Now that it seems that the Flyers have solved the
inconsistency between the pipes, they can now focus on the defense. GM Ron
Hextall mentioned finding a balance between puck moving defenseman and
defensive defenseman. The Flyers clearly have two of each, and two that do not
fit into either category.
On the offensive side of the puck, the prime puck movers
were going to be veterans Kimmo Timonen and Mark Streit. Timonen briefly
flirted with retirement this offseason, before ultimately deciding to resign on
a cap-friendly deal. Recently, Timonen was diagnosed with blood clots, leading
to the signing of free agent Michael Del Zotto.
A former first round pick, Del Zotto has fallen quickly.
Originally, he was be a key component of the New York Rangers defense, but fell
out of favor with coach John Tortorella and subsequent coach Allain Vigneault.
He was traded to the Nashville Predators, but was unable to secure regular
playing time. Although he was a Restricted Free Agent, the Predators chose not
to qualify him, making him a free agent. The Flyers were interested on him on
July 1, but once Timonen went down, Hextall moved quickly to sign him.
A free agent signing last off-season, Mark Streit is
expected to help fill the void left by Timonen’s absence. He is more offensive
minded than Timonen, while lacking defensively. He is not terrible defensively,
but calling him average would be a compliment. This coming season, he needs to
step up his game.
Defensively, Luke Schenn and Nicklas Grossmann are the two
defensive pillars; they are strong defensively, but lack mobility. Schenn has
shown flashes of offensive potential and can make a good first pass, but
nothing consistent. He is prone to pinching at inopportune times and takes
himself out of the play going for the big hit. Grossmann plays a strong
positional game and can take a lot of abuse, but is very slow. He can be beat
on the rush or by more agile players.
Coburn and Macdonald do not fit either traditional
definition of offensive or defensive defenseman. Coburn is the longest tenured
Flyer and the de facto #1 now that Timonen is out. Still an inconsistent
player, Coburn can dominate an entire game and keep the best players of the
world in check. He has done this repeatedly to Evegeni Malkin. He will then make
a boneheaded play and allow a fourth line grinder to turn him inside out.
Macdonald is an advanced statistical nightmare. Somehow, he managed
to lead the Flyers defensemen in average time on ice in the playoffs despite
being the worst defenseman statistically, no matter what stat you use, Corsi%,
Corsi Rel%, Fenwick %, and any other one. He was only a -2 in plus/minus, so he
has that going for him. But that is about it. Hopefully he steps it up. He is
the second highest paid player on the roster behind Claude Giroux. He has to play
like it.
To start the season, expect the Flyers to keep Streit and
Grossmann together. The other four defensemen will play together to see who can
develop chemistry, but chances are, it will be a Macdonald/Schenn and
Coburn/Del Zotto pairing, however I would not be surprised to see
Macdonald/Coburn and Schenn/Del Zotto.
Most Common Defensive Pairings 2013-2014 Season
|
Defenseman
1
|
Defenseman
2
|
Frequency
|
|
Braydon
Coburn
|
Kimmo
Timonen
|
21.20%
|
|
Nicklas
Grossmann
|
Mark
Streit
|
19.79%
|
|
Braydon
Coburn
|
Nicklas
Grossmann
|
9.13%
|
|
Luke
Schenn
|
Erik
Gustafsson
|
8.66%
|
|
Luke
Schenn
|
Andrej
Meszaros
|
7.74%
|
|
Luke
Schenn
|
Andrew
Macdonald
|
5.84%
|
|
Luke
Schenn
|
Mark
Streit
|
4.30%
|
|
Mark
Streit
|
Andrej
Meszaros
|
3.86%
|
|
Braydon
Coburn
|
Mark
Streit
|
2.05%
|
|
Nicklas
Grossmann
|
Luke
Schenn
|
2.02%
|
Source: http://leftwinglock.com/line-combinations/philadelphia-flyers/?team=philadelphia-flyers&strength=EV&gametype=ALL
Most Common Defensive Pairings Last 10 games 2013-2014
Season
|
Defenseman
1
|
Defenseman
2
|
Frequency
|
|
Luke
Schenn
|
Andrew
Macdonald
|
19.85%
|
|
Braydon
Coburn
|
Kimmo
Timonen
|
19.33%
|
|
Nicklas
Grossmann
|
Mark
Streit
|
18.19%
|
|
Luke
Schenn
|
Erik
Gustafsson
|
9.85%
|
|
Mark
Streit
|
Andrew
Macdonald
|
8.34%
|
|
Braydon
Coburn
|
Andrew
Macdonald
|
6.02%
|
|
Mark
Streit
|
Hal
Gill
|
5.40%
|
|
Braydon
Coburn
|
Nicklas
Grossmann
|
5.21%
|
|
Braydon
Coburn
|
Mark
Streit
|
2.18%
|
|
Nicklas
Grossmann
|
Luke
Schenn
|
1.18%
|
Source: http://leftwinglock.com/line-combinations/philadelphia-flyers/?team=philadelphia-flyers&strength=EV&gametype=10
Advanced stats are courtesy of Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/ratings.php?db=201314&sit=5v5&type=individual&teamid=22&pos=defense&minutes=100&disp=1&sort=HARTp&sortdir=DESC
