s also skating very well, which is a great sign.
This mature defenseman in Sanheim suited up in this 500th career NHL game this past Tuesday night against Edmonton Oilers. It’s unreal how fast time went, “It goes by quick,” Sanheim said before the game.
As Sanheim entered the first season of an eight-year, $50-million extension, he looked to put the 2022-23 season behind him, and he did just that with a good 2023-24 campaign. He came to camp in great shape. Sanheim looked well conditioned, calm, poised, and did not make many mistakes. Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere said that Sanheim came into camp in great shape, and was one of the most fittest players in that locker room.
Kudos to Sanheim to putting to rest all the naysayers that said he was a bad defenseman. Sanheim just seemed like a different defenseman, and he wasn’t being sheltered anymore. The difference is that Sanheim is confident in his game, in a sense that he knows he could make the right plays. Sanheim has evolved into a number one Defenseman and a leader. It showed on the ice, the proof was in the pudding. For his efforts, Sanheim was pretty banged up down the stretch, he admitted at exit interviews.
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The sky is the limit for Sanheim, as expectations of consistency will be surrounding him throughout the course of the year, “I’m here today. There’s a reason I signed here for eight years. I want to be in Philadelphia, I’m excited. I like the group that we have,” Sanheim said last season.
