PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 07: Tyler Pitlick #18 of the Philadelphia Flyers falls to the ice in front of his bench as Artem Anisimov #51 of the Ottawa Senators attempts to play the loose puck on December 7, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers went on to defeat the Senators 4-3. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
Photo Credit: Getty Images
When thinking of the Flyers overall makeup of their team, some people think of some household names like Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Carter Hart, and Travis Konecny all for good reasons. One name that doesn’t come to some peoples’ minds is Tyler Pitlick.
Pitlick has been working his tail off consistently throughout the entire season. He’s like the Energizer Bunny, Pitlick never takes a shift off. He hits, creates some scoring opportunities, and now he’s making saves:
The well, versatile Pitlick, does everything the coaching staff asks of him, and does it well. Mike Yeo wants him to play the Penalty Kill no problem, Vigneault wants him to finish his checks no problem. Pitlick can play in the top nine if he is asked, as well, “Tyler works hard,” Vigneault said on turkey day, “He does a little bit of everything. He kills penalties, finishes his checks, gives energy, he does everything we ask him to do. Can he play in the bottom nine everyday…well no, but he can do it from time to time as the situation sees fit.”
One thing every NHL team needs for success are solid bottom 9 and 12 lines. Even though, Pitlick may not pot 20-25 goals, he is still very useful, and really makes the bottom 9 and 12 lines thrive. It just makes this young Flyers team that much more difficult to matchup with. It makes their opponents think twice, as to what defensemen to put on the ice for matchup purposes.
Will Pitlick continue to play on the third line for the rest of the season? Maybe, maybe not, however, Vigneault is placing Pitlick in situations he deserves to be in. Whatever the case maybe for Pitlick, he will do anything the coaching staff asks of him with no complaints, and with that Pitlick is the definition of a true Professional.
