Five Forwards Who Would’ve Made Great Flyers

There are times you watch a hockey game and think, “Man, I wish he was on our team.” Looking around the league, if money was not a problem, what forwards would look great the Flyers orange and black? I chose these five players as some who would quickly become fan favorites here.

Now, obviously, you would automatically go for all-star caliber players. “I think Johnny Gaudreau would’ve been a great Flyer.” Yeah…way to reach with that one. You think he’d be good?

While some of these guys may be all-stars, others are not. But I chose them for their gritty style of play, their hustle, and their overall abilities. Some of these may shock you. But follow my logic and you may agree with me.

Patric Hornqvist

It is natural to have an apathy for any player who was on the Pittsburgh Penguins. I get it. No matter how talented players like Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin are, we love to hate them and talk down about their actual abilities. As an Eagles fans, I pretty much do this to anyone donning a Cowboys and Giants jersey as well.

Hornqvist was different. He came to the Penguins after playing six years in Nashville in a trade for James Neal. At the time, the deal was surprising as Neal was a major cog of the Penguins teams in the late 2000s.  And Neal would score 71 goals in the next three years with the Preds. Hornqvist would score 68; so pretty comparable numbers.

The thing about Hornqvist was that he always seemed to be involved in the play. Much like Scott Hartnell or Rod Brind’Amour of previous Flyers years, Hornqvist was never the best player on the ice or an all-star. But man could he hustle. He could put out a hit if he needed to. He would battle in the corners. On the power play, he was a menace that you had to watch out for.

I think because of his grit and determination, he would have been very popular here. After winning two cups in Pittsburgh, he was dealt to Florida where he was one of the players who guided them to the top spot in the Eastern Conference this year. He’s 35 and his skills are diminishing, but there is a spark in him that would’ve made him a great Flyer.