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Philadelphia Flyers: Robert Hagg At 6th Defenseman Would Be A Mistake

By Benjamin Gabrych

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Robert Hagg #8 of the Philadelphia Flyers checks Parker Wotherspoon #41 of the New York Islanders during the first period at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on September 17, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Robert Hagg #8 of the Philadelphia Flyers checks Parker Wotherspoon #41 of the New York Islanders during the first period at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on September 17, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia Flyers blue-liner has been in contention for the final defensive spot throughout camp but giving him the role would be a mistake.

Coming into Training Camp and preseason, Philippe Myers was thought to have the sixth defensive position on lockdown for the Philadelphia Flyers as long as he looked strong through the month of September. Now, following a few inconsistent performances during the exhibition campaign, Myers receiving playing time to start the 2019-20 regular-season is no longer a foregone conclusion.

Head Coach Alain Vigneault opted to pair Robert Hagg with Matt Niskanen in Monday’s 4-3 loss to Lausanne HC and put him with Shayne Gostisbehere on the third-pairing during practice on Tuesday. While the lineup certainly isn’t set in stone with the season opener in Prague a couple of days away, placing Hagg in the Top-6 over Myers and Samuel Morin would be an error.

Both Myers and especially Morin have performed better than the Swedish defenseman during this preseason. According to Natural Stat Trick, Hagg ranks dead last among Flyers defensemen who saw at least 30 minutes of Time on Ice in Corsi-for, Expected Goals-for (xGF%), and Scoring Chances-for percentages while sitting second to last in High Danger Scoring Chances-for percentages. Morin and Myers, for the record, are within the Top 5 in each category I listed outside of xGF%. Not only have his statistics been poor, but he’s had his fair share of blunders in the defensive zone, including screening his own goaltender without an opposing player in sight, which led to one of Lausanne’s four goals.

Sure, preseason only provides a small sample size, but the fact that Hagg couldn’t produce amongst a lower level of competition is concerning. The same could be said for Myers, as well, but he’s a full two years younger than the 2013 Second Round Pick and also at the very least showed flashes of talent. If Vigneault opts for Hagg over Myers and Morin, it’s just another instance of another NHL coach valuing experience over skill. This wouldn’t be surprising if it ends up being the case, as every coach around the league does it, but would be the wrong call, in my opinion.

Hot. Three Standout Players In Flyers Loss To Lausanne. light

Hagg hasn’t done anything to earn the spot outside of playing more NHL games than the other two combined. Gifting him with the ice-time for that sole reason would be an utterly flawed decision, and I’d much rather see him as the depth defenseman.

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