VOORHEES, N.J. — It seemed like an odd time to put them on the ice. The Philadelphia Flyers, trailing 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday with about five and a half minutes left in regulation, sent out Rodrigo Abols, Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers: a fourth-line trio that has combined for one point this season in 62 games (a goal from Abols on Nov. 20, when he was playing up in the lineup.) They didn’t score, nor did anyone else over the final few minutes, and the Flyers went on to lose by that margin.
There was a similar situation late in the second period. The Flyers had an offensive-zone faceoff with just 25 seconds on the clock. But rather than deploy guys such as Trevor Zegras or Matvei Michkov to try and tie it up before the break, it was Abols taking the draw with his linemates against Nathan MacKinnon’s line. They didn’t score, but Hathaway at least drew a slashing minor on Martin Necas, giving the Flyers their only power play of the night (they didn’t capitalize.)
The Flyers’ fourth line has not only failed to light the lamp, it hasn’t even been on the ice for a five-on-five goal this season. That includes other iterations of the line, such as with Nikita Grebenkin in place of Deslauriers, or when Jacob Gaucher was the center for three games in early November.
Coach Rick Tocchet took a slightly combative tone when asked about his decisions in the Avalanche game regarding the fourth line. While he couldn’t immediately recall his thought process late in the second period, he offered his reasoning as to why they took that shift in the third with his club desperate to at least force overtime.
“What it comes down to (is), I’m a culture guy,” Tocchet said. “You have guys dragging, tongues on the bench. Our team is a team that needs to use the bench. These guys (on the fourth line) are playing eight or nine minutes. A couple games ago, they gave us some juice. Yeah, they’re struggling. They want to get some points. I get it. We’re playing long ball here, trying to (build) the team culture.
“It’s hard to play armchair quarterback. I’ve got some guys that are tired on the bench. I’ve heard some people (say), ’It’s better to put this guy (in) or that (guy).’ I think that’s bulls—, personally. I’m a culture guy, and we’re building culture here. That’s why.”
When Flyers general manager Daniel Briere traded for Zegras in June, the prevailing sentiment was that he didn’t give up a whole lot, as he sent back Ryan Poehling and second- and fourth-round draft picks. The trade looks even better today, in fact, as Zegras is the Flyers’ leading scorer and is almost certainly playing his way into a significant contract extension.
But perhaps it was glossed over a bit too much just how valuable Poehling was. Plucked in free agency after he went unqualified as a restricted free agent by the Penguins in 2023, Poehling developed into an effective depth center, posting 23 goals and 36 assists in 145 games over two seasons. With the Scott Laughton trade in March, and with Zegras playing exclusively on the wing, the Flyers have been left thin down the middle — even with the addition of Christian Dvorak in the offseason.
Hathaway had particular chemistry with Poehling, both at even strength and on the penalty kill, as Poehling’s speed through the neutral zone was noticeable when he was playing well. In his first two seasons in Philadelphia, Hathaway managed 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points in 149 games. While the rugged 34-year-old is always going to be relied upon more for his energy and his physicality, the fact that he is sitting on zero points through 27 games is startling.
When asked how he believes the season is going thus far, both from a fourth-line and personal standpoint, the cerebral Ivy Leaguer paused for nearly 10 full seconds before offering a reply.
“Tough question,” he said. “The way we judge our game as a line is different than some lines judge their games. There’s different criteria that we have to focus on. I think games when we have been on the forecheck, holding onto pucks, creating havoc, chaos in the 0-zone — those are successful games. Those are games we need to build on.”
And him personally?
“I don’t think I expected this,” he said. “Certainly not satisfied. … I think there’s been games when I may be overthinking. Trying to make something happen other than maybe holding onto pucks and wearing guys down. What I continue to tell myself is, the only way out is not going to be by cheating the game, it’s not going to be by being less physical. You look at my goals in the past, they’re not shots from outside the house. When I start thinking points will come from flashy plays, that’s when I’ll be not adding anything.”
Tocchet suggested Hathaway’s drought is taking a toll on him.
“I think he’s just got to relax,” Tocchet said. “I think when he (goes) out there, he’s so tense that it’s kind of screwing up his hands and stuff. He just seems a little out of sorts. How as a coach do I help him? Get him some ice time, and put him in some situations where maybe he can succeed.”
To be fair, the Flyers’ fourth line isn’t getting caved in. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Abols-Hathaway-Deslauriers line has controlled 45.6 percent of the shot attempts and 46.9 percent of the expected goals. With Grebenkin instead of Deslauriers, it’s been 50.5 percent of shot attempts and 49.5 percent of the expected goals.
But good teams expect their fourth lines to contribute from time to time on the scoreboard. This group hasn’t been able to do that. Abols joked that he’s even hearing about it at home.
“I’ve never been a part of something so bizarre that we can’t even get one garbage goal as a line,” he said. “We do get some chances, I think. It is frustrating. We like scoring as much as all the other guys on the team.
“My kid now, all he cares about every game, he’s like, ‘Did you score a goal?’ I go, ‘No, I didn’t.’ He goes, ‘I’m going to teach you.’ Even my 4-year-old is nagging me.”
Just as it is with Hathaway, the fact that the line hasn’t even gotten an ugly one also wears on Abols mentally.
“You get a little bit over-excited and kind of miss a play, and then beat yourself down because it’s maybe the only play you’ll get that game,” he said.
The Flyers are known to be scouring the trade market for another depth center. That’s not an easy task, as they’re far from the only NHL team seeking help down the middle, and the organization isn’t in a position to start trading valuable future assets for rental players. And, it’s possible they’ll want to keep their powder dry as much as they can for the foreseeable future, in case a player such as Quinn Hughes hits the market.
Further, Briere has made it a priority to not rush any young players into the NHL before they’re ready, so recalling guys such as Karsen Dorwart or Alex Bump from the Phantoms in an attempt to give a boost to the fourth line might not be something they’re interested in right now, either.
So it’s going to be up to the guys on the current roster to get it done. For as much indignation as Tocchet had regarding the questions about how he used them in the Avalanche game, he didn’t shy away from the notion that if the fourth line doesn’t start doing more, changes will be inevitable.
“We’re going to have to re-tool that fourth line if it doesn’t start to help us out,” Tocchet said. “I get it. That’s something that I talk to Danny and (Keith Jones) all the time about. So, we’ve got to figure that out.
“But in the meantime, I’ve got to try and get these guys some confidence.”