Flyers Top 5 Lists: Most Feared Metro Fighters
The disappointment of the 2020-21 Philadelphia Flyers stemmed from many different factors, the most significant being the collective defensive failure in allowing the most goals in the NHL.
However, another disheartening reality for fans to accept was the lack of intensity and toughness showed by a franchise that prided itself on those characteristics for so long.
It became noticeable when Oskar Lindblom, who struggled to regain physical form all season after coming back from chemotherapy treatments, felt it necessary to drop the gloves in a lifeless blowout loss to the New York Islanders in March.
While fighting itself is no longer as prevalent as it once was in the NHL, the Flyers will still need to assert themselves as a team who will hold their opponents accountable and avoid being taken advantage of.
Sam Morin, expected to begin the season as the seventh defenseman, is likely the most capable fighter on the Flyers roster.
Scott Laughton, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and their linemates in the bottom-six will not be dropping the gloves all the time. However, a more spirited effort that doesn’t require Lindblom’s involvement should be expected.
They will need to keep an eye out for five division opponents who will not be shying away from the most intense physical element of the game.
5. Max Domi, Columbus Blue Jackets
Max Domi is a player that catches the attention of Flyers fans simply based on his father Tie Domi’s history as a nemesis during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The 26-year-old has shown scoring potential in the past, and he certainly will not shy away from dropping the gloves or mixing it up in the physical game. He is not as prominent of a fighter as his father. However, Domi’s fearless mentality, standing at just 5-foot-9, was on full display against the 6-foot-2 Nido Niederreiter in a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes last year.
4. Matt Martin, New York Islanders
Matt Martin brings a physical presence as a depth player who helps maintain the identity of the Islanders as a strong, physical team. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he stands down to nobody in the NHL.
Martin proved as much by dropping the gloves with former Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara twice during the month of April.
The Flyers have been pushed around by the Islanders in recent seasons. Both Lindblom and Morin dropped the gloves against them last year, and I expect a few more battles in 2021-22.
3. Zac Rinaldo, Columbus Blue Jackets
Zac Rinaldo signed a two-way contract with Columbus last week. Flyers fans know his antics well after he spent his first four NHL seasons in Philadelphia. While he showed glimpses of value with a physical forechecking style, his reckless lack of hockey sense and frequent foolish penalties ultimately led to his exit.
His tendency to cross the line with his checking style lands him in hot water frequently. He has six career suspensions at the NHL level, and he even once proved it possible to receive suspensions from the AHL and NHL at the same time. It suffices to say that opponents will always expect him to answer the bell given his aggressive style.
It remains to be seen what role the Blue Jackets will expect from him. However, Rinaldo made his presence known with a fight against Austin Watson of the Ottawa Senators in one of just four regular season games with the Calgary Flames last season.
2. Ryan Reaves, New York Rangers
We know that fighting hasn’t completely disappeared from the game because the Rangers based a significant part of their offseason determined to recover from the embarrassment they suffered in fights against Capitals forward Tom Wilson late last season.
Ryan Reaves brings one of the most reputable physical presences in the game. The 6-foot-2, 225 pound winger will play a fourth line role in minimal ice time. However, his value will come as much from intimidation as anything else.
1. Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals
Tom Wilson has earned a reputation as the most polarizing player in the NHL. He is an undeniably excellent hockey player who combines scoring, toughness, and physical to play an irreplaceable role for the Capitals.
He never shies away from controversy and often pushes (or exceeds) the limits of the rule book. Regardless of any distaste you might have for Wilson, all hockey fans need to acknowledge him as a force to be reckoned with on the ice.
Both Nate Thompson and Robert Hagg fought Wilson during a March 2020 matchup in Washington. The Flyers will need to match Wilson’s intensity again in 2021-22 if they hope to neutralize the element of intimidation he brings to the game.