What Should Be Done With The Platoon Of Reinforcements On Their Way For The Flyers?

Photo Credit: Zack Hill

With a platoon of reinforcements right around the bend, the Flyers have shown that they could handle adversity and combated it with their extreme depth- thanks to General Manager Chuck Fletcher’s additions this off season. But now, with star players soon to return, the team’s Head Coach Alain Vigneault is set to make some really tough roster decisions seeing that he will soon have a full complement of players. 

Center Kevin Hayes might be the first to make it back in the lineup: He is due to come off of the long-term injured reserve list after having to undergo abdominal surgery back on September 21^st of this year. But, although Kevin has been skating, there seems to be no rush for him to return given how center Derick Brassard has managed to hold down the fort as the team’s second line center while Hayes has been gone. Not only does Brassard have two goals and five assists for seven points in 10 games played so far, but he has also helped his linemate (the newly acquired winger Cam Atkinson) score 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points and makes sure the team’s dynamic young winger Joel Farabee has been able to get his points as well: Joel has managed to attain three goals and three assists for six points in that same time span. So, if you do the math, this line is collectively averaging an incredible 2.1 points per game (PPG) right now. I then would implore Vigneault to recall the old idiom “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.  

Kevin Hayes is an amazing talent. At 6’5 and 216 pounds he has the size and strength you just can’t teach. His two-way play making ability makes him a coach’s dream and, while his good-natured sprit helps to keep the locker room light, his leadership and knowledge of this system makes him an instrumental part of this team’s success moving forward. 

In saying that though, this is not the first time Hayes has been forced to deal with this type of injury. Kevin played most of last season injured and had core muscle surgery back in May. He was expected to be ready for the start of the season this year only to find out he would need to go back under the knife. So, my question is: why rush him back into a top six role when he returns? Sure, his cap hit exceeding the $7 million dollar mark should warrant this alone but what’s the rush? The second line is on fire right now and has built chemistry since his absence. Therefore, why not try and work Hayes back into the lineup slowly by having him center the 3^rd line who plays significantly less minutes a night? The current 3^rd line of Oskar Lindblom, Scott Laughton, and James van Riemsdyk (JVR), although playing hard, hasn’t managed to produce offensively on a regular basis and they could use a spark like Hayes whenever he is set to return. Over the years Laughton has proved to be very versatile but is clearly better when he is playing at wing. With a revamped 3^rd line of Laughton, Hayes, and JVR it just might be enough to ignite a flame under them offensively. If you moved Lindblom (who only has managed 1 assist on the year so far, but who is playing more physically then ever) to the 4^th line to play with Nate Thompson and Zack MacEwen it would not only add more size and speed to this already gritty line, but it would be a much needed improvement over the often penalized Nicolas Aube-Kubel. 

Then there’s the newly acquired Ryan Ellis, who looked to be worth every asset traded for him (and more) after getting off to a hot start scoring 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points in the team’s first 3 games played.  Sadly, he was quickly sidelined after sustaining what the team is calling a lower body injury. The team knew this might happen given the number of games missed while playing for the Predators the last few years, but his talents still proved worth the risk. Now back on the ice and skating Ellis looks to rejoin the team soon as well. In saying that, his return can’t come soon enough. While the team’s 3^rd pairing defenseman Justin Braun has managed to step up in Ryan’s absence, his ability to play at this level should not be expected to endure much longer. When Ellis does return there’s little to no doubt that he will return to his rightful spot alongside the team’s star defender Ivan Provorov seeing that they seemed to have instant chemistry upon Ryan’s arrival to camp, but the real question becomes who sits out? Once Ellis returns Braun should return to play alongside his original partner Keith Yandle but what then do you do with defenseman Nick Seeler? 

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While he may not have been able to net a point so far this season, Seeler’s old school style of play has been refreshing. At 28-years-old, this former 2011 5^th round draft pick of Fletcher has finally looked to find a home here in Philly. In just nine games played for the orange and black this season, Seeler seems to captivate fans with his ability and willingness to finish his checks, clear the front of the net, and stand up for his fellow teammates. Since being called up as a result of Ryan’s injury, Nick has been doing all of this while playing on his offside. With Braun having to move up, Seeler- a left hand shot defenseman- has been playing the right side and has done so with flawless transition. If sent back down to the minors upon Ellis returning Seeler’s aggressive play will surely be missed.

Does he have to go? Sanheim’s defensive play this season has been atrocious. Gifted with great size, Travis rarely uses it: His refusal to lay a hit in order to regain control of the puck is embarrassing. At times this season Sanheim has been caught chasing players in the defensive zone up to the high slot leaving others wide open in front of the net resulting in goals against- like he did sixteen seconds into the game on 11/4/21 against the Penguins when forward Brock McGinn was able to score an unattested goal. Or his lack of defensive abilities when he has the opposition in front of his the net. Case in point: In the first period of that same game with the Pens, Sanheim allowed Pittsburgh forward Kasperi Kapanen behind him (screening Hart) where, once behind him, Kapanen then strangely seemed to take on the role of the defenseman as he began to try and move Sanheim from out in front of the net as if Sanheim was the forward trying to score so that Kapanen could stand there alone. Another being in the same game with the 1^st period ending Sanheim got pushed off the puck by a player nearly five inches shorter than him- Jason Zucker, resulting in a scoring attempt for the Penguins. 

Sadly, these are but a few of the puzzling qualities that Sanheim exhibits on a given night. There’s no way that the team’s management would ever do it, but they would surely benefit from sitting the career -24 player (Sanheim) for a few games once Ellis returns. Letting Seeler stay in the lineup for a few games would send a message to this off-kilter offensively-minded defenseman and may cause him to realize that, if he doesn’t fix his play, he could be next to head out of town just like his former defensive partner Philippe Myers did (whose inconsistent play has found him being labeled as a healthy scratch most of this season for Nashville). 

These are but two of the players set to come back in the near future. Both of whom will no doubt cause a cosmic shift to the team’s current roster when they return. But the team still has the feisty rookie sensation from last year- Wade Allison- to think about as well. Still a while away from returning, Allison too has resumed skating after suffering an ankle injury before the start of the season and soon enough he will no doubt look to fight for his spot in the lineup as well. And for good reason: With Wade approaching each and every game with a fearless, “never quit” attitude (like he showcased below in a preseason game on 9/18/21 against the New York Rangers when he took on the towering 6’9 240-pound prospect Matthew Rempe) it’s hard not to drool over a prospect like Allison when he simply embodies what it is to be a Flyer. 

In the coming week/weeks the Flyers will be left with a problem most teams would love to have: DEPTH. With multiple stars for the Flyers going down with injuries, a great number of depth signings have managed to step up and are going to make for some very hard decisions in the near future for AV when these players do return to the lineup. Who do you take out? Who do you leave in? These are questions that will have to be assessed with extreme consideration because the Flyers are buzzing and plucking the wrong player from the lineup may mean they take the chemistry they have made out the door with them. With this roster finally getting healthier, let’s hope it will only mean good things to come, and if someone else is to go down in the future we now know that this team will be able to bond together once again and step up to the challenge.