Flyers’ Lineup for Season Opener Sparks MAJOR Questions

Flyers’ Lineup for Season Opener Sparks MAJOR Questions

[Music] Hello and welcome here to Broad Street Hockey. I am Ryan Gilbert. Joining me today is Thomas Williams, also from broadstreet hockey.com. Uh we’re going to break down the Flyers open tonight lines here. They’re raising a lot of questions as I wrote in my article on Wednesday. There. And we’re going to try to keep this short. We could talk about this for for a long time, but going try to keep this shorter for you guys. Uh Thomas, how you doing here? I’m doing well. I’m uh I’m feeling a little bit sick to my stomach looking at these uh forward lines, but uh other than that um I’m I’m living life because it’s Flyers games day. So, we actually get to watch the Flyers play a meaningful hockey game for the first time in months. So, it’s great. Yeah, Flyers game day should be extremely exciting. But then you got Cam York out and then Rick Tacket uh does this with the lines. We have the uh tweet from Charlie O’ Connor on Thursday’s morning skate here up on the screen. Uh just read through it. D’vorak, Ctori, Tippet, Zegress, Kenkne, Forester, Kate Brink, Deloreier, Ables, Hathaway. They mixed up the D pairs a bit, but looks like Zamula and Jules are in. And that means uh Nick Cer is with Travis Anheim and Adam Yining with uh Jimmy Dale on the second pair. But let’s just start with the forward group here. Nick Deloreier getting the veteran nod. Whatever. I don’t like it. It makes sense. Luchenko and Gbankin will get in there. But outside of that, it’s just still like what are these lines? Yeah. Like I feel the rookie conversation is like a separate thing. Like we’ve heard it kind of throughout this week of just like okay, yeah, Lucheno is going to get that time eventually. Like that’s a that’s a separate conversation that again we could spend hours talking about and just like is it is it smart for them to do or like what’s the point of Luchenko being around if like if he’s not being part of the season opening lineup, especially that he was part of the lineup last year. Different coach, but still. Um anyways, the the top nine third line makes perfect sense. Third line, keeping that line together, you can say of the Forester Kate Brink line makes sense just for some familiarity. And they played the preseason perfectly. Like there’s they’re one of the only lines consistent uh cycling the puck, which is exactly what wants in his in this offense this year um and wants to see an improvement compared to last year. But having like we’ll just start off like having Mitch Kovv beautiful wonderful boy Maf Mitchkov him with Coutur makes sense it it’s in a vacuum it’s like perfect okay you get your smart centerman that can win a draw get possession basically like for Mishkov to have the puck the most possible it makes sense for Couture to be his centerman basically that like Ziggris there’s like there’s a wow factor and there might be a debate that’s like, well, when they have the puck, how much use is it if Couture is out there compared to Ziggress? Like kind of that check like the balance act balancing act of like they’ll have more possession, but what will they do with it if whatever you know what I’m talking about. Um, but the other line being Christian D’vorak or the other winger being Christian D’vorak is it I feel like I’m taking crazy pills just because like it’s D’vorak was brought in as like a a supplementary player to be just an all-around like versatile like fill a hole wherever is needed. I don’t think that hole is first line left wing that needs to be filled like and and if anything if he was going to be in the top six wing position if anything it would have been with Ziggress and Mitchkov because they need some responsibility on that. I feel like with Couturier, it’s just doubling down on this like this sentiment of like, okay, this possession, keep it going and whatever. But it’s just it just feels crazy to have two of those like players next to Mitchov and then so he’s passing the puck to players that are like not on his level at all. It really is. Sean Couttori, I will say, does have the hockey IQ, but his his body can’t quite keep up with that. But I I am hoping this is just like a one oneoff thing with D’vorak on the top line. He’ll slide back down for another game when Deloreier is out of the lineup. But yeah, if you just swap D’vorak and Tippet, I like we’re not complaining about these lines at all. Like it’s and the rookie conversation, it’s not just the Flyers. Everyone around the league. Uh Sharks are are I think Michael Misa I saw was a guy um St. Pack in Calgary. Eastern and Sam and Sam Dickinson was in San Jose, too. It’s a very much NHL hockey man culture thing to give your veterans the start on opening night. So, that that’s fine. Yeah, D’Vorak, I really am hoping it’s just a a one thing here. Or it’s just like, all right, Mitchkov in the defensive zone, stay at the point, cover the defenseman. It’s fouron four otherwise. And maybe this is like this because Cam York’s hurt. So they want to have a second defensive forward with Couttoriier and Mkov, the line they’re playing the most. But yeah, it like I just said, swap D’vorak and Tippet. And I almost like those lines. Yeah, cuz like it makes sense that sure like team defense like defense should always be a team effort there. There should never be a a forward out there that’s purely like never thinking about defense in my mind. Um, so when we say that it shouldn’t be specifically, the line shouldn’t be like specifically geared towards that. It it feels just like a overkill of like this one thought process where the game of hockey is so fluid that it’s like just put some skilled guys together with like some responsibility out there and then it could work. Like like you say with Tippet switching like last year we saw Tippet, Couturi and Mitchkov alto together. I I don’t have the underlings in front of me, but they’re all I’m pretty sure they’re all over 50%. I think they’re outscoring opponents. Um they were regularly It’s going to take a second to to load this up, scrambling on evolving. I was loading this up on a money puck while you were while you were talking. Okay. Okay. So, yeah. So, but to to they were controlling play enough to rep to keep possession and like and generate a good amount of offense and they they could balance out the fact that Tippet is such like a rush based like shooter and kind of wild guy that he gives away possession a lot because he’s shooting around the net and not hitting the net and then giving the puck away by making those shots. But um then you get Couture and Mishkov who are like battling hard and try to like die trying to get the puck back. Um but so it it makes sense. And then you get D’vorak Ziggress and connecting which is I think I’m pretty sure a line a lot of people thought ahead like even before the preseason be like okay D’vorak Ziggress makes sense. the whole the conversation that’s been in on like everyone’s mind for yeah like I said like months of just like having a responsible possible uh faceoff man next to Ziggress as he figures that out and then connecting and Zerris can work magic together I think and and um it it feels just like a opportunity missed of a potential balance where I like I don’t know what to expect at all from Tippet Gris and Kknney working together like it could work. It there’s a possibility that there’s uh some offensively charged players there for sure, but man like it’s it’s I I’m I’m not seeing a whole lot of like like we’re we’re talking about keeping Ziggress and and Mitchkov together to like because it’s so fun and offensive and then you have Tippet Ziggers Connectnne and they’re arguably worse defensively than than those two. Yeah, that that tip that Tippet Ziggress line is is going to be good in the offensive zone. good off the rush, good in transition, but if they get stuck in the defensive zone, if they ice the puck and we get, you know, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhardt, Carter Verhagy coming out against them, like that that’s bad news, especially if it’s a a bad defensive pairing out there on the ice. But, you know, maybe Tak’s going to be able to try to manage that with two defensive lines, the third line and D’vorak and Couttoriier. And maybe this is, you know, they’re focusing on this is good for Owen Tippet. You put him with with an offensive center in Zegris. put him with a good two-way winger in Kknney. And I think Takett’s trying to get more out of Tippet defensively this year as well. He was on the penalty kill a little bit. Maybe he can improve his two-way game like we saw Kknney do, you know, when he was in his mid20s. Um but yeah, I I would much like to see that happen, you know, throughout this throughout the season, you know, put him Yeah, with put him with Victoria. We saw that last year. uh their expected goals for percentage was 51.3 52% uh shot attempt share and outscored the opposition 108 in their 133 minutes. So one of the one of the better lines on the team last year and that was when Shan Couttori was down in the dumps because he had John Tordella as his coach. So um yeah it’s just the Christian D’vorak factor. It’s like it’s like imagine Christian imagine that was like Ryan Paling and you had Ryan Paling with Ctorian Beach Golf like we would be ripping ripping them for having that as a top line. Yeah. And and especially that it’s like it makes no like I I’m I’m even trying to wrap my head around it because especially for a season opener where it’s like this is like everyone’s watching. Maybe not everyone’s watching the Phillies but like they’re in the Eagles. No one no one’s watching. Just no one’s watching. Maybe that’s why maybe talk’s like no one’s watching this. So, I’m going to see what I have in D’vorak. Um, but like it’s it’s it it feels like especially with the season opener of like putting out these lines be like, “Oh man, like just to leave a sour taste in my mouth.” It’s like it’s not even the fact that like these lines are run, but we saw so much exciting combinations earlier in the preseason training camp. We’re like, “Oh, this is going to be so sick.” like Zeus and Mitchkov and like Katrina Kek is back together and everything and they could balance it out with a with a tippet over there or Forester like they’ve done a little bit but um to have that and then take it away from us just feels like a little bit of a rug pull. It it really does and that’s the big thing. We had all this excitement in the uh in the preseason and you know we don’t have that anymore. And you know looking at the lines I guess maybe like a D’vorak D’vorak Zeus connecting line you could argue what does that line do well? Like what does that line excel at? Like maybe offensively but D’vorak isn’t too much of an offensive player. Um but what does D’vorak Couttori Mishkov excel at? Like two of them are great defensively. One of them is great offensively. maybe trying to get Couttoriier off to a good start. Just, you know, go to the front of the net, hope each golf can find you there. But yeah, this is going to be uh interesting to see how long these lines stay together and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a different top line on Saturday. Yeah, for sure. Especially with Gbankin because Tuck Taco is saying if Genkin doesn’t play tonight, Thursday, then he’ll get the game on Saturday at the very least. So, we’ll potentially see that and maybe he’ll replace Dvar. Maybe D’vorak is a placeholder and we’ll see first line leftwing Aikita Gubankin, which is pretty fun. It’s quite possible. We’re getting a new addition Christian D’vorak on the first line in the season opener, surprisingly. And also in the season opener, we are getting free agent edition goalender Dan Ladar starting game one first off the ice according to a post from Jackie Spiegel and from Charlie O’ Conor here. Talk on why Ldar gets the game one start over Erison. Well, Sam could have played. It’s just that you have to pick a goalie. So, we decided to go Lar and then we’ll go from there. What is that saying? Yikes. It’s saying yikes is what is what it’s saying. So, I I am a fan. I’ve been an Arison fan. He’s had a chance. Um maybe it’s good to get Erison not a start behind this horrible defense. And you know, Evangelar, we don’t know who he is yet, even though he has a career save percentage I think under 900. Like, oh, he’s big though. He’s 6’5. Maybe he can. I like Fedar. I I I like it. I’m very surprised that he gets the start here in the season opener. But um you know, like TA said, Sam Sam could have played, but he didn’t earn it. Again, it’s just a similar thing of like of the lines be like we saw Erison get the like the treatment of a starter throughout the preseason. I was like, “No, like game one like switch.” Like I don’t know if this is something to expect. like it feels very Toella-esque honestly of just like playing around and like it it it it’s I don’t know if it’s like it makes any it’s it’s I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what to like I feel like my head is just like in like a blender right now of just like because we fully expected Arison to start. It made total sense per like even if it wasn’t like deserved it be like well that’s just like throwing him to the wolves if like if it’s not there it’s it’s pointing at him and be like he’s not good enough right now it’s like creating something out of nothing and then now we’re doing that it’s again feels so Toella-esque it’s wild it does feel like it’s going against what this organization is trying to do like Erikson’s been here he’s been in the battles with this whole team like and you know he’s been there like these these guys like him, they know him, or maybe they don’t like him. We we don’t know. But like they they should if they didn’t like him, they probably would have traded him away. But yeah, Lar Vadar here getting the start. Uh Tak saying, “Well, thought they both had good camps.” I think Vlatty did a nice job. That’s why we decided to go with him. You know, Vlatty had a had a great night last night at Yankee Stadium. Hope hope maybe they’re thinking Vlatty can keep it going down in Florida. Every every Vlad is good this week. Yeah. God. But yeah, I think that’s gonna about do it for us here. We’re gonna have to see how this plays out on Thursday night against the Panthers in the season opener. Panthers won on Tuesday night uh 3-2 over the Blackhawks. Spencer Knight played very well. So we’ll see if Dan Var can um live up to that those expectations there. Uh make sure you keep it keep it here on Broadkey YouTube channel. Subscribe, like, comment on all the videos there. We’re going to be doing stuff like this throughout the season. Um and yeah, subscribe also on Apple and Spotify. We’ll get the podcast up and some audio stuff uh up there. Uh links in the description. Yes, link down there. Ring the bell, all that good stuff. Uh all right, Thomas, anything? Uh any final final thoughts? No. Readhockey.com. If I could say our own website, Broad Street Hockey forever.

Rick Tocchet is making his Philadelphia Flyers coaching debut in the regular season and doing it with a bang. He’s putting out a lineup that is fairly questionable for the Flyers’ season opener. Ryan and Thomas go over his decisions.

Read on Broad Street Hockey: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-lineup-for-season-opener-raises-questions/

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