Nov 10, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) carries the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Flyers Fandom is a fickle beast, filled with hot takes and irrational exuberance. It has had its share of franchise saviors, coach killers, and ascending, and then falling, idols. Flyers fans have turned their collective stink eye in the direction of Ivan Provorov, casting him, along with most of the Flyers’ defensemen as saboteurs of what has been to date an underwhelming season.
Provorov was once thought to be the center piece of an improving corps of defensemen. That seemed cemented when he was paired with Matt Niskanen in the 2019-20 season. Though Niskanen was unquestionably diminished, and had some problems defending in his own end, he was still a plus skater who would read plays correctly and most times find himself in the “right spot”. Provorov looked extremely comfortable with the pairing, and the duo ended the season with a 5 v 5 positive goal differential, even after being matched up against their opposition’s top forward talent.
Last season things were different. Niskanen retired, and his roster spot was occupied by Erik Gustafsson. Though Provorov did not often play with the mistake prone Gustafsson, the centerpiece defenseman was forced to find a new partner. That was Justin Braun. Over the course of the season, Braun and Provorov broke even in 5 v 5 goal differential, giving and getting 20. But it was plain to see that Provorov looked much less comfortable with Braun than when he was paired with Niskanen. Braun has some positive attributes, but he did not elevate Provorov’s game the way Niskanen had.
When these bodies of work are compared to the Provorov that we saw in overtime against the Kraken, there is a noticeable difference. Provorov was confident, aggressive and asserting himself on offense. It is true that 3-on-3 is a different game, but it also shows the comfort Provorov felt with his line mates in that extra frame, as compared to his nightly 5v5 reality. His line mates were forwards Cam Atkinson and Kevin Hayes, not exactly Selke candidates. It speaks volumes that Provorov played more confidently flanked by above average forwards than with any of his defensive partners this season.
While Provorov’s play has not been consistent, his demeanor has been. He is always going to tend to his defensive end first. The goals that Provorov gives up are rarely, if ever, from him cheating towards offense. There is very little river boat gambler in him. His decision to activate against the Kraken was not a wild spin of the wheel but a calculation based on how much he trusted the players with whom he shared the ice.
Provorov, since Niskanen, has been put into a “make it work” situation, asked to dominate the game while covering up for a number of his partners deficiencies. Fittingly, Provorov’s play has embodied the nervousness of a parent whose toddler is playing too close to the highway. He is driven to distraction by the specter of disaster, shading a step or two closer to his partner to save the day. This is not how a talent of Provorov’s magnitude should be used and is yet another demonstrative management failure by team Comcast.
It is true that the front office has tried to get help for Provorov, the acquisition of Ryan Ellis proves as much. But Ellis is still out, and seems not at all close to returning. Fletcher has tried to make other moves to improve the defense, Rasmus Ristolainen as an example. But rather than looking at what the big right hander brings individually, the first question should be “How would he work with Provorov?” Risto, as much as I like him, is at times mistake prone in coverage, and like Braun, he can be careless with puck decisions. Players with these weaknesses make Provorov less aggressive, which hinders his ability to dominate.
The blame towards Provorov is largely miscast as the organization is failing him much the same way it has repeatedly failed Giroux over the last decade. Provorov is pulling his weight and more. He is fortified by a fringe and failing blueline cast and is in a constant state of defensive zone worry caused by the play of his defensive team mates.
Grabbing Ellis was a strong move, but it was extremely costly. It also hitched much of the Flyers’ destiny to the play of Ellis. There were better move that could have been made.
Phillipe Myers
Part of the price for landing Ellis was Phil Myers. With the Flyers placing such a premium on right-handed defensemen, rightfully so, parting ways with the young and reasonably priced Myers was a mistake. The fact that Nashville, an organization known for developing defensemen, wanted Myers so badly should have been a huge a sign that this was player to keep.
To be fair to the Flyers, landing Ellis was their original plan, and had he been healthy, it may have worked. But by including Myers, it eliminated their built in “plan b”. So they reintroduced the Braun plan, which was so disappointing last season. It would have made much more sense for the Flyers to include York or Zamula or picks in place of Myers. Were general managers really kicking down Nashville’s door to scoop up the Ellis contract? I doubt it. Management traded away their best contingency in the event of an injury to Ellis.
I feel the hate coming on, but as Claude Lemieux pointed out, hockey is not a popularity contest. DeAngelo has had some very public incidents and flair ups with teammates. He has been suspended for harassment and using a racial slur in the OHL. This is not a fine body of work, but people do make mistakes, young immature people especially. The track record of “crappy teammate” is a risk, but people also change, sometimes for the better. In a high character, low talent Flyers’ locker room, it was a risk worth taking.
As for the hockey side of the equation, Provorov had pretty good results when paired with Gostisbehere. DeAngelo shares a lot of the same (on ice) traits, and is a right handed shot, if that matters. This could have been the best kind of low-risk, high reward signing for the Flyers. A player who knows he is running out of chances, who has a lot of talent, and would be playing just miles from his hometown of Sewell, NJ. If it does not work out the contract is so small that it can easily be buried in Lehigh, or simply release him.
For the record DeAngelo is the top scoring defensemen for the Canes, who lead the division in points percentage. More importantly, it appears he has been nothing less than a model citizen, with his only infraction was coming down with COVID, like half of the country.
Travis Hamonic
Losing Aube-Kubel (five goals and seven assists since joining the Avalanche) on waivers to make sure we kept a roster spot for the likes of Patrick Brown, Nate Thompson, Nick Seeler, Max Willman and Zack MacEwen or other AHL talent is a galling waste of value, especially when the team passed on an opportunity to grab Travis Hamonic.
Full disclosure, I am a Hamonic fan boy, and even I recognize he has slowed from his prime and is currently injured, but he is a better hockey player than Kevin Connauton ever will be. More importantly Hamonic, even in his reduced state, is perfect for the role of support man for Provorov. Hamonic spent most of his time in Vancouver riding shotgun for Quinn Hughes. Prior to that he was paired with Noah Hanifin. Hamonic knows his role, and it is to support his partner for the betterment of the team. Whatever Hamonic has left in the tank, waiver claim would have been worth exploring especially looking at the collection of AHL level forwards Chuck Fletcher opted to keep.
As I have earlier documented, the Flyers are all in, and are unlikely to make major changes. In order to make this team a contender, adding pieces specifically for Provorov is an urgent matter, maybe the most urgent. It is clear that the organization shifted its focus almost entirely on the present, but failing to address how to maximize Provorov has hindered the team today and if not addressed, will be a growing problem for the future.
