Photo Credit: Len Redkoles/Getty Images
Ever since the Philadelphia Flyers selected Nicolas Aube-Kubel back in 2014 with the 18th pick in the 2nd round (48th overall), Nic (or as fans here on South Broad Street liked to refer to him as NAK) has been a bit of a disappointment. Both before and after being selected by the Flyers, Aube-Kubel looked to be a quite the goal scorer during his time with the Val-d’ Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he had back-to-back seasons with goal totals just shy of 40 and point totals exceeding 80+. There, NAK looked destined to bring some much needed fire power to the Flyers’ roster.
But even though he was able to showcase that same kind of offensive prowess while playing down in Lehigh Valley for the team’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate known as the Phantoms, Nicolas was not able to produce at the same level for the Flyers during his time here. Instead, he became known as a grinder; making a name for himself here in Philly over the past two seasons by displaying great speed, hustle, and willingness to finish a check with only limited ice time while playing predominantly on the fourth line. While these same qualities (at times) afforded him the opportunity to move up in the lineup when injuries occurred, it was his lack of discipline that brought NAK back on down to where he started.
Though hard work and grit may be one thing, playing with reckless abandon is another! Don’t believe me? Then just ask former Flyer Zac Rinaldo, who played in parts of four seasons with the Flyers and managed to accrue 572 penalty minutes during that time. Rinaldo, a player who played a similar reckless style of game, began to be noticed by the referees more than most, to the point where- to this day- every time he touches the ice the officials take notice of his location at all times. Last season, this same treatment from the refs began to emerge towards Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
Now, as we Flyers fans know (better than perhaps anybody), once a player begins to receive that kind of treatment from the referees it takes nothing more than an act of divine intervention to change the officials’ outlook on them.
Call it what you want but when you think back to this past October when the Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher decided to claim the gritty right-winger Zack MacEwen from the Vancouver Canucks off the waiver wire, it might just have been a premonition of sorts: Chuck might have already seen the writing on the wall when it came to NAK’s future here in Philadelphia.
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Think about it: They both are the same age, play the same position, and bring the same kind of game; but in all aspects of the game MacEwen has simply outshined Aube-Kubel this season. Since being claimed by the Flyers, MacEwen (who is 6’3 and 205 pounds) has proved that he is not only better equipped than Aube-Kubel- who is 5’11 and 187 pounds- to play this role but has more to offer the team as well. Before Zack and the newly acquired defenseman Ramus Ristolainen joined this team, the Flyers lacked any sense of physicality. This deficiency limited their ability to not only stay in games late when things got a little rough but prohibited them from bringing any kind retribution to their opposition’s goons who would go after their star players, forcing Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and others who were not appropriately equipped, to try and step up and do the job.
But since his arrival, MacEwen (who makes $250,000 less than Aube-Kubel) has been able to provide the kind of intelligent play that keeps you in an NHL lineup for years to come, like delivering a good, clean mix of the grit and toughness Philadelphia lacked along with the kind of hustle and determination that Flyers’ fans have grown to love and respect. From finishing his checks to winning board battles in the offensive zone, Zack rarely takes a shift off (prime example being the goal he scored in this game against the Canes).
And, while MacEwen may have compiled 80 penalty minutes in just 66 NHL games played so far, 70 of those have been by way of a fight (14 fights total) where he was sticking up for a fellow teammate or simply trying to get the crowd back in the game. That, my friends, is the difference between taking a good penalty vs. taking a bad one like Nicolas Aube-Kubel has been known to do.
In fact, the last straw might have been back on October 23rd when Aube-Kubel was given the maximum allowable fine under the current players’ CBA for kneeing Florida’s Mason Marchment (this fine handed out was hefty due to fact that it wasn’t the first time he’s been caught doing this).
That is why, when recently forced to choose a player to try and waive after foreseeing the return of both center Kevin Hayes and defenseman Ryan Ellis to the lineup, the clear choice was NAK seeing that (at the time) he had become not only expendable but obsolete. Now, with the Colorado Avalanche deciding to claim him, one would think that the Flyers would be quite perturbed or troubled when losing the likes of a former 2nd round pick but I assure you, both the Flyers and NAK will be much better off overall.
In defense of NAK, playing limited minutes on the bottom 6 – he was never really given the chance to be a “goal scorer”. Pick any Flyer – ANY FLYER – and put them on the 4th line and give them 10-12 minutes a game and let me know how many goals they score.
Just saying.