The Flyers are overachieving right now. It’s ok, we can admit it. We can say it’s thanks to Rick Tocchet or maybe more specifically him not being John Tortorella, but who are we kidding, like Lisa Simpson to her peewee hockey team, it’s Trevor Zegras.
Sixers Christmas Gift: The Star on the Tree
The Flyers have been in dire need of top tier talent for years. Before the season started, we knew we had promise in Matvei Michkov but the rest of the team seemed like a collection of “pretty good but not great” types. Very pre-Andrew Bynum trade Sixers. That’s a crappy place to be. Teams like that need to be smart and to get lucky. Danny Briere was both.
On June 23, the Flyers called up a recent trade partner, the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks had a front line surplus thanks to previously obtained local pariah Cutter Gauthier from Philadelphia. They also had a slumping center whose production had plummeted after early promise. The Flyers were banking on the obvious talent of Trevor Zegras shining with a change of scenery. We also just happened to employ his best friend and former teammate, Jamie Drysdale (the return for Gauthier).
To say he’s delivered is an understatement. After years of a committee approach that hoped someone would score, we now have Zegras to control the tempo and stir the drink. He is averaging a point per game, leading the Flyers in both goals and assists. That’s the kind of production we had been hoping would come from Gauthier but obviously lost. He’s the first legitimate threat for 100 points the Flyers have had since Claude Giroux.
Briere took a big gamble with the trade, giving up 2nd and 4th round picks for a guy who had been a bad mix of both hurt and legitimately bad for 3 seasons. Now we have a 24-year-old cornerstone who will need to be locked up after this season. He will join a young nucleus with Michkov, recent draft pick Porter Martone, and all the veteran role players here for the long haul. Zegras will be right there at center, hopefully leading the next great Flyers team.
Flyers Posts
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In my continued attempts to become an NHL Salary Cap jockey, I have built up enough confidence to pass on the cap knowledge to you, dear reader. Here are the basics of what you need to know to make trades and signings easier to understand. Flyers vs Seattle KrakenTuesday, October 13th at 7pm Flyers at…
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The term “Original Six” gets applied to the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Like some shmuck, I always just assumed that these were the original 6 teams in the NHL and expansion gradually brought us up to today’s 32. What a fool I was!…
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The Flyers summer was a lot like the end of the season. It was very exciting, ended with everyone feeling pretty good, but not much has really changed. Still, let’s get everyone caught up and ready for what should be a fun season in orange and black. What Happened? After an emotionally charged Round 1…
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With an arbitration hearing scheduled for next week and the Leo Carlsson offer sheet squarely in the rear view mirror, the Flyers and center Trevor Zegras have agreed to a 4/$36.5m extension. This is great news. The deal comes in slightly below the $10m per year I had projected but still keeps the 25 year…
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The Flyers didn’t get what they wanted. Now everyone else has to pay for it
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UPDATE: The Ducks have signed defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a 5/$37m contract. This lowers their available cap space to around $27m. Zegras and Drysdale have filed for arbitration The Flyers have signed Anaheim Ducks star center to a massive 5/$90m offer sheet. Just what does that mean? Restricted Free Agency Carlsson was drafted 2nd overall…
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NHL Free Agency is upon us and PFO will keep you up to date on the Flyers wheelings and dealings
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Getting you up to speed on the Flyers draft this past weekend including anything I could find on these 6 picks
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The NHL offseason is just kicking off. Let’s take you through the key dates and decisions of the offseason.
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The Flyers traded for Eric Lindros on Draft Day in 1992. Oddly, so did the New York Rangers. It took 11 days to sort things out, but the effects were felt throughout hockey over the next decade
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