Flyers Have Good Problem Trying to Assemble Blue Line

(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)

By Jeff Quake, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

The Flyers have a problem going into the 2017-18 season. However, it is a good problem to have.

The issue is the musical chairs of defensemen. It’s no secret that the Flyers have plenty of talent and depth on the blue line not only now but in the near future.

Right off the bat, there are three locks in the defensive core. The core includes Shayne Gostisbehere, Radko Gudas and Ivan Provorov. That still leaves four roster spots for, essentially, five potential players – Brandon Manning, Andrew MacDonald, Sam Morin, Travis Sanheim and Robert Hagg.

Gostisbehere had a very impressive rookie year, finishing second for the Calder Trophy race with 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points in 64 games, along with a 15-game point streak. Last season, "Ghost" managed 39 points although he appeared in 12 more games. He has proven so far in his young career that he will be a great player for the franchise, and will look to have a better third year with the Flyers.

When the Flyers first acquired Gudas from the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was a tremendous opportunity not only for Gudas, but for Philadelphia as well. His physicality, size and toughness is what the team needed most and Gudas brought that immediately to the table.

Sure, at first he took far too many penalty minutes — 116 in 76 games to be exact — but Gudas has certainly cut back on the infractions, with only 93 penalty minutes taken last season. He is a very underrated defenseman for Philadelphia, who could in fact be a candidate for the opened alternate captain role. 

Over the last two years, Gudas had the second-highest puck possession among NHL defensemen. Not to mention, his contract is also a steal for the Flyers. He signed a four-year, $13.4 million contract during the summer of 2016, which would be a cap hit of $3.35 million per year.

Provorov had an incredible performance throughout his rookie year, notching 30 points — six goals, 24 assists — and playing in all 82 games. Offensively, 30 points isn’t anything to gawk at, but defensively Provorov performed exceptionally. He topped the Flyers defense in average ice time per game and captured the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the team’s top defenseman in the 2016-17 season.

It's no secret that MacDonald has struggled throughout his time in Philadelphia, but at times has looked his best when he was paired with Gostisbehere. There is always the possibility of sending MacDonald down to the AHL, as the team did in 2015-16, to save a brief amount of cap space as well as giving another young defenseman an opportunity, but it's more likely that MacDonald is also part of the Flyers lineup on opening night.

Manning has certainly improved his game the past few seasons being the seventh defenseman for Philadelphia, and has the chance to prove he can stay in the lineup for Dave Hakstol. He will certainly be a reliable seventh option for the Flyers in case another defenseman is struggling or as an injury replacement. 

Morin appeared in only one game late last season against the New Jersey Devils, looked very comfortable, and managed to keep up with the pace. On one particular play, Morin showed the Flyers fan base what he can bring to the team. On a breakaway, Morin had a tremendous back-check and used his 6'6" body frame to reach out and poke-check the puck out of trouble.

Sanheim spent the entire 2016-17 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, his first professional season, but figures to be a popular name throughout training camp as he looks to make his NHL debut at the start of the season. Sanheim was a tremendous force in the Phantoms lineup and could be a very big threat to NHL teams as his development progresses. However, it seems more likely to assume that Sanheim may need one more year in the AHL to fully hone his game for the NHL.

Down the road, both Morin and Sanheim together are a vibrant pair, as indicated at the AHL level, and would bring size and a little bit more of the "Broad Street Bully" attitude back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Last but not least is Hagg, who also made a late appearance in the 2017 NHL season and has a great future with the Flyers. It depends on when he can crack the lineup, but by making his NHL debut in the season finale, he's certainly on the Flyers radar.

At the moment, the Flyers defensive pairings could project something like this for the 2017-18 season.

Provorov-Gudas

Gostisbehere-Morin

Manning-MacDonald/Hagg

Who will be in the six chairs in the lineup and the seventh defenseman slot for the Flyers remains to be seen when the training camp music stops and the regular season starts.

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