Puck Prose
Fansided

Philadelphia Flyers preview: James van Riemsdyk revamps lethal offense

By Dave Stevenson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrates one of his two second period goals against the New York Rangers with Shayne Gostisbehere #53 and Sean Couturier #14 on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrates one of his two second period goals against the New York Rangers with Shayne Gostisbehere #53 and Sean Couturier #14 on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
philadelphia flyers james van riemsdyk
Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images /

Strengths

Top Pairing

Few teams can say their top pairing consists of two top-notch talents like Provorov and Gostisbehere. I’m curious how long they stick with his duo and they’ll even be able to do so given the state of the rest of their defense.

That said, the Flyers should do everything in their power to make sure they can ice Provorov and Gostisbehere together. In 700 minutes together at five-on-five, they were arguably one of the top 10 pairings in the NHL.

Forward Depth

The Flyers center depth is a little sketchy, but don’t overlook their forward group. It’s stacked. Obviously, their top six is going to be pretty dangerous. Patrick’s second half was an encouraging sign. And now he’ll get to play with two of the better offensive wings in the NHL.

Having Simmonds on the third line could give them a poor man’s Penguins three lines of death. Of course, their third line center situation has to be solved. But the Flyers have time and they have the assets to make a move if necessary.

Trending. Top 25 Players Under 25 Years Old. light

Power Play

The Flyers had an above average power play last season, converting on 20.69 percent of their chances (15th in the NHL). JVR should help transform into a great one. He scored 11 goals last season on the power play for the Maple Leafs. JVR will either help stabilize the second unit or allow Simmonds to go to the second unit. Either scenario is good for the Flyers.

Best Darn Mascot Ever

Listen, I wasn’t a fan of Gritty, the Flyers new mascot, at first. He looks like a homeless version Looney Tunes monster. Or a crazy version of Youppi. But then Gritty started trolling other teams. How can you not love it?

I’m not sure what Gritty is supposed to be. But whatever Gritty is, I’m a fan of it.

Home/Philadelphia Flyers