With injuries to Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York rapidly thinning out the Flyers defensive corps, the Flyers have been forced to tap into their depth and farm system to try and fill out three NHL-caliber pairs.
Names like Helge Grans and the newly-acquired Hunter McDonald have proven themselves not to be up to snuff, while someone like David Jiricek has experienced both highs and lows early on in his Flyers career. After the core trio of Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, and Nick Seeler, the Flyers have struggled to fill out the rest of their defensive unit in the absence of their more steady, veteran options.
But while the majority of new defenders have been a mixed bag, one player has stood out, and potentially cemented himself as a potential long-term replacement way ahead of schedule. When Oliver Bonk made his NHL debut late last season against the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers had already done the hard work of securing their playoff spot, leading them to rest a host of veteran players in favor of giving some younger names a chance to get into the lineup.
Bonk would impress in his lone regular season contest, scoring once and adding an assist in a shocking 4-2 win against a full strength Montreal side still fighting for home ice advantage. That strong performance would lead to him getting another opportunity in the final game of round two as the Flyers were swept by the Hurricanes, and as a result, Bonk was seen as prime candidate to make the team out of training camp.
Oliver Bonk is exactly who the Flyers need right now
He ended up starting in Lehigh Valley, despite a decent preseason, and only coming up once the Flyers were struck by injury and underperformance on the back end. Fast forward 10 games into the season, and Bonk has performed to the point where he is trusted to play the second-most time on ice against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, just two minutes less than Olympian Travis Sanheim, even tallying a crucial assist on a Noel Acciari deflection that ended up being the game-winning goal.
Bonk started slow in his first game of the season against the Hurricanes, committing a couple ugly turnovers and looking a bit out of place against the defending Stanley Cup champions. But the coaching staff stuck with him, and have seemingly elevated him to top-pair status in the absence of Ristolainen and York, while reaping the benefits.
While there wasn’t one specific trait of Bonk’s that excited scouts and fans coming into his draft year, his all-around stability, skating stride, and hockey IQ seemed to suggest that he could one day become a very reliable NHL defender. However, much like his former London Knight teammate Denver Barkey before him, most didn’t think that the transition would occur this fast. Despite his minimal AHL seasoning in comparison to other defensive prospects, Bonk not only looks ready to play in the big leagues, but he has played so well that it seems impossible to keep him off of the top two pairs, at the very least.
The win against the Avalanche was the best example of that thus far. Playing on the top pair alongside Sanheim, Bonk faced down one of the top five players in the NHL in Nathan MacKinnon multiple times, and didn’t look fazed in the slightest. That’s not something that many experienced NHL defenders can do, let alone someone who was playing against AHL competition up until a week or so ago. Compare his game to someone like Hunter McDonald, who did seem to struggle (justifiably, I may add), to keep up with the pace that the Avs wanted to play at in his season debut. That isn’t a knock on McDonald, who was thrown into a similar situation that swallowed up Bonk in his first game against Carolina not too long ago against some elite opposition, it is simply recognition of just how comfortable Bonk looked being thrown into the fire against the best of the best.
And the real luxury with Bonk is his ability to play in multiple situations. He is a very versatile player who doesn’t look out of place regardless of when he is put on the ice, or who he is up against. His ability to play the bumper spot on the power play if need be may be the best illustration of that skillset, and also speaks volumes about just how much his coaches trust him at every level.
His skating, puck moving, and general defensive acumen already seems to have surpassed players like Jamie Drysdale and the injured York, and as he continues to get more opportunities without being punished for his few hiccups, his confidence grows game after game. Not every game will look like the one against Colorado, and there should still be some caution against throwing him on the top pair indefinitely when the Flyers are back fully healthy, but his play has made it a near-certainty that he will remain in Philadelphia for good.