Philadelphia Flyers: Tyler Pitlick provided value to the team

A hard-working, tenacious player, Tyler Pitlick provided the Flyers with the exact value they expected from him.

Acquired this past offseason from the Dallas Stars, Tyler Pitlick has given the Flyers exactly what they expected from him. He’s not a player that with light the lamp every night. That’s not what he asked to do. Instead, he provides a different type of value on the ice.

As a fourth liner, sometimes third as well, Pitlick’s job was to bring energy whenever he was on the ice. And he certainly succeeded at that. Playing just a tick over 12 minutes a game, discipline is one of his biggest assets.

As a player expected to bring a physical like play, Pitlick is able to do that without going over the edge. He has just 12 penalty minutes this season while credited with 132 hits. That is the most he has been credited with in his entire career.

Though scoring is not his primary objective, we can take a look at what he was able to do this season. In 63 games for the Flyers, Pitlick had eight goals and 12 assists. The former matched his output from last season and was his second-highest. The 20 points are the second most he has had in a season.

That is decent production from a player primarily on the fourth line. It is certainly more than what the team was getting from that spot before.

The advanced stats don’t paint Pitlick in a pretty picture. But they can be used to show us how much he is able to handle. They were similar to his averages overall. So the 45.7 CF% shouldn’t be a big surprise. Neither should his 46.7 FF%. He isn’t the strongest on the ice, but he has shown to be effective in small doses.

His biggest competition for a roster spot next season will be Derek Grant. The Flyers likely won’t keep both of them on the roster. Grant has the more proven scoring touch, but is in line for a huge race.

Pitlick, coming off a $1M contract, could see a raise as well. But it shouldn’t be as hefty as what Grant could be looking at. So it could come down to the money side of things between the two.

Adding any kind of scoring touch would help boost Pitlick, but that isn’t the end all, be all for him. He provides value in different ways and that could be his way to remain on the roster.