Ivan Provorov
On Saturday, the Flyers released their roster and schedule for training camp ahead of the 2020-21 season, set to begin in just 11 days.
The Flyers have had some good success in recent years drafting defensemen, from Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim to recent picks on the rise like Cam York. One defenseman picked in the 2020 NHL Draft should also be getting some more attention as he puts together a strong season in the Swedish Elite League.
As 2020 draws to a close, here are some of the topics discussed in the State of the Flyers, a short playing year with a lot of progress made.
Shortly after the NHL released the schedule, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher spoke to the media, covering a range of topics surrounding the 2020-21 roster and how the Flyers will manage things in a shortened season.
Alain Vigneault’s second season as Flyers head coach will begin next month on Jan. 13, when the NHL opens the 2020-21 season. The 56-game condensed schedule, realigned divisions, empty arenas and shortened training camp present a new set of challenges.
The Flyers will be tasked with finding a way to replace Matt Niskanen’s 20 minutes or more a night and produced points at a solid rate. On the surface, newly-signed Phil Myers could see his role increase and play on the right side of Ivan Provorov on the team’s top pairing.
Re-signing Phil Myers could very well be the last order of business for the Flyers this offseason, outside of waiting for when the 2020-21 season will begin. The Flyers are limited on cap space and have some players waiting in the wings for a chance to earn a regular spot in the NHL.
For those who appreciate the fact that a player’s quality can’t be defined solely by numbers, Ivan Provorov’s performance on the ice backs it up. He’s not the indisputable best defensemen in the NHL, but he certainly didn’t deserve to be omitted from the NHL’s list of the top 20 defensemen for the 2019-20 season. So why was he left out?
On Monday, reports circulated that Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen was announcing his retirement. The defenseman confirmed in a statement through Flyers PR and GM Chuck Fletcher offered his thoughts on a conference call.
Alain Vigneault addressed the media on Monday for the first time since the Flyers lost Game 7 to the Islanders nine days ago. His comments focused on a bright future ahead. “I believe that we’re on the right track as far as moving forward to win a Stanley Cup,” Vigneault said.
